Music
At the ripe old age of 10 years, I was in attendance at the Milwaukee World Premier of the movie YESSONGS. Below is a poster from the wall of the theater (I played with it in Photoshop here to give it that 'black light' feeling that can take us all back to the 70's). Before I saw the film, I remember skippin' school and going to the department store a few blocks from our apartments clutching a small cigar box full of change to buy the YESSONGS album. I had to hide in the bushes with my album bag so a passing neighbor girl from my 4th grade class wouldn't narc on me for skippin' school (I had hoped to make it back home before school let out ...I was allegedly not feeling very well that day and) But the YESSONGS made it all better! It was my 2nd YES album after Close to the Edge. I thought that it was cool that they had the whole CttE album 'Live' on it and I was anxious to hear how it sounded ...also 3 albums for the price of 2! Neat!
The first time I saw YES in action was on the big screen. I was that 10 year old kid wonderin' what that smoke and smell was in the theater. I was the only kid there! It was in Quad and was very cool and LOUD. I remember staying for all 3 shows (no one tried to kick me out- he-he) only to find that the buses stopped running at midnight. I had to reluctantly call my dad to come pick me up. If he had known I was there to see a hippy rock groups movie he would have flipped. My dad hated Rock & Roll and then despised Acid Rock and anything that smelled like it ---looking back ...I can't blame him! It did have quite an impact on my young life in a way that he never took to and was completely out of his scope of influence. I'm just glad it was a positive one with YES! I never was really sure what he had ever planned or expected of me as the last of his 6 kids. The twisted jackals of the Tobacco industry cut his life short and I never got to ask him.
Tales From Topographic Oceans was released in early '74 and upon its glorious arrival, I was convinced without a doubt that YES were the most ultimate group of forward thinking musicians on the planet! It is an album that still moves me to this day in so many unique ways. I even took the time to rescue it from so many 'failed' attempts at remastering it to CD with my own attentive and caring remastering.
I will share this with those who have bought the album more than once and were let down by the promise of renewed fidelity.
My Yessongs outing led me to my first Concert attendance (Stubs above). YES-Relayer Tour 1975. My mom said absolutely "No way are you going to go to a rock concert" but I kept at it pleading and begging. I asked my older sister Sandy and her 20 year old boyfriend Robin (they are still together) if they would take me to see YES and talk my mom into it as safe. Mom finally agreed but made it clear whatever we did, to not let my father know anything of it. (I got my first guitar this way too) It was one of the best shows I still have ever seen. Yes were in full theatrical mode with a fantastic new album and an Incredible Roger Dean designed stage show complete with lasers and huge seemingly alive lighting globulars hanging over the stage. INCREDIBLE!!! It was such a moving and awesome spectacle of light and sound! My 12 year old eyes hardly had a chance to blink. Pure musical nirvana for me!
And there was that smoke and smell again . hmmmm?