Why Steve Howe Prevented Yes From Releasing New Album for Years Revealed

Yes guitarist Steve Howe admitted to holding back the band from making and releasing new albums over the past decade.

Despite its success in the past years, Yes has been on and off as the band went on hiatus several times since its debut. It, however, successfully reclaimed the spotlight through the 2021 album, "The Quest."

Steve Howe Did Not Want Yes To Release an Album

Due to the 2021 album's success, Yes decided to create a new record - "Mirror to the Sky" - which is set to be released this year.

Reflecting on the band's upcoming 23^rd LP and its past breaks, the Yes guitarist sat for an interview with The Strange Brew and revealed that he previously prevented his bandmates from creating and releasing a new album.

According to Howe, his decision to hold them back was due to his thoughts that they did not have what it took.

"I wasn't fully convinced of that before the latter 2010s. I wasn't sure. I was always holding Yes back, saying, 'Well, look, until we've got the songs, it's no good really making a record because what you need is songs,'" he told the news outlet.

Howe expressed how satisfied he feels now with the current lineup's energy and dedication to work. He proudly mentioned that they work on the songs individually to create things together and have everyone else involved.

Yes current lineup includes Howe, Geoff Downes, Billy Sherwood, Jon Davidson, and Jay Schellen.

Will Jon Anderson Join Yes Again?

While Howe already approved the band's current lineup, Yes refuses to reunite with its founding member, Jon Anderson.

The former Yes member left the group after its 2004 tour due to illness, leading the band to hire a replacement vocalist and move on without him. Although Anderson already recovered, the band's door is no longer open for him.

Speaking with Rolling Stone, Anderson was asked how he felt about the band hiring someone else. He reportedly did not have any bad feelings about it, telling himself he could go on and play small clubs. He chose to see it as a breakthrough especially since he knew he just needed to let go of things and move on.

The interviewer suggested he should be on stage with Mick Jagger and Keith Richards instead. But for the musician, he repeatedly expressed his desire to do so but clarified that it would not happen as far as he knows.