Official Yes Top 50 Countdown Thread! - #29-27 Revealed!

[pg1067]

Today is a big Chris Squire day!




29 – Into the Lens (Drama – 2)

Appeared on 13 of 17 entries
Top 10 finishes: 0
Highest Ranking: 11 (pg1067)

Although I was the high ranker for this song (and it’s my #1 song on Drama), a couple others were really close.  This is a Chris Squire tour-de-force.  Right from the opening note, he punches us right in the face.  The syncopated playing is on point.  Steve Howe adds some tasty steel guitar, and the melodies throughout the song are excellent (particularly the “and you may find time will blind you” part).


28 – Onward (Tormato – 4)

Appeared on 12 of 17 entries
Top 10 finishes: 2
Highest Ranking: 6 (HOF)

The relatively simple and haunting song was credited solely to Chris Squire, and it became a de facto tribute to him after he died.  It’s an absolutely beautiful song that Squire regarded as one of the best he ever wrote.  The vocal harmonies are beyond incredible.  I ranked it at #21.


27 – Ritual (Nous Sommes du Soleil) (Tales from Topographic Oceans – 2)

Appeared on 10 of 17 entries
Top 10 finishes: 3
Highest Ranking: 2 (TheHoveringSojourn808, The Letter M)

This song is so dense.  There’s so much to it, but one of my favorite things about it is the title.  “We are of the sun”!  I think it actually sounds cooler in English than in French.  So much beauty throughout this song but interrupted by that crazy percussion section that somehow works.  I ranked it at #6, and I’m a little surprised it didn’t rank a bit higher overall.  I used to use Chris Squire’s bass solo at my old band’s concerts when the singer would introduce me.

[Stadler]

122 - Onward
96 - Homeworld (The Ladder)
88 - Mood For A Day
86 - Leave It
81 - Mind Drive
72 - City Of Love
65 - The Fish
63 - The Ancients (Giants Under The Sun)
57 - I Am Waiting
51 - Ritual

50 - Fly From Here
43 - Does It Really Happen?
39 - Hold On
36 - Cinema
30 - Into The Lens
28 - It Can Happen
27 - Future Times/Rejoice
25 - Release, Release
21 - The Calling
20 - Hearts
18 - On The Silent Wings Of Freedom
15 - Love Will Find A Way
13 - Final Eyes
12 - Lift Me Up


For such a Squire fanboy as I am - he IS Yes, IMO - I am sadly underrepresented here.  I really do not like Onward; it is a poor man's Parallels, IMO.  Ritual is great, see my comments about the other Tales songs.   I LOVE Into The Lens.  Not the best on Drama, but that's testament to how strong Drama is, not how weak that song is.  I agree, it's a tour de force for him.

[Zydar]

Onward is such a beautiful song, I actually prefer the version on Keys To Ascension.

[HOF]

Onward (6) is the only of today’s three that I ranked. Not shocked that I’m the high ranker, but a little shocked to see Stadler’s thoughts about it! Stadler, did you mean Turn of the Century maybe instead of Parallels?

This was immediately the “money” song for me when I heard Tormato. Just a gorgeous melody with a really cool bass line that sounds improvised to me but who knows. Also love the minimalist repeating guitar pattern. It is a very simple song, but the arrangement is so harmonically rich. I’ve actually been messing around on the piano the last few nights trying to come up with an arrangement of it (I’m not a musician really, but I try at times), and it plays very nicely as just a piano piece.

[TheHoveringSojourn808]

All 3 made my list today. Ritual is such an incredibly special song to me. From the hazy, dreamlike parts, to the percussion noise, to the final choruses, that song is everything I love about Yes

2. Ritual
18. The Ancient (Giants Under the Sun)
30. Onward
33. Lift Me Up
34. Leave It
35. Mood For a Day
36. The Fish (Schindleria Praematurus)
43. Into The Lens
45. On The Silent Wings of Freedom

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
Not ranked: Fly From Here
Not ranked: The Calling
Not ranked: Hearts
Not ranked: Mind Drive
Not ranked: Hold On

[pg1067]

I really do not like Onward; it is a poor man's Parallels, IMO.

Yeah...I'm gonna need an explanation of that.  Those songs couldn't be more different.

This was immediately the “money” song for me when I heard Tormato. Just a gorgeous melody with a really cool bass line that sounds improvised to me but who knows. Also love the minimalist repeating guitar pattern. It is a very simple song, but the arrangement is so harmonically rich. I’ve actually been messing around on the piano the last few nights trying to come up with an arrangement of it (I’m not a musician really, but I try at times), and it plays very nicely as just a piano piece.

And I didn't even mention the lyrics.  It's one of those songs that even just reading the lyrics on a screen makes my eyes water a bit.


By the way...is there another band with as many songs with subtitles in parentheses as Yes?  Of the 24 songs revealed so far, four fit that description!

[Stadler]

Yeah...I'm gonna need an explanation of that.  Those songs couldn't be more different.

Well, they are different, except in two key ways:  they are self-penned by Chris Squire, and they tell of the power of love.  You can argue that Parallels is a broader love and Onward is more directed at one person, but that's a quibble.

Parallels fits on it's album perfectly; after the sublime Turn of the Century, side one ends with the uplifting "choir" that is Parallels, before the breath mint that is Wondrous Stories, into the entree that is Awaken.

FOR ME, Tormato is:
Future Times/Rejoice
Don't Kill The Whale
Madrigal
Release, Release
On The Silent Wings Of Freedom.

Arriving UFO and Circus of Heaven are automatic skips, every single time.  That may have something to do with it; to come out of Release, Release, Onward is a bit of a let down leading up into On The Silent Wings Of Freedom.  Madrigal fills the ballad bill nicely.

[hefdaddy42]

Well, they are different, except in two key ways:  they are self-penned by Chris Squire, and they tell of the power of love.  You can argue that Parallels is a broader love and Onward is more directed at one person, but that's a quibble.

I wouldn't argue that.  I would just argue, presumably like pg1067, that the songs couldn't be more different.

[TheHoveringSojourn808]

When I read stad's original post about it I just assumed it was a typo and he meant Wondrous Stories (being similar to Onward).

After he dug in with more detail, I can see what he meant though

[HOF]

Well, they are different, except in two key ways:  they are self-penned by Chris Squire, and they tell of the power of love.  You can argue that Parallels is a broader love and Onward is more directed at one person, but that's a quibble.

Parallels fits on it's album perfectly; after the sublime Turn of the Century, side one ends with the uplifting "choir" that is Parallels, before the breath mint that is Wondrous Stories, into the entree that is Awaken.

FOR ME, Tormato is:
Future Times/Rejoice
Don't Kill The Whale
Madrigal
Release, Release
On The Silent Wings Of Freedom.

Arriving UFO and Circus of Heaven are automatic skips, every single time.  That may have something to do with it; to come out of Release, Release, Onward is a bit of a let down leading up into On The Silent Wings Of Freedom.  Madrigal fills the ballad bill nicely.

Madrigal is the skip track for me on Tormato. Have revisited Arriving UFO a few times since the countdown started, and I actually think it's a really cool track. I probably should have ranked it above Release, Release in retrospect, which is a bit grating. Even Circus of Heaven has grown on me a bit during this exercise, at least the front end of it is kind of cool.

[pg1067]

Madrigal is the skip track for me on Tormato. Have revisited Arriving UFO a few times since the countdown started, and I actually think it's a really cool track. I probably should have ranked it above Release, Release in retrospect, which is a bit grating. Even Circus of Heaven has grown on me a bit during this exercise, at least the front end of it is kind of cool.

Madrigal (74), UFO (77) and Circus (64) are the three Tormato songs that didn't make my top 50.  Although Madrigal ranked a bit higher than UFO, I really only ever skip Madrigal.  I'm not a big fan of the harpsicord on that song.

[pg1067]

By the way, although we're not quite halfway through, here are the songs that received no votes at all:

Looking Around
Harold Land
Every Little Thing
Sweetness

Clear Days

Teakbois
Let’s Pretend
Vultures in the City

Angkor Wat
Evensong
Take the Water to the Mountain
Give & Take

Foot Prints
Children of Light
Sign Language

New State of Mind
Universal Garden
No Way We Can Lose
Fortune Seller
Man in the Moon
Wonderlove
From the Balcony
Love Shine
Somehow, Someday

Can I?
To Be Alive (Hep Yadda)

Give Love Each Day
Can You Imagine
We Agree
Soft As a Dove
 
Life on a Film Set
Hour of Need
Solitaire

Believe Again
Step Beyond
To Ascend
In a World of Our Own
Light of the Ages
It Was All We Knew
Subway Walls

To the Moment
Words on a Page
From the Turn of a Card
The Gift of Love

Minus the Man
Leave Well Alone
The Western Edge
Music to My Ears
A Living Island

Living Out Their Dream
Unknown Place
One Second Is Enough
Magic Potion

Dear Father
Vevey
Montreux’s Theme
Abilene
Love Conquers All

[DTwwbwMP]

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)
35. Fly From Here (N/R)
34. The Calling (#20)
33. Hearts (N/R)
32. Hold On (#16)
31. Mind Drive (#21)
30. On The Silent Wings of Freedom (N/R)
29. Into The Lens (N/R)
28. Onward (#13)
27. Ritual (N/R)

[DTA]

Into The Lens was #14 for me. I absolutely love this song and agreed pg about the “and you, may find time….” section - though the airy part right after that with Steve doing some guitar effect stuff is my favorite section. This song is so strong, and I really wish the Drama lineup had done another album.

Onward was unranked but it’s a beautiful song. I enjoy it immensely but it just had too much competition.

Ritual was #30. The intro into the Nous Sommes du Soleil section is stunning and I love the build in the first half. Not a huge fan of the percussion section and wish they did something a bit more with it, but the rest of the song makes up for it.

[Mladen]

Into the lens was my #14. Some people get tired of that chorus, but I actually love it, it's one of their best choruses. What a terrific song.

Onward was my #48. It's good, but it barely cracked my top fifty.

I had Ritual at #32. It features some of the best moments on the album, but I'm not a fan of the drum solo. Still a damn fine epic, though.

[Orbert]

Into the Lens bugs some people because the vocals get a bit repetitive.  It bugs me sometimes, but I like the song overall.

I always thought Onward was a very nice song.  The keyboard solo is the best impression of a French horn solo I've ever heard, just masterful.

Ritual is amazing.  I love the ending, the way the chords keep changing and building while Howe solos, and then it just... ends.  But not quite.  It has to pump the brakes a few times, which I think is really cool.

[Mladen]

I'm also a fan of the outro in Ritual, the chord progression is just as insane as Steve's note choices. It's brilliant.

[Stadler]

My bottom ten:

158   Wonderlove
159   I See You
160   Harold Land
161   Spirit Of Survival
162   Give & Take
163   Vultures in the City
164   To Be Alive (Hep Yadda)
165   Angkor Wat
166   Arriving UFO
167   Circus of Heaven
168   Teakbois

[pg1067]

Three for Thursday!




26 – Endless Dream (Talk – 3)

Appeared on 11 of 17 entries
Top 10 finishes: 4
Highest Ranking: 6 (devieira73)

As with the rest of Talk, I’m not a fan, but it’s got some good bits and pieces.  Honestly, the first two minutes are great, but then the song dives into something that is vaguely reminiscent of Gabriel-era Genesis and loses all momentum, and it’s mostly a plodding ballad from there on out.


27 – The Remembering (High the Memory) (Tales from Topographic Oceans – 3)

Appeared on 11 of 17 entries
Top 10 finishes: 3
Highest Ranking: 3 (Dittomist)

We now have 3/4 of TFTO on the list.  Based on the last Yes survivor, I was a little surprised to see The Remembering rank higher than Ritual.  It’s the “softest” of the four TFTO tracks, and as with all of them, there’s a LOT to this song.  The liner notes describe this as featuring Rick Wakeman’s keyboards, but my favorite section of the song doesn’t really emphasize the keyboards.  Basically, the “relayer” section through the end of the song is pure gold, and Steve Howe’s guitar theme in that part is particularly memorable.  I ranked the song at #14 (3rd highest of the TFTO songs).


26 – Changes (90125 – 7)

Appeared on 13 of 17 entries
Top 10 finishes: 2
Highest Ranking: 5 (devieira73)

Hey…look!  It’s another 90125 song!  And another one for devieira73!  In this case, it’s my favorite song from the album, and I ranked it at #18.  Another great prog-pop-rock chorus and maybe the only song on which Rabin is the primary lead singer that I really love.

[pg1067]

168   Teakbois

I really hated Teakbois when I first heard it, but I grew to enjoy it.  It's a lot of fun (didn't make my top 50, though).

[TheHoveringSojourn808]

Just 1 for me today, but it's a top ten! My strong support for Tales continues

2. Ritual (Nous Sommes Du Soleil)
7. The Remembering (High the Memory)
18. The Ancient (Giants Under the Sun)
30. Onward
33. Lift Me Up
34. Leave It
35. Mood For a Day
36. The Fish (Schindleria Praematurus)
43. Into The Lens
45. On The Silent Wings of Freedom

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
Not ranked: Fly From Here
Not ranked: The Calling
Not ranked: Hearts
Not ranked: Mind Drive
Not ranked: Hold On
Not ranked: Endless Dream
Not ranked: Changes