26. Yes - The Yes Album
When I think about a classic Yes album, my mind, like the minds of most fans goes directly to the band’s 1972 effort Close to the Edge. However I feel that two albums prior to that album the band may have very well recorded something that is quite possibly an equal to the much better known Close to the Edge.
Picking up where Time and a Word left off, The Yes Album represents the solid foundation of the band’s future identity, while flawlessly executing the new styles woven into it. One could chalk this up to simple growth as a band, a maturity of musical ideas, but I think, and plenty of Yes fans would agree that the addition of guitarist Steve Howe probably had something to do with it too.
Howe’s presence is felt early on the record, having several leads in the opening track “Yours is No Disgrace” that now people would simply say are “Howe-like”. He has a beautiful way on the album of bringing the guitar to the center of the music without any amount of heaviness, and without drowning out any of the other instruments. The second song, “The Clap” is simply a live rendition of Howe in London with an acoustic guitar performing a diddy that remains a live staple to this day. The man simply has a beauty and technique to his playing that is simply mesmerizing.
The rest of Yes certainly have their moments on the disc as well. Gentle use of the organ by Tony Kaye and soothing yet soaring vocals by Jon Anderson certainly power “Starship Trooper”, while Chris Squire’s bass lays the fundamental groundwork for the Yes classic “I’ve Seen All Good People”. And of course Bill Bruford manages to add his own spark to things throughout the album.
Although many would say that The Yes Album was simply a stepping stone towards greater things I would certainly argue that the band had already arrived at the first of several masterpieces with the record. The album is prog-rock in its purest form, yet it might be the most accessible album the band ever produced, despite obvious attempts at commercialization in their later years. Whether you are listening to the album intently or in the background it will put a smile on your face, as it manages simply to be enjoyed, and does not require the concentration of Close to the Edge, or especially Tales From Topographic Oceans.
While most consider Close to the Edge THE Yes album, and many proggers consider it to be the brightest star in the entire prog sky, if I ran into somebody and had no clue about their musical taste, and I wanted to show them what Yes was capable of, I would be giving them The Yes Album.
Favorite tracks: Starship Troopers, Yours is No Disgrace, Perpetual Change
Honorable mention: Vanden Plas - The God Thing
Topic: Nick's Top 50 Thread v. Ending Themes (Read 63773 times)
