How Close To The Edge?

I've never been a dedicated follower of fashion. Even less, a trend setter. I wear what's comfortable. I go to places that I like, not those that the in-crowd say I should be seen at. I listen to music that makes me feel good and most of that was, and to me still is, from the seventies and eighties. What can I say, I'm old. Live with it - I have to.

In common with many Englishmen of my age, much of the music that I listened to in my youth could loosely be termed as 'Prog Rock'. For those too young to remember, Prog is the kind of music  played by long haired virtuosi in kaftans. The songs themselves are long (maybe twenty minutes or so each), and often with extended instrumental passages. When the lyrics do come in they are often about wizards, fairies and saving whales . It isn't easy listening by any stretch but I love it.

One of Prog's greatest groups is Yes, who have been around since 1968 and are still touring and recording. That's a long time for one group to have stayed together and in truth they haven't really. They've gone through more line-up changes than a Champions League football team who are seven-nil up after the away leg. To date they've had four singers, four guitarists, three drummers and seven different keyboard players - one of whom was the son of an earlier keyboardist. It all gets very confusing.

But after all these changes can they really still be called Yes? Many fans will refer to a 'classic' line-up of the band that recorded several of their bigger selling albums but does financial success equal artistic merit? Are these popular works the only ones that 'count'? They have a new album out this month. There are only three members from that most popular iteration of Yes on the new recording. Does that make it less Yes?  Some fans think so. Some think that they should change their name, that they've become their own tribute band. Some actually think that to continue working with different members does a disservice to those who have 

gone through their ranks before.

I don't get that line of thinking. I don't see how the work that someone does today should have any 

retrospective influence whatsoever on their previous work. If I write a short story or a novel featuring characters from a previous work, does that somehow invalidate my previous writing? If a novelist makes a name for themselves writing heavy political thrillers and then suddenly comes up with a best-selling piece of romantic fluff then are those previous works less worthy?

As I said at the start, I've never been a follower of fashion. I say let the artist work how they want. If you like their stuff, give it your patronage. If not then move on to something that you like better. The older stuff is still there for you to enjoy any time you like.

Negativity usually says more about the speaker than their target.