# Any Yes fans around?



## TudorMihai (Feb 20, 2013)

Yes is among my favorite bands of all time and the band that introduced me to progressive rock. It's a pity that Jon Anderson is no longer a member but Fly from Here with Benoit David was very good, easily better than previous Yes-Anderson albums. And in the fall of 2013 they will record a new album with yet another lead vocalist, Jon Davison. It's truly remarkable that they continue to make music after more than 40 years.


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## elgar's ghost (Aug 8, 2010)

I like certain albums very much - virtually everything between The Yes Album and Drama apart from some of the duller sections of Tales From Topographic Oceans and the fluffier bits of Tormato. Couldn't stand the slick 80s stuff, though - I thought the 'Yeggles' Drama album was an excellent compromise between the old and the new but when the line-up changed yet again things got a bit too streamlined for my liking. I can't say I've heard any of the post-Rabin albums - the band became a bit of a circus especially with Wakeman leaving and rejoining every 10 minutes. I don't buy much rock now so I'm perfectly happy with just the bunch of albums I originally liked.


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## oogabooha (Nov 22, 2011)

they're not near my favorite, but....

The Clap...jesus christ


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## regressivetransphobe (May 16, 2011)

Comedy answer: No


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## EddieRUKiddingVarese (Jan 8, 2013)

Yes, yet another no.

Are they stuck on the name Jon, answer Yes...............

I think they are very much a British thing- never really took off in Aussie, I find them the ugly end of Prog - bordering on boring.


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## rrudolph (Sep 15, 2011)

They were great up until about 1975, then "Going for the One" began a downward spiral from which they never recovered.


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## mgj15 (Feb 17, 2011)

Early stuff is great; yes album, fragile, close to the edge, topographic oceans and the live album yessongs are all favorites for classic rock. Real melodic and experimental, satisfying listens.


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## Muddy (Feb 5, 2012)

I love Yes. Awaken is brilliant. I have always been a Yes/Tull/Genesis/Floyd/LedZep/Moodies kind of guy.


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## Manxfeeder (Oct 19, 2010)

regressivetransphobe said:


> Comedy answer: No


Aw, rats. You stole my joke.

But no joke; no.


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## Guest (Apr 23, 2013)

Muddy said:


> I love Yes. Awaken is brilliant. I have always been a Yes/Tull/Genesis/Floyd/LedZep/Moodies kind of guy.


Just Genesis, from your list, floated my boat (some tracks still do of course).



Manxfeeder said:


> Aw, rats. You stole my joke.
> 
> But no joke; no.


The answer to the OP's question is clearly, "Yes", not "No" (whatever 'joke' you may be aiming at).

But I'm not one of them. Whilst I couldn't argue with their musicianship, I found them uber-serious, possibly due to infection by Bruford (clinical, precise, accurate, no soul - saw him live twice, got three of his albums).


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## Manxfeeder (Oct 19, 2010)

MacLeod said:


> The answer to the OP's question is clearly, "Yes", not "No" (whatever 'joke' you may be aiming at).


Technically, you're right, unless you ask the question "Any Yes fans around" in my particular house. Then the answer is no.

And that's not by design; I just haven't taken the time to hear any of their music.


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## EddieRUKiddingVarese (Jan 8, 2013)

^ here is some Yes for you then............. note this is latter stuff when they have moved away from their proggy roots


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## elgar's ghost (Aug 8, 2010)

AAAAAAGGGHHHHH!!!!! 80s ALERT!!!!!!! Jeez - you can almost smell the perms. :lol:


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## Manxfeeder (Oct 19, 2010)

EddieRUKiddingVarese said:


> ^ here is some Yes for you then............. note this is latter stuff when they have moved away from their proggy roots


Thanks for the introduction!


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## millionrainbows (Jun 23, 2012)

I thought their high point was "The Yes Album," and I particularly like the song "I've Seen All Good People." Beyond that, Jon Anderson's vocals can become tedious, and the ideas less and less chill-inducing. But I have all of the early albums, up to "Relayer."






But more than this, Yes, along with King Crimson and Gentle Giant and the British "Art Rock" movement, represented what "rock" music was capable of at its very limits. The limits included not only more grandiose ideas, but a new technical virtuosity which was unheard-of.


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## Art Rock (Nov 28, 2009)

Yes of course. Their proggier period. Although I have always preferred Pink Floyd and Genesis (the Gabriel and/or Hacket years) over them. Favourite album: _Close to the edge_.


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## BartokBela (Mar 12, 2013)

Yes, I like their earlier albums. King Crimson is my favourite Prog Rock band, though.


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## EddieRUKiddingVarese (Jan 8, 2013)

Zappa and the Mothers are my favourite Prog band


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## BurningDesire (Jul 15, 2012)

I love Yes  Steve Howe is one of my favorite guitar players, and Chris Squire one of my favorite bassists. I love tunes like Heart of the Sunrise and The Gates of Delirium


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## millionrainbows (Jun 23, 2012)

What did "prog rock" try to do? For one thing, it severed the ties with blues, and therefore became an attempt at a different genre of rock, since rock, in its development phase, was basically a white version of Rhythm and Blues (Elvis Presley doing Big Mama Thornton's "Hound Dog" for a white teenage audience launched rock, etc).

It tried to make rock "respectable and authentic" by making sure the music was all original, not derivative, and had strong ties to the 'art' music of the Western classical tradition, ties which can be traced back to Procol Harum, The Nice, Emerson Lake and Palmer, and Deep Purple.


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## EddieRUKiddingVarese (Jan 8, 2013)

millionrainbows said:


> What did "prog rock" try to do? For one thing, it severed the ties with blues, and therefore became an attempt at a different genre of rock, since rock, in its development phase, was basically a white version of Rhythm and Blues (Elvis Presley doing Big Mama Thornton's "Hound Dog" for a white teenage audience launched rock, etc).
> 
> It tried to make rock "respectable and authentic" by making sure the music was all original, not derivative, and had strong ties to the 'art' music of the Western classical tradition, ties which can be traced back to Procol Harum, The Nice, Emerson Lake and Palmer, and Deep Purple.


I think you are stuck in the UK version of Rock history ie Procol Harum, The Nice, Emerson Lake and Palmer, and Deep Purple. Rock and roll, Prog and Blues extended way beyond the UK in development and formation.


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## Pyotr (Feb 26, 2013)

Big Yes fan here. Must have seen then at least a dozen times, the last , a few years ago at Atlantic City when Anderson just left the group for the last time. Didn't enjoy that though.


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## niv (Apr 9, 2013)

I love them, though I rarely listen to them anymore, I guess I worn them out just like the Beatles. I really think Tales From Topographic Oceans is a great record, though my favourite is Close To The Edge.


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## Pyotr (Feb 26, 2013)

niv said:


> I love them, though I rarely listen to them anymore, I guess I worn them out just like the Beatles. I really think Tales From Topographic Oceans is a great record, though my favourite is Close To The Edge.


I was looking for a song of theirs awhile back and was never able to find it. It starts like this "Cha Cha Cha Cha Cha Cha....... Cha Cha Cha Cha Cha Cha Cha...

I thought it was Sound Chaser, but it's not. Any ideas?


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## niv (Apr 9, 2013)

Hmmm, it IS sound chaser. Listen again!


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## millionrainbows (Jun 23, 2012)

What was *Soft Machine,* rock or jazz? I love them, and have everything I can find by them, including the big book...the first 2 albums had vocals (by *Kevin Ayers,* who left early on, and drummer *Robert Wyatt*), so those sound rockier...by *Third,* they had no vocals at all, and had morphed into a more jazzy, but a very uniquely British jazz, using odd time signatures.
At their largest (on *The BBC Sessions,* around the time of the *Third* album), they had a full horn section.

Speaking of horn sections, is *Chicago* prog-rock? How about *Blood Sweat & Tears?* Or is this still "rock" or is it jazz?

*Spirit?* Are they prog-rock?


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## elgar's ghost (Aug 8, 2010)

If we can respond to one band each then I'll choose Soft Machine. They were kind of proper jazz-rock once Kevin Ayres left. Before then they were a fairly fey-sounding psychedelic art-rock band. Wyatt became the group's wild card for the songs on which he was allowed to write and sing but once he was sacked they gradually spiralled into a non-vocal fusion cul-de-sac a bit like Gong under Pierre Moerlen. Best albums - with Wyatt it's 3rd and post Wyatt it's 5.


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## spradlig (Jul 25, 2012)

Yes, I'm a Yes fan. I'm not an expert on their music but I like 90125 and "I've Seen All Good People".


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## Winterreisender (Jul 13, 2013)

Yes is one of my favourite bands... and "Relayer" and "Close to the Edge" are two of my favourite albums ever. Perhaps they are not the most consistent band of all time (and I think all Prog Rock bands have their share of duds) but on a good day I don't think they can be beaten. Favourite song = "To be over"


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## Garlic (May 3, 2013)

Could never get into Yes to be honest, or Genesis. I love Henry Cow though, especially the albums with Lindsay Cooper (who I just discovered died last week ). Any fans here?


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## Vesteralen (Jul 14, 2011)

I went through a serious Yes phase at one point. And, I agree with the earlier poster that enjoyed "Fly From Here". In my opinion, it's the best total album they've done since "Going for the One". 

It's kind of ironic, in a way, that of all the band members, the one I like the least is the one that most defines them - Jon Anderson. His uber, but to me, pseudo- spirituality was really off-putting. That's why I probably liked "Fly From Here" so much.

Every once in a while, though, Anderson could hit all the right buttons.

I can't think of a single classic Yes album that didn't have a clunker or two on it - except maybe "Close to the Edge" (only three tracks). But, even it had some really boring sections.

My favorite Yes track is probably "Turn of the Century", but in my Top 5 are two of the very few covers they did - Paul Simon's "America" and the Beatles' "Every Little Thing".


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## Winterreisender (Jul 13, 2013)

I rather like Jon's gobbledygook lyrics... Tales from Topographic Oceans particularly excels in that category. And when it comes to solo careers, I think Jon is the one I find most interesting.


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## Vesteralen (Jul 14, 2011)

"The Revealing Science of God" from Tales is an excellent example of Jon at his best and at his worst simultaneously. After minutes and minutes of meandering meaninglessness, you get this:

The move fast, they tell me,
But I just can't believe they really mean to
There's someone, to tell you,
A course towards a universal season

Getting over overhanging trees let them
Rape the forest, they might stand and leave them
Clearly to be home
Getting over wars we do not mean
We charm the movement suffers
Call out all our memories
Clearly to be home

We've moved fast
We need love
A part we offer is our only freedom

What happened to this song we once knew so well
Signed promise for moments caught within the spell
We must have waited all our lives for this
Moment moment

Still gobbledegook, yes... but, the climax it reaches is almost overwhelming if you're in the right state of mind for it.


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## Yardrax (Apr 29, 2013)

Never listened to a single Yes album after Tales from Topographic Oceans.

But everything up to and including that album is a classic.

And John Anderson's lyrics and vibes are great and work completely for me.


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## Art Rock (Nov 28, 2009)

Yardrax said:


> Never listened to a single Yes album after Tales from Topographic Oceans.
> 
> But everything up to and including that album is a classic.
> 
> And John Anderson's lyrics and vibes are great and work completely for me.


_Relayer _and _Going for the one_ should be right up your alley.


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## violadude (May 2, 2011)

Garlic said:


> Could never get into Yes to be honest, or Genesis. I love Henry Cow though, especially the albums with Lindsay Cooper (who I just discovered died last week ). Any fans here?


Henry Cow is great. More people should know about that band. I liked their spin off band, The Art Bears, too.


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## starthrower (Dec 11, 2010)

Fragile was my first progressive rock album, which I bought at a drug store in 1976. Still sounds great 40 years on. I didn't follow Yes after Tormato.

I have several Henry Cow albums, but I guess Unrest is my favorite. But I'm more of a fan of British keyboardist Dave Stewart's various bands. Anyone who likes 70s prog rock should hear bands like Egg, Hatfield & The North, and National Heath. The compositions are brilliant, and musicianship is astounding for the time, and from such young players. 

After these bands were through, Dave Stewart joined Bill Bruford's band with Allan Holdsworth, and Jeff Berlin.


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## Balhor (Sep 24, 2013)

imho Chris Squire was one of the best bassists of all time.


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## Gilberto (Sep 12, 2013)

millionrainbows said:


> What was *Soft Machine,* rock or jazz? I love them, and have everything I can find by them, including the big book...the first 2 albums had vocals (by *Kevin Ayers,* who left early on, and drummer *Robert Wyatt*), so those sound rockier...by *Third,* they had no vocals at all, and had morphed into a more jazzy, but a very uniquely British jazz, using odd time signatures.


Actually, Third had a whole Wyatt side with vocals, Moon In June. Ratledge pretty much dominated after that with 4, 5, 6 & 7.

Reading this has prompted me to play the Tales album, which I am loving immensely right now. When it came out I was working at a record store; if you came in the store and asked me to play it, I would have put on Monk or Mingus and looked surprised if anything was wrong. Sorry about that.


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## techniquest (Aug 3, 2012)

Yes, I love Yes and have done for the best part of 40 years. I got into them through 'Tales from Topographic Oceans' which to this day I consider to be their best album no matter what anyone else says; it would be one of my 'desert island discs'.
The follow-up 'Relayer' suffered from dreadful over-trebly and claustrophobic production. Also Patrick Moraz's keyboard style with the hollow harpisichord-type sound and the long bending top notes didn't really fit, though in saying that the duet between his string keyboard and Steve Howe's slide guitar on 'Soon' at the end of 'Gates of Delerium' is sublime.
After the raft of solo albums, I remember being so disappointed that the long-awaited 'Going for the One' abandoned Roger Deans imaginative cover paintings for a trendy Americanised design by Hipgnosis. All but the title track was good though, especially 'Awaken', a monster of a track which showed Yes at their best: heavy rock, delicate interludes, grandiose sound, tricky time-sigs - it was all there. And who else would have used sleigh-bell poles in their instrumentation in one of the rockier moments?
Tormato was let down firstly by the silly title, the ridiculous album cover and a couple of really cheesy gimmicks such as the fake crowd cheering over the solo drum section in 'Release, Release' and the inclusion of the very young Damian Anderson on 'Circus of Heaven' (though I understand what it was trying to do). Some of the songs were actually pretty good, especially 'Silent Wings of Freedom' and 'Arriving UFO', and on others Yes were using a very different, simpler sound to what we had been used to ('Circus of Heaven' again, and 'Onward' for example).
I went to see Yes just after 'Drama' had come out and was surprised how much of the lead vocal live was taken by Chris Squire, especially on some of the older Yes tracks, and the best part of the concert was when the Buggles duo went off for a break while Chris, Steve and Alan did 'Mood for a Day' and 'The Fish'. The 'Drama' album itself was okay, but a long way from what they were doing just a few years earlier.
I managed to get into '80s Yes with Trevor Rabin, but my word did it show when, near the end of 'Changes', Jon Anderson takes the lead after Trevor Rabin had done lead vocals on the song. However I could only just about stand the first couple of tracks on 'Big Generator' and for me the rot had set in. I haven't been able to get into any subsequent Yes studio album release.
(Sorry for banging on so long).


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## Winterreisender (Jul 13, 2013)

techniquest said:


> Yes, I love Yes and have done for the best part of 40 years. I got into them through 'Tales from Topographic Oceans' which to this day I consider to be their best album no matter what anyone else says; it would be one of my 'desert island discs'.
> The follow-up 'Relayer' suffered from dreadful over-trebly and claustrophobic production. Also Patrick Moraz's keyboard style with the hollow harpisichord-type sound and the long bending top notes didn't really fit, though in saying that the duet between his string keyboard and Steve Howe's slide guitar on 'Soon' at the end of 'Gates of Delerium' is sublime.


I agree about TFTO being a great album; my favourite bit is probably the acoustic seciton at the end of "The Ancient." In my opinion Relayer is even better and I think Patrick Moraz's keyboard works very well on the song "To Be Over." That is my favourite Yes song overall; I particuarly enjoy the contrapuntal section at the end where the vocals beautifully complement the repeated guitar line.


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## eyeman (Oct 3, 2013)

I love Yes from their early beginnings thru Trevor Rabin era and own all albums and CD's thru 'Talk'. After that they kinda lost me. Saw them on their 'Union' tour...was the best concert I've ever seen and I've seen em all.


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## eyeman (Oct 3, 2013)

One thing I don't understand, I love 'Tormato' and over the years have probably listened to it more than any...why do so many criticize it?


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## Vesteralen (Jul 14, 2011)

techniquest said:


> I managed to get into '80s Yes with Trevor Rabin, but my word did it show when, near the end of 'Changes', Jon Anderson takes the lead after Trevor Rabin had done lead vocals on the song. However I could only just about stand the first couple of tracks on 'Big Generator' and for me the rot had set in. I haven't been able to get into any subsequent Yes studio album release.


Of all the classic Yes albums. _Relayer_ is probably my least favorite.

Of the post classics, I also found _Big Generator_ to be the most disappointing. I don't remember many tracks from it now, but at the time I listened to it I found it very 80's derivative and trying too hard to be "current".

_Talk_, on the other hand, was one of my favorites, mainly because with both "I Am Waiting" and "Endless Dream", Jon Anderson had never sounded better, and the build up to the climax of the latter song was actually thrilling.

"The Ladder" was probably their most pop/commercial album ever. But, I actually think that, although it wasn't a typical Yes album, for what it was trying to be it was very, very good. Some really catchy stuff.

"Magnification" had some good tunes on it, too, as I remember, but there were several clunkers, and the whole concept was in that pseudo-spiritual/science fiction (more astrology, actually) vein I hate.

"Fly From Here", I repeat, is Anderson-less, but great - like _Drama_ on steroids.. Loved it from beginning to end.


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## Vesteralen (Jul 14, 2011)

eyeman said:


> One thing I don't understand, I love 'Tormato' and over the years have probably listened to it more than any...why do so many criticize it?


I think Techniquest's earlier post hit on most of the perceived problems with _Tormato_. I never thought it was quite as bad as the critics said. I'd rather listen to it than _Relayer _any day.


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## Kevin Pearson (Aug 14, 2009)

I have been a huge Yes fan and followed them quite closely since 1971 when Fragile was released. It's interesting to read everyone's thoughts about their music and how we have such varied opinions about their music. I'm actually quite fond of Relayer and I think Gates of Delirium is one of their most creative pieces and Tormato is such a mixed bag of an album. I can't hardly stand to listen to Circus of Heaven, Don't Kill the Whales or Arriving UFO. I think those pieces are just gosh awful but I really love Onward and On The Silent Wings of Freedom.

As for their different periods I have enjoyed the various changes in the lineup and feel that the underlying Yes sound remained even if at times it was more subtle. The Trevor Rabin years produced some really great stuff. Big Generator was not one of their best albums but it's not a terrible album either. 90125, Talk and Union are just better works with Talk probably the best of the Rabin era. 

And although not Yes albums in name the Anderson, Bruford, Wakeman and Howe albums are pretty good and should be in any Yes fan's collection.

Their later albums like the two Keys To Ascension albums, The Ladder and Magnification all have good material but I find Open Your Eyes my least favorite album of theirs in their catalog. I have tried several times to give Fly From Here a chance and I can never listen through the entire album in one sitting. I much prefer Drama if I am going to listen to Buggles Yes.

Ultimately though their first nine albums are my favorites.

Kevin


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## Andrei (Sep 11, 2013)

I seem to be listening to a lot of rock / pop these days but never Yes. I have found with rock as much with classical that one man's meat is another's poison.


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## Simon Moon (Oct 10, 2013)

I'm a YES fan. 

But as some others have said, only up through Drama.

I'm still a big prog fan. 

It was prog that got me listening to classical. But it wasn't the bands like YES, Genesis, ELP and that got me into classical. It was the more avant-garde bands that were responsible. Bands more influenced by the post 20th century and avant-garde classical composers rather than the Romantic and Classical periods of the above bands.

Bands like:

Henry Cow (England)
The Thinking Plague (USA)
Far Corner (USA)
MAGMA (France)
Universe Zero (Belgium)
Art Zoyd (France)
Utotem (USA)
Yugen (Italy)


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## violadude (May 2, 2011)

Simon Moon said:


> I'm a YES fan.
> 
> But as some others have said, only up through Drama.
> 
> ...


Those are all AMAZING bands that don't get nearly enough attention compared to more mainstream "prog-rock" bands!


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## Jos (Oct 14, 2013)

OMG, it's all coming back, '70's progrock. Whaaaaaa
Sorry, cannot listen to it anymore, not even one track. In fact: i've come to hate it. Have 3 or 4 albums by them, must dig those out of the crates and give them to charity. Coverartwork was nice though.....

Cheers,
Jos


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## BlackDahlia (Aug 12, 2013)

A few years ago I used to use "A seasoned witch" as a custom user title.

"And You And I" is still my fav, along with "Heart Of The Sunrise", "Turn Of The Century", and... believe it or not "The Prophet" from Time And A Word.

The music of Yes is what actually got me interested in classical music when I was young.


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## jim prideaux (May 30, 2013)

rrudolph said:


> They were great up until about 1975, then "Going for the One" began a downward spiral from which they never recovered.


Yes are a fundamental part of my adolescence and therefore I cannot just discard their music-even if I wanted to-like a lot of others who reached the age of 17/18 around 1977 I spent a considerable amount of time denying ever having liked them (along with King Crimson,PFM etc) while at the same time imagining one had always subscribed to the punk ethic-and yet now it is odd how I turn to the first few Yes albums simply because I enjoy listening to them rather than the Heartbreakers LAMF album or 'The Idiot' (although I still believe the Clash were one of the greatest 'rock 'n roll bands)
I do believe that one of the great advantages of 'increasing maturity' is the opportunity to embrace diversity-in musical terms I listen to what I enjoy and find interesting.....on that note.....

Every little thing/I see you off the first album-great covers
The Yes album-oh yeah!-friends of mine would prefer to be able to reel off the lyrics to some 'important' Costello song, its just that Yours is no disgrace comes more readily..... 
Close to the Edge-Steve Howe at the beginning of Siberian Khutru-is that funk?-and as for his soloing on their reinvention of America.....
Roundabout from Fragile-still 'rocks' at the same time as immediately creating an imaginery landscape.....that's before we even allow Roger Dean the opportunity to contribute......
I still like the oft disparaged strings on Time and a Word.....English,autumnal......
but...rrudolph is so right....Going for the One....they are hanging on by their fingernails,slipping.....


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## Guest (Nov 8, 2013)

jim prideaux said:


> Yes are a fundamental part of my adolescence and therefore I cannot just discard their music-even if I wanted to-like a lot of others who reached the age of 17/18 around 1977 I spent a considerable amount of time denying ever having liked them (along with King Crimson,PFM etc)


PFM? They don't get a name check very often. I only know the single they had - Celebration. Loved it!


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## Art Rock (Nov 28, 2009)

In prog circles, PFM are well appreciated. The excellent progarchives site lists their albums _Per un amico_ and _Storia di un minuto_ in the top30 prog albums of all time.


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## Svelte Silhouette (Nov 7, 2013)

MacLeod said:


> PFM? They don't get a name check very often. I only know the single they had - Celebration. Loved it!


Gosh, I recall 'The world became the world' light years ago ... where have all those years gone


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## Svelte Silhouette (Nov 7, 2013)

jim prideaux said:


> Yes are a fundamental part of my adolescence and therefore I cannot just discard their music-even if I wanted to-like a lot of others who reached the age of 17/18 around 1977 I spent a considerable amount of time denying ever having liked them (along with King Crimson,PFM etc) while at the same time imagining one had always subscribed to the punk ethic-and yet now it is odd how I turn to the first few Yes albums simply because I enjoy listening to them rather than the Heartbreakers LAMF album or 'The Idiot' (although I still believe the Clash were one of the greatest 'rock 'n roll bands)
> I do believe that one of the great advantages of 'increasing maturity' is the opportunity to embrace diversity-in musical terms I listen to what I enjoy and find interesting.....on that note.....
> 
> Every little thing/I see you off the first album-great covers
> ...


Yes until Buggled, is that the right word, was ethereal listening and from The Yes album onwards until that nasty covered Tormato I collected LP after LP then got the SACD 'High Vibration' 16 disc set to relive the memory


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## Svelte Silhouette (Nov 7, 2013)

Kevin Pearson said:


> I have been a huge Yes fan and followed them quite closely since 1971 when Fragile was released. It's interesting to read everyone's thoughts about their music and how we have such varied opinions about their music. I'm actually quite fond of Relayer and I think Gates of Delirium is one of their most creative pieces and Tormato is such a mixed bag of an album. I can't hardly stand to listen to Circus of Heaven, Don't Kill the Whales or Arriving UFO. I think those pieces are just gosh awful but I really love Onward and On The Silent Wings of Freedom.
> 
> As for their different periods I have enjoyed the various changes in the lineup and feel that the underlying Yes sound remained even if at times it was more subtle. The Trevor Rabin years produced some really great stuff. Big Generator was not one of their best albums but it's not a terrible album either. 90125, Talk and Union are just better works with Talk probably the best of the Rabin era.
> 
> ...


Talk and Open your eyes were disasters, Tormato was a hiccough by comparison but had an awful cover though Going for the one's posters were censored in the US so lawd knows what couda happens to Sex Pistols 1st 'Never mind the Botox


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## Svelte Silhouette (Nov 7, 2013)

niv said:


> I love them, though I rarely listen to them anymore, I guess I worn them out just like the Beatles. I really think Tales From Topographic Oceans is a great record, though my favourite is Close To The Edge.


Surely no-one can ever tire of later Beatles music as it is never even vaguely jarring on re-listenning decades later where Purple on the other hand, as an example, is really hard going 4me nowadays


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## BurningDesire (Jul 15, 2012)

I don't get why punk was anti-prog. I love both punk/alt rock and prog rock o3o


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## TurnaboutVox (Sep 22, 2013)

Svelte Silhouette said:


> Surely no-one can ever tire of later Beatles music as it is never even vaguely jarring on re-listenning decades later


I am totally, utterly, completely bored and disentranced with the Beatles. So there!

(Now look what you've made me do, I won't be able to set foot in Liverpool ever again!)


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## jim prideaux (May 30, 2013)

BurningDesire said:


> I don't get why punk was anti-prog. I love both punk/alt rock and prog rock o3o


I have no idea about your age or geographical location.....I would argue that the erection of musical barricades in 1976-78,fuelled by politics, literature and plain old teenage angst can only be really understood if you were there at the time...I know that reads badly, and I am not even claiming it was a good thing, the ideals went bang very quickly and a lot of good music was thrown out as it was 'tainted' ie it reflected established traditions and the people involved could actually play.....


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## Svelte Silhouette (Nov 7, 2013)

jim prideaux said:


> I have no idea about your age or geographical location.....I would argue that the erection of musical barricades in 1976-78,fuelled by politics, literature and plain old teenage angst can only be really understood if you were there at the time...I know that reads badly, and I am not even claiming it was a good thing, the ideals went bang very quickly and a lot of good music was thrown out as it was 'tainted' ie it reflected established traditions and the people involved could actually play.....


'Fraid I agree ... retro has become a big thing over the last decade or so BUT the punk which aimed to slay dinosaur rock groups, and sometimes stated as much, is now part of that same fashionable retro so has gotten bundled in with a resurgence of mid-60's into mid 70s stuff as 'part and parcel' when in fact it was a short-lived hiccough albeit though kinda replaced by new age/new romantic stuff then electronica etc etc and the dinosaurs walked the earth again and continue to do so albeit though some punkies are back on the road again ... Boomtowns etc. In past times I've been used as a sounding board for retro stuff by younger folks as though I were some kinda guru BUT i'm simply old and was there then and still here now ;-)


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## EdwardBast (Nov 25, 2013)

millionrainbows said:


> What did "prog rock" try to do? For one thing, it severed the ties with blues, and therefore became an attempt at a different genre of rock,


Yes, it is the zombie thread resurrection . . .

I keep hearing about the lack of blues basis in prog-rock. True of Yes and Genesis, but not of King Crimson, Soft Machine, Zappa and the Mothers, for example. Listen to KCs Larks' Tongues in Aspic, Starless and Bible Black, Red, Discipline, or anything by the most recent reincarnations; Soft Machine 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, Bundles, etc.

I admired some of Yes's and Genesis's music but liked KC and Soft Machine more. What bothered me about Genesis was always being aware of an underlying chord progression. I like contrapuntal thinking.

Henry Cow composed some wonderful music that deserved better recordings and, frankly, better performances as well.


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## Simon Moon (Oct 10, 2013)

EdwardBast said:


> Yes, it is the zombie thread resurrection . . .
> 
> I keep hearing about the lack of blues basis in prog-rock. True of Yes and Genesis, but not of King Crimson, Soft Machine, Zappa and the Mothers, for example. Listen to KCs Larks' Tongues in Aspic, Starless and Bible Black, Red, Discipline, or anything by the most recent reincarnations; Soft Machine 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, Bundles, etc.


Interesting take.

I'm not sure I hear too much blues in KC. Especially in their extended pieces. Maybe in songs like 'The Night Watch' or 'Book of Saturday' or 'Easy Money', there's a touch. But if you hear blues in any of Fripp's guitar playing with KC, please point it out.

Zappa used influenced from many forms of music. So, while blues was an influence, so was jazz and 20th century classical. Calling Zappa's music blues based is only correct some of the time.

I listen to prog, from the 1st 'Golden Age' (late 60's through late 70's), through everything that has happened from its resurrection in the early 90's, till now (so many great post 90's bands, so little time).

The vast majority of prog originates from countries with no blues tradition. The musicians from those countries would have no affinity for it. But even most of the US prog bands have very little blues basis.

I listen to prog in the classic style in the vein of Yes, Genesis, KC, PFM, GG, Banco, etc, and I listen to avant-garde, RIO, prog-metal, fusion, ZEUHL and technical-metal, from all countries. I'll bet the percentage that is blues based, is so low, it would barely register.



> Henry Cow composed some wonderful music that deserved better recordings and, frankly, better performances as well.


I agree.


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## EdwardBast (Nov 25, 2013)

Simon Moon said:


> Interesting take.
> 
> I'm not sure I hear too much blues in KC. Especially in their extended pieces. Maybe in songs like 'The Night Watch' or 'Book of Saturday' or 'Easy Money', there's a touch. But if you hear blues in any of Fripp's guitar playing with KC, please point it out.


Putting aside the actual blues songs, "Potato Pie" and "Prozac Blues": "Mirrors," the unison passage from "Schizoid Man" is basically a blues progression. So is most of "Pictures of a City." So too much of The Battle of Glass Tears. The progression underlying the guitar solo at the end of "Sailor's Tail" derives from a blues progression. "Ladies of the Road" is nothing but blues based licks even if the progression doesn't conform. Is that guitar solo even conceivable without blues background? The sax solo too. Same is true of "Easy Money." The chromaticism in the fast 7/8 section of Larks' Tongues Part I is, notwithstanding the odd tone out of bounds, primarily passing motion through blue notes.

"Doctor Diamond" is virtually all blues. "We'll Let You Know" is an extended blues based improvisation. The long crescendo in 13/4 in Starless is a modified blues progression, along with the double tempo improvisation shortly thereafter (soprano sax and guitar). I would argue that nearly all of the whole-tone based tunes (e.g., "One More Red Nightmare," the beginning of "Fracture") borrow phrase structures from blues progressions but with dominant and subdominant functions flatted into the whole-tone sphere (flat 4, flat 5).

The basic lick in "Facts of Life" would be a blues cliche if not for the missing beat (alternating 5/4 and 6/4 measures, though they'd probably call it 11 because it sounds more impressive).

More generally, however, I think some essence of the blues, filtered through Bartok and the most progressive Hendrix, underlies nearly all of the really violent passages of improv - "Starless and Bible Black," "Providence," "Indiscipline." It is what happens when the blues develops paranoid schizophrenia. This last point is rather subjective, I realize.

I could get into the use of bends and blue notes in the solos of Belew and Fripp but I think you know where I am going.



Simon Moon said:


> The vast majority of prog originates from countries with no blues tradition. The musicians from those countries would have no affinity for it. But even most of the US prog bands have very little blues basis.


Great Britain and the U.S., the only relevant countries for King Crimson, had blues traditions, though the one in Great Britain was of recent origin.



Simon Moon said:


> I listen to prog in the classic style in the vein of Yes, Genesis, KC, PFM, GG, Banco, etc, and I listen to avant-garde, RIO, prog-metal, fusion, ZEUHL and technical-metal, from all countries. I'll bet the percentage that is blues based, is so low, it would barely register.


Yes, in general it is pretty low. It is fairly high in the bands I mentioned. Remember, however, I didn't say "blues based," but only a basis in the blues, which is a bit broader than just borrowing the progression or cliche licks.


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## Simon Moon (Oct 10, 2013)

EdwardBast said:


> Putting aside the actual blues songs, "Potato Pie" and "Prozac Blues": "Mirrors," the unison passage from "Schizoid Man" is basically a blues progression. So is most of "Pictures of a City." So too much of The Battle of Glass Tears. The progression underlying the guitar solo at the end of "Sailor's Tail" derives from a blues progression. "Ladies of the Road" is nothing but blues based licks even if the progression doesn't conform. Is that guitar solo even conceivable without blues background? The sax solo too. Same is true of "Easy Money." The chromaticism in the fast 7/8 section of Larks' Tongues Part I is, notwithstanding the odd tone out of bounds, primarily passing motion through blue notes.
> 
> "Doctor Diamond" is virtually all blues. "We'll Let You Know" is an extended blues based improvisation. The long crescendo in 13/4 in Starless is a modified blues progression, along with the double tempo improvisation shortly thereafter (soprano sax and guitar). I would argue that nearly all of the whole-tone based tunes (e.g., "One More Red Nightmare," the beginning of "Fracture") borrow phrase structures from blues progressions but with dominant and subdominant functions flatted into the whole-tone sphere (flat 4, flat 5).
> 
> ...


Thank you for correcting me on some of KC's work. I will have to listen this weekend to much of what you pointed out.

I forgot about songs like 'Prozac Blues' and 'Potato Pie'. Not a fan of those, they slipped my mind.


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## Vesteralen (Jul 14, 2011)

Just heard Annie Halsam singing "Turn of the Century" from the 1995 Yes tribute album. Absolute heaven. The best Yes song by the best singer I've ever heard. 

Had to drive by and share. (Though I'm many months older, I'm still alive, by the way, hard as it may be to believe.)


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## Vaneyes (May 11, 2010)

Hope I'm repeating myself. 40 or so years ago, I was a huge YES fan.


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## Whistler Fred (Feb 6, 2014)

My introduction to Yes was a single (edited) version of "Roundabout." I thought it was okay but nothing special. But then I heard the full track and I was blown away. Yes just doesn't work as well when sliced and diced to fit into three minutes.

My favorite Yes albums are Fragile, Close to the Edge, Relayer and Going for the One. I like most of Tales from Topographic Oceans but sometimes wonder if it would have been improved by some editing of the more meandering parts, say, a seventy minute CD instead of an 80 minute double LP.

Other prog rock groups I like include early Genesis (up to Lamb), Jethro Tull, Moody Blues (through Seventh Sojourn), King Crimson and the lesser known but brilliant Gentle Giant. And I may need to check out a few bands mentioned earlier in this post.


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## Morimur (Jan 23, 2014)

*NoOoOoOoOoOoOoO...*


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## Trev (May 23, 2014)

Big Yes fan here, in all its iterations, I'll take the good with the bad. I saw the band recently on their three album tour and was very impressed. They played Close to the Edge, The Yes Album, and Going for the One, in their entirety. New singer Davison did a remarkable job (I am a Jon Anderson fan).

A poster about a year ago made a remark about a Howe solo piece from The Yes Album which is properly titled "Clap." The unfortunate preposition on the album cover was an error, so I understand.

Another poster mentions Squire "was" a great bassist. He's not dead yet.

I've always appreciated the evocative melodies and interesting parts the guys wrote and performed. Sure there are tracks I skip, but I can say that about every artist whose work I enjoy. Looking forward to their next record, which I understand is being recorded presently.


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## Morimur (Jan 23, 2014)

Not familiar with Yes. Are they like Can or Magma?


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## Kevin Pearson (Aug 14, 2009)

Lope de Aguirre said:


> Not familiar with Yes. Are they like Can or Magma?


The short answer is no they are not. I would add however that they are probably closer to Can than they are to Magma. Yes is Yes and there really has not been another band quite like them. Starcastle was a Yes wannabe and were not too bad in an imitative sort of way. Yes also has different periods but if you want to hear their best music I would start with The Yes Album, Fragile, Close to the Edge, Tales from Topographic Oceans, Relayer and Going For The One. That's not to say their other albums are not worth listening to but most fans would say these are their best albums and are considered classics in the progressive rock genre.

Kevin


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## Varick (Apr 30, 2014)

Big Yes fan from the origins and even through the '80s all the way until Magnification. Some albums better than others, but they were one of the bands I grew up with. Of course their earlier '70s stuff was their best, but they always turned out some interesting things.

I have a few solo albums by Rick Wakeman (The Six Wives of Henry VIII is fantastic) that I enjoy as well. Most (if not all - I"m not sure) of the band were all classically trained musicians if I'm not mistaken.

YES is one of my favorite bands. I think I'll have to put some of their albums on today, thanks to this thread.

V


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## Vesteralen (Jul 14, 2011)

At first hearing, the new CD "Heaven and Earth" that I previewed at work sounded like more of the same and nothing special, but on taking some time to listen in a more relaxed environment, I'm liking what I hear.

Jon Davison is vocally a dead ringer for Jon Anderson. The opening song, "Believe Again" is full of that Steve Howe pseudo-religious rambling, but it really has some beautiful harmonic moments, and the melody takes a few unexpected turns. Squire's backup vocals are always special for me.


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## Moraviac (Feb 18, 2011)

Big Yes fan here. I love most of their seventies stuff.
"Awaken" is my favorite piece of music ever.
Yes is also influenced by classical music. 
Jon Anderson was (and is) a big fan of Sibelius and Delius.
Strawinksy was another influence for the band.
(Plus a lot of pop/rock, jazz and other stuff.)


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## Badinerie (May 3, 2008)

I Like early Yes. I have lp's by most of the bands named hear even Renaissance suggested by Annie Haslam's mention. 
Close to the Edge, Novella, Court of the Crimson King, Ege Bamyasi, Journey to the Centre of the Earth et al. Much loved albums But not the Beatles. Im only 55 far too young to remember them...


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## Morimur (Jan 23, 2014)

********NO********


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## Itullian (Aug 27, 2011)

I followed them thru Relayer , then classical took over.
Great musicians, but Tull is my all time fav band.


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## Serge (Mar 25, 2010)

Not the biggest Yes fan, but they DO have some great stuff. And, if I remember correctly, as for the popular opinion, are not they close to being the No.1 in prog-rock?


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## Guest (Aug 30, 2014)

Yes, up to Topographic. But after Bill left, it lost the deftness.


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## DTut (Jan 2, 2011)

Yes, I am a gigantic-huge fan of Yes. However, Heaven and Earth is the worst album they ever made by a country mile. I sold it back on amazon. I did love Fly from Here and that was no Jon. '70's is best but there are some gems in the past few decades. Seeing them this summer, unfortunately w/o Chris...


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## TYang (May 28, 2015)

I used to listen to them a bit


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## Albert7 (Nov 16, 2014)

For me, just say yes to Yes.


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## Azol (Jan 25, 2015)

dogen said:


> Yes, up to Topographic. But after Bill left, it lost the deftness.


Ow ow, so no Relayer?!? I love Bruford contribution to "Yes sound" but Relayer is GREAT album, easily Best Yes Album in my opinion.


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## Simon Moon (Oct 10, 2013)

Azol said:


> Ow ow, so no Relayer?!? I love Bruford contribution to "Yes sound" but Relayer is GREAT album, easily Best Yes Album in my opinion.


I agree!

As much as I love Bruford (I own so many albums with him playing, besides Yes), but Relayer is their best album, as far as I'm concerned.

Sure, it may have been even better with Bruf, but the record that exists with White is brilliant.


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## padraic (Feb 26, 2015)

Have been in love with Yes for 25 years and have shown no signs of stopping this affair. That said, I'm only talking about their output through Drama.


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## starthrower (Dec 11, 2010)

Geoff Downes has reported the death of Chris Squire on Twitter. Mr. Squire was undergoing treatment for Leukemia.


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## Guest (Jun 28, 2015)

starthrower said:


> Geoff Downes has reported the death of Chris Squire on Twitter. Mr. Squire was undergoing treatment for Leukemia.


Oh dear. An icon from my youth. A great bassist.

RIP


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## senza sordino (Oct 20, 2013)

That's really sad news about Chris Squire, I admired his work greatly. I'll play some Yes today in tribute.


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## Weston (Jul 11, 2008)

No, no, no, no no! That is unacceptable. Squire was the other voice of Yes, and largely responsible for their sound, to me even more so than Jon Anderson. I guess Yes is officially over for me. No one could replace Squire.


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## Itullian (Aug 27, 2011)

I was a big fan too.
Thanks Chris for all the great music.
RIP :angel:


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## Azol (Jan 25, 2015)

Rest in peace, Chris.

Listened/watched some of the Keys To Ascension DVD, love it despite all the shortcomings and critique.


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## elgar's ghost (Aug 8, 2010)

A terrible shame. Chris was a musician of genuine distinction - both that growling bass rumble and his fluid technique were integral in establishing the unique Yes sound.


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## Dr Johnson (Jun 26, 2015)

Yes were an important part of my adolescence and I still enjoy the Yes Album and Fragile.

I think that Squire's bass playing was unique.


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## starthrower (Dec 11, 2010)

Chris Squire on his 1975 solo album.


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## MrTortoise (Dec 25, 2008)

RIP Mr. Squire, and thank you for all the music, thank you for making me happy so many times.

My favorite rock band of my youth. Sure you can say Yes was pretentious, and the lyrics are nonsensical, their musical output was very uneven in quality, but for my money there was no other band that captured more moments of pure musical joy on record than the classic line-up of Yes.


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## Kevin Pearson (Aug 14, 2009)

I was on vacation last Sunday in New Mexico when the news broke about Chris Squire. YES has been my favorite band for over 40 years. They have brought a lot of joy to me over the years and also one of the reasons I am a fan of classical music today. Chris, in my opinion, is what gave the band their signature sound even through all the personnel changes. He was the one constant and now he only lives on in our memories and the music he left behind. It was a fun week in the mountains but not as fun as it would have been without this news. Needless to say my wife and I listened to a lot of YES last week traversing the mountains of New Mexico. I'll surely miss seeing Chris Squire's smiling face pounding on his bass at future YES concerts. I wasn't planning to attend this year but I might reconsider just to support the band and Billy Sherwood, who has large shoes to fill (no pun intended)!

Kevin


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## Weston (Jul 11, 2008)

starthrower said:


> Chris Squire on his 1975 solo album.


Aaaaagh! Why did I have to stumble upon this post at midnight when I need to go to bed?!


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## starthrower (Dec 11, 2010)

Squire and Howe talk about their 1975 solo albums.


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## DTut (Jan 2, 2011)

I saw him many, many times. Even saw the 'Chris Squire Experiment' ~1992 with Alan White and Billy Sherwood who I will be seeing later this summer (unfortunately) . Fish will be sorely missed.


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## AksharBadBoy (Jul 9, 2015)

i dint hear abt this band til today. will lstn to it later. thanks whoever posted this


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## FPwtc (Dec 3, 2014)

Growing up through punk and Britpop took me years to "come out" and admit I bloody love some of Yes' albums. 

Close to the Edge and The Yes Album stand head and shoulders ahead of anything else they have done however...


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## starthrower (Dec 11, 2010)

I'm a bit behind the times, but I replaced my ancient Relayer CD with this 2003 Rhino edition. I always had a tough time dealing with the sound on this album, and Going For The One. But this edition does sound a little better. I'm actually enjoying all of the music now. In the past I would turn it off after ten minutes due to ear fatigue.

Is there a better sounding edition of Going For The One? I have an old CD that sounds like crap. But this might be their worst sounding album. Anderson's vocals sound horrible on the title track. It's like a ghostly ether with no presence. It's a neat tune, and different from anything else they've done.

I have the remastered Yes album, which sounds very good. Too bad I'm burned out on the music, with the exception of Yours Is No Disgrace. I think it's one of the all time great Yes tunes.










Some great sounding concert footage of Gates Of Delirium.


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## elgar's ghost (Aug 8, 2010)

^
^

The Going for the One album always sounded shrill and metallic, the complete opposite to its predecessor Relayer, which sounded muffled and distant. For a band that took production values very seriously I'm surprised they were happy enough with the final results at the time. After the great job Eddie Offord did on the The Yes Album/Fragile/Close to the Edge trio of albums I find it hard to figure why the production on subsequent Yes records sounded crap in comparison.


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## starthrower (Dec 11, 2010)

The edition of Relayer I just picked up doesn't sound muffled at all. Some of the shrill, metallic sound is due to Steve Howe's high pitched sounds on lap steel, and the use of a Telecaster instead of a hollow body guitar. But I can now listen to this album all the way through without too much difficulty. 

I'm taking a shot on the remaster of Going For The One. Hopefully it'll sound a bit better, and there's a bunch of interesting bonus material. I'm sure the trebly sounds will still be prominent because that's the way they produced the music. Kinda like those sh#tty sounding Rush albums after they stopped working with Terry Brown. I tried to listen to Hold Your Fire last week, and I couldn't get through one song. Too bad because that album has some great songs, but they're locked into that freeze dried crispy 80s sound and production.


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## Weston (Jul 11, 2008)

Shrill and metallic or not, "Awaken" is probably my favorite Yes song. It is also Jon Anderson's favorite, he has stated in interviews. The spiritual ritualistic indescribable multi-orgasmic climax near the end is unequaled.


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## starthrower (Dec 11, 2010)

^^^
They had definitely reached the summit at that point. It's been a gradual descent ever since. I got off the bus after Tormato.


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## elgar's ghost (Aug 8, 2010)

Sorry - I was referring to the sound on the original vinyl releases. The mid-90s re-masters of Relayer and Going for the One were big improvements which I was especially happy about as they are two of my four favourite albums. The subsequent re-masters from ten years ago were perhaps better still but I'm not buying them a third time.


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## starthrower (Dec 11, 2010)

I listened to Time And A Word last night. That one sounds great! I had never heard the whole album because I had the Yesterdays compilation since I was a teenager.


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## elgar's ghost (Aug 8, 2010)

I like some parts of Tormato - especially On the Silent Wings of Freedom. However, the better material is compromised by Jon Anderson in ultra-fluffy mode - Circus of Heaven...oh dear...


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## Dr Johnson (Jun 26, 2015)

elgars ghost said:


> I like some parts of Tormato - especially On the Silent Wings of Freedom. However, the better material is compromised by Jon Anderson in ultra-fluffy mode - Circus of Heaven...oh dear...


I think that On The Silent Wings Of Freedom was the only track on an otherwise awful album that came close to Yes' much better previous efforts.

Re the point made by *starthrower* about the shrill and metallic sound of Relayer, I wonder if some of it was due to the much greater use of electric piano by Patrick Moraz on that album. Just a thought.


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## starthrower (Dec 11, 2010)

The keyboards and synths didn't help. But they were going for an edgier sound anyway. I still think Fragile is their best sounding record. That grating edginess even starts to creep in on the last part of Siberian Khatru. Ediie Offord later engineered the Dregs' 1982 album Industry Standard, and it's their worst sounding album. Go figure.

I started to listen to one of Moraz's old albums on YouTube last night. The beginning was great with the Brazilian percussion, but then that nasty shrill tone took over, so I turned it off.


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## Guest (Jul 12, 2015)

Weston said:


> Shrill and metallic or not, "Awaken" is probably my favorite Yes song. It is also Jon Anderson's favorite, he has stated in interviews. The spiritual ritualistic indescribable multi-orgasmic climax near the end is unequaled.


What about the spiritual ritualistic indescribable multi-orgasmic climax on side 3 of Topographic?!


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## Azol (Jan 25, 2015)

dogen said:


> What about the spiritual ritualistic indescribable multi-orgasmic climax on side 3 of Topographic?!


You picked probably my least favorite from Yes... the guitar part by Howe is craziest on record. It still sounds to me he was unsure what to do next.


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## Dr Johnson (Jun 26, 2015)

Azol said:


> You picked probably my least favorite from Yes... the guitar part by Howe is craziest on record. It still sounds to me he was unsure what to do next.


I bought this book years ago (looking at the prices here I wish I'd bought the hardback ). The author says that the recording process was somewhat unfocussed:

*"Michael Tate claims that Yes floundered around for the better part of four months, 'and Rick didn't do anything except play darts.'"
*

Perhaps Howe _was_ unsure of what to do next.


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## Weston (Jul 11, 2008)

I like the synth solo toward the end of "side one" of Tales. That's got to be Wakeman's most blistering synth solo on record. I enjoy the rest of the album too. It's just not quite as climactic for me as Awaken.


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## Dr Johnson (Jun 26, 2015)

Weston said:


> I like the synth solo toward the end of "side one" of Tales. That's got to be Wakeman's most blistering synth solo on record. I enjoy the rest of the album too. It's just not quite as climactic for me as Awaken.


When I was 17 I used to listen to sides 1 and 2 all the time. Within a year or two I lost interest in the album and never replaced it on CD years later.


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## MrTortoise (Dec 25, 2008)

starthrower said:


> The edition of Relayer I just picked up doesn't sound muffled at all. Some of the shrill, metallic sound is due to Steve Howe's high pitched sounds on lap steel, and the use of a Telecaster instead of a hollow body guitar. But I can now listen to this album all the way through without too much difficulty.
> 
> I'm taking a shot on the remaster of Going For The One. Hopefully it'll sound a bit better, and there's a bunch of interesting bonus material. I'm sure the trebly sounds will still be prominent because that's the way they produced the music. Kinda like those sh#tty sounding Rush albums after they stopped working with Terry Brown. I tried to listen to Hold Your Fire last week, and I couldn't get through one song. Too bad because that album has some great songs, but they're locked into that freeze dried crispy 80s sound and production.


I listened to the 'Deluxe Edition' of Going for the One a few nights ago and the sound was fine so if you like the album I would give it a shot. It was the first time I've listened since getting a new external DAC/headphone amp, so that could have contributed to the good sound. I'm always glad when there is bonus material, however it didn't knock my socks off. It's available on Google Play. Not sure about other streaming services.


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## Guest (Jul 12, 2015)

I remember reading at one point Robert Fripp was offered a place in Yes. He declined. Years later the same person (i suspect it was Chris Squire) asked him why he had declined. Fripp said "because I would have taken the band over" to which the reply came "but that was what we wanted."

(as much as I've enjoyed Yes over the years, I have often found Howe's soloing to seem rather chaotic)


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## elgar's ghost (Aug 8, 2010)

^
^

Interesting reason not to join. I read that when the first line-up of King Crimson fell apart in late 1969 Fripp actually offered to leave rather than see Ian McDonald and Michael Giles go. Had they taken him up on it and he was still looking for work a few months later I wonder if he would have accepted Yes's offer?


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## MrTortoise (Dec 25, 2008)

dogen said:


> I remember reading at one point Robert Fripp was offered a place in Yes. He declined. Years later the same person (i suspect it was Chris Squire) asked him why he had declined. Fripp said "because I would have taken the band over" to which the reply came "but that was what we wanted."


I remember reading this to, I believe in one of the diary-like entires in "A Young Person's Guide to King Crimson". If memory serves me, I think that Fripp saw Yes as a band that already had a sound and a direction and his membership in the band would fundamentally change it. He is a very practical person and I'm glad he was wise enough to know what was good for him personally and for Yes, both of those bands being my favorites. Yes's Jon Anderson did some guest vocals on the KC album Lizard, but I don't think their respective personalities would mesh in a long working relationship, let alone Rick Wakeman and Fripp.


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## Guest (Jul 12, 2015)

Good grief no, Wakeman and Fripp!!!


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## MrTortoise (Dec 25, 2008)

dogen said:


> Good grief no, Wakeman and Fripp!!!


I don't think the two could collaborate on anything musically, but I can't help but smile thinking about the one-liners those two would throw at each other. :lol:


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## techniquest (Aug 3, 2012)

> When I was 17 I used to listen to sides 1 and 2 all the time. Within a year or two I lost interest in the album and never replaced it on CD years later.


Good grief - I used to do exactly the same thing when I was 17. I especially loved side 2, never lost interest in the album and I do have it on CD (as well as the original vinyl). Despite all the negative stuff that's been said about TfTO over the years, it has always been my favourite; maybe it's got as much to do with what was happening with me at the time as the music itself.
The production on Yes albums post TfTO always annoyed me. I found 'Relayer' to be very tinny, and the screeching Moraz keyboards and ultra-high Howe slide guitar didn't help. I found 'Going for the One' to be more muddy - I wanted a clearer, wider sound.
I kept my loyalty to Yes, even through 'Tormato' (I didn't mind 'Circus of Heaven' anywhere as much as I minded the fake crowd noise over the drum solo on 'Release Release'), through 'Drama' and '90125' but finally let go at 'Big Generator'.


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## Dr Johnson (Jun 26, 2015)

techniquest said:


> Good grief - I used to do exactly the same thing when I was 17. I especially loved side 2, never lost interest in the album and I do have it on CD (as well as the original vinyl). Despite all the negative stuff that's been said about TfTO over the years, it has always been my favourite; maybe it's got as much to do with what was happening with me at the time as the music itself.
> The production on Yes albums post TfTO always annoyed me. I found 'Relayer' to be very tinny, and the screeching Moraz keyboards and ultra-high Howe slide guitar didn't help. I found 'Going for the One' to be more muddy - I wanted a clearer, wider sound.
> I kept my loyalty to Yes, even through 'Tormato' (I didn't mind 'Circus of Heaven' anywhere as much as I minded the fake crowd noise over the drum solo on 'Release Release'), through 'Drama' and '90125' but finally let go at 'Big Generator'.


I had Drama on vinyl and quite liked it. I bought 90125 on the strength of Owner Of A Lonely Heart (which I still like although it is hardly classic Yes) but didn't care for any of the other tracks.


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## padraic (Feb 26, 2015)

_Immense_ fan of Yes, they've been a consistent soundtrack for the past 25 years of my life.


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## starthrower (Dec 11, 2010)

Great chat here with Bruford.


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## elgar's ghost (Aug 8, 2010)

Always loved hearing Bruford being interviewed - an entertaining mixture of insight, honesty and good soundbites leavened with subtle humour. By the time the above interview took place his CV was sufficiently illustrious to cover a whole career yet he was still only 34. He still deserves to be bought a drink every day of his life for that distinctive popping snare sound alone.


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## Weston (Jul 11, 2008)

On a side note, I just now discovered this mid-80s album I had no idea existed.










Esquire

It's a bit pop, but features Squire on backing vocals, his wife on lead vocals (!!), and guest appearances by various former members of Yes, etc.

As a completist I may have to bite the bullet, put up with a little pop and download this.

Why do I not find out about these things?


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## techniquest (Aug 3, 2012)

Weston - as a completist, do you have this one?


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## Guest (Aug 12, 2015)

techniquest said:


> Weston - as a completist, do you have this one?
> 
> View attachment 73622


It is said that you shouldn't judge a book by the cover.....
but I'm struggling!!


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## Weston (Jul 11, 2008)

techniquest said:


> Weston - as a completist, do you have this one?
> 
> View attachment 73622


Well, a completist must always have one more item to obtain to make his life complete. So I think I'll reserve this one as that last unobtainable item.


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## Simon Moon (Oct 10, 2013)

elgars ghost said:


> Always loved hearing Bruford being interviewed - an entertaining mixture of insight, honesty and good soundbites leavened with subtle humour. By the time the above interview took place his CV was sufficiently illustrious to cover a whole career yet he was still only 34. He still deserves to be bought a drink every day of his life for that distinctive popping snare sound alone.


I posted this on the King Crimson thread, but it seems equally pertinent here.

Bill Bruford, on his retirement from performing, earned his PhD in music and is now on the teaching staff of the University of Surrey.

http://www.surrey.ac.uk/discover/bill-bruford-phd-music


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## elgar's ghost (Aug 8, 2010)

Simon Moon said:


> I posted this on the King Crimson thread, but it seems equally pertinent here.
> 
> Bill Bruford, on his retirement from performing, earned his PhD in music and is now on the teaching staff of the University of Surrey.
> 
> http://www.surrey.ac.uk/discover/bill-bruford-phd-music


In a way he's brought things around full circle, as he temporarily left Yes in their early days to go to Leeds University (although he soon dropped out). I'm glad he's still involved in music in some shape or form and hope he's finding his academic career rewarding.


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## Kevin Pearson (Aug 14, 2009)

elgars ghost said:


> In a way he's brought things around full circle, as he temporarily left Yes in their early days to go to Leeds University (although he soon dropped out). I'm glad he's still involved in music in some shape or form and hope he's finding his academic career rewarding.





Simon Moon said:


> I posted this on the King Crimson thread, but it seems equally pertinent here.
> 
> Bill Bruford, on his retirement from performing, earned his PhD in music and is now on the teaching staff of the University of Surrey.
> 
> http://www.surrey.ac.uk/discover/bill-bruford-phd-music


Actually he is a post grad student doing a research project working toward a PhD. Nowhere is he listed as on staff.

http://www.surrey.ac.uk/schoolofarts/people/pgr/bill_bruford/

Kevin


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## Dr Johnson (Jun 26, 2015)

As a fan of Yes I feel I ought to contribute a link to this thread.

Here's one to Steve Howe talking about the Yes Album, track by track.


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## MrTortoise (Dec 25, 2008)

Dr Johnson said:


> As a fan of Yes I feel I ought to contribute a link to this thread.
> 
> Here's one to Steve Howe talking about the Yes Album, track by track.


Was in need of a Yes fix and remembered this. Nice complement to listening to The Yes Album.


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## elgar's ghost (Aug 8, 2010)

I thought I'd play a little game and pick my favourite track from each of the studio albums from 1969-1980 plus one each from the two live sets:

1) Beyond and Before (from _Yes_)
2) For the _Time and a Word_ album, see no.13 on the list
3) America (non-album track - full version)
4) Perpetual Change (from _The Yes Album_)
5) Heart of the Sunrise (from _Fragile_)
6) And You and I (from _Close to the Edge_)
7) The Fish (from_ Yessongs_) - I just had to find room for it somewhere!
8) Ritual* (from _Tales from Topographic Oceans_)
9) The Gates of Delirium (from _Relayer_)
10) Awaken (from _Going for the One_)
11) On the Silent Wings of Freedom (from _Tormato_)
12) Into the Lens (from _Drama_)
13) Time and a Word (from _Yesshows_)

(* I'd be happier with an edited version)


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## MrTortoise (Dec 25, 2008)

elgars ghost said:


> I thought I'd play a little game and pick my favourite track from each of the studio albums from 1969-1980 plus one each from the two live sets:
> 
> 1) Beyond and Before (from _Yes_)
> 2) For the _Time and a Word_ album, see no.13 on the list
> ...


I like this game! Means if I want to play I really should give all those records a proper fresh listen, just to make sure!


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## elgar's ghost (Aug 8, 2010)

^
^

I'll probably end up changing one or two if I do the list again in 6 months time. The toughest choices for me were what to pick from Close to the Edge and The Yes Album.


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## Weston (Jul 11, 2008)

elgars ghost said:


> I thought I'd play a little game and pick my favourite track from each of the studio albums from 1969-1980 plus one each from the two live sets:
> 
> 8) Ritual* (from _Tales from Topographic Oceans_)


For me it would be _The Revealing Science of God_, not only for that amazing chant at the beginning that keeps getting weirder and weirder before breaking, and the beautiful themes / melodies throughout, but also for Wakeman's banshee wailing synth solo near the end that also gets weirder and more incendiary as it progresses in 6/8 time (maybe). I'm sure I wore out a few tweeters with that monster!


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## Azol (Jan 25, 2015)

Weston said:


> For me it would be _The Revealing Science of God_, not only for that amazing chant at the beginning that keeps getting weirder and weirder before breaking, and the beautiful themes / melodies throughout, but also for Wakeman's banshee wailing synth solo near the end that also gets weirder and more incendiary as it progresses in 6/8 time (maybe). I'm sure I wore out a few tweeters with that monster!


For me it would be shared between The Revealing Science of God and The Remembering, because, well, it's such a great track - of course it drags a bit here and there, but the synth solo near the coda and the grand finale itself make it worth the wait.



> And I do think very well
> As the truth unflods you
> Silently
> They move time
> ...


Both the words and music are so f'n amazing!!!

_(for those impatient guys and gals this section comes at 18:00)_






Weird uninspired slide guitar work on Side C and even more weird percussion/effects workout on Side D put me off, even though those tracks both do contain beautiful melodies.


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## Weston (Jul 11, 2008)

Okay Yes fans. Here's a review you might find useful. It comes with caveats however.

*Jon Anderson / Roine Stolt - Invention of Knowledge* 2016










A lot of prog rock reviewers were excited about this album, hailing it as a new _Tales from Topographic Oceans_, or _Olias of Sunhillow_. After thorough attentive listening I would say, yes, it's moderately good, but certainly no Tales! I'd place it in about the same league as one of Yes' _Keys to Ascension_ volumes (which I do like better than some).

Guitarist Stolt of The Flower Kings teamed up with Anderson to recreate long form compositions in the style of Yes' heyday and it works to an extent, but fans and potential buyers should be warned. It's not without certain critical disappointments:

1. When you have long form compositions the themes have to be memorable enough so you know when one is recapitulated or reused in a different form. That type of musical acrobatics might be present here, but it's hard to tell. The themes just don't stick in my head. Maybe repeated listens will work to make them click, but we don't have the time we used to have 40 years ago.

2. While there is a lot of great instrumental dialog just as in the old Yes, Jon Anderson is the venerable star of this effort so a lot of time and decibels are given to his vocals. That makes it come across as a Jon Anderson solo album -- though nowhere near as weird and unique as _Olias of Sunhillow_. That will likely never happen again. I'm afraid I seldom appreciated Anderson's solo efforts as much as I did Yes. However this album does rock a bit more than most Anderson solo albums.

3. The production of the early Yes albums is primitive compared to today, so this effort sounds overly slick in comparison, almost the auditory equivalent of airbrushing. You can barely detect the individual brush strokes, or in this case the individual instruments. It's more often a smooth ensemble whereas early Yes were a bunch of great soloists trying to out-weird each other to marvelous effect.

4. There is not nearly enough vocal harmony, one of the hallmarks of Yes.

5. Chris Squire is no longer with us. The bass players here are great, but they seldom bite through the mix. You get only a second or two of melodic bass here and there.

6. Almost everything is in straight 4/4 time. Come on guys! Where are the weird time signatures? If they are present, they seem so effortless you don't notice them. That's another unfortunate problem I have with seasoned musicians, especially prog musicians. They can seldom recapture the feeling of complexity they once had -- and we will never be 17 again.

Having said all that, I am glad I purchased the album in the same way I'm glad I have late Yes albums (Keys to Ascension, Magnification, etc.). Anderson's voice is like a visit from an old friend. The band is top notch, and you can tell they are trying really hard to deliver a classic Yes sound.

But does it sound like Yes?

No.

Maybe.


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## Dedalus (Jun 27, 2014)

I just wanted to pop in and say that I love Yes! I don't know their music extremely well, but I have heard many of their albums many times. I pretty much love their first 5 or so albums. My all time favorite is probably The Yes Album, followed closely by Fragile and Relayer.


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