I’ll be the first to admit that I’m a man of simple pleasures and as a consequence never really got into Prog Rock at all. I’ve seen all the greats live of course (but that’s a gig addiction) but during those shows I have visited the lobby for extended periods for everyone from Yes to Rush, and quite a few other points in between. Don’t get me wrong I’ve got nothing against epics and breakdowns and a bit of noodling, but if I’m honest I’m not even really a fan of instrumentals, solos or overt showmanship. I also really dislike jazz. Prog just seemed to me like something my school teachers would (make that ‘did’ in most cases) like; and all my friends who worshipped at that particulate altar all wore anoraks, rode bicycles, loved the sciences and had too many ball point pens on display in their top pockets for my linking. Highly suspicious I know…
Having said all of that something drew me to this one…
Apologies if this all goes horribly wrong…
As a live record all I can suggest is cans on and sit back. Of course if you are a fan then the tracklisting will look like a dream and interestingly though almost ten minutes long side two opener ‘You And I’ is fresher and greener than I imagined it would be after many years not hearing it and Jon’s vocals sound spot on (more tuneful and less witch-like than Geddy Lee for example). By the end I can almost see the attraction especially the more jaunty codicil after the brief keyboard stab. Even if I did at first think it was the next song (I always half suspected that a lot of Prog songs were really bits of incomplete songs that were just cobbled together with instrumental stabs between the unfinished pieces…)
Legendary tunes like ‘Yours is no Disgrace’, a track I’ve always begrudgingly revered, are wonderfully rendered here, even if the investment is over ten minutes, It’s a song that is more accessible somehow and builds nicely into a robust workout but unlike some Prog with some recurring reference points to grab onto like the almost ‘West Coast’ chorus. It’s all rather uplifting really.
With ‘Perpetual Change’ clocking in at just under ten minute again you’re reminded of the length of the songs – effectively investing two hours in just ten songs. But when you just let the guitars wash over you and realise that despite the Pop meanderings of ‘Close to the Edge’ (All Prog bands did it in the 80’s it seems) you realise that songs like ‘Your Move/ I’ve Seen All Good People’ are pretty timeless.
As a casual listener there are of course moments in the set that connect less than those mentioned, I never saw the appeal in ‘Roundabout’ for example, but then again I never expected to enjoy the 22 minute ‘Gates of Delerium’ either, or for that matter the far more rocking and muscular ‘Heart of the Sunrise’.
Sure there are anachronistic sounds of the synths and a certain tweeness at times that makes me cringe a little, but 30 years after first hearing these songs I’m a lot more inclined towards hearing them again that I ever thought I would be. Anderson sounds sharp as a tack and the band is simply wonderful. I’ll leave it at that…
8 /10
Press release below…
Following the worldwide acclaim for their debut album “TRUE”, Jon Anderson and The Band Geeks announce today the March 14th release of the CD/DVD package “Jon Anderson and The Band Geeks Live- Perpetual Change”. The band recorded and filmed the entire show at the Arcada Theater in St. Charles, Illinois on their August 2023 summer tour. The concert will be available as a two CD/DVD package as well as a triple vinyl package. Both are available for preorder today here: https://ffm.to/jonandersonperpetualchange
Below is the track listing for both configurations:
Yours Is No Disgrace
Perpetual Change
Close To The Edge
Heart Of The Sunrise
Starship Trooper
Awaken
And You And I
Your Move/ I’ve Seen All Good People
Gates Of Delirium
Roundabout
For more information:
Jon Anderson’s official website: www.JonAnderson.com
Band Geek official website: https://richiecastellano.com/bandgeek/
Jon Anderson YES Epics and Classics:
Website – http://jonandersonyesepicsandclassics.com/
Facebook – Jon Anderson YES Epics & Classics – https://www.facebook.com/jonandersonyesepicsandclassics/
Twitter – @JonYesEpic
Instagram – @jonandersonyesepicsandclassics
TikTok – @JonAndersonYESEpic
YouTube – Jon Anderson YES Epics & Classics – https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCIvSkw_3SAs1Yy2Ro68GzLw