You're right, it does take time to get into most of prog music but it is so worth it. I'm almost 38, I grew up listening to mostly funk/jazz/disco, but for the last... I don't know maybe 6, 7 years I've been in a deep rabbit hole of progressive rock and buying many MANY albums, I still keep discovering new artists and nuances in the music. I love just putting on the headphones, closing my eyes and just pay attention to the music. Yes in particular has been in heavy rotation along with Genesis.
If you want a couple of recommendations - try Cathedral - Stained Glass Stories, Quill - Sursum Corda, Metropolis (S/T), Welcome (S/T), Zoldar & Clark (S/T), Jasper Wrath (S/T), Ageness - Showing Paces, Ethos - Ardour and anything by IQ. So much great music still to be discovered!!!
You might be interested in the two videos I did a couple of years ago on my 'best' Prog albums. Lots of recommendations in there, including "where to go next" if you like a particular album. I do pick mostly pick the most famous recordings, but there's a whole lot more once you cover the bases.
Johannes Brahms' 4th Symphony is arguably the greatest symphony ever penned. It is a titanic achievement. A true masterwork. Brahms' 4th symphony is a composition that every music lover should listen to at least once in their lifetime. The Cans and Brahms track on the Fragile album is based on the Scherzo movement (the 3rd movement) and is an homage to that Brahms symphony. In order to really appreciate what Wakeman has laid down here it is essential to be familiar with that Scherzo. Wakeman's Cans and Brahms served as a gateway into classical music for me. It is by no means a trivial track.
I acknowledge that Brahms' 4th is a major work, but I can't say I'm sufficiently familiar with it, like I am with the 1st. My suggestion that Cans and Brahms was trivial has more to do with the classic material that surrounds it.
Hi mister! I salute to you. I came across your channel late, but i enjoy your Van Morrison Top 10 video so much. I held my curiosity till the end to wait for each next great pick! Common One is my favourite, absolute favourite VM album, the 2nd place on your list. This week I should binge watch the Prog recommendations on this channel. Thanks Sir, great great job !!
I struggle with Tull, to be honest. I bought 'Living in the Past' back in the day, and then slowly acquired just about everything else they released. But I only dip into them now and again, and couldn't do them justice in this type of video.
The bands 1st album 'YES' (which I bought as an Import in 1969) is still one of my favorites. "Awaken" is my go-to classic, but they have so-o many epics . . . great, great band !!
Great video David. Close to the Edge and The Yes Album as far as I ever got in the 70s, so it's useful to have some recommendations on other albums to explore. Thanks.
Chris Squire, most important member because: 1 - He is cofounder of the band 2 - He has been in the band all his life and never quit 3 - He is the best singer in prog for vocal harmonies 4 - oh, I almost forgot, he is the best and most melodic, influential, rythmic, powerful and innovative bass player ever (well at least in top 3).
Can't argue with that. It sounds as fresh, as invigorating and as full of great ideas as it did half a century ago. 'Yours Is No Disgrace' is about American troops in Vietnam and the stories that were beginning to emerge of atrocities committed in the course of that conflict. The song tries to exonerate the soldiers, many of whom were there against their will, and put the blame on the politicians who ignored the fact that men in life-threatening situations will often behave unpredictably. Excellent video. Looking forward to more.
Hi Richard, apologies for the late reply (I can be slow in responding to comments), but yours is a very helpful comment. I didn't know the context of the lyrics, but generally even though I'm sympathetic with spiritual matters, I always found Anderson's lyrics too obscure for my taste.
You seem to have totally forgotten about Fly From Here the last decent album they released. I just can't take to that new singer at all and it's very sad the last album Chris Squire played on was that Heaven @ Earth drivel. 90125 is a cracking album and the way they reinvented themselves with Trevor Horn was amazing. Hell i like Union as well another album you never mentioned.
I like Union, too! The tour was one of the band’s career highlights. 8 people on a 3 tiered rotating stage. Anderson, Wakeman, Bruford, Howe, Squire, Kay, White and Rabin. The show I saw wasStupendous with a capital S. Yet not the best performance of theirs that I attended. Great, great band.
I was a bit surprised by this since my taste and yours normally seem to coincide. But then I'm a bit older than you and started collecting Yes from their first album. The keypoint where we diverge is in the assessment of Chris Squire. Until his death he was the only consistent member of Yes throughout their entire career. And for me he was the reason that they had a distinctive and challenging sound. After he passed away I think the music became unexciting. There is rather a good biography of the band (the name of which escapes me) which explains the core contribution of Squire both to the organisation of the band and its music from the very first days.
I definitely agree that the post-Squire music is less exciting, but I guess we should be thankful that the torch is still be carried by Howe. It's all become less challenging, yet still listenable.
"Time and a Word" is one of my top Yes albums. It doesn't seem to get much appreciation. "Drama" is absolutely amazing. Sometimes I think it's the best, coherent, album experience Yes ever did.
Really enjoyed watching this, I’m just beginning to explore prog rock and was being guided towards Yes. Only listening experience so far is the Yes album, which I enjoyed and will continue to listen too and try other albums. Thank you for your guidance 👍👍👍
Chris Squire gets my vote as the most important member of Yes, close call between him and Jon Anderson though, the reason I gave it to Chris was that he appeared on every album until his untimely death and the first album without Jon Anderson, Drama, is superb .
Hey David! This kind of exercise is exhaustive with a band that has 50 years plus of recordings. 'Fragile' was the first prog album I bought, but like like you, I have to go with 'CTTE'. It's my # 2 prog album, and one that I have never tired of. Cheers!
Now THAT is a turntable! I hope to get there someday, but for now I'm really enjoying your videos because you're very knowledgeable and you have a similar taste to mine :D
Topographic Oceans is the one I'd.save - I attended the 2nd-ever live performance of the whole album in 1973, so it will always be a special album for me.
Fragile is my number one - Roundabout, Long Distance Runaround are great but South Side of the Sky one of my all time favourites. Close to the Edge, an adventure as is Tales. Moraz's keyboard soloing on Gates is absolutely mindblowing. Tormato has some brilliant tracks - Future Times, On the silent wings of Freedom, Release Release, the rest a bit meh! Magnification very good too. The Yes album as you mentioned, sonically outstanding, very uncluttered.
For me, Relayer is the most exciting Yes album. That trumps every other consideration regarding an album's worth. CTTE is great, but parts of it drag to me. I am a keyboard player but I particularly get a bit bored by the long held organ chords in the middle of CTTE, for one example.
Without Moraz, Relayer would not have been the same wild ride. I love his solo stuff too, Story of i & Out in the Sun are great and his stuff with Refugee and Mainhorse is pretty good too,
Nice work on the video Good point about Tony Banks-probably the most important member of Genesis,as I think Squire was the most important member of Yes-and Genesis were heavily influenced by the Nice, Family, Procol Harum and the Beatles. Yes did have a pronounced jazz influence, but they didn't improvise a lot, which is a bit outside of the spirit of jazz. They can improvise (Steve Howe and Patrick Moraz were probably the best improvisers in the band through the years)
I cannot believe you are dissing "Clap". One of the highlights of that album and an incredible "here I am" from Steve Howe. The same goes for "Mood For A Day". Both well beloved by Yes fans.
Yes was Chris' band. He was already signed by Deram with his band the Syn and then Mabel Greer's Toy Shop which was renamed Yes. Chris basically hired Jon when he was the washing up guy at the bar he frequented. That's why he never 'left' the band. It was his.
Dave, I great video, as ever. So much of this resonates with me. I too, found more challenging and interesting music beyond pop/chart stuff with Genesis. As you said, it took a few listens to ‘get it’ but Genesis of 72-77 still offers some of my most loved albums of all time. I never bought any Yes stuff at the time, although there were lots of fans in my circle of friends. My view then, albeit perhaps subconsciously was that the music was too dense, the vocals were a bit too high pitched and the lyrics were just a bit too hippy drippy, similar to your comments. 76 happened and they never got another chance until……. Having bought a record player 18 months ago the journey starts again, sort of. I purchased and acquired 6 or 7 Yes albums of 1970-80 vintage. Whilst there are some good tracks, I think the 197x version of me was still about right. I can’t see any of them getting into my favourite albums lists but will listen a few more time to see if I ‘get it’. I suspect I will not and I will not grab any if there was a fire. Cheers, Gary N.b- now you’re back, I’ll reply to your 1977 and 1978 videos, once I found my notes😀
Interesting idea ......and hard to disagree with your choice. Because it gets such plaudits it's easy to take it for granted. I first enjoyed it in 1975, and still do. Stay well there, Paul
Great video! I am so tempted to follow your lead and grab Close to the Edge, but I'm taking Tales. It just goes to places no other album this side of John Coltrane goes. Essentially a symphony in four movements--it's beyond prog and beyond rock. You make a good case for Steve Howe, but my vote is Jon Anderson, for one reason. Yes is the melding of two elements. One is the hard rocking, far-out fusion, wild roller-coaster that is the band. The other is the unique vision and beauty of Jon Anderson's songwriting. As such, he represents half the band and is therefore the most important member of Yes. But that was me speaking as a Yes fan. Speaking as a keyboard player, I have to vote for Rick Wakeman, who is to keyboard players what the sun is to round things. Too many notes? Isn't that what they said about Mozart?
I was going to plump for Chris Squire, then I remembered how much I disliked Drama when I first heard it, and that was purely down to Jon's absence. I think what makes his vocal contribution so valuable is that he retains just enough of his broad east Lancashire accent to add gravitas to material that might otherwise easily be dismissed as pretentious nonsense. You're right about Rick. That quietish section of Siberian Khatru where his mellotron dovetails perfectly with Jon's stream-of-consciousness lyrics, I never want it to end. I wish I could like Tales better. I tried to get back into it last year, and for long spells it just lacked the energy that made the previous albums so special. But the other day when I got back from the shops I heard The Remembering coming from my neighbour's flat, and I may have to give it another go...
Digesting YES.... I hope you used a flow chart! After 1990 I get lost. “I lost interest in Yes after that.” Yeah, that’s the best way to talk about Big Generator... Grew up with an older sister who is really into Yes. And on a road trip last year, my brother made me really absorb Drama, while regaling me with stories of seeing the tour. I think what I like most about classic Yes is their production: the clarity and crunch of the guitars, the phenomenal bass sound... Man, the opening of “Heart Of The Sunrise” can rip your eyelids off!
You neglected to mention the Anderson, Bruford, Wakeman and Howe album, which I would consider part of the canon. It is excellent. I thought that was a fantastic record and was looking forward to the follow up but it ended up being used in the botched Union project under pressure from the record company to try and maximise profits...such a shame, as it could have been another excellent album (you can hear the tracks that they had finished on Union and they are really good). I think Jon Anderson's album Olias of Sunhillow and Chris Squire's album Fish out of Water are also considered part of the official canon by many.
Those solo albums are very good, aren't they. I was always surprised how Squire's sounds so Yes-like, with his harmony vocal pushed out front. Makes you understand why so many consider him the 'main guy'. That ABWH album, I haven't listened to in years, even though I have a fine vinyl copy. In the run-up to making this video I was just too exhausted and brain-frazzled by listening to so much Yes music.
Close to the Edge would be my choice too,. Of the four Yes titles in my collection it's the only one that now gets played, also takes me back to Oxford Town Hall early 70s when I first saw them perform live. Also remember seeing Rick Wakeman at the same venue when he was a member of Strawbs before joining Yes.
I never had a problem with Yes complexity. I did have a problem with what I heard as treacly sweetness -just my opinion. My gateway album for Yes was Relayer. I loved Moraz and wished they had kept him a bit longer.
Actually, Moraz did a duo album with Bruford and thought Bruford was a bit stiff. I think Bill is a great player, but I listened to a lot of jazz and would agree with Moraz's assessment. No offense to Bruford or his fans. Fripp hired Jamie Muir to loosen Bill up a bit in King Crimson.
I cannot understand for the life of me why I have been listening to Genesis for more than 40 years, but I could never get into Yes. I just don’t know why. I must be an oddball, unless there is another soul out there who has the same, or someone who can explain it to me. I also really enjoy Focus and Steeleye Span, so maybe I am more folk leaning, but most folk also leaves me cold. Yes, I am a weirdo.
I love all the big prog bands except Jethro Tull. I can't figure out why I don't like them more than I do. They're so popular among the prog community. Musical taste is such a mystery.
Genesis, ELP, the Nice, King Crimson and Gentle Giant then Jethro Tull got my attention before Yes did. I was very impressed by Yes' playing ability but really didn't like them until I heard Relayer-and I liked Beefheart and Zappa! I think my problem was that they were a bit too unbalanced to me. Confession, I loved Soft Machine and was moving into free jazz when I read Emerson's nice words about them. Genesis took me a few months to like, but I didn't like Yes until around three years later... and I thought them too insubstantial for me for a while. (Bruford NEVER impressed me greatly, to be honest. Since so many love him, and I love drummers, I wonder about myself at times!) I always liked Squire, though!
Great replies guys - it’s a fascinating topic, trying to make sense of our own personal music tastes and preferences. Appreciate all the responses so far! Good stuff 👍
Yes take more plays to appreciate, especially Topographic Oceans. Okay side 1 The Revealing Science of God is quite accessible but Yes are an acquired taste, lots of transitions and time signatures - like Suppers Ready! Stay with it they are phenomenal, I haven't listened to their albums for forty years till 2022 and they have aged really well.
Hi David - The was certainly exhaustive. I'm wondering if your choice was what you imagined it would be before you listened to all of the records again. I only have six Yes records, which seems wrong, but I have Close to the Edge on both CD and vinyl, which must mean something.
Well, CTTE is a classic. I really thought 'Tales' and 'The Yes Album' would beat it, given that I've listened to CTTE so many times over the years. Exhausting job though!
I just think Anderson doesn't like being pigeonholed. Genre designation has limitations and a few artists didn't like being labeled as Prog. I think it's protection moreso than snootiness. Plus Jethro Tull was pretty funny-not a common trait in Prog!
I'm torn between Steve Howe and Jon Anderson. I love Anderson's singing but he's possibly the world's worst lyricist. I was actually at the Live At The House of Blues concert. Squire's bass was deafening. I agree about Alan White. Serviceable but Bruford is peerless. I think my favorite album is Relayer - possibly Close to the Edge.
You did a fine job of running through Yes's extensive catalog of albums. Something on every album that's memorable and worthwhile.
You're right, it does take time to get into most of prog music but it is so worth it. I'm almost 38, I grew up listening to mostly funk/jazz/disco, but for the last... I don't know maybe 6, 7 years I've been in a deep rabbit hole of progressive rock and buying many MANY albums, I still keep discovering new artists and nuances in the music. I love just putting on the headphones, closing my eyes and just pay attention to the music. Yes in particular has been in heavy rotation along with Genesis.
If you want a couple of recommendations - try Cathedral - Stained Glass Stories, Quill - Sursum Corda, Metropolis (S/T), Welcome (S/T), Zoldar & Clark (S/T), Jasper Wrath (S/T), Ageness - Showing Paces, Ethos - Ardour and anything by IQ. So much great music still to be discovered!!!
You might be interested in the two videos I did a couple of years ago on my 'best' Prog albums. Lots of recommendations in there, including "where to go next" if you like a particular album. I do pick mostly pick the most famous recordings, but there's a whole lot more once you cover the bases.
Johannes Brahms' 4th Symphony is arguably the greatest symphony ever penned. It is a titanic achievement. A true masterwork. Brahms' 4th symphony is a composition that every music lover should listen to at least once in their lifetime. The Cans and Brahms track on the Fragile album is based on the Scherzo movement (the 3rd movement) and is an homage to that Brahms symphony. In order to really appreciate what Wakeman has laid down here it is essential to be familiar with that Scherzo. Wakeman's Cans and Brahms served as a gateway into classical music for me. It is by no means a trivial track.
I acknowledge that Brahms' 4th is a major work, but I can't say I'm sufficiently familiar with it, like I am with the 1st. My suggestion that Cans and Brahms was trivial has more to do with the classic material that surrounds it.
Hi mister! I salute to you. I came across your channel late, but i enjoy your Van Morrison Top 10 video so much. I held my curiosity till the end to wait for each next great pick! Common One is my favourite, absolute favourite VM album, the 2nd place on your list. This week I should binge watch the Prog recommendations on this channel. Thanks Sir, great great job !!
A run-through of the Jethro Tull discography would be interesting. Lots of material to chew on there.
I struggle with Tull, to be honest. I bought 'Living in the Past' back in the day, and then slowly acquired just about everything else they released. But I only dip into them now and again, and couldn't do them justice in this type of video.
Jon Anderson most important by far, Chris Squire the other cofounder a close second then Howe.
Chris Squire is the most important member of Yes.
Ohh how I agree.
@@Rowenband
Yep. Came here to say this, but had the good sense to realize someone else probably has already, I can just agree with them.
The bands 1st album 'YES' (which I bought as an Import in 1969) is still one of my favorites. "Awaken" is my go-to classic, but they have so-o many epics . . . great, great band !!
Tales in number one for me.
Great video David. Close to the Edge and The Yes Album as far as I ever got in the 70s, so it's useful to have some recommendations on other albums to explore. Thanks.
Chris Squire, most important member because:
1 - He is cofounder of the band
2 - He has been in the band all his life and never quit
3 - He is the best singer in prog for vocal harmonies
4 - oh, I almost forgot, he is the best and most melodic, influential, rythmic, powerful and innovative bass player ever (well at least in top 3).
Yes MVP = Chris Squire
Can't argue with that. It sounds as fresh, as invigorating and as full of great ideas as it did half a century ago.
'Yours Is No Disgrace' is about American troops in Vietnam and the stories that were beginning to emerge of atrocities committed in the course of that conflict. The song tries to exonerate the soldiers, many of whom were there against their will, and put the blame on the politicians who ignored the fact that men in life-threatening situations will often behave unpredictably.
Excellent video. Looking forward to more.
Hi Richard, apologies for the late reply (I can be slow in responding to comments), but yours is a very helpful comment. I didn't know the context of the lyrics, but generally even though I'm sympathetic with spiritual matters, I always found Anderson's lyrics too obscure for my taste.
You seem to have totally forgotten about Fly From Here the last decent album they released. I just can't take to that new singer at all and it's very sad the last album Chris Squire played on was that Heaven @ Earth drivel. 90125 is a cracking album and the way they reinvented themselves with Trevor Horn was amazing. Hell i like Union as well another album you never mentioned.
I like Union, too!
The tour was one of the band’s career highlights. 8 people on a 3 tiered rotating stage. Anderson, Wakeman, Bruford, Howe, Squire, Kay, White and Rabin.
The show I saw wasStupendous with a capital S. Yet not the best performance of theirs that I attended. Great, great band.
I was too exhausted by all the albums. Although we won't agree on '90125' and Rabin, we'll be on the same page when it comes to "Heaven and Earth'.
Chris Squire is the mvp for me, but I also love Steve Howe
I was a bit surprised by this since my taste and yours normally seem to coincide. But then I'm a bit older than you and started collecting Yes from their first album. The keypoint where we diverge is in the assessment of Chris Squire. Until his death he was the only consistent member of Yes throughout their entire career. And for me he was the reason that they had a distinctive and challenging sound. After he passed away I think the music became unexciting. There is rather a good biography of the band (the name of which escapes me) which explains the core contribution of Squire both to the organisation of the band and its music from the very first days.
Speaking of organisation, did Chris get over his terrible issue of turning up late for everything?
@@visionproductionsnz7828 i doubt it. Ingrained character!!
I definitely agree that the post-Squire music is less exciting, but I guess we should be thankful that the torch is still be carried by Howe. It's all become less challenging, yet still listenable.
"Time and a Word" is one of my top Yes albums. It doesn't seem to get much appreciation. "Drama" is absolutely amazing. Sometimes I think it's the best, coherent, album experience Yes ever did.
Really enjoyed watching this, I’m just beginning to explore prog rock and was being guided towards Yes. Only listening experience so far is the Yes album, which I enjoyed and will continue to listen too and try other albums. Thank you for your guidance 👍👍👍
Thanks Ian. I'm glad this video was a bit helpful too you.
Chris Squire gets my vote as the most important member of Yes, close call between him and Jon Anderson though, the reason I gave it to Chris was that he appeared on every album until his untimely death and the first album without Jon Anderson, Drama, is superb .
Going for the one ❤
Close to the edge for me as well but my vote goes to Jon Anderson with his unique voice and song writing.
Hey David! This kind of exercise is exhaustive with a band that has 50 years plus of recordings. 'Fragile' was the first prog album I bought, but like like you, I have to go with 'CTTE'. It's my # 2 prog album, and one that I have never tired of. Cheers!
Now THAT is a turntable! I hope to get there someday, but for now I'm really enjoying your videos because you're very knowledgeable and you have a similar taste to mine :D
couldn't agree more about Fragile!
The folky parts were what made Yes accessible to a broad audience, I think.
Topographic Oceans is the one I'd.save - I attended the 2nd-ever live performance of the whole album in 1973, so it will always be a special album for me.
I'll bet that was brilliant.
Love your videos David ,
Can you do one on the gear you currently use !
Best regards 🇨🇦
I will!
Fragile is my number one - Roundabout, Long Distance Runaround are great but South Side of the Sky one of my all time favourites.
Close to the Edge, an adventure as is Tales.
Moraz's keyboard soloing on Gates is absolutely mindblowing.
Tormato has some brilliant tracks - Future Times, On the silent wings of Freedom, Release Release, the rest a bit meh!
Magnification very good too.
The Yes album as you mentioned, sonically outstanding, very uncluttered.
For me, Relayer is the most exciting Yes album. That trumps every other consideration regarding an album's worth. CTTE is great, but parts of it drag to me. I am a keyboard player but I particularly get a bit bored by the long held organ chords in the middle of CTTE, for one example.
Without Moraz, Relayer would not have been the same wild ride. I love his solo stuff too, Story of i & Out in the Sun are great and his stuff with Refugee and Mainhorse is pretty good too,
@@peteh7966 I agree. My favorite Moraz was Refugee, but I loved Lee Jackson and Brian Davison and was a fan of theirs from the Nice.
Relayer certainly blew the cobwebs off the band at the time. It's a bit tough-going in places, but it's definitely an important work.
Nice work on the video
Good point about Tony Banks-probably the most important member of Genesis,as I think Squire was the most important member of Yes-and Genesis were heavily influenced by the Nice, Family, Procol Harum and the Beatles. Yes did have a pronounced jazz influence, but they didn't improvise a lot, which is a bit outside of the spirit of jazz. They can improvise (Steve Howe and Patrick Moraz were probably the best improvisers in the band through the years)
I cannot believe you are dissing "Clap". One of the highlights of that album and an incredible "here I am" from Steve Howe. The same goes for "Mood For A Day". Both well beloved by Yes fans.
Agreed. Both Clap and Mood For A Day are essential Yes.
I know they're well-loved, but they're 'slight' pieces in my book. Outshone by the tracks that surround them.
Yes was Chris' band. He was already signed by Deram with his band the Syn and then Mabel Greer's Toy Shop which was renamed Yes. Chris basically hired Jon when he was the washing up guy at the bar he frequented. That's why he never 'left' the band. It was his.
There's a lot of love for Chris Squire in these comments, that's for sure.
Dave, I great video, as ever. So much of this resonates with me. I too, found more challenging and interesting music beyond pop/chart stuff with Genesis. As you said, it took a few listens to ‘get it’ but Genesis of 72-77 still offers some of my most loved albums of all time. I never bought any Yes stuff at the time, although there were lots of fans in my circle of friends. My view then, albeit perhaps subconsciously was that the music was too dense, the vocals were a bit too high pitched and the lyrics were just a bit too hippy drippy, similar to your comments. 76 happened and they never got another chance until……. Having bought a record player 18 months ago the journey starts again, sort of. I purchased and acquired 6 or 7 Yes albums of 1970-80 vintage. Whilst there are some good tracks, I think the 197x version of me was still about right. I can’t see any of them getting into my favourite albums lists but will listen a few more time to see if I ‘get it’. I suspect I will not and I will not grab any if there was a fire. Cheers, Gary
N.b- now you’re back, I’ll reply to your 1977 and 1978 videos, once I found my notes😀
Cheers Gary. If only you enjoyed Classical Music - I'd be able to furnish you with a pile of good ones.
Interesting idea ......and hard to disagree with your choice. Because it gets such plaudits it's easy to take it for granted. I first enjoyed it in 1975, and still do.
Stay well there,
Paul
Cheers Paul.
Great video! I am so tempted to follow your lead and grab Close to the Edge, but I'm taking Tales. It just goes to places no other album this side of John Coltrane goes. Essentially a symphony in four movements--it's beyond prog and beyond rock.
You make a good case for Steve Howe, but my vote is Jon Anderson, for one reason. Yes is the melding of two elements. One is the hard rocking, far-out fusion, wild roller-coaster that is the band. The other is the unique vision and beauty of Jon Anderson's songwriting. As such, he represents half the band and is therefore the most important member of Yes.
But that was me speaking as a Yes fan. Speaking as a keyboard player, I have to vote for Rick Wakeman, who is to keyboard players what the sun is to round things. Too many notes? Isn't that what they said about Mozart?
I was going to plump for Chris Squire, then I remembered how much I disliked Drama when I first heard it, and that was purely down to Jon's absence. I think what makes his vocal contribution so valuable is that he retains just enough of his broad east Lancashire accent to add gravitas to material that might otherwise easily be dismissed as pretentious nonsense.
You're right about Rick. That quietish section of Siberian Khatru where his mellotron dovetails perfectly with Jon's stream-of-consciousness lyrics, I never want it to end.
I wish I could like Tales better. I tried to get back into it last year, and for long spells it just lacked the energy that made the previous albums so special. But the other day when I got back from the shops I heard The Remembering coming from my neighbour's flat, and I may have to give it another go...
I think they really did say that about Mozart!
Digesting YES.... I hope you used a flow chart! After 1990 I get lost. “I lost interest in Yes after that.” Yeah, that’s the best way to talk about Big Generator...
Grew up with an older sister who is really into Yes. And on a road trip last year, my brother made me really absorb Drama, while regaling me with stories of seeing the tour.
I think what I like most about classic Yes is their production: the clarity and crunch of the guitars, the phenomenal bass sound... Man, the opening of “Heart Of The Sunrise” can rip your eyelids off!
Sorry for the late reply! A lot of love for 'Drama' here. And yes, it's a long haul going through the Yes catalogue.
You neglected to mention the Anderson, Bruford, Wakeman and Howe album, which I would consider part of the canon. It is excellent.
I thought that was a fantastic record and was looking forward to the follow up but it ended up being used in the botched Union project under pressure from the record company to try and maximise profits...such a shame, as it could have been another excellent album (you can hear the tracks that they had finished on Union and they are really good).
I think Jon Anderson's album Olias of Sunhillow and Chris Squire's album Fish out of Water are also considered part of the official canon by many.
Those solo albums are very good, aren't they. I was always surprised how Squire's sounds so Yes-like, with his harmony vocal pushed out front. Makes you understand why so many consider him the 'main guy'.
That ABWH album, I haven't listened to in years, even though I have a fine vinyl copy. In the run-up to making this video I was just too exhausted and brain-frazzled by listening to so much Yes music.
Close to the Edge would be my choice too,. Of the four Yes titles in my collection it's the only one that now gets played, also takes me back to Oxford Town Hall early 70s when I first saw them perform live. Also remember seeing Rick Wakeman at the same venue when he was a member of Strawbs before joining Yes.
I never had a problem with Yes complexity. I did have a problem with what I heard as treacly sweetness -just my opinion. My gateway album for Yes was Relayer. I loved Moraz and wished they had kept him a bit longer.
'Relayer' really does stand out, doesn't it? There's something less 'twee' or accessible about it. Makes for an enduring listen.
🤩
For me Chris Squire embodied the spirit of Yes
You're probably right, but there's something about Howe's guitar noodling that's difficult to replicate.
@@davidatkinson-lifematters4826 you're right. Noticed he plays more sustained notes on the band's latest platter.
Bill Bruford trained to be a jazz drummer and still plays jazz music.
Unfortunately he retired from performing in 2009, so unless you are a fly on the wall we will never hear him playing anything again.
Actually, Moraz did a duo album with Bruford and thought Bruford was a bit stiff. I think Bill is a great player, but I listened to a lot of jazz and would agree with Moraz's assessment. No offense to Bruford or his fans. Fripp hired Jamie Muir to loosen Bill up a bit in King Crimson.
I cannot understand for the life of me why I have been listening to Genesis for more than 40 years, but I could never get into Yes. I just don’t know why. I must be an oddball, unless there is another soul out there who has the same, or someone who can explain it to me.
I also really enjoy Focus and Steeleye Span, so maybe I am more folk leaning, but most folk also leaves me cold. Yes, I am a weirdo.
It’s okay. I’m a weirdo, too. And I love Yes!
I love all the big prog bands except Jethro Tull. I can't figure out why I don't like them more than I do. They're so popular among the prog community. Musical taste is such a mystery.
Genesis, ELP, the Nice, King Crimson and Gentle Giant then Jethro Tull got my attention before Yes did. I was very impressed by Yes' playing ability but really didn't like them until I heard Relayer-and I liked Beefheart and Zappa! I think my problem was that they were a bit too unbalanced to me.
Confession, I loved Soft Machine and was moving into free jazz when I read Emerson's nice words about them. Genesis took me a few months to like, but I didn't like Yes until around three years later... and I thought them too insubstantial for me for a while. (Bruford NEVER impressed me greatly, to be honest. Since so many love him, and I love drummers, I wonder about myself at times!) I always liked Squire, though!
Great replies guys - it’s a fascinating topic, trying to make sense of our own personal music tastes and preferences. Appreciate all the responses so far! Good stuff 👍
Yes take more plays to appreciate, especially Topographic Oceans. Okay side 1 The Revealing Science of God is quite accessible but Yes are an acquired taste, lots of transitions and time signatures - like Suppers Ready! Stay with it they are phenomenal, I haven't listened to their albums for forty years till 2022 and they have aged really well.
Hi David - The was certainly exhaustive. I'm wondering if your choice was what you imagined it would be before you listened to all of the records again. I only have six Yes records, which seems wrong, but I have Close to the Edge on both CD and vinyl, which must mean something.
Well, CTTE is a classic. I really thought 'Tales' and 'The Yes Album' would beat it, given that I've listened to CTTE so many times over the years. Exhausting job though!
Anderson
I just think Anderson doesn't like being pigeonholed. Genre designation has limitations and a few artists didn't like being labeled as Prog. I think it's protection moreso than snootiness. Plus Jethro Tull was pretty funny-not a common trait in Prog!
I'm torn between Steve Howe and Jon Anderson. I love Anderson's singing but he's possibly the world's worst lyricist. I was actually at the Live At The House of Blues concert. Squire's bass was deafening. I agree about Alan White. Serviceable but Bruford is peerless. I think my favorite album is Relayer - possibly Close to the Edge.
You want Anderson to be a great lyricist, but much of it is unfathomable. A top grade artist though in Prog.
Have you listened to Banco Del Mouto Soccorso?
Yes. Like them.
Close to the edge the best.