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Lessons in Layering: We Have Heaven & The Fish (Yes) | Behind the Score - Ep. 58 (Patreon)

Published:
2024-09-11 02:46:40
Imported:
2026-06
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Content

In this episode, I'm looking at two short songs from Fragile: We Have Heaven and The Fish. As you'll see, I recently received a book of Yes scores for this album, and I was eager to dive into this music!

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Lessons in Layering: We Have Heaven & The Fish (Yes) | Behind the Score - Ep. 58

Comments

Jeff Norman

I'm a little dubious about the representation of the guitar part...oh well. And, of course, Jon throws in a couple-three more vocal parts that aren't represented in the score in that last section...

Jeff Norman

Curious decision, to my ears, to notate "The Fish" in (a) alternating measures of 4 and 3 and then (b) 7 bars of 4/4. To me the whole thing feels like it's in 7/4, with the long scalar melody cutting across the barlines. And of course the score (again) oversimplifies what's actually going on... There's a whole thing Squire did in live versions, playing 16ths and throwing in an occasional third, then moving the whole thing up a third, until he's playing 7ths and 9ths. Oh: and the main lick is just harmonics on the open strings of the bass and then the same seven frets up! A very clever arrangement of a very simple idea.

Bill Brinkmoeller

A few notes: Yes, the opening to "The Fish" is harmonics. He plays the 12th fret harmonics followed by the seventh fret harmonics. The voice that you hear is not Jon Anderson, it's Chris Squire. He usually took the high harmonies in Yes, most of the time singing even above Jon, so he was a very capable singer (you've listened to his solo album). You said that you've never understood the door slamming at the end of "We Have Heaven". If you recall, from listening to the entire album, after the last notes of "Heart of the Sunrise" have faded away, that door re-opens, and we get a brief reprise of "We Have Heaven" that fades the album to its conclusion. This was the kind of joke that happened often back in the days when people would sit down and listen to albums start-to-finish. (One of the best of those happened on the first pressing of the first album by The James Gang, "Yer Album". This only worked if you had a "manual" turntable that didn't lift the tonearm at the end of the side. At the end of Side 1, the inner groove would say "Turn me over. Turn me over. Turn me over. Turn me..." At the end of Side 2, the inner groove urged "Play me again. Play me again...") For me, the "joke" has always fallen flat. I think it blunts the power of "Heart of the Sunrise" which is a masterpiece that should have been left alone. Just my thoughts, random though they may seem. As always, thank you, Doug, for all you do. This was fun and informative.

Ralph Darvill
>>149114810

I was going to remind Doug about that, but you beat me to it! Tom Petty did a good one on Full Moon Fever when ot was released on CD. In between the songs which ended side 1 and began side 2 he interjected "Hello CD listeners, we've reached the point in this album where those listening on record, or tape, have to get up and change over the record or tape..." something like that anyway. A wizened old voice in the background rants on about something or other, with a wee bit of swearing. As a budding bassist I loved playing the harmonics of The Fish...sadly I never progressed much.

Illume Eltanin
>>149114810

If I recall the Fragile EPL correctly, Dr. Doug actually stopped the playlist early, and didn’t hear the reprise of We Have Heaven at that time. I know I mentioned it in the comments, as I’m sure others did as well. I’m also fairly certain he has listened to Fragile again, so he’s probably heard it by now. But, I’m uncertain if he has ever told us if he listened to Heart of The Sunrise/We Have Heaven in full when he finally did so.

Bill Brinkmoeller
>>149114810

You're right! I'd forgotten that. Thanks for the reminder. Based on Dr. Doug's reply above, he's now aware of the We Have Heaven reprise.