YES

You know what? I quite like Yes. They are definitely my favourite prog band (maybe because they were my first) and I still listen to their albums a fair bit (particularly the next two). Along with ELP, Yes are probably the most stereotypical of prog bands playing practically pure prog. It's all here: the epic songs, the ridiculous lyrics, the silly time signatures. Whereas King Crimson might come banging on my door and say: "come on Jack, we're not true prog" Yes would immediately agree a plea-bargain as there is not a prog's chance in punk rock hell that Yes could plead "Not Guilty" to the charges of being prog and get away with it. But being prog isn't an immediate curse (if maybe a slight disadvantage) and Yes certainly did some entertaining prog. Jesus, what a silly introduction. Jon Anderson himself could have written it. Well, what about the album? Firstly this isn't Yes' debut. I'm fairly sure this is Yes' third album with the previous two being more hippy than prog efforts. But then try another site for the full story on that. This album is generally recognised as being the first album in Yes' prog phase, though. Sometimes it is even identified as the best but I'd have to dispute that, I'm afraid. It probably is the least prog of their seventies albums, though. Although don't get the wrong idea, it's still prog. It is immensely poppy, however, like if Paul McCartney had any artistic ambition whatsoever beyond 1970. More than their other albums this one is entirely hook laden and chock-a-block full of catchy melodies. It is slightly generic, though, with each song following the pattern of Anderson's vocal melodies being pinned-down by Howe's effective riffing and Tony Kaye's rhythmic organ. Hang a moment, who's this Kaye character? Where's every grannies' favourite Rick Wakeman? Well he hadn't joined yet. OK? It is an interesting poser about whether I prefer Yes' sound with Kaye or Wakeman. Given that Rick Wakeman is a generally top bloke I am definitely a bigger admirer of his. Indeed, he is one of the few rock stars that would almost certainly be pleasant company. Perhaps, Fripp should pick a thing or two from him. He is also, by far, the better keyboardist, being almost unparalleled in his virtuosity, whereas Kaye is merely competent (by prog standards). On the other hand, on this album Kaye uses only piano and hammond organ making for a wholly more listenable affair whilst Wakeman is, unfortunately, a pioneer in silly synthesisers. But more listenable doesn't necessarily make for more entertaining so I'm firmly in the Wakeman camp. Not that I'd feel the need to assault Kaye if I saw him in the streets or anything. I don't even know what the man looks like. Lucky for him... Back to the album then and I guess I should mention some songs given that is my usual approach. "Starship Trooper" is definitely the best song on the album. Actually a really good song outright. It's got all the usual hooks but is a slightly stronger song overall, than the more poppier efforts like "I've Seen All Good People". The best part is somewhere in the middle when Howe plays an effectively repetitious chord sequence whilst the sound is gently built up in the background, increasingly drowning out the chords until Howe finally lets rip with an excellent solo. Definitely the highlight of the whole album. Funnily enough, those contemporary critics' darlings the Beta Band did a very similar trick on their Three EPs album although on there it was great whereas when Yes do it it is obviously shit. Obviously. In true prog tradition both "Starship Trooper" and "I've Seen All Good People" have parts to them but I can't say I know this album well enough to distinguish between them. Who really cares, anyway? The latter is another stand out track, utterly unabashed in its poppiness. When you hear Anderson revel in the melody of that song you just know he wished he was in the Beatles. Jon, Paul, George and Ringo. Actually Paul McCartney and Jon Anderson in the same band would be too much for anyone to bear. The album opener "Yours is no Disgrace" is not a million miles away from "I've Seen All Good People". Well I did say this album was a little generic. "Yours is no Disgrace" is probably better though, maybe because it comes first, but I also like the changes of pace it adopts. And Anderson's sincerity in telling us "silly human, silly human race". How wonderfully insightful. But then this is prog. "The Clap" is not an ode to VD but an acoustic guitar solo by Howe. Unsurprisingly he shows off. "A Venture" is another pop song, but short enough to be a proper one, and the album closer "Perpetual Change" is probably the weakest track but at least has the memorable hook when Anderson cries out "you seek perpetual change". Thus this album is probably one of Yes' most listenable (and acceptable) albums without being perhaps the most interesting.

Well, now we come to my favourite prog album of them all and, coincidently (or maybe not), the first one I bought. I actually owe this purchase to Starostin's recommendation so give him a friendly pat on the head next time you see him from me. Anyway, it is also another contender for best ever prog album. It is actually sometimes overlooked with both The Yes Album and Close to the Edge rated higher but I certainly regard this as the zenith of the trinity. Some of the songs on here are really, really good. Great songs, no less. "Roundabout" is Yes' classic song, I believe (other than "Owner of a Lonely Heart" from the eighties), and certainly one of the best prog songs I've ever heard. On top of which, the epics "South Side of the Sky" and the closing "Heart of the Sunrise" are also great songs. Jackpot! First, though, an honourable mention to Chris Squire's bass playing which is some of the best I've ever heard. The bass lines throughout are fantastic but the one on "Roundabout", in particular, is phenomenal. It's not just that he is technically good or that he plays quickly (as someone like Greg Lake is equally commendable on that score) but that the bass lines themselves are so amazing. Not only does he hold the rhythm but he also propels the song forward and underscores the melody wonderfully. Obviously the bass lines he plays require technical proficiency but he doesn't just play complicated parts for the sake of it (Mr. Lake take note). Anyway, brilliant bass throughout. Oh, and guess who's now on board. Yes, it's Mr. Dictionary Corner himself, Rick Wakeman. And what a fantastic player he is too. And he doesn't even do much silly knob twiddling or use shitty synthesisers. The very peak of prog rock. The album isn't a massive jump from The Yes Album in terms of sound but the band have definitely become more inventive and nearly all the clever tricks and stuff work. Certainly each song is highly discernable, unlike on the previous album. In true prog fashion each band member gets a slot to show off with. Thus the album is made up of four "songs" (three long, one short - "Long Distance Runaround") and five separate showcases. Wakeman lays on a reinterpretation of Brahm's "4th Symphony in E Minor Third Movement" (oh, how prog), drummer Bruford comes up with thirty seconds of percussion (shit), Anderson sings stupid lyrics for a minute or so (not good either), Howe does another brief classical solo (pretty good) whilst Squire again steals the show with an interesting wah-wah pattern and Anderson's harmonising. Well, what of the proper "songs"? As I have already intimated they are all great songs. Well "Long Distance Runaround" is not that great but only a fool would call it bad. Still a jaunty number that holds its own with The Yes Album material. "Roundabout" opens the album and there is barely a better album opener in prog history. Maybe "Dancing with the Moonlit Knight" from Genesis' Selling England by the Pound. Yeah, maybe. I think I might prefer "Roundabout" though. Obviously the bass line is a wonder but the song itself is just so...good. "South Side of the Sky", like "Roundabout" rocks quite a bit, with Howe's riffing more inventive than last time around. Again another example of the improvement in style from their prog "debut" as it were. Maybe my favourite track on here, though, is the final "Heart of the Sunrise". The longest track on here, it begins with some serious lead playing from Howe before settling into yet another distinctive bass groove with Wakeman laying on some ominous synthesisers. The whole thing just sounds so good it's hard to believe it is prog at all. Towards the end the song starts for real with Anderson singing silly lyrics but with such a great melody it's hard to fault him. The whole thing builds up brilliantly with the melody culminating in that wonderful hook about being "lost in the city". Yeah, this is one hot mother of a prog album. Possibly, probably the greatest of them all (maybe even 10* on a good day). And I still maintain (even after my abrupt swing from prog to punk) that this album is better than Never Mind the Bollocks. Yeah, take that in your pipe and smoke it Mr. Cynical Hack.

I guess this pretty much marks the very zenith of Yes' prog outlook. Subsequent albums were probably more prog (Tales of Topographical Oceans is apparently four songs spread over two CDs) but none were more successfully prog than this one. Whereas Fragile still had a slightly modest feel to it this album goes full out prog. Three songs in total, the first nineteen minutes long, and with more changes of structure than you can shake a fist at this truly is the quintessential prog album. It is also a very good prog album. Perhaps, however, it was the slight lack of overwhelming pretentiousness (not that that is bad a priori) that marks Fragile out as the superior album. It is the songs, in their own right, that stand out on Fragile whereas for this album it is more of a complete piece. Indeed, it is hard to decide whether "Close to the Edge" is one song with four parts or four individual songs. As far as I am concerned, however, it is but one overall song. The final track on here, "Siberian Khatru", is almost a standard song, albeit with strong prog leanings. To describe a song of "Close to the Edge"'s bloated extravagance, though, I'll need to make reference to its individual parts. The most striking of which is probably the reverent "I Get Up I Get Down". I think the basic idea is for it to a be a sort of hymn with Wakeman playing a church organ and Anderson singing the lines "I get up, I get down" ad infinitum in his most extreme choir-boy falsetto. Unfortunately, Wakeman does resort briefly, for the climax, to those ghastly synthesisers. Still, for the part as a whole, coming in the middle of the piece it marks a nice change of pace. The general theme of "Close to the Edge" (the song) is also a decent one with a typical Yes sound; ie. led along by Howe's distinctive riffing. It also begins and ends with forest sound effects maybe intending to complement artist's Roger Dean's distinctive artwork that is present on the album cover; and even more so on Fragile. The world of Yes - not a world that I'd particularly like to live in. Maybe visit for a brief period. I have to say the whole album is performed very professionally throughout. The boys certainly knew what was required of them at this stage and they are very definitely at the top of their game which, I'm afraid, is a slight problem. Yes reaching their artistic peak does not make for the most easy-going of albums. Perhaps, though, Fragile represents their artistic peak and at this stage they are starting to overstretch themselves a little. Just because it is more ambitious does not indicate it is their most successful, artistically. Certainly, lyrically, things have got even worse. Whereas on the two previous albums the lyrics were fairly obtuse, on here they are quite simply incomprehensible. Obviously lyrics are of the very least importance to prog rock but, to be honest, Anderson might just as well sung "la la la"'s all the way through and it wouldn't make any less sense. Still, he's a poet. In the very loosest sense of the word, unfortunately. "And You And I" still manages to squeeze four parts into it (the same as the title track) despite only (hah) being ten minutes long. It also features that wonderful line about "mutant enemies" that I so love to ridicule. Still the song itself is another good one, although still lagging a little behind the quality of those on Fragile; as if anything could match "Roundabout" or "South Side of the Sky". The acoustic solo that begins it is nice and it is also a refreshing change for the song to be led by an acoustic guitar pattern rather than the same old formula. Yeah, I really like this album as well. "Siberian Khatru" ain't significantly better than "And You And I" but it at least doesn't feature lyrics about mutant enemies. "Siberian Khatru" is actually the song that most harks back to the previous album, and maybe even The Yes Album. Not that any great shakes have been made over the couple of years, but the sound has at least been developed further. The little blues pattern than opens "Siberian Khatru", like the opening to "And You And I", is a good one and the riff is one of Yes' more distinctive. A decent melody as well. So Yes, a good prog band and, furthermore, one I actually quite like. It's madness. I might even bring myself to buy some more albums and give them their own page. Fancy that.

From: ryan bastian

I am truely offended that you Close to the Edge a 8, and then you give Fresh fruit for rotting vegetables a 9. I do not see how you can think a Dead Kennedy's album is superior to this. Everyone is entitled to their own opinion, but i honestly don't see what people like so much about a 3 chord band with some guy shouting over the top of it. Yes were great. They didn't care if they were going to be commercially successful or not; they didn't care if most people wouldn't be able to understand their music; they did what they felt like doing. You should really give this a few more listens, and maybe then it will sink in a little more. Yes are not overstraining themselves on this album. Its probably just to much talent for you to handle at the moment.

[Maybe it is too much talent. Or, maybe, the Dead Kennedys are a cleverer, more interesting band - JF]

From: Joshua Raisen

If you're looking for another Yes album Relayer is pretty weird, "Sound Chaser" has these Brazilian/satanic "cha cha cha's" to break the synth tide, and Pat Moraz's much built toward and ballyhooed break on "The Gates of Delirium" is like twisted, bent. You also might do up Yesterdays, which is the best of the first two albums, plus a Paul Simon cover. "Astral Traveller" rocks, and the bassline on "Sweet Dreams" is obnoxiously over the top. It's great.
Be careful defending Fresh Fruit for Rotting Vegetables. I've got that at 10, too, but like ELP, everything the DK's did other than their masterwork was pretty boring. . . .

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Email me at: jackfeeny@yahoo.co.uk