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Thank you for buying a copy of my book, Yes – The Tormato Story. It is the culmination of a 40-year obsession and I’m delighted you will be reading my thoughts and the results of my extensive research into this much-maligned, classic album.

This page is only available via the link in the book and I will be updating from time to time with additional content and offers, exclusively for book owners.

If you are interested in the accompanying, full-colour A5 magazine-style supplement to add even more detail to the story, please order via the links below:

Check back soon for more updates and offers.

The full colour A5 supplement

Email Newsletter

Close to the beginning of the book writing process, I established an email newsletter to share updates on the progress of the book. I intend to keep this active for those interested in hearing about what happens after publication as well as what I’m up to for my next publishing endeavour!

You are most welcome to join the newsletter – it’s free and you can unsubscribe at any time –

Once you are subscribed you will have access to all the previous newsletters via a password-protected page.

Questions and answers

One of the activities I’ve enjoyed the most in writing the weekly updates is setting quiz questions based on the contents of the book. These have normally taken the form of picture clues and I’m going to publish the answers here, one at a time. Here’s the first one:

Question:

This photograph was kindly sent to me by Yes Music Podcast listener and Patron, Jamie McQuinn. We have no idea who took this because Jamie bought a set from ‘some guy’ after the Tourmato concert he went to see on September 21, 1978, at Olympia Stadium in Detroit. If you know who the photographer was (was it even you?) please let me know so I can give the appropriate credit. I am going to get my photographer son to spruce up the colour in these images before publication.

I’ve chosen this shot to share here because it includes at least 3 of the items which I delve into extensively in the book. Which are those items? See if you can guess…

Answer:

Well, there are all sorts of answers here but they would include:

Alan White’s North drums
Steve Howe playing ‘The Les Paul’ guitar
The ‘revolutionary’ rotating stage
Jon Anderson’s cuatro guitar
Chris Squire’s Rickenbacker bass
Rick Wakeman’s Birotron

You will be able to see lots more. Let me know your thoughts via show@yesmusicpodcast.com

Question:

Here’s a tiny detail from a photo in the book but exactly what does it show?

Answer:

This is a zoomed-in detail from one of Jim Halley’s behind-the-scenes photos, taken during the cover shoot at Blow Up Bridge, a short distance from RAK Studios. On the right is Rick Wakeman facing away from the camera. The back of his tour jacket (from the Going For The One Tour I think) is visible with the Roger Dean Yesshows logo. This is the time Jim had to lend Chris Squire his jacket because Chris had forgotten his.

On the left is a group of joggers who must have been surprised to see Po from Hipgnosis taking photographs of one of the biggest bands of the time!

Question:

What is this logo, how is it connected to Tormato and exactly where has this image been cropped from?

Answer:

This is the Columbia House logo from their Tormato 8-Track:

As mentioned in the book, specialist record clubs like Columbia House supplied 8-track cartridges for longer than regular stores.

Question:

What is this diagram showing and how is it connected to Tormato?

Answer:

This is a detail of a diagram in the North Drum catalogue showing the directional pattern of sound emanating from their drums. I’ve always thought it was somewhat simplified.

Question:

This image shows the first location I visited on ‘My Own Tourmato’ in January 2023. Where do you think it is and what do you think the location has to do with Tormato?

Answer:

This is the front entrance of the Yes equipment warehouse as it is today (or actually when this image from Google Street View was taken a couple of years ago). This is where the fibreglass Yes stage sets were constructed by Martyn Dean and others. Derek Dearden (technical musical wizard) and Sam Li (luthier) both had workshops here.

Question:

I’ve been reading Trevor Horn’s autobiography, Adventures in Modern Recording, this week. He describes the stage set-up for the Drama tour in 1980 where he was the lead singer after he and Geoff Downes joined Yes. I had forgotten that the US Drama stage was a development of the circular, rotating Tourmato stage. I also didn’t know that the band had managed to solve one of their frustrations from the ’78-’79 Tourmato. What do you think that was? It’s related to the concept of the ’11th Illusion’ which the band had originally intended to develop at the time and could even have been used for the title of Tormato.

Here’s a (blurry) clue from the Live in Philadelphia 1979 video:

Answer:

The band managed to solve the problem they had with wanting to appear ‘as if by magic’ on stage the circular stage in the middle of the venues. It was all achieved with misdirection. Spotlights were trained on the wrong door and while everyone was looking for the band there, they made a run for the stage from the opposite door and hid underneath. They then took their places behind a circular curtain at the top of the stage and were revealed as the introductory music played. Great fun!

Question:

Here is a headline from the October 1978 edition of a UK music magazine:

Do you know what the business was and where it was based?

Answer:

The business was ‘Complex 7’, which offered various services to musicians
in the UK. It was based in High Wycombe in the south of the UK and included Birotronics and the Packhorse Case Co. Ltd. who are mentioned for special thanks in both the 1977 Going For The One and 1978 Tourmato tour programmes.

Question:

Someone who worked at Advision in 1978 with Peter Woolliscroft contacted me this week and sent me a photo to use in the book. He wasn’t involved in the audio production of Tormato but did have a critical job which was part of how Advision differentiated itself from other London studios of the time. Below is a detail from the photo he sent. Your challenge is to guess what his job was in 1978, based on the equipment in the photo. As usual, this is just for fun but I’d be delighted to receive your guesses by replying to this email.

Answer:

This is part of the projector at Advision Studios. Kevin Pyne sent the photo to me and the full image features Kevin reading a magazine next to this huge cinema-grade machine. As you may remember from the book, Kevin was in the projection booth when Queen were at Advision arranging and recording the soundtrack to Flash Gordon. He also knew Peter Woolliscroft and all the rest of the gang.

programmes.

Question:

As mentioned above, my son, William, has been working on Jeremy North’s photos from Wembley and here is one fascinating detail he has uncovered:

Just for fun, as usual, what is shown in this shot? Reply to this email with your guess!

Answer:

This is the top of one of the stage crew’s heads, appearing from under the rotating stage through a viewing hatch. I imagine this was the only way the crew could monitor what was going on during the concert. There were also metal grilles that could be opened to let the crew hand guitars and other equipment up to the band.

Question:

Here is a detail from one of the final images Dave sent me. It’s from a trade magazine (that’s the clue) but what exactly does it show?

Just for fun as always but do let me know your thoughts.

Answer:

This is a shop window display that could be ordered by record shops to promote Tormato. I think it is a plastic sticker that could be applied directly to the window.

Question:

Have a guess what Tormato song this is – it will be helpful if you can read music, I suppose:

Answer:

This is the sheet music to ‘Don’t Kill the Whale’.

Question:

Here is another tantalising newly-revealed detail from Dave Watkinson’s photos but what is it?

Answer:

This is a (very) close-up detail of Steve Howe’s moccasin – always a snappy dresser!

Question:

Who is this, what is he doing and what does it have to do with Tormato?

Answer:

This is a bar-tender from an advert on the inside back cover of the first version of the Tormato Tour programme/tour book. Apparently, there is a link between Yes albums and alcoholic beverages – who knew?

Question:

An easier one this week. What is this and who does it belong to?

Answer:

This is another zoomed-in image from a Dave Watkinson photo. This time, it shows the ‘Olias’ medallion worn by Jon Anderson at the Tormato recording sessions at RAK studios in 1978.

Question:

Here’s a real exclusive. This is a detail only discovered very recently and featured only in the Yes – The Tormato Story colour supplement (still only available here – https://tormatobook.com/exclusive-pre-launch-offers using the password goFFPont). Where do you think this shot was taken and what’s it all about?

Send me your guess – just for fun, as always, but I’d be delighted to hear from you.

Answer:

Another Dave Watkinson photo, this one shows zoomed-in details of the RAK studio mixing desk. The band and technical team had fun adding humorous messages to the equipment and walls, including these!

Question:

Here is part of a brand new instrument from Dave Watkinson’s RAK collection. What is the instrument and why was it almost unique in the UK?

Answer:

Again from Dave Watkinson, this is the Yamaha GX-1 keyboard, recently purchased by RAK owner, Mickie Most. There were only two of these instruments in the UK at the time due to its $60,000 price tag! The other instrument belonged to Keith Emerson of ELP.