Author: Archie Patterson
Date: August 01, 1999
Subject: Yesterday Is Tomorrow

The new album from Oscar is unique in concept and surprisingly good in execution. He has taken his favorite songs by the band Yes and done electronic instrumental versions of them. The tracks include extended suites like "All Good People", "And You and I", Starship Trooper", as well as shorter works like "Time and a Word", "Heart of the Sunrise" and "The Ancient". There are 10 tracks in all which are strikingly re-arranged and played. I'd imagine Rick Wakeman would not do such a good job given his tendencies toward pomposity. The music here takes the main melodies of each piece, embellishes them tastefully and with beautiful simplicity, so they never sound cheesy or overblown.

The company that distributed the Tadamitsu Saito CD with Jon Anderson on it a few years ago are distributing a CD I'm sure many of you will love,"YESterday is Tomorrow" by synth man Oscar Caraballo. This is a CD of lush synth instrumental arrangements of Yes songs and very well done. Tracks are: Gates of Delirium: Soon, Heart of the Sunrise, Time and a Word, I've Seen All Good People, Survival, Onward, Turn of the Century, And You And I, The Ancient, Starship Trooper. I encourage you to locate this CD!

Oscar Caraballo originates from Venezuela and was a student of classical music as well as being a huge fan of Yes. What we have here is an interpretation of music composed by the band Yes and played by Oscar. Although I haven't heard one or two of the original tracks, I really think it's almost irrelevant as this album should not be looked upon as a cover album at all. Oscar's music borders on the new age side of progressive rock and reminds me of Gandalf and Kitaro's earlier work. All the music is recreated on keyboards /synths with several intro's, bridge's, interludes and endings being written by Oscar himself. The tracks " Heart Of Sunrise " and " Starship Trooper Suite " being the most progressive sounding with the remainder being new age influenced. " The Gates Of Delirium " along with "Turn Of The Century", "Onward" and the 8 min. " And You And I " are something special and it's worth buying this whole album on the strength of them. If his previous two albums are as good as this then they should be worth hearing especially if you like the above named artists. I don't know if Yes fans are into new age music but if you can live without drums and guitars then this album could be for you. If Oscar gets 2 or 3 more albums under his belt I'm confident that he will be a force to be reckoned with. So remember you heard it here first.

During the first years of his career Oscar Caraballo studied Electro-acoustic Music at the Institute of Phonologie of the Venezuelan National Youth Orchestra, Piano at the Conservatory of the Philharmonic Orchestra of Caracas and Physics at the Universidad Central de Venezuela. From 1991 to 1992 Oscar Caraballo was the Keyboard stage Manager for the Venezuelan Group Aditus. "Yesterday is Tomorrow" is a great tribute to YES one of best group from all the times, with an excellent instrumental arrangements and very well done. The tracks are: Gates of Delirium, Heart of the Sunrise, Time and a Word, All Good People Suit, Survival, Onward, Turn of the Century, And You And I, The Ancient and Starship Trooper. This CD was inspired by the artist on his admiration for the band "Yes"...

"...The album is more than a note for note copy of the music of Yes. Some pieces like Heart of the Sunrise feature improvised passages. Oscar wrote several short bridges, intros and interludes to make the pieces work better as New Age. I have to say that I admire the freedom Oscar has taken with these pieces and the courage to produce the CD."

Your CD is excellent and I think it will go over well with our Yes fans.

We just received your CD Yesterday is Tomorrow by Oscar Caraballo. It's great!!! Fantastic in every way! This is one of the most original tributes to Yes I've heard. The "translation" to the electronic idiom is perfect! Congratulations!

"When one hears that an instrumental version of rock classic is being made, one tends to think of Musak, or elevator music. Oscar Caraballo creates neither of these things in reinterpreting many Yes classics on Yesterday is Tomorrow. In addition, Caraballo as added in his own intros, interludes, solos, endings, and other bits to these tracks.

The album opens with a beautiful, though abbreviated, rendition of "The Gates of Delirium" (Relayer) - swirling keys, crystalline shimmers of sound that also resemble the cawing of birds..."

I must admit that when I listened to this cd the first couple of times I wasn't very impressed: I had my doubts even before. I mean why do a tribute album based on the work of a band like Yes, a band whose members are notorious for their instrumental skills and rely heavily upon them when making their music. On top of that Oscar is doing this solely with the help of synthesizers/keyboards. It takes a very brave and talented person to try this especially when picking some of the best and most sacred of Yes-tracks. While at first, as I said I wasn«t very impressed, it only took a few more listens before gradually I started enjoying this more and more, until suddenly I realized that this was actually good stuff. This alternative tribute should be seen exactly for what it is, alternative. Oscar has rewritten parts of the tracks, adding new intros, interludes, verses, choruses, bridges, solos and endings to the original structures. The overall sound is more new-age inspired than progressive, often with lush warm keyboard arrangements. While some of the tracks does not lend themselves very well to interpretations like this one (Heart Of The Sunrise for example) others work really well such as The Gates Of Delirium, Onward and the All Good People Suite. All in all I think that this recording works surprisingly well and provides an interesting new way to look at the music of Yes. If you like music like Vangelis, Kitaro and such, this is definitely something you should check out and if you're a Yes fan on top of that, then this is something that you would want in your collection for sure. Good work Oscar!

"...A Classical approach to Yes' music. Refreshing. At moments reminds us the work of synth master Isao Tomita..."

A tracklist like a best of record of Yes - but a special kind of tribute album. OSCAR CARABALLO from Venezuela takes the songs of the progressive rock pioneers and plays them in a new age style. Can't work? It can! A great statement that the use of new technologies not necessary ends with an soulless sound. I am sure, Yes would love this record.

Excellent!. We will spread your work all over Brazil.

I'm a big Yes fan with all their albums in my record collection, so I was quite curious when I received this album.

The New Age keyboard player Oscar Caraballo is interpreting Yes songs on this tribute release. When someone is doing a cover of a song, regardless what genre it is, I think that the cover should differ from the original to make the project justified. Why should there be any reason to re-record an already great song exactly in the same way as it was played from the beginning. The classical music student Oscar Caraballo is really doing his own versions of the classic Yes songs, in a way you've never heard them before. All instrumental re-arranged and played only on synthesizers with no other instruments added. Some parts of the album shouldn't be considered as covers as they're completely different to the original songs.

There's some reminiscences to Brian Hirsch, Gandalf, Indeed, Jeremy, Kitaro, Magus, Vangelis and Rick Wakeman. The highlights are "The Gates of Delirium", " All Good People Suite", "Onward", "Turn of the Century" and "And You And I".

I think that many people will have divided feelings to this release. Some might say that he is desecrating the songs while other more open-minded might find it interesting. Anyway I think it's recommended that you should either like New Age music or Yes to fully enjoy this album. I surely did!

Author: Robert Silverstein
Date: August 01, 1999
Subject: Yesterday Is Tomorrow

Thanks for making such a fine album.

Author: Michael Beckerle
Date: October 11, 1999
Subject: Yesterday Is Tomorrow

"...Caraballo is able to switch the complex YES-songstructures in synthethic sounds..."

Author: Tomasz Kaminski
Date: November 10, 1999
Subject: Yesterday Is Tomorrow

"...The different arrangements sound really surprising..."

Author: Marco Bernard
Date: November 19, 1999
Subject: Yesterday Is Tomorrow

"...the album is excellent, it took me by surprise..."

Author: Jurriaan Hage
Date: August 01, 1999
Subject: Yesterday Is Tomorrow

"...The general atmosphere stays rather quiet and I am reminded of So Long Ago So Clear by Vangelis so it might be that Jon Anderson would like this album as well..."

"...approach to listening to this album: not as an electronic equivalent of Yes, but someone in the electronic side of music using melodies and songstructures from Yes and making them in the process come out very well and clearer in fact than in the originals. This is of course, because of the tuning down that has occurred when going from rock to rather melodious and accessible electronic music..."

Author: Gary Hill
Date: January 10, 2000
Subject: Yesterday Is Tomorrow

"In the `70s a Japanese musician named Tomita recorded electronic, keyboard dominated interpretations of various musical pieces. On this album, Oscar Caraballo seems to be giving the same treatment to Yes music. Some of this works quite well, while other tracks or sections of tracks seem not to do so well. Interestingly, the tracks that work well are not necessarily the ones that seem obvious to translate well. Conversely, some songs that seemed odd inclusions really succeed here. Yes fans will probably be quite intrigued by this interpretation of the band's works. "

Author: John Wilcox
Date: January 12, 2000
Subject: Yesterday Is Tomorrow

"... nice outing and Caraballo is a very gifted player and arranger. Yes fans, especially, should appreciate this..."

Author: Chad Hutchinson
Date: January 13, 2000
Subject: Yesterday Is Tomorrow

"Very atmospheric. Beautiful...almost heavenly. The listeners love this stuff, to hear someone else's interpretation is great. "

Author: Marcos Cardozo De Oliveira
Date: January 19, 2000
Subject: Yesterday Is Tomorrow

"... an electronic orchestra... "
"... It was very interesting to hear a different point of view the immortal melodies and harmonies of Yes. Recommended for those who like tranquil music, and delicious, and for all Yes related collectors..."

Author: Michael Reese
Date: January 30, 2000
Subject: Yesterday Is Tomorrow

"A titanic work!"

Author: Gilles Arend
Date: January 13, 2000
Subject: Yesterday Is Tomorrow

"... the task was not easy, and Caraballo Oscar has to spend not badly time in front of the keys of its keyboard to withdraw one hour of music from it, not being satisfied only to take again the notes, but adding to it a pleiad of new arrangements and unusual sonorities. For some fans of Yes, it will undoubtedly be unbearable, but for others it will be a disc to have to supplement a collection of homages..."

Author: Sven Eriksen
Date: 1999/02/02
Subject: Yesterday Is Tomorrow

"...this CD will activate a fine musical nerve on you..."

Author: Ana Maria Hernandez G.
Date: 1999/02/14
Subject: Themes Between Two Times, Melodic Dreams and Yesterday Is Tomorrow

"...Ethereal Harmonies to the World..."

Author: Ezio Candrini
Date: 1999/03/22
Subject: Yesterday Is Tomorrow

"...One of a kind..."