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Human/Gods? Gods/Humans? We grow. We learn. We mature. Our Yes-Gods turn out to be human beings after all. It causes me to wonder sometimes...perhaps they ARE gods...within their humanness? If that is true, then perhaps we too are gods in our humanness?
That is the core of a talk/presentation I've given that speaks of a secular spirituality. I could explain that phrase if you want, but if one sits with it for a while, perhaps it becomes pretty obvious what it means?
ONE of the most human/divine pieces of Yes music to me is "I Get Up, I Get Down." The humanness blended with the divinity of it is - to me - beyond masterful, beyond... In this talk, after I play for my audience this piece of music I say, "Can it be possible that in blending and balancing the opposites of good and bad in our own human nature, a divine nature can then float to the surface?"
THIS is a big reason why I am on fire with gratitude for the existence of Yes music, because when the music gets into your pores, you can hear - no FEEL - that the music has succeeded in expressing this human/divine nature. Not only expressing it, but offering hope that it CAN be a possibility! At this point, one can ONLY want to celebrate!
Most places I've only seen a hopeLESSness regarding our humanness (and within my own life as well). In the end, many, many ideologies (that I've seen) equate humanness and despair.
A wonderful quality that the BAND Yes contains is that in Thomas Mosbo's book "YES - But What Does It Mean?" he clarifies that Chris is the (practical) humanist, and Jon is the (dreamy) spiritualist. And that it is the balance between these two personality forces that has been a strong factor in their success and longevity. Perhaps this sort of artistic union exists in other places, but I myself have not seen it.
I conclude my presentation ("Secular Spirituality as expressed by the musical group Yes") with what I call Sacred Ground (Turn Around And Remember" - the finale to "In The Presence Of"). For me, it's easy to see the Phoenix rising from the ashes of human despair into a kind of natural divinity. I say "Like a sprout pushing up through the concrete, YOU are standing on sacred ground! WE are standing on sacred ground!"
So, yea, I guess you could say I like Magnification! :) Love the DVD from Amsterdam!
Mark
----- Original Message -----From: Guy DeRomeSent: Tuesday, January 17, 2006 10:34 PMSubject: Re: [WeHaveHeaven] Re: I love Yes music because ...Mark,
Very well put. I think, to sum it all up: Yes is
human. Back in 1974 I might have argued that they were
gods, but age (mine and theirs) has tempered that
feeling. Yes is responsible for putting out some of
the most positive vibes of ANY group in the past 30
years.
I don't like Talk either. As you can tell, I don't
like any of the Rabin era CDs and I could go into all
the reasons why, but 1) This is not the place, and 2)
It has been done to death elsewhere.
On a positive note, I will say that the song Homeworld
is their best, and most positive, song of the
post-Rabin years IMHO. The Magnification album
certainly ranks up there, too. What say you?
Guy
--- Mark Smith <dimension05@...> wrote:
> Thanks for letting me fine-tune my words Guy. I see
> now how my words may come off a bit Polyannaish. By
> all means, I too mean MOST of Yes's music. Talk is
> definitely not one of my favorites for ex. Many of
> their later stuff is not as inspired compared to
> their '70s material.
>
> I do not wish to come off "positive" for positive's
> sake. Nor do I wish to be "spiritual" for
> spirituality's sake. I am simply expressing the
> gratitude I feel for the very existence of Yes's
> music in my life (which includes a lot of their
> music, but of course not all).
>
> That said, I'm gonna playfully disagree with you
> about - "I know we don't usually get into discussing
> negatives here" - To me, Guy, spirituality is not
> about either positives or negatives. It's bigger
> than that. Broader. Higher, if you will. Beyond
> words. I feel it contains +'s & -'s within it, yet
> much more as well.
>
> Therefore, Yes's music too contains both positives
> and negatives. As do the Partridge Family, the
> Smithereens, the Who, etc., etc. (You get the idea)
> So, for me, a feeling of gratitude, thankfully,
> rises above either pos's or neg's.
> Discussing negatives with a feeling of gratitude
> (when I can) is cool. Said another way, discussing
> negatives is not taboo in this group (or at least I
> hope not).
>
> In appreciation,
> Mark
> ----- Original Message -----
> From: guy_95037
> To: WeHaveHeaven@yahoogroups.com
> Sent: Tuesday, January 17, 2006 12:02 PM
> Subject: [WeHaveHeaven] Re: I love Yes music
> because ...
>
>
> Mark,
> While I appreciate your overall positive outlook
> regarding Yes
> music, I tend to take a more critical, practical
> approach. MOST of
> Yes music I love. It is some of the best on the
> planet, past or
> present. But there have been some times when I
> think their music was
> not up to par and they got lost or derailed. I am
> thinking mostly
> of the 80s/Rabin era. This era was overlly
> commercial and their
> sound did change quite a bit. I feel the
> positive, soul-searching
> sounds and words of albums like TFTO and CttE took
> a serious wrong
> turn in the 80s. [I know some say that there
> wouldn't be a Yes today
> if it weren't for the 80s Yes revival, but that is
> a different
> topic.]
>
> I know a lot of people like 90125 and came to
> discover Yes in that
> era, but I can't stand that guitar shredder sound.
> It sounds like
> Journey or one of their clones to me. I think Big
> Generator is a
> particular low point too. Listen to the words:
> "move to the left,
> move to the right..." Sounds like the Hokey Pokey
> to me.
>
> Anyway, I know we don't usually get into
> discussing negatives here,
> but I thought some temperance was in order.
>
> Guy
>
> --- In WeHaveHeaven@yahoogroups.com, "Mark Smith"
> <dimension05@s...>
> wrote:
> >
> >
> > I love Yes music because they are an instrument
> for the good of
> all! The music expresses, powerfully,
> articulately, and in a very
> real, honest and human way, the essence of a
> Divinity within us.
> >
> > I have always been attracted to the music's
> for-the-good-of-all
> sound. It feels good! It sounds true! I like that!
> You can't go
> wrong when you operate for the good of all. And
> through all the
> changes in the band and in the sound, their music
> has not gone wrong
> all these years, because it is a constant (and
> comforting) thread
> through all of the changes. IMPO.
> >
> > The music of Yes has always been FOR us (the
> individual), and FOR
> music. For their own, but also for music in
> general (as attested to
> in Our Song, "Music good to you, Music good to
> you," and others).
> >
> > I, for one, wish that "when I grow up" (I'm 45),
> I may have an
> inkling of what the music of Yes has always
> radiated. Until then,
> I'll keep listening.
> >
> > Mark
> >
>
>
>
>
>
>
> SPONSORED LINKS Unconditional love Love music
>
>
>
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Guy DeRome
guyderome@...
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