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░ ██ ██ Artist: AndersonPonty Band ██ ██
▓ █░░ ■█ Album: Better Late Than Never █■ ░░█
■ █▓▀ █ Year: 2015 █ ▀▓█ ░
█ ▓ Rel. Date: 2016-01-11 ▓ █
▒ ▒ Genre: Progressive Rock ▒ ▒
█▄ ░ Label: Liason Music Inc. ░ ▄█
░ █▄ ░ Source: CD ░ ▄█
░ █▓ Type: Album ▓█ ░
▓ █ Quality: VBR, 44.1kHz, Joint Stereo █ ░ ▓
▓ █ █ ░ ▓
▄ ■ ■ ▓ ■
░█ █░ ▀
█ Jon Anderson and Jean-Luc Ponty are two similar █
█ souls. Both have been in the music industry for █
█ decades and both have unique and graceful styles. █
█ It seems only natural the two would find a way to █
█ team up to produce wonderful music. Well, now they █
█ have. It took a while, and in this case itÆs █
█ literally Better Late Than Never. █
█ In five simple words, I really love this album. It █
█ is a perfect confluence of two wonderful talents. █
█ Anderson and Ponty blend together extremely well █
█ and have produced a fantastic new mix of old and █
█ new music; and they did so using a unique █
█ recording style that is both risky and highly █
█ rewarding. █
█ There is a lot of music from Yes on this album, █
█ but this very definitely is not Yes. It proudly █
█ doesnÆt try to be. What it is, really, is two █
█ master musicians lovingly bringing back songs from █
█ a golden era and reinterpreting them in a newer █
█ alternative format. And it works! It should be █
█ remembered the songs from Yes on Better Late Than █
█ Never represent a major part of AndersonÆs life █
█ work and he deserves to play them in this new █
█ interpretation. It is clear he loves these songs █
█ and recognizes they do not have to remain vintage █
█ pieces of progressive history. They are strong █
█ enough to be reborn and reinterpreted with a new █
█ and able partner with an entirely new set of █
█ instrumentation played with passion and light. █
█ I never wish to take anything away from the █
█ current Yes lineup; they have their place in the █
█ remarkable lineage of a wonderful, iconic █
█ supergroup. This is not a comparison and one is █
█ not better than the other. Having said that, itÆs █
█ such an uplifting experience to hear the classic █
█ Jon Anderson voice breathing new life into older █
█ Yes songs. ItÆs like a new glove with an old fit. █
█ It is always his voice I hear first when I think █
█ of these songs. It just belongs there. █
█ It is great to hear the contributions of Jean-Luc █
█ Ponty as well. I fondly remember him from the █
█ Cosmic Messenger tour of the late 70Æs, when █
█ during his performance I was introduced to this █
█ splendid new thing called an Echoplex - actually, █
█ about six or seven of them - and I stared in █
█ amazement as this one violinist ran around the █
█ stage building a beautiful multi-part tune right █
█ there in front of us. It was a magical moment. █
█ That magic is still present in his music (though █
█ not so much of the Echoplex) and there are █
█ allusions to those elegant songs all through this █
█ album, such as the beautiful performance of █
█ ôRenaissance Of The Sunö, a combination of PontyÆs █
█ ôRenaissanceö and AndersonÆs airy lyrics. █
█ Upon first listen you can feel something is a bit █
█ different with the style of recording. This is an █
█ unusually recorded album. Through much of the █
█ recording there are hints that some of these █
█ tracks are performed live. Better Late Than Never █
█ does not promote itself as a live album, but there █
█ is a lot of live material on this album with █
█ additional enhancements made in the studio. ItÆs █
█ difficult to tell the performances are live, but █
█ you can definitely feel the live energy in the █
█ performance. Again, it works. The energy is █
█ powerful and encompassing. ItÆs like that unknown █
█ spice in your food that you canÆt quite make out █
█ but its presence makes all the difference. █
█ Still, for me, when listening to Better Late Than █
█ Never it is impossible not to keep coming back to █
█ the Yes tunes that were such an influence during █
█ my adolescence. Songs such as ôWonderous Storiesö, █
█ ôAnd You And Iö, ôOwner of a Lonely Heartö, and █
█ ôRoundaboutö have long been some of my favorites █
█ from Yes. They have a glorious new life on Better █
█ Late Than Never. Additionally, I can say █
█ conclusively that I never expected to hear ôTime █
█ and a Wordö performed in a reggae format. ItÆs on █
█ this album and sounds as natural as if it was █
█ originally written in that style. Yeah, that threw █
█ me as well! █
█ Anderson has been having health issues recently █
█ that have caused concern about his ability to █
█ produce new music at the level of quality we have █
█ grown to expect. Better Late Than Never eliminates █
█ these concerns. If anything, AndersonÆs voice has █
█ improved with age. He has always possessed the █
█ talent to capture your attention and send you to █
█ some mystical ethereal plane. Gladly, it seems the █
█ years have even further heightened a strength and █
█ wisdom maybe less developed in the recordings of █
█ some of these songs the first time around. Perhaps █
█ because I have grown older as well, I hear these █
█ renditions differently. TheyÆre much deeper and █
█ immensely more joyful. █
█ I think it is entirely possible some new to Yes █
█ and unaware of Jean-Luc Ponty and all that has █
█ come over the decades will miss the treasures on █
█ this album. ThatÆs their loss. But for those who █
█ lived through those years and were inspired by the █
█ music of Jon Anderson and Jean-Luc Ponty, this is █
█ a gold mine. This album will take you back to █
█ places thought lost long ago with a whole new set █
█ of eyes, ears, and sense of appreciation. I hope █
█ this is only a first attempt from these two █
█ masters. It is clear they will get even better as █
█ they continue. █
█ Prog fans, spread the word about Better Late Than █
█ Never. I know of no other album that better brings █
█ together the golden age of progressive music and █
█ the modern era. This album belongs in your █
█ library. █
▓ ▓
▒ ▒
░ 1. Intro 1:17 ░
░ 2. One in the Rhythm of Hope 4:34 ░
░ 3. A for Aria 3:22 ░
░ 4. Owner of a Lonely Heart 5:04 ░
░ 5. Listening With Me 5:39 ░
░ 6. Time and a Word 5:30 ░
░ 7. Infinite Mirage 3:48 ░
░ 8. Soul Eternal 4:58 ░
░ 9. Wonderous Stories 4:01 ░
░ 10. And You and I 3:00 ░
░ 11. Renaissance of the Sun 6:36 ░
░ 12. Roundabout 5:27 ░
░ 13. I See You Messenger 3:50 ░
░ 14. New New World 3:46 ░
░ 60:52 ░
░ ▒ ▒
▓ █ ░ ▓ ░
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