Yes guitarist Steve Howe sat down with Classic Rock and talked about the band’s past, today, and what the future may bring for them. When it was asked Steve his thoughts about reuniting with previous members, he said:
“It’s something I’m absolutely resistant to, because I remember the fiasco of the Union tour. It was very, very difficult and out of control. Sometimes I might have thought: ‘Well, one day maybe’, and one never wants to say never, but basically I can’t see it.”
Howe also clarified his feelings about previous Yes vocalist Jon Anderson and explained that he doesn’t have the room for drastic changes:
“I love Jon. I’m a lot older now, and so is he, and the only terms I work on is that I’m happy working on this. I’m not going to take a sudden load on my back that I either don’t need or don’t want. My music’s always guided me, and it’s not telling me to do those things, it’s telling me to go forwards. If it keeps steering me where it is now, then it’s great to have this live and vibrant Yes. I wouldn’t want anything else.”
The guitarist also shared his opinions regarding Yes carrying on without him:
“I would be silly not to think that was most probably going to happen. There’s things that have the potential to grow and carry on through the hands of the younger generation. I think maybe I’d have the same spirit that Bill [Bruford] has always had – ‘The band can go on’. The only word of caution is I’d like it to be carried on in the spirit of a progressive rock band, because progressive rock is what this is.”
The ‘fiasco’ Steve referred to happened in 1991, when Yes toured with their then-current and past members, after they released ‘Union,’ which is a compilation of members’ older, and current works. Although it looks good on paper, it didn’t work in practice, resulting in low record sales. In a separate interview, Howe commented:
“There were different ideas on how we would do it. In the end, we stayed on the stage the whole time. I left for one song, and then I came back, and we couldn’t get any of the other guys to leave.”
Yes’ newest album’ Mirror to the Sky’ came out in May. You can listen to the whole album below. Click here for the rest of the interview.
