Yes Union DVD & CD

keithd · January 07, 2011, 08:59:50 PM

Now available to order @ http://www.gonzomultimedia.co.uk

MarkOneMusic · January 07, 2011, 10:31:05 PM

Ours is already on order...

I have very fond memories of the NEC in-the-round Union gig

Pedro · January 08, 2011, 01:22:25 AM

Quote from: "MarkOneMusic"Ours is already on order...

I have very fond memories of the NEC in-the-round Union gig

So do I.

owen · January 08, 2011, 06:30:52 AM

Bit disappointed TBH, it was trailed as having a 2nd DVD with an entire 2nd concert (in the round?), now seems to be a bootleg version of bits. Still gotta love them as they were: RW open shirt and medallion, straight from the disco, Trevor Rabin leather pants and vest and Chris Squire Duran Duran reject. You don't see bands looking like that anymore! :lol:

turbo · January 08, 2011, 10:03:41 AM

I think the second dvd does indeed have a complete concert in the round as well as a bootleg concert, ordered mine a couple of days ago [order number 1700] it seems they can still shift there products in large numbers, considering it had only been on sale a couple of days when i ordered it.

DueyC · January 08, 2011, 11:17:30 AM

Quote from: "Pedro"
Quote from: "MarkOneMusic"Ours is already on order...

I have very fond memories of the NEC in-the-round Union gig
So do I.

Me too. Fourth row IIRC

keithd · January 08, 2011, 11:29:02 AM

It was Wembley for me, and had the pleasure of meeting Rick Wakeman the day after

MarkOneMusic · January 20, 2011, 09:57:54 AM

well I have to confess that was something of a letdown...

Disk one is a recording taken at Shoreline Amphitheatre, Mountain View California, August 8th 1991 which was a traditional Proscenium style gig.

It consists Yours Is No Disgrace, Rhythm of Love, Heart of the Sunrise, Clap, Owner of a Lonely Heart, I've Seen All Good People, Saving My Heart, The Fish/Amazing Grace, Awaken, Roundabout. It's all reasonably well recorded, though clearly they were having technical problems with both sound and vision in Awaken (Masking the lack of video for about 15 seconds with a zoomed still of Mr Squire fading to black)

Saving my heart was the only actual 'Union' track on that disk.

It's OK and as a record of all the guys together, I'm glad we've got it, but my memories of the Union gig in the NEC are so good, this doesn't come up to that. (Actually I think there were cameras at that gig too, so obviously the fact that there is no material from that suggests they really have lots of stuff that just didn't record well)

Disk 2 gives us Denver, an In the Round show. Which is billed as a 'bootleg' on the menu, but it's clearly a pro multi-camera shoot, (albeit not as crisp as the california shoot) and Jon actually makes reference to the show being recorded 'As you can see..' However the audio is awful and sounds a lot like someone's monitor mix (or possibly a combination of peoples monitor mixes - at the start during Yours is no Disgrace the Bass is very clean and VERY dominant, and the vocals are buried and then all of a sudden LOTS of vocals. Later on generally Steve's guitars are right in your face and Rabin's are all but inaudible. Which makes the Rabin led Hold on and Changes a bit odd.

However this show does include Shock to the System and Lift me up the two highlights from the Union album, Changes and the drum duet.

The rest of Disk 2 is billed as fan-shot material from Pensacola Civic Centre, Pensacola, April 9th 1991 - And to be honest I couldn't bring myself to watch that (Even I'm not fanatical enough to put myself through something shot from the 12th row with a noisy US audience - why don't they shut the F*** up during songs? - on some early 90s VHS-C camcorder)

Get it if you are a die-hard fan like me. Otherwise, there are much better live DVD recordings of the band.

keithd · January 20, 2011, 10:08:04 AM

I already had the concert on Disc 1 as a Japanese import and I had converted it to CD so that i could play the tracks on my ipod etc, so no gain there

I'm only half way through disc 2, the first part isn't too bad but overall I'm not sure the set was worth over £30 considering I already had some of it, albeit not boxed & packaged nicely.

Trapezium Artist · January 20, 2011, 01:19:25 PM

Quote from: "MarkOneMusic"The rest of Disk 2 is billed as fan-shot material from Pensacola Civic Centre, Pensacola, April 9th 1991 - And to be honest I couldn't bring myself to watch that (Even I'm not fanatical enough to put myself through something shot from the 12th row with a noisy US audience - why don't they shut the F*** up during songs? - on some early 90s VHS-C camcorder)

I was living in Tucson at the time and drove through the desert to see the in-the-round gig at the San Diego Sports Arena on May 14 1991 (so the web reliably informs me). To be honest, I don't have particularly positive memories of it, perhaps in part because the semi-forced merging of the bands resulted in such a dog's dinner both on Union the album and the gig itself.

But it was also utterly spoiled for me by the non-stop talking and shouting during the music, to the extent that I almost ended up in a fight with someone when I tried, in a polite English style, to get someone to shut-up when they were talking all the way through And You And I.

A thoroughly unpleasant atmosphere all round, I'm afraid to say, and I remember that Yes gig as one of the worst of the ten or so of theirs that I've seen.

Is that "just how it is" at rock concerts in the US? I'm not trying to pick a fight with our USian Frost*ies here (!), but am genuinely curious.

Pedro · January 20, 2011, 02:01:16 PM

I have never been able to understand the arrogance/ignorance it must take to stand in a crowd and continually talk/shout with friends - particularly when the band is playing.

Now, I'm a tolerant guy and someone saying (or even shouting) stuff like "This is brilliant" or "They played this in '82 when I saw them" or "Hey, Terry do you want a drink" and then going back to watching/listening is no problem at all.
But to have full-on pub-like conversations (including gales of laughter) during a gig is just rude. If people want to do that they should get some distance between themselves and the rest of the crowd.

A short while ago, I went to the cinema and there was a group of teenage girls sitting in there (obviously having paid something to be there) who talked/laughed amongst themselves and at one point, 2 of the girls went out (not attempting to be quiet at all), obviously to do a bit of shopping because they came back with shop bags and proceeded to show the others what they got.

Another time at the cinema, some lady with a baby and a toddler parked herself right down at the front and quite happily allowed the toddler to repeatedly run back and forth below the screen vocalising its delight at being allowed to have a bit of a run.

Do these people seriously think that what they are doing is "ok"?

Baffling. :roll:

rogerg · January 20, 2011, 02:19:30 PM

it is a constant struggle for me in class. kids (and adults these days) just don't know how to shut up for longer than about three seconds. I blame the vcr and video rentals. seriously. it marked a sea-change in how we deal with movies. concerts, etc.

D S · January 20, 2011, 09:03:34 PM

Yes, I really hate that too. Much as I love 'em, I was less than impressed with Touchstone and some of their friends (who were standing beside us) for talking loudly all the way through the quite bits of Milliontown at the Peel Christmas 08 gig - I though Big Black Shed was going to deck someone at one stage!

All the more surprising given they're in a prog band themselves...

If you want to talk, go outside - stop ruining it for those that just want to listen!

[Rant over 8-) ]