Yes - Yessongs Blu-Ray

Yeah, I occasionally get a music Blu-Ray, even though I'm generally a 2 channel audio type person. I have a Oppo BDP-83 modified to defeat region coding on Blu-Ray discs (because there are a lot of great British TV series and movies on BR that I am in to) and it's fed through a B&W Panorama soundbar. Video is fed to a 55" Hitachi plasma, one of the last Japanese built ones.

So this is the first time here I am writing about a Blu-Ray, and it is the new UK release of "Yessongs", the first reissue of this movie to which the LP set of the same name was a soundtrack. The movie itself is little known, and it has been given a DTS surround mix (the original mono is also here) and a high definition video restoration. It appears to be region free, but check that out, it played with my Oppo set to region 1.

The video shows it's age and the limitations of the source and era. There is lots of grain, not all so infrequent flecks that are unobtrusive, tones are fairly natural in so far as the source allows. Overall it looks like a decent DVD upscale, but in truth filming indoors, in a dimly lit arena, 40 years ago had its limitations. That is apparent here, yet at the same time it is very 'watchable', detail given the source is not half bad, it seems to have been given the best restoration possible. No revelations here, not at all high resolution, and not at all of a modern standard. But it is still pretty good, and pretty cool to see those cheesy stage costumes, Alan White just having a blast, Howe playing his ass off, Squire a bit aloof, Anderson fairly stoned and Wakeman stone faced and foreboding. The sound is pretty much arena sonics of the day, sounds fairly cavernous, and the DTS goes as far as it can respectfully to the source. All in all, it hangs together pretty well, and seeing Yes in their prime is a real thrill.

I still haven't got the slightest idea what the lyrics mean. But it all goes down very cosmically. A recommended period piece and time capsule.