The Yes Album

I’m neither for or against prog rock, and I’ve never been out to the Czech Republic to check out their music scene so I’m not sure how I feel about Prague rock but… Was ready to just put “No.” if I ended up not liking this album but, unfortunately for my predetermined reviews, this is more of a “Yes.” Well, not a full “Yes” but perhaps a “Maybe?” Feels like 1971 in a can — groovy bass, deft guitar, lyrics about… science-fiction, or fantasy, or… something? Fun!

got it

Good album, every song sounds a bit like roundabout (the only Yes song i really know) which I like.

Liked it more than I expected!

"The Yes Album" is a schizophrenic orchestrated collection of song that explore the essence of sound and music. This is particularly demonstrated in the opening track, "Yours Is No Disgrace," which begins with a post-punk vibe before transitioning into an extended, synthesizer-driven progressive rock segment, and then closing with a melody reminiscent of a Mario Brothers sound bite. This music is adventurous, it breaks down songs into their components and arranges them in remarkably unique ways. Most tracks are quite complex, lengthy, and consist of several "suites" or parts. I find myself questioning whether this music still holds up today or if my enjoyment stems from nostalgic memories of my youth in the early 1980s, when I would listen to late-night FM radio and could hear the entire album played from front to back. For me, this continues to be an enjoyable listen, but it is definitely an acquired taste.

Faves: Starship Trooper

No

Awesome progressive Rock, felt like Pearl Jam and Magma and all the greatest!

It’s a Yes album. An early one so less progressive craziness you normally get out of Yes album. Was a fun ride overall. Not my favorite though

I had always meant to properly listen to Yes, them being one of the prog greats and all, yet this was my first real attempt. The realization is that I love the musicianship, the playing chops (especially the bass, whom I believe is Squire?) and the overall excellence of all the musicians. But the song structure itself loses me.

Another solid 70s rock album

Meh 70s pop from a band that would blossom in the 80s.

Sweet prog and grouse acoustic playing, fuckin awesome

Solid nerd music, just missing some Wakeman

One of the better prog rock albums out there, very close to giving this a 5 but it’s not close to the edge level, great listen regardless

1 great song, everyone other was like 1 min too long

Like revisiting a familiar math problem, still interesting!

I remember when “Owners of a Lonely Heart” came out and it was huge!! I went back to find out where it had come from and found a prog rock mess that hasn’t changed since then. Some interesting instrumentation but…

Didn’t expect this from yes. I always associate them with prog stuff but a lot of this sounded like csny with a little more experimentation. Not bad and some grooves peppered throughout.

Yes is an odd band for me. They have an 80's vibe in my mind but also a classic rock vibe. They seem to span both, but maybe for my taste the classic vibe sort of overrode the next step thing. IDK. AND I absolutely hold to this, I think this was an early album (maybe?) and they did other stuff I might find more appealing? I did not research it, I just listened and felt it was a bit too classic overall and I got slightly impatient with it. Nevertheless, as usual, it is not fundamentally flawed and may, in fact, be quite good for the right listener. Thus I will give it a fair to middling rating and move on...

fine

Just a solid prog rock album, not my favourite from Yes but it's a classic for a reason

THIS SHIT FUCKS

10 out of 10 prog Rock album Beautiful vocals and melody

I dunno man. It’s fine. Got bored.

Steve Howe, Chris Squire, Jon Anderson, Bill Bruford, and Tony Kaye are so well put together on this album.

Erm, it’s ok in places I guess. Just never really ‘felt’ it. And largely uninteresting.

Didn’t have high expectations, but was pleasantly surprised. For a 70s prog record they managed to dial back the nonsense and I never felt the songs went on too long. Some of the keyboards sound is basic and dated and for a rock album it never hits the heights of others.

Really not feeling this one. Other than the last 3 mins of Starship Trooper that was all rather underwhelming and flat. If it’s gonna go prog, I’d prefer far more flair and stupidity. If it’s gonna go rock, well it needs to do something. All we got was some average rock tunes with some measured proggy flourishes. The vocals were pretty dull too, at best a weaker version of Crosby, Stills and Nash. Kinda. Disappointed really, I expected more from this given their prog reputation.

Fine, but some of the songs could be trimmed.

Wouldn't say it was the best album they produced.

Better than I expected it to be from the cover.

Pretty good

I liked this quite a bit. Good prog rock. 4/5

I've only been doing this 6 weeks and this is my 2nd Yes album. Were they really so ground breaking? Nice musicianship and some ok tunes but prog isn't my thing.

Yes)

Prog rock, symphonic rock — what can go wrong – quintessence of self-indulgent noodling, overblown theatrics, and ten-minute songs that go absolutely nowhere.

Seemed like a fine prog rock album

Throw enough spaghetti at the wall, and some of it’s bound to stick. And, in this case of this most profligate pasta bowls of an album … it does. A bit. It sticks until it’s wiped away by the next load of spaghetti flung at the wall, anyway. Fine. No, don’t worry. I wasn’t hungry anyway, Yes. I don’t mind this record, and there are sections of it I quite like – but it’s often quite abstruse. Would it kill them to let the dish sit for a minute? Would it kill them to offer a Parmesan garnish? Why must it always be more spaghetti?

5/10

Didn’t like this at all

interesting. different. relaxed rock

Yawn.

Ahh yes, the album The Yes Album from the band Yes. Joking aside, I have enjoyed the occasional Yes before as a progressive rock outfit, with a lot of their notable songs involving multiple movements and odd time signatures. That much was evident on this album, where "Yours Is No Disgrace", "Starship Trooper", "I've Seen All Good People" and "Perpetual Change" are all excellent showcases of the band's songwriting and instrumental skill. From the eclectic basslines of Chris Squire to the infectious guitar riffs and soloing of Steve Howe, to the percussive bombast of Bill Bruford, to the ethereal piano, organ, and Moog synth play of Tony Kaye, and even Jon Anderson's natural above-tenor singing all contribute to such outstanding sonic adventures. That said, as much as I enjoyed the long songs on The Yes Album, the short songs I found paradoxically not that interesting. "The Clap" is a brief acoustic guitar noodling from Steve Howe recorded live that sounds out of place on this record. While "A Venture" sounded better integrated in the studio led by Kaye's piano line, the rest of the song is a hazy jazz swing that feels like it goes nowhere as the composition keeps returning to the harmonized refrain of "hide away". I understand if these short songs were meant to act as relief between the longer songs, but if I'm being honest if it were just the longer songs on this album, the quality would be much better. That said, The Yes Album is a great album from Yes that showcases the band's leaps in songwriting and composition.

Didn’t care for it to much. A lot of “jam” time on it

Medium

Great background music. Lots of instrumental parts. Not too unique.

Sounds like Yes. Very jazz-rock, repetitive at times.

Bra!

More generic classic rock picks on this 1001 albums list. It did absolutely nothing to impress me or make the album memorable in any way.

👍🏼

Awesome album, almost a 5 for me. The instrument work on this album is incredible, it has all time hits and underrated classics like starship trooper. Great prog rock

Interesting, certianly something worth further exploration. The bonus tracks just ended up confusing me. I think Your Move is my fave.

Yeah, a nice listen - now that I've gotten more of a taste for Yes I should perhaps go back and re-listen to "Close to the Edge". I took a quick look at their wikipedia page to try to gauge which direction in their discography I should explore in, but then saw the truly parody-worthy numbers of personnel changes and squabbles and law suits and I got real sleepy. 😆 Fave tracks - the "Wurm" section at the end of "Starship Trooper" is pretty awesome. Also dug the second half of "I've Seen All Good People" which seems to be called "All Good People".

Absurdly great musicians they were very ahead of their time and although Indont feel this is their best almub it certanily is really great. Songs are too long but thats what comes with progressive genere.

Just say NO to Yes's "The Yes Album". Favorite Track: "Yours Is No Disgrace"(but the album is).

Fun prog rock, could’ve hit harder though.

Big prog fan and Yes are the kings

Not for me. 1/5

One of the best prog albums by Yes. Enjoyable, good batch of songs and generally easy to listen.

Alright

A pleasant surprise, not as proggy as I thought it was going to be. Quite accessible, not overly complex, it did have a flow. Many solos, excellent guitar work. I liked the warm sound, but was puzzled by the mix, feat. some wild stereo effects. But I guess that's the way things were done in the early seventies, when this was released. Overall not a fave, but okay.

A lot of chaff but some good stuff here

Muy característicamente Yes, pero me decepcionó un poco. No iba a escuchar los mixes, pero parece que son notablemente mejores.

fun listen!

5/10 - Decent rock album. Sadly no hit or meme song. The songs were pretty similar and nothing was crazy good.

There was one song on here that I really liked most of. The rest was still dumb stupid prog. Gonna give it a 3 instead of a 2 for the one song because the rest was more boring than offensive

2.5-3ish

Absolute classic

I really had no previous knowledge of Yes other than Owner of Lonely Heart, which I always got mixed up and thought was by Boston anyway. Starts off pretty cool, the first track, very prog rock. Lots of almost bluegrass-like breakdowns. Very southern rock in some moments, even though they are English. Singing is very early 70s. A little heavy on the organ in some tracks for me. In other senses, I get some definite Rush vibes.

'Yes' is one of those amazing bands that, as a whole, deserve a lot more credit than their individual albums. Lovely music, but I'd much rather pick and choose the songs than sit down and listen to an album all the way through.

I should have realized sooner that this project is going to be hell for people that don’t like prog rock. GET ON WITH IT ALREADY.

liked this, all the songs are great, highlights include: "The Clap" "Starship Trooper" "I've Seen All Good People"

This album was alright, kinda short. I wouldn’t have gone out of my way to listen to it

The only one you really need to hear is Fragile and its best track, "Heart of the Sunrise."

Quite enjoyed this, more listenable than a lot of progressive rock. Particularly liked I’ve Seen All Good People or Your Move or whatever it’s called

Maybe a harsh rating, as I generally liked the sound. But it was a bit too long, and nothing was memorable about it.

The best Yes album I’ve been made to listen to because of this damned list

Similar to the other Yes album, obviously impressive but too strange for me to really enjoy

Another from my Dad!

Not as good as the previous Yes album, though there are enjoyable songs!

Greatness from front to back. Yes!!

The first song (Yours Is No Disgrace) is pretty great. Definitely wears out it's welcome and actually becomes quite annoying by the end.

A soft Yes.

nope

I was vaguely familiar with this band. Great vocal and I like the guitar solo track. Overall a good album.

First song already starts with an interesting sound, synths and drums. Sounds like an artistic depiction of certain things. Funky psychedelic guitars give off relaxing and immersive vibes. Giving off some Pink Floyd vibes with the some of the sound and the vocals, which is not bad at all. Have some elements reminiscent of Porcupine Tree. Song is quite long, but not bad. Second song comes off country, bluegrass and folk style. Slightly nostalgic and really pleasant melody. Third song starts off ethereal, psychedelic, and immersive. Really comforting and nostalgic. Sounds artistic. Sounds similar, once again to Pink Floyd. Country music appears later on in the track, pleasant and uplifting. Afterwards sounds like another part of the whole song, sounds more uplifting than the start of the song. Consistent and pleasant. Fuzzy and pleasant distorted guitars. Very nice immersive instrumental solo towards the end. Fourth song starts off pleasant with the vocals and background strumming. Progressing to a better sound with an added organ. Second part coming in, sounds funky, psychedelic and slightly folk. Pleasant listening, progressing to a better sound. Very nostalgic sounding. Fifth song already sounds pleasantly calm with the piano at the start, psychedelic and immersive, slightly jazzy. Sixth and last song sounds repetitive with the organ at the start and later on. Sounds nice with the guitars, which were a bit repetitive too. Sounds average, a little unoriginal musically by being repetitive. Later on gets a little better. Towards the end it makes up a bit for the previous repetition. 1-10 Rating is 8/10. Star rating would be 4 out of 5 stars.

4.5

Much better than The Fragile, and I think that's partly because this album feels "epic" or like it's this grand statement, it's more grounded in the playing and singing in a way I think I enjoy more than what they did in the other one. It's hard to explain but generally the less overwrought emotions and presentation made it more enjoyable to me I think.

I mean, I guess. It didn't strike any particular chord with me.

Its fine. Nothing to write home about, pretty standard 70s rock

Yes! Dit is top, gave progrock in een heel origineel jasje. Coole nummers, met samenhang, maar ook verrassende wendingen.

Great prog album, some bangers on here

Some pretty good prog! Yes, there are some long tracks here, and they meander, but they never stay in a place for too long. It doesn't go overboard with self-indulgence. Which, unfortunately, a lot of prog tends to.Like, if we're making comparisons, I got ELP's "Pictures at an Exhibition" earlier, which came out in the same year, and it's ASS by comparison. There are some killer bass lines here, too (especially on "Yours Is No Disgrace"). It's enjoyable as music to focus on, but even playing in the background. Fav tracks: Yours Is No Disgrace, I've Seen All Good People, Perpetual Change

brilliance.

We are just on a stinky stinky stinky run of music I don't like right now. All You Good People or whatever it's called is OK, but this is very not for me.

Enjoyed this thoroughly

INteresting progressions in the compositions. Wish there were more short songs like "A Venture" though

Huit mois après avoir enduré le supplice cosmique de "Close to the Edge", voilà que le destin, dans son infinie cruauté, me remet le couvert. Le même groupe, le même genre, la même décennie maudite. Yes et "The Yes Album". Le titre sonne comme une affirmation, une évidence. Pour moi, il sonne comme une menace. Je me suis donc assis, résigné, tel un condamné acceptant son sort. J'ai appuyé sur "play" et pendant 41 interminables minutes, j'ai supporté. Le mot est faible... J'ai subi un assaut en règle de tout ce qui a pu un jour me faire détester la musique. Soyons clairs, et allons droit au but comme un bon vieux single punk de 2 minutes 30 (ah, si seulement...). "The Yes Album" est l'archétype parfait de la branlette musicale. C'est l'album qui a probablement convaincu des milliers de musiciens en herbe qu'il était plus important de savoir faire 48 notes à la seconde sur une guitare acoustique que de transmettre la moindre once d'émotion brute. C'est le triomphe de la technique sur l'âme, de la complexité sur le coeur, de la virtuosité sur la tripe. Pour le gamin des années 80 que j'étais, qui découvrait la rage glaciale de Joy Division et la mélancolie poisseuse de The Cure, ce genre de disque était l'ennemi. C'était la musique de nos parents, celle qu'ils écoutaient en fumant la pipe et en parlant de trucs chiants. C'était l'opulence, la prétention, cette espèce de rock de salon pour intellos qui se tripotent sur des changements de rythme alambiqués et des solos de basse qui durent le temps d'un trajet en train. Et putain, le son ! Ce son des années 70... Je sais bien qu'on me dira "oui mais la production, la chaleur de l'analogique...". Foutaises, c'est le son du formica, du papier peint orange, des pantalons à pattes d'éléphant. L'orgue Hammond de Tony Kaye, omniprésent, dégouline de bons sentiments et de notes inutiles. On dirait la musique d'attente d'un coiffeur pour hippies sur le retour. La guitare de Steve Howe, qui fait ici son entrée fracassante dans le groupe, est un catalogue de tout ce qui m'exaspère : ça file dans tous les sens, ça explore des gammes dont on se fout, ça passe de l'acoustique folkisant à des envolées électriques sans crier gare, mais ça ne raconte jamais rien. C'est une démonstration. Une putain de démo technique pour un magasin de guitares. Et le chant... Ah, le chant de Jon Anderson. Cette voix éthérée, quasi angélique, qui plane au-dessus de la mêlée instrumentale avec une candeur insupportable. Le mec te chante des trucs sur la nature, la spiritualité, la société moderne (dixit les exégètes du groupe), avec le même ton qu'un animateur de centre aéré qui essaie de te faire croire qu'une balade en forêt est une aventure mystique. C'est tellement naïf, tellement premier degré, que ça en devient presque vulgaire. J'avais l'impression d'écouter la bande-son d'une communauté new age du Larzac. Donne-moi le cynisme crasseux de The The ou la rage désespérée de Godflesh, mais pitié, épargne-moi cette pureté de pacotille. Je pourrais essayer de vous parler des morceaux, mais à quoi bon ? Ils se ressemblent tous dans leur structure boursouflée. Ça commence doucement, puis ça s'énerve, puis ça se calme, puis un solo, puis un choeur, puis un autre solo, puis ça s'énerve à nouveau... C'est épuisant. "Yours Is No Disgrace", "Starship Trooper"... des épopées de près de dix minutes qui semblent en durer quarante. On est à des années-lumière de la tension d'un "Sister Ray" du Velvet Underground qui, lui aussi, s'étirait en longueur, mais pour une bonne raison : te traîner dans la fange, te faire ressentir le malaise. Ici, on te traîne dans un magasin de tapisseries. Pendant mon service au magasin de disques, on avait une section "Rock Progressif". C'était une sorte de zone de quarantaine. Les clients qui s'y aventuraient avaient un profil bien particulier. Souvent des mecs seuls, un peu plus âgés, avec des cheveux longs mais clairsemés, qui te parlaient de la pureté du son de leur chaîne hi-fi pendant des plombes. Ils achetaient du Yes, du Genesis, du King Crimson. Ils n'achetaient jamais du Sonic Youth ou du Nirvana. Ils ne comprenaient pas et pour eux, la musique, c'était ça : une partition complexe, une exécution parfaite. Pour moi, la musique, c'était un cri. Alors oui, je sais, cet album est un "classique". C'est le disque qui a fait de Yes des stars. Il a probablement posé les bases de tout un pan du rock. Mais le IIIème Reich aussi a posé les bases de l'architecture totalitaire, et ce n'est pas pour ça que je trouve ça beau. Le pire, c'est que je ne peux même pas dire que c'est mal fait. Les mecs savent jouer, c'est indéniable. Chris Squire a probablement plus de doigts que moi et s'en sert avec une agilité déconcertante. Mais c'est une coquille vide, un exercice de style vain. C'est l'ennui poli, l'ennui tiré à quatre épingles et bien peigné. Au final, ces 41 minutes ont confirmé ce que je savais déjà. Mon panthéon musical est peuplé de prophètes du chaos, de poètes de la rouille, de saints du larsen. Eux, les membres de Yes, sont les comptables de la musique. Ils alignent les notes, font des additions complexes, vérifient que tout est bien en ordre. Le résultat est peut-être juste, mais il est chiant à mourir. Quand le dernier accord s'est éteint, j'ai ressenti le même soulagement qu'en sortant de chez le dentiste après un détartrage. C'est fait, on n'en parle plus. Jusqu'à la prochaine fois et en regardant cette liste maudite des 1001 albums, je sais qu'il y aura une prochaine fois... Putain de projet. 1/5 pour la pochette, qui a le mérite de ne pas être trop laide.

I've been scarred by some 'prog rock' albums on this list, so I started listening with my finger poised over the 'close window' button. However, the first track was good, very good in fact. The whole album was a lot better than I was expecting. I would happily listen to it again.

Sounds like a boring jam session for the most part

appreciate it more than i like it

I am not and have never been a fan of prog. I just don’t get it, it doesn’t just bore me, it makes me feel ill, I do get why it led to punk - if I had been around when this was the thing, 10 minutes of going nowhere, why can’t they be concise just once. Then I would have wanted to smash the system too. Someone else uses the term noodling and I can’t better that, they do just noodle for many minutes on end and never get anywhere. Noodle noodle noodle. They aren’t shit at what they do but I hate listening to it. If you listen to what people refer to as classical music , its just not dynamic in any form, this goes nowhere slowly, yes they just noodle. It’s like reading a 400 page book to find nothing actually happens, we just have little trips down cul-de-sac’s, an acoustic guitar cul-de-sac here, a keyboard 1 here. I’m going on because I need to do something while listening, the multi track vocals, like always arrr. Musically I should probably say 2 stars just for their actual ability, but my irrational dislike for this type of music and the reaction it actually causes me. 1 Star. Unfortunately I have the bad feeling there will be many more prog lows in this list for me. Again if it’s your thing fine.

I am constantly amazed by how many stunning albums came out in 69/70/71. Johnny Cash, Black Sabbath, Abbey Road, Led Zeppelin, Miles Davis, Layla, The Stones (if you think they're good), Tapestry, Imagine... Imagine having heard all of that on repeat for the last 3 years. Would you still think this album was good? Yes! I think you would. This is some pretty progressive stuff but still really firmly rooted in real instruments with sounds, and doesn't go too far in the "deliberately trying to be off-beat" direction. Some lovely arrangements and great songs.

While not their best album, it is hard to find many prog albums better than this. Starship Trooper leads the charge, however, every song on this album hits in different way.

Really liked this. I'm apparently a prog fan, who knew. 3.5

the no album by no

Less proggy than I was bracing myself for....2.5

It's got power, melody and great musicianship. I've always loved Jon Anderson as a vocalist. I think he's got this upbeat, positive, bright tone to his voice, and he can't belt out a tune as well. 'Clap' is a really nice little acoustic instrumental track. A great bit of guitar picking from Steve Howe. The other five tracks have moments of catchiness that you'll pick up on. This album is an ideal compromise. Just enough to please fans of rock music, but also not quite heavy enough that you could put it on in the office at work and no one would mind. I thought this was pretty decent. I'm sure there are better Yes albums and I'm definitely sure there are better prog rock albums (looking forward to finally getting some Rush and Pink Floyd).

It’s prog rock, lots of prog rock. This album is absolutely fine, it has no standout highs or standout lows but feels instead like a version of prog rock made to exist to avoid licensing anything recognisable from the era. Like dr topper over Dr Pepper.

🎸Beedly beedly beedly beedly beedly…sigh.

2.5 tbh

A typical 70s rock jam.

Very originally named. I'll forgive it though. So, what I'm figuring out is that I like progressive rock and so I'll always be a bit biased when it comes to a prog rock album. This album has a fluid, timeless sound that doesn't feel tied to any particular decade but also, sounds unequivocally 70's too, which definitely isn't a complaint. There's some really good guitar riffs and a good mixing of melodies with decent transitions, which is always a plus. Is it the best prog rock I've ever heard? No, not really. And at times it does drag but I never really felt that the album was too long. It would be a good eclectic pick for a record collection and if I seen it for a good price second hand one day, I might pick it up but it would never be my first choice say over a Pink Floyd record. Overall, I don't have much to say about it other than it was good but not particularly life changing.

Abwechslungsreich, fürs Nebenbeihören.

Just say YES to this album.

you don't get close to the edge without the Yes album. This was their first non cover oriented work and with a new guitar player. It's a work in progress and definitely lacks coherence at points but shows potential through I've seen all good people which ultimately culminates in close to the edge which is a fantastic freaking album.

I mean, I like some Yes. A couple tracks on this album really spin. Though it would piss off the true Yes-heads that I prefer the mid-80s output of 90125. It’s maybe not a good sign that I couldn’t tell when the album ended until I was three tracks deep into the next playlist. And Jon Anderson shout-sings and it gets on my nerves. So what I’m getting at is, I have to say no to Yes.

Very enjoyable. The guitar melodies are incredible good

07/02/25 The album wasn't great and I wouldn't listen again.

Obviously, we all know this is a classic album in prog rock history. When I first began my journey into prog rock, The Yes Album definitely stood out for me, especially in introducing me to the complexities and intricate arrangements that Yes and early prog rock are known for. On the flip side, this album is also easy to digest and makes sense of, which is why it’s a great starting point for any newcomer to the genre.

Arguably not as majestic or extraordinary as Fragile or Close To The Edge, but still a solid effort from one of the most divided-opinion bands of all time. I get it, they’re not for everyone. Very intricate and cerebral. But I love ‘em and have for a long time.

I've Seen All Good People is pretty fun. Otherwise, way too much jam band and guitar noodling for my taste.

Boring en samt ekkert hræðilegt

Böring böring.

An anti-war progressive masterpiece. Tracks: Yours Is No Disgrace (anti-war); Starship Trooper (peak early 70s - UFO, environmentalism, the song continually changes mood, tempo, rhythm and style), I've Seen All The Good People (two parts of the song: acapella in 3-part harmony, rock accompaniement -> grandiose church organ sound), Perpetual Change (Moon landing vs environmental problems on Earth). Favourites: Yours is No Disgrace, Perpetual Change.

Probably what sarcastic elbows said except squire and bruford are an amazing rhythm section. And the band does attempt melody as well as harmony and rhythm. That I don’t love it is probably more on me. I did like it more than I expected. But then Chris squire man. And bill bruford. In track four (all good children etc) are harmonies reminiscent of Crosby stills and Nash. Is this a good thing? It’s pleasant. You can’t deny that. PROG is something I should like, but don’t in general. There are notable and honorable exceptions of course - jethro tull. Early Queen. That part of bowies career. But the self indulgence wears me down with a lot of prog. This album is actually ok though. Fairly short and not too many vertical rectal disappearances. 3.5 rounded down because 4 is too high.

I am not a fan of prog, not a fan. But I did not hate this nearly as much as I expected. The B3 keyboard playing 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 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. What chance does a non-prog fan have? According to wikipedia, they were on the verge of being dropped by their label, but avoided this by manipulating the charts to goose the release until it got its own sales legs. Prog: it's the emperors new music.

🎧Yes went hard on I’ve Seen All Good People. This isn’t quite my kind of prog though, I like Fragile a lot more than this

The musicianship is second to none. Great to listen to. So, back when the art-rock form started really going- two camps were formed. Were you a "Yes" or were you Emerson, Lake and Palmer. False binary choice to be sure, but such were the burning questions one had to confront in my teen years.

I struggled with giving this a 3 or 4 stars. I went through twice and enjoyed Starship Trooper and I've Seen All Good People, but overall the album didn't really make me feel much - it could also just be they day I listened.

Prog rock isn’t for me

ugh, prog

15 years ago, this would have been my jam and would be an easy 4/5 assuming I had hopped on the Yes boat back then (as far as prog rock went, I was more into Pink Floyd/Coheed and Cambria, and then the metal stuff like Dream Theater and Opeth). Unfortunately since then, I discovered technical metal, post-rock and metal (similarly black metal) and punk music, which to me are kinda the opposite of prog. Especially punk, but technical metal accomplishes the virtuosity of prog without feeling noodly (assuming they're not sacrificing feeling/humanity/emotion for pure technicality). Post-rock and metal/black metal gets me the long run time that I do like, but allows me to just vibe to it which I can't do with prog. And punk music is self-explanatory, haha. So yeah, my tastes have basically changed to want music that is functionally not prog, lol. That said, still a solid album, the sounds on this thing are nostalgic to my childhood (parents big into classic rock), and the musicianship is great. I've Seen All Good People is a stone cold classic. Just, my tastes have changed, and I don't have a ton of patience anymore for prog rock noodling beyond what has been grandfathered onto my playlists.

I like the Starship Trooper composition. I imagine that bands like Porcupine Tree were inspired by this album.

Prog

Listened to this while playing Imperium: Legends. I won! I did not enjoy this as much as the other YES album I've listened to on this journey. There were definitely some enjoyable moments...and lots of musical wizardry. A very solid 3...almost 4.

Alright im getting back on the random album recs. This album is just really fun. Ive listened to Close to the Edge and id call that prog rock to its most extreme. The Yes Album has enough space to be digestible but still have a bunch of stuff to gorge on in terms of melodic and harmonic goodness.

Love I’ve seen all good people but album was before my time and no connection to it

Liked this more than I thought I might, but ultimately it was the bits that sounded like singles that I liked, which is not the spirit of prog.

No, not really.

Somewhat of a relief after a string of forgettable boogie rock. Avoids most of the worst trappings of prog, with interesting guitar work, some lovely melodies, and some real variety. The vocals are a little too Queen-esque to me - lots of layered harmonies and straight notes, not enough grit - and sometimes it drifts into pretension, but definitely worth a listen.

OVERALL: Very good for only 6 songs, although 41 minutes is a lot for 6 songs. There were some pretty good vocals throughout, and the production was really good most of the time. The back to back multi part songs were both really good, and the only part I didn't really like was Disillusion. Not counting Disillusion, The Clap is easily the worst song here, as it's maybe a little above average, and there are no lyrics or vocals to help it. With that being said, the album definitely gets really good after the first two songs. Certified bangers all the way through, and the outro track is really good. SONG AVG: 8.2/10 PERSONAL RATING 8.75/10 Yours Is No Disgrace: Great but long intro. I'm a massive fan of the production, but the song goes on for almost 10 minutes. Pretty good bassline. The vocals are okay, sometimes pretty good usually okay. Very good outro. I probably missed a lot of details since I'm pretty tired atm, but I thought it was pretty nice. It's just way too long. 8.25/10 The Clap: Basically no lyrics. It sounds fine, it works as a pretty above average guitar piece. The audience claps at the end are kinda weird but it isn't too bad. 6/10 Starship Trooper: This is a three part song, so I'll review each individually and the song as a whole. Life Seeker: Pretty good production and very good vocal performance. I don't really see anything I don't like about it. The vocals work with the production very well. 9/10 Disillusion: I don't like the production during the main verse, and the vocals during it could be better, but once it ends the production becomes very good. I don't think that was supposed to be part of Disillusion though, so it won't count towards the score as much. 6/10 Würm: Serves as a great instrumental and a fantastic outro for this song. Just overall really good, especially the guitar near the end. 7.75/10 Overall, a three part song with a strong first part, a comparatively weak second part, and a good outro. I like the chorus, and Life Seeker is really good. Würm is pretty nice, but Disillusion is not nearly as good as them. I would personally give this an 8.75/10, but the song average is around 7.6. Anyways, the parts will not count towards the song average. 8.75/10 I've Seen All Good People: This is a two part song, so I'll review each individually and the song as a whole. Your Move: Wow, another multi part song. Very good production and fantastic vocals throughout the song, however I find the diddits to be particularly annoying. 8/10 All Good People: Very good guitar solo in this one. I love how this sounds. The lyrics are just the same thing over and over again for the most part, but the vocals make it sound interesting enough to the point where it's not noticeable if you're playing it in the background. 8/10 Overall, very consistent in quality despite two parts that sound very different. Very good production and mostly great vocal performance in both parts. I would personally give this an 8 or maybe even an 8.25, but I'm leaning more towards the number that looks better. 8/10 A Venture: I like the intro, and I really like the production. The vocals are perfomed very well, especially the hide aways. I love piano. The lyrics do kinda suck, but I don't really care unless they are at a certain level of bad, and this song hasn't reached it. Overall, very good. Short and sweet. 9/10 Perpetual Change: Nice riffs in the intro. I love the chords in the production, and the buildup is incredible. Sounds very good during the chorus. The production can sometimes sound kinda weird, but it definitely redeems itself with how much detail and texture there is. Works as a great, grand outro. My biggest problem with it is the fade out outro. 9.25/10

1. NO. Longest song ever. 2. Eh. 3. …….it lost me. Prog rock is not my jam. I can’t exactly say it’s bad, but…it’s bad for ME.

Kinda Cheap Trick-y sounding but nothing particularly catchy. On the three side of a 2.5.

Incredible classic rock album, the grooves throughout this one are fantastic. Will definitely be listening to this again / exploring more of Yes. The bass and organ beats throughout are really fantastic. Overall a fantastic display of musicianship. Very close to a 5.

Vety decent music

Nicht so groovig, 0

it left no impression on me. apparently this band popularized prog rock. i thought i knew what prog rock is but i guess i don’t. i don’t hate it but i don’t like it either. just a big meh.

can't really get into the album, maybe i'm just not really a fan of prog rock

Nice ljudbild, går lite utanför boxen och flera låtar som var riktigt goa

Good album. They were just finding their sound. You could see them searching for inspiration from so many bands.

Love this album but it is somewhat of an acquired taste. Eclectic music at times and lyrics that sound good too it don’t actually say anything.

Yes this was an album

Maybe.

Absolutely fantastic!

Have listened to before. Is a good one

Just feels completely devoid of any personality to me. We get it, you're all talented at your instruments, but there wasn't a thing about the playing of any of them that hooked me at all. None of the ideas in these songs feel worthy enough to warrant a 9 minute runtime for half the tracks. The only song that was half redeemable in my opinion was A Venture. The rest I would be happy never hearing again. I can already barely remember what any of them sounded like and I haven't even finished listening to it. A big thank you to them for giving me my first 1 star. Wanky Nonsense. The album cover is shit as well.

P R O G R O C K Oftewel; Jazz voor (en vooral door) oude witte mannen! Ik vind progrock over het algemeen best wel prima, maar ik trek Yes nog niet zo goed merk ik. Dit voelt voor mij mee als "Te lange nummers want dat hoort bij Progrock" ipv "Te lange nummers want je wilt een soort verhaal vertellen en je hebt nooit geleerd wat een punt is dus verleng je de zin tot het oneindige" Nee, ik vind dit album vooral langdradig. De lange nummers houden eigenlijk niet echt mn aandacht vast, en voor progrock? Is dat best wel een groot issue. De nummers die wel mn aandacht vasthouden zijn wel prima hoor, maar gewoon niet wereldschokkend. Ik heb 2 favorieten, en die vind ik ook echt nice, maar ik betwijfel een beetje of ze er op andere albums ook uit waren gesprongen. FAVO: I've seen al good people, A venture

loved it

Typical 70’s rock n roll

Very 70’s

Prog rock that isn’t bloated or boring, instead it’s soulful and groovy.

Don’t like it two stars

I can hear the beginnings of what we now know as Prog Rock/Prog Metal in this album and it's super entertaining. I've never listened to Yes before and I'm now unsure why that is. It was too short, in my opinion, but solid from start to finish.

Fine. Middle of the road. Wouldn't turn it off, but might not seek it out.

loved this one!!! the lively instrumentals and unique (but not grating) vocals were a pleasant change from most of the british alt rock/punk bands I’d heard before (to me, unlistenable) yours is no disgrace REALLY hooked me, the clap was an awesome demonstration of free style guitar, and perpetual change put the album to sleep in a very satisfying way… (starship trooper and all good people were great too but took a bit of stamina lol). glad I was introduced to this band!

yes

It's decent. Occasionally spirals off into boring bits. Bit mostly pretty tight. Solid 3 stats.

Why does the book review randomly start with a mention of the Indo-Pakistan war? And then simply not mention it again. Anyway, to relevant points. So this is pre-Wakeman Yes. It's also the last Yes album on my journey and the first chronologically. I remain largely baffled by Yes even though I enjoy prog. My previous two Yes reviews both mentioned Flaming Lips but that is not apparent on this record. Did Rik Wakeman invent the Flaming Lips by mistake? First two tracks, so far so baffling. Starship Trooper though, a song in three parts and I've got to say this is easily the most I've ever enjoyed a Yes song. Like it sticks with a rhythm/melody for long enough for it to grow into you and get hooks in. You know, like music is supposed to, something they appeared to grow less concerned about as they progressed. Ah - I've Seen Good People, here are the Flaming Lips. And if I'm not mistaken, it's another really good song - am I going to enjoy a Yes Album? Well bloody hell. Perpetual Change rounds things off well, and the most woogly woo song I think it's fair to say. They've done it. They've earned a good rating, 3rd time of asking.

3.2 4x while working

Really enjoyed this album (listened to the Super Deluxe Edition with 4 discs). Appreciated that there were instrumental versions of the songs. Some of the different versions of the songs did just sound the same so wouldn't listen to the four discs all the way through again as that makes it a bit too repetitive. Probably will stick to Disc 1 and the instrumental versions. Did not know the band or any of these songs at all before this and will definitely return to these songs so it has been great to be introduced to new music I enjoy.

- An absolutely perfect album, arguably a masterpiece. -

Un álbum excelente, buenísima introducción al prog rock. Me ha encantado la fusión con gypsy jazz en algunos temas (sobre todo, en la instrumental "Clap"). Aunque lo dejo en 3.5 porque me da la impresión de que este tipo de álbumes de los 70 suenan todos igual. A la mitad del álbum ya estaba deseando que se acabara. Puede que, de nuevo, esto se deba a mi ridículo periodo de concentración o a que no es el mejor estilo para escuchar de fondo mientras intento concentrarme. En cualquier caso, me alegro de haberlo escuchado.

Easily my favourite Yes album. It rocks the hardest. Chris Squire's bass playing is a particular hilight, just listen to Starship Trooper to hear his virtuosity. But it's because the songs are good with actual hooks. These are songs, pop songs not just exercises in wankery. My favorite part is the last part of Starship Trooper - just a good melodic riff that always gets my head bobbing up and down. Just not sure the point of The Clap, 1/2 star penalty. 4 stars

Good stuff but it has a dad rock tinge

I was a big fan of Yes in the late 1980s, so getting on for two decades after this album dropped. I have to admit that this album didn't get a lot of play compared to some others. Starship Trooper, particularly the end section, is the highlight, but the rest of the album is great. The follow up album is better in almost every way, but this is still an easy 4 stars for me.

I didn't remember this album, these songs, til I started playing it - and they were suddenly so familiar that I realised I must have bought it. I know i had one Yes album back then. I’m sure I've Seen All Good People was a hit. Memories of listening to my transistor radio under the bedclothes late on a school night surface. I enjoyed this album for its nostalgia value, but god knows what anyone born after 1980 would make of it. I think their brains are hardwired differently now. A 4 for the memories. Won’t ever listen to it again, though.

First time listen. Only marginally familiar with Yes. Great vibes, episodic and journeyish, from some bluegrass-like guitar noodling to harder more psychedelicky sections. Put me in mind of Grateful Dead, The Who, Pink Floyd, The Doors, America. Favourite track was Your Move.

This is definitely not my kind of music, neither something I would put on to listen to actively, or to have in the background. But as a once off listen, I had no quibbles. It was an easy listen, and the intrumental breaks were pretty.

Et ok prog rock album, lidt lækker guitar indimellem

Schon nice

A very interesting album with big differences between songs. The experimental parts mostly work well. I liked the feel of the songs a lot. Its not a band or genre I have listened to a lot before but I think I will in the future.

I'm starting to get lost amongst all of the Brit-Rock I have been listening to through this process and this one has a couple of nice tracks, but nothing pulling me in either direction Best Song: I've Seen all Good People Rating: 6.5/10 3 Stars

Good Prog album.

Lots of organ on these tracks, not too shabs

Fun, good vibes, would say it's time we'll used to give it another go.

Not as unpleasant as I was initially anticipating - I even like the song "I've Seen All Good People" and I think the bass playing is pretty fun. The rest of it is pretty standard prog rock wankery that I find pretty distasteful, but that is not new news to me.

I can't help but look back fondly at an era of pulp culture despite living in the downstream consequences of it. No other band has two Bubblegum Crisis: Tokyo 2040 episode name tributes, but there's a reason why this is not one of them.

I looked and saw 6 tracks and was like “wow, this one is going to be easy” and then I remembered that it’s prog rock. Coming in, I was only familiar with “I’ve Seen All Good People” which is like on of the quintessential radio prog bops of all time. I did not know what to expect beyond that track. Overall, it’s the keyboard playing that stands out above anything else on this record. I think there were a few times where songs dragged on too long and some of the playing got repetitive even if it was outstanding instrumentation (i.e. Starship Trooper). For me, it’s definitely got a lot of things that are well done musically, but not something I would feel like I need to come back to ever again. I’m good with just hearing “I’ve Seen All Good People” pop up on the radio while on long drives. Probably a prime candidate for 2.5 stars if that were possible.

Yes is a band I haven’t spent a whole lot of time with but as I’ve kicked around the edges of prog now and then (and recognized their hits) I’ve felt like they’re a band I would enjoy. And here is a delightful example of that. Yes, this is all very noodly and goofy and no I wouldn’t think everyone loves it. But the sound, the directions they’re pushing, the mix of folk, organ, rock, shuffle, metal - it’s a heavy dose, and it’s really, really solid. One of those few albums where you go “oh no dig deeper dudes, there’s a lot more to get to.” “Yours is No Disgrace” has this funky country twang and picking under a truly fuzzed blown out bass, clean licks and a truly punchy organ. There’s a lot going on, but in a good way. “Clap” is more folksy and a bit of an outlier. It’s pretty but it’s not doing a whole lot here. “Starship Trooper” fucking rules, especially the last third. When the organ comes in at the end with a roar to back the riff, we’re deeply into prog metal and it’s absolutely perfect. Seminal tune. “I’ve Seen All People” is the one song I definitely knew from this album. The first movement is honestly the better half, as the chorus, church organ and band builds behind the refrain and pulls together. The rest of the song runs more as an extended jam riff, but it’s not as powerful as the first half. “A Venture” is a jazzy little number that’s got a lot of fun twists and turns, even if it feels a bit like carnival music sometimes. BTW, among all of this, the lyrics are SOLID. There’s real poetry here among the prog, not just weird fantasy images that some attribute to the genre. These are real brainy tunes, but not in a way that’s over the top. “Perpetual Change” is a little more ponderous and wandering than the earlier tracks. And then THAT part happens where the polyrhythmic split happens and…ok well now we’re into the full limits. This band knows how to BUILD. Really cool album. Love digging deeper on these dudes, can’t wait for more.

the first album in their true form, showing some hints of the longform EPIC songwriting that would fully come to fruition on future albums. never found myself attached to this one outside of a couple moments, namely the main riff of Starship Trooper & the very end of Perpetual Change. several of the tracks are unnecessarily long & not in a noodly prog way; it feels like something is established & then stretched really thin when it could have been 3+ minutes shorter. The Clap is kinda cool & you go "wow that was a neat change of pace glad it didn't overstay its welcome!" and then the next track has another section just like it. best parts of this for me are easily Chris Squire's unmistakable bass tone that always stands out in the mix, & Bill Bruford doing some wacky broken figures in his grooves that open up the kit in a really cool way. i'm a little tough on this album for only containing fragments of what make the next few of their records so good, better things to come!!!

suprisingly goofy, boppy, and enjoyable. Would return to

This came out in March of my sophomore year of high school. I’m not sure how it came to be such a big album for my peer group, since Yes’ first two albums were very different and not on our radar at all, more pop/Top 40, with covers of lesser known songs by The Beatles (Every Little Thing) and Buffalo Springfield (Everydays). We went back and discovered them after knowing/loving this album. This one was a huge favorite. Admittedly pretentious lyrics, but top notch songs, musicianship and vocals, fun to sing along with. Played a ton on 8 tracks in our cars, and on vinyl while we played cards. A solid 5, made my honorable mention list for my Top 10 Albums of All Time.

This was fine. “I’ve seen all good people” is great.

Enjoyed

um

The reason punk exists

In Ordnung, hat mich aber nicht gepackt.

Correct me if I’m wrong, but I think The Yes Album is the first Prog Rock album that actually sounded fun, rather than like some jazzy byproduct created by dudes who like to smell their own farts. No doubt about it, Yes would end up in their own flatulence huffing phase a few years down the road from this, but they at least managed to crank out a few genuinely exciting and fun records before they crawled so far up their own ass that Rick Wakeman took to having Chinese food delivered to him in the middle of their sets on the Tales of Topographic Oceans tour.

green colour is cool

Oh my gosh, I haven't listened to this album in ages. I used to listen to a lot of Yes when I was in high school and those early 70's albums are masterpieces of progressive rock. It was really cool to reminisce about iconic songs like Yours Is No Disgrace and I've seen all good people. 5 stars of course!

Started out not great for me, despite having an appreciation for Progressive Rock. However, Starship Troopers was a surprisingly great song, and Good People is an obvious single. Not my favorite album, but some gems for me. Rating is subject to change in future.

high two, low three. this album just didn't do much for me.

Wow, this album is really enjoyable. I really liked all of the long songs because they went through different phases but were still very clearly a single unit, and also weren’t so long that they were overwhelming. I can feel a lot of musical creativity in the songwriting.

I always love an album that starts off with an instrumental jam. That first minute and a half of yours is no disgrace was an excellent start and then it was a little all over from the place from there. I don’t really like it when bands just combine two or three completely separate sounding songs and then just combine them into one whole song. It’s hard to follow along and I really don’t see the point. I really like some of their sounds but the whole album was just a bit too muddled. Can’t give it higher than a three.

I really liked this actually. The singing kinda reminded me of Chicago maybe? The way they harmonize the vocals while they’re belting them. Either way, I really enjoyed it. Thematically consistent and succinct. Without ever having heard it before I enjoyed it. 4.

I wonder how many reviews for this album are just ‘Yes.’ and nothing else? A really good album that I wasn’t expected after our earlier Yes experience. Will definitely return to this one again, especially a couple of the songs like I’ve Seen All Good People.

Remember that sweet review about my father-in-law and the Billy Joel album he gave me? Well he also gave me a bunch of Yes albums... I don't like Yes, and I have no sentimental memories that revolve around any of their albums.

Killer harmonies. Incredible instrumentation. Just not my vibe

Best track- Starship Trooper Worst track- A Venture ⭐️Rating- 8.4/10

Oehhh I really liked this

In Dave Weigel’s book, one of the band says the association of “Yours Is No Disgrace” with the Vietnam War only came later -- um, is that how songwriting works? Or is this an example of deconstruction and the death of the author? Or an application of Greil Marcus' theories about music's time-bending properties? Prog rock’s intersection with literary theory is perhaps yet to be fully explored. One thinks it’s safe to say that Yes is the prog rock band that had the best hooks (see “Yours Is No Disgrace” and “Starship Trooper” and “Seen All Good People” are all excellent – and still sound good); so they would have been best positioned to succeed in the non-prog-rock era (e.g., when three-minute songs were the rule, but also in the jam band era), and their success as prog rockers also suggested that hooks still mattered, even in that aesthetically elevated genre. So the question to ask is would the songs have been better served as simpler, three-minute pop songs, honoring the individual hooks, over the many digressions (which can feel pointless in the short-attention-span era, but some of which are quite solacing and vaguely pastoral). Paradoxically, "A Venture" might have done with more jam bandy/jazz improvisations/explorations. "Perpetual Change" is good, too and "A Clap" the only real sub-par cut. The net-effect here is that this probably hit the accessibility/quality balance better than any other prog record. Holds up better too, than many of its proggy brethren.

Yes, it's an album

Not a bad listen. Sort of a more-folky ELO in my opinion.

Some of the best music from that time period. Yes and Emerson Lake and Palmer!

Bouncy, lots of notes. Then dreamy and kind of thin.

Pleasant sounding, not particularly bombastic. I liked it but don’t know how often I’d return.

I was surprised by how much I liked this! I usually zone out during prog rock, but this album demanded more attention from me, in a good way. Each song was creative and distinctive, while still being catchy. I could see myself really sinking into this on repeat listens. I think my creative writing teacher in high school (who I adored) really liked Yes. I have a vague memory of him playing a song for us in class once. Maybe it was one of these? I'll choose to believe it was, and that this is a neat little full-circle moment. 4 stars.

Wow, these blokes were ahead of their time. Really great music. Start to finish, I can't pick a favorite. 5 on the music, 4 on vocals, brings it to a 4.5 rounded down to a 4.

Sprawling prog. Virtuosic musicianship. This is music that really needs to be listened to on a good system with full attention to fully appreciate. It feels cerebral. It was a little hard to connect to on a core level for me. There's no booty.

I was so glad to see Yes on this list. Yes are truly a musician's band. One of those bands that I really liked upon first hearing them. So much of what they do is so creative and well thought out. I always listen out for what Chris Squire is doing on bass and of course Bill Bruford is a beast. Jon Anderson's voice sounds great. These guys always keep it interesting.

No. Seriously though, I can hear YES here, but it says no to me.

Kannte ich vorher nicht Bissl wie Beatles aber viel psychedelischere Nummern, will ich mir nochmals anhören

If you can handle long songs, which this day in age is not a given, this is some really incredible stuff. Lots of musical development and some incredible vocals. I saw another review call this Rush but worse, and I agree. They meant it in a negative way, but I mean it in a positive way. Rush, imo, is one of the greatest ever, and this holds up to them. This is pretty much everything that I love in an album. It's got great instrumentals, the vocals are locked in with each other, musical development within songs, and thematic ties throughout the album. It's getting saved for a re-listen later (probably getting added to the lawn mowing rotation). Favorite Song(s): Starship Troopers, I've Seen All Good People

It was different. I enjoyed it 1001 album worthy: Yes -23/40

I actually listened to this a few times because I can't decide on it. I enjoyed it but nothing really stands out. It is a hesitant 4/5.

Yours Is No Disgrace 3.4 Clap (instrumental) 3.2 Starship Trooper a. Life Seeker b. Disillusion c. Wurm 3.3 I've Seen All Good People a. Your Move b. All Good People 3.4 A Venture 3.2 Perpetual Change 3.3 Score: 3.3

3.5 stars. Need to relisten, though.

Pleasant music

The guitar puts you in a spell, however the last leg of the album is a bit on the weaker side

Love me some rocky, bipolar, prog rock. Sounds like a combination between Queen and King Crimson. Fav Songs: I've Seen All Good People, Starship Trooper

Very experimental. Very long songs, which isn't necesarrily a good thing.

Cool to hear some Yes. I love a couple of their songs, so it was nice to hear more. Distinct sound. Standouts: Yours Is No Disgrace, I’ve Seen All Good People…, A Venture, and Perpetual Change.

Really enjoyed this album. Killer harmonies and fantastic instrumentals. 4/5

70/100. A good, decent rock album. It has some nice riffs, but nothing particularly extraordinary.

no 2/5

clocking in a six tracks and forty some minutes, this was a nice little listen. Even though some of them run pretty long, I was never bored of anything I was listening to. I'm not much a prog rock guy but man this had some really good breakdowns and tone changes that keep everything interesting. Great entry, full stop.

I think I dig this progressive rock. Plus “I’ve Seen All Good People” is an all time classic

The Yes Album is a progressive rock classic, but let’s be honest, once you’ve heard “I’ve Seen All Good People,” you’ve heard all you really need. That track is the perfect blend of melody, harmony, and thoughtful composition, standing far above the rest of the album. The other songs? Sure, they’re fine if you’re into sprawling prog epics, but none come close to the magic of “I’ve Seen All Good People.” It’s the kind of song that makes the album worth a spin, but after that, you might find yourself hitting repeat on the one track that truly matters.

So, I really liked the previous album I had by Yes. I thought it was creative and fun and original and carried a really unique sound. But, after hearing this, I'm convinced that Yes is a bit of a one-trick pony. And I hate that that's how I feel. The sense I get from this album is that it was a warmup for their follow up, "Fragile." They perfected the long song formula on that album, and it all hits much better there than it does here. Also, that album isn't filled with 6 minute songs (or longer). This album is, and it feels like a marathon 42 minutes because of that. To add to that, the longer songs themselves don't really feel as well flushed out as they would on Fragile. Here, they feel more like a collection of ideas that they didn't know how to extend into full songs, and so instead threw them together as one long track. Sometimes those ideas feel connected, sometimes they don't. And that unpredictability, at least to me, made this feel like a much longer album than it actually is. I wanted to love this, but I just couldn't get there. Two stars. Standout Tracks: The Clap, A Venture, Starship Trooper

Didn't know them before. Not my favorite but if somebody likes them, it wouldn't be a breakup reason.

Osaisinpa innostua progetiluttelusta.

Oops—thought Yes was new to me until my mother asked if Roundabout was their song. It took me three tries to listen to Fragile all the way, kept going straight through me. This went better! These guys remind me alternately of Queen and Chicago, but I preferred their folksier stuff here. I've heard Your Move before (and twice on this album, for some reason #pinkfloyd) and it's wonderful, with some Cat Stevens shimmery appeal. The Clap was nice, too, and the guitar riff on the back half of Starship Trooper. Fear not the instrumentals!

As a prof-rock youth I grew up on this album. It doesn’t get much better. The Steven Wilson remixes are worth a checkout also for sure.

Nice

Have this album and like it (4)

I enjoyed this more than the average prog rock album. As with most albums in the genre there were parts of songs I would like in smaller radio edits, but were too long. Favorite song was Clap. 6/10

This is somewhere between a 3 and a 4. I like how earnestly nerdy it is, and there are many moments I was vibing with. On the whole I don't think I'd revisit this though. Album cover: (C-) Come on lads. I know you've got better in you.

This sounded insanely similar to another band, I can't place exactly who. Anyway, pretty enjoyable, 3.5

I don't know why progressive rock feels so associated with fantasy, but it totally does. "The Clap" was super sick. I liked all the songs. I didn't know this about myself a year ago, but I just like prog rock. I like hearing twenty different instruments and lyrics about wizards. 8/10

I’m a pretty big consumer of classic rock. I’m a millennial and love the music of my generation (and today’s new music), but I’ve always been fascinated with music from the 60’s, 70’s, and 80’s, especially rock music. I also love prog rock, especially Pink Floyd (if they count) and some newer bands. So with that context, it’s surprising that this is the first time I’ve listened to a Yes album. I’m not sure why I’ve avoided them, it wasn’t intentional. I’ve had in mind to do a deep dive into Yes because they’re probably one of the best known bands whose catalog I haven’t explored. I’m glad they’ve shown up here. The Yes Album is fantastic and a great introduction to the band for me. Yours Is No Disgrace is a great opener, and a great introduction to the sound of the album. Starship Troopers is a banger. I’ve Seen All Good People is a song I’ve heard many times and had no idea it was by Yes. The only blemish to me is The Clap, which isn’t a bad song by any means, but the live track is a weird and jarring inclusion for the flow of the album for me. I look forward to exploring more from the band.

I went into this expecting to like it more, and even with repeated listens it's just not clicking. It sounds good and has some moments, but ultimately comes across as soulless. I assume there'll be more Yes on this list so interested to try something else of theirs, but for now can't go higher than ***

actually quite nice on a relisten

If you want some prog rock, this album is for you. A fun vibe, but I would need to be in the right kind of mood for it

not really my thing

Meh

meh. Some songs were kind of interesting, some were tedious. There wasn't enough new here to make me want to listen to more.

It’s fine, but I’m not a huge fan. Skilled musicians, playing poppy 70s rock, but it doesn’t do much to excite me.

More Prog rock. Yup, it's long songs, some of which don't really go anywhere. This is better than Genesis, so that's something to be excited about. I cannot begin to explain how much I even loathe hearing someone my age ramble on about f'n Genesis. So I'd say Yes should be right up my alley and yet, I can't really warm up to it. There's a fair amount of music that's pretty good, but it doesn't blow me away. I will say that hearing "Yours is No Disgrace" made me realize just how much Geddy Lee was indebted to Chris Squire for his bass tone on those early Rush albums. So it's fine - I'd go 2.5 rather than 3 but I'm pretty sure the rest of my crew will give it less favorable ratings.

You know what, not sure I know much of anything about Yes -- maybe a little proggy? Let's see..... 1st song --- um are we sure this isn't Mannheim Steam roller, oh no can't be there are lyrics.... No thanks. 2nd: Oh, this is different and pretty ok. 3- through the end.......No thanks.

I've listened 3 times but have been a bit distracted so but can barely remember anything about it. Nothing offensive but nothing that grabbed me. Some nice moments - did not feel too proggy but overall lacking oomph.

Yes

Do I love this album? Yes. Am I biased towards anything that's considered progressive rock? Yes. What's the name of this band? Yes. Here we have my second Yes album, fittingly called The Yes Album. I loved Fragile, and I also really loved this album too! The style is basically the same across both albums which makes sense when you realize they both came out in the same year. The Yes Album only has 6 songs, but as is to be expected with prog rock, they're quite a bit longer. They're not too long though. The longest song here is the album's opener, "Yours is No Disgrace," clocking in at just under 10 minutes. I really like all of these songs. I especially like the back-to-back "Starship Trooper" and "I've Seen All Good People." Jon Anderson's vocals are fun and engaging. The instrumental work is excellent all throughout. Bass, guitars, keyboards, drums, you name it. It's all great. Overall, this is an outstanding album. I'm not entirely comfortable calling it better than Fragile, but I'm definitely thinking it. And I haven't even gotten their most acclaimed album yet with Close to the Edge! The moral of the story is that I really like Yes. High 4/5.

This was not for me. I can appreciate that it probably holds a special place in rock music history. But it just wasn’t for me.

Esto es el equivalente de los 70 al aburrimiento que me provocan cosas más recientes como The Dirty Projectors o uno de esos grupos con nombre de Panda.

Amazing!

Not for me. I'm sure this is a fine example of prog rock, but I just find it intensely boring, and I hate the vocals.

Great beat on Lonely Heart. A banger. 4/5. Good voices. Nicely balanced instrumentation vs voices. It Can Happen is nicely singable. Album 3.5/5

Day 75 - Dec 8th, 2024 The no album. 2/5

# 380 : I don't love it, I don't hate it. A couple of things stood out but I thought it was very ordinary. Quiet forgettable and I doubt I'll ever go back to this. It started off alright, but the music is benign, and the vocals are easily ignored with some of the songs just going on too long.

Do you like rock music? If you do then this album is for you. I don't like this album. The beats are decent. I don't like that they sing together. The other songs are decent I guess I woulnt recommend this album.

A ok album. Its lyrics were alright, but didnt exactly stand out. The music was alright, but also didnt really stand out. its about the most average album in my opinion.

Its okay not bad give it 2 out 5. The beat is mid i dont like the covert art looks weird. And also i dont like the album name like they really couldnt think of anything else. Also feel like its a rock song and i dont like rock songs. i do like the guitar the drums.

Do you like bands that make half of their songs instrumental before getting into lyrics? The yes album by Yes is the album I would recommend to you. Each song they make has a different vibe from the rest, one can be calm while another one can give you country vibes. They do take advantage of the bass and have parts in which you could only hear it. It's great I love it. There can be song which don't even have lyrics yet you could still jam to it, such as "the clap". Overall good album, I do recommend.

have you ever listened to an album and thought their would be singing and lyrics thats what I thought for the album clap I think that it was bad because their was no lyrics at all in the album although I know their are songs that have done good without the lyrics and singing I think that this is just bad I really don't like anything that is being played in the album I think clap is a bad album and don't recommend listening to it

Do you like catchy music? If so, then this is the album for you. The song The Clap is only instrumental, but in the song A venture has some lyrics, and their voices are pretty good. In my opinion, the instraments are way better then the lyrics. So, in my opinion you should not listen to this album.

I don't really like it so much because they take so long to singer and 2nd sog the same thing as number one.

the instrumentals are funky but also good. the lyrics are ok. most songs seem the same to me. i would recommend to some people. 5/10

The angle of the dangle is adversely proportionate to the heat of the beat. Classic prog. 5

Yyyeeeesssss!!!

- Hätte eigentlich damit gerechnet, dass noch "Fragile" und "90125" hier in den 1001 vertreten sind. Jetzt bin ich aber unsicher, ob die hier vier YES-Alben bringen - wobei es mich stark wundern würde, wenn die hier nicht kämen... - Ich finde Yes einfach richtig toll und höre die auch immer wieder, habe in das Album aber noch nie reingehört, obwohl ich das Cover schon hunderte Male gesehen habe. - Ist scheinbar deren erstes Progressive Album gewesen. - Ich finde, dass man auf jeden Fall hört, dass sie hier ihren Sound schon ziemlich gefunden hatten. Es klingt immer noch ein bisschen bluesrockiger, als die Sachen danach, aber die Yes Essentials sind fast alle da: Jon Andersons helle Stimme, der knarzdende Chris Squire Bass der dir ins Gesicht springt, das virtuose Spiel von Steve Howe an der Gitarre. Nur die Rick Wakeman Keys fehlen. Die Orgel gespielt von Tony Kaye ist zwar präsent - aber Wakeman hat das in den kommenden Jahren dann doch einfach auf ein anderes unvergleichliches Level geholt. - Insgesamt gefällt mir das Album recht gut. Es ist progressiv, abwechslungsreich, groovy und macht Spaß. - Dennoch fehlt mir ein bisschen was, was hängen bleibt. Das war bei "Close To The Edge" einfach anders, das hat mich komplett weggeblasen und ist auch im Kopf geblieben. Rating: 3,5/5

-nicht wirklich etwas hängen geblieben

they’re all rly talented musicians, the length of the songs and how varied they are may not be to everyone’s taste but i looove the bass tone. i also like the use of varying which parts play out of each speaker and the vocal harmonies are good but not rly to my liking. can’t argue that they’re not talented tho, it’s just the songs are slow paced

Καποιες πολυ καλες στιγμες εδω και εκει καποια ωραια instrumental ή solo. Ενδιαφερον αλμπουμ που δεν σε αφηνει να βαρεθεις. Βεβαια πολλα μερη των κομματιων τα νιωθω "αδεια". Σε γενικες γραμμες δεν καταλαβαινω γιατι 6 μεγαλα κομματια αντι για 10 11 ωστε κατα τη διαρκεια του αλμπουμ να υπαρχει μονο "δραση". Rating: B+

Really enjoyed this album, a sort of folk/rock sound that is reminiscent of my mums favourite Paul Simon. Enjoyed the longer songs, I’ve seen all good people was a favourite.

Grew up on my dad's collection of Yes albums. I have heard enough

Zoning out haha, do I remember the album? There were some catchy bits but it wouldn't stand out for good or bad from that era, that genre.

Too noodly for my liking, but I liked the last couple songs.

Genuinely really enjoyed it - not usually a big prog guy but the vibe here was great. Nice variation and interesting to listen to. Would listen to more.

I liked almost every song besides the most popular one but altogether its just not my thingg

more like a 2.5. not bad. there’s some good moments but it’s not an album i’d come back to probably

Neat

12/2/24. Loved this! First time experiencing Yes, amazing instrumentation and guitar work. Will be revisiting this one again and again.

Only artist where I’ve ever walked out of a gig. Self indulgent crap

Plus one star because I’m sure Eloïse will hate it.

I love Yes for some reason. Maybe Roundabout and Jojo made me love them, but I dunno they're great for classic rock. No bad songs yet

Wicked prog rock album. Great listen experience with some solid performances from the bad. I can see why the anniversary album as so long haha.

mid

I thought I would absolutely hate this but it's actually alright. This is kind of like The Who if The Who were less annoying. Or Rush if they weren't literally the worst band of all time. It's still unrelentingly dorky because it's prog rock but it has its moments honestly, I'm genuinely surprised. 2/5 because, well, I still had to listen to Yes for 45 minutes. EDIT: I spoke too soon. This should be a 3/5. 'A Venture' is so jazzy and also beautiful in a very Scott Walker way, another artist I found and grew to love through this 1001 album thing.