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

[KevShmev]

Not to argue with you; for me, it's not mutually exclusive.  I LOVE the Rabin years, and I've often said that it's far more consistently good than the Howe era; there is no "Open Your Eyes" in the Rabin-era catalogue.  I LOVE 90210.  I do.  But those particular songs from the late 70s really resonate with me; it's not that they are "better" or "more prog"; I don't give a rat's ass about any of that stuff. I'm like you in that if it moves me, I like it.  No labels, no rules.  And I'm unapologetic.  EVERY FUCKING NOTE of GFTO does something positive to me.  It's one of the very few records in my collection I can listen to regardless of my mood. 

You know those Chuck Norris jokes that turn things around?  "When Chuck Norris was born, he drove his Mother home from the hospital."?  That's me with GFTO.  My mood doesn't tell me to listen to it, listening to it sets my mood.  I know, I know, but it's true.

I hear ya. We all like what we like. 

I mean...ok, but....  My take on GFTO (the song) was pretty clear, and I'm a little surprised it made the top 15, but it's always been a super popular song from one of the band's most popular albums.  Leave It?  It's a pretty ...well...take it or leave it song.  And, while I know that it's a hidden gem for some Yes fans, Talk was an album that came out with almost no fanfare, three years after its predecessor album, on the heels of two progressively disappointing albums.  It's also an album that the band has completely disregarded for 30 years.  It's one thing not to like GFTO, but calling it a "bottom feeder"?

Anyhoo...

Considering no one is left in the band that recorded Talk, I wouldn't put a lot of stock in the band ignoring it.  The band post-1994 have pretty much ignored all Rabin material except for Owner of a Lonely Heart, and they only play that because they know they kind of have to sometimes (because it is the biggest Yes hit ever, hence it being one of the two songs played when they were inducted into the R&R HOF).

As for Leave It, that is an amazing tune. One of the best any incarnation called Yes has ever done. 

Also, yes, I consider the song Going for the One a 70s bottom feeder (don't leave out the 70s part). 

[pg1067]

Big ballers today but none of the three made #1 on anyone’s list.




8 – Roundabout (Fragile – 4)

Appeared on 15 of 17 entries
Top 10 finishes: 7
Highest Ranking: 3 (hefdaddy42)

Gotta say, of all the songs that didn’t show up on everyone’s list, this one is the most shocking to me (especially given who one of the non-rankers was).  Roundabout features one of the most iconic basslines in progressive rock (and probably rock music in general).  Back in 1987, Guitar for the Practicing Musician published an issue of “The Guitar Classics,” which included transcriptions of Crazy Train and Roundabout.  I dutifully learned both.  It’s such a fun song to play, and every instrument, including the vocals, is playing top notch stuff.  I will concede that the middle “along the drifting cloud” section is a bit plodding and is better live.  That’s probably why I only had it at #12.


6T – Siberian Khatru (Close to the Edge – 1)

Appeared on 15 of 17 entries
Top 10 finishes: 7
Highest Ranking: 2 (HOF)

This song actually sounds odd when it isn’t preceded by The Firebird Suite.  Our first entry from Close to the Edge is the third song on the album.  It’s a swirling vortex of perfectly crafted guitar, bass, keyboards and drums tied together by some beautiful vocal melodies.  “According to an interview . . . Jon Anderson, ‘“Khatru” means “as you wish” in the Yemeni dialect of Arabic.  When [the band was] working on it, I kept singing the word over and over again, even though I had no idea what it meant.  I asked somebody to look it up for me, and when they told me the meaning, it worked for the song.’  The lyrics discuss ‘unity among different cultures.’”  I had it at #9.


6T – South Side of the Sky (Fragile – 5)

Appeared on 16 of 17 entries
Top 10 finishes: 7
Highest Ranking: 5 (Stadler)

This song is typically regarded as an underrated gem.  Not around here, apparently.  I’m actually a little surprised it’s this high (I ranked it at #22), but it’s a great song.  Steve Howe’s syncopated guitar in the verses is great, and I really love the vocal lines in the verses.  Rick Wakeman’s piano breakdown in the middle is also a nice touch.

[The Letter M]

50. Future Times/Rejoice - 28th
49. Cinema - 38th
48. City of Love - NR
47. Mood for a Day - NR
46. Lift Me Up - NR
45. Homeworld (The Ladder) - NR
44. I Am Waiting - 50th
43. Leave It - NR
42. The Ancient (Giants under the Sun) - 32nd
41. Does It Really Happen? - 30th
40. Final Eyes - NR
39. The Fish (Schindleria Praematurus) - 47th
38. Love Will Find a Way - NR
36T. It Can Happen - 49th
36T. Release, Release - NR
35. Fly from Here - 15th
34. The Calling - NR
33. Hearts - 31st
32. Hold On - NR
31. Mind Drive - 17th
30. On the Silent Wings of Freedom - NR
29. Into the Lens - 21st
28. Onward - 35th
27. Ritual (Nous Sommes du Soleil) - 2nd
26. Endless Dream - 10th
25. The Remembering (High the Memory) - 22nd
24. Changes - 37th
23. Perpetual Change - 19th
22. Owner Of A Lonely Heart - 36th
21. Parallels - 27th
20. Wonderous Stories - 39th
19. Long Distance Runaround - 20th
18. To Be Over - 26th
17. Tempus Fugit - 25th
15T. Sound Chaser - 8th
15T. I've Seen All Good People - 16th
14. Going For The One - 29th
13. Turn Of The Century - 45th
12. The Revealing Science Of God (Dance Of The Dawn) - 13th
11. Starship Trooper - 7th
10. Yours Is No Disgrace - 14th
09. Machine Messiah - 6th

08. Roundabout - 12th - I figured this would make the Top ten of the countdown, but it just missed it for me. Great classic but I've probably over-played it at this point.
06T. Siberian Khatru - 11th - Another classic Yessong, almost made my top ten but I'm happy to see it here in sixth place.
06T. South Side Of The Sky - 18th - Definitely worthy of a top ten spot but only made my top twenty. Still Love this one though.

-Marc.

[Orbert]

Roundabout always takes me back to 1972... 10 years old, late at night when I'm supposed to be asleep, listening to the old AM clock radio.  Three-part harmonies, acoustic and electric guitars, Hammond organ, fast and slow movements, all in the same song!  Holy shit!  Fragile Yes was one of the first albums I bought with my paper route money, and it's still a fave.  Yeah, this one's overplayed on the radio, but IDGAF because I rarely listen to the radio so I can still enjoy the song.

I love the 15/4 riff in Siberian Khatru.  For a long time, I assumed it was 17/4 because the two snare hits in a row seemed like "one extra" rather than skipping directly from 2 to 4 every four measures.  Musicians know what I'm talking about; normal people will just have to take my word for it.  As is so often the case, Yes make it seem so simple, until you actually try to learn the song and realize how deceptively complex it is.  Every once in a while, I'll catch "Hey Joe" by Jimi Hendrix on the radio and think it's Siberian Khatru because that opening lick is so similar.

I love the piano breakdown in South Side of the Sky.  Welcome to the band, Rick Wakeman!

[HOF]

Roundabout - 8. I hit the mark on this one! This is also one of the formative, textbook examples of progressive rock for me. It's possibly the first song I would point someone to who wanted to know what prog is. It has everything you could want in a prog tune, yet it was accessible enough to become an enduring rock radio staple. Just an outstanding display of musicianship all around. Surprised it only finished at 8 in some respects.

Siberian Khatru - 2. The "concise" track on Close to the Edge, but no less of a proggy masterpiece. It's one of those songs that is just perfectly executed IMO and always a blast to listen to. So many cool themes that recur throughout the song, a really fun funky verse, excellent harmonies, and a bonkers instrumental section. I will confess that as much as I love the original, the best version of this song for me is the cover version by "Stanley Snail" (Kevin Gilbert, Mike Keneally, Nick D'Virgilio, and Bryan Beller) on the Tales from Yesterday tribute album. That cover likely influenced my decision to rank this one second.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=azlchsTqc_U

South Side of the Sky - 17. Mildly surprised to see this one above Roundabout, but it is a really great track in its own right. I like the off kilter verses a lot, and the somewhat dissonant chorus. It maybe drags on a bit, but the piano part in the middle is very nice. It's a great track for sure though.

[TheHoveringSojourn808]

All three of todays were in my top 15, with Siberian Khatru being my favorite of the bunch. I love when they open up their live shows with that song, after the Firebird Suite intro, of course

By the way, also wanted to mention that this thread inspired me to revisit Going for the One the last couple of days and I have to say that I definitely under-ranked some of the songs from it, Turn of the Century in particular. So thanks to all for ranking it highly and making me re-listen and realize how beautiful it really is.

2. Ritual (Nous Sommes Du Soleil)
5. The Revealing Science of God (Dance of the Dawn)
7. The Remembering (High the Memory)
8. Starship Trooper
9. I've Seen All Good People
10. Sound Chaser
11. Siberian Khatru
13. Perpetual Change
14. Roundabout
15. South Side of the Sky
16. Yours Is No Disgrace
17. Long Distance Runaround
18. The Ancient (Giants Under the Sun)
19. Machine Messiah
21. Parallels
22. Wonderous Stories
23. Turn Of The Century
24. Going for the One
26. Tempus Fugit
27. To Be Over
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

[devieira73]

Siberian Khatru (also my #2) is so so great, it has that "impossible to get sick of" quality of some all time classics, no matter how many times you hear it. I think the rhythm pattern that starts at 0:54 is one of the most infectious grooves Yes ever written!

Roundabout (my #7) and South Side (my# 9) are both amazing. South Side is really a prog masterpiece, instrumentally impeccable and that vocals section  . Regarding Roundabout, I just wish Alan White kept those syncopations that Bill did in the chorus and in the solo section.

[Stadler]

122 - Onward
119 - Sound Chaser
96 - Homeworld (The Ladder)
88 - Mood For A Day
86 - Leave It
81 - Mind Drive
77 - Roundabout
72 - City Of Love
71 - Siberian Khatru
68 - The Remembering (High The Memory)
65 - The Fish
63 - The Ancients (Giants Under The Sun)
57 - I Am Waiting
56 - To Be Over
51 - Ritual



50 - Fly From Here
49 - Long Distance Runaround
48 - Parallels
47 - Changes
46 - Lock
45 - White Car
44 - Slim chance
43 - Does It Really Happen?
42 - No chance in hell
41 - No chance in hell (though, oddly, may be referenced by technicality)
40 - No chance in hell
39 - Hold On
38 - No chance in hell
37 - I've Seen All Good People
36 - Cinema
35 - No chance in hell
34 - Slim chance
33 - Perpetual Change
32 - Slim chance
31 - Endless Dream
30 - Into The Lens
29 - No chance in hell
28 - It Can Happen
27 - Future Times/Rejoice
26 - Owner Of A Lonely Heart
25 - Release, Release
24 - No chance in hell
23 - No chance in hell
22 - Lock
21 - The Calling
20 - Hearts
19 - No chance in hell
18 - On The Silent Wings Of Freedom
17 - The Revealing Science Of God (Dance Of The Dawn)
16 - Machine Messiah
15 - Love Will Find A Way
14 - Yours Is No Disgrace
13 - Final Eyes
12 - Lift Me Up
11 - Slim chance at this point
10 - Wonderous Stories
9 - Tempus Fugit
8 - Lock
7 - Lock
6 - Starship Trooper Lock
5 - South Side Of The Sky Lock
4 - Going For The One
3 - Lock
2 - Lock
1 - Turn Of The Century

Roundabout shouldn't have been so low for me; the bass line itself warrants it's inclusion.  But it was never the standout song for me on that album, and it's ranking reflects that.  Kind of the same with Siberian Khatru; it always seemed slight next to the monoliths that accompany it on that album. 

South Side Of The Sky was always a big hit with me, and coupled with the other half of it's suite-member, it was the backbone of the record for me (I consider We have Heaven/South Side Of The Sky/Heart Of The Sunrise/Hidden Track to be the "Fragile Suite" and I've frequently put it on compilation tapes - the kids call them "playlists" today - in that form.

[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)
23. Perpetual Change (BIG F'up here. Somehow I left off list   Would've been #20 for me)
22. Owner of a Lonely Heart (N/R HATE THIS SONG!)
21. Parallels (#6)
20. Wonderous Stories (#1 )
19. Long Distance Runaround (#8)
18. To Be Over (#35)
17. Tempus Fugit (N/R)
16. Sound Chaser (N/R)
15. I've Seen All Good People (#10)
14. Going for the One (#9)
13. Turn of the Century (#23)
12. The Revealing Science of God (N/R)
11. Starship Trooper (#11)
10. Yours Is No Disgrace (#5)
  9. Machine Messiah (#32)
  8. Roundabout (#31)
  7. Siberian Khatru (#22)
  6. South Side of The Sky (another one forgotten to list  ...this would have been #25)

[pg1067]

I love the 15/4 riff in Siberian Khatru.  For a long time, I assumed it was 17/4 because the two snare hits in a row seemed like "one extra" rather than skipping directly from 2 to 4 every four measures.  Musicians know what I'm talking about; normal people will just have to take my word for it.  As is so often the case, Yes make it seem so simple, until you actually try to learn the song and realize how deceptively complex it is.  Every once in a while, I'll catch "Hey Joe" by Jimi Hendrix on the radio and think it's Siberian Khatru because that opening lick is so similar.

I always counted that section as 4/4 x3 + 3/4.  Nowadays, I think of it as 4/4 x2 + 7/8 x2.  I never liked counting anything higher than 7/4 or 9/8.  Also, I don't like Hendrix, so I'd never heard the opening of Hey Joe.  Damned if that isn't the same chord!

Siberian Khatru - 2. The "concise" track on Close to the Edge, but no less of a proggy masterpiece. It's one of those songs that is just perfectly executed IMO and always a blast to listen to. So many cool themes that recur throughout the song, a really fun funky verse, excellent harmonies, and a bonkers instrumental section. I will confess that as much as I love the original, the best version of this song for me is the cover version by "Stanley Snail" (Kevin Gilbert, Mike Keneally, Nick D'Virgilio, and Bryan Beller) on the Tales from Yesterday tribute album. That cover likely influenced my decision to rank this one second.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=azlchsTqc_U

I'm pretty sure I own that album, but I'm equally sure I haven't listened to it in a good 25 years.  That's a solid cover, although middle section seemed a bit of an unneeded distraction (which isn't to say it was bad).

[HOF]

I'm pretty sure I own that album, but I'm equally sure I haven't listened to it in a good 25 years.  That's a solid cover, although middle section seemed a bit of an unneeded distraction (which isn't to say it was bad).

So I just learned this today, but that middle section is the beginning to a Bill Bruford solo piece called "The Sahara of Snow."

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RdaqTVL1_WU

[Orbert]

I always counted that section as 4/4 x3 + 3/4.  Nowadays, I think of it as 4/4 x2 + 7/8 x2.  I never liked counting anything higher than 7/4 or 9/8.  Also, I don't like Hendrix, so I'd never heard the opening of Hey Joe.  Damned if that isn't the same chord!

Yeah, technically it's 4/4 x3 +3/4 as you say.  But that adds up to 15/4 and it's just easier to say 15/4.  If you know the song, you know how it breaks down from context.  I suppose it could be 4/4 x2 + 7/8 x2, but it doesn't quite feel like that to me, although Bruford has some wacky syncopation going on in there, so maybe.

[romdrums]

8. Roundabout (12). Didn't make my top ten, but it's still a great song. The fill that Bruford does going into the second half of the organ solo is probably my favorite of Bill's fills.

6T. Siberian Khatru (8). Speaking of Bill, I don't know that he ever played this one live. I'd love to see a tempo map of this song, because it doesn't end at the same tempo it started at. I have no problem with that whatsoever!

6T. South Side of the Sky (9). I love Rick Wakeman's piano work on this.

[Stadler]

6T. Siberian Khatru (8). Speaking of Bill, I don't know that he ever played this one live. I'd love to see a tempo map of this song, because it doesn't end at the same tempo it started at. I have no problem with that whatsoever!

He left two weeks before the tour started, and I see no record of the Onion-version of Yes playing that song, nor ABWH.   So I'm thinking "no".  (Both tours featured "Close To The Edge" and "And You And I", so he did play 3/4 of that album live eventually.)

[romdrums]

He left two weeks before the tour started, and I see no record of the Onion-version of Yes playing that song, nor ABWH.   So I'm thinking "no".  (Both tours featured "Close To The Edge" and "And You And I", so he did play 3/4 of that album live eventually.)

That version of Close to the Edge is how I first heard that song. Electronic drums aside, this is my preferred live performance of this song.

[pg1067]

Down to the top 5.  Anyone not know what they are?




5 – Heart of the Sunrise (Fragile – 6)

Appeared on 16 of 17 entries
Top 10 finishes: 10
Highest Ranking: 3 (DTwwbwMP, Stadler)

I’m a little surprised no one had this at #1.  It was my #5 song.  It’s just brilliant.  Fragile was a prog rock album from the start, but there was NOTHING like this.  The band blasts into your face from the opening and then settles into a nice groove with the bass and drums.  The middle instrumental section – primarily in 5/8 – is one of the best things Yes ever did, and I’d swear Rick Wakeman lifted that pian riff from something classical.


4 – And You And I (Close to the Edge – 2)

Appeared on 16 of 17 entries
Top 10 finishes: 11
Highest Ranking: 1 (Mladen)

Fun fact:  this is the only song in the top 50 that was played at my wedding reception back in 1996.  We had given the DJ a list of bands we liked, and she played AYAI while people were eating dinner.  I was walking around talking to people and didn’t really notice and then I was like, “wait…is that?....Yes!”  I love the way this song starts with Steve Howe just pecking on his guitar.  The song ebbs and flows effortlessly.  The true definition of an epic song.  I had it at #8


3 – The Gates of Delirium (Relayer – 3)

Appeared on 16 of 17 entries
Top 10 finishes: 11
Highest Ranking: 1 (DTA, James Mypetgiress, Animal, The Letter M)

Let’s see…we did a side-long song, and then we did an album with four side-long songs based on sacred Hindu text.  What next?  Hey!  Let’s adapt War and Peace!  As with most of the post-Yessongs classic Yes material, my first exposure to this song was the Yesshows version, and I still kinda prefer that to the studio version (a sentiment echoed by Jon Anderson), but they’re both great.  The tumultuous first part is amazing.  The segue from the battle/instrumental section to the “Soon” section at the end is so well-executed, and “Soon” is one of the most beautiful things the band ever did.  It's my #2 song.

[The Letter M]

50. Future Times/Rejoice - 28th
49. Cinema - 38th
48. City of Love - NR
47. Mood for a Day - NR
46. Lift Me Up - NR
45. Homeworld (The Ladder) - NR
44. I Am Waiting - 50th
43. Leave It - NR
42. The Ancient (Giants under the Sun) - 32nd
41. Does It Really Happen? - 30th
40. Final Eyes - NR
39. The Fish (Schindleria Praematurus) - 47th
38. Love Will Find a Way - NR
36T. It Can Happen - 49th
36T. Release, Release - NR
35. Fly from Here - 15th
34. The Calling - NR
33. Hearts - 31st
32. Hold On - NR
31. Mind Drive - 17th
30. On the Silent Wings of Freedom - NR
29. Into the Lens - 21st
28. Onward - 35th
27. Ritual (Nous Sommes du Soleil) - 2nd
26. Endless Dream - 10th
25. The Remembering (High the Memory) - 22nd
24. Changes - 37th
23. Perpetual Change - 19th
22. Owner Of A Lonely Heart - 36th
21. Parallels - 27th
20. Wonderous Stories - 39th
19. Long Distance Runaround - 20th
18. To Be Over - 26th
17. Tempus Fugit - 25th
15T. Sound Chaser - 8th
15T. I've Seen All Good People - 16th
14. Going For The One - 29th
13. Turn Of The Century - 45th
12. The Revealing Science Of God (Dance Of The Dawn) - 13th
11. Starship Trooper - 7th
10. Yours Is No Disgrace - 14th
09. Machine Messiah - 6th
08. Roundabout - 12th
06T. Siberian Khatru - 11th
06T. South Side Of The Sky - 18th

05. Heart Of The Sunrise - 5th - My favorite song from Fragile, and one of my all-time favorite Yessongs ever.
04. And You And I - 9th - Another one that is great but also elevated in the live setting. A certified classic.
03. The Gates Of Delirium - 1st - My top ranked Yessong and for good reason, even though it isn't entirely indicative of the Yes sound as a whole, it's heaviness and driving rhythms really appeals to me. And the closing "Soon" section is so beautiful and one of the band's best moments.

-Marc.

[HOF]

Heart of the Sunrise - 24. This is a classic, but one that I just don't find all that pleasant to listen to. The intro is really cool and there are great parts throughout, but the vocal lines I find a bit grating, and it goes on quite a bit. Just never been one of my favorites by them, even though it's one I can sort of admire for its scope and reputation, which I guess is how it got up to 24 on my list! I could probably have ranked it down another 10 spots given how often I avoid it all together when listening to Fragile.

And You And I - 23. This is the low song for me on Close to the Edge, but it's still a beautiful song with some magnificent passages. Those mellotron fueled sections are tremendous. Think I might have underanked it a bit.

The Gates of Delirium - 3. I got this one on the mark too! This is a journey and a trip, but the payoff with "Soon" is so extraordinary in itself that the whole had to finish near the top for me. It's a song that I will just sort of get lost in, and then Soon will kick in and you're just taken to another place all together. Love it.

[TheHoveringSojourn808]

Incredible 3 songs here. The Gates of Delirium was my favorite Yes song for quite a long time when I was younger, always loved how absolutely bonkers the entire middle section is.

2. Ritual (Nous Sommes Du Soleil)
4. The Gates of Delirium
5. The Revealing Science of God (Dance of the Dawn)
6. Heart of the Sunrise
7. The Remembering (High the Memory)
8. Starship Trooper
9. I've Seen All Good People
10. Sound Chaser
11. Siberian Khatru
12. And You And I
13. Perpetual Change
14. Roundabout
15. South Side of the Sky
16. Yours Is No Disgrace
17. Long Distance Runaround
18. The Ancient (Giants Under the Sun)
19. Machine Messiah
21. Parallels
22. Wonderous Stories
23. Turn Of The Century
24. Going for the One
26. Tempus Fugit
27. To Be Over
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

[The Letter M]

Can you imagine how killer an album would be with these three songs?

Side 1 - The Gates Of Delirium
Side 2 - And You And I, Heart Of The Sunrise

All killer, no filler.

-Marc.

[KevShmev]

Can you imagine how killer an album would be with these three songs?

Side 1 - The Gates Of Delirium
Side 2 - And You And I, Heart Of The Sunrise

All killer, no filler.

-Marc.

Or an album with And You and I and two songs that are even better than the two you listed. :

---

And You and I would have been my number 1 song, but a top 5 finish is still stellar.  I was a bit stunned to see Starship Trooper (that would have been my number 2) to finish out of the top 10, but the top 13 are all major heavyweight Yes songs, so it's splitting hairs. 

[romdrums]

5. Heart of the Sunrise (6). Possibly the best performance of the Bruford/Squire rhythm section in the Yes catalog, and also possibly the hippest application of paradiddle-diddles and paradiddles of all time. One of my all time favorite Bruford performances and such a killer drum part to play.

4. And You And I (4). My son's favorite Yes song, and a favorite of mine as well. I feel like it's the shortest 10-minute song of all time. That's not a criticism, it's actually a compliment. It's so well-structured that it feels like a 4 minute song, only to realize that 10 minutes goes by while listening to it.

3. The Gates of Delirium (2). Close to the Edge with a goatee. I don't know that anything I can say about it will do it justice.

[James Mypetgiress]

Roundabout - #33 - An example of a song I have simply heard too much. If I were being purely subjective, or we had run this countdown a decade ago, this would probably be in my top 5.
Siberian Khatru - #20 - I don't know if there's much I can say on this track. It's good.
South Side of the Sky - #7 - Another Yes song that frequently moves me to tears. The piano work and the interlocking harmonies of Jon, Chris and Steve. Simply fantastic.
Heart of the Sunrise - #11 - A brillaint track. Really fun to play on bass. There's not much to pick between all of my favourite tracks on Fragile. Fish, South Side and HotS are all incredible.
And You and I - #22 - I think I may have messed up a bit with the ranking of this. I prefer it to Khatru. Mistakes were made. Especially love Chris (or Billy's) harmonica solo on more recent live renditions.
Gates of Delirium - #1 - This is Yes' peak for me. I'd go as far as to say it's probably my favourite extended piece of music, ever.

[lonestar]

Interesting, seems my #1 has a chance to be the overall #1

[Stadler]

122 - Onward
119 - Sound Chaser
96 - Homeworld (The Ladder)
88 - Mood For A Day
86 - Leave It
81 - Mind Drive
77 - Roundabout
72 - City Of Love
71 - Siberian Khartoum
68 - The Remembering (High The Memory)
65 - The Fish
63 - The Ancients (Giants Under The Sun)
57 - I Am Waiting
56 - To Be Over
51 - Ritual



50 - Fly From Here
49 - Long Distance Runaround
48 - Parallels
47 - Changes
46 - The Gates Of Delirium Lock
45 - White Car
44 - Slim chance Nope
43 - Does It Really Happen?
42 - No chance in hell
41 - No chance in hell (though, oddly, may be referenced by technicality)
40 - No chance in hell
39 - Hold On
38 - No chance in hell
37 - I've Seen All Good People
36 - Cinema
35 - No chance in hell
34 - Slim chance Nope
33 - Perpetual Change
32 - Slim chance Nope
31 - Endless Dream
30 - Into The Lens
29 - No chance in hell
28 - It Can Happen
27 - Future Times/Rejoice
26 - Owner Of A Lonely Heart
25 - Release, Release
24 - No chance in hell
23 - No chance in hell
22 - Lock
21 - The Calling
20 - Hearts
19 - No chance in hell
18 - On The Silent Wings Of Freedom
17 - The Revealing Science Of God (Dance Of The Dawn)
16 - Machine Messiah
15 - Love Will Find A Way
14 - Yours Is No Disgrace
13 - Final Eyes
12 - Lift Me Up
11 - Slim chance at this point Nope
10 - Wonderous Stories
9 - Tempus Fugit
8 - Lock Nope
7 - And You And I Lock
6 - Starship Trooper
5 - South Side Of The Sky
4 - Going For The One
3 - Heart Of The Sunrise Lock
2 - Lock
1 - Turn Of The Century

All three are on the list, but TGOD almost didn't make it.  I'm not really a fan, and it's very much salvaged by the "Soon" section .

And You And I is a beautiful song; often cited as the "best" prog song I think is a LITTLE much, but it's still marvelous and a wonder to behold live.

Heart Of The Sunrise is just amazing and is the song that first got me into Yes, if memory serves.  I didn't really get into GFTO until later; my first album was Classic Yes, and it was a fistfight between "Heart Of The Sunrise" and "Starship Trooper" as to what was the best song.

[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)
23. Perpetual Change (BIG F'up here. Somehow I left off list   Would've been #20 for me)
22. Owner of a Lonely Heart (N/R HATE THIS SONG!)
21. Parallels (#6)
20. Wonderous Stories (#1 )
19. Long Distance Runaround (#8)
18. To Be Over (#35)
17. Tempus Fugit (N/R)
16. Sound Chaser (N/R)
15. I've Seen All Good People (#10)
14. Going for the One (#9)
13. Turn of the Century (#23)
12. The Revealing Science of God (N/R)
11. Starship Trooper (#11)
10. Yours Is No Disgrace (#5)
  9. Machine Messiah (#32)
  8. Roundabout (#31)
  7. Siberian Khatru (#22)
  6. South Side of The Sky (another one forgotten to list  ...this would have been #25)
  5. Heart of The Sunrise (#3)
  4. And You and I (#2)
  3. Gates of Delerium (Well....I completely butchered this ranking list. I didn't verify my list before sending, and somehow 5 songs got left off..... and BIG ones to boot! THIS one, THE BIGGEST! ...this would have been #5 for me. Apologies! )

[HOF]

I don’t think I’ve ever seen “And You And I” cited as the best prog song before.

[pg1067]

And You and I - #22 - I think I may have messed up a bit with the ranking of this. I prefer it to Khatru. Mistakes were made. Especially love Chris (or Billy's) harmonica solo on more recent live renditions.

I REALLY dislike the addition of the harmonica.  First time I saw it on one of the DVDs (or maybe at a live show), I was like, "WTF is this?!"  Totally unnecessary addition to the song.

[Orbert]

+1  Not a fan of the harmonica solo.  Seems like a truly unnecessary addition and also distracting.

Earlier I said that I don't think it's fair to downgrade the studio version of a song just because they did a live version later that's better.  So this isn't like that.  But the Symphonic version of "And You And I" is amazing, while I think the studio version is "only" great.  It's always been a nice breather between the insanity and subsequent journey of the title track and "Siberian Khatru" but as such I always liked it but rarely sought it out.  Most of the live versions had Howe playing those beautiful 12-string parts on a six-string electric, which really lost a lot of the greatness of the song.  But later he started actually playing them on a 12-string, and by time you add an actual orchestra playing what was originally Mellotron strings... Wow!  It truly elevates the song.

The other songs are pretty good, too.

[HOF]

Something I meant to mention about And You And I is that it occurred to me this week how Transatlantic kind of immitated that ambient acoustic intro for We All Need Some Light.

Listening to it again now, I don’t think I under-ranked it. It’s a pleasant enough listen, and there are some really nice parts to it (the aforementioned guitar part and the kind of orchestral keyboard bits), but the main melody is kind of twee and the whole thing is a bit too slow and repetitious for a 10 minute track. Could have easily been like 4-6 minutes I think.

[KevShmev]

Something I meant to mention about And You And I is that it occurred to me this week how Transatlantic kind of immitated that ambient acoustic intro for We All Need Some Light.

Listening to it again now, I don’t think I under-ranked it. It’s a pleasant enough listen, and there are some really nice parts to it (the aforementioned guitar part and the kind of orchestral keyboard bits), but the main melody is kind of twee and the whole thing is a bit too slow and repetitious for a 10 minute track. Could have easily been like 4-6 minutes I think.

You're fired.

[HOF]

It’s a nice song! I just don’t think it is one of their 5 best though, and it is easily my least favorite part of CTTE.

But I feel more strongly about Heart of the Sunrise being overrated. That’s just not a melodically pleasing song.

[TheHoveringSojourn808]

If anything AYAI should be 10 minutes longer

[HOF]

Easy enough to just play it on repeat. You might not know the difference!

[devieira73]

Something I meant to mention about And You And I is that it occurred to me this week how Transatlantic kind of immitated that ambient acoustic intro for We All Need Some Light.

Listening to it again now, I don’t think I under-ranked it. It’s a pleasant enough listen, and there are some really nice parts to it (the aforementioned guitar part and the kind of orchestral keyboard bits), but the main melody is kind of twee and the whole thing is a bit too slow and repetitious for a 10 minute track. Could have easily been like 4-6 minutes I think.

Solidarizing with HOF, I kind feel this way about AYAI, hence, it didn't make my top 50. Yes, I was the only moron to do it.