Official Yes Top 50 Countdown Thread! - #14-12 Revealed!

[HOF]

Leave It (my number 9 as has been pointed out) is amazing. Both vocally and instrumentally. I also have the acapella mix as a bonus track on my copy of 90125, which is really cool. For my money, that track, while super catchy, is also very proggy. It's genius.

The Ancients is definitely one I've struggled to get all the way through. Maybe if I were in the right headspace. But regardless I did not rank it.

[devieira73]

Despite the fact that I really don't get Tales's songs as a whole, I've always thought that drum/bass section (parts of it at least) from The Acient very engaging and cool.
Leave It is very cool and original, but didn't make my list.

[pg1067]

I have the a capella version of "Leave It" on my iPod, and not the album version.  The vocals are so rich that the song is basically complete without adding any instruments.  Hearing it on the radio one time gave me a much greater appreciation for the song.

I'm very familiar with the song, but I gave it a quick listen before posting this morning.  I actually forgot how much instrumentation the album version has, and the second half of the song is much more of a "normal" song.

Leave It (my number 9 as has been pointed out) is amazing. Both vocally and instrumentally. I also have the acapella mix as a bonus track on my copy of 90125, which is really cool. For my money, that track, while super catchy, is also very proggy. It's genius.

I was thinking that as I was typing the blurb.  It's absolutely NOT what typically comes to mind when one talks about a "proggy" song, but Leave It unquestionably is.  It's really the epitome of what that term represents (and I'm being a lot more effusive than I usually would be about a song that didn't make my list, but that's really how good Yes and the 90125 album is).

[DTA]

I didn't rank either of these songs, but I like them. Not love them, but like them. Leave It is probably one of my more listened to songs from 90125 and for being such a radio hit, it's pretty odd that they never revisited it live after the 90125 tour. Band setlist choices always fascinate me.

The Ancient's first 12 minutes are definitely my least favorite moment from the album. Dissonant, weird wackiness that never really goes anywhere, though there are some cool moments stuffed in there that I really like. I appreciate the oddness of this song, but the real magic is definitely the ending section. Very beautiful section, and much needed after the first part of the song.

[Stadler]

96 - Homeworld (The Ladder)
88 - Mood For A Day
86 - Leave It
72 - City Of Love
63 - The Ancients (Giants Under The Sun)
57 - I Am Waiting

36 - Cinema
27 - Future Times/Rejoice
12 - Lift Me Up

First regret of the countdown.  Leave It.  I really like that song, the harmonies are exquisite and live, it REALLY delivered.  I don't know if it's a function of what songs it was up against in the ranker or what, but it doesn't really deserve #86.  I'm not sure what it deserves, because it's not a song, per se, but certainly "86" doesn't at all indicate my admiration for it. 

The Ancient is what I wrote above: Tales is a marvelous piece of work in totality, but other than one song, the "songs" themselves aren't really the point. 

[pg1067]

The Ancient is what I wrote above: Tales is a marvelous piece of work in totality, but other than one song, the "songs" themselves aren't really the point.

Obviously, the footage doesn't exist, but a Mike Portnoy-style "in the studio" making of TFTO would be fascinating.  If I could send a fly on the wall back through a time machine, I'd definitely visit the sessions for CTTE and TFTO.

[romdrums]

43. Leave It (43). Nailed it! This is a really fun song. The vocal arrangement is stellar, and it's something my son and I will sing along with on the way to school.

42. The Ancient (N/R). Try as I might, I can't get into this piece. To my ears, it sounded like they were running out of ideas and decided to do a freak out for this, and then, as each member lost interest, we're left with Steve's avant garde screeching on his electric guitar, until he decides "enough of that" (maybe it was someone signaling 'wrap it ip' behind the glass), and then he switches to his acoustic for the Leaves of Green section. On some occasions, I can get through it, but most of the time, I skip from The Remembering straight to Ritual.

[Mladen]

The Ancient was my #8. I'm happy that I'm the highest ranker, but I still wish more people liked it. People might comment on the song being too frenetic, but in my opinion, it's the pinacle of Steve Howe's career. He is the star of the piece. And then again, there are some truly gorgeous sections in it, Jon's vocal lines are wonderful. I love the entire piece.

I don't care about Leave it. And I'll leave it at that. 

[pg1067]

I don't care about Leave it. And I'll leave it at that. 

So...you could take it...or leave it?   


Two new albums will make an appearance tomorrow.  What will they be?!

[Animal]

Ancient - 11 My second most favorite track from TFTO. The lengthy first part might take a long time to say little but I feel its meandering is somehow justified in the way it leads to that acoustic guitar part. I mean, what is the better way to appreciate a sudden break of orderly beauty of Leaves of Green section than after listening through of 12 minutes of unstructured mess?

Leave it - 38 An enjoyable tune, no more, no less. Not sure how well it would rank had I been familiar with a bigger part of Yes discography. I like the vocal arrangements but I prefer the album version to the a capella one.

[DTA]

Listened to 90125 today at the gym and honestly, I think I underrated Leave It and City of Love. Really good songs that I enjoy immensely, and are probably my favorites on the album along with Hearts and Changes. Hold On and Cinema continue to underwhelm me though.

[TheHoveringSojourn808]

Glad to see The Ancient make the list, I assume that means all 4 Tales songs made it.

18. The Ancient (Giants Under the Sun)
33. Lift Me Up
34. Leave It
35. Mood For a Day

N/A Future Times / Rejoice
N/A Cinema
N/A City of Love

[HOF]

Listened to 90125 today at the gym and honestly, I think I underrated Leave It and City of Love. Really good songs that I enjoy immensely, and are probably my favorites on the album along with Hearts and Changes. Hold On and Cinema continue to underwhelm me though.

Was listening to 90125 yesterday as well, and my opinion on Cinema has not changed. It’s a decent idea, but sounds more like an unfinished demo than anything. Why they didn’t try to develop it further in the studio is beyond me. It sounds like the start of something cool but never goes anywhere. Or I guess could have been an intro to something else. But as a stand alone love piece in the middle of a studio album with otherwise pristine sound, it just sticks out like a sore thumb.

[DTA]

Was listening to 90125 yesterday as well, and my opinion on Cinema has not changed. It’s a decent idea, but sounds more like an unfinished demo than anything. Why they didn’t try to develop it further in the studio is beyond me. It sounds like the start of something cool but never goes anywhere. Or I guess could have been an intro to something else. But as a stand alone love piece in the middle of a studio album with otherwise pristine sound, it just sticks out like a sore thumb.

I do believe Cinema was actually part of an abandoned epic that was planned but obviously scrapped, but yeah, they should’ve done more with it.

[pg1067]

Two more new albums today!


41 – Does It Really Happen? (Drama – 1)



Appeared on 11 of 17 entries
Top 10 finishes: 0
Highest Ranking: 23 (DTA)

Nearly twice the number of mentions as #42, but only one spot (and only 2 points) higher.  We have our first entry from Drama.  The only appearance of Trevor Horn as a lead vocalist for yes.  A rather new-wavy/slightly punky song for yes.  Not a bad song, but it didn’t make my top 50.


40 – Final Eyes (Big Generator – 1)



Appeared on 8 of 17 entries
Top 10 finishes: 0
Highest Ranking: 13 (Stadler)

Doing this countdown really hammered home how inferior I think Big Generator is to 90125.  I’m not sure I had ever heard this song prior to doing this countdown.  This song is ok (although I think the Rabin lyrics are oddly effected in this one – doesn’t really sound like him), but I can’t hear much of anything special here.

[pg1067]

P.S.  It struck me how old Tony Kaye looked in that photo, but he was only in his early 40s!

[HOF]

I had Does It Really Happen at 43 and Final Eyes at 31. No deep thoughts on either track. Both are fine in their own way but not really among my favorite things Yes did. Agree on the massive drop off from 90125 to Big Generator, though there are a number of tracks there I do like a lot.

[romdrums]

41. Does It Really Happen? (36). Chris Squire is pretty much a co-lead vocalist on Drama, and he's doing a lot of work here, especially against that bass line! I love how locked in Squire and White are throughout this song, and it's also nice to hear Steve Howe keep his meedly meedly tendencies at bay on this one. Also, I really like Geoff Downes' keyboard parts on this one, as well as his sound choices. One of the best tracks on Drama, for sure!

40. Final Eyes (14). Dang it, Stadler, you beat me by one spot on the ranker! I always felt that this was the YesWest version of "And You And I" in some ways. It's not the same structure as like, say Under a Glass Moon and Lost Not Forgotten  , but I've always felt there were some similarities in the structure and overall vibe of the song. Rabin does some really nice lead work on this, and Jon sounds really good as well.

[Stadler]

96 - Homeworld (The Ladder)
88 - Mood For A Day
86 - Leave It
72 - City Of Love
63 - The Ancients (Giants Under The Sun)
57 - I Am Waiting

43 - Does It Really Happen?
36 - Cinema
27 - Future Times/Rejoice
13 - Final Eyes
12 - Lift Me Up


Yeah, I feel like we're talking two different bands here.  Drama was No. 3 on my albums list, and Big Penetrator was No. 9 whereas 90210 was No. 11. 

I think all of Drama made my song list, and I love the interplay between Horn and Squire on that record.  I think it's unique and really works.

The melodies on Final Eyes are just sublime to me.  I love that song. (Though, spoiler alert, it's not the highest ranked song from that album for me.)

[Animal]

Does it Really Happen - 50   Despite my initial horror upon hearing Yes with Trevor Horn at vocals, I learned to like Drama quite a bit. This is not one of the best on that album, but still a nice piece of this Yes-meets-Buggles experiment.

Final Eyes - NRNH   I tried some BG songs but it was a bit like a typical restaurant experience - the food does the job and does not leave you sick, but you do not feel like coming back and exploring more. (Drama, on the other hand, was more like olives or some kinds of smelly cheese - I could hardly stomach it the first time, which prompted me to try more of it.)

[Mladen]

Does It Really Happen? was my #27. That's just a fun, odd little song. 

I don't even remember Final eyes.

[HOF]

Listening to Final Eyes again, and the part that for some reason I always remember is more the 70s Yes-ish acoustic verses, and I don't care as much for those, but the bits where it is more rocky and the "whenever I needed someone" theme are really strong.

[pg1067]

FRIDAY BONUS REVEAL!

39 – The Fish (Schindleria Praematurus) (Fragile – 2)



Appeared on 10 of 17 entries
Top 10 finishes: 1
Highest Ranking: 6 (James Mypetgiress)

It says a lot when a song that is essentially a bass solo in 7/4 cracks the top 40 (I don’t recall how Anesthesia fared in the Metallica countdown).  The album version is only 2:42 and is an interestingly crafted piece that layers bass track upon bass track.  Chris Squire pulled out everything with this one.  Harmonics, distortion, phase-shifting, wah pedal, etc.  However, this song rose to a whole different level in the live setting, growing at times to over 10 minutes long.  Two things I learned today:  the Latin name was the result of Jon Anderson calling Yes’s lighting director and telling him to file “the name of a prehistoric fish in eight syllables,” and Chris Squire’s "Fish" nickname came about (at least in part) because of his penchant for taking long baths at a house that the band members shared in West London.

[hefdaddy42]

Big Penetrator

lol

[TheHoveringSojourn808]

Only one from my list from today is The Fish. Though I do really like the other songs listed today, they were in my 50-60 range.

18. The Ancient (Giants Under the Sun)
33. Lift Me Up
34. Leave It
35. Mood For a Day
36. The Fish (Schindleria Praematurus)

N/A Future Times / Rejoice
N/A Cinema
N/A City of Love
N/A Does It Really Happen
N/A Final Eyes

[devieira73]

I love Does It Really Happen? (my #37), with accessible keyboards, great groove and outro.
Final Eyes (my #27) has a very Yes old school Yes vibe, with a modern twist. There some touching melodies here, great song!
Regarding the comparison between BG and 90125, there's something a bit melancholic about BG's general atmosphere (which, over time, I've come to appreciate a lot), that there wasn't in 90125, which is much more upbeat. Added to that, I think BG starts off a bit rough with its first 3 songs: Rhythm of Love is a bit too direct, but it's not bad (I really like the pre-chorus); BG is a bit weird overall (it was supposed to be heavy or what?) and Shoot High and Low is very draggy. So, I also think 90125 is clearly better, but I love the remaining 5 songs from BG.

[HOF]

I have The Fish at 21. This is a brilliant little piece. The best and only really interesting of the little interludes on Fragile. Love the way it builds. Could have listened to this for another 10 minutes if they had kept going with it.

[DTA]

Does It Really Happen is probably my favorite bass part from Chris. That intro lives in my head pretty much all day-everyday. If Drama had replaced White Car with another song, it would probably be my favorite Yes album.

Final Eyes I had at #39. My 3rd favorite from BG, and a brilliant song. It's one of those songs that feel super poppy, but also very proggy in that the structure feels like it's all over the place.

[pg1067]

Sorry for the late update today.


38 – Love Will Find a Way (Big Generator – 2)



Appeared on 8 of 17 entries
Top 10 finishes: 0
Highest Ranking: 14 (DragonAttack)

This is the only Big Generator song that I ranked (at #31).  A solid song with a strong guitar lick and a catchy chorus


36T – It Can Happen (90125 – 4)



Appeared on 10 of 17 entries
Top 10 finishes: 1
Highest Ranking: 8 (DragonAttack)

Does it really happen?  It CAN happen!  I ranked this at #44, but it's a really strong.  Great vocal interplay between Anderson and Rabin.


36T – Release, Release (Tormato – 2)



Appeared on 9 of 17 entries
Top 10 finishes: 1
Highest Ranking: 8 (devieira73)

I ranked this song at #23.  This was, for a long time, my favorite song on Tormato.  I really love Rick Wakeman's playing on this song and the syncopation of the verses.

[DTwwbwMP]

I had 55 finalists:
50. Future Times / Rejoice (#17)
49. Cinema (N/R)
48. City of Love (#52)
47. Mood For a Day (N/R)
46. Lift Me Up (#14)
45. Homeworld (N/R)
44. I Am Waiting (#51)
43. Leave It (#41)
42. The Ancient (N/R)
41. Does It Really Happen (#55)
40. Final Eyes (#40)
39. The Fish (#54)
38. Love Will Find A Way (#53)
36. It Can Happen (#34)
36. Release, Release (#15)

[TheHoveringSojourn808]

Nothing from today made my list. Honestly have nothing bad to say about any of the songs though, they are just all 50-75 seed for me

18. The Ancient (Giants Under the Sun)
33. Lift Me Up
34. Leave It
35. Mood For a Day
36. The Fish (Schindleria Praematurus)

Not ranked: Future Times / Rejoice
Not ranked: Cinema
Not ranked: City of Love
Not ranked: Does It Really Happen
Not ranked: Final Eyes
Not ranked: Love Will Find A Way
Not ranked: It Can Happen
Not ranked: Release, Release

[HOF]

I had Love Will Find A Way at 20, one behind the other “love” song from this album, and I’m wondering if I kind of had them mixed up in my mind. Been listening to Big Generator the past two days, and I think Love Will Find A Way is pretty clearly the best song on the album. Just a nice hooky song with a great sound. The bridge is especially great. And a harmonica solo - is that the only Yes song with one?

It Can Happen was number 12 for me. Just a great feel good track. Love the build up in the opening. The run of Hold On, It Can Happen, and Changes is just inspirational. Really lovely instrumental passage with some great drumming and a nice solo. And some cool bass by Squire as well.

Release, Release is 35. Some pretty tasty bass work by Squire here too, but this one can get a bit shrill for me. Definitely feels like some white powder was ingested during the recording of this one. Not my favorite thing on Tormato, but I do like it.

[devieira73]

I love It Can Happen (my #40), the sitar and lead guitars are very captivating and the chorus is great.
Love Will Find a Way (my #28) is a natural born super catchy single, almost a guilt pleasure song. Indeed the guitar lick and chorus are (super) strong.
Release, Release (my #8) is my fave from Tormato. The intro is great and the alternation between the guitars and keyboards propelling the entire song is really well arranged. Most of the song is very syncopated rhythmically, but it's not too much, it keeps the music moving forward in an exciting way. And that middle drum break section is really cool with fake crowd (?!) and all!  It encapsulates a more concise and rocker prog with perfection.

[DTA]

I had Love Will Find A Way at 27. Another brilliant pop song and probably the catchiest song they ever released. I'd have loved for this one to make a live comeback at some point.

It Can Happen and Release Release are cool songs, but did not make my ranking.

[pg1067]

Sorry for no reveal today.  I'll have three in the morning tomorrow.  Rock on!