Rating: 
Summary: SYMPHONIC LIVE - YES!!!
Review: This is the best ever DVD capturing the classic progressive rock band performing live on stage recreating their classic master pieces recorded in studio some 30 years ago. By having this DVD, unless you are looking for a collection, you did not miss anything if you have not already purchased 'House of Yes' and 'Keys to Ascension'. It provides the top picture and sound quality enabling you to enjoy the whole concert.In terms of team effort, each member of Yes performed remarkably well in conjunction with the orchestra. It is obvious that the songs played in this concert are carefully selected enabling the European Festival Orchestra can fully complement the symphonic treatment of some of the evergreen yes songs - 'Close To The Edge' and 'And You And I'. Nevertheless, the above arrangement quietly highlighted the importance and influence of Rick Wakeman in 'Fragile' and 'Close To The Edge'. The symphonic ensemble simply confimed one thing - you need an orchestra to replace Rick on stage if you seriously want to replicate the songs in these 2 albums. In this DVD, it is obvious that Steve Howe has lost the steam, particularly in 'Roundabout'. Explosive guitar solo in 'Starship Trooper' and dynamic layers of fill-ins and scales in 'Roundabout' and 'I've Seen All Good People' originally available in the album and previous concerts are not played. Yet it is considered pre-matured to say Steve has passed his "use by date"at this stage; his vast experience and skills salvaged him from devastation when he had a bad start playing 'Mood For A Day' and enabled him to "simplify" those highly demanding guitar arrangements when he was playing these 2 songs during the concert without too much significance. Overall, as stated on the DVD cover, this is no dry rock plays the classics affair. Yes and European Festival Orchestra complement each other during the whole concert and one could not have played the songs the way it was played without the other. If you are a Yes fan, you must have this DVD. If you simply enjoy seeing DVD with top sound and picture quality, you should have this in your collection.
Rating: 
Summary: The Kings of Prog Reign Supreme!
Review: Yes? Aren't they a 30 plus year old rock dinosaur with a few moldy hits from the seventies? The short answer - no, no, a thousand times no! If that's how you feel about this eminent prog rock band, this DVD will blow all of your preconceptions away. A fresh mix of classic epic masterpieces and new songs from last year's "Magnification," this DVD is Yes music to it's fullest glory. The combination of top musical performances by the band, including guitar maestro Steve Howe and bassist Chris "The Fish" Squire, with the European Festival Orchestra packs a musical punch that will leave you breathless. Yes' music have always had a symphonic sound and you'll be amazed at how the orchestra brings out the real power and impact of their songs. "Close to the Edge" and "Gates of Delerium" stand out in particular.
Perhaps the only disappointment is the inclusion of "Roundabout" and "Seen All Good People" in the set - these songs have been played ad nauseum in the past and it would have been nice to see something different as a finale.
In a musical landscape dominated by teen pop fluff and angry rock/rap clones, Yes represents an old way of thinking - music as art. So is their music still relevant today?
Perhaps more than ever.
Rating:
Summary: WOW !!!!
Review: I wasn't sure about this one at first. A friend was going to loan me his copy and then when I asked again, he said he didn't really like it so he traded it off.
After watching it about half-way through I found myself laughing out loud in my living room.......THESE GUYS ARE GREAT, REALY GREAT, REALLY, REALLY GREAT! How could anyone not like this? This is great family fun. Steve Howe seemed a little out of sorts (and if I were him I would lose the glasses) But Chris Squire and Jon Anderson are steller throughout. It's Alan White though, that'll knock you out. if you are even a "mild" Yes fan this is a MUST SEE and also you need to catch their BIG tour this spring.
Rating:
Summary: Yes Symponic is Awesome!
Review: I was a little hesitant about buying this DVD after seeing the symphonic show live two times. The sound of the orchestra was never mixed right the nights I saw them. But the DVD is excellent. The sound quality is the best of any Yes DVD to be released to this point. And the band and the orchestra play with a great deal of energy. Steve Howe is his usual subdued self but his playing is flawless. Howe looks especially bored on "Owner of a lonely Heart" but anyone who had just played pieces like "Ritual" and "Gates of Delirium" would be bored playing a little pop tune like Owner afterward. Anyone who is a fan of the classic yes line up will love this concert. This is one of the best concert videos, if not the best, I have seen.
Rating:
Summary: Excellent
Review: I was hesitant to buy this, I'm wary of wheeling out old rock stars, no matter how much I used to like them. But I paid my money and I haven't regreted it. This is an outstanding performance of many of their classics. 'Gates of Delirium' is terrific. If you ever liked Yes, you will enjoy this. The animations are a dud though.
Rating:
Summary: Very entertaining
Review: As compared with older DVD's such as Yessongs, the sound quality of this recording is very very good. Rick Wakeman is missed, but Brislin fills in nicely, with some added vocals. Anderson's voice is as strong as ever, Squire is active and entertaining, and White is obviously skilled on drums. The orchestra is a very nice touch, especially on the longer pieces such as Close to the Edge and Gates of Delirium. Steve Howe is just amazing... his solo on Starship Trooper is awe-inspiring, and the pedal-steel is a very nice touch. (What's with that guitar with no head stock?) Overall, very entertaining film. See them live... they're just so good.
Rating:
Summary: Value for the Money A+
Review: If you a Yes fan you will find this performance very satisfying and an excellent value for the money (when you consider a concert ticket can be $90 bucks these day and this is about $20 you can't go wrong). I gave this 5 stars not because it's perfect but it really really well done. The video quality is fantastic with great shots of the band and the sound quality with a decent stereo system is excellent. I really like the selections because they pull from a number of albums and while I initially thought that the orchestrat would mean cheezy it really adds and doesn't over do anything. Given that you are some level of a fan of the group I can only imagine you not liking this for a few reasons: 1) If you only liked the "90125" version of Yes this DVD will disappoint (i.e. No T.Rabin , only 1 song from that period and 'Owner' is not up to bar with any Rabin version) 2) If you are a hard core Wakeman fan you will be bummed as he is not part of this (scheduling conflicts I'm told kept him from this tour as he has TV and Radio shows in the UK)- Tom Brislin however does an excellent job of playing the notes on the keys but keeping a his own sound. I prefer that over cloning parts. 3) If you dislike the idea of young women from an orchestra jumping up and down on stage during 'Roundabout' as if this was a remake of Beach Blanket Bingo. then don't watch that song! Enjoy!
Rating: 
Summary: Awful
Review: The picture quality on this DVD is stunningly bad. The heavy compression flattens the picture in areas to large squares. Also annoying are the little cartoon icons that pop up during songs to let you know there's another video track. The editing is amaturish. The cuts from one performer to another seem random. They also broke the cardinal rule of live music: overdubs (most noticeably Jon Anderson). The performance is equally flat. Maybe the band members were sick that night but it seemed that the high-school orchestra were having more fun. The new material (Don't Go, In The Presence Of and Magnification) is weak. Gates of Delirium is also a questionable choice. At least they found a keyboardist who could play Rick Wakeman's parts. In a word: Awful. [DW]
Rating:
Summary: YES, but I'm a fan.
Review: "You either love 'em or ya hate 'em!"
I love the sound of YES and I loved this DVD!
They're old now, but the sound is faithful and the orchestra fits comfortably. In fact, a very attractive female content as another review has pointed out.
If you love YES, well these particular tracks, then you too will love the DVD.
"Take a straight and stronger course ..."
Rating:
Summary: The best Yes DVD
Review: Yes has released a lot of DVDs, so I hesitated buying another. But to my pleasant surprise, "Symphonic Live" was well worth the investment, and turns out to be their best yet. It's beautifully lit and filmed , the sound is excellent, and - if you love classic Yes - the song selection coulnd't be better. Highly recommended.
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