Live - Perpetual Change by Jon Anderson & The Band Geeks, 2025 album.
About John Roy Anderson, known as Jon, singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist, the historic voice of YES, I have spoken at length, an artist gifted with a very distinctive vocal tone, with a range at least that of a mezzo-soprano while keeping the male character of the singing, never once using falsetto.
A great lyricist, he influenced every project he worked on, very active, he collaborated with many other artists including Vangelis, Jean-Luc Ponty, Anderson Bruford Wakeman Howe, Jon Anderson & Roine Stolt (a kind of attempt to remake a parallel YES band), a wonderful solo career whose most recent chapter is the latest beautiful album True from 2024 with The Band Geeks, a record that was the result of the collaboration with The Band Geeks, a group of New York musicians led by Richie Castellano (member of Blue Öyster Cult) discovered by Jon Anderson online, through their YouTube videos, where they performed flawless covers of Yes classics (including Close to the Edge).
In 2023, Anderson and the band embarked on the US tour "Yes Epics, Classics and More", earning major critical and audience acclaim.
“Live – Perpetual Change”, released on March 14, 2025 via Frontiers Music, is a live album that perfectly captures the essence of Yes’ golden era. A record that leaves you speechless for the freshness and technical precision with which the songs are performed. Recorded during the 2023 American tour at the Arcada Theatre and the Des Plaines Theatre in Illinois, the album celebrates the great progressive classics of the original band.
All tracks come from the classic Yes repertoire released between 1971 and 1977, and many of these songs hadn’t been played with such faithfulness to the original ’70s arrangements in ages. “The Yes Album” (1971) is the most represented album in the live set, with almost half the tracklist: “Yours Is No Disgrace”, “Perpetual Change” (the live title track), “Starship Trooper” and “Your Move / I’ve Seen All Good People”.
From “Fragile” (1971), the album that cemented the lineup with Rick Wakeman, come two heavy hitters of Yes concerts and discography: “Heart of the Sunrise” and “Roundabout”. From “Close to the Edge” (1972), a true progressive-rock masterpiece, Anderson chose two key tracks: “Close to the Edge” (the full 18-minute suite, which rips!) and “And You and I”. From “Relayer” (1974), a unique and towering piece, often considered one of the most technically difficult songs to play live, we get “The Gates of Delirium”. Finally, from “Going for the One” (1977), the album that marked the band’s last big success, the track “Awaken”.
Jon Anderson’s performance on this record is simply incredible. Despite his age, he keeps a jaw-dropping vocal accuracy, hitting the high notes with the same ease as when he was 20, in 1972, perfectly in sync with the younger musicians.
And what about The Band Geeks? They did a painstaking job recreating the original Yes sounds. Richie Castellano on bass was a real revelation: his style strongly recalls that of Chris Squire, with a huge tone that drives every track. Andy Graziano on guitar played Steve Howe’s parts with flawless technique, capturing the original essence but with a modern touch. Christopher Clark and Rob Kipp on keyboards chose sounds accurately and faithful to Rick Wakeman’s originals. Finally, Andy Ascolese on drums provided a solid, powerful rhythmic base, essential for complex pieces like “The Gates of Delirium”. In short, a performance not to be missed!
Mine is the 3LP edition (FR LP 1472) which splits the monumental performances from the 2023 tour across six sides.
Disc 1, side A opens with “Yours Is No Disgrace” and it’s a blast of energy! Richie Castellano’s Rickenbacker bass hits hard like Chris Squire’s in ’71, and Andy Graziano’s guitar is so precise it sounds like Steve Howe himself. On side B we first have “Perpetual Change”, a triumph of intricate rhythms between drums and keys, followed by “Heart Of The Sunrise”, all tension and drama, with Jon Anderson’s voice soaring high and crystal-clear, pure chills.
On to Disc 2, with side C opening with “Close To The Edge”, the 18-minute suite that’s the real challenge for the Band Geeks. The three-part vocal harmonies are perfect, and the central section “I Get Up, I Get Down” is sacred and organ-like, exactly the prog I love. On side D, “Starship Trooper” ends with a splendid solo, a bomb of rock energy, followed by “And You And I”, the most moving moment, with Anderson taking us back in time with his wonderful voice.
Disc 3, side E opens with “Awaken”, which to me is the album’s highlight, with a perfect mix of heavenly moments and instrumental explosions. Then there’s “All Good People”, a choral anthem that sends the crowd into a frenzy. On side F, the final challenge with “The Gates Of Delirium” and “Roundabout”. “The Gates Of Delirium” (from Relayer) is played in full, with the battle section a technical masterpiece, and to close, a sweeping “Roundabout”, with the band in a state of grace.
Richie Castellano’s mix brings very powerful low frequencies and an instrument separation so precise you can hear every detail of Christopher Clark’s keyboards.
All in all, a must-have record for fans of classic-era Yes, for its ability to bring the band’s original spirit back to life with modern energy.
Excellent!
My Version
Label: Frontiers Music SRL – FR LP 1472
Format: 3 x Vinyl, LP, Album
Country: USA & Europe
Released: 14 Mar 2025
Tracklist
1. Yours Is No Disgrace (9:56)
2. Perpetual Change (9:31)
3. Close to the Edge (18:23)
4. Heart of the Sunrise (11:43)
5. Starship Trooper (10:43)
6. Awaken (15:59)
7. And You and I (10:11)
8. Your Move / I've Seen All Good People (6:48)
9. Gates of Delirium (22:37)
10. Roundabout (8:42)
Length 124:33
LineUp
- Jon Anderson - vocals
- Richie Castellano - bass, guitar
- Rob Kipp - guitar, keyboards
- Chris Clark - keyboards
- Andy Graziano - guitar, bass
- Andy Ascolese - drums
Listening links on the main streaming platforms at the following links:
- Spotify: The full album is available on the official page of Jon Anderson on Spotify.
- YouTube: Official videos and audio tracks are available, such as:
- Apple Music: You can find the full collection on Apple Music - Live: Perpetual Change.
Note: All links to the musicians' works are in the TAGS under the article title or on the page "Artists"
