CRM114

Sad after Steve Howe's speech that Yes would choose as one of their two songs, Owner of a Lonely Heart.

I can't stand Journey but it was too bad Steve Perry couldn't join the band in some capacity. And the dude that came out with Jeff Lynne apparently wasn't offered the chance to perform. Weird.

Jason

It's their biggest hit.

What did you expect? Heart of the Sunrise? Maybe Don't Kill the Whale?

rw2516

I think also they wanted to acknowledge Trevor Rabin era.
Imagine Fleetwood Mac doing 'Hypnotized' to acknowledge Bob Welch or 'Oh Well' to acknowledge Peter Green at their induction.

Jason

Maybe, but Yes don't have the casual fan/top forty hit playlist that Fleetwood Mac does. Lonely Heart was pretty much a given for them to play.

rw2516

I think it's both. No way they we're going to play it. One of the members in his speech gave Rabin credit for a lot of their success during that period.

hdnmickey

It also isn't just giving a nod to Rabin, which was the right thing to do. It's also not disrespecting Squire. He was instrumental in keeping Yes alive during those years. If not for him an Rabin, we probably would have ended up with those side projects becoming permanent. There are also some pretty awesome songs on those Rabin albums that are not a top 40 radio bait.

CRM114

Sure, if they weren't playing for the actual Yes fans as Steve Howe mentioned. Roundabout and Starship Trooper would be more appropriate (as an example). Yes wasn't about "hits" until Jon Anderson and Chris Squire bastardized the band. I think the vast majority of actual Yes fans would like to forget that era. They apparently like that album but they are playing to two completely different audiences. The 90125 crowd isn't buying the new 5.1 release of Close To The Edge.

Not claiming to be an authority on the subject - just personal feelings about it.

Hokeyboy

But... but according to the Steve Hoffman forums, that's Rock's Greatest Achievement™!!

In all seriousness, while I understand why they chose "Owner of a Lonely Heart", I wish Yes could have pulled out another one of their "hits", where "hit" = "rock radio mainstays", like "I've Seen All Good People" or "Long Distance Runaround", etc.

Does induction into the RRHoF have any discernible impact on album or digital sales?