Nah, just kiddin'. Truth is: For most of their career, no
matter who was in the band, Yes time and time again delivered creative,
complex, often challenging, and always flaky classically-influenced pop rock
that sounded like nobody else - not even King Crimson, ELP, or Rush (three
weaker bands that they are often compared to). From the beginning, Yes
possessed three special qualities that were bound to bring them equal amounts
adoration and derision from warring rock audiences worldwide. First and
foremost, singer Jon Anderson is a high-pitched goofball elf obsessed with
mysticism, religion, and silly middle eastern philosophy. His lyrics make
little sense, and his sissyish voice annoys a lot of perfectly decent people.
I, however, love him like a brother. A GIRL brother, that is!!! Next and secondmost, Yes always followed
a philosophy of putting the music above the players, which is a nice way of
saying that they tended to replace anybody that they felt was holding them
back creatively. Musical integrity or corporate-minded cold-heartedness?
Your call. Sure did make all the albums sound different, though! Last and
rearmost, although they began as a fairly normal psychedelic rock band, they
soon developed a taste for extended pieces, at one point releasing three
albums in a row with no songs under nine minutes long on any of them. As you
might expect, this sort of behavior turned off many fans and every critic
alive. I think it's pretty cool stuff, though! And after the '70s died away,
they somehow managed a surprising Top 40 comeback that lasted about four years
before they fell apart and turned to crap.
But I think they're on a
comeback trail!!!!
- Reader Comments
- lindaleed@earthlink.net (Linda Dachtyl)
Quit picking on Jon!
- sbachini@uk.mdis.com (Steve Bachini)
For me, Yes produced some of the best progressive music going. It was creative,
entertaining, and of course, at times damned difficult. Top musicians in full
flight, the music driving on with each member coming to the fore at different
times. The thing I love is that you can listen to Yes and follow one of the
musicians, then re-listen focusing on someone else.
- strider@redrose.net (David Straub)
I thought I was the only person who could claim to own most of the
discographies of both Yes and Bad Religion.
Yes were great (WERE meaning pre 1980) but personally, I feel some of
the longer (over 15 minutes) "songs" try my patience. Give me "South
Side Of The Sky" and "Starship" any day, though.
And yeah, stop pickin' on Jon! "like a girl brother" yeeeesh.
(However,) no way is Crimson weaker than Yes. KC's personnel changes and stylistic
left turns make Yes sound positively dull to me. I'd never be able to
take a Yes record seriously after a run through Red or Larks'
Tongues. Or even Beat.
Still, I like (most) Yes; I just think there's no match here.
- Blppt@aol.com
First of all, how can you possibly say that Yes are better than Rush- it
isn't even close! Neil Peart is the most talented drummer of all time. Geddy
Lee is the best bassist, and Alex Lifeson can kick the shit out of 98% of the
guitarists who ever lived, including Yes's guitarist. I will agree that
Geddy's singing voice is probably not for everyone, but it is totally unique.
Take Permanant Waves, Signals, Moving Pictures,
2112, or even
the new Test for Echo, and they will kick the crap out of any Yes album.
- lledesma@amag.edu.pe (Leonardo Ledesma)
In the introductory sermon, you pick on Jon 'bout his suave
(feminine?) manners. Maybe he's a girl brother to you, but for me he's a
master and deserves my (and everyone's) respect. I met him some four
years ago, by the way, and he seemed to me a clear and straight happy
man, though not so kind when you talk about certain matters (the Drama
album, among others). Nice guy.
- electric_nl@yahoo.com (Jeffrey Kas)
Yes is also a group I like,but the comparison with
Rush or King Crimson isn't fair, they are all doing
their own stuff and they doing it well.
Yes have their unique approach of composing songs and
the music needs more listening time then others
because of the complex material.
The personel from King Crimson and Yes has common
members like Bill Bruford who played in both of the
groups during the 70's and 80's.
I think that three of the groups: Yes,Rush,King
Crimson are good musicians who deserve a closer look
then a ridicul comparison.
- imoss@northernlight.com (Ian Moss)
Y'know, most of my favorite bands--the Beatles, Pink Floyd, Led
Zeppelin--are pretty mainstream. Time-tested, fan-approved, and
critically recognized. Then there are others, like BOSTON, Rush, etc., that I
love, but I know deep down they're kind of silly, and I will not defend
attacks on their musical integrity too loudly. But Yes--Yes is a different
story. What these guys were doing in the early-to-mid 1970s was
nothing short of revolutionary, and it is my (reasonably) firm belief that this
is the direction in which music not only should, but must go in order to
thrive as a legitimate art form. OK, that's a pretty bold statement
and let me try to explain why it makes sense to me. See, I grew up
listening to the bands that I mentioned in the first sentence there, loving rock
'n' roll and supremely disdainful of all other musical genres. Then, about
a year before I went to college, I got heavily involved in this "music
theory" business and it introduced me to a whole bunch of classical
music. Y'all have to understand that classical music, basically since
it came into being, has been an elitist sort of thing--first it was the
sole province of the Church, and then the European courts made it a
high-class-only affair. You had to take years of training in order to
even understand it, let alone perform or (gasp) write it. There was always
this huge gap between "high" art (including classical music) and "low" or
popular art (which included folk songs and what would now be called
world music). As we came into the twentieth century, the "low" music started
to receive a lot more exposure, and a form that had been driven by
word-(or song)-of-mouth became driven by commercialism. But still the
distinction remained.
The reason I think that Yes was revolutionary is that, directly or not,
they were trying to converge high art with low art. They weren't
subscribing to the elitist notion that notated, stuffy, difficult music
was the only music worth making; yet they recognized the potential held by
rock music when in the hands of well-informed, classically trained
musicians. They tried to combine, often successfully, the finesse of
classical music with the raw power of rock music. To my knowledge, no
other rock band or classical musician has had as much success as Yes
with this kind of fusion.
Their efforts came at a particularly auspicious time for classical
music, too. I took a music composition class this past year, and I got to
listen to a whole lot of 20th-century classical music. Let me tell you
something: it's not fun. These guys were into serialism, atonality, "chance"
music, all manner of far-out, weird stuff. And it sounds like shit! I mean,
it's interesting and all, and there are certainly moments and individual
pieces that stand out, but when I'm cruisin' down the highway in my 1987 Chevy
Nova, I'm not exactly achin' for some Anton Webern, ya know what I
mean? By the '60s, classical composers in America were finding
themselves locked into this ultra-intellectual, ultra-academic mentality that shut
out nearly all possibility for music that had feeling or music that had a
groove. And that's why, as far as your normal housewife is concerned,
classical music basically dropped off the face of the Earth after about
1905. There needed--still needs to be a change. It seems to me that
classical composers would do well to try harnessing the cultural power
of rock music, as well as its technological sophistication. I don't know
for a fact that Yes has influenced a new generation of classical composers,
but I wouldn't be surprised in the least if they have--they've certainly
influenced me. I do know that there's a substantial movement now
(itself divided into several sub-movements) in the composition community to
bring classical music more in line with popular music.
So that's why Yes is revolutionary. Of course, they suck now, but
that's beside the point.
- Nick.Walford@nettec.net
jon anderson sings like a guy with his nuts in a vice. geddy lee sings like
a man with his nuts up his nose.
- Dan804935628@aol.com
YES?? Gimme a friggin' break ,man! Just give me the chance to strangle their
lead singer! This is plain and simple fucking garbage,I don't see how you
could sit through an entire YES album,praise them,and not give a real rock n'
roll band like KISS the respecy they deserve.I meanreally ,are there that
many YES fans out there? I think the fact that KISS is still selling out
shows says it all! Wonder what Jon Anderson is doing these days? Gimme a
fuckin' break Mark,YES is a joke!!!!!!!!!!!!
- RAZachi@aol.com
OK- I don't really feel like spending a ton of time on this, though Yes has
always been one of my favorite bands, but I had to respond to the dumb fuck
that said Rush's Test For Echo, one of the all time worst records I've ever
heard, could possibly hold a candle to anything Yes did before the Drama
album. And no, Mr. Dipshit, Neil Peart is NOT the best drummer of all time.
You've obviously smoked too much dirty brown swag in your lifetime not
to recognize that both Bill Bruford and Alan White drum rings around his
over-rated, cowbell-playing ass. Mr. Bruford, especially.
- blppthome@aol.com (Pat D.)
Actually, i deserved that last guys comments, and i apologize for even
submitting that post. I think that was one of the days when i was arguing
with my Yes fanatic and Rush hating friend Jim and then happened upon Mark
making fun of Rush. Or it could be that i was just naturally an asshole
around that time. Geez. I am so embarrassed at that post that i cannot even
muster up a reply to that other guys' rant. But i still think that Peart was
the best rock/prog drummer who ever lived, and a lot of people (including the
editor staff at Modern Drummer) agree with me. So i beg to differ when he
says Alan White and Bill Bruford could drum circles around Peart's
"Overrated" ass. I dont believe either one of them were voted by the editors
into the top 25, while Mr. Peart was #4. Now, that is not the be all and end
all of drumming, but they sure must have more experience with drumkits than
me or that other guy. At the very least, you cannot say either one of them
would drum circles around him. Nor would i say the opposite since ive
actually listened to a couple of Yes albums since i wrote that comment (it
was a VERY long time ago, gimme a break :-) ) and was quite impressed with
Bruford's playing. But he's still no Peart in my humble opinion.. Which i
guess was what i was trying to say rather crudely before. ;-)
- jeffreykeefe@netscape.net (Jeffrey Keefe)
No problems with Jon Anderson’s voice. On the contrary (or, au contraire, to take his
nous sommes du soleil lead), it works well as a musical instrument, carrying the melody in
an agreeably unpretentious and technically unimpeachable manner while the rest of the band
revel in the munificence of Apollo.
The lyrics are the thing. In no sense – be it real sense, dream sense or schizoid sense -
are they any good. Nor are they redeemed by being euphonious. Compare, say, to Beefheart
(The Dust Blows Forward ‘n the Dust Blows Back):
There’s old Gray with her dove-winged hat
There’s old Green with her sewing machine
Where’s the bobbin at?
They’re totin’ old grain in a printed sack
The dust blows forward ‘n the dust blows back.
Which makes all three kinds of sense and, phonetically, responds to itself like so many
alzheimic rabbits frantically thumping the pellet-peppered turf at the approach of an
infamously rapacious fox wearing a rabbit-skin hat. In other words, it’s poetry.
Now Jon Anderson:
A seasoned witch could call you from the depths of your disgrace
And rearrange your liver to the solid mental grace
And achieve it all with music that came quickly from afar
Then taste the fruit of man recorded losing all against the hour
Which reads like it’s come off an arse-spewed tickertape. What’s more, no Word spelling
and grammar check underlinings have appeared - a sure sign of literary mediocrity. Try
this spell/grammar check test on a little Shakespeare or Pynchon, for instance, and swoon to
the superabundance of that red-green contrast so beloved of Matisse.
One of the reasons, I think, I get up I get down is lauded (it’s also a beautiful passage
of music) is that the lyrics (for the most part) actually mean something.
In the end, however, it doesn’t matter. I haven’t got much German – only a smattering
picked up from Captain America and Nick Fury comics (‘Achtung! achtung!’ and the like) – but
I still get the horn listening to Mahler’s Das Lied von der Erde. Likewise Close to the
Edge and Tales from Topographic Oceans.
Why no Beefheart, incidentally?
- FAstronaut@aol.com
YES SUCKS! I can't believe you people are serious. Prog-Rock sucks except for
some kraut rock and beefheart. This stuff really sucks. It's like the same as
Genisus and Journey and Styx. It's like they are all the same evil band. It
sucks.
- joseph2145@home.com (Joseph P. McFarlane)
I apreciate everybody's opinions, but Yes has gone through alot of
changes that pissed some people off, but also created new audiences, but
over all they have bonded new and old audiences toghether. My conclusion
is this is a very universal band and they should be treated that way
through the individual thinking of the audience listning to the band.
- Nabbs
I'm getting REALLY pissed off at all the American muzo's(?) who are
forever slagging off a band that have never hurt anyone and yet just keep
doing the things they believe in! AND playing to sold out audiences all over
the world. I get the opinion that you lot think you can slag off anyone who
isn't "hip or trendy" yet you go and vote a complete fucking nerd to run
your overblown country!
Yes are English for Christs sake! So of course their music has more
refinement and sheer brilliance than the copycat bands like KISS ( weird
shit) and those Canadian lightweights Rush.. You only get these guys over
there 'cause our tax system bleeds people dry. If it wasn't for that we
would be keeping them here and treating them with respect!
I cannot for the life of me see what ANY American band has done that's been
original ( and not copied from the UK), so if you don't like class music
then go and pester The Grateful Dead or some other dried up bunch of second
hand retards!!
- briggsh@pacbell.net (Timothy Herrman)
YES is a buncha flowing robe wearing limey buck
toothed faggotty elves. It was Rick Wakeman that was
part of the boycott against A&M records if they signed
the Sex Pistols.Geddy Lee is a ten times better
drummer than Alan White any day. Why was Bruford ever
in this schmaltz waltzing band anyway? Being at YES
concert is like being in the mall with your
mother(yours, not mine)RUSH suck too;except" Fly by
night".
Crimson shouldn't even be mentioned in the same
sentence with either of these lepruchan bands. Though
they did let that hobbit sing on one of their
records--their worst record, of course.
(later)
I meant, "Anthem" not "Fly By Night"; which sucks
buffalo dick.
- hobnailboots@hotmail.com (FC Prates)
Before I go into Yes, lemme just address this obvious piece of written
manure, which couldn't obviously be said by anyone else but a person who
actually wastes their time reading these magazines--I've used to read them
until I smelled something quite disturbing on them. No, I have TP on my
house, thank you very much. And if you're gonna consider Modern Drummer,
Bill GOD Bruford has been voted number one drummer for 34546745467454 times
before, mind you--not that he gave a shit to them.
"At the very least, you cannot say either one of them would drum circles
around him. Nor would i say the opposite since ive actually listened to a
couple of Yes albums since i wrote that comment (it was a VERY long time
ago, gimme a break :-) ) and was quite impressed with Bruford's playing. But
he's still no Peart in my humble opinion."
Ahem, I have a BIOGRAPHY of Rush where Neil Peart ADMITS that he rips off
Billy. The biography was written by the members of the band, mind you.
And let's also put forth a lil timeline in here:
1- Bill, a classically trained drummer, wants to play jazz and enters a rock
band named Yes. But he wanted to play jazz.
2- Bill, tired of the lack of challenge that Yes proposed to him, took off
and met a jazz drummer who was also millions of years ahead of his time and
played a plethora of percussive instruments on a band called King Crimson.
3- Bill, after that drummer split up with King Crimson had to take the task
of TWO drummers, therefore adding a bunch of percussive paraphernalia to his
drum kit.
4- Neil, back then in 1973 was in a WHO cover band, and when he joined Rush,
for the first two albums he played he sounded exactly like a Keith Moon/John
Bonham hybrid. Props to him, but unlike Bill, who always had his own style,
he didn't.
5- So after KC is over in 1974, two years after, there you go: Neil starts
adding lots of percussions to his drumkit. Hmmm...
6- Bill kept progressing and started adding electronic drums to his kit, not
to mention exploring different ways of playing in HIS OWN style, and thus,
he formed his own band in 1978.
7- With the return of King Crimson in 1981, Bill kept innovating, avoiding
the usage of cymbals and using boo-bams instead of a hi-hat--that being just
ONE of the new aspects of his playing.
8- Suddenly, there goes Mr. Neil Peart in 1984 adding electronic drums to
his kit. Hmmm....
I'll say no more. If you're gonna compare Bill to any drummer, do me a favor
and listen to jazz drummers like Elvin GOD Jones, but not prog rock
drummers--or any other drummer for that matter.
I'll review my fave Yes albums later on, but one thing, Mark: I PITY Yes if
you're gonna compare them to King Crimson.
Yes - Atlantic 1969.
Early in their career, the most impressive aspect
of this band was the force and talent of bassist Chris Squire. Clearly a
guitarist relegated to bass duty, he fills this album with an extremely heavy,
note-happy bottom that just pounds away at your little brother even though the
songs themselves are more folky than rocky, for the most part. Three-part
vocal harmonies are all over the joint (as are the band members, I'd bet a
dime), and the singer sounds kinda personality-less; it's obviously his first
time making an album. But the songs are fantastic - as the liner notes say,
they're full of "life, virility, and musicianship." Especially musicianship.
Even here in their first incarnation, every musician sounds like a seasoned
pro. The guitar is thick, with assured solos and jazz noodling sharing the
cabana with confident rock-heavy chord-pounding. Drummer Bill Bruford also
demonstrates a familiarity of jazz technique mixed in there with the usual
rock cliches. And the organ? Well, that's a mighty '60s-ish organ they had
there. No dazzling solos a la Rick Wakeman, but it adds a vibrant throb to
the proceedings nonetheless. And incredibly loud, strong, crisp, clear
production allows you and I, the listeners, to hear everything, and whether
it's the pretty piano balladry of "Yesterday And Today," the improvisational
jazz rock of "I See You," the mid-tempo psych rock of "Every Little Thing,"
the upbeat pop of "Looking Around," or any of the million other influences
tossed into the musical stew they've cooked up here, it all sounds alive,
exciting, and - man, you'll wish YOU were in the band! I know I did; at age
eleven, I taught myself the kickbutt intro to "Survival" on the keyboard.
Along with "The Little Drummer Boy," it's one of the very few songs I still
remember, and still enjoy playing.
Every song on here is worthwhile; the
originals mix lots of different musical styles, and the covers might as well
be originals considering how far Yes has taken the ideas. But I should warn
you. Most of the songs are pretty slow. No "Owner Of A Lonely Heart" here.
Sorry.
- Reader Comments
- Peter Bambakidis
Being a long time Yes fan, I must say that Yes is one of their worst
albums. Let's see, no Rick Wakeman or Steve Howe! Secondly, most of
the songs are written by other bands (i.e. the Beatles). It's called
unoriginality. Let's face it: the best albums by Yes were undoubtedly
from '71 to '72.
- rlewisj@ibm.net (Tom Tebalt)
"Beyond and Before" is one of their best songs, and "Every Little Thing"
and "I See You" are unique and interesting covers.
- tabasco@worldnet.att.net (BOB'S)
Hey man, don't rock the boat. Yes was a good beginning for them. I
loved the song "I See You". It has that jazz beat into it. This album is
obscure like the others. IT ROCKS.
- lledesma@amag.edu.pe (Leonardo Ledesma)
The Yes album is a hell of a good album, more so if it was the
first recorded by the band. As you said, all of the guys seemed real
pros. Kaye's now underrated playing certainly shone and Banks' inventive
guitar work (see I just said "inventive") had a sense of freedom
sometimes missed in the band's career. Someone said that with Peter
Banks and Bill Bruford in the fold a band could easily interwave rock
and jazz. I agree. Although the first single, "Sweetness", wasn't a
terrific one, the B-side and non-LP song "Something's Coming" was a
great recording. Listen to it and you'll find five very creative and
talented musicians in their prime. 9 out of 10? I totally agree with
you.
- stoo@imsa.edu (John McFerrin)
I totally agree with the 9/10. Though I don't think there's any question
that Howe is a completely superior guitarist to Banks, this album still
manages to rule. My fave, surprisingly, is Looking Around. Survival also
kicks ass.
- starostin@geocities.com (George Starostin)
I think that it's no slight accident that the question of Jon Anderson
has been raised in the opening paragraph. Now me, I don't have anything
against Yes in particular, having underwent a serious Yes-training
during the last two months, but I gotta confess: Jon's voice is the
thing that really spoils the picture for me. When I try to get something
out of bombastic, overblown prog tunes, I'm only able to do that when
the bands that do them make them outstanding - leading me on to some
kind of different world, transferring their emotions (be they fake or
genuine), maybe even 'putting a spell' on me. With his high-pitched,
emotion-free, intonationless singing, Jon Anderson isn't able to stir
even a single thread in my soul. Their overlong, grandiose twenty-minute
suites don't move me in the least - just because I don't know what is it
I'm supposed to feel about them. It all seems like robotic, mechanic,
soulless melody-making to me. You're perfectly right that Yes put music
above the players. For me, it's not a compliment. They put music above
everything that makes up true art. They made it complicated,
entertaining and awesome, but they also made it cold, meaningless, and
illusionary. And above all stands Jon Anderson's voice. That said, I
enjoy 'Sweetness' very much.
- stoo@Imsa.edu (John McFerrin)
Well ... I guess I can understand the complaint about Jon's voice. I
guess. Still, as you put it, they made the music "complicated,
entertaining, and interesting" and for me that is enough. I for one am
quite _glad_ that I'm not transported to the fantasy world where Mr.
Anderson resides, as it would probably scare the crap out of me. Besides,
I think you're making a mistake if you look for only one set thing or
things to get out of Yes music; just make up something to get out of it,
and let it work for you. Besides, the lyrics and the singing really aren't
the most important part of the music; rather, they are a fifth instrument,
a counterpoint to the guitars and keyboards, and should be treated as
such. Most of the time, I focus on the keyboards or the guitars instead,
and even when I sing along I have no idea what's being said, nor do I
really care.
Also, Jon's voice is sometimes entertaining to me. Like when he struggles
to hit the "low" notes in The Ancient, or when he sings "the preacher
travels, ASKing to be shown the same"
Whatever. I just like Yes music. It appeals to me.
- cynderelli@techline.com (TAD)
Haven't heard this whole album, just the parts included on YESTERDAYS
and YESYEARS (the 2-cassette short-version of that 4-CD best-of package
I'd like 2 grab someday), but these tracks DO have a nice fresh feel 2
them. My favorite is "Looking Around," which I think would've had a real
chance as a hit single. This early work is also a little silly --
"Survival" is pretty cool: the guitar, keyboards & vocal harmonies grow
on ya, sorta Yes at their embryo stage, if U will. But "Every Little
Thing" is a HOOT! U can tell the guys know it's all just silly fun --
the giveaway 4 me is the guitar riff from Lennon/McCartney's "Day
Tripper" that Peter Banks throws-in right at the beginning. It's like,
how DARE they cover a Beatles tune, yes? & then they wink at U & ask U 2
join in the comedy of it. The afore-mentioned (by another reader)
"Something's Coming" is equally silly & inappropriate (it's from WEST
SIDE STORY) -- & yet, the guys sound like they're having a great time
with it.
So, high marks for the fresh sound & light feel. This stuff is miles
away from the heavy, ponderous, long-winded, overly-complicated Yes
stuff some folks get tripped-up by (including me, sometimes)....
- huckcherry@hotmail.com (Xavier Fabriano)
This would be a great debut if it weren't for one thing - Pete Banks. All
over this album he fumbles on sub-Wes Montgomery jazz noodling and
electrified solos that are worthy of, say, Jorma Kaukanen. He was a three
chord wonder and Yes' music would never be this repetitious again. Forget
what you heard about the "pointless" self indulgence on Tales, the solos
here are some of Yes' longest and most boring.
He wasn't the WORST guitarist, and got in a couple clever bits here and
there, but he was still a dime-a-dozen acid rock guitarist and definately
wasn't worthy of this band. They made a wise move on the third time 'round!
That said, the rhythm section is in good form here and carry the heft of the
instrumental weight. It's definately what gives this album a "progressive"
edge. They (especially Bill) never sounded so powerful again. Jon
Anderson's vocals had a pleasant (and quite unique for the time) jazz sound.
And for the overall sound? They've outfudged Vanilla Fudge with the weighty
psychedelic sound. The covers were interesting, and not TOO predictable.
I'll give it a seven. It's just that guitarist...
- rderby@erols.com (Robert Derby)
I've waited a long time to quote anything about Yes' first two albums.
But now I'm sure where I've heard this kind of stuff before:
Prepare...and don't laugh, but Yes' harmonies sound like...The
Association"! Granted the playing is far more adventurous than anything
done by The Association, but don't those lovely vocals sound like them?
Maybe they should have covered "Never My Love" or "Up, Up and Away"!
I'm not knocking these albums mind you. Whereas I don't like The
Association as a rule, they did have wonderful harmonies. I'll bet a
million ducats the Mr. Anderson and Mr. Squire modeled the vocal
approach upon the icky sweet band. "Survival" is way cool, and the best
indication of the great things to follow.
- imoss@northernlight.com (Ian Moss)
Good but not great, worthy of an 8. If this was the first Yes album I
had ever heard, I might have dismissed them outright, to be honest. It
sounds VERY young, and while the musicians are clearly talented, they are not
a cohesive unit at all at this point. Songs like "Beyond and Before"
seem kind of all over the place. Also, their songwriting had a ways to go:
"Looking Around" and "Harold Land" are rather annoyingly poppy. That
said, there are a couple of songs on here that are precursors to later styles
and REALLY kick ass. I'm thinking mainly of "Survivor," which started the
whole "epic reflections on life" trend that would become their
trademark; and "I See You," an awesome jazz rocker that foreshadowed several songs
on the second album. Those two tracks get better and better each time I
hear them. I also like "Yesterday and Today" a LOT: its simplicity and
sincerity are very infectious, and that little against-the-rhythm piano
riff is just perfect! Anyway, it's definitely worth checking out, just
not one of their best.
- ka_lundquist@yahoo.com
i used to love this album, i was ten the first time i
heard it. they got progressively worse after this one,
prog rock sucks, if it is over three minutes long, i
dont want to hear it. stuff like this drove me into
the hardcore camp which is where i hope i stay. go
amrep r&d
oh, & mark, check out the play guitar in ten minutes
with nashville pussy thing on youtube. make you want
to play chuck berry for the rest of your life.
Add your thoughts?
Time And A Word - Atlantic 1970.
A weak follow-up. It's the same line-up as the
first one, but, in hopes of creating a fuller sound, they've added orchestral
arrangements, a rotten idea considering how talented the band members are.
Piling on strings just makes it hard to hear what Tony, Chris, Peter, and Bill
are doing, darn it! Also, I must admit that the songs are a little dopey.
The ones on the first record sounded mature; these sound like Sesame Street
singalongs ("There's a time! And the time is now and it's right for me! It's
right for me! And the time is now!"). The covers tear, though. Richie
Havens's "No Opportunity Necessary, No Experience Needed" is converted into a
bass-driven acid pop thumper, and Stephen Stills's "Everydays" is a
punk-speed free jazz smash-up (well, the middle part is)! Okay, I've never
heard the originals, but I'm confident that there's no way in Hey that they're
as rousing as Yes's versions. This isn't a bad album, but with silly
minor-key tripe like "The Prophet" and "Astral Traveller" making up the bulk
of the album, where were they gonna go?
- Reader Comments
- monkey37@localnet.com (Scott Moore)
In my opinion, however tragically warped it is, Peter Banks is
not a very unique or talented artist - at least it doesn't show on this
album. There also seems to be a lot of half-baked orchestration that
doesn't quite fit the blues/jazz tone behind some of the songs, nor does
the voice of Jon Anderson. The album seemed to lack originality, and
suffered from a critical lack of outstanding talent. However, there are
sparks of life behind the album, such as Chris's bass, and the good, but
not overly-impressive, drums of Bill Bruford. One track I like
perticularly was "Clear Days," a song that fit Jon's vocal style, and
serves as almost a preview of Yes songs to come, or in some of your
cases, a warning of Yes songs to come.
- keio@usa.net (Keio Sandvik)
Well, perhaps by making mistakes, we find out how to do it right the
next time. See following record. Really strange to hear brass on a Yes
track though.
- tabasco@worldnet.att.net
This album was also decent for Yes's beginning. I wouldn't get this album
right away. For one thing because I don't like orchestral music but I do
like pianos and organs. And another reason why I wouldn't get this album
is because copied off of other bands. "Clear Days" was a total remake of
"Eleanor Rigby". But I do like the angelic sound of Jon's voice. I also liked
Kaye's organ sound on the 6 minute track "Then". I loved the opening music of
"The Prophet", then the singing began. Enclosing my review I give this album
a 7.
- john67@erols.com (John E. Kolata)
Time and a Word is an exceptional second effort. Style is consistent
and the melodies are strong. The part writing also holds up and can be
analyzed to show how it stands up as a complete work. If you know
anything of music consider all the senses within the sense of sound.
Most would think that hearing is limited to sound but there are colors,
and other sensations that can be sensed by ear.
I believe Time and a Word is Silver. The keys used within the album
dictate this as well as guitar tones (very silver) and orchestration.
This predominant color runs through the whole record and is consistent.
All the emotions are wrapped in a shroud of Silver. The next time you
hear the album think of this.
- daniel@fhsk.skurup.se (Daniel Reichberg)
Being a Yes fan since 1990, I've had the advantage (disadvantage?) to
listen to almost all records long after they were released. I've been able
to
compare the records regardless of what state of mind or stage of life I was
in when they were released (I bought them all within a year). The only
thing mattering has been the music. Because of this, I question some of the
"truths" in Yes history, at the same time saluting some things which are
generally regarded as "flops".
One of those "flops" is Time and a Word, which in my eyes is a wonderful
record. Not a dull moment! I agree that the orchestral arrangements are
unnecessary, but they can't hide the very high class of the songs. The
chorus of the title track may seem silly, but it's a strong song, which is
still alive on the live disc of Keys to Ascension 2. My two other
favourites on the album are "Then" and "Astral Traveller", two
masterpieces of the postpsychedelic pop-rock. I can't understand how
someone can ditch "Astral Traveller". It includes some of the mosty ever heard on record!
Maybe this is blasphemy in the ears of older Yes fans, but I listen to
Time
and a Word much more often than The Yes Album and Fragile!
- tomr@ix.netcom.com (Tom *****)
Kudos especially on ""No Opportunity..." However, I disagree with your
opinion on "The Profit" and "Astral Traveller". Bruford really shines on
"Traveller". One of his finest contributions on any Yes Album.
I'd like them to try this album again without the orchestal backing. I
like the version of the title track on Keys II. So they already have a
good start. Many of these songs have been included on unnecessary
compilations. How many times do they think they can sell those songs?
Try re-mixing the whole album. Now that wood be interesting.
- lledesma@amag.edu.pe (Leonardo Ledesma)
Time and a Word may not be the most popular Yes album, but it is
actually a good one. 7 out of 10, maybe 8, is what it deserves to me.
Sure, the orchestra didn't fit well at all (its very inclusion was a
mistake in some extent, but put Yes in the then-selected list of the
(prog) bands that recorded with a symphonic orch). But the first track,
the Richie Havens one, gave Chris much of his reputation 'cause Eddie
Offord (who didn't like Banks much in the first place) put all the
volume on the bass and ignored much of the guitar. Is not Pete's fault
that he showed little skills with the axe, it's just that between the
orchestra and the engineer he hadn't had much chance (check on "Astral
Traveller" and "Everydays" and you'll find that Pete and Tony were
second to none). Curiously, the Squire favourite "Dear Father" was
relegated to a B-side (and I can't hear Pete in there, by the way).
Another fault of this record was the presentation: an ugly paint in the
Brit edition and a ridiculous photo with Howe instead of Banks in the US
one. If you want to hear these boys playing -without the orch- then hear
the new released Something's Coming (BBC) album. It makes a
difference.
- stoo@imsa.edu (John McFerrin)
Kinda mediocre. I don't really even like the title track that much, as I
much prefer the KTA2 live version more. But MAN, that opening track KICKS
ASS. The opening organ throb is like starting up the ignition for just a
terrific song. And that bass! That song alone makes this album worth it. 7
- cynderelli@techline.com (TAD)
"No Opportunity Necessary" is ... bizarre. The orchestration is probably
the most melodramatic, overblown use of strings since an orchestra
ruined Barclay James Harvest's "Mocking Bird" (a decent little song til
the orchestra came in & thrashed all over it). But even without the
strings, Yes covering a tune by Ritchie Havens is ... pretty strange, ya
gotta admit. The Yes guys R about as far as U can get from what folks
would call "soul." & what Jon Anderson gets to sing -- "Can tell ya
mama/she'll only tell ya/that she told ya so...." It's all gotta B a
joke, I don't know how else 2 take it. But it sure gets yr attention, &
the guys sound like they had a great time ... except 4 Bing blown off
the stage by the orchestra.
As 4 "Time and a Word" itself, well, I like it. Cute, catchy chorus.
Coulda gotten em some AM radio airplay. & the cleaned-up version
included on the YESSTORY cassette doesn't make the strings 2 loud. Gives
the band a little more punch, like they shoulda had in the beginning --
& highlights the great organ work by Tony Kaye, specially at the end.
So, overall: Modest, simple, but OK. Haven't heard the live version....
- imoss@northernlight.com (Ian Moss)
Oh gosh, do I really have to disagree with just about everyone here? Yes, yes, I believe I do. When I bought this album a few years ago, I had pretty low expectations. It was my first "risky" Yes purchase (i.e., not The Yes Album, Fragile, or Close to the Edge), and I basically got it onlybecause I liked the song "Time and a Word" which I had heard on Highlights: The Very Best of Yes. I'm going to come right out and say that this
has got to be one of the most underrated albums ever put out there. The orchestral arrangements are perfect! The songs are perfect! (Well, okay, except for "The Prophet.") The playing is excellent! Let's get back to the orchestral arrangements for a sec. Everyone seems to be saying that "No Opportunity Necessary, No Experience Needed" is a kick-ass song. And I agree! But it's the orchestration that MAKES it kickass!!! I mean, come on, are you trying to tell me that your butt is tingling from the "Can't tell your mama" part? No, no, no--it's that opening wall of strings and brass that is so striking and so COOL. But that doesn't even begin to scratch the depth and wonderfulness of this record. Let's consider the
second and third tracks, shall me? "Then" is a great song that evokes equal parts mystery, bombast, and grooviness. The flow of this song is just incredible, the way it seamlessly flits back and forth between different moods. "Everydays" is even more groovy and mysterious, and another example of the orchestration helping. That string quartet at the beginning making the weird noises? Very cool. Then you got the "well well well...another day" part which is just smoother than smooth, and all of the sudden it breaks into this incredible jazz-rock-improv-craziness! More about that later. My other favorite song on this album is "Astral Traveller," one of the least orchestral and most far-out tracks. The chorus is very
exciting, and I love that doot-doot-doot-do-do guitar figure in the beginning and especially at the end when it's TOTALLY out of rhythm with the bass (I can't even figure out what the hell kind of time signature they're using there!). Even the poppy crap on this album ("Sweet Dreams," the title track) is awesome poppy crap. Aaah, it's SO GOOOD!!!
OK, here's something to think about. One reason that I love three of these songs ("Then," "Everydays" and "Astral Traveller") is that they each feature these jam-breaks. But they're not just guitar solos, see, like a NORMAL band would do. These are WHOLE BAND solos--everybody's soloing at the same time!!! Now, in modern rock music, you generally have everything pretty much moving at the same time; or most often, you have a rhythm section that plays a chord sequence, over which you hear a melody, and maybe variations on that melody. But you almost NEVER get the bass and organ and guitar and everything else acting COMPLETELY independent of each other! You only get that in two places: Baroque classical music, and free jazz. Baroque music too often sounds staid, and free jazz too often sounds like warring clans of pregnant raccoons. The very reason that I love Yes so much and that I think they were revolutionary is that they could do weird-ass, daring shit like this and PULL IT OFF! Listen to the solo in "Astral Traveller." That's THREE SEPERATE LINES going on! (I apologize for my excessive use of capital letters...) There's no way that wasn't planned out beforehand, but it's so intricate! Now listen to "Everydays" again. That might have been improvisation, but it's so tight, so cohesive that it makes me wonder.
I think I'm going to restrain myself and still give the 10 to Fragile. After all, there's nothing on here that can quite compare to "The Fish." But this record comes damn close. I mean DAMN close. Anyway, you should seriously check it out. I can see how it would maybe piss some people off, but there's no way in hell that it's "weak."
Add your thoughts?
Beyond And Before - Purple Pyramid 1998.
About three decades after he got his ass kicked
out of the band for being too shitty, guitarist Peter Banks bitterly released
this collection of awesome BBC Sessions, TV appearances and such from his
years in the band. It's got 18 great tunes (though six are featured twice,
so that really only makes 12 tunes), no orchestras and a cool song you've
probably never heard called "For Everyone". The Time And A Word tunes
minus orchestration are unfortunately not the revelation I'd hoped they would
be, but they're still really cool. Just...man, the SONGS were so cool! And
you'll get a major kick out of "For Everyone," as it features a classic Yes bit
that would later be resurrected in a different tune. Hear it for yourself!
In summation, Beyond and Before features alternate versions of a ton of
great early Yessongs, as well as hilariously scathing liner notes from pissy old Banks (who delicately
pens such heartfelt lines as "My successor, Steve Howe, may delude himself with
the myth that Yes started and ended with his involvement; I know that he
does not shake hands with people and in his case, I would certainly endorse
his policy" and the classic "With critical hindsight, I would say that most
of the early compositions were definitely group composed and I will not
pretend that this is not a sore point with me. I stupidly assumed that it was
all Yes music and the Great God of Royalties would smile benignly on us all
in equal measure"). Whatever, Pete. It was half a lifetime ago. Grow the
fuck up. And where could Yes go after tossing out the bitch?
Add your thoughts?
The Yes Album - Atlantic 1971.
To a new guitar player, that's where! Peter Banks
was no slouch, but he didn't come close to matching the ungodly talent of
self-taught, bad-toothed classical virtuoso Steve Howe, who scatters amazing
riffs, sounds, and solos all over this here six-song release. The guitar tone
isn't as thick and satisfying as Peter's was, but man does Steve play the crap
outta that poor wooden thing! Just listen to his acoustic solo piece, "The
Clap." Recorded live? ONE guitar? NO overdubs? That's pretty darn
impressive pickin' there, homey! And the rockers? Fantaaaa! The songwriting
is much stronger than on the last album, and the emphasis is on creating
longer songs with several different overlapping melodies that complement and
contrast each other under the high-pitched flowery vocals. Grand stuff.
You see, this is a band that thinks. The chord sequence to the "Speak to me of Summer..."
section of "Starship Trooper," for example - it sounds obvious, but it's
simply not! Nobody has ever played that sequence before! It's unique
but perfect! And what about that weird part near the end of "Perpetual
Change" where all the instruments start playing that same exact herky jerky
melody so it ends up just sounding like one big weird electronic instrument?
That's creativity and talent and practice and all those other important
qualities that so many bands, both then and now, sorely lack. Yeah, punk is
cool, but so is genius. And this stuff is pretty genius. Certain parts are
simple and poppy, sure, but most of it is so wonderfully unique that - well,
you don't hear of too many bands doing Yes covers, do you? No. And there's a
reason for that. Nobody can play Yes songs.
My only complaint is this. It's a little too happy? Is that okay to
complain about? I just feel like I'm dancing in Fairyland at certain points.
That's all. Maybe that's why I like the dark, jazzy, largely ignored "A
Venture" so much. Maybe that's why I like you so much, you dark, jazzy,
largely ignored cutie. So! Now that they've got Steve Howe, and their
songwriting is at its strongest ever, where are they gonna go now?
- Reader Comments
- monkey37@localnet.com (Scott Moore)
I enjoyed Steve Howe's guitar work and marveled at his live solo track.
The songwriting was excellent, and ALL the songs were great, no matter
what people say about "A Venture." Tony Kaye came a long way in a short
time. His organ solos were excellent, and his use of moog synthesizers
amazing. It's hard to tell how far Kaye could have progressed and how
good he might have actually gotten if he had stayed with the band. Jon
Anderson is excellent on this album, and the tone is NOT too light. The
lyrics take some getting used to, but can still be enjoyed. Good music,
good band, good album.
- sbachini@uk.mdis.com (Steve Bachini)
This album got me into Yes, one listen at someone's house and I had to have it.
Need I say more? It sounds so fresh, was it really recorded in 1971? The
perfect album to start with, just look at the number of tracks that remained
in the live repertoire. And I love the much underrated "A Venture."
- strider@redrose.net (David Straub)
I'm with Steve B., this is the stuff the really got me into them, or at
least the things from this on Classic Yes. The frenzy that Howe works
himself into when doing "The Clap" on the Yessongs film is a thing to
behold. And I like "A Venture" too!
- sod1995@ix.netcom.com (Stephen Odell)
This was my intro to Yes hearing these songs for the first time at
Gaelic Park in The Bronx, N.Y., in July 1971. Yes was the 3rd act to
Humble Pie and Mountain. Had never heard of them,(I was really there to
see Mountain), but never paid so much attention to a warm up act. They
played virtually the entire Yes Album and blew me away. I purchased
the album the next day, and it stayed on my turntable uncontested for 6
months.
- robertk@jove.acs.unt.edu (Robert Linus Koehl)
I agree with your review completely on this one. It's a
bit too happy, but I love it anyway.
- pcahill@eniac.seas.upenn.edu (Patrick Cahill)
This is the beginning of true Yesmusic. With the addition of Howe, I
think they really solidified their trademark sound and writing style.
I'm not a big Kaye fan, but he did what needed to be done on this
particular record, and whatever lacked in keyboards was more than made
up by Steve Howe. "The Clap" is an unbelievable performance! Good
rating. I think this album is a bit raw and jagged as opposed to later
albums, but that doesn't detract from its place as a classic Yes work.
- wallison@pnc.com.au (Warwick Allison)
I agree, "A Venture" is a good (very good) song , but everyone keeps saying
it's "under rated" so much that I'm
beginning to think it's a bit over rated.
- Glenn.Wiener@entex.com
A fine collection of progressive music. Boy that Chris
Squire could play a mean bass. And what a soprano on that John
Anderson.
- jsmartin@rocketmail.com (Jon Martin)
This has to be the best Yes album of
all. Each track is very original and shows how well
they can all play. Of all the tracks "The clap" is
slightly tedious after a while and the
overated/underated "A Venture" is outshone by other
tracks. "Wurm" in "Starship Trooper" has to be one of the
best bits of Yes music ever. Overall all the tracks
are good and you never seem to tire of them.
- tabasco@worldnet.att.net
WOW!! One of the greatest albums in early Yes. Chris really has control
over that bass. Steve Howe can really play that guitar considering the fact
he was only 23 years old. A great opening 10 minute track called "Yours Is
No Disgrace", Steve's kick ass solo track "The Clap", the awesome stereo sound
of "Starship Trooper", the spectacular sing a long of "I've Seen All Good
People", or take a mystical "A venture", I don't know why "Perpetual Change"
didn't make the Top Charts. That had a lot of good quality put into it. My
favorite bands are Yes and Pink Floyd. If anybody doesn't agree with me
speak up now.
- dembones@pond.net
A little opportunistic at times, but no one can argue its importance to
the band OR to rock music.
The cover used to freak me out as a little kid.
- CMBurns104@aol.com
The Yes Album is incredible. But Tony Kaye sucks. A lot.
- tomr@ix.netcom.com
After several (I mean like 20!) of not listening to Yes. (A much needed
vacation after 8 years of total Yes immersion) This was the first album
I re-bought. Small wonder. It has always been one of my favorites. There
isn't a weak moment on the entire record. I especially like Chris' bass
on "Starship Troopers". But so far I have seen no mention of "I've seen
all good people" The Band really jams towards the end of the song both
on the original and on the YESSONGS version.
And yes, I like "a Venture" too. I'm not sure why...
- lledesma@amag.edu.pe (Leonardo Ledesma)
The Yes Album was the groundbreaking record for the band (hence its
title). By this time Tony Kaye showed noteworthy progression as a
musician and key figure in the band, as the big central photo in the
vinyl album shows. I think the fact that all songs were original was
another sign (they left aside a cover of "Eight Days a Week" among
others). "Clap" is OK, totally unexpected between the longer and much
complex songs Yes ever produced up until then. And yes, "A Venture" is
an underrated jewel (showing again good playing by Kaye). Howe fitted
completely and Squire's role as composer is bigger this time. Is one of
the very best Yes (and rock) albums. 9 out of 10 is fine.
- markwendt@hotmail.com
Bands often name their first major label LP after themselves. But their
third? Why? Perhaps because Yes realized that not only were they still
introducing themselves to the marketplace, they were also just beginning
to discover their definitive sound and direction.
'Perpetual Change' aptly set the stage musically for what was to come in
later years. Ironically, the title forshadowed the infamous
revolving-door line-up policy that continues within their ranks even
unto today!
'The Clap' made crowds want to everywhere they went!
Wonderful record!
But too positive? No way.
Am I sure about that.
Why of course, I'm positive!
- tabasco@worldnet.att.net
Well i finally got Beyond and Before: the BBC Sessions. It's good. I
never heard Yes live in the 60's. They sound pretty good. Some of the songs
are on twice say like "Somethings Coming" and "Everydays". "Everydays" sounds
crappy without the orchestra. "Every Little thing" sounds the same. Has any
body ever heard of the track "For Everyone". Damn it's good. It surprises
me a lot. Sounds like something The Beatles would write. Plus it has the
"disillusion" part of "Starship Trooper". Plus it includes liner notes by
Peedy Banks. So Yes if you're reading this tell peedy and Tony to get back
here ok. Later men
- TwoPax@aol.com (Nathan Lowe)
Hey, buddy, we finally agree on this one! I think you gave a PERFECT review
for The Yes Album. This for me was the album that really got me started on
Yes (along with Fragile). Like others have pointed out, this album shows the
seeds that had finally sprouted in their work. Sure, their first and second
album were great, but I don't think it was the YES sound that we all think of
when we speak of the "classic" Yes sound. This album really was the first to
display the qualities that we love so much about Yes: the deep, progressive
melodies, the GENIUS chord progressions, the incredible playing of Steve Howe,
and the strange, mystical lyrics that Jon wrote when he was floating in space.
These are just some of the many; I do not need to point that one out. I may
disagree with your reviews of the later albums, but I think this one is right
on. Hey, we all have our own opinions right? That's why it is so great when
we find something that we agree upon.
- stoo@imsa.edu (John McFerrin)
Terrific, terrific album. Side one is almost perfect. All Good People
irritates me a bit, but only slightly, and is more than made up for by A
Venture and Perpetual Change. Definite 9.
Oh, and about the Kaye/Wakeman comparisons, here is my 2c. I believe that
at this point in the history of Yes, Kaye's keyboards were not a negative
effect on the band. They weren't a huge positive either, but they didn't
hurt the band, and if anything forced Bruford to grow and Howe and Squire
to do their thing. But, it was necessary for them to acquire Wakeman if
Anderson's true vision of merging classical and rock was to come true.
What truly distinguishes the next few Wakeman/Moraz albums is their
ability to, if you will, "cast a spell upon me," but that only happens for
me to full effect when the keyboardist is flaunting his stuff. And Kaye
lacked the ability to that, imo. I'm sure he had sufficient technical
chops to make it sound almost as good, but he had no _flare_, no style. He
just played what he was asked to play, rather than writing his own solos
for the most part. Now, in some bands, that would be optimal; I've
believed for a while that Kaye would have been a perfect fit for the Moody
Blues when Pinder left, as he would have been perfectly willing to stay
low key and play what was asked of him, as opposed to Moraz who would do
his flashy sleazy keyboard thing in an entirely inappropriate manner
during their shows. But Yes is another matter; Yes needs every member to
have some sort of panash in order to be its best.
- michael.blume@gte.net
I'm with you 100% on this one. THE YES ALBUM kicks off with a great
song called "Yours Is No Disgrace" and the track, "A Venture," definitely
deserves full attention from Yes fans because of the dark melody and
pretty-damn inspired lyrics that makes the song so god-damn unique, but it's
totally underrated. "Perpetual Change" serves as a loyal, perpetual closing
for the album. Indeed! This album is also one of the most sophisticated and
complex albums that tends to be pretty-damn jumpy. Oh yeah, one more thing.
This is one of the many Yes albums in which Steve Howe is at his best. This
album deserves a 9 out of 10. Superb, awesome, mind-blowing, rockin', and one
of the most fun albums ever!
- cynderelli@techline.com (TAD)
This should start an argument: "Your Move" was the 1st Yes track I ever
heard, over the radio at age 12, & it always sorta ticked me off that
they took this perfect miniature piece, a gorgeous combination of music
& not-quite-meaningful lyrics with a perfect ending ... & spent the next
4 minutes slamming people over the head with that "I've seen all good
people turn their heads each day so satisfied I'm on my way" riff. &
yes, there's some good stuff there, 2, great Howe guitar, 4 1. MayB it's
the heavy contrast with the overly-delicate "Your Move" that makes the
combination work 4 so many other people. But I always thot it was
stupid, & I own half a dozen of these guys' albums....
- dchetson@iname.com
Okay, guy. Great site, interesting reviews (if sometimes too wordy). But
what's with the Prog-rock fetish? Will we be seeing Marillion (sp?) reviews
up there soon, too? God help, if we do.
Here's my view of things, which relates to your page on Yes (and other
prog-"rock" groups). Bands should have a really compelling reason to craft
songs longer than 5 minutes and definitely longer than 9. Example: Jane's
Addiction's Three Days. They get away with it because the bass line drives
the whole song to furious crescendo that has a point.
But rambling songs filled with lyrics about dwarves, magic, evermore,
xanadu, "mystical" places and dungeons and dragons-type bullshit don't work.
And that's the problem with prog-"rock" - these guys are all dorks who
would be playing D&D if it hadn't been for corporations which in the 70s
knew they could make beaucoup bucks off these bands. (And when I was 11, I
played D&D, so I know what I'm talking about)
Now, that's not to say that Yes didn't have one or two catchy songs. But,
giving 9 stars to an album that has "Yours is no disgrace", a boring,
go-nowhere, tinny-sounding, "Battleships confide in me and tell me where you
are/Shining, flying, purple wolfhound, show me where you are"- what da?
This is dried-ice, corporate rock. This is crap. This is not what Mr.
Berry and Mr. Holly had in mind. This is why Mr. Lydon thought he was
killing rock n roll when, in fact, he was reviving it. Rock is rebellious
dance music.
Also, if you don't move up your rating on Give Em Enough Rope...
Tommy Gun? Come on, guy. The greatest post-Beatles band.
- richbunnell@home.com
You know, reading through this page, I'm getting the
impression that had Jon Anderson never written the lyric "Shining flying
purple wolfhound, show me where you are" he'd be regarded as a lyrical
genius, but that ONE lapse completely destroyed his credibility. Also,
how come people who don't like Yes absolutely despise Jon Anderson's
guts and wish his rotting carcass would be torn apart by hungry, rabid
vultures? I mean, I can understand not liking the band, but unlike when
people normally don't like a band, the dislike I've seen towards
Anderson has just been complete and utter HATRED, like the fact that his
voice is an octave higher than normal (and still about 500,000 octaves
lower than Geddy Lee's) is a crime punishable by torture or something.
Anyway, I like this album quite a bit and I agree that it's definitely
9 material. In fact, I
like every song EXCEPT for "The Clap"-- scoff at me if you will, but I'm
just not the kind of person who's completely dazzled by listening to
someone's great guitar technique; I need some MELODIES, perhaps an
actual SONG to showcase those techniques. I agree that Steve Howe can
play the thing and play it well, but I'd much rather appreciate it in
the context of "I've Seen All Good People" and "Yours Is No Disgrace"
and all of the other great complete SONGS on here. Everything else is
perfect in every possible way imaginable. I agree that "A Venture" is
excellent, even though after the praise it's gotten on here it can no
longer be called "underrated" in any way.
- matt43561@yahoo.com
Just for the record, I'm from New York....probably
whoever might read this could care less. Anyway, I am
by no means a Yes fan. In fact I don't like a single
thing thing they've ever recorded, except for "Yours
is No Disgrace". I LOVE that song. I mean I actually
own one Yes album, (The Yes Album) just to listen to
that one song. My favorite bands of all time are The
Who, Led Zeppelin, and Nirvana to give you an idea of
where I'm coming from. I think "Yours is No Disgrace"
has three great qualities: first, excellent
musicianship, second, the lyrics are strange and
mystical but not pretentious and nonsensical, like
most Yes lyrics (the few I've heard, to be fair).
Lastly, there is an earnest, very seventies/sixties
kind of soulful humanity to the song. I later read
that the band said the song was about the boys who
were forced to kill and die in Vietnam...basically it
wasn't their fault that they had to fight. They had no
choice, really. A very melancholy, soulful masterpiece
from a band I don't normally like at all. I imagine
other people have similar feelings about a song or two
from a band they normally dislike.
- RichardMelchior@aol.com
Who cares about the damn "purple wolfhound" line? I couldn't give a rat's ass
if Jon was singing the lyrics to Mr. Roger's Neighborhood - Yours Is No
Disgrace would still be the grandest, most glorious song ever written. If
this song had existed 30 years earlier, our boys would have kicked Hitler's
sorry ass a lot sooner just by being pumped up by THIS SONG.
And that's the magic of Yes, really. Yeah, the lyrics are a horrible read,
but they're really just another element to drive the song - a fantastic
journey beyond this depressing mortal coil. And if liking them makes me a
D-and-D playing (which I never have, by the way) dweeb, then send me my
patented Yes pocket protectors.
- ratkinson@epicrealm.com (Ryan Atkinson)
Man, I hate Yes and I still like this record as much as a chocolate
covered Oreo. If there's any of you folks trying to finger out where to ease
into prog rock without getting too much chest hair in yer beer (visual:
cover of ELP's Love Beach heheh) this is definitely the way to go. Very
impressive songs here, most of them rock in a real solid way, and the end of
'Starship Troopers' gets me giddy like I just won front row seats to a
Spiritualized/Radiohead double bill.
- imoss@northernlight.com (Ian Moss)
Surprisingly, half of the tracks on The Yes Album don't do very much
for me. I agree with Rich about "The Clap," "I've Seen All Good People"
has always vaguely annoyed me (and actually, before I got into Yes I
thought it was a Boston song), and "Perpetual Change" has a little too much pomp,
circumstance, and repetition for me to take it that seriously. I
remember reading a comment somewhere (I had thought it was this page, but I
guess not) that "Perpetual Change" "certainly lives up to the first part of
its name." But the other three songs are just unbelievable! "Venture" is
very cool, and the twin 9-minute epics, "Yours Is No Disgrace" and "Starship
Trooper," are exceedingly well constructed. The "Wurm" part from
"Starship Trooper" ranks as one of my favorite musical moments (well, if four
minutes can be called a "moment") in existence. The rest of the song is pretty
awesome too. And I love that bass line with the lilting melody in
"Yours Is No Disgrace." An undisputable classic, even if side 2 is a little
weak.
- poulos1949@email.msn.com (Lou Poulos)
The Yes Album is a landmark recording. Strong songwriting, muscular
rhythm section, beautiful harmonies - what more can you ask for? Highlights?
How about "Your Move?" Who doesn't love that?
Sure, Tony Kaye is no Tony Banks, but he plays solidly. Squire
redefines electric bass sound, Bruford changes the way a snare is recorded, Howe
reintroduces guitar to the rock world. I've listened to this record a
million times and it makes me feel great after each one. Sure, it's
got a happy tone to it, and that's great. Want something darker and more
serious, try Close to the Edge. And turn it up!
- tommy_chuck@hotmail.com (Tom Marshall)
In a way this is Yes in their raw brilliance: no Wakeman and no underlying
concepts (I think!): just Yes. I think this is Steve Howe's best album.
There was no really brilliant Keyboards about (Tony Kaye: wonderful organ
sound, but a joke next to Wakeman or Moraz!) and so he dominates here. I
also think that Anderson sings at his best here ("Speak to me of summer" -
beautiful!) and that 'Yours is no disgrace' is probably Yes' finest song
after 'Close to the Edge' and 'Gates of Delirium'. A 9/10 because 'A
venture' does nothing much for me.
- robchaundy@yahoo.com (Robert Chaundy)
Kind of pointless to swim against the tide, but this
one really isn't THAT good. Good naturally, but just,
well, not THAT good. Side one is indeed a revelation,
the satisfying sound of potential being fulfilled: the
two long 'uns are just brilliant, and 'The Clap' is
some well-sequenced light relief. And as for that
shining, flying, purple wolfhound chap... surely the
inspiration for the winged dog in 'The Neverending
Story'? I like to think so.
But side two is just ponderous. I may be the only
person in the world who dislikes 'All Good People',
but so be it. Likewise, 'Perpetual Change' just
refuses to stick; it would remind me of 'On the Silent
Wings of Freedom', if I could ever remember how that
goes either.
And can I say a word in support of Mr Tony Kaye? He,
like Banks before him, was not an egomaniacal virtuoso
- he was a team player, and in a band like Yes that
often makes the difference between a Starship Trooper
and a Topographic Ocean. Yes were at their most
musically dazzling between Fragile and Going for the
One, but their bouncy, heavy crunch - pretty much the
last thread connecting them to rock 'n' roll - went
out with Tony Kaye and only really reappeared with
Geoff Downes. In between there was just no one there
to lay down a groove. Such a shame the dazzle and the
crunch never really crossed paths.
- watta502@yahoo.gr (Akis Katsman)
Oh man. What an album! A highlight in the progressive genre. "Yours Is No Disgrace" and "Starship Troopers" are real gems. And great melodies, too. You won't be disappointed by this album at all, even if you aren't into 'prog' music. Sure it's a nine. Get it.
- njames@nustats.com (Nathan James)
Finally a review i agree with(notice i wont even entertain the ridiculous 'frank black was more creative in the pixies' conversation). 'a venture' completely rules and nobody is ever nice to it. im saving the remaining yes reviews for tomorrow. if you actually give 'tales from topographic oceans' the high score it deserves i will temporarily convince myself you understand good music sometimes.
- alexmortland@hotmail.com
"I've seen all good people turn their heads each day so satisfied I'm on my
way":
I think that this lyric is about how relieved the rest of the band are when
Jon leaves the room.
7/10
- munsey3@comcast.net
Um, just as a side note here, as to "nobody can play Yes songs" One of the bands I was in back in my college days -- a band called Snydus -- did actually play a few Yes songs, and we did so reasonably well. You know it was reasonably well by the great success we eventually attained. Wha? you never heard of Snydus? Anyway, Roundabout comes immediately to mind cuz it was a bitch to play for all involved. For anyone attempting this in the modern age please be advised we did have a female singer who sang most of the Anderson vocal parts...
Add your thoughts?
It's Love - Bootleg 1971
Announcer : Hi there and welcome to Gaelic Park. We'd like to welcome some
very unique talent from Britain, please welcome Yes.
(*band performs "Yours Is No Disgrace"*)
Steve Howe : Thank you!
Jon Anderson : Thanks a lot, thanks a lot. We'll do a little bit of change
of scenery. Steve's going to do a quick tune-up and then get on with the
vachalia, which is like a Portuguese monstrosity for thrashing with your
bare hands and uhh, we're going to do a song - it's a song for that young
lady that I was speaking to before, bless her. Right on. It's nice to be
here. Our..our light man's got a real easy job tonight. Yes, beautiful.
We're happy to play outside -- we haven't played outside for so long.
Here's a song called "Your Move" and the second part is "I've Seen All Good
People".
Mark Prindle : You just used the phrase "Right on" in your stage patter.
(*band performs "I've Seen All Good People"*)
Jon Anderson : Thank you! Thank you.
Steve Howe : We've really got some competition tonight with the wind here.
Mark Prindle : From the sound of it, it blew your drummer and organist
clear off the stage! Are you sure this whole set isn't just you, Jon and
Chris having a jam session in a closet?
Jon Anderson : Uh, we've been thinking about this next few minutes where -
for the last couple of hours in fact, and, uh - it's just about the time
that we're going to introduce Steve to you here. Yeah, the twelve minutes
past eight train is going to back up here, gotta do and uh... Steve's going
to play some acoustic things for you. So, alright. Yeah, here's Steve.
Yeah. Here's a few things called "The Clap".
Mark Prindle : You're high, aren't you?
(*Steve Howe performs lengthy guitar solo incorporating "The Clap" and
Mason Williams' "Classical Gas"*)
Jon Anderson : There you go folks.
Steve Howe : Thank you!
Mark Prindle : That's awesome that you played a live rendition of a song
that appears on The Yes Album in a live rendition. Having
said that, "Classical Gas" was a nice surprise. You won't find THAT
anywhere in the legitimate Yes catalog!
Jon Anderson : There you go. Steve Howe.
Steve Howe : Well, we might have one more to do this evening. It's bit of a
long song, so hopefully it keeps you satisfied. This is another track.
Right on, yeah. We're just checking a few, uh, funny things like this
synthesizer deal. It really is nice to be playing like, you know, this kind
of side of the country again - really fine. Thanks especially to Howard
Stein, somebody we like very much; he's promoting us tonight. We'll carry
on with... uh, another track from our current Atlantic album we've got
going tonight. This is the last track on the whole album, if you've, uhh,
bought it. If you haven't, you should do and listen to this particular
track on the record. This one's called "Perpetual Change".
Mark Prindle : Okay, now both of you have used the phrase "Right on" in
your stage patter.
(*band performs "Perpetual Change" and then launches into a stultifying
'jam' and boring-as-dick drum solo*)
Jon Anderson : Thank you. Take it easy! Have a nice time!
Steve Howe : Thank you very much. We have to go now so we'll see you soon.
Thank you very much. And thanks for coming to the capital too. So long.
Chris Squire : Yeah, thank you all.
Mark Prindle : Where'd you come from?
(*band goes backstage and makes the crowd wait for an encore*)
Mark Prindle : "Starship Trooper"! "A Venture"! "Teakbois"!
(*band comes back onstage*)
Mark Prindle : "Time And A Word"! "Man In A White Car"! "Dangerous (Look
In The Light Of What You're Searching For)"!
Jon Anderson : Thank you! I don't want to give you any bullshit, but we've
had fucking good time while we've been over here. Yeah, we hope to see you
all very, very soon. We're gonna do a boogaloo and get up and rock 'n roll.
We're going to do something called -- an old Rascals number, do you like
The Rascals? Whoo! It's called "It's Love."
Mark Prindle : No no, cuss some more. It's hilarious.
(*band performs a muffled, rhythmless funk rocker that ultimately gives way
to the jaw-droppingly stupid spectacle of Chris Squire performing a bass
solo while scat singing all the notes he's hitting -- for like FIVE
MINUTES!*)
Mark Prindle : Do you realize how many more actual songs you could
have performed had you not wasted half an hour on shitty jams and solos?
Tony Kaye : Hey, lay off fagit.
Mark Prindle : You're about to get fired.
Tony Kaye : FUCK!
Add your thoughts?
* Fragile - Atlantic 1972. *
To a new keyboardist, that's where! (Read a few reviews back to find the question I'm answering here. Sorry about that) Long-haired
classical virtuoso wizard Rick Wakeman takes over and suddenly the keyboard
isn't just for background noise anymore! This guy can dang play. I mean,
that beautiful middle piano bit from "South Side Of The Sky"; Tony Kaye
couldn't have played that thing on a record!!!!!??? Sure, Tony had a groovy
'60s vibe goin', but if Yes wanted to enter the '70s as an unstoppable
superforce, it was time to move on. And how! And Howe! This is the best
album Yes ever made. All the giddy cheer of The Yes Album has been
condensed into one minute-and-a-half multi-tracking vocal celebration called
"We Have Heaven," and the rest of the album is darker than Hell. A Hell with
no fire, that is. A dark Hell. And it's impossible to ignore the
individual talent of these guys now; in addition to the four perfect group
efforts, each band member gets a solo piece here. Jon's is the aforementioned
positiver than goodness itself "We Have Heaven," Wakeman plays some Brahms on
a sizzling organ or four, Bruford contributes a super jaunty 35-second
eruption than should have been 35 minutes, Howe kicks out the heavenly
acoustic piece "Mood For A Day," and Mr. Chris Squire gives us the unspeakably
amazing "The Fish," which begins as a harmonics piece sprouting from the
guitar echoes at the end of the FM classic "Long Distance Runaround," and,
over the course of two-and-a-half minutes, develops more and more until by the
end of the song, he has piled six completely different bass melodies on top of
each other! There is no lead guitar in the song; it's ALL bass! Do you
realize how friggin' cool that is????? Am I the only one??????
And what about
"Heart Of The Sunrise" and "Roundabout"??????? Listen to those weird breaks!
Listen to how tight this band has become! Ladies and fellas, it's now 1996
and there isn't a single band alive, including Yes in its current incarnation,
that comes close to matching the brilliance exhibited here on this
forty-minute slab of shellac.
Okay, it's not shellac. It's really good, though. See how good you can be if
you fire people? Buy this album today, and listen to it three or four
times so it all sinks in and you can appreciate why Alanis Morrisette just
doesn't interest me very much. Complexity + sensitivity = Yes at their best.
Or some crap. Great melodies. God, I'm bleeding admiration.
- Reader Comments
- yescomm@worldaccess.nl (Gert Bakhuizen)
Although I agree that this is one of Yes'greatest albums I think
it's also the start of that what I dislike the most ....
the soloing stuff.
You could see it again in 1991 during Union.
As far as I'm concerned I would have rather liked it if they
would have done more songs such as "South Side Of The Sky" or
"Long Distance Runaround".
Never the less, "The Fish" is still a classic piece and then I'm
not even talk 'bout "Mood for a Day" which I think is even better
than "Clap".
Therefore I still have different feelings 'bout this album and
I wouldn't certainly rate it with a 10 but maybe with a 7!
- monkey37@localnet.com (Scott Moore)
Huh! Fragile a dark hell? One word: "Roundabout." The most annoying
radio
heavy, piece of light-hearted garbage YES ever made. I have heard the
song so many times, it has driven me to insanity, and pushed me to hold
elven people hostage in a radio station for three days with a rifle. How
can anyone say that this is the best Yes song? Rick Wakeman hadn't even
begun to display the talent he had at the time, and everything about the
song was mediocre compared to how good Yes was on the remaining tracks on
the album. "Heart of the Sunrise" was superb with a combination of great
Jon Anderson vocals and excellent music by the band. Each member was
good, and some, like Bill Bruford and Jon Anderson, made their best music
ever.
- candle@wax.com (The Candle Master)
Fragile definitely is a great album with songs like "Heart Of
The Sunrise," "Mood For A Day," "Roundabout," and "The Fish," but IMHO,
it doesn't carry a strong conceptual theme like some of
their other albums (Relayer and Close To The Edge come
to mind). This is probably due to the members' individual
contributions. Still, I wouldn't give this album a 10; more
like an 8.
BTW, I think bands like Rush, Pink Floyd, and Miles
Davis' group have several great albums simply because they
were able to bind their songs together, while retaining
the freedom to explore new musical boundaries. Maybe if
Yes didn't change their lineup so much...
- eef@acsu.buffalo.edu (Erin Ferguson)
Excellent review. I wouldn't give it "10" - but I see why you do. I'd switch this
rating with CTtE's (below, a"9"-what's with you people?-FRAGILE
is only
worth SEVEN!? Come on!). And,yes, I do understand how difficult (and
utterly amazing) "the FISH" is. ALL parts are ALL bass! Sometimes, after tons of
listening, I still find it hard to believe (but I still believe it). Again-it's worth a
"9" or "9+1/2".
- sbachini@uk.mdis.com (Steve Bachini)
Can't fault the marking so far. Another stupendous effort with the great idea
of letting each member try something of their own. I wonder what Alan White
would've done if he was there then? Another album of 'hits' which went into
the live listing but I've seriously heard "Roundabout" and "Heart Of The Sunrise"
enough times now. And we've never had the pleasure of Yes on radio over here
in the UK (except for one weekly rock show years ago). If there's one thing
that I would criticise, it is the predictable live track listing, same with
Pink Floyd though.
- strider@redrose.net (David Straub)
I'd say "Roundabout" has survived heavy heavy rotation better than
"Stairway To Heaven" or "Won't Get Fooled Again." The place to be on
this record, though, is the final 2 or 3 minutes of "South Side".
Howe's little fills during the verse and the outro jam help this song
end perfectly.
- fermitl@geocities.com (Ryan)
I can totally see why you gave this album a 10. "Mood For A Day"
rules!!! "Heart Of The Sunrise" kicks ass!!! But the best song has to
be "South Side Of The Sky". I only wish that some more modern-day bands
could show the musical influence we all have because of YES.
- robertk@jove.acs.unt.edu (Robert Linus Koehl)
DARK!! I wouldn't have quite given it a ten. I think the "We
Have Heaven" bit is kinda dumb, and I don't too much care for Bruford's solo
thing, but I love everything else on this album. "Roundabout" and "Heart Of
The Sunrise" are cool. I think that "South Side Of The Sky" sounds a lot like
the sick weird stuff that Queensryche puts out. Especially the piano part
in the middle. I think it'd fit in perfectly on a horror movie
soundtrack.
- pcahill@eniac.seas.upenn.edu (Patrick Cahill)
Of course this record will receive high marks as it is the hallmark Yes
album. Of the nine tracks, I can't say I dislike any of them (How can
you hate something that's 35 seconds long??). But the cohesion of the
album suffers because of the 'solo piece' idea. I mean, what would
Fragile be like if it were an album consisting solely of group pieces of
the caliber of the ones that appeared on the album? "Roundabout," despite
the incessance of playing, is a great song. "South Side of the Sky" is
absolutely amazing, "Long Distance Runaround" is catchy (Squire provides
one of the best bass lines ever here, you have to admit!), and "Heart of
the Sunrise" is both powerful and beautiful. However, I would take it
down a notch to 9, because, like others have said, it lacks the
thematic/conceptual unity that would make the next three albums
masterpieces.
- Peter Bambakidis
Let's face it, "Roundabout" is definitely overrated. It really doesn't
do anything for me anymore. Here's a song that the first time I heard
it, I loved it!!! But after 4 or 5 listens, it really starts getting
annoying. It's basically a melody being repeated over and over again.
That isn't Yes' STYLE!!!! Take a good listen to "AWAKEN" and you'll never
be bored!!!
- James@jpb-s.demon.co.uk
A tad overrated and it sounds really dated now.
- TempsFugit@aol.com
In response to YES fans who feel that "Roundabout" is misrepresentative of
Yes's work--although it is not my FAVORITE YES song, I think it's arguably
the best rock song EVER. By that I mean that if you sit someone down to
listen to it (someone who is a "rock" fan) i think it would be impossible NOT
to like it. Even tho' it's been played a million times, there is so much
going on that every listen offers something new--from the classic guitar
intro, pumping bass line, "rockin" chorus, progressive bridge, Wakeman's
solo, end vocal harmonies, etc.)
- keio@usa.net (Keio Sandvik)
Any elaborate waffle from me would be superfluous. This album is an
absolute classic, whatever genre you are into. Try the Mobile
Fidelity re-mastered version. It's amazing!
- gbittar@ix.netcom.com
I couldn't give it a 10, because it is emotionally vapid.
- First_last@studio.disney.com
Well it's certainly clear that this is a special album. I was converted
one rainy Saturday (1972) after listing to this album and have been a
loyal fan up to today (1997). I do think "roundabout" is/was played too
much, but that is a fact that radio should accept the blame for. Oddly I
don't really mind hearing it on the radio but if I heard those harmonics
sounding for a Yes encore, I was on my feet and out the door. My gripe I
guess is that I would have preferred a more obscure song for an
encore (how about that nice rework of "America" for example?). This
record does have a very atmospheric effect though possibly amplified by
the rainy day but still it vastly outdistances its contemporaries in
technical skill. This is a "rock" band I kept asking myself!
- daniel@fhsk.skurup.se (Daniel Reichberg)
I agree with those people who say that Fragile is a bit disoriented. The
only solo thing which really works is "The Fish", being sort of a second
part of the brilliant "Long Distance Runaround". I like "We Have Heaven"
and "Mood for a Day" too, but they seem to be a little out of place. "Cans
and
Brahms" is not very exciting, and 35 MINUTES of "Five Percent for
Nothing"!!! What a nightmare!
The "real" songs, though, are great, but "Roundabout" is very overrated.
All the other songs are better, especially "South Side of the Sky". Few
other Yes songs paint such pictures as "South Side of the Sky".
- tabasco@worldnet.att.net (BOB's)
Another spectacular job of another Yes album. "Roundabout" is a really good
song if you haven't heard it before. Wakeman and Howe open the track with
the Mellotron and the acoustic guitar. "Cans and Brahms" was a good symphony.
I have never heard an E Minor symphony before. "We Have Heaven" was not even
a song, it was noise, Jon goes tell the moon dog, tell the march hair
constantly. That really started getting annoying. Then the closing of the
song, someone closes a door and runs away, that was very exciting. Then the
blizzard began, it was now time to enter the "South Side Of The Sky", a great
8 minute track performed by the band and Wakeman with his grand piano
symphony, and the bands La, La, La, La, then the song was more exciting at
the end. The song kicked ass okay. "Five Per cent For Nothing", I didn't like
it, but "Long Distance Runaround" was cool, it even made the top charts, then
"the fish" came on with Chris's bass solo which was also cool, then another
great, great, great solo with Steve Howe's "Mood For A Day", I know someone
who can play the song backwards and forwards, it was cool as "The Clap". Then
"Heart Of The Sunrise", the 11 minute rocking, exciting, butt kicking song of
the album. It opens with the bands hard rock extravaganza, then the soft
music of Jon's voice, when the songs over do not shut it off, wait for a
minute, and the conclusion of "We Have Heaven" comes on. Enclosing my review
I give his album a big 10.
- dembones@pond.net
It was hearing "Long Distance Runaround" as a 12 year old that inspired me to
become a bass player. Genius stuff, but in agreement with other comments,
the lack of cohesion makes this an album in which the whole was much
greater than the sum of its parts. 9 of 10.
- tomr@ix.netcom.com
Once again, after 20 odd Years, I can finally listen to "Roundabout". No
it's not the best song on the album but I really like Rick's performance
on this one. Yes it's a bit "Popish" but everyone's entitled to go for a
hit every now and then. I've seen the band many times over the years and
I have yet to hear them do a good live perfomance of this song. Any
suggestions.
The rest of the album is excellent. I could listen to it a thousand
times and I always come away with something I hadn't noticed before. And
I do like "We have heaven"
So there!
- lledesma@amag.edu.pe (Leonardo Ledesma)
Fragile is one of the classic Yes albums, but I don't give it the
"best one" spot. It lacks something of a big bang!, maybe 'cause the
solo experiments are uneven. Bill's interesting but its shortness is the
main part of its strength, though ("Five per cent For Nothing" was its
original title). Wakeman had to store "Handle With Care" for his first
solo album (renamed "Catherine of Aragon") and put instead an arrange of
a Brahms Concert that appeals to some but is a definite filler. Now,
Rick was excellent but not in top form yet. As for "South Side of the
Sky" being the true gem I respectfully disagree but I like the song
anyway. As for Tony not being capable of playing (or creating) the piano
part in the middle of that song I remind you that much of the songs on
Fragile were composed, rehearsed and recorded when Tony was in the
group, Chris teaching Rick the keyboard parts when the blonde virtuoso
was rushed in for the final sessions. I give this album 9 out of 10
(never on top of The Yes Album).
- tabasco@worldnet.att.net
I'm calling to talk about Yes Fragile. Damn I love that cd. It kinda sounds
like the soundtrack to a horror movie such as the Wall. It all starts out
with a great top chart song called "Roundabout". I loved that tune. I'm telling
you it has a lot of fun music and a lot of fun lyrics in that song. I hear
it on the radio a lot. Next is "Cans and Brahms". I love it. Wakeman can
really play that keyboard well. He should have made a cd like that as soon
as he was done with Fragile. All E Minor symphonies that sound like mozart.
Next is a very weird Anderson song called "We Have Heaven". I bet some Yes
fans don't even know that song exists. Very weird with Jon saying tell he
moondog now tell the march hair constantly, Steve paying the same guitar
note all the time over and over and remixed with some sound effects do u
know if n the backround u know when it sounds like girls singing right if
thats girls or Jon Anderson. An old man saying here is here, a girl saying
Yes, another girl saying he is here, anothewr woman saying to look around,
brudford banging on those snare drums, then at the end was a good way to
close the song by closing the door, i pocture me closing that door and
running away. You know what it sounds like someones lost in a castle than
when they get out a huge snow storm begins. Then it's time to enter the
"South Side Of the Sky". A great hard rock Yes song with some painful lyrics
but very adventurous. Than in the middle was a cool piano symphony by
Wakeman what did u think of that then comes the band practicing their vocal
notes with the La La part. Then after that u can here the angry fan of that
synthesizer then the real part of the song starts again. And part 2 is even
angrier. DAMN GREAT SONG. After the best song on the cd is a crappy brudford
solo called "5% for Nothing". Sux. Than comes another top chart song called
"Long Distance". I hear that song on the radio. After that is a Squire song
called" the Fish", he can really play that bass a hell of a lot. COOL!!! Than
afer that is a beautiful guitar solo performed by howe himself. I know
someone who can play that song backwards and fowards. He played it at a
talent show at my summer camp. Than the next best song "Heart of the Sunrise".
COOL HARD ROCK EXTRAVAGANZA. Then it goes into a soft calm Anderson song. 11
minutes of pure exitment. I love the artwork also they should make a weird
movie on this cd. Just call it Fragile. Email me ur opinions and tell me
what u think ok. LATER!!!!!!
- seo@total.net (Stephane Ouimet)
I would'nt put a ten on this one, but it sure is a hell of a record. The 10
would go for, say, Close to the edge or Topographic oceans: in
these albums, the band really push those brilliant musical ideas to the
fullest. But "South side of the sky" and "Heart of the sunrise" are still
fresh and surprising. I personnally don't see why everybody picks on
"Roundabout" so much though: the vocal harmonies at the end still have put a
chill down my spine when I saw Yes in Montreal, on the 19th of june, 1998.
"Five per cent for nothing", a crisp, jazzy and fun snippet, is far more
interesting than "cans and Brahms" (or: "Listen! I know my classics to the
rote and I can play 4 moogs and 3 mellotrons at the same time") . Wakeman
is such a friggin showoffy, ten notes a second, classically trained
bastard... But he's really nice to listen to. I like Patrick Moraz better,
but hey...
That's right, Mark, you hit the bullseye when you said that Yes music is
impossible to play. Me and my mates have tried, in those garage days, Gawd
knows we tried, but failed miserably, managing to fiddle around the easy
bits, and then being down and depressed about that whole music thingie...
I suppose these guys are specially endowed and it's fine with me. I still
find new interesting things everytime I play the records.
- ssvsoft@online.no (Snorre Serigstad)
Great! Superb! Some of the best things Yes ever did. What else is
there to say?
- WyldLash@aol.com (John)
A fine album. Overplayed though "Roundabout" is, it contains the single most
meaningful/hilarious snippet of zen perfection I've ever heard. "Mountains
come out of the sky and they STAND THERE!" 'Cause, that's what they do, man.
Take that Donovan.
- michael.blume@gte.net
I beg to differ. It's less consistent then THE YES ALBUM, and there's a good
reason why, the solos. Yes sir, some of the solos are not for me, BUSTER!
They should have work more on group songs like the fantazzimo "SOUTH SIDE OF
THE SKY", the boppin' and sockin' "ROUNDABOUT", or the lengthy, but pleasant
"HEART OF THE SUNRISE". They should have made the solos a minute longer too
by the way. However, I just love how that Jonny Boy jam-packed a bunch of
overlapping tenor harmonies of his own voice for "WE HAVE HEAVEN". That's
pretty damn mind-blowing, for a solo! I just wish it should have been
combined with "SOUTH SIDE OF THE SKY" as an intro as well. That would have
been cool. Plus I love that really wicked Chris Squire solo ("THE FISH").
Dig? How the fuck can you beat that kick-ass bass vibe kinda shit!? Huh?
With no lead guitar added to the mix? COOL!!!! I dig it a lot! Finally, I
love that spanish-style acoustic playing of Steve Howe's "MOOD FOR A DAY".
Just lovely! Even lovlier than "THE CLAP" (or is it just "CLAP"). Awwwww!!!!!!!! FUCK!!!! I still like the album a lot, though.
I just wish that Bill Bruford's "FIVE PERCENT FOR NOTHING" and Rick
Wakeman's "CANS AND BRAHMS" were a bit longer, but they're too damn short
to do the album a bit of justice. Rick Wakeman's solo track was interesting
enough, but still should have been either dropped, or been re-worked. That's
all. Overall, it's an 8/10. Their next album would be their best work of
all-time. No doubt about it, or should I say "No Doubt" about it (Get it?
No doubt, the phrase? No Doubt, the band led by Gwen Stefani? Awwww,
man!!!! You're missing a pretty damn impressive joke I just came up with.
DAMN IT!!!!).
That's the end of my review, but I should go on for a lil' while, at least.
"ROUNDABOUT" is one of their finest lead-off tracks of any Yes album,
starting off as a fine, normal rocker, and then that jungle-like drumming
excerpts erupts with the line: "Along the drifting
cloud/The eagle searching down of the land", and along with the rest of the
verse. Then, it's peaceful for a few seconds with it's wonsplendid acoustic
arrangement that was used for its 30-second intro, and out erupts an
impressive solo break courtesy of Rick Wakeman and Steve Howe. The end of
the song becomes normal again, and you have those "do-dah"'s done nicely in
perfect harmony. Finally, the song ends well with a very quick acoustic
chord sequence. All that done in 8 minutes. That's dang magnificent!
"SOUTH SIDE OF THE SKY" begins silently w/ winds creeping in, slighty
blowing peacefully for less than 20 seconds.
And out erupts one hell of a rocker that seems similar to "A VENTURE" in
some ways, but much better, due to the moody "la-la-la-la-la-la"'s, Steve
Howe's idiosyncratic, bitchin' guitar work, Rick Wakeman's darkest,
fast-playing piano break, and Jon Anderson's boastful, confident , and
feisty vocal outcry that sounds more like singing than an outcry.
I should probably stop for now. Pheww!!!
- richbunnell@home.com
Not to be confused with the Nine Inch Nails album of the
similar title, as if it's possible to mix up Reznor and Anderson. A bit
too fragmented to get a 10; more like an 8 for me, like many of Yes's albums.
I really love the four complete songs, and I don't care at all about the massive
airplay which "Roundabout" has received. "The most annoying radio-heavy
light-hearted garbage Yes ever made"? Excuse me Mr. Moore, but have you
heard of a certain song called "Owner Of A Lonely Heart" produced by the
band known as Yes?
The individual pieces besides the bass-driven frenzy of "The Fish" are
less interesting but they're all really short and tolerable, even "Five
Per Cent For Nothing." Good album even though I can't call such an
incoherent album a "masterpiece."
- j.bornhofen@worldnet.att.net (John H. Bornhofen)
For those interested, "Heart of the Sunrise" is used frequently and to great
effect in a movie w/cristina ricci called "Buffalo 66". Check it out. Made
me pull out all my old Yes.
- imoss@northernlight.com (Ian Moss)
Ahhh, yes. Yes! So I asked for this album one Christmas, and much to my surprise
I got the "gold" collector's edition which featured a really
weird and badly-designed jewel case, among other things. But anyway, it also
had a very long set of liner notes that were written by some guy
named Bob Mack. Mack offers nuggets of wisdom such as "[Roundabout's] salsa-fied
percussion break prefigured arch-rival Led Zeppelin's 1979
track, 'Fool In The Rain,' by years" and "The only difference between
['Heart of the Sunrise'] and Metallica is that Jon Anderson can sing."
Anyway, just thought I'd share.
As for the album itself, there's very little not to like. Even the
solo pieces, with the exception of "Cans and Brahms" (I was never a big Brahms
fan), are wonderful. I agree with the general opinion on "Roundabout,"
though--a good song, but undeserving of the disproportionate exposure that
it has received. "South Side of the Sky" is much cooler. I also think
the return of "We Have Heaven" at the end of the album is cooler than words
can express.
- guppyslayer@msn.com (Ben Henderson)
I looked up schindleria praematurus one time, and it's a tiny
prehistoric fish. Just thought some of you might like to know that little piece of
useless trivia...
- hijinks@utarlg.uta.edu (Thomas Rickert)
Well, Mr. Prindlesticks, we had an email exchange about Yes
a couple of years ago, and here I am, back at your site, to
yak more about Yes. And why? Because they STILL remain
originals, nobody has done what they have, no one has copped
their sound, and hiphop bands still aren't stealing their
shit. Which, at this point, is probably a good thing. Or
maybe not. I don't know. Do you?
ANYWAY--Fragile is overrated. Classic rock radio has
absolutely killed, and I mean killed, Roundabout for me.
It's not Yes' fault, I know. But still, facts are facts, and
when we have those facts, well, Fragile is overrated. South
Side is absolutely killer, yes (um, er, Yes!), and Heart of
the Sunrise is better on the live album, and The Fish is
totally rad, but the rest is, well, I dunno, how do you say,
something like, you know, overrated! Overrated? Overrated.
CTTE is a ten, or if not that one, then GFTO is a ten.
Relayer is better than Fragile, too.
I'm surprised that after all these years, you haven't
revised this rating. I mean, foockahontas, you should be
seeing the light by now!
BTW, glad to see you are back to writing reviews: your Neil
Young reviews are good, much more insightful than your Pere
Ubu reviews, which are good, but not as inspired.
- tommy_chuck@hotmail.com (Tom Marshall)
Wakeman makes this a much more exciting affair than the Yes album and his
virtuostic talents finally balance out Howe, but there's something in this
record's feel that just doesn't match up to its predecessor. Still, it's THE
Yes album to buy first if you're new to them and no one can fault Heart of
the sunrise or Roundabout... 8/10
- robchaundy@yahoo.com (Robert Chaundy)
Fragile is not worth ten. The actual songs are fine,
but the solo pieces, whilst perfectly fun and
listenable, just don't cut it. Too easy. They're
closer to 9012Live than truly classic Yes (1972-80),
and drag this record down to a seven or an eight. Why
didn't they write a few more SONGS when they were this
creative?
And doesn't the fellow in the CD booklet look
suspiciously like a certain Metallica frontman we all
love so well? Come to think of it, have YOU ever seen
Rick Wakeman and James Hetfield in the same room? Very
suspicious...
- benalto@benalto.com (Rocket Robin Hood)
I really do like the classic Yes trilogy, but this is the only album that
really leaves me wanting more. If there was a bootleg featuring outtakes from
these sessions, I'd get it in a second. Oh, and anyone notice the amazing
thudding riff from "Heart Of The Sunrise" was shamelessly ripped off by Rush
for the instrumental section in "The Necromancer"?? Mark's dead on - 10/10!
- munsey3@comcast.net
First things first, Fragile is about as good as it gets, anytime, anywhere, with the possible exception of Close to the Edge being even better.
Now here's a little story for you all: So it was uh 30 years ago and I was in college and we happened to go to Denver to see Yes, who happened to be opening for the Allman Brothers. Now who the fuck thought up that pairing? Well it was early '72 so it must have made sense to someone, but jeez loooeeez could you pick a worse double bill, not just musically but for the SOCIALLY dissonant crowd it would attract? I mean, let's get a bunch of drunken stoned Confederate flag-waving bikers together with a bunch of acid-addled rock-opera going folks and see what happens. How about a Motorhead/Pavarotti double bill anyone?
So I run into an acquaintance at said concert, who sez yo boy have a little orange sunshine, which I promptly ingest, it being a Yes concert and all. Then he sez by the way, that's a 4-way hit. Oooo jeez, now I'm in some trouble cuz it's down the gullet. No prob though, cuz in about 45 minutes Yes takes the stage and starts just flat out rocking. The albums do not do these guys justice by the way. Steve Howe KNEW distortion. Yeah Wakeman was kinda a wimp (compared with E of ELP). Jon Anderson is tolerable. Then there's the rhythm section of Squire/Bruford, best in the bizness at the time. So we're left with a fine power trio (Howe,Squire,Bruford) the likes of which t'aint been heard since. Said sunshine is starting to kick in and Yes becomes pretty much a religious experience, as in I've never heard anything like this in my sorry life to that point, and then the sunshine REALLY starts to kick in, I'm not sure where I am, not that it matters, and here comes Yours Is No Disgrace and Roundabout and Long Distance Runaround and the absolute finest song ever recorded by anyone, i.e., Heart of the Sunrise. Listen to the first two or three minutes of this song, and you will understand why there has never been nor ever shall be a finer drummer than Bruford. Shit, he totally revivified Fripp's career for a couple decades! Just listen to him and Squire totally lay down the rules for what a rhythm section should do. In any case, concert-wise, at this point my mind was actually outside of my skull, where it remained for the rest of the evening. What a band.
So then Yes is done, sorry to say, and we gear up for the Allmans. They eventually take the stage and whip into Statesboro Blues, which gets said Confederate-flag waving bikers up in the aisles. Did I mention we're sitting in row 11? And some biker chick is up dancing some southern-fried boogie directly I mean directly in front of my boy Wolf, blocking his view, and he's had just about enough and brings his knee up squarely into her crotch and sez 'sit down bitch'. And I'm still hearing SHARP DISTANCE etc being not entirely aware that Yes have decamped but I did wonder what that offal noise coming from the stage was. Neither she nor her squeeze is happy about the crotch shot, fer sher, there is offense taken. But we manage to get outta there with no external bleeding anyhow. No loss in missing the rest of the Allman's set, the point being, after Yes, the Allman Brothers sounded flat-out pedestrian (and this was in their heyday, before Duane squished hisself ona truck).
So Fragile is a 10 outta 10. Anyone who was lucky enough to have seen them during this time knows this to be a fact.
- watta502@yahoo.gr (Akis Katsman)
A great album, although the solo pieces are sometimes annoying and "South Side Of The Sky" is really overrated. A nine.
- AgnesAyres@cableone.net (Melanie)
Munsey3, I must be schizo,because I love both YES and the Allman Bros,LOL.But then I love the Clash too.It's all about the music-what sounds good to my ears.I don't invest my life into it or draw my design for living from it. YES are progressive rock geniuses,and Allmans are blues/country-rock geniuses. To everything there is a season,turn turn turn.
Anyhoo,from what I understand, Rick Wakeman had to record the somewhat mundane if pretty "Cans and Brahms"(or some variation of music other than his own) because of some previous contractual obligation of which he was awaiting the end.
The much-maligned Roundabout was the first YES music that I ever heard,and from there I jumped in head first to CTTE,and then TFTO,with nary a breather.I loved everything that I heard so much,that I had to hear more. I'm a firm fan for life,and "Fragile"is a little gem of an album,to me,solos included.It's interesting to hear the different and varied parts of the sum that was YES,and hear where each guy's head was at when making his contribution(ie, Bruford's decidedly jazz orientation-not to mention the fact that the song was titled in honor of a former manager who was somehow still entitled to 5% of the band's royalties or something,even though he no longer had any responsibilities to the band. I might make a short little ironic-sounding jazzy ditty about that too, if I was Bill Bruford and immensely talented on percussion-he considers himself a percussionist,as in jazz,rather than a drummer-and had a chance to express myself musically regarding it).
I give "Fragile" a 10,also-it was great in its heyday,and it's stood the test of time.I'd say that calls for a 10.
- spacebutlerxiii@hotmail.com
"Roundabout" and "Long Distance Runaround" are among the best
of them, and the individual pieces are all great in their own individual
ways ("Tell the moon-dog, tell the march hare" is a lyric that gets stuck in
my head all the time), but I cannot condone this awarding of a 10. For one
thing, "South Side of the Sky" and "Heart of the Sunrise" both bog things
down. I dunno, maybe I need to listen to the LP more, because a CD playing
all the way through without having to stop after "South Side..." doesn't
have the same feel to it. But that doesn't change the fact that "Heart of
the Sunrise" is blemished at around the 3:40 mark when the vocals kick in
and the song kinda sucks for a couple of minutes before getting back to the
awesomness displayed during the song's opening movement. The other problem
is the fact that these 9 songs don't flow together as cohesively as, say,
the 6 songs on The Yes Album, or even the 3 on Close To The Edge. The way an
album flows from start to finish means the world to me. Apparently I make
good mix tapes.
Add your thoughts?
Yesterdays - Atlantic 1974.
A dumb release. Half of Time And A Word,
1/4 of Yes, a ten-minute mostly boring Paul Simon cover, and a pretty
good B-side called "Dear Father." I guess they were assuming that nobody
wanted to buy the first two albums. Dumb. It's still good, of course, but
why does it exist?
- Reader Comments
- yescomm@worldaccess.nl (Gert Bakhuizen)
Couldn't agree with you more as I still hate sampler albums!
- sbachini@uk.mdis.com (Steve Bachini)
Hmm, what is the point of this album you ask. "America" is the point. Maybe I
love it so much because I heard it before the original version (well I was
young). It just rocks, Chris, Steve and Bill blast away for a very memorable
ten minutes.
- keio@usa.net (Keio Sandvik)
Mystery compilation. Perhaps a flash of record company genius (!?!)
Lights went on in some Atlantic execs head. Well, the bulb must have
been faulty. But who's to stand in the way of making a dollar, eh? Sounds
like the boys had fun putting together "America". This has to
be the definitive re-interpretation of any song. Ever. "Dear Father"
is great too. Look at the cover though...is someone taking the piss?
- robertk@jove.acs.unt.edu (Robert Linus Koehl)
A greatest hits album with no hits on it? What a novel
idea.
- rderby@erols.com (Robert Derby)
ummmmm, "America" is great (my wife has an amusing viewpoint on this
song I'd like to share: she says, "Paul Simon sounds like he got off a
bus in middle america wrote and played this song on a street corner
whereas YES got off that bus, hired an orchestra and played it at the
nearest arena!) the rest of the album gives us highlights of the Peter
Banks era which are not real high. I think Peter is a good guitarist and
I think it would be interesting if he had the chance to record with a
much more mature Yes. Jon's worst performance is here in the person of
"Dear Father"!!!!ughhhhhhh.
- tabasco@worldnet.att.net (BOB's)
It was just a sampler of Time And A Word and the full version of
"America". I
bought this album before I got Time And A Word, I did wrong. I should have
gotten Time And A Word first. At first I liked "Sweet Dreams", "Astral
Traveller", and "Then". They were cool, with orchestral moments they are okay.
"Dear Father" rocks too, what happened to Jon's father, did he write this song
for him? Who Knows!!!
- dembones@pond.net
I once foolishly bought a maxi-single in the bargain-bin called
"Close2theHype," a creation of Jon's son Damien, and featuring Jon Anderson
himself. After hearing the crap contained on this disc, I was then
convinced that there was indeed an album that had less reason for existence
than Yes' Yesterdays. Nice Roger Dean, though.
- tomr@ix.netcom.com (Tom Russell)
Lets see.
Take two albums, pick a few songs from each, and then throw in a couple
of extras. What a novel idea. I wonder if they'll try this idea again?
Were they under some contactual obligation to release an album every so
often? I think the blue boy is trying to make a statement...
Having said all that, "America" is one fine recording.
- lledesma@amag.edu.pe (Leonardo Ledesma)
Yesterdays came after Relayer but maybe you didn't know. Now its
release seems an unworthy idea but in those days this record (a) gave
Yes something to put on the market amidst the solo stuff craziness and
(b) reminded the US people that Banks and Kaye ever existed in the group
as well as the two first albums. It's a fine compilation, actually, but
I would rather put "Something's Coming" as the opener instead of
"America", sticking to tracks recorded by the original lineup. Even now
I don't know why they included a photo of Alan White (if there was a
reason, why not include one of Patrick also?). It deserves 6/10 (could
be a 7, but "America" is a point down). The sleeve (that included a wink
of the Time and a Word English cover) made Dean target for dumb
critics just for showing nude kids.
- cynderelli@techline.com (TAD)
The "America-Looking Around-Time and a Word-Sweet Dreams" side is solid
entertainment, mayB 1 step down from Yes at their very best, but still
no slouch. & "Survival" definitely grows on U. Guess I'll have to wait
on the rest.
"Something's Coming," "Every Little Thing" & "No Opportunity Necessary"
might have been nice additions, but then it woulda been a 2-record
set....
I've Cn worse best-of or here's-R-early-stuff packages. Back in the days
when this came out, 1 good side was nothing 2 sneeze at....
- bigfunchy@databasix.com (Russell B)
A "ten-minute mostly boring Paul Simon cover"? A "ten-minute mostly
boring Paul Simon cover"? That's all you have to say about Yes's
reworking of Simon & Garfunkel's "America"? A TEN-MINUTE MOSTLY BORING
PAUL SIMON COVER?
Erm...sorry. My keyboard is a little dirty at the moment, and it causes
me to type in all-caps from time to time, and to repeat myself
excessively for emphasis. That's called "epizeuxis," by the way;
epizeuxis, epizeuxis, epizeuxis. I can't emphasize this enough. I
really, really, really can't.
Really, though--"America" was the bomb-diggety if for no other reason
than that the Yesmen took a three-minute-long, strummy acoustic folksong,
embellished that three-minute-long, strummy acoustic folksong with
wonky-ass jazz noodling/countryesque fretboard sliding/weird military
drumbeats/a bunch of other trippy shit until it became a ten-minute-long
nonacoustic prog pileup, and...in the course of building this epic
remake, somehow managed to...(wait for it)...to DISPENSE WITH THE THIRD
VERSE OF THAT THREE-MINUTE-LONG, STRUMMY ACOUSTIC FOLKSONG ENTIRELY. On
PURPOSE, man, on PURPOSE.
Sorry. Dirty keyboard. Dirty, dirty, dirty keyboard. Dirty.
rindle@nyc.rr.com">Add your thoughts?
Although the "short" tracks cover
well-trodden territory in wonderful and novel ways ("And You And I" is a
pleasant, mostly acoustic happy song that keeps erupting into an orchestral
celebration like some guy named Bruce, and "Siberian Khatru" alternates
between silly nerd groove and really messed-up bass-heavy drug music), the
nineteen-minute title cut creates its own territory. It's the cut
creator - the master of rap. When it walks by, homeboys tip their hat.
Easily the least accessible song they've ever done (before or since), it opens
with a burst of guitar racket and doesn't go much further for about three
minutes, until the mean and entirely unpleasant "melody" finally reveals
itself. Later, of course, some pretty bits pop up ("I Get Up I Get Down" is
positively majestic with those vocals-on-vocals and that throbbing church
organ and all - like most men, I generally don't much enjoy throbbing church
organs, but at least I don't wear sweatpants any more), but the main melody is
not something that you and your special girl will probably be itching to
slowdance to. By 1996 standards, it's not that strange, but this is pre-punk
1972 we're talking about; loud free-form electric guitar acid rock was not at
the top of everybody's salad menu. But you're bright and American; you can
handle it.
A swell record, this is. It's not as mind-blowing as
Fragile, nor should we expect it to be, but it's still complicated,
beautiful, and very smart. Enjoy it now. This was the best line-up Yes ever
had, and Bill Bruford was about to quit.
special introductory paragraph!