Captured during The Band Geeks, Yes Classics and Epics Tour in August 2023, Perpetual Change emerges from the collaboration between prog icon Jon Anderson—an artist eager to revisit his musical heritage—and a talented group of young virtuoso musicians. Under Anderson’s guidence, these skilled interpreters breathe new life into numerous classic Yes tracks, many of which are now over fifty years old; several of which are a part of prog’s high canon, and create a joyous celebration of Yes music.
Anderson was keen on this project right from the outset when he first encountered The Band Geeks and realised how good they were at interpreting the music of his previous band. Anderson states “In my heart and soul, I never left Yes and my music never left me. I still want to sing these songs and bring my true feelings to the lyrics.” This album exemplifies why, back in the day, Yes became prog overlords and helped create the template for prog rock. One of the main reasons being Jon Anderson was the driving force behind the band’s creativity.
This is an album of ten Yes songs, nine from their golden period between 1971-1974, with one song from 1977. The songs range from seven minutes on ‘Your move/I’ve Seen All Good People’) to twenty-two minutes on ‘Gates of Delirium’ with all ten performed in the classic Yes style. The sheer scale, audacity and sonic ambition of the The Band Geeks prove they’re not just a tribute band, they’re a band in their own right and, on this form, a damn fine one as well.
There’s little point in attempting a song-by-song review. If you’re familiar with the music of early seventies Yes, you’ll know exactly what to expect as this music retains the same sonic quality. It’s all performed brilliantly and, if you’re coming to Yes music for the first time, you’re in for a treat because you’ll be hearing what Yes would sound like today if Anderson was still in the band. However, a few songs deserve a mention…
‘Close To The Edge’ is an eighteen-minute prog masterwork, one of the defining tracks of the genre and consistently voted by fans as one of the greatest of all prog tracks ever, the pinnacle of prog perfection, so even to consider covering it is an act of remarkable chutzpah, but the Geeks handle it with remarkable aplomb. Similarly with the even more complex ‘Awaken’ and ‘Gates Of Delirium,’ where Anderson reveals a sense of humour by inviting fans to sing along. Both are lengthy tracks with many twists and turns, though both are performed with seeming ease, with the band making all the key/time changes and the intricate arrangements sound easy – all gelling beautifully with Anderson’s signature vocal style.
Just as Steve Hackett is the guardian of the early Genesis catalogue, Jon Anderson is now doing something similar with the music of early Yes, and both men do superb jobs in reproducing the music which helped make their names. Perpetual Change is an album, not just for fans of classic period Yes, also for anyone who likes well-performed and meaningful prog rock. There’ll be few better ‘live’ albums than this in 2025.
