Yes: Live in Philadelphia 1979: Amazon.ca: Jon Anderson, Steve Howe, Chris Squire, Rick Wakeman, Alan White, Denny Somach, Lee Abraham, Brian Lane: DVD

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Recorded on videotape at the Philadelphia Spectrum on June 21, 1979, this truncated Yes concert (running a mere 51 minutes, or roughly half the concert's actual length) finds the band during the summer leg of their "In the Round" tour, which was the last to feature the band's "classic" lineup of vocalist Jon Anderson, guitar wizard Steve Howe, bassist Chris Squire, drummer Alan White, and keyboardist Rick Wakeman. This is a valuable recording for Yes fans (yours truly saw the Seattle concert of this tour just a month before this Philly gig), but the image quality is definitely sub-standard and the sound mix is barely a notch above awful. Camera access was obviously limited, so the visuals grow rather tedious by the time the DVD reaches the fourth-track performance of "Starship Trooper," and one can only wonder why Alan White's synthesized drum solo was included at the expense of another full-length song. Fortunately this was a good night for the band, and as usual Steve Howe provides an amazing performance on his array of Gibson and Fender guitars. Of course, it all winds up with a closing performance of "Roundabout," and anyone who witnessed the '79 tour will be glad that this DVD--regardless of its marginal quality--was made available. All others may wish to stick to the higher fidelity of Yes's great music on CD. --Jeff Shannon

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Customer Reviews

42 Reviews

5 star:		(5)
4 star:		(6)
3 star:		(7)
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2.5 out of 5 stars (42 customer reviews)

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2 of 2 people found the following review helpful

3.0 out of 5 stars Great performance; audio and sound just OK, Jun 4 2004

By A Customer

This review is from: Yes: Live in Philadelphia 1979 (DVD)

Just like Black Sabbath's "Never Say Die" 1978 concert DVD (also released recently by Sanctuary Records), this event was shot on videotape long before the digital age. At times, the image looks decent - I do have to question the letterboxed format, being that videotape cameras didn't have widescreen/Panavision lenses back in 1979 - while other times the band members appear a little out of focus. The camerman, also, don't seem to be as familiar with Yes' material as they should be while the cameras are running, and occasionally have a hard time showing band members' faces. Unfortunately, not all of this show is seen or heard - I'm sure the boys played much longer than the disc's 50-minute running time, as they no doubt were inspired by the lively crowd here. Yes fans also will think that the audio - while not quite as atrocious as some might have you think - sounds like a solid bootleg. Yes, there is Chris Squire's bass in the mix, and Jon Anderson's voice is up front, but the mix is muddy and echoey, as if the videocamera's microphones were used to record the sound. This will appall people only familiar with digital technology, while those of us who remember vinyl will take a somewhat more forgiving attitude.
On the plus side, there are some shots that look decent, such as Alan White's drum solo, and some close shots of Steve Howe ripping into his strings on his mammoth Gibson. I found this DVD at the super center for less than six buckaroos, and couldn't pass up the opportunity to buy it at that price, fully knowing that the quality (not the band's performance - they sound really good - would have loved to been at this show) wouldn't be the greatest. If you can find it at this cheap price, pick it up, but I wouldn't recommend people buy it at full retail price. Be sure and get the Sanctuary version that has a red and blue cover. (P.S. What's up with the June 2004 release date listing at the top of this page? Are they going to reissue this DVD again this summer? Please enlighten me someone.

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1 of 1 people found the following review helpful

1.0 out of 5 stars Just Another Way For Yes To make Money On Us fans, Jun 26 2004

By A Customer

This review is from: Yes Live in Philly. (DVD)

I purchased this DVD three years ago and though I was getting a Yes show. It's only fifty-one minutes of a two and a half hour show. The highlight is Starship Trooper,but it's not worth the money. Spend your money on Keys,House of Blues or Yes Symphonic.

I also rated this a one star, the rater here at the site doesn't let you give minus stars. I really rate this DVD -2 stars because of the length,it's a rip off to Yes Fans!

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4.0 out of 5 stars Six songs, Oct 2 2010

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Rodney Newton "Rodney H. Newton" (Surrey) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Yes: Live in Philadelphia 1979 (DVD)

I enjoyed the product, despite only having 50 minutes of music. Only has six songs, including "STARSHIP TROOPER and lastly, "ROUNDABOUT". Alan White does a strange, short drum solo. One male reviewer hasn't much to say in his review. Other dvds are better of "YES", sold by Chapters, but I'm glad I ordered this one dvd for my collection.

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Most recent customer reviews

1.0 out of 5 stars Narcissistic Circus
If you want a good laugh buy it. The production values are toilet, so bad that you cannot ascertain if it was a good performance or not, sounding like it was strained through the... Read more

Published on Jun 2 2004 by Edwin Grant

1.0 out of 5 stars Awful sound, really awful
There might be emotional reasons why there were some positive reviews of this horror, but it can't be for the music. There aren't words to describe how bad it sounds.

Published on May 19 2004