Author Topic: The Yes Discography: Mirror to the Sky (2023)  (Read 88918 times)

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Offline Jaq

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Re: The Yes Discography: Time And A Word (1970)
« Reply #35 on: June 07, 2012, 06:36:32 PM »
Time and a Word, moreso than the first album, is where you can see them "becoming" Yes, though it took the arrival of Steve Howe and Rick Wakeman for them to become the Yes we know today. The fact that the title track for this album fits neatly on the live album Yessongs is all you need to consider for how the band Yes became was always there, it just took a while to show fully.
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Offline Orbert

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Re: The Yes Discography: Time And A Word (1970)
« Reply #36 on: June 07, 2012, 09:31:30 PM »
"Time and a Word" appeared on Yesshows, the second live album, not Yessongs, but your point is well taken.  Yes has always had a "regular short songs" side to them; it just got lost for a little while there in the 70's.

Offline LieLowTheWantedMan

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Re: The Yes Discography: Time And A Word (1970)
« Reply #37 on: June 08, 2012, 12:13:47 AM »
I love Time and a Word. Very underrated album. :)

Offline Implode

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Re: The Yes Discography: Time And A Word (1970)
« Reply #38 on: June 08, 2012, 08:38:05 PM »
Come on Obert! Let's get to an album I've heard!

Offline Orbert

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Re: The Yes Discography: Time And A Word (1970)
« Reply #39 on: June 08, 2012, 09:31:51 PM »
Almost there.  I know that the first two aren't as well-known, but some people only check the boards every couple of days or so, and we did get a new comment this morning.  Maybe over the weekend.


(And it's Orbert.  Two R's, just not next to each other.)

Offline Gadough

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Re: The Yes Discography: Time And A Word (1970)
« Reply #40 on: June 08, 2012, 09:33:18 PM »
Orbert has had the tiger avatar for years now. I propose we start calling him Grrbert.
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Offline The Letter M

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Re: The Yes Discography: Time And A Word (1970)
« Reply #41 on: June 08, 2012, 09:37:20 PM »
Almost there.  I know that the first two aren't as well-known, but some people only check the boards every couple of days or so, and we did get a new comment this morning.  Maybe over the weekend.


(And it's Orbert.  Two R's, just not next to each other.)

Are we moving on to The Yes Album next? I know it was released next, chronologically, but if we're throwing in EVERYTHING, based on recorded performances, the live album/compilation Beyond And Before would come next as it chronicles live versions of songs from the band's first two albums. It's an interesting listen and a great look in to what the band sounded like live for their first couple years/albums/tours.

-Marc.
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Offline Jaq

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Re: The Yes Discography: Time And A Word (1970)
« Reply #42 on: June 08, 2012, 10:18:19 PM »
"Time and a Word" appeared on Yesshows, the second live album, not Yessongs, but your point is well taken.  Yes has always had a "regular short songs" side to them; it just got lost for a little while there in the 70's.

I always get those two mixed up, and what's worse is I own them both.   :lol
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Offline Orbert

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Re: The Yes Discography: Time And A Word (1970)
« Reply #43 on: June 09, 2012, 12:13:12 AM »
I never picked up Beyond and Before so no, it won't be covered.  In fact, I'd completely forgotten that it existed, as it came later and I don't know if it's considered an official release.

Offline Implode

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Re: The Yes Discography: Time And A Word (1970)
« Reply #44 on: June 09, 2012, 12:42:29 PM »
(And it's Orbert.  Two R's, just not next to each other.)

My mistake. Won't happen again, sir.  :blush

Offline ytserush

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Re: The Yes Discography: Time And A Word (1970)
« Reply #45 on: June 09, 2012, 01:32:50 PM »
Almost there.  I know that the first two aren't as well-known, but some people only check the boards every couple of days or so, and we did get a new comment this morning.  Maybe over the weekend.


(And it's Orbert.  Two R's, just not next to each other.)

Are we moving on to The Yes Album next? I know it was released next, chronologically, but if we're throwing in EVERYTHING, based on recorded performances, the live album/compilation Beyond And Before would come next as it chronicles live versions of songs from the band's first two albums. It's an interesting listen and a great look in to what the band sounded like live for their first couple years/albums/tours.

-Marc.
I think Beyond and Before is the BBC Sessions from that period. It's been released under a number of different names such as The Millenium Collection, which is the 2CD set I have.  It's been a while since I've put it on because the fidelity really isn't up to snuff.

I'm not sure you could even call it "official," but it's a fairly good document for those that are curious about what Peter Banks brought to the band live in those days.

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Re: The Yes Discography: Time And A Word (1970)
« Reply #46 on: June 09, 2012, 01:51:07 PM »
Orbert, though my passion for Yes is probably equal to yours, I don't have a fraction of your knowledge behind the music, and just want to thank you for your insight, it's just plain awesome to learn so much more about my favorite band. That goes for you other guys too, music theory and history were never my wrongdoings, and I appreciate the education.

Offline Orbert

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Re: The Yes Discography: Time And A Word (1970)
« Reply #47 on: June 09, 2012, 08:18:39 PM »
You're welcome.  I'm just glad I can contribute something to this forum.  I was digging the Rush Song of the Day thread, and all the discussions about the individual songs, and I've been listening to Genesis almost as long, and have been trying to stir up some more in-depth talks during the survivor, but that format really isn't conducive to really deep analysis.

So I tried to think of a band I could do something for, a band I knew a lot about and have been listening to for a long time, and could blab about and hopefully stir up some good conversation, but I came up empty for quite a while.  Then one day I looked at my signature.

 :facepalm:

Offline Orbert

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Re: The Yes Discography: Time And A Word (1970)
« Reply #48 on: June 09, 2012, 08:20:54 PM »
(And it's Orbert.  Two R's, just not next to each other.)

My mistake. Won't happen again, sir.  :blush

Okay then.

Actually, it's not an uncommon mistake.  I've seen it mistyped as "Obert" probably half a dozen times.  Over a period of several years, but still, it's about the only misspelling I've ever seen, so it's stuck with me.  Weird.

Offline Orbert

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The Yes Discography: The Yes Album (1971)
« Reply #49 on: June 09, 2012, 09:57:53 PM »
The Yes Album (1971)



Jon Anderson - Lead Vocals
Bill Bruford - Drums
Steve Howe - Guitar, Vocals
Tony Kaye - Keyboards
Chris Squire - Bass, Vocals

----------

The Yes Album was not the first album by Yes, but it was the first one released in the U.S., and its title could easily be that of a debut album, a clever alternative to the standard eponymous release.  It was also the first album to have a song break into the U.S. charts ("I've Seen All Good People"), and most important to many, this is the first album with Steve Howe on guitar.  And finally, it is the first Yes album to contain all original material; no covers.  It is generally considered the first album in the classic 70's main sequence.

Thus far, I've tried to somewhat downplay the significance of Steve Howe joining the band, partly because IMO Peter Banks is a very underrated guitarist and did an excellent job on the first two albums, and partly because I feel a bit sorry for anyone who is kicked out of a band on the verge of superstardom.  Yes claims that the split was amicable, or even that Banks quit; Banks says he was fired.

The biggest change that came with this album wasn't the sound so much as it was the songwriting and playing.  We still have a lot of instrumental excursions between verses and elsewhere throughout the songs, but they are more sophisticated.  Guitar, keyboards, bass, and drums are all very strong and each given their moments to shine, as before.  The three-part harmonies are still present, with Howe providing the low tenor harmony as Banks used to do.  The difference is the songs themselves.  The songs on this album show both greater ambition and greater maturity than those on the first two albums.

Side One opens with "Yours Is No Disgrace" which at nine and one-half minutes was the longest Yessong to date.  In a way, it starts similarly to how the previous album starts; with a fanfare.  This time, however, its a tutti fanfare from Mr. Howe with Mr. Squire and Mr. Bruford, and they are joined by Mr. Kaye providing contrast on his blazing Hammond Organ.  "Yours Is No Disgrace" goes through many changes, but keeps returning to the same theme, the same verse and chorus, so it never feels like a song artificially padded by long solos, or composed of shorter bits pieced together.  It's a song that just happens to be pretty long and have a lot of changes, and it was to become a Yes concert staple for years to come.

We are then treated to the first of what would eventually become many acoustic guitar solos from Steve Howe.  I think it says something when you're the new guitarist in a band, and they let you have an acoustic solo, even placing it second on the album.  The tune was named "Clap" by Steve Howe, but the recording is live and you can hear it being introduced as "The Clap" by Jon Anderson, and it is also titled that way on the album.  I guess if you're the new guitarist and they let you have an acoustic solo, you take it, and you don't complain that they got the name wrong.  Side One concludes with "Starship Trooper", another nine-and-a-half minute song, this time a three-part suite and another fan favorite.

Side Two opens with "I've Seen All Good People", a two-part suite consisting of "Your Move" and "All Good People" and as mentioned, the first song to break into the U.S. charts.  The album is rounded out with "A Venture", a short song by Anderson which opens and closes with piano solos by Tony Kaye, and "Perpetual Change", another longish song (just under nine minutes) and whose title would become something of a joke mantra for the band itself, among some fans.  Yes has released 20 studio albums over the course of 40 years, but have never gone more than two consecutive albums without a personnel change.  Almost prophetically, this album was their first change, and contains the song "Perpetual Change".

----------

Flash (1972)



After The Yes Album, Tony Kaye would leave Yes for over a decade, and join a new band being formed by former Yesman Peter Banks.  The debut album of the band Flash is somewhat more progressive than Time and a Word, consisting of only five songs, three of which are nine minutes or longer, and the instrumental work is strong, resembling early Yes for obvious reasons.  In terms of "progressivity", it is about comparable to The Yes Album.  I encourage fans of early Yes to check out this excellent first album by something of a Yes offshoot.

Tony Kaye left Flash after the first album, and they did not replace him, although Peter Banks did play some keyboards on the second album, In the Can.  It is not as strong as the debut album, and IMO the third album was weaker still, so basically I'm not going to follow Flash anymore in this discography.
« Last Edit: June 22, 2015, 04:41:29 PM by Orbert »

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Re: The Yes Discography: The Yes Album (1971)
« Reply #50 on: June 10, 2012, 01:58:12 AM »
I first off have to say that the next four albums, especially Yessongs, defined my musical life.

I had four older brothers, the oldest 9 years my senior.  When I was six or seven, he was a Dj at his HS radio station, and was spinning this one and the others constantly.  Even at that young age, I was in love, and would listen to nothing else till about age ten or so when I discovered bands like The Who, The Kinks, Rush, and Triumph, but up to that point, it was all about Yes.

The four big songs, All Good People, Perpetual Change, Starship Trooper, and Yours is no Disgrace, have been the soundtrack of my life, have dictated my base philosophy, and have helped shape my spirituality, I really can't put into words what these songs mean to me, especially Your Move/All Good People and Perpetual Change, I live and breathe still today by what I learned from those pieces at such a young age.  As you can imagine, with this type of start in music, my standards were high, and it took me a long time to realize that all bands weren't going to be that good, that I had been given the golden ticket on my first go round.

Offline Jaq

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Re: The Yes Discography: The Yes Album (1971)
« Reply #51 on: June 10, 2012, 07:56:17 AM »
And with the arrival of Steve Howe, Yes truly begins to BECOME Yes. Wakeman and White are still to come-and really, White tends to be criminally overlooked by some prog heads because he's not Bruford-but this is the first album you could point at and really say "This is Yes." A quantum leap forward from the previous album yet still being recognizably the same band. While I think Banks is a great guitarist, I simply can't overlook the arrival of Howe in terms of what it meant to the band. Much like the arrival of Jordan Rudess did for DT, Howe's arrival kicked the rest of the  band into high gear. Amazing album, which I actually prefer to Fragile in terms of the main sequence albums-nothing's touching Close to the Edge, man. Nothing. The Yes Album is one of the most essential albums in prog rock history.
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Offline KevShmev

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Re: The Yes Discography: The Yes Album (1971)
« Reply #52 on: June 10, 2012, 12:03:14 PM »
I have maintained for the longest time that The Yes Album is their 2nd best 70s album (behind only Close to the Edge).  And I still feel that way.  It has that perfect blend of rock and prog, without ever going overboard into either (unlike Tales..., for example).

Starship Trooper is still a top 3 Yes song for me. :hat

Offline Pols Voice

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Re: The Yes Discography: The Yes Album (1971)
« Reply #53 on: June 10, 2012, 02:18:17 PM »
My second favorite Yes album. It has such a positive energy to it. Starship Trooper is just amazing, especially the Würm section, which culminates with one of Steve Howe's best guitar solos. Yours is No Disgrace is another of my top Yes tracks. 
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Offline Nekov

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Re: The Yes Discography: The Yes Album (1971)
« Reply #54 on: June 10, 2012, 08:37:18 PM »
Here is where the magic really begins. Great album
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Re: The Yes Discography: The Yes Album (1971)
« Reply #55 on: June 10, 2012, 09:15:29 PM »
Listened to it today for the first time in ages. Man I forgot how good that album was.
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Offline Orbert

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Re: The Yes Discography: The Yes Album (1971)
« Reply #56 on: June 10, 2012, 10:24:59 PM »
Yes continued to grow stronger as they entered the 70's.  People have different favorites and differing opinions on which is the best or strongest or "most prog" (none of which are necessarily the same thing) album, but pretty much everyone agrees that starting with The Yes Album, things really took off.  Songs got longer, and instrumental pyrotechnics continued to develop.  Neither of these factors will necessarily make a song or an album "better", but in the case of Yes, it played to their strengths.  They were quite comfortable with longer compositions which gave them time to develop an idea, or just take it and run, and they had a lot of musical talent in the band, so those instrumental sections could be quite complex.  They were written and arranged instrumentals at least as often as they were "regular" solos with the rest of the band serving as backup.

As mentioned in the OP, there was a growing subgenre of rock music meant not for dancing, but for listening.  And if you're going to just sit and listen to the music, there's only so many extra-long guitar solos you can bear, so the scored instrumentals performed with bona fide virtuosity became a hallmark of "art rock".  Some called it pretentious.  After all, this isn't classical music; it's only rock and roll (but I like it).

Offline ytserush

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Re: The Yes Discography: The Yes Album (1971)
« Reply #57 on: June 10, 2012, 11:41:23 PM »
I guess if you held a gun to my head, this would be my favorite Yes album ever. I don't think it ever gets better than this. (I'd choose this over Fragile any day of the week.)

Again, it's Tony Kaye who is one of the major stars on this. For me it's almost as it Tony Kaye is a completely different person than he would be when he returned a decade later. There's a chemistry here that has never been equaled although it comes close a bunch of times.

Maybe it's the Hammond B fetish I have.

I love the innocence of the whole thing, like they really didn't know what they were doing, but it was very honest if not majestic.

Offline Orbert

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Re: The Yes Discography: The Yes Album (1971)
« Reply #58 on: June 11, 2012, 06:22:41 AM »
I think that that's a large part of it.  They were young and full of energy and ideas, and there was no sense of "you can't do that".  They kept pushing and pushing, and in the early 70's, you could actually do that.

Offline Mladen

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Re: The Yes Discography: The Yes Album (1971)
« Reply #59 on: June 11, 2012, 12:44:46 PM »
This was my first Yes album and it didn't blow me away initially. However, time has shown how good this album actually is, and now it stands among my favorites. Starship trooper is one of their better crafted songs, Perpetual change and Yours is no disgrace are indisputable prog classics, and songs like I've seen all good people just make me happy. It was a sign of good things to come and it laid the foundation for the masterpieces that followed.

Offline KevShmev

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Re: The Yes Discography: The Yes Album (1971)
« Reply #60 on: June 11, 2012, 01:37:30 PM »
I guess if you held a gun to my head, this would be my favorite Yes album ever. I don't think it ever gets better than this. (I'd choose this over Fragile any day of the week.)

Again, it's Tony Kaye who is one of the major stars on this. For me it's almost as it Tony Kaye is a completely different person than he would be when he returned a decade later. There's a chemistry here that has never been equaled although it comes close a bunch of times.

Maybe it's the Hammond B fetish I have.

I love the innocence of the whole thing, like they really didn't know what they were doing, but it was very honest if not majestic.

Yeah, I don't know what happened to Tony Kaye.  Even when I saw Yes in 1994, his playing was a bit subdued, and Rabin even handled some of the keyboard duties, on the Talk album and on the tour.

Offline Orbert

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Re: The Yes Discography: The Yes Album (1971)
« Reply #61 on: June 11, 2012, 03:23:39 PM »
Yes in the 80's and early 90's was little more than Trevor Rabin's backup band.  I'll get into the history of that when we get to 90125, but basically, Rabin played most of the keyboards on the Yes albums he wrote, even if it said Tony Kaye in the credits.  Rabin's primary concern was getting his music out there, and was willing to play whatever game the label asked him to play.  There's a weird kind of artistic integrity there that I've never fully unravelled, but it included putting "Yes" on the cover when he wanted the band to be called something else, and giving keyboard credits to Kaye even though Kaye barely played.

In the live situation, Kaye was asked to play keyboard parts that he didn't write and had never actually played before, and he wasn't really comfortable with that, but a gig's a gig, as they say in the biz, so he did it.  With the help of some extensive programming and even a "phantom" keyboard player offstage.  Why didn't Kaye actually learn the parts and play them himself?  You'd have to ask him that.

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Re: The Yes Discography: The Yes Album (1971)
« Reply #62 on: June 11, 2012, 03:29:24 PM »
Yes in the 80's and early 90's was little more than Trevor Rabin's backup band. 

I hear a lot of Squire and Anderson influence on 90125 and Big Generator. Talk was pretty Rabin-centric, though.
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Offline Orbert

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Re: The Yes Discography: The Yes Album (1971)
« Reply #63 on: June 11, 2012, 03:45:43 PM »
90125 was almost completely written by time Anderson came on board, but he insisted on rewriting some of the lyrics if he was going to sing them.  Squire was involved from the outset, so yeah, his mark is there.  He and White formed the original core of the band, along with Rabin.  Big Generator was more of an actual collaboration, but it was still very much Rabin's band.  Anderson was not used to sharing control of the band "he" created, and the resulting tensions led to the breakup of that lineup, and the fact that it took several years to even make the album.  Squire was there the whole time, but he's a much more laid-back guy and just wanted to make music.  Squire is the only person to appear on every Yes album.

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Re: The Yes Discography: The Yes Album (1971)
« Reply #64 on: June 11, 2012, 03:47:11 PM »
90125 was almost completely written by time Anderson came on board, but he insisted on rewriting some of the lyrics if he was going to sing them.  Squire was involved from the outset, so yeah, his mark is there.  He and White formed the original core of the band, along with Rabin.  Big Generator was more of an actual collaboration, but it was still very much Rabin's band.  Anderson was not used to sharing control of the band "he" created, and the resulting tensions led to the breakup of that lineup, and the fact that it took several years to even make the album.  Squire was there the whole time, but he's a much more laid-back guy and just wanted to make music.  Squire is the only person to appear on every Yes album.

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Offline bundy

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Re: The Yes Discography: The Yes Album (1971)
« Reply #65 on: June 12, 2012, 05:21:28 AM »
In fact the original intention was for the band to be called Cinema. it was only when Anderson agreed to come on board that they decided (probably with some pressure from the label) to use the name Yes for the project. I remember seeing Squire interviewed around the time 90125 came out where he gave the impressiont that he would certainly have preferred to stock with Cinema given the obvious difference in sound. Let's not forget the influence of trevor Horn asa a producer though. The change in sound was not all down to Rabin.

Which brings us back to The Yes Album - the one that saw Eddie Offord take on the reigns of producer. While he did serve as sound engineer on Time.. and Yes are credited as co-procures on the Yes album, it's no coincidence that Eddie Offord's involvement in production marks the beginning of that 'classic Yes" sound that was evident right through to Relayer. A much fuller and richer sound than what went before or followed. I'm sure hard-core yes fans will know the sound I mean. It's the lack of it that stops Going for the One from being even better than CTTE IMHO. As for TYA, a great album that heralded the beginning of a run of three albums that are up there with any run of three albums by any artist of any genre ever. Starship Trooper alon with Awaken and Close to the Edge are three of the tracks that define progressive rock. 

A classic album that is essential in any discering music fan's collection, astonishing thing is they were only just beginning to hit full stride! :hefdaddy

Offline Jaq

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Re: The Yes Discography: The Yes Album (1971)
« Reply #66 on: June 12, 2012, 10:57:20 AM »
Good point. Yes and Offord are one of those band/producer combinations where everything just clicked together perfectly and the result was amazing music. The only two I find superior are Rush's run of albums with Terry Brown and the king of band/producer combos, Iron Maiden and Martin Birch in the 80s. Eventually you do have to move on or you stagnate, but when you get into a groove with a producer, it's generally a good run of music for a band.
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Offline pain of occupation

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Re: The Yes Discography: The Yes Album (1971)
« Reply #67 on: June 13, 2012, 09:26:23 PM »
Much like the arrival of Jordan Rudess did for DT, Howe's arrival kicked the rest of the  band into high gear.

not so sure a majority on this forum would quite agree with the Rudess/DT part, but yes, Howe helped vault the band fo sho.

A classic album that is essential in any discering music fan's collection, astonishing thing is they were only just beginning to hit full stride! :hefdaddy

this.  :tup

Offline The Letter M

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Re: The Yes Discography: The Yes Album (1971)
« Reply #68 on: June 13, 2012, 09:51:30 PM »
I haven't commented on this yet mostly because I've been in RUSH-mode for the last week or so, and Yes has taken a back seat in my listening queue for awhile not, but TYA is a great album with 4 awesome tracks, a wonderful solo from Steve (who gets to show off now that he's new, well, back then), and another often-forgotten/overlooked track in "A Venture". The 4 longer songs all find new life on Yessongs, where extended arrangements and solos really energize the songs, and to me, those are the definitive live versions of those tracks, but the original studio versions sound great as well. This was/is an instant classic and shows what Yes was and would become, all in one. Their penchant for longer tracks would begin here, along with more fantasy-driven lyrics that use sci-fi, literature, and religion as backdrops and inspirations for future lyrical endeavors.

Many would say this is where Yes finally becomes Yes, and I would be inclined to agree. From here til Going For The One, Yes would add to the wonderful tapestry that is 70's prog rock, and leave their stamp on the idea of progressive rock music for decades to come. Fans of this album and this era have become to be known as "Troopers", and I'd like to consider myself a Trooper.

-Marc.
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Offline Orbert

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The Yes Discography: Fragile (1972)
« Reply #69 on: June 15, 2012, 01:41:17 PM »
Fragile (1972)


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Jon Anderson - Lead Vocals
Bill Bruford - Drums
Steve Howe - Guitar, Vocals
Chris Squire - Bass, Vocals
Rick Wakeman - Keyboards

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With Fragile, all of the pieces were finally in place.  Yes were creating some of the ambitious music they'd always wanted to, but Tony Kaye, who had performed admirably on the first three Yes albums, was more comfortable on piano and organ than he was with Mellotrons and Moogs, and fought against them, so he was asked to leave.  As with most changes of Yes personnel, there is some disagreement as to exactly how amicable the split was, but whatever; Tony Kaye was out and Rick Wakeman was in.  Wakeman brought with him classical training, a music conservatory education, years of experience as a session player, and a roomful of keyboards.  The classic Yes sound was complete.

This album also marked the beginning of Yes' relationship with artist Roger Dean, who was to provide cover art for many Yes albums to come and become forever associated with their music.  I'll be providing a standard thumbnail of each Roger Dean cover, but wherever possible, also link to a higher-resolution version.  I spent some time collecting all of them; I might as well share them with whoever's interested.

The album opens with "Roundabout", the second Yessong to make the charts in the U.S. (in its shortened form), peaking at #13.  Electric and acoustic guitar, Hammond and Moog, three-part harmonies, fast and slow movements, all in the same song, and it even got played on the radio.  The 70's were truly an amazing time for music.  At eight and a half minutes, it was too long to release as a single, but even the "45" version was quite a tour-de-force, keeping all the essential bits of the song.

We are then treated to the first two "solo features" on the album.  Fragile consists of four "regular" songs (for Yes, anyway) and five tracks, one composed and performed by each of the individual members.  Rick Wakeman was still contracted to A&M Records (Yes was on Atlantic) and thus was not allowed to include his original composition, so he threw together a piece called "Cans and Brahms", an adaption of an orchestral work by Johannes Brahms, with each section of the orchestra covered by a different keyboard instrument.  Jon Anderson's "We Have Heaven" follows, and as additional multitracked parts are added and the chaos builds toward the end, a door slams, footsteps and other sound effects are heard (courtesy of the BBC library) and Side One closes with another eight-minute band piece, "South Side of the Sky", with lyrics written by Jon Anderson after reading an account of a tragic mountain-climbing expedition wherein everybody perished.

Side Two opens with Bruford's short piece "Five Per Cent for Nothing", a phrase Bruford himself used when referring to managers and booking agents, who took a percentage of any money which changed hands but who in his opinion never actually did anything.

The next band song "Long Distance Runaround" segues into Chris Squire's bass-and-multitrack extravaganza "The Fish (Schindleria Praematurus)".  "The Fish" was Squire's nickname in the band, after his tendency to spend countless hours in the bathtub.  Steve Howe's acoustic solo "Mood for a Day" follows, and the album closes with the final band selection "Heart of the Sunrise".

In the original vinyl LP pressings, "Heart of the Sunrise" would finish (it ends quite suddenly) then the sound of a door opening could faintly be heard, followed by a reprise/continuation of "We Have Heaven".  The reprise is very quiet, barely audible.  In later pressings, and most CD reissues, this reprise comes full volume and eventually fades out.  There is at least one CD reissue where the reprise is missing completely.

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Fragile was my first Yes album, and to this day, I can still remember the ride home from the department store where I'd bought it with my paper-route money.  I'd started my musicial journey with Chicago, and their early albums taught me that there is much more to music than what you hear on the radio.  Complex arrangements, suites and other structures found in classical, jazz or other genres, can all be done within the framework of Rock and Roll.  Yes took me to the next step: full-blown Progressive Rock, though we still called it Art Rock at the time.
« Last Edit: June 22, 2015, 04:43:54 PM by Orbert »