The Yes Album
Yes
1971
Album Summary
The Yes Album is the third studio album by English progressive rock band Yes, released on 19 February 1971 by Atlantic Records. It was the band's first album to feature guitarist Steve Howe, who replaced Peter Banks in 1970, as well as their last to feature keyboardist Tony Kaye until 1983's 90125. The album was the first by the band not to feature any cover versions of songs. The band spent mid-1970 writing and rehearsing new material at a farmhouse at Romansleigh, Devon, and the new songs were recorded at Advision Studios in London in the autumn. While the album retained close harmony singing, Kaye's Hammond organ, and Chris Squire's melodic bass, as heard on earlier releases, the new material also covered further styles including jazz piano, funk, and acoustic music. All of the band members contributed ideas, and tracks were extended in length to allow music to develop. Howe contributed a variety of guitar styles, including a Portuguese guitar, and recorded the solo acoustic guitar piece "Clap", live at the Lyceum Theatre, London. The album was a critical success and a major commercial breakthrough for Yes, who had been at risk of being dropped by Atlantic due to the commercial failures of their first two albums. It reached number 4 in the United Kingdom and number 40 in the United States, and was later certified platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America for surpassing one million copies. The album has been reissued on CD several times, and was given a Blu-ray release in 2014 remixed by Steven Wilson.
WikipediaI'm punk innit so this sort of shit brings me out in hives, and it doesn't even have Rick Wakeman and his capes on it.
Some grown ass white men have Dungeons & Dragons; I have classic Yes albums. Finally something I actually own! If this album is on the list in place of “Close to the Edge” that’s a shame, but I’ll take what I can get. Steve Howe is on my guitar Mt. Rushmore.
This is and has everything I love about so-called rock music: power.. melody.. mystery...great musicianship... catchy riffs... majestic yet accessible. Don't let the 4 rather long songs put you off if you've not experienced this before, and it may take some time to sink in but it's best listened either in headphones or fully immersed stereo - and loud! Starship Troopers is my personal favourite here but each track stands out for different reasons. Chris Squire's growly bass and band vocal harmonies are specifically individual standouts throughout. 9/10. 5 stars.
I really like a lot of prog rock and prog metal, and I know yes is a big part of that, but I've never been able to really get into them in the past. This album was better than expected, but the song I recognized 'all good people' was definitely the low point IMO. There were good instrumentals throughout and i found myself enjoying a lot of it, but feeling embarrassed by other cheesy pieces. It's a 3.5 that I will begrudgingly rank up to a 4 because I gotta back up prog as a genre.
Yes has always been a great band to mellow out to and enjoy. I am enjoying these moments of discovery.
Fantastic! Already listened twice and will definitely be in regular circulation. Note: this is an album that is best listened to cover to cover.
Great stuff, I love they mix the bass hot. Great musicianship, solid guitar fills and solos.
An amazing introduction into progressive rock. I really enjoy the bass in the tracks because of how clear it is. There's nothing really else to say other than that it's one of the greatest albums of all time. Highlights: 1, 3, 4, and 6.
A brilliant prog album that showcases Yes at their peak. It shows them moving away from making a regular album with 8 songs on it to having 6 songs where some are extended epics and others are quick and easy. Listened to this one before and it’s still easy to lose yourself in
This album takes me right back to my childhood. Yes was my dad's favorite band so almost all of these songs felt familiar. I never realized how much Southern influence there is in Yes's music until today's listen. I always just put them in the "prog" bucket and moved on but there's a lot of solid, southern, 70s groove here. It's fun. It's interesting. It's a little cheesy but that's alright. Overall, I really enjoyed it. Is it timeless? Not even close. Hence the 4 stars.
A lot more psychedelic than i expected. Lots of nice picky accoustic stuff like Leo Kotke then goes to space-age psych. Not sure it works together as a coherent album, but whatever... it was an enjoyable listen.
This album is the epitome of Yes: oddly long songs that are only connected through the key and some sporadic lyrics. The rhythms and sounds make each song feel like a road trip through the mountains, and even though I don't like how lengthy they are, I can appreciate it. Favorite track: The Clap
The album starts with a loud declaration of 1971 sounds - Hammond organ, Rickenbacker bass, then a burst of beedly-beedly guitar playing and finally the banked harmonies of Jon Anderson. Some very nice and intricate guitar work on The Clap. And next is the full experience of Yes making progressive rock on Starship Trooper. I find the whole album very bitty - very well-executed, but so many disparate ideas cut and shunted together. I can hear definite Beatles echos in here, especially on Perpetual Change
Yes is one of those bands you either connect with or you don’t. They’re incredibly talented and their music doesn’t really have any flaws per se. The most you can ding them for is a little self-indulgence (ahem, "Perpetual Change"), which is true of a lot of bands of their genre/era. Short and sweet review, this album is really good, but I didn't connect with it as much as I did with Close to the Edge. It includes two of the all-time great, must-hear tracks from the band, “I've Seen All Good People” and “Starship Trooper.” The inclusion of the live instrumental "The Clap" was a weird choice that I don’t think served the overall album very well. Fave Songs: I've Seen All Good People, Starship Trooper, Yours is No Disgrace, A Venture
The Yes Album is 'ok'. It is not bad, and there are some catchy moments where it is enjoyable as an afterthought, and then that is it: an afterthought that might slowly creep into your humming lexicon over years of exposure. It has that classic rock appeal in 2021 that would make this ideal for any rotation in some place like a garage or shared workspace. The music is benign, to put it nicely, and the vocals are easily ignored. It is prog-rock after all, and the whole ignore-me-while-I-am-over-here-doing-my-own-thing just bleeds from this album. So this listener will do just that, not even curious enough to wonder what it is that is being missed here.
Instrumentally, Yes are a fine group and this is displayed on the album via lengthy suites, featuring plenty of guitar and keyboard interplay. Vocally, they're a bit iffy, there's some nice harmonies, but I feel they lack a strong lead singer for the material. Jon Anderson sounds like he would be better off singing in a pop group. I quite enjoyed 'Your Move', which is the first part of 'I've Seen All Good People' plus the solo Portuguese guitar instrumental 'Clap' (recorded live) displays the technical prowess of guitarist Steve Howe. Overall it's well above average, but there are better prog albums. That is quite a cool album cover though.
The opening to Yours Is No Disgrace is such a jam. I'm less sold on the vocals to be totally honest, but everything in between is fantastic. I'm also enjoying the bass lines a lot. The more of the song I hear though, the less the vocals throw me off. But still, the guitar work >>> vocals in this track. The Clap is a nice breather after Yours Is No Disgrace. Starship Trooper is really funky, and I always appreciate a song with movements. The second movement is fantastic, I love the guitar in it. No thoughts, head empty, just vibes. I've Seen All Good People has some FUN organ work. One of my favorite instruments, honestly. Again, vocals aren't selling me, but the instrumental behind the track is amazing. The opening to Perpetual Change is AMAZING. I love love love it. Overall, this was a fun album, with a lot of insanely cool instrumental work that was hampered in my opinion by the vocals. If it was purely an instrumental album, I would have loved it so much more.
A Yes album, even The Yes Album, doesn't feel like a Yes album unless Rik Wakeman and Roger Dean is involved. Now, that's piffle. This is clearly a Yes album, it sounds exactly like Yes, the songs are firmly in the Yes scool of lyricism and thematics, and whereas Roger has become inseparable from Yes, Rick Wakeman's been in and out of them more often than the crew of HMS Queen Elizabeth with your mum. Now, I am not a Yes fan, I subscribe to the standard that Yes were bloated and bizarrely inane, despite the grandiosity of their lyrical and musical conceits. I understand that the fans consider Starship Trooper one of their monuments, and I acknowledge that the last movement of it has a proper driving frug. And that occasional frug is the best of Yes. However, between each instance of frug there's about 15 minutes of quite boring, quite charmless noodling. But how would a band like Yes grasp the aesthetic of less being more? They're Yes, not the Ramones.
I guess my take on Yes hasn't changed much from what I listended to "Close to the Edge". The band is clearly talented, the production is over the top good, and there is no doubt that the band has a huge following and has influenced countless other bands and artists. For whatever reason, I personally just can't connect with the music. It feels showboaty and a bit sterile. There were moments in the latter half of "Yours is No Disgrace" and "Starship Trooper", where I picked up on something, but the whole vibe still feels like it's at an arm's length. Another review wrote that it was like rush, but boring, and I think that sums it up perfectly.
The energy of this album jumps all around the place. I can hear its influence in the synth-pop that happened in the decades to come and even a bit of 90s alt folk rock. I wasn't especially grabbed by this album but I respect its craftmanship.
I am not a fan of prog, not a fan. Did not hat e this as much as I expected; The B3 keyboards of Tony Kaye is far less pretentious and widdly-widdly than the subsequent synthesizer overkill of Rick Wakeman. New boy Steve Howe hasn't gone full prog yet, either. This still sounds like a rock band, as opposed the the over-arranged clever-clogs, full blown progressive of the 70s that was right around the corner. As with all prog albums, moments of rock and roll appear, only to be lost in a swamp of tedium. All talk and no bloody trousers. Even Classic Rock magazine thinks this album is not up to par (but could have been., and they _like_ this stuff. According to wikipedia, they were on the verge of being dropped by their label, but avoided this by using an opportunity to manipulate the charts to goose the release until it got its own sales legs. prog: it's the emperors new music.
This fills me with dread. Again, I will try to shed any preconceptions before listening, but my impression of Yes is great cover art, terrible 10 minute prog noodling. And with that, I am met by 10 minutes of noodling in 'Yours is No Disgrace'. Imagine the worst excesses of Pink Floyd, but without the oddball charm of Syd Barrett's era, or the arthouse fury of Roger Waters' era. Essentially, David Gilmour's Floyd. Yuck. Then there's a noodly acoustic thing. It's innofensive but pointless. Now we're getting into serious prog with Starship Trooper, which has three sections listed. It's not based on Robert Heinlein's novel to the best of my knowledge, and therefore has nothing interesting about it. I've Seen All Good People also has three movements (said in the bowel sense of the word) but is shorter and marginally less painful. The middle of it sounds like Status Quo, and I would rather listen to Status Quo than this, and that is saying something. Something interesting happened at the start of Perpetual Change, but in keeping with the name it ended after 20 seconds. Then it went back to the same tired musician's music as it had before. Apparently this album's success stemmed from a postal strike meaning that only London chart returns could be processed in the week of its release, artificially inflating it's chart position. This makes sense of a lot of this for me. You can see why a lot of people hate Prog. I don't - Floyd, Hawkwind, Rush and Caravan bloody rule. This sort of noodly awfulness is why people hate Prog.
Uno de los pocos discos de progresivo de los grandes bandas del progresivo normie que se puede escuchar. Buenísimo.
Kicking off the trilogy of albums where Yes were at their most powerful creatively, The Yes Album is a classic of prog rock. A perfect balance of bass, keyboards, guitar and drums, with insane hippie vocals and some fantastic harmonising bringing it all together. The mammoth opener Yours Is No Disgrace is a sign of things to come, with Yes laying the ground work for their future prog epics. A fantastic song in its own right, it lets all the members shine, especially Howe and Anderson. The ending section of Starship Trooper is one of my favourite pieces of music, with the whole band building towards musical ecstasy. The dueling guitar solos at the end are a highlight The fantastic harmonising I mentioned really shines through on I've Seen All Good People, with Anderson, Squire and Howe nailing the three-part harmony. My only real issue with the album is all but 2 of the tracks fading out instead of working out a "proper" ending, but it's not really much of a detraction.
I really enjoyed this album. I’m not terribly familiar with Yes but I’m glad I gave this a listen. There is a lot of jazz and classical influence and the album is structured into several mini-suites that challenge the rock form.
Gefällt mir echt gut. Kam mir nach dem ersten Durchhören etwas richtungslos vor, daher gleich noch mal gehört. Nee, ist einfach nur ideenreich, seehr geil.
Ótimo disco! Chamou-me atenção, principalmente, as faixas "Your is no disgrace", "I've seen all good people" e "Perpetual change".
Yes is one of my all-time favorite bands. I don't know how many times I have listened to this album before, and I have listened to individual tracks from the album at least a dozen times more than I've listened to the album as a whole. "Yours is No Disgrace" is a great way to start off the album. Bill Bruford (drums) and Chris Squire (bass) lay down a foundation and provide a propelling force through the whole song. There are great examples of what Steve Howe (guitar), Tony Kaye (keyboards), and Jon Anderson (vocals) bring to the mix. There is a reason that all 5 members get song writing credit for the first track. Most of the album fits in the same mood. Steve Howe's instrumental "Clap" feels out of place between "Yours is No Disgrace" and "Starship Trooper". "A Venture" is a little weak as well, but none of the songs are bad. The rest of the album is great. I will listen to this album again.
Yes, that’s the name of the band. Listen to Roundabout. It will blow the classical music out your butt!
Sure, I could try to be objective here. So many criticisms could fairly be levelled at Yes and all they represent: excessive, bloated prog with overly academic philosophising. In albums like this one, there’s often more focus on showing off instrumentally than concise songwriting, and don’t even get me started on those outfits. Could any music be less cool than this? The fact is, “The Yes Album” has long been one of my favourite albums of all time. In my teenage years, the band had already started to look like the mythical creatures they might have sang about. Prog still lived in a dark and secret place, vanquished from the mainstream, and hearing this band for the first time felt like unlocking a whole new language. When I listen now, I still get a kick out of the intro to “Yours Is No Disgrace”, with the whole band giving it their all. The perfectly paced “Wurm” sequence at the end of “Starship Trooper”: one of the best build-ups in rock. The harmonies and countermelodies used in “I’ve Seen All Good People”, enough to give the Beatles a run for their money. The thrilling instrumental break in “Perpetual Change” when we get two totally different recordings overlapping, panned hard left and right before the main hook returns. Any gripes people could have with prog rock are executed so well here, with such energy and enthusiasm that it’s hard not to just enjoy the ride. What’s more, “The Yes Album” captures the band in their more accessible early stages. It’s pre-Rick Wakeman and his myriad of keyboard solos, when the rot started to truly set in. While there might be many instrumental passages here, all of them hang on to some choppiness. It’s easier to be breathlessly swept along, rather than constantly checking the time and getting sick of the noodling. Chris Squire’s trebly bass is deliciously high in the mix, forming one of Yes’s many hallmark sounds. Guitarist Steve Howe had only just joined the band and does incredible work, from the duelling guitars at the climax of “Starship Trooper” to live acoustic showcase “Clap”. I’ve written this review as an unapologetic classic prog fan. I’m long past the point of trying to get anyone else into Yes, but I’ll snap up any opportunity to talk about why I love them.
Rating this album low would be like saying you don't like music, there is just so much variety throughout. Phenomenal performance and tight, especially for Prog.
Great album and the first of the classic trilogy of albums. From 3 part harmonies to blistering solos and bombastic bass lines this album doesn't disappoint. Rick Wakeman joins on the next album and the band really takes off.
It’s not even 7.30 am yet and this album has had me in tears three times already ! It’s hugely emotionally nostalgic for me as we played it all the time when we were first going out with each other. Yes is my favourite supergroup, even over Pink Floyd and so for these reasons and more it has to have 5* and I will continue playing it for the rest of the day !
Yes Bai Verging on the ultimate in prog rock, beautifully composed if maybe not quite as refined their next two iconic albums. There's not a single low point on the album, each of the songs exist in their own sci-fi-esque world, little vignettes into the fantasy world of Yes. The mastery each member of the band has over their instruments can only be admired, but all this feeds into a feeling I've had about Yes and other hyper precise music; that is only ever adds up to the the exact sum of its parts. Never transcending to the sublime, a ceiling of intricately planned excellence. No album has had a deeper disconnect between the album art and the feeling the music inside inspires. And there you're standing, Saying we have the whole world in our hands, When all you'll see, Deep inside the world's controlling you and me 4.5/5
Amazing!!! The range shown on this album is nothing short of spectacular. Absolutely loved listening to this. Favorite track: Yours is No Disgrace
Really good, some great guitar work on the less well known tracks. Loved it
While worse than their other album, it's still above average and warrants a 4, although it's closer to a 3.5 than a 4
Another good album by Yes. Not as ambitious as the Edge but I enjoyed the use of the Portuguese guitar and the more traditional rock elements.
Prog gets dumped on all the time, and Yes is one of the bands held up as its worst criminals. However, this album shows that Yes' songwriting could be really tight, melodic and dare I say it, catchy. One of the most unfairly maligned bands. Great album, this. Now, if we're talking ELP albums or any of the Yes-men's solo efforts, yeah, those are rancid by and large.
Solo conocía un par de canciones previamente, pero me ha encantado. Le falta algo para llegará 5 estrellas, pero es genial
Pues sí lo disfruté.. Pero como con todo el prog, me conflictua que a pesar de que se supone que es innovador, no se siente así, es música demasiado bien hecha a ratos que pierde algo de encanto. Anyway, la que más me gustó the clap
Europe Neil Young The Who Liberace Jeff Buckley Django Reinhardt I'm at track 2.
Liked it, a bit long / repetitive, think if I listened a few more times I'd really get into it
This is easily one of my fav prog rock albums and it’s not even the best ‘yes’ album. Great guitar work with passionate singing and an upbeat sound. 9/10
No soy muy fan de las canciones muy largas. O sea tienen que ser piezas muy buenas para que no me gane el impulso de cambiarle. No terminé el álbum jajajaja pero está ok
A more mellowed down LP of what’s to come. But the full sounds and mysticism are already there. Also remasterings here bummed me out. BUT YES YES YES!
Um not sure what to put here hmmm the only Yes song I knew was Roundabout because of an anime I started and never finished. My parents didn't listen to rock when I was growing up, so there are many classic albums I've never heard and wouldn't have known where to start. I liked this well enough. A Venture is probably my favorite.
deluxe version on spotify, 9 tracks, 52 min, okay lets go. something about the singing reminds me of the police. second song's just instrumental. so far they use lyrics sparingly and i do mostly like them. catch my soul, catch the very light. okay some longer tracks have parts, cool. its like different songs but... in one... other longer tracks arent divided like that but they didn't drag on anyway, with enough change ups and build ups, i especially liked perpetual change and i added it to my playlist for songs over 7 min long, i'll revisit that song and starship trooper if not the whole album. it was enjoyable really.
Surprised by the year on this one. Had some sounds of Rush and Crosby stills and Nash in terms of instrumentals and vocals respectively. We definitely listen to it again.
I’d heard some Yes songs before but never actually listened through an album. Crazy how much of them you can hear in the 70s/80s prog rock bands that came in later. There’s a few weak points on this album but overall the instrumental work on here and composition is very impressive
After listening to this twice it really grew on me. Needs to be listened with headphones. Great tone.
My first full YES album, and it delivered in a lot of ways. Didn't blow my mind, but they have some great song craft and very complex melodies/rhythm. Nice themes and album continuity as well.
Royalty of progressive rock. This is one I knew some of but never heard as a complete work. It’s solid four.
Concept album for sure. But I’ve seen all good people is a hit in its own right.
First time hearing it. I wasn’t able to figure out the time signature of the final song.
I kinda liked it. Never heard it before, The Yes sound we know from "Owner of a Lonely Heart" that became famous in the 80th is pretty notable. Love the base. And Andersons voice is very recognizable. Interesting concept only having 6 songs (but then several have 2 or 3 segments.)
7/10. I like the format, but want to come back to this one and give it a closer listen.
8/10. Nice album w a lot of groovy songs, it was cheesy but just in the way that I expect prog rock to be.
The Yes Album by Yes (1971) Progressive rock can only be assessed in retrospect. It is not ‘progressive’ in a political (Marxist) sense, where the end is already in view and the object is to get there as soon as possible by any means necessary. But neither is progressive rock merely experimental. It breaks into new ground where others follow. The Yes Album was a step into that new territory. The Russian poet Osip Mandelstam (1891-1938) described his poetic compositional process as beginning with a ‘hum’ or a ‘ringing in the ears’, followed by a sound that, in turn, prompted a ‘moving of the lips’, and called forth words (Nadezhda Mandelstam, Hope Against Hope, p. 71 [Unlike Solzhenitsyn, Osip Mandelstam did not survive the Gulag.]). One gets a clear sense that a similar process is at work in the development of the music of The Yes Album. The sound informs the selection of words—lyrics that beg rhythmic elaboration. Narrative is incidental. Euphony is paramount. Passion is subterranean—indeed it is shifted from the heart of the artist to the heart of the beholder. The music of Yes is like a mind workout—a labor of the intellect, after which the soul feels refreshed. Heavily colored with close vocal three-part harmonies led by Jon Anderson, virtuoso guitar by Steve Howe and melodic bass lines by Chris Squires, this music challenges the listener with elaborate yet sensible variations in tempo, key, and balance—a delight to the ears. And what Tony Kaye adds on piano, organ, and synthesizer (e.g., “I’ve Seen All Good People” and “A Venture”) is heavenly. This is music that succeeds without hooks and grooves. You’re not likely to whistle these tunes, but the music sticks. I remember in high school when this album came out, there were those who dug Yes and those who dug, say, Three Dog Night. Those who dug The Yes Album were likely to also like classical music. Those who dug Three Dog Night were likely to get sent to the office for chewing gum. 4/5
Angesichts der sonstigen yes-Erfahrungen wirklich gut hörbar!!! Gute Musik
Back in the day, there used to be a really good second hand record shop called Catapilla in Exeter, where a lot of my albums came from during the period when everyone was moving to CD and ditching their vinyl. This still has the price label on it, I think it was UKP3.99. It's one of my favourite Yes albums, there might be some long songs but it has more direction than some of the albums that come after it. Probably because Tony Kaye wanted to keep things simple and Rick Wakeman (who replaced him) obviously didn't (and was brought in to be more expansive). Never quite sure if I like Jon Anderson's voice but it works better in the harmonies and always love Chris Squire's bass.
Surprised to actually like this. I've always believed I hated Yes, but apparently I don't. I seem to be a closet prog-rocker.
Solid but every song went on for a bit too long, still enjoyed. Also me and Mick got this album at same time
I dig this sort of early prog rock, it insists upon itself but it's fun. 4/5.
Excellent album. Love this early prog stuff.... literally anything goes. Fantastic musicianship
This is my favorite Yes album...especially Yours is no Disgrace and Starship Trooper. I like its generally upbeat feel and accessibility. 4 🌟
better than i thought it might be - a little irritating in places but mostly good
Ridiculous Steely Dan sounds on track one (not sure who predates who). Amazing guitar on The Clap and hilarious song name
Love Yes...and Prog rock in general. Great musicianship coupled with some catchy melodies.
my dad owned this for years and I never listened, now I don't understand why not - some weird stuff yes, but also some pretty excellent stuff, reminiscent of late beatles, which is never a bad thing
Doesn't quite reach the heights of their next two albums, but as a glimpse of prog to come this is a pretty fantastic record
Great album, would add a song or two to my playlist. Don't surround yourself with yourself 4/5
Tough Listen....... In fact, unlistenable You really gotta want to hear this. Couldn't get past the first 10min epic
Cool stuff, I could only imagine how mind blowing it was 50 years ago.
When I first started exploring prog this album and Yes in general were an early stop. Ah, I miss the days when I got used records for a buck... Anyway this is a solid Yes album, but not their best. Their best was released later in the same year, hell the album released the following year was better than this too. There I go getting off track again. Anyway, this is just a good, enjoyable Yes album. If you don't like cheese you will probably hate it. Despite the dated sound in some aspects its pretty damn enjoyable. There's so many great musicians in this band and Jon Anderson has a pleasant voice if you ask me. One last thing: why did they go through with naming a song The Clap? How unfortunate.
Musique de puceaux mais c'est cool Prefs: Yours Is No Disgrace, Starship Trooper, Perpetual Change Moins pref: A Venture
Genre: Progressive Rock 4/5 Yes is one of the most important groups in the history of progressive rock, and were one of the prog rock groups in the early going focusing their energy on symphonic arrangements and lush, orchestral style melodies, rather than the psych/prog rock stylings of Pink Floyd or King Crimson. Their third album, their first to gain any real traction amongst listeners, The Yes Album, is a perfect example of this concept and they execute it near flawlessly. With only 6 songs to parse through, Yes gives us a manicured musical statement that goes to showcase their best work of the time. Starship Trooper and Perpetual Change are two examples of the prog epic, stretching the song form to its limits while maintaining the group’s signature symphonic tendencies. The players on this album are all virtuosos. Howe, Kaye, Squire, and Bruford provide exceptional backing tracks for another true rock legend, vocalist Jon Anderson, who sounds just as good here as any of the instrumentalists do. A real gem, and while I don’t think it’s Yes’ best, or their most essential, it’s a classic listen that should reward any rock fan.
Not sure what's going on in the cover photo but perfectly pleasant music. I'd like to give it 3.5 stars but my last album was circle jerks who got twice as many songs into half the time so that makes me want to round down on this one. No, that's not fair. I like several of the songs quite a bit.
Un bon album prog, j'adore Yes et celui-ci ne fait pas exception. Cependant, ce n'Est pas mon préférée qui est aussi sur la liste. 4.75
Not a prog fan at all but this is just a fantastic combination of great tunes - something most prog appears to leave out - and twiddly widdly arrangements that have just enough sixties still about them. Great.
Just a solid set of progressive rock. The vocal harmonies are tight, the bass playing in particular is incredibly impressive. Each song moves in such a way that feels natural, but keeps you engaged. Favorite tracks: "Yours Is No Disgrace", "Starship Trooper"
Another one I had in my LP collection in my early teens as I grew up and into what I reluctantly call "progressive rock" (I cannot bring myself to call it by the abbreviated name). I say 'reluctantly' because although I can get my head around the label, it messes up my perception of how to describe a vast ocean of rock. If a band we don't normally associate with the genre cuts some more complicated tracks, or whatever characteristic one might ascribe to the genre, are they now in the genre? Anyway, I digress. Back to this album. I listened to it quite frequently in my teens but hadn't listened to it in a long, long time. Still holds up well. Steve Howe on guitar, Chris Squire on bass, Tony Kaye on keys (later to be replaced by Rick Wakeman, which worked out very well), and Bill Bruford on drums...that's one insanely amazing line-up. One can hear their varied backgrounds -- quite a bit of classical training and quite serious jazz chops -- and I'm glad they came together for this band. Jon Anderson's voice is incredible and he can do things very few rock singers could do. Personally, it gets a little high-pitched for me, but that's just a matter of my own taste. No slight meant to him. Impressive album. Glad I got to hear it again.
5/7/2022 - ALBUM #100 Today's Album: "The Yes Album" by Yes - This is an album I have already heard before, but it's great to get another listen of it more in depth. I have always liked Yes for their smooth style of prog rock and great vocals, but I had mostly stuck to their album, "Fragile". With so many other albums by the band after Fragile, it seemed hard to pick one to listen to next, but THIS album is a great choice to follow up with. The opening track Yours Is No Disgrace opens up the album with 9 minutes of pure PROG. In this track they sound a lot like Kansas, but with this new-rock filter on it and the more I listen to this album as a whole, it really feels like it's THE inspiration for so many of the sounds I love in prog rock . The guitar sounds super crisp in the mix and the bassist is going absolutely nuts as usual. The Gap totally shifts gears with a solo acoustic guitar going absolutely crazy with some very impressive finger picking. It's a great upbeat track and is just so damn impressive. The 3 part Starship Trooper transitions expertly between various tempos, moods, and grooves. I especially love the vocals on this track and although it does drag a bit in some spots, there's a lot of great sonic moments on this track. The slow building third part crescendo's up into the end and gives the track a real feeling of significant progression, not to even mention the killer guitar solos. I've Seen All Good People is a 2 part track, but this one is much more accessible and fun. I love the opening vocal harmonies and the pounding bass drum gives this track a lovely meditative feeling to it. This is truly some of Yes's best songwriting and the vocals are just so damn silky smooth. I don't even feel like I could get into everything that makes this track amazing because there are just so many beautiful, well-performed layers, but the do-do chorus is absolutely a highlight and the way the mood picks up from part 1 to part 2 is so well done. Both parts compliment each other so well and it's really impressive that the band is able to make the whole thing feel so cohesive. The much shorter track, A Venture, feels like it could have been a Supertramp track with very similar vocals, instrumentation, and song structure. It's a bouncy, yet brooding track and although the beginning feels sort of slow and boring, the interplay between the piano, bass, and drums in the end of the track is just really memorizing and sounds great. The closing track, Perpetual Change is pretty much exactly that, with the band exploring so many different ideas and switching up the beat constantly. It is a little disorienting at some points, but I really think they do a great job of keeping the momentum of this track going throughout all of the switch ups and some of the chorus melodies are really lovely and catchy. This track is similar to I've Seen All Good People where it's just so massive and amazing that it's hard to describe everything great about it. It really should just be experienced. Overall, this is a progressive rock album through and through and as much as I tried to keep my love of prog out of any bias for this review, it's impossible for me to not just love this album. The instrumental performances are all so energetic and on point and the vocals are heavenly. Give this one a listen if you like prog even a little and I promise it's a great time. There's some less exciting moments in here, but when the album reaches it's highs, it really knocks it out of the park. Highlights: Yours Is No Disgrace, The Gap, Starship Trooper, I've Seen All Good People, Perpetual Change Score: 8.5/10 A fantastic demonstration of the power of prog rock
Echt een top progressief rock album, wist niet dat Yes zoveel andere goede muziek had
Listened to on 6/7/22 3.5/5 Favorite song: starship trooper I liked this album way more than I thought I would! It’s very rock-y without being too aggressive and super easy to listen to
Aj karamba, kolejny swietny gitarkowy material, tym razem w bardziej progresywnym wydaniu, bo jest to trzeci studyjny krazek od Yesow, zatytuowany prosto The Yes Album, nazwa moze wynikac chocby z tego, ze jest to pierwszy album na ktorym sa zawarte jedynie autorskie kompozycje bandy, ktora na wczesniejszych plytach mocno coverowala, a tutaj pokazala na co ja stac jako kompletny zespol, a chociaz to wydanie z 71 jest gdzies mocno w cieniu ich komercyjnego przebicia jakim bylo Fragile z tego samego roku, ktore juz bylo wczesniej na liscie, tak ten eponimicznie zatytulowany krazek jest zdecydowanie warty przesluchania, jak przystalo na progresywne granie traki sa sycaco grube, dwa z szesciu trakow plyty to skladance jeden dwuczesciowy, drugi natomiast trojkowy, ale nawet i utwory o bardziej monolitycznej strukturze to potezne epiki zamykajace sie w graniach 9 minut, do tego dodac dwa krotsze trzy minutowe kawalki i 41 minut pleja jest zapelnione, a jest on wypelniony rownie hipnotycznymi brzmieniami co wczesniejszy fragile, co sprawia, ze czlowiek nawet nie wie kiedy koncowka stuka w poczatek, o ile wklad pana Wakemana w dyskografie zespolu jest nieoceniony, to jednak ten material pozbawiony przepychu synthowych klawiszy ma w sobie cos wyjatkowo uroczego, bo wokalne harmoniowania sie nie zmienily, pozytywne wajby plynace z lirycznej strony plyty rowniez sa, wiecej akustycznosci na gitarkach, poczatki eksperymentowania z brzmieniem na poszczegolnych kanalach jest, ciekawie budowana scena potrafiaca zaskoczyc nie raz, Yes jako zespol wielu oblicz w zaleznosci od skladu, ktory jednak nie zawodzi, tak wlasnie jest rowniez w tym przypadku, hajlajtowymi trakami jak dla mnie byly i have seen all good people, ktorego pierwsza czesc to your move, ktory bierze typowe zyciowe strugle ludzi pragnacych pokoju i opisuje je na szachowa modle, nie czesto slyszy sie tak orginalne wykorzystanie gry planszowej, tutaj chyba jedynie wu tangi zrobily cos lepszego, kolejnym trakiem ktory leci na plejke bedzie rownie pozytywny i cieplutki perpetual change, ktory jest epickim endingiem tego wysmienitego albumu, ktory dodatkowo pomogl mi odszyfrowac pochodzenie jednego z najbardziej memicznych riffow gitarowych wsrod muzyki z hinskich bajek, chodzi mianowicie o openingowe riffy z openingu fragile, czyli roundabouta, ktory przeszedl juz do historii memologi jako oznaczenie dzwieku zwiastujacego niesamowite zakonczenie, a geneza tego riffa siega wlasnie tego albumu, a mianowicie studyjnej wersji utworu clap, ktory w tej wersji ma wlasnie ten epicki riff, ktory zostal tutaj przemycony w wersji rozszerzonej bogatszej o trzy alternatywne tejki, ktore jak widac maja w sobie cos wartego uwagi
I was much more into this album than I thought I would be. Some of the songs still go too long, but overall I really enjoyed it.
I guess I kind of like Yes. Or at least their “hits”. Love the folky acoustic stuff, and of course Good People, Yours Is No Disgrace, and Starship Trooper.
When you think back to all the great music that was produced over 50 years ago, it's amazing how well the music has held up over that period of time. Prog bands produced a sound that sounded technologically advanced, well beyond it's years and YES was no exception. I own only two Yes albums (The Yes Album & Fragile) and in recent years I've listened to them more than when I bought them. There are many phases of Yes's career I'm not too interested in (especially their 80's work), but the Yes Album (their 3rd) through to 1973 are spectacular. The Yes Album has a pair of classic Yes songs and the rest of the record is solid.
Yes's breakout album. Their first two albums still clung to psychadelic rock sounds, whereas The Yes Album explored new territory that would set them apart from other prog rock bands at the time. This could largely be attributed to the addition of Steve Howe, who provided new perspective and influence for the record. This can be seen, for example, on The Clap, which is a wonderful acoustic folk song that pulls from the likes of country and blues. Worry not, progheads, there is many prog to be found here. This rocks very hard and it's a great showing from Yes. Fun songs performed with incredible skill, it's a good time all around. Starship Trooper is a clear winner of a song for me, but the whole album can play ball. Great stuff. That is, until the part in Perpetual Change when they panned the organs completely in the left channel and I had to listen to it solo, unaccompanied. That sucks. I hate it when bands pan stupid shit like that. Never do that.
Yes er alltaf gott Yes. Það er eitthvað við þetta early 70s progg sem á voðalega auðveldan aðgang að hjartanu mínu.
have always this band. got my hands on a Very Best of Yes CD a thousand years ago and fell in love with em. can't really expand on why i just fucking dig it.
Beautifully crafted, some songs that feel forced. Not as good as their later work.
If I would ever wonder which album (one of many, of course) Steven Wilson was influenced by, then here we are! I was actually a bit perplexed at the beginning, because I thought it's just some kind of early Porcupine Tree release and I just clicked the wrong link. Thinking of it, this album must have influenced quite a large number of progressive bands, as its sound is unique, quite original at the time, but also very entertaining even today. I think the best description of this album is the song Starship Trooper. It has everything - crazy solos, slowly paced instrumental parts, psychedelic verses and they all fill in nicely onto a pretty long 9 minutes song. Rest of the album is uniquely similar, a lot of crazy moments woven together with instrumental parts and vocals. Very good example of a historically important album, that didn't lose its value after all this time, and can be equally enjoyed today.
Solid album by a solid artist, not my favourite thing in the world but a very well written album that I can respect and appreciate
I love the instrumental parts, lyrics are not even necessary. I entered the atmosphere quite easily. That's sweet but strong! I may listen to this album while studying!
brilliant. lots of interesting stuff going on, but it's very easy-going and not too much. fave tracks: your move and the clap
Quite enjoyed this one although it was a bit of a strange one with the long form songs. they were pretty groovy and fun though
I enjoyed the album. I’ve Seen All Good People… is a great song. Nothing stuck out to me as being notably different or experimental but maybe for its time.
This is great. Forgot about The Clap; I think my uncle used to play it when I was growing up. Not sure I knew about Yours Is No Disgrace.
This one wasn't as good as "Close to the edge" and in general this album doesn't seem like one of the best progressive rock has to offer. It's still fine and was a pleasant listen though. Rounding up from 3.5.
If it were a little catchier I'd give it a 5. There's so much to like here. Yes are geniuses where it comes to rephrasing a passage they've played earlier in a totally new musical context - they run a clinic on it in "I've Seen All Good People", and there's delightful examples in "Yours Is No Disgrace" as well. Their sense of musical color is impeccable - the backing vocals are super-lush on practically every track, and their use of the organ, especially the interplay between organ and guitar on their instrumentals, is consistently on-point. I get chills when the organ comes in on "I've Seen All Good People". I'm a big fan of Andersen's vocals (especially when he has the band backing him) and Howe's guitar, but what stands out to me on repeat listen is how adventurous they are with the bass - it's everywhere on a few tracks, especially the opener, and they get great sound out of it. There's also just a wonderful variety of sound here, ranging from jazz on "Perpetual Change" and bluegrass on "The Clap" to straight-ahead rock-and-roll. And the whole thing is just impeccably produced - for an album that came out in 1971 it sounds remarkably fresh and modern.
I liked it! Bit of an off-brand Rush, but that's not a bad thing. Definitely The Clap is the best song.
Great album but it does not reach the heights of Fragile and Close to the Edge
Like Rush but tasteful AND lively. And to whoever wrote that review that said '"Like Rush but boring", I'd say that Rush's hackneyed and cheesy instrumentation actually sound very boring to *me*. Funny how music tastes work, huh? To come back to Yes, I remember being a little harsh in my review of their *Fragile* album, the one that was released right after *The Yes Album*. I still think *Fragile* lacks substantial content in some of its tracks, but three of them are just instant classics, worthy of their legend. My grade for it goes from 3 to 4 now. *The Yes Album* is a little more cohesive than *Fragile* in comparison, even though it has less striking cuts in its tracklisting. Some moments are incredibly brilliant though, foretelling the great things they were about to accomplish (including *Close To the Edge*) Whatever the case may be, Yes are still a band that is far more dynamic than many of their seventies or even eighties prog-rock counterparts, from virtuosistic yet empty pedants to self-indulgent hacks with a knack for artificial, kitschy arrangements (from ELO to Rush, basically speaking). Yes played hard yet never forgot melodies and emotions. In other words, they *rocked*. Number of albums left to review: 761 Number of albums from the list I find relevant enough to be mandatory listens: 120 Albums from the list I *might* include in mine later on: 58 (including this one) Albums from the list I will certainly *not* include in mine (many others are more important): 62
it's a good album, but still not something I'd listen every day. Loved the guitar solos though.
Yes is cool. I love the band name of "Yes". I think sometimes they fall into the trap of being progressive for the sake of being progressive and it doesn't always help their songwriting. This is a touchy topic because there's really many arguments for both sides of the argument; like "well prog-rock is their genre, so why shouldn't they be proggy?". I think I agree on both sides but lean towards the former argument rather than the latter. To be fair, I think it's incredibly difficult to be a proggy band and tastefully make progressive music. This album starts with some of the issues that I frequently see in prog music. It's exciting! But it's also manic. Music has so many differences in listening experiences and sometimes I want to groove on a track while focusing on something else, and sometimes I want to sit and listen to a band like Yes and put all of my attention into the music. It's hard to objectively rate an album like this when I'm not in the exact mood that the music ~sort of~ needs. I'm currently sick with a cold that I suspect is more than a cold and I have no energy and it's physically hard to stare at my computer screen and write this while listening to the music because if I put too much thought into the words I'm writing then I'm missing out on a key change or a meter change or a groove change that turns into a keyboard solo. I'm currently writing this at the last 30 seconds of track 1 and it's an Allman Brothers esque guitar shred part that is now turning into an ascending circus synth to end the song and now - it's track 2 and we are immediately onto a folk blues acoustic guitar solo? I can't catch my breath enough to hear any of the melodies and harmonies because my attention is forced onto the tonal qualities and instrumentation. It probably comes across as hating on the band but it's not really my intent. I think this music is really high class performing and wildly impressive for 1971. Ultimately, I enjoyed the album. Personally it's not my super duper favorite, so I'm giving it a 4/5 but it's like a 4.1.