Official Yes Top 50 Countdown Thread! - #17-15 Revealed!

[DTwwbwMP]

50. Future Times / Rejoice (MY #17)
49. Cinema (N/R)
48. City of Love (just missed for me @#52).

[romdrums]

We'll get there, I know, but the generally regarded "tremendous track" (and I talked with Jon about this; he claimed to have been listening to the orchestral parts days before I met him) isn't even the best song on the record; IMO it's a hot mess compared to the beautiful and almost perfectly composed "other" song on the record, with a similar theme.

I didn't know you were so bullish on Parallels, Stads. 

[Stadler]

A bit of hyperbole?

More than a bit.

[devieira73]

City of Love almost, almost made my list. Really cool, something a bit aggressive with a somewhat robotic groove.
If Cinema (my #39) was a bit more developed, I would rank it higher no doubt. But, it's an amazing intro as it is. I just love that great "tunnel" effect on the bass!
I always loved Tormato more cohesive prog approach and I think Future Times/Rejoice (my #47) succeeds in showing what the album is all about. Indeed the sound production of the album is too much thin, it's not very good, but I can live with that.

[Animal]

Future Times/Rejoice - NR  There is a lot about this song that feels like vintage Yes - the first half mainly. As others have pointed out, the ball drops in the second part. Still, an ok song on an ok album, but no longer a jaw dropping stuff Yes had been able to produce on a regular basis in their 1971-1977 run.

Cinema - 35. It is a little more than a guitar solo masked as a song, but what a great solo it is. It kind of reminds me of Genesis and Steve Hackett.

City of Love - NR.  The song is just as good as anything on 90125 - I just don't like Jon Anderson's voice in a song this heavy. It might be that I am just so used to hearing him in his "angelic zone" that when he tries to sing edgy, it just does not feel right.

[pg1067]

And we keep on moving…




47 Mood for a Day (Fragile – 1)

Appeared on 6 of 17 entries
Top 10 finishes: 0
Highest Ranking: 16 (hefdaddy42)

Steve Howe’s second solo guitar piece is, in MY opinion, the best of the five individual pieces on Fragile.  At one point, I learned how to play it, to the distress of my band’s guitar player, who was already insecure about his own playing.  I ranked it at #32.


46 Lift Me Up (Union – 1)

Appeared on 6 of 17 entries
Top 10 finishes: 0
Highest Ranking: 12 (Stadler)

Lift Me Up was the lead single from the amalgamation of “Yes West” and Anderson Bruford Wakeman Howe.  Lift Me Up was a “Yes West” song and, AFAIC, is really just a Trevor Rabin solo piece.  It’s also the only song I know of that’s about a guy wanting to use a restroom.

[hefdaddy42]

I like both of these a lot.  I'm a little surprised that I was the highest ranker for Mood for a Day.

I am not a large fan of Union overall, but Lift Me Up is a decent song.

[HOF]

I did not rank either of these.

I forgot that I didn't rank any (but one) of the little solo pieces on Fragile. Never cared for the rest of them.

Haven't heard Union so don't know that track at all.

[Stadler]

88 - Mood For A Day
72 - City Of Love

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


"Mood For A Day" is my favorite Howe piece (the studio version of "Clap" from The Yes Album actually ends with a part that later became part of Mood For A Day!) but it didn't warrant ranking.

I LOVE "Lift Me Up".  I now know what it's about and it's still a great song but before that, I just thought it was a really uplifting song and it always made me happy.  I had visions of that song being played at any ceremony that might or might not happen once I shuffle off this mortal coil.  I respectfully think it's a bit more than Rabin solo; Squire gets a co-write on it, and I think it's at least Trevor, Chris and Alan (who knows if Tony Kaye played on it.  Honestly, I don't really care.)

[pg1067]

"Mood For A Day" is my favorite Howe piece (the studio version of "Clap" from The Yes Album actually ends with a part that later became part of Mood For A Day!) but it didn't

Is there a studio version of Clap??  The version on TYA was recorded at a live show in July 1970.

[romdrums]

47. Mood For A Day (NR). My favorite of Steve Howe's solo contributions to Yes, I just like the full band stuff more.

46. Lift Me Up (40). Not too far off the consensus here. I always found it interesting that, in the Union fiasco, ABWH got 10 of the 14 tracks on there, but they pull the Rabin-led YesWest song as the lead single. Just kinda funny to me. It is a solid song. I especially like the intro. Alan White does some really tasty drum work as well, and really lays into the chorus. Tony Kaye is most likely playing the Hammond parts, while Trevor is doing all of the other keyboard work.  All in all, this is another great example of what Trevor Rabin brought to the table during his tenure in the band. Wish there had been more!

[DTA]

Mood For A Day is such a cool guitar piece. Unranked for me, but it's hard to rank a solo guitar piece above the full band songs.

Lift Me Up is fun, and I was not surprised to see this be the song ARW pulled out from Union for the tour they did, but it's also unranked for me. Union has 3 songs in my top 50, and if I had a top 100, Lift Me Up probably would've made it.

[pg1067]

Lift Me Up is fun, and I was not surprised to see this be the song ARW pulled out from Union for the tour they did, but it's also unranked for me. Union has 3 songs in my top 50, and if I had a top 100, Lift Me Up probably would've made it.

Of the 87 songs I considered for the top 50, it came in at #65 - right behind Circus of Heaven.

[Stadler]

Of the 87 songs I considered for the top 50, it came in at #65 - right behind Circus of Heaven.

That's like putting a glass of a higher end Mondavi cabernet (Lift Me Up) next to a fifth Thunderbird (Circus Of Heaven).  That's downright blasphemy.  (For me, Circus Of Heaven was 166 out of 168).

[Stadler]

Is there a studio version of Clap??  The version on TYA was recorded at a live show in July 1970.

Yes, it's on the Steven Wilson remaster version of The Yes Album. 

[Mladen]

I had Mood for a day at #28. Along with Horizons by Genesis, it's my favorite acoustic instrumental in the entire genre. It's a glorious piece of music.

I didn't rank a single Union song. Therefore, no love for Lift me up from me.

[pg1067]

Lift Me Up is fun, and I was not surprised to see this be the song ARW pulled out from Union for the tour they did, but it's also unranked for me. Union has 3 songs in my top 50, and if I had a top 100, Lift Me Up probably would've made it.

Of the 87 songs I considered for the top 50, it came in at #65 - right behind Circus of Heaven.

That's like putting a glass of a higher end Mondavi cabernet (Lift Me Up) next to a fifth Thunderbird (Circus Of Heaven).  That's downright blasphemy.  (For me, Circus Of Heaven was 166 out of 168).

 

I ranked LMU several spots ahead of Arriving UFO.

Yes, it's on the Steven Wilson remaster version of The Yes Album. 

Just listened to that.  It's weird having that bit from Mood just dropped in the middle, and the lack of that final E6add9 chord is...just...wrong.

[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)

[TheHoveringSojourn808]

I had Mood for a Day at 35, and Lift Me Up at 33

Love me some Onion and I remember spending many days learning how to play Mood for a Day on the guitar when I was younger, really love those solo Howe spots on the early Yes albums

33. Lift Me Up
35. Mood For a Day

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

[pg1067]

Today’s entries…




45 Homeworld (The Ladder) (The Ladder – 1)

Appeared on 6 of 17 entries
Top 10 finishes: 0
Highest Ranking: 13 (DTA)

As I am starting to type this, I was going to write that I don’t think I’ve heard this song before.  However, it’s on the House of Yes DVD, so maybe I have heard it.  But I don’t remember it (and I’m pretty sure I’ve never heard the studio version), so here goes.  Not a bad song, but also nothing that really makes me feel like I want to add it to a play list.  One thing I’ve noticed about a lot of the post-Rabin material (and even some of the Rabin-era stuff) is that Chris Squire’s bass, which had that aggressive, growly tone throughout the classic years, was very restrained – not his playing necessarily, but the tone (which is odd given the quasi-post-grunge look they went with above).  Anyway, this is the only entry on the list from this album.


44 I Am Waiting (Talk – 1)

Appeared on 8 of 17 entries
Top 10 finishes: 1
Highest Ranking: 4 (devieira73)

Not much to say about this song.  I find Talk to be overrated around here, and (with all respect to those who ranked it) this song is a total dud.

[HOF]

Two more today that I don't know. Should check them out I suppose!

[Stadler]

96 - Homeworld (The Ladder)
88 - Mood For A Day
72 - City Of Love
57 - I Am Waiting

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


Yeah, two songs that don't crack the threshold.   I like Talk a lot, but I agree that it's overrated here, in that it's still the least of the Rabin era records, even if that puts it well ahead of some of the latter era Howe records.   I listened to The Ladder for this, and I remember putting it on (by accident!) while I was painting my old living room, and really enjoying it.  Homeworld is interesting for it's role in a video game (that I've never played) and I love the rationale for the concept of "the ladder" (Beatles references almost always work for me) but it's not a record I go back to much.  I think Homeworld is the highest ranked song from that album.

[romdrums]

45. Homeworld (The Ladder) (63). The Ladder has its moments, and it probably would have been a pretty decent EP, but buy and large it missed the mark with me. This track and New Language are the clear highlights. This is just proggy enough for me.

44. I Am Waiting (49). Just made the cut on my top 50. I really like Trevor's lead guitar work on this, and of course, Alan and Chris do a fantastic job giving this song some heft when needed. I think this is one of the songs that Rabin and Anderson were probably the most collaborative on, as they both spoke highly of it when the album came out.

[devieira73]

The main guitar melody that carries the whole song is one of those rare inspirations in music, reminding me a lot of the grandeur of Deep Purple's equally fantastic "Sometimes I Feel Like Screaming". I Am Waiting (my# 4) has grandiose and really beautiful arrangements and melodies all around, with an excellent use of dynamics. The album's unique production adds a lot to it too. It's my favorite Yes ballad and still a very proggy one, which is its special spice. Total dud?! Man... talk about very different tastes and perceptions here! 
Out of curiosity, it's a song that still has some airplay on soft rock, pop ballads radio here in Brazil (at least until 10 years ago).

Wow, someonelse ranked Homeworld (my #16) above me! Nice! What I have to say, I love Yes when blending prog with somewhat more accesible sound. The Ladder is a Howe's era album made with Rabin's era spirit and totally nails it IMO. It's my favorite song off the album, at least on that I agree with the consensus here.

[Stadler]

The main guitar melody that carries the whole song is one of those rare inspirations in music, reminding me a lot of the grandeur of Deep Purple's equally fantastic "Sometimes I Feel Like Screaming". I Am Waiting (my# 4) has grandiose and really beautiful arrangements and melodies all around, with an excellent use of dynamics. The album's unique production adds a lot to it too. It's my favorite Yes ballad and still a very proggy one, which is its special spice. Total dud?! Man... talk about very different tastes and perceptions here! 
Out of curiosity, it's a song that still has some airplay on soft rock, pop ballads radio here in Brazil (at least until 10 years ago).

I never made that association, but I get it!  Nice!  SIFLS is on some days my favorite Morse-era DP song.

[DTA]

Not surprised I was the highest Homeworld ranker based on the comments about post-90125 Yes earlier in this thread. I think The Ladder is brilliant, and aside from a few iffy moments, stands pretty high among my Yes album rankings. I love the melody that kicks off in the beginning, and think it is very strong melodically. The bridge is really fun too. I think that's why I like this album so much, it has a really fun, whimsical vibe throughout.

I Am Waiting was #18 for me. It has an absolutely beautiful melody and just brings me back to some wonderful place in my distant memory of childhood. I could do without the weird, heavy bridge, but the rest of the song is absolute gold.

[devieira73]

Cool! Sometimes... is my favorite DP Morse era song!

I never made that association, but I get it!  Nice!  SIFLS is on some days my favorite Morse-era DP song.

[Animal]

Catching up

A Mood for a Day - 33 One of the two solo pieces whose existence on Fragile is justified. A pleasant tune with a baroquish feel, but unlike the other Howe's solo piece, I never felt compelled to learn it.

Lift me Up - NRNH  (Not ranked,not heard ) Many of the victims of me being a shitty fan and knowing only small parts of discography of almost any band, even the ones I profess to like a lot. There is just too much great music to be a completionist

Homeworld - NRNH

I am Waiting - 49   A solid song, kind of typical Rabin-era tune. I can't say whether Talk is overrated (I'd never say it actually as I hate the word "overated"), as it is one of the only two Rabin era albums I know.

[pg1067]

The main guitar melody that carries the whole song is one of those rare inspirations in music, reminding me a lot of the grandeur of Deep Purple's equally fantastic "Sometimes I Feel Like Screaming". I Am Waiting (my# 4) has grandiose and really beautiful arrangements and melodies all around, with an excellent use of dynamics. The album's unique production adds a lot to it too. It's my favorite Yes ballad and still a very proggy one, which is its special spice. Total dud?! Man... talk about very different tastes and perceptions here! 

Yeah...that's really it.

I just listened to a live version from 1994 to see if that made a difference.  It didn't.  While I love 90125, I'm really not a fan of the rest of the Rabin era, and I figured out that one reason why is that his playing and the production of the material sounds very...I don't know..."synthetic" to my ears.

I also think there's something to the circumstances of hearing music for the first time.  There was a HUGE (for the time) gap between 90125 and Big Generator, and I was mostly paying attention to metal during that time.  BG was released, and I didn't care too much for the two singles, but I did start getting into classic Yes in 1988.  I can still remember sitting in my car at lunch and absorbing CTTE and TFTO.  I even wrote a couple verses that were inspired by CTTE (I still have the notebook somewhere).  Anyway...I enjoyed ABWH, although talk about "synthetic."  Never a huge Union fan, but the concerts were some of my favorites ever.  After the Union conglomeration went their separate ways, Yes was completely off my radar.  I was HEAVILY into Dream Theater and Fates Warning when Talk was released, and I didn't even know it had been released.  It was also shortly after my wife had moved out to CA, so that ate up a lot of time I used to devote to music.  I found Talk in a bargain bin probably 2-5 years after it was released.  I bought it, but I didn't actually listen to it until a few years later.  It was one of those, "oh...I forgot I had that" moments.  I don't know if anything from Talk would have resonated with me had I listened in 1994, but it absolutely did not any of the half dozen or so times I've listened to it since then.  It also obviously doesn't help that nothing from Talk has been played live in the last 30 years.

[devieira73]

I listened to Talk a lot at the time of its release and, guess what? The Talk tour was the first time I saw Yes live and it was an amazing show with A LOT of Talk songs!! And The Calling and I Am Waiting were playing on radio, wasn't incredible? Really fond memories from that time... so, of course, I'm very emotionally attached to this album.
I liked the "ultra modern" (at the time) quality of the production, but it's a bit odd and sounds "synthetic" nowadays, no doubt.

[Mladen]

Homeworld was my #16. It's awesome to see some appreciation for it, what a great modern day Yes epic, it's memorable start to finish. Count me in as yet another fan of The Ladder, it's my favorite post-Drama Yes album. I am surprised Homeworld is the only track that made it, since New languages is almost just as good.

I am waiting was my #34. A beautiful songs from a fine album. Kudos to devieira73 for making the SIFLS connection, it does remind me of it now. 

[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)

[pg1067]

Two very off-the-wall songs for today!




43 – Leave It (90125 – 3)

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

This is definitely one of the more unique songs in Yes’s catalog or anyone’s.  An almost completely vocal-centered song with multi-part harmonies.  The music video was all over MTV in 1983-84, and there were a staggering 18 different versions (although only one got most of the airplay).  It was really a genius bit of promotion, which even included a “making of” documentary and a “marathon” that showed all 18 versions consecutively.  All that said, it didn’t make my top 50.




42 – The Ancient (Giants under the Sun) (Tales from Topographic Oceans – 1)

Appeared on 6 of 17 entries
Top 10 finishes: 1
Highest Ranking: 8 (Mladen)

And we have the first entry from the “controversial” Tales from Topographic Oceans.  Following up Close to the Edge was no easy task.  It would have been surprising if the band had released an album more like Tormato, full of relatively short, more accessible songs, but Yes went the other direction.  Four side-long songs.  The Ancient is the third song on the album and easily the most difficult to digest.  The first 12 minutes of this 18 1/2 minute song is basically a bass and drum vamp with a bunch of frenetic guitar and keyboard parts over the top.  Arguably one of the most avant-garde pieces in the Yes catalog.  You can also learn how to say “sun” in 20 or so different languages.  Most of the remaining six minutes (an edited version of which was released as a single called “Leaves of Green”) feature Steve Howe on classical guitar with vocals over the second half before a short ending that reverts back to the first part of the song.  I ranked this song at #29.

[Orbert]

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.

"The Ancient" is definitely weird and takes the longest to get into, but I like it.  Yeah, there are a few times the "intro" (which as pointed out is really like the first 2/3 of the song) seems to go on a bit, but the "Leaves of Green" section is so great, so cathartic, that it's worth it.  Maybe that's the point.  I have no idea.

[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)