The Official Yes Thread

[DTA]

Endless Dream is great, but it feels less like an epic and more like just a long song. The Talk section is glorious (especially the chorus/ending section) and probably the most satisfying musical moment from the entire YesWest era.

If I was to rank the Yes epics:

1. The Gates of Delirium
2. Close To The Edge
3. The Revealing Science Of Good
4. Awaken
5. The Remembering
6. Fly From Here
7. Mind Drive
8. That That Is
9. Endless Dream
10. Ritual
11. The Ancient

[Trav86]

Endless Dream is great, but it feels less like an epic and more like just a long song. The Talk section is glorious (especially the chorus/ending section) and probably the most satisfying musical moment from the entire YesWest era.

If I was to rank the Yes epics:

1. The Gates of Delirium
2. Close To The Edge
3. The Revealing Science Of Good
4. Awaken
5. The Remembering
6. Fly From Here
7. Mind Drive
8. That That Is
9. Endless Dream
10. Ritual
11. The Ancient

My immediate thought is that I would switch 1 and 2. But some of these I haven’t listened to in ages. I think I’ll take some time this weekend and just go through them.

[romdrums]

Ranking the Yes epics:

1. Close to the Edge
2. The Gates of Delirium
3. Awaken
4. Endless Dream
5. Mind Drive
6. Ritual
7. The Remembering
8. The Revealing Science of God
9. That That Is
10. The Ancient

[Stadler]

Ranking the Yes epics:

1. Awaken
2. The Revealing Science of God
3. Close To The Edge
4. The Gates of Delirium
5. The Remembering
6. Endless Dream
7. The Ritual
8. The Ancient
9. Mind Drive
10. That That Is
 

[TheHoveringSojourn808]

Ranking the Yes epics:

1. Awaken
2. The Revealing Science of God
3. Close To The Edge
4. The Gates of Delirium
5. The Remembering
6. Endless Dream
7. The Ritual
8. The Ancient
9. Mind Drive
10. That That Is
 

Hard to argue with this. I might put The Ritual higher but that's about it

[pg1067]

Not sure where we're cutting the length, but I'd probably go with (using 10 minutes as the cutoff):

1. Close to the Edge
2. The Gates of Delirium
3. Awaken
4. Heart of the Sunrise
5. The Revealing Science of God
6. Ritual (no "The")
7. The Remembering
8. And You and I
9. Machine Messiah
10. Mind Drive
11. The Ancient
12. That That Is
13. Endless Dream

[TheHoveringSojourn808]

I wouldn't count And You And I as an epic. That one is just one of the most beautiful love songs ever

[pg1067]

HOTS, AYAI and Messiah all fall in the 10-11 minute range, but I thought they should be in there.

[Stadler]

HOTS, AYAI and Messiah all fall in the 10-11 minute range, but I thought they should be in there.

HOTS and AYAI would be in my top five if I counted them.

[pg1067]

Did we ever do a Yes song countdown?

EDIT:  Just checked, and it looks like the answer is no.  Who'd be interested?

[TheHoveringSojourn808]

idk what a song countdown is but count me in!! i love Yes so much

[Mladen]

I'd absolutely be in. 

[Architeuthis]

If I had to pick my favorite song off of each Rabin era album..
90125 - Changes
Big Generator - Shoot High Aim Low
Union - Lift Me Up
Talk - Endless Dream

That would be cool to listen to those songs in that order.

[Stadler]

Did we ever do a Yes song countdown?

EDIT:  Just checked, and it looks like the answer is no.  Who'd be interested?

Hard core in.

[Stadler]

If I had to pick my favorite song off of each Rabin era album..
90125 - Changes
Big Generator - Shoot High Aim Low
Union - Lift Me Up
Talk - Endless Dream

That would be cool to listen to those songs in that order.

Hearts, but other than that...

[hefdaddy42]

Did we ever do a Yes song countdown?

EDIT:  Just checked, and it looks like the answer is no.  Who'd be interested?

I would probably participate.

[King Postwhore]

I'd be in.

[romdrums]

I'd be in.

Same here.

[pg1067]

idk what a song countdown is but count me in!! i love Yes so much

Here's an example: https://www.dreamtheaterforums.org/boards/index.php?topic=58197.0 .  We just completed a DT songs countdown, and we've done Queen, Rush, Iron Maiden, Van Halen, Fates Warning, and a few others.


What do you all think?  Top 30?  50 seems like it might be too much given that a lot of their albums only had 3-4 songs, and there's probably some lack of familiarity with the last 5 or so albums.

[Trav86]

Has been mentioned yet that Yes are going on tour to support Deep Purple?

[Stadler]

idk what a song countdown is but count me in!! i love Yes so much

Look at some of the other ones; I think you might dig it.

[Stadler]

Has been mentioned yet that Yes are going on tour to support Deep Purple?

I've sworn off Yes, mostly - No Chris Squire, No Yes, IMO - but with DP, in the right venue for the right price, I might.

[jammindude]

Did we ever do a Yes song countdown?

EDIT:  Just checked, and it looks like the answer is no.  Who'd be interested?

I might be interested, but it would depend on how long a list it was. Yes catalog is so spotty that I’m not sure I could do a top 100. Maybe a top 50.

Yes is a band that has 23 albums, 8 of which I know like the back of my hand, another 4 or 5 I know somewhat, another 3-4 that I own but never listened to beyond the first few spins when I bought it, and the rest I’ve never heard at all.  So I’m more than a little bit spotty on my knowledge of their body of work.

[pg1067]

The first 10 albums (through Drama) have only 60 songs.  If you omit the first two albums, it's only 44 songs on 8 albums.  I think that, like you, Ben, most all of us know the first Howe-era albums intimately.

Then you have 38 songs on the 4 Rabin-era albums.  I suspect most of us have a pretty good grasp of at least 2 of these albums.

9 songs on ABWH, which I'd be inclined to include.

7 more on the Keys albums.

Then there are 68 songs on the 7 post-Keys albums (plus From a Page).

So...that's 182 songs to pull from, but I think only a small handful of people are really knowledgeable enough on the post-Rabin albums.  There's no way I'd do a top 100 and probably wouldn't do a top 75.  I think 30 might be the right number, but I'd do 50 if that's what most folks want.  I could also do what Kev did with Queensryche and limit it to the pre-Keys catalog.

[The Letter M]

The first 10 albums (through Drama) have only 60 songs.  If you omit the first two albums, it's only 44 songs on 8 albums.  I think that, like you, Ben, most all of us know the first Howe-era albums intimately.

Then you have 38 songs on the 4 Rabin-era albums.  I suspect most of us have a pretty good grasp of at least 2 of these albums.

9 songs on ABWH, which I'd be inclined to include.

7 more on the Keys albums.

Then there are 68 songs on the 7 post-Keys albums (plus From a Page).

So...that's 182 songs to pull from, but I think only a small handful of people are really knowledgeable enough on the post-Rabin albums.  There's no way I'd do a top 100 and probably wouldn't do a top 75.  I think 30 might be the right number, but I'd do 50 if that's what most folks want.  I could also do what Kev did with Queensryche and limit it to the pre-Keys catalog.

How about a Top 55, since this year marks the 55th anniversary of their debut album? That would be the top 30% of Yes songs if the 182 count is correct (though I know there are some non-album songs and B-Sides that probably wouldn't matter anyways).

-Marc.

[jammindude]

Re: Rabin-era - This might seem weird, but through a weird combination of timing and “stars not aligning”, I’m extremely familiar with 90125 and Talk, but never heard BG at all. Don’t even own it. I may have heard one of the singles when it was new, but based on the fact that it was panned when it came out, and I just wasn’t listening to that type of music at the time, I just never got around to it.

[Stadler]

Re: Rabin-era - This might seem weird, but through a weird combination of timing and “stars not aligning”, I’m extremely familiar with 90125 and Talk, but never heard BG at all. Don’t even own it. I may have heard one of the singles when it was new, but based on the fact that it was panned when it came out, and I just wasn’t listening to that type of music at the time, I just never got around to it.

Ben, give it a spin.  One thing I will say about the Rabin years: CONSISTENT as all get out.  It's really hard for me to sort them in any cohesive way.  To that end, BG has like four songs that could be top five for me (Rabin years only).  Plus, it's an incredible SOUNDING record as well.

[Stadler]

You've got to include the b-sides.  I know one will DEFINITELY make my list, maybe two. 

I'll help compile the song list if need be.

I vote 50 (or 55). 

[pg1067]

You've got to include the b-sides.  I know one will DEFINITELY make my list, maybe two. 

I'll help compile the song list if need be.

I vote 50 (or 55).

Like what?

The only one I know is America.  I normally wouldn't be inclined to include a cover song, but Yes's version sounds almost NOTHING like the original.

Slightly off-topic, but I used to have this recurring dream being in a record store (or it might have been some random department store) and stumbling upon a series of "lost" Yes albums (sort of like a multi-album version of TFTO).  I would wake up feeling like it was so real.  I'd head off to the record store and look but never find anything.   

[hefdaddy42]

What do you all think?  Top 30?  50 seems like it might be too much given that a lot of their albums only had 3-4 songs, and there's probably some lack of familiarity with the last 5 or so albums.

Top 30 sounds good to me.

[Stadler]

Like what?

The only one I know is America.  I normally wouldn't be inclined to include a cover song, but Yes's version sounds almost NOTHING like the original.

Slightly off-topic, but I used to have this recurring dream being in a record store (or it might have been some random department store) and stumbling upon a series of "lost" Yes albums (sort of like a multi-album version of TFTO).  I would wake up feeling like it was so real.  I'd head off to the record store and look but never find anything.   

Dear Father
America
Abilene
Money (Not a b-side, but officially released)
Make It East (Not a b-side but officially released)

[The Letter M]

Dear Father
America
Abilene
Money (Not a b-side, but officially released)
Make It East (Not a b-side but officially released)

Ah yes, the Yes West song "Make It East". 

-Marc.

[Stadler]

Ah yes, the Yes West song "Make It East". 

-Marc.

WOW, that's a Freudian slip, innit?   

For the rest, the song is "Make It Easy", and the intro is often played as an intro to "Owner Of A Lonely Heart" live. 

[pg1067]

I forgot about those outtakes on the box set.  So I guess it would be

Dear Father (which I'd have sworn was an album track, but no)
America
Vevey (Parts 1 and 2)
Montreux's Theme
Money
Abilene
Run with the Fox
Make It Easy
Love Conquers All

I included America, despite being a cover, since it sounds almost nothing like a cover (if I did a Judas Priest countdown, I'd include Diamonds and Rust and The Green Manalishi for the same reasons).  However, I didn't include I'm Down since it's basically the same as the original.

[The Letter M]

WOW, that's a Freudian slip, innit?   

For the rest, the song is "Make It Easy", and the intro is often played as an intro to "Owner Of A Lonely Heart" live. 

Considering Rabin is South African, I've been waiting for Yes South to happen for awhile.

-Marc.