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YesSpeaktraces the band roots back to London, 1968, when vocalist Jon Anderson met upwith bass guitarist Chris Squire as the former worked in a bar and the latterwas performing at the Marquee Club with his band, “Mabel Greer’s Toy Shop”.Anderson joined along with the other band members Peter Banks and Tony Kayeand they had to decide on better songs and a much more memorable name. Theprog-rock gods were born…
The review of the new DVD can be foundhereand we’re very proud to present this interview with Yes member, solo artist andall-round TV presenter including Live at Jongleurs on Paramount andseveral appearances on BBC2’s Never Mind The Buzzcocks as well as theGrumpy Old Men series which is getting a Xmas special on BBC2 along withrepeats of the entire series.
1. Who are you?
- “Rick Wakeman, May 18th 1949, Perivale, Middlesex.
Strawbs: April 1970 – July 1971
Yes: August 1971 – May 1974, November 1976 – January 1980,including Anderson Bruford Wakeman Howe 1988-1992, 1997-2002.
Rest of the periods were solo periods.”
2. I went to see Yes at the Birmingham NEC on your 1991 tour which broughtall 8 members of the band back together. Which was your favourite tour/concert?
- “The Union tour was a great tour and really unique. Nothing like that willever happen again. I think that tour would haev to go down as a real favouritewith the last tour we have just done, also up there in the ‘Great Tour’ charts.”
3. Are there any tracks you’d like to have included on the recent “UltimateCollection” release, which were left out?
- “I would have liked to have had the opportunity to have remixed some of thetracks from ‘Tormato’ which I think was a great album with some pretty decentmusic on board but had the worst production of any Yes album after ‘Union’!Overall, I thought it was a pretty good mix on the ‘Ultimate Collection’release.”
4. Throughout your career with Yes, which has been the most satisfying albumto make?
- “‘Going For The One’. It was way ahead of its time, both technically andalso musically in so many ways. I like the idea of a band being all togetherin one neutral place and working together. I think it produces the best out ofany band and certainly worked in Switzerland for us. I’d love to have recordedthe next album in a similar environment.”
5. Are there any albums which didn’t come out the way you’d have liked,and what would you have done to change it?
- “‘Tales From Topographic Oceans’ could have been a great album for me if wehad not set ground rules about the length of the music. There are some nicemelodies that were never worked upon enough and there was more padding thanin the average small-breasted woman’s bras, but I’m just as much to blame forthat as anyone else.
‘Tales…’ is an album you either love or hate… suffice to say I left the bandafter this album because I couldn’t offer anything to this kind of music thatYes were producing at the time.”
6. Which do you prefer – working solo or in a band?
- “Equal. Whatever I’m doing, whether it’s television, stand-up comedy, soloconcerts with my band or with Yes or even the one-man show, I enjoy them alland whatever I’m doing at the time gets all my focus. I don’t think I could eversurvive with just one outlet for music.
7. Since making your mark guesting on TV shows such as “Grumpy Old Men”,”Countdown” and “Never Mind the Buzzcocks”, have you any aspirations to move intothis line of work full-time?
- “I do love doing television, I must admit. It’s a format I really enjoy, butas I mentioned earlier, I love the variety of life that I am lucky enough tohave and hope that there will always be choices… but who knows what thefuture may hold?”
8. Have you any plans to bring together all past members of the band in theway you celebrated the Union tour back in 1991?
- “Absolutely not!! There is about as much chance of that happening as thereis of the Pope putting condom machines in the Vatican.”
9. What is the happiest moment/s you can recall in your life?
- “I have many happy memories that stretch back to childhood, but making musicproduces the most happiest of moments. I suppose I’m in love with music morethan anything else in my life if the truth by known.”
10. Are you going to bring your planned solo tour to the UK with your mixof music and anecdotal humour?
- “Afraid not. I did a lot of it in the UK for many years and felt it had runit’s course. The UK is a very difficult country to play as the cost of puttingon any show is so expensive. I have “propped” up tours of the UK financiallyfor years and years and sadly I can’t do that any more. Divorces leave yourather financially short you know!
I love playing the UK, but apart from Yes shows I honestly don’t know where mysolo performances stand in the UK anymore. I never say never though becausenone of us know what’s going to happen in the future. I’m lucky enough to beable to play all over the world with both Yes and my own band as well as soloone-man shows, but it just gets so hard to perform in the UK mainly because ofa great lack of media support. Radio plays nothing and the music press are justcynical whenever they do write a few words. Sad really.”
11. What is your funniest joke?
- “Not one I can tell in print!!”
12. What was it like working alongside so many gorgeous women in thehorror flick, “Alone”?
- Really difficult… I hated every minute of it… it was a terribleexperience. Oh come on, what do you think!! It was fantastic of course!!”
13. Why have you decided to make and release the forthcoming DVD ‘Yes Speak’?
- “Because we wanted to do something different. Yes DVDs so far have been veryordinarily produced and in my opinion, not of the standard that Yes should havebeen involved with. I believe that YesSpeak is a great step forward inpresenting the band to fans both new and old with information and thoughtsthat pretty much tell the story of why we are still going today. I’d like tosee more “Speaks” , such as “Tull-Speak” and “Who-Speak”for starters. I’d buy them!!”
14. Did you feel back in the mid 70’s you were in competition with the likesof Genesis and Emerson Lake & Palmer as to who could release the longestlasting song in recorded history?
- “Absolutely not. We were not in competition at all and never felt as such.We were all individual bands and musicians and respected each other accordingly.”
15. Do you look back now at some of their more “colourful” stage clothesand sets and maybe wince just a little?
- “Not at all. I wince at some of the questions journalists ask me though!!”
16. What was your initial reaction when punk came along in 1976?
- “My reaction was that it was the right time for a revolution. Revolutionshappen at least every 10 years in music as a new generation appears. In thelong run it is healthy, although transitions are always difficult.”
17. Are your lyrics just as important as their music?
- “They have to compliment each other that’s for sure.”
18. Just what is a topographic ocean?
- “Ask Jon Anderson. He wrote the lyrics!!”
The 2003 ‘best of’ compilation,
the underrated Big Generator album and 1991’s Union collaboration.
Website copyright © Dominic Robinson, 2003.Visit the official site: Yes World.com
Reviewer of movies, videogames and music since 1994. Aortic valve operation survivor from the same year. Running DVDfever.co.uk since 2000. Nobel Peace Prize winner 2021.