It is quite possible that Yes will never die. Despite more twists and turns than the plot lines of Coronation Street and EastEnders combined, sometimes involving two bona fide Yes bands competing simultaneously, and 13 band members just in this century, the group seem to be acquiring an aura of invincibility. This had previously seemed highly unlikely – the image of two Yes bands sitting at adjacent tables at the group’s long-overdue Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame induction and ignoring each other in 2017 summed it all up.
When lockdown hit, Yes consisted of guitarist Steve Howe, an ailing Alan White on drums, Howe’s Asia buddy Geoff Downes on keyboards, vocalist Jon Davison (preferred to Jon Anderson since 2012) and Billy Sherwood (involved intermittently since the mid-90s) taking on the late Chris Squire’s bass role. Unable to tour, they decided to record, and Howe, who’d spent enough time whinging from the sidelines, took over production.
