Billboard, Jan. 5, 1974: ...Yes' new album, "Tales from Topographic Oceans," is being rush-released in the U.S. by Atlantic. The LP shipped gold in England when released early in December. Billboard, Jan. 26, 1974: Members of Yes will make solo albums over the next couple years, according to group's Jon Anderson. This was prompted by the success of keyboard Yes man, Rick Wakeman on A & M. Billboard, Feb. 2, 1974: Wakeman LP Delay Stirs Pirate Fears LONDON-- Fears of a bootlegging situation arising from Rick Wakeman's solo sell-out concert at London's Royal Festival Hall last week has arisen following the A & M decision to delay release of the album, which is partly being recorded live at the concert, to a release date in early April. Wakeman, using the London Symphony Orchestra, The English Chamber Choir and a hand-picked rock band, devoted the entire second half of the two evening concerts to a 40-minute work, "Journey to the Centre of the Earth[,"] originally planed to be recorded and rush-released in February. A spokesman for Wakeman said that he and manager Brian Lane were worried that the delay would encourage bootleg recordings of the concert to appear on the open market. The reason given by A & M for postponing the release had been the vinyl shortage. However, A & M denied that the vinyl shortage was entirely to blame, saying that a later release would "tie in more conveniently with Wakeman's plans." Wakeman begins a seven week American tour with Yes on Sunday (2), returning in April, but there are no further plans for Yes concerts immediately after their return. An A & M spokesman said that it could not be stated what these plans of Wakeman's were. Billboard, Feb. 2, 1974: ... Yes will carry almost four times as much equipment with them on their upcoming U.S. tour as they did last year. The Charts Billboard, Feb. 2, to March 16, 1974: #43 Tales From Topographic Oceans - YES [First week on this chart] #13 Tales From Topographic Oceans - YES [2 / 9 / 74] #10 Tales From Topographic Oceans - YES [2 / 16 / 74] # 8 Tales From Topographic Oceans - YES [2 / 23 / 74] # 7 Tales From Topographic Oceans - YES [3 / 2 / 74] # 6 Tales From Topographic Oceans - YES [3 / 9 / 74] # 6 Tales From Topographic Oceans - YES [3 / 16 / 74] Rolling Stone, Feb.14, 1974: Yes is spending nearly $40,000 on a hot air balloon which they will truck from city to city to promote their tour beginning February 7th in Gainesville, Florida, and scheduled to wind up in San Diego March 21st. The balloon, designed by Donn Miller, will be tethered as near as possible to their concert sites, and the gondola will be equipped with radio equipment so DJs can broadcast on-the-spot reports. Billboard, March 30, 1974: YES! IT WAS JOHN MARTYN! When cult-followed John Martyn appeared before the masses for the first time in Toronto and Montreal (Feb. 22 and 25) it was preceding Yes, and most of the fans probably didn't need an acoustic folkie to set them up for the Grand Rock they had paid for. Billboard, March 30, 1974: Direction Plus, production outfit, has just completed filming interviews at the offices of Atlantic Records. The interviews, produced by Les Haber and filmed by John Kelly of Direction Plus were with label vice president Jerry Wexler and artists Aretha Franklin, Yes, the James Gang and Buzzy Linhart. The interviews were produced for the BBC II series -- "The Old Grey Whistle Test." Billboard, April 13, 1974: ... Rick Wakeman of Yes to produce English band Wally for Atlantic. Billboard, May 25, 1974: Rick Wakeman cut "Journey to Center of Earth" LP with London Symphony Orchestra and Choir. [That's what it said!] Billboard, June 8, 1974: Mike Belkin taking over Cleveland's Lakefront Stadium for first big outdoor shows ever staged in that city. [That's what it said!] Four "World Series of Rock" events to run between June and August. Headliners set so far are Beach Boys, Joe Walsh, ELP and Yes. Billboard, June 22, 1974: Yes needs a keyboard monster to replace Rick Wakeman. Group's guitarist, Steve Howe, also trying a solo LP this summer... Rolling Stone, July 18, 1974: Rick Wakeman's thoughts on departing Yes for more solo work: "I gave my week's notice, and left them plenty of time to pull it together." Crux of the decision, he said, was the success of The Six Wives of Henry VIII and Journey to the Center of the Earth, and his dislike of the group's Tales from Topographic Oceans. "It was embarrassing to me when people would ask me questions about Topographic and I didn't understand," he said. He'll continue to promote Journey in the U.S.; the rest of Yes, meanwhile, was pulling it together in England. Billboard, July 6, 1974: ...Yes next heavy group starting their own label, to be titled Fragile. Billboard, July 13, 1974: ...Yes touring South America. The Charts Billboard, July 20, 1974: #3 Journey To The Centre Of The Earth - Rick Wakeman [Last week #8, sixth week on this chart.] Billboard, July 27, 1974: [Yes had the 5th highest sales of tickets for '73-'74 concert season] Yes...........2[concerts]...........[$] 261,795.50...........40,000 [attendance] Billboard, August 24, 1974: ... Yes had to drop the Greek keyboardist [Vangelis] they chose to replace Rick Wakeman due to no-no from England Musicians Union. Billboard, August 31, 1974: Patrick Moraz of Refugee joins Yes as its new keyboard player. The Atlantic group begins work on a new album this week and will begin a U.S. tour late in October. Circus Magazine c.1974 (Source not certain): Yes Man Says No To Kidnappers [Photo caption: Patrick Moraz: "Maybe it wasn't me they were after." Yes keyboardist Patrick Moraz was the victim of a bizarre kidnap attempt in Sao Paulo, Brazil, recently. Moraz was abducted as he was leaving a local television station after completing an interview. He walked toward a car identical to one in which he had arrived, but when he opened the car door a show of hands reached out to pull him inside. Friends who had accompanied Moraz to the TV studio quickly pulled him into his own waiting car. The would-be kidnappers then chased Moraz' car for five hours before finally giving up. "Kidnapping is a big trend now in Brazil, it's sort of a fashion," Moraz told 'Circus' by telephone from the safety of his Geneva recording studio. ñThere are a lot of gangsters kidnapping people for ransom or for political reasons. I don't think the reason was anything political. Maybe I was the wrong person. Maybe it wasn't me they were after. Moraz had gone to Brazil to record some local percussionists for an upcoming solo album based on a book he is writing. "I went to Brazil because I was sure I could find just the kind of percussionists I wanted," explained Moraz. "I always wanted to use Brazilian percussionists because theyÍre much more sophisticated and interesting than all the rest of the percussionists. Their sound is much wilder, in a way. It's got the jungle, those magic kinds of rhythms. Moraz left Sao Paulo with more than three hours of Brazilian percussion on tape, which he will mix with basic rhythm tracks being laid down by drummers Alphonse Mouzon and Andy Newmark. Yes' original drummer, Bill Bruford, will contribute orchestral and symphonic percussion to the LP. The disc will also mark the premier on record of synthesizer-inventor Robert Moog's new polyphonic synthesizer, which Moraz played in New York at the end of the Yes group's last tour. The album is set for release next January, following releases by Yes guitarist Steve Howe and bassist Chris Squire. After completing his solo record, Moraz will join the rest of the band for rehearsals before recording the next Yes album. The album will be cut in December and January for release early next spring, preceding the next Yes world tour. Billboard, December 21, 1974: (Photo of the band on a tree) YES-Relayer, Atlantic SD18122. Another nearly flawless effort from one of the pioneer groups of the futuristic school of rock, who have learned the secret of connecting their electronic adventures with some exceptionally commercial, AM-oriented material. New keyboard man Patrick Moraz takes on a formidable task following Rick Wakeman, but fits in perfectly, guitarist Steve Howe comes up with his usual tastefully fast and skillful guitar, working it as a solo instrument or as a buffer for the keyboards and Jon Anderson still fills his difficult task well- being a vocalist in a group in which the voices often seem to fill the space between the instrumentals rather than vise versa. Though the LP is divided into only three titles, Atlantic has had the sense to band the set into six cuts to make for easier radio play. Several cuts here should be AM possibilities with the help of a little editing and the rest are ideal for FM. One of the simpler, yet at the same time, one of the most workable sets the band has come up with. Best cuts: "The Gates Of Delirium Part III," "Sound Chaser (Instrumental)," "To Be Over." Dealers: This British supergroup has just wrapped up another tour.