Rating: 
Summary: Purchase the CD NOT the DVD!
Review: In brief, I was very disappointed with this DVD and have subsequently sold it. I was keen to see some clear concert footage of the band with Rick back on keyboards. I had bought the CD sometime back and was enthralled with the music as usual. The DVD was extremely disappointing - the worst concert DVD I have watched so far. Instead of clear, crisp footage like Yes at the House of Blues,(which I'd recommend) I saw artistic images and a view of the stage that seemed to be taken from about a half a kilometre away! I've happily gone back to my CD to which I apply my imagination of the band playing!
Rating: 
Summary: Somebody tar and feather the video producer
Review: Let's name names here: Some jamoke named Steve Mitchell, the producer of this disaster, must of gotten a new piece of digital effects software for his computer about ten minutes before he sat down to produce this video. He decided that he was going to use EVERY effect, no matter how inappropriate, out of context, distracting or annoying.As a 25 year Yes fan, all I wanted to do was hear the music and see these guys play. For the few seconds that the camera actually stops and focuses on a performer without any ridiculous effects, it is great. Unfortunately, there is almost no place on this DVD where we get more than 10 seconds without some wildly out-of-place video effect obscuring the performance. The only reason why this rated two stars is because the actual musical performance is five stars. But we can get that off the audio CD. I hope this producer was sued by Yes for destroying such a nice performance and I hope he has ended up in a career that suits his creative abilities: "Would you like fries with that order?"
Rating:
Summary: It's shame, really...
Review: ....that someone can so completely screw up an opportunity to record a concert from this classic lineup playing this classic material. I've been a fan of Yes for 30 years and was really intrigued by this DVD when I saw it. I should have read the reviews. Tacky video sequences repeatedly dwarf one of the greatest performing bands in the world. Segments edited into some songs appear to be from completely different pieces. This video is a disaster for anyone actually hoping to see great live footage of the band. Watching it just made me angry.
Rating: 
Summary: GREAT DVD, NEVER MIND THE OTHER REVIEWS
Review: AFTER READING THE REVIEWS, I ALMOST DIDN'T BUY THIS DVD, I'M GLAD I DIDN'T LISTEN. IT'S YES'S BEST DVD. MOST OF THE CRITICISMS ARE ABOUT THE SPECIAL VIDEO EFFECTS AND THE SOUND. ANYONE WHO WOULD CRITIZE THE BAND, THE PERFORMANCE, OR THE CHOICE OF MATERIAL COULDN'T BE A YES FAN. ALL THE CLASSIC MEMBERS SHINE, IN PARTICULAR STEVE HOWE AND RICK WAKEMAN, WHICH MAKES THIS DVD ESSENTIAL IN THAT THE EXCELLENT "SYMPHONIC LIVE" AND THE LESS THAN STELLAR "HOUSE OF YES" DO NOT INCLUDE WAKEMAN. AS FOR THE SOUND IT'S MARVELOUS! THE VIDEO EFFECTS WHICH ARE IN THE BACKGROUND MOST OF THE VIDEO, CONSIST OF VARIOUS SHOTS OF NATURE, SPACE AND OCCASIONALLY ACTORS IN VINGNETTES (SOME MIGHT CONSIDER THEM CHEESY BUT THEY SEEM TO ME TO BE IN THE TRADITION OF THE BLACK- AND-WHITE EFFECTS FROM "THE BEAT CLUB" IN THE LATE 60'S EARLY 70'S) THEY DON'T DETRACT FROM THE PERFORMANCES. IT WOULD HAVE BEEN NICE IF THE VIEWER WOULD HAVE THE CHOICE TO TURN THEM OFF LIKE YOU CAN ON SYMPHONIC LIVE. BUT CONSIDERING THE FLAWS OF THE EARLY DVD'S (YESSONGS, LIVE IN PHILADELPHIA) THIS DEFINATELY AT WORST IS A MINOR DISTRACTION. RELAX AND ENJOY. THEN BUY "SYMPHONIC LIVE" IF YOU DON'T HAVE IT!
Rating: 
Summary: Still Got It?... In A Word... YES!
Review: Keys To Ascension was the result of the much anticipated reunion of the 'Classic YES' lineup (Jon Anderson, Steve Howe, Chris Squire, Alan White, & Rick Wakeman). Recorded in CA, San Luis Obispo, in March of 1996. The overall effort was good, although, I did find them to sound a bit sluggish mainly due to their rustiness. The song selection was good, featuring a blend of obscure tracks with some of their more known songs such as: "Starship Trooper", "Close To The Edge", "And You & I", "I've Seen All Good People", & "Roundabout". The other half of songs consisted of obscure gems, from the "Tales From Topographic Oceans", Going For The One", & "Tormato" albums, like: "The Revealing Science Of God", "Awaken", "Onward", "Going For The One", & "America" (Simon & Garfunkel cover). Sure there were many great songs left out, such as "Long Distance Runaround", "Heart Of The Sunrise", Gates Of Delirium", "South Side Of The Sky", "Ritual", "The Remembering", "Yours Is No Disgrace", "Wonderous Stories", or one of their newly recorded songs from the time, "Be The One". But if they would have included these, it would have turned into a double DVD. Also, it was quite nice to see songs such as "Awaken" & "Onward" performed live. One minor complain with the DVD would be the inclusion of split camera views featuring rivers and lakes and other things of that nature. The YES Symphonic Live DVD might do a better job of satisfying one by including a few more songs and hits as they actually sound very sharp. Unfortunately they were missing Rick Wakeman.
Rating:
Summary: Get another video producer, this one is bad news
Review: It is hard to believe that Yes let this one out of the box. Surley they have some sense of what is good video wise. The concert they did with T. Rabin that aired on MTV was fantastic.-PUT that on DVD.
The Keys DVD was actually funney in some places, the video sequences were mostly a joke. Would not waste any money on this dump.
All the players looked like they were going through the motions, without to much excitement.
Being a huge Yes fan, I am usually always disappointed that they do not get really progressive in their music. Without Bruford or Rabin, it pretty much is the same old stuff.
The other Yes DVD's may be great, the Keys is a joke. Very suprised that Yes even let this one out, makes them look silly.
I tried to stomach the waterfall sequance,during close to the edge, it was tuff. The producer did not even catch the edges of the album showing during the graphic. This one would learn in video editing 101.
Yes needs to burry this DVD, and get someone who can produce a video.
Check out Pat Methany's We all live here, DVD. That is how it should be done!
Rating:
Summary: ....The Bad Reviews are Nonsense
Review: If you are thinking of getting this DVD, don't get turned off by all of these bad reviews, because it is an exellent DVD! I'll admit that at some parts the visual effects got preety annoying, but for the most part they didn't really bother me at all. REVLEALING THE SCIENCE OF GOD, STARSHIP TROOPER, AWAKEN, and CLOSE TO THE EDGE all in one DVD? How can you not love it?!
Rating:
Summary: Don't wate your money!!
Review: Is there any danger in just showing us the show "LIVE" ?? If you are a YES fan, you'd buy it, not because you haven't heard the music before, but because you want to see them perform LIVE..this is doctored (so badly) that you'd want to kick you're TV screen in!!
Rating:
Summary: the Best Yes
Review: if you like YES you will love this dvd all the stuff that you love is here and cool vision to go with the music would have been cool to see the drums more but the rest is great
Rating:
Summary: Big Bummer Dudes
Review: Being a huge YES fan Since I was a teen in 1972 I couldn't wait to get this dvd. What a HUGE Bummer this turned out to be.
1st, I must say that this idea could have been the most amazing concert ever filmed if they had just let it be an honest performance. Instead they doctored up the sound with noticeably thick overdubs on the vocals and occasional repair jobs on certain passages and solo's, then coupled with the absolute out of synch footage you wonder if it was even a real concert. They filmed 2 shows I believe and then edited them into one not so grand show complete with the Cheeziest effects and double exposures you have ever seen. There are times when Wakeman and Howe are soloing and the footage you are seeing is not even from the same song.
As I said earlier this could have been great if they would just give us a show in this kind of setting with no effects and no doctoring up. Just YES on stage with all their charm and charisma and mistakes. Like woodstock DUDE! Don't do it!
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