Official Yes Top 50 Countdown Thread! - THE FINAL COUNTDOWN!

[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.


25 – 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).


24 – 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

[HOF]

I had Changes at 11. Another of the more rocky songs on 90125 that benefits from Rabin’s lead vocals I think. It’s hard for me to separate and rank all of the different tracks on 90125, but this was the third highest for me, so definitely one of my favorites from the album.

Do not know/did not rank the other songs today.

[The Letter M]

While I did submit a list, I have been largely absent in this thread because work has kept me pretty busy and tired, so I haven't had a chance to follow along, but I've just skimmed through the pages and posts up to today since I've had a bit of slow time at work to read through here. I'm just gonna copy and paste the list from the OP and then mention my placement of that song, and maybe a brief thing about it.

50. Future Times/Rejoice - 28th - Definitely one of the better songs from Tormato.
49. Cinema - 38th - A fun instrumental that showed that the band was still capable of some intense musical performances.
48. City of Love - NR - This one missed the cut for me, although I think it was close.
47. Mood for a Day - NR - Also missed the cut, but not a bad piece by Howe.
46. Lift Me Up - NR - Good song, just didn't make my list.
45. Homeworld (The Ladder) - NR - Another one that didn't make my Top 50, but definitely one of the stronger pieces from that album.
44. I Am Waiting - 50th - Just barely made it into my Top 50, and a favorite from Talk.
43. Leave It - NR - This might've been in the 51-60 range for me, but also didn't make it.
42. The Ancient (Giants under the Sun) - 32nd - My lowest ranked of the four TFTO songs for me, my least fave from the album.
41. Does It Really Happen? - 30th - My lowest ranked from Drama, but still pretty good.
40. Final Eyes - NR - I'm not sure any songs from BG made my Top 50, to be honest...
39. The Fish (Schindleria Praematurus) - 47th - This probably could've been higher, but if we're talking just studio versions, probably not. Live, it's very killer.
38. Love Will Find a Way - NR - See "Final Eyes"
36T. It Can Happen - 49th - Another solid song from 90125. Does this answer the question posed by "Does It Really Happen?"
36T. Release, Release - NR - I remember this almost making it, but did not get close enough.
35. Fly from Here - 15th - Probably the best thing they've done in the 21st Century? Maybe? I think I prefer the original release over the Return Trip version, though.
34. The Calling - NR - Another good Talk song, but it just didn't make it for me.
33. Hearts - 31st - Maybe my favorite from 90125, and it was pretty close as far as actual ranking here!
32. Hold On - NR - Another good 90125 song, but didn't make it for me. I love White's meter-shift groove in there, though!
31. Mind Drive - 17th - I get why some folks don't like this one, but I really quite enjoy it, along with most of the Keys material.
30. On the Silent Wings of Freedom - NR - Good song, but just missed the cut.
29. Into the Lens - 21st - My second-favorite from Drama.
28. Onward - 35th - Beautiful piece, one of the best from its album.
27. Ritual (Nous Sommes du Soleil) - 2nd - YEP! I think it's THAT GOOD. When I was getting into Yes, and eventually TFTO, this was one I could not spinning.
26. Endless Dream - 10th - Possibly the best Yessong of the 90s? It'd be close, but I think it was the highest ranked song of mine that wasn't from the 70s or 80s!
25. The Remembering (High the Memory) - 22nd - Another close ranking for me, and my 3rd ranked from TFTO. I suspect the whole album made it at this rate.
24. Changes - 37th - I'm not surprised we are seeing so many 90125 songs on here, and even if the whole album made the top 50, it wouldn't shock me.

WHEW... With work winding down for me, I'm hoping to try and keep up with this thread from now til the end, but we'll see! Thanks again, pg1067, for running this countdown!

EDIT - Updated to add 26-24, since I somehow missed them when I wrote my post yesterday!

-Marc.

[Stadler]

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

50 - Fly From Here
47 - Changes
43 - Does It Really Happen?
39 - Hold On
36 - Cinema
31 - Endless Dream
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

[Dittomist]

Lots of catching up to do!

Hold On- N/R. Eh, I've always found this one uninteresting and a tad irritating.

Mind Drive- I had this at #29. The most surprising part of doing the album ranking was discovering just how fantastic the Keystudio tracks are! The 8:35-12:30 section of Mind Drive is just amazing.

On the Silent Wings of Freedom. N/R. I'm glad that Tormato has been getting lots of love, but this is one song I haven't been able to get into.

Into the Lens- #36 on my list.

Onward- Wow, I'm really surprised I wasn't the highest ranker because I had this at #8. Such a heavenly song!

Ritual- #26 for me. One of the most adventurous Yes songs for sure. Listening to it on headphones with my eyes closed is always such a funky odyssey, with or without Mary Jane/Billy Beer.

Endless Dream- N/R. Talk did miserably on my album ranking, and the only track that really stood out to me was I Am Waiting. I'll give it yet another try sometime.

The Remembering- #3. Hell yeah, I'm happy to see that other people had this in their Top 10! Rick Wakeman's disdain towards Tales always confused me, especially because of this dreamy epic in which he really gets to shine.

Changes- A perfect match for me because I had it at #24. I'm uneducated when it comes to Yes setlists, but I really hope this one appears from time to time and is a crowd-pleaser.

[devieira73]

A lot of highest ranking of mine this week! On the Silent Wings of Freedom (my #12) - that great intro jam really evolves in an excellent song, very reminescent from GFTO; Endless Dream (my #6) - with its many beautiful and epic moments, really grandiose all along and Changes (my #5) - it sounds so melodic, prog and like a very refreshing restart of the style of the band. Also some other amazing songs like Mind Drive (my# 15) - a really well resolved epic, Onward (my #18) - just a incredibly beautiful song and Into the Lens (my #23) - almost the greatest we can get from the Drama era.

[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)
26. Endless Dream (#38)
25. The Remembering (N/R)
24. Changes (#28)

[Mladen]

Endless dream was my #39. As much as I like Talk, the epic isn't even close to being my favorite song on it. It's still good, though.

The Remembering was my #43. Looking back, I should have ranked it higher than Endless dream. It used to be of those songs that I enjoyed when I played it but did not remember a lot of it afterwards. It started to completely click about ten years after I first heard it.

And then Changes. Yeah, yet another 90125 song I excluded.

[pg1067]

Two albums make their first appearance today and one makes its final appearance (and another top ranker for devieira73!).




23 – Perpetual Change (The Yes Album – 1)

Appeared on 13 of 17 entries
Top 10 finishes: 1
Highest Ranking: 10 (James Mypetgiress)

I feel like this song sees the change from the Yes of the first to albums to the band that Yes was turning into.  The first part varies between a bit in 10/4, another in 7/4, and an almost waltz-like, quiet verse, but the song is always moving forward, and it seems like there is a very gradual increase in volume and intensity.  Steve Howe’s guitar slides between country and jazz and prog rock.  Finally, we get a crazy riff in 7/8 that sounds like something straight out of Genesis’s catalog (except that Genesis hadn’t yet done anything like this).  The riff starts on only one side of the mix with the bass and keys and is then joined by a second keyboard playing the main 7/4 riff on the other side of the mix.  Steve Howe joins with a frenetic solo, and a third keyboard enters the mix.  This swirling void of chaos calms down for a final verse and an outro with Jon Anderson using his voice as an instrument.  Great song that I ranked at #17.


22 – Owner of a Lonely Heart – 8)

Appeared on 14 of 17 entries
Top 10 finishes: 0
Highest Ranking: 13 (hefdaddy42)

Gotta say that I just don’t get this being the highest ranked song on 90125.  It’s a cool song, and it obviously struck a chord with a lot of people in the early ‘80s, but I gotta say it’s one of the most boring things Chris Squire ever played, and there’s ultimately not much to it.  On the other hand, it gave Yes a ton of exposure that they never would have gotten if that hey had written Close to the Edge Part 2: Scenes from Down by the River.  I ranked Owner at #48.


21 – Parallels (Going for the One – 1)

Appeared on 14 of 17 entries
Top 10 finishes: 2
Highest Ranking: 3 (devieira73)

I had a hard time ranking this song.  I first heard it on Yesshows, and I absolutely LOVE that version.  Great bass work, great vocals, and it’s probably a top 2 Rick Wakeman keyboard solo (played, I believe, on a Minimoog).  However, the album version exemplifies the reasons I don’t rank GFTO higher than I do.  Wakeman’s church organ is shrill and hard to listen to, and it (not surprisingly) doesn’t have anything close to the energy of the live version.  Even Chris Squire's bass is comparatively weak on the album.  If the studio version were like the live version, I’d have ranked it higher, but it ended up at #26.

[The Letter M]

While I did submit a list, I have been largely absent in this thread because work has kept me pretty busy and tired, so I haven't had a chance to follow along, but I've just skimmed through the pages and posts up to today since I've had a bit of slow time at work to read through here. I'm just gonna copy and paste the list from the OP and then mention my placement of that song, and maybe a brief thing about it.

50. Future Times/Rejoice - 28th - Definitely one of the better songs from Tormato.
49. Cinema - 38th - A fun instrumental that showed that the band was still capable of some intense musical performances.
48. City of Love - NR - This one missed the cut for me, although I think it was close.
47. Mood for a Day - NR - Also missed the cut, but not a bad piece by Howe.
46. Lift Me Up - NR - Good song, just didn't make my list.
45. Homeworld (The Ladder) - NR - Another one that didn't make my Top 50, but definitely one of the stronger pieces from that album.
44. I Am Waiting - 50th - Just barely made it into my Top 50, and a favorite from Talk.
43. Leave It - NR - This might've been in the 51-60 range for me, but also didn't make it.
42. The Ancient (Giants under the Sun) - 32nd - My lowest ranked of the four TFTO songs for me, my least fave from the album.
41. Does It Really Happen? - 30th - My lowest ranked from Drama, but still pretty good.
40. Final Eyes - NR - I'm not sure any songs from BG made my Top 50, to be honest...
39. The Fish (Schindleria Praematurus) - 47th - This probably could've been higher, but if we're talking just studio versions, probably not. Live, it's very killer.
38. Love Will Find a Way - NR - See "Final Eyes"
36T. It Can Happen - 49th - Another solid song from 90125. Does this answer the question posed by "Does It Really Happen?"
36T. Release, Release - NR - I remember this almost making it, but did not get close enough.
35. Fly from Here - 15th - Probably the best thing they've done in the 21st Century? Maybe? I think I prefer the original release over the Return Trip version, though.
34. The Calling - NR - Another good Talk song, but it just didn't make it for me.
33. Hearts - 31st - Maybe my favorite from 90125, and it was pretty close as far as actual ranking here!
32. Hold On - NR - Another good 90125 song, but didn't make it for me. I love White's meter-shift groove in there, though!
31. Mind Drive - 17th - I get why some folks don't like this one, but I really quite enjoy it, along with most of the Keys material.
30. On the Silent Wings of Freedom - NR - Good song, but just missed the cut.
29. Into the Lens - 21st - My second-favorite from Drama.
28. Onward - 35th - Beautiful piece, one of the best from its album.
27. Ritual (Nous Sommes du Soleil) - 2nd - YEP! I think it's THAT GOOD. When I was getting into Yes, and eventually TFTO, this was one I could not spinning.
26. Endless Dream - 10th - Possibly the best Yessong of the 90s? It'd be close, but I think it was the highest ranked song of mine that wasn't from the 70s or 80s!
25. The Remembering (High the Memory) - 22nd - Another close ranking for me, and my 3rd ranked from TFTO. I suspect the whole album made it at this rate.
24. Changes - 37th - I'm not surprised we are seeing so many 90125 songs on here, and even if the whole album made the top 50, it wouldn't shock me.

WHEW... With work winding down for me, I'm hoping to try and keep up with this thread from now til the end, but we'll see! Thanks again, pg1067, for running this countdown!

EDIT - Updated to add 26-24, since I somehow missed them when I wrote my post yesterday!

-Marc.

23. Perpetual Change - 19th - Kind of close on this one. Another absolute favorite from the earlier days of Yes. Love the Yessongs version as well.
22. Owner Of A Lonely Heart - 36th - Not surprised to see this as the highest ranked 90125 song. It's a classic for a reason.
21. Parallels - 27th - Another strong one from the album, but I do agree, the live version is much better.

I wonder how many songs in the top 20 are under 10 minutes in length? 

-Marc.

[HOF]

Perpetual Change - DNR. Not quite sure why I didn't, other than this song hasn't ever made an impression on me. Listening to it now and I can't even really remember ever hearing it before, even though I know I've heard it before.

Owner of a Lonely Heart - 14. One of the great pop rock tunes of all time. A Trevor Horn production masterpiece. Just a flawlessly executed track. I'd like to give a nod to the off kilter guitar solo on such an otherwise poppy song.

Parallels - 41. From the high end to the low end. Definitely a song that is let down by its poor production. I think there was probably a pretty cool song going on here otherwise.

[Mladen]

Perpetual change was my #31. Of the four big songs on The Yes Album, it's probably my least favorite, but it's also a classic. The problem is that there are three songs on that album are fantastic whilst this one is just really good.

Owner of a lonely heart was my #26. It is also my highest ranked song from 90125. Though I do not play it too often, it's an undeniable hit.

Parallels didn't make it for me. Something has always seriously annoyed me about that song. I'd have to listen to it again to remember why I've always been so bothered by it, but just the thought of me listening to it again is unpleasant enough. 

[hefdaddy42]

22 – Owner of a Lonely Heart – 8)

Appeared on 14 of 17 entries
Top 10 finishes: 0
Highest Ranking: 13 (hefdaddy42)

Gotta say that I just don’t get this being the highest ranked song on 90125.  It’s a cool song, and it obviously struck a chord with a lot of people in the early ‘80s, but I gotta say it’s one of the most boring things Chris Squire ever played, and there’s ultimately not much to it. 

Dude, it's a bop.

[HOF]

Parallels is quite shrill, and the first few times I listened to it I didn't make much of it. It is also kind of just a messy track with a lot of different things going on. But I think it could have been a pretty cool song. Maybe I'll check out the live version.

[TheHoveringSojourn808]

All three today made my list, Perpetual Change being the highest. Owner of a Lonely Heart is a bit overplayed for me, but I have karaoke'd it before and enjoy hearing it on occasion. I ranked it a bit higher for the success and exposure it brought them

2. Ritual (Nous Sommes Du Soleil)
7. The Remembering (High the Memory)
13. Perpetual Change
18. The Ancient (Giants Under the Sun)
21. Parallels
28. Owner Of A Lonely Heart
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