Yes have a certain reputation for interpersonal issues over the years. So when current vocalist Jon Davison met original singer Jon Anderson one night, fireworks could have flown. Instead, as both men told Prog, it was more of a damp squib . Still, an interesting idea arose from it…
In 2015 Jon Davison was three years into his role as lead vocalist with Yes, having taken over from Benoît David before appearing on 2014’s Heaven And Earth, the first Yes album to feature his voice.
As he discussed his experiences with Prog, the almost inevitable topic of original singer Jon Anderson came up, leading Davison to reveal that the pair hadn’t met.
Asked if it would feel a bit like seeing one’s own double, Davison said: “I hope it wouldn’t be weird, because he’s been a hero of mine for so many years. He’s kind of a father figure.”
He added: “Someone told me, who has known him for decades: ‘Jon would really like you. If the two of you were able to be together, you guys would get along.’ I’ve seen him speak favourably of Benoît David… So I hope he would be equally sympathetic with my situation.”
On the night of April 7, 2017, theory gave way to practice when Davison and Anderson met in a hotel ahead of Yes’ induction into the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame. But it wasn’t the encounter than anyone might have predicted.
“I’m not sure he knew who I was!” Davison told Prog later that year. “It was really noisy. I just approached him as a fan and wanted to thank him. Because I don’t feel any rivalry or intimidation.
He performs the songs and lyrics I wrote, and he does a good job
Jon Anderson
“I consider him in a whole different class than myself, and he’s a hero of mine. So I just thanked him for all the inspiration and for being so instrumental in bringing me to what I do today.”
Davison described his predecessor as “very warm” but continued: “I don’t sense that he could understand amidst the noise that I was the other singer! I almost enjoyed it better that way; it was a fan having a moment to thank his hero.”
Anderson – who was then fronting Yes Featuring Jon Anderson, Trevor Rabin, Rick Wakeman – said his own memory of the moment was similar. “I honestly had no idea!” he told Prog. “He never introduced himself. It was only when he went away that I thought, ‘There’s something about that guy that’s kind of strange.’ Then I said to my wife, ‘I think that guy’s the singer with the other band!’
“I thought, ‘Why didn’t he tell me who he was?’ Then I could have said, ‘Well done,’ because he performs the songs and lyrics I wrote, and he does a good job.”
Yes, of course, are no strangers to interpersonal issues; and to some extent a small number of fans have become embroiled in those disputes. In 2015 Davison had reflected: “For the most part there’s a mutual respect. … there’s a history of discord, but there’s also a way of knowing when to compromise and express feelings of concern. They’re well versed in the Yes dynamic.”
I’d like to create a really unifying message – a bridge between the two camps and all the fanbases
Jon Davison
So he was delighted to report that his meeting with Anderson hadn’t been a negative one – and in fact, it spurred him on to a creative concept. “When I looked in his eyes, there was harmony, and I could relate to him soul for soul,” the younger singer recalled.
“I felt inspired. There’s so much discord; people get so heated online and fans get so ugly – which is so unfortunate when you consider the all-embracing message in Yes’ music and lyrics.”
After the brief encounter Davison expressed the desire to record an album with Anderson. “That statement was meant to be the antithesis of the general mindset of these people who get so nasty,” he explained.
“That’s what I’d like to happen. To create a really unifying message – a bridge between the two camps and all the fanbases. If Jon and I could do an album together, we could rise above all the pettiness.”
