VA - Tales From Yesterday: A Tribute To Yes (2008)

Beware the perils of the tribute album: as often as not, they only serve to remind you how great the originals are, and that's certainly the case here. A cover should bring something new to a composition, either by enriching its original elements or by transposing genres. Instead, here you have slavish fealty paid by bands who are no doubt sincere in their Yes worship: note-by-note renditions of "Siberian Khatru" by Stanley Snail and "South Side of the Sky" by Cairo, for example. Ironically, the biggest risks are taken by bona fide Yes members -- Patrick Moraz's piano variations on "Soon" and Peter Banks' lumbering surf-metal version of "Astral Traveler" are easily the standout tracks here; Steve Howe and Annie Haslam's gentle rendition of "Turn of the Century" is a nice touch as well.