Trevor or Benoit?

[Yesspaz]

I was looking at this photo and realized that though it went through a convoluted path to get there, this is now the Drama line-up + a Jon-clone singer. The new album is complete with faux-Jon on four tracks and Trevor Horn on one, and it's a done deal. That's all fine and good. Obviously, we can't judge it's quality because it's not released yet. But based on what we know right now, I was wondering which one you Moonies would prefer? Now, ideally, I know we would all prefer Jon Anderson, but assuming that's not ever going to happen again, and Trevor Rabin doesn't return somehow, and the option of "I wish Yes would just quit" isn't an option, then which of these two would you prefer to happen?

[VERNIXX]

Trevor Horn without a question. He brought his own sound and style to Yes.
Benoit is merely an UNDERSTUDY who was thrust into the lead role. He brings nothing but imitation to the table...

[OverHillandDale(Admin)]

You left out the option of kicking Trevor to the curb.

[TheFish]

Dumb senario. Trevor Horn loos like Jabba The Hut's little sister. And what does Trevor Rabin got to do with anything?

[Yesspaz]

Originally Posted by TheFish

And what does Trevor Rabin got to do with anything?

Yes has had, in my opinion, three legitmate lead vocalists - Jon, Trevor, and Trevor - and one illegitimate vocalist - Benoit. A little harsh? Maybe, but that's the way I see it. I just don't like cloner singers. I didn't like Steve Augeri in Journey, and don't like Arnel Pinella.

Since the current line-up of Yes is Drama minus Horn plus Benoit, and since the Drama lineup did do one song on the new album, and since Yes has had Benoit David as official member for three years now, I wanted to limit the poll to who you'd rather have: Trevor Horn or Benoit David. I wanted to keep Jon out of it, and for that matter, Trevor Rabin. He would be a legitimate option to discuss. I can see a Rabin-led Yes happening again in a few years. But for this poll, I wanted to hinder a "hypothetical ideal line-up" thing taking off.

Originally Posted by OHD

You left out the option of kicking Trevor to the curb.

That was option #2 - continue without him and with Benoit David.

[Laudio9]

Originally Posted by VERNIXX

Trevor Horn without a question. He brought his own sound and style to Yes.
Benoit is merely an UNDERSTUDY who was thrust into the lead role. He brings nothing but imitation to the table...

Exactly Vern, Atleast Horn was Trevor Horn....and the Drama album stands up on its own, I see that album as a "different Yes" and it was original, no imitation....

And Yesspaz I agree, I to, do not like clone singers, I would rather hear someones own personality and their own rendition of older material than a clone. Never been into tribute bands and the last 2 times I seen Yes with Benoit, it was pretty much like seeing a tribute band....Benoit can sound like Jon....ummm...so what....Benoits place is with Mystery, he fits in perfect with them. I'm sure the music on the new cd is going to be good but I'm not that excited about it coming out....I think I would be more excited if it was Trevor Horn taking over the vocals especially since Geoff is back in the mix...

Anyway, thats my 2 cents.....I'm holding out for an Anderson/Wakeman/Rabin cd... I would just like to hear what they would come up with......hey it could happen....

So to sum it up..... Horn =)

[Yesspaz]

Originally Posted by Laudio9

I'm holding out for an Anderson/Wakeman/Rabin cd... I would just like to hear what they would come up with......hey it could happen...

See my avatar?

[Laudio9]

Originally Posted by Yesspaz

See my avatar?

Cool Yesspaz!!! Now that would be something to get excited about!

[OverHillandDale(Admin)]

Originally Posted by Yesspaz

That was option #2 - continue without him and with Benoit David.

Hi Spaz, Sargent Semantics here to answer for Dale. Actually, Option #2 starts "Acknowledge the coolness of having Horn on the one song..."

Perhaps one might not want to do that (acknowlege), so there is no option to just carry on as before.

Just sayin'

[progdirjim(Admin)]

I haven't even heard Benoit with Yes, but all he's done is tour with Yes, doing existing material - of course you haven't heard anything unique from him. Use your collective head. Until there's an album recorded with his influence, calling him a Jon clone and Trevor "his own sound" is grossly unfair. On Drama, Trevor kind of sounds like Jon, and a skeptic/critic could call him a clone. Granted, Trevor Horn has had a significant career as an artist, and especially a producer, so I readily grant he has more cred than Benoit. But he was with the friggin' Buggles when Drama was recorded, and the same criticisms were leveled at him at the time (actually, worse - most Yes fans at the time that I heard didn't even credit him as a clone). Give Benoit a chance.

That said, I have two Yes albums on my iPod - Close To The Edge and Drama. I like Drama a LOT, but we've all had 30+ years to digest that album - let's see what Benoit does before he gets kicked too hard. If I had to predict, I'd guess that the Horn lineup would work better, but it's WAY too early to conclude.

[Yesspaz]

Originally Posted by progdirjim

I haven't even heard Benoit with Yes, but all he's done is tour with Yes, doing existing material - of course you haven't heard anything unique from him. Until there's an album recorded with his influence, calling him a Jon clone and Trevor "his own sound" is grossly unfair.

First, I'll quote my original post.

Originally Posted by Spaz

Obviously, we can't judge it's quality because it's not released yet. But based on what we know right now, I was wondering which one you Moonies would prefer?

Second, we have literally hundreds of youtube videos of that lineup to judge him on, again, "based on what we know." The new album may be so amazing we fall in love with Benoit. I'm just asking, as a purely academic excersize, which is preferred as of right now.

[TheFish]

Horn said in an interview he was very uncomfortable singing the old songs.

I think we may be surprised by new stuff with David singing.

Remember, they will (or did) work out the songs he sings on so they play to his style in consideration. The other stuff played to Jon's, Drama to Horn. The few to Rabin, Chris etc.

Yes isn't the only band that got a new singer who had to sing previous material.

All this blood pressure is kind of pointless.

[OverHillandDale(Admin)]

I like progress......sive rock. Why do so many gasp in awe as artists move on for one reason or another and follow different paths. They feel institutional bands should remain the same and give us the old stuff, brilliantly.

I have to say I am NOT a fan of Trevor Horn. Not because he isn't talented or an accomplished musician. He has, on a few occasions, taken to stage for his work. But he's a producer, and a successful one at that. But he is known as a POP producer. Wiki introduces him thusly: Trevor Charles Horn CBE (born 15 July 1949)[1] is an English pop music record producer, songwriter, musician and singer.

The one thing I fear in the upcoming album is the overinfluce of Horn and Rabin's POP oriented tastes.

I do look forward to Benoit contributing a new level of a symponic prog nature, but like that of Mystery, where he fared very well. Their album, especially One Among the Living. He was exceptional. I did see Benoit with Yes, twice. He was a little rough - it was in the early dates of the tour. But he carried it off. He did not fail. The songs were intact and did not fall apart. One Among the Living was one of the best albums last year, especially the incredible epid Through Different Eyes. Look for something like that to come.

Personally, making suppositions on the album prior to the actual release is a time waste. Everything you "suppose" closes you mind a little more each time so you won't be properly open to the new.

So, there's my humble opining. Let them do what they feel they want to do. But that's just MHO

[cribguy]

Oh, Trevor "HORN". I thought this was going to be about Trevor "Rabin".

Carry on...Nothing to see here...

[Yesspaz]

Originally Posted by OverHillandDale

Personally, making suppositions on the album prior to the actual release is a time waste. Everything you "suppose" closes you mind a little more each time so you won't be properly open to the new.

Trust me here: No one - NO ONE - is more hopeful that the new album will rule. That's why I purposefully stated that we have to take into consideration the fact we haven't heard it yet.

All I was asking is if Jon can't come back, and Rabin's not in the picture at all, then which of the two "current" singers would you prefer? And yes, remember that Benoit was discovered by Chris Squire on youtube singing in a Yes tribute band, not an original band. They were looking for someone to sound like Jon! They were not looking for a new vocalist "in his own right." So I think there we do have the right to mention the "clone" argument.

[MauiBassPlayer]

I can't vote on this. Seems to me that so many bands go through changes in vocalists or other positions in the band. One thing I feel that is important is that we the listening public support what direction the band chooses to go in. Instead of saying one is better than the other, I would prefer to say, what ever is working for the band, it is a difficult thing to change within a band.

[Yesspaz]

I guess my thing is, when a band switches vocalists, the idea should be, in my opinion, that you look for the best vocalist, period, not necessarily a vocalist that sounds like the previous vocalist. I think Van Halen (Roth/Hagar) and Sabbath (Ozzy/Dio) are the best examples of this, and even Journey (Rolie/Perry - although P. didn't really replace R.).

But then Journey illustrates the other end of the spectrum with Augeri and Pinella, and Yes with Benoit. I'd prefer Yes to get Annie Haslan, for example. I just, personally, find it telling that Squire wasn't searching youtube.com for a new unique vocalist. He was searching Yes tribute bands for a Jon-a-like. That says a lot. So my vote is for Horn to replace him, even if they are only a studio band and never tour again. There's pedigree there (Drama rules).

Now the new album may rule! And I'll be the first to say, "Wow, I'm glad they got Benoit!" But my gut says I'll be disappointed on principle because it's not Jon, but it sounds like Jon. I think it'd be more "legitimate" if the vocals are totally unique - not Jon-like. I guess what I'm saying is that I'll PREFER it if the vocals on the new sound very un-Jon-like.