Reviews (page 7 of 8)
No.
Opening track very ‘Phantom of the Opera-y’ but got better. Wouldn’t say it’s the best Yes album; meh. 2.5 rating.
Was like Pink Floyd but longer songs and not as melancholy.
Couldn’t finish it but would again listen to it in the bg
Jon Anderson's voice has always grated on me. I think given the instrumental talent this band had, they could have been much bigger with a better lead. That said, this album just strikes me as mostly experimental noodling and the brain child of someone way too high his own supply and overly impressed with their musical and compositional abilities.
Mostly didn't like, but there were a few little sections I liked. Prog rock is not for me.
weird in a bad way.
Not my kind of music again, it's probably in the hippy category for me.
Meh. Prog nonsense. Track 2 was OK, though.
looooong
I'm not a prog rock girly. I tried so hard. Didn't hate the cover of S&G's America but the rest was a bit of a struggle. In the end, I fall much more on the Punk Rock side of the late 70s musical divide, and I'm okay with that.
Siberian Khatru is a bop. The other two songs (yes, an album of 3 songs somehow made this list) are just... meh. It's an album that takes itself far too seriously for the first 2 tracks. If this album had just been Siberian Khatru, it's probably a 4 or 5 star affair. The first two tracks hurt it for me.
The songs were not good and it sounds like all the band members recorded their parts separately and then mailed them to the producer to stitch everything together, doesn't feel organic at all.
It's tough.
ugh. Prog. Why do lists like this rate prog so highly? It's because these lists are written by pretentious white-boy, pseudo-intellectual rock snobs who have blighted the pages of rock magazine and bookshelves with their critical musings on rock music for decades now. They love this kind of shit because it is sooooo clever and they are soooooo clever and if you don't appreciate prog then that's because you aren't clever enough to get it. This 1001 list, with its focus on 'albums' -- the preferred format of "we don't even do singles" pretension-- is inherently biased towards pompous white male and their musical wankery. Prog often forgets to just rock, you know? Too much talk, not enough trousers. Some good moments, but just too clever clogs for me. This album is the epitome of a too-clever-for-their-own-good band disappearing up their own orifice of self-indulgence. As the initial NME review said, this album is "an attempt to overwhelm us which resulted in only unmemorable meaninglessness". I would rather open a vein than suffer through the title track again. That is 19 minutes of my life I will never get back, even if it felt like hours. (Checks notes) I seem to own a copy of this record. I better give it to my son, Hal, who likes prog more than I do. (Interestingly, the deluxe version I listened to tacked on the studio run-through guide track for Siberian at the end. I MUCH preferred the more straightforward playing approach)
No
I'm not sure Yes is for me. There were bits that I appreciated. It's not a No, but a Maybe? 2.5 rounded down to 2 because it felt a bit longer than it was.
Litt for lange sanger for meg, de er flinke osv, men det passet meg ikke særlig. Var greit å høre på da imens jeg studerte
Bit odd
There cant be more than one Yes album on this list, can there? Surely nobody would put multiple albums by Yes on this list of important releases. That would have to mean that more deserving albums wouldn’t make the list so that multiple albums by Yes could be on it. And that wouldn’t make any sense at all.
Prog rock gives me a headache.
It's Yes. It's prog rock. If you like prog rock, you'll like this, and if you don't you won't. In all seriousness, I think I liked side 2's "And You and I" more than side 1's "Close to the Edge." But prog rock is really hit-and-miss for me.
Maybe I was just having a bad day when I listened to this but I found it less than what I expected, and a bit of a drag to boot.
Ohhh look and me and my fancy prog rock. We get it dude. Some parts I like but the problem is it's on 12 minute songs with parts I really don't. Damn. 4/10
Wasn't looking forward to this, but when it started off a bit like Trout Mask, I thought "hello, have I misjudged it?" But then it went to the endless twiddly nonsense shit I was expecting. And then a church organ came along. I like Rick Wakeman because he knows how preposterous this stuff was, but that doesn't make it a pleasure to listen to. Overblown nonsense can be good when done with humour, this ain't doing it for me.
Nope. I just can't get into this type of prog.
Of the last seven albums generated, six have been from the seventies. So the last thing I wanted was to get some prog, and it didn't start well. I quite liked the different passages of the second piece though.
I'll never be entirely confident that prog rock wasn't an elaborate and long-running practical joke. Second star because some of this is so absurdly noodly that I chuckled.
I love DMB. I like Phish. I hear the obvious influences here. But I didn’t enjoy it.
Not my cup of tea, but the cover of 'America' was fun
A lot of slow and almost instrumental songs from a band I had only heard one song from before. Not at all what I expected. Its good old-school rock with a lot of experimental parts. Not something I would listen to every day but not inherently bad music that I would turn off either.
Some songs were ok but they lost me 9 minutes into the first 18 minutes song...
Non-stop wankery.
I genuinely didn’t dislike this anywhere near as much as I thought I would. A three-track album lasting almost forty minutes is never a good omen and the opening passage of noodling did nothing to dispel my feelings of dread. There were some listenable moments, although these sounded very much of their time and were too few and far between.
Having a collection of proficient musicians and some grand ideas of what music should be does not necessarily a good album make. This has probably been a significant influence of the prog rock that followed but it was long, meandering, and I felt little emotional connection after listening to it. It probably benefits from repeated listens but I’m not sure when I would otherwise decide, “right, today I fancy listening to a bit of ‘yes’”.
Long tracks were interesting but the album didn't interest me.
Nope.
Worse than I remember, and I didn't like it then. By turns dull and exhausting.
I saw the 18 minute song and rolled my eyes. Then I listened to it and rolled my eyes harder. No thanks.
The kind of music that makes me appreciate silence. No.
2.5
Track 1 is awful. 18 minutes is a very long time to listen to something you can't stand. Track 2, I liked. To my complete surprise! Will listen to all 10 minutes again some time. Track 3 and I'm struggling. The formula of starting busy with quite groovy guitars, then slowing with keyboards, then back up with guitars is becoming clear. Track 4 and a surprise cover version! They murder a great song though. Both stars are for track 2. 'And You and I' which I'm listening to for a second time already!
Trying to do too much, to the extent that this is mostly nonsense. Just because you can, doesn’t mean you should. Superfluous.
I put this on but didn't really listen to it. I just couldn't get into the jam band feel.
Wanky long songs but they weren't terrible.
Pretentious and long winded and uniquely YES. Piercing and complicated and occasionally engaging.
Knew there'd be more Yes. Grow up. I think this is the good one though
Undrade just när vi skulle behöva utsättas för symfonirock. Det positiva är att originalvinylen enbart består av 2 spår, tyvärr innebär det ändå 37 minuters musik. ...och nej jag tänker inte helt plötsligt recensera en deluxe utgåva bara för att det är den på bilden, det är originalalbumet som gäller. Detta är oerhört schizofrent och visst det ligger i genrens dna men min huvudvärk är densamma för det. 17 taktbyten på 45 sekunder, ena stunden låter det som en funkrocklåt och i nästa som Bo Hansson på MDMA, hur recenserar man det? Det finns ingen rim och reson nånstans. Men jag tänker inte slentrianmässigt avfärda det här. Det finns också korta partier som jag är musikaliskt tilltalande, helt okej eller rentav bra, som t.ex. när en vilsam orgel bara får ligga å puttra en liten liten stund i något som nästan blir ambient och innerligt, Det finns också nåt där när det i partier musiken liksom bara tar ny ansats mellan solon och taktbyten och bara blir ren kraft. Dessa partier är korta men också återkommande. Jag har hört värre saker, men jag har också hört betydligt bättre symfonirock. Med näbbar och klor håller det här sig över godkäntstrecket men det är verkligen en hårsmån. Lyssna hellre på Bo Hansson - Mellanväsen, Genesis - Selling England by the pound
Önskar att mer hade låtit som avslutningsspåret. Även om den Beach boyska mittenfasen i öppningsspåret och avslutningsstycket i andra spåret också har en poäng. Vacklar mellan tvåa och trea, men magkänslan säger till slut två.
Bara en av tre spår är över 15 minuter. Hade de andra också varit det plus om bandet varit finskt eller italienskt (gammal kvalitetsmärkning vid backarna hos vinylpågarna) hade det blivit en 5:a. Nu är det inte så. (Emellertid inte heller värdelöst hela tiden).
Enligt skrönan kommer ett gäng apor med skrivmaskiner och oändligt tid till slut att skriva ned Shakespeares samlade verk. YES jobbar enligt samma princip. Om bara låtarna är tillräckligt långa så kommer till slut någon ton som går att lyssna på att fastna på band. Det finns element här och där som har potential till att bli något. Men överlag går de vilse i sin iver att vara progressiva. Sången är ingen höjdare. Efter tre låtar på 18, 10 och 8 minuter så slänger de in en meningslös cover på Simon & Garfunkels America.
I understand that this is a very good prog rock album. But it’s just so not my thing, that I couldn’t get into it. Might be one I need to come back to again.
A few fun moments, but way too much jam band for me. The third track is the strongest.
If I was in the mood for it I would probably listen more thoroughly, but all the "widdly widdly" keyboards put me off
Yes has always been a No for me, and this album just solidified it. I’ll give them credit for keeping it a tight 37 minutes instead of some double-LP endurance test, but that’s about as generous as I can be.
No.
Parts of this album were okay, and parts were downright insufferable. Upon reading some reviews for this album, it seems others find it quite polarizing as well. This ultimately falls into the "that's a no for me, dawg" category. My tolerance for prog rock is just sooo low. Yes has some material that I enjoy, but this definitely isn't it. This album brought me one step closer to the edge, and I'm about to break.
Rating: 1.7 Boring old boomer rock, but not a cool boomer like one that drinks beer and Monster who you’d catch out on the riding lawnmower. More like a creepy boomer who has 3 pet parrots and wears a bathrobe with no underwear all day.
As mentioned in my first Yes album review, it’s hard to imagine the band said ‘no’ to any idea for a song, not just for their namesake, but because they seem to follow any musical whim that came to mind. But here we are, with an album of some ideas that had apparently been put on hold previously. So how does it work out? Yeah this still isn’t totally hitting for me. Much like the last Yes album, there are moments. But only moments. The 13 minute mark of “Close To The Edge” is nice (crazy thing to say), when things get softer and more atmospheric. The “America” cover is interesting, but nothing more than just interesting. My pick from this album is probably “And You And I” for its most memorable motifs and lyrics. Strong 2/5, I can be done with Yes.
J - 2/5 Best Track - "America" (From Deluxe Version)
I didn’t give this a fair go but it was so unappealing from first couple of songs that I just couldn’t face it.
It was ok but for me it's a oncer of an album. It felt like one of those albums you have to work to appreciate. Music from the head not from the heart.
Honestly, this album was a slog. I'll start by saying that performance from the musicians are absolutely top drawer. The level of skill is very clear. They can sing, they can play and they have obviously spent a long time throwing this together. But, that's what it feels like; thrown together. Each song is broken up into small pieces of songs that span across a wide range of genres. I know, I know! That's prog, right? However, I found it hard to latch onto any one of the four songs I found on this album (and I was gutted to find out that there were bonus tracks on the version I located!). It's disjointed for a verse/chorus/verse/chorus simple mind like me, and frankly, I didn't enjoy this. There's a lot of 70s stuff that I'm sure they pioneered, but we've heard heaps of since then and I don't really like. I did enjoy the 70s synth, I'm a big fan of that sound. 'And You and I' is probably the one take away from me, probably because it has some melody that sticks, amongst all of the randomness. And, personally, I preferred the bonus track version (so, I'm not even sure it counts!). I cap my song length at about 8 minutes. Sorry, Prog. 2 Stars.
Mostly just noise
Prog rock musicians Spent so long wondering if they could they never stopped to think if they should
Dad music
This was mediocre for me.
Not my thing
Yes, but no actually. I know this band is loved by many, but they aren’t doing much for me. Lots of organ, that’s different… otherwise it was pretty bland to me.
I don't get it. Like, even a bit. I can tell they are all amazing instrumentalists, but it doesn't sound like they were making music together. It sounds like everyone recorded some music in a studio to some beat (seemingly not always the same beat) and then put it altogether into 1 package.
la cançó de 18 minuts? 🧍🏻♀️ àlbum correcte però les cançons duren massa m'he avorrit un poc
and yet another too psychedelic album.
The musicianship is excellent 2/5
Actually liked the other songs but the 17 minute whopper was too much. A lot going on without direction and couldn’t get behind it
No song needs to be over 18 minutes long.
Not my jam.
Reminded me that Prog Rock does not do it for me
3 20 minute songs a lot to process
It's time to just say no to Yes. This is the third album of theirs I've listened to, and they're obviously the flat Diet Coke version of Genesis, and Pink Floyd. Favorite Track: "And You And I".
Maybe
I was filled with mild horror when this showed up as today’s album because I have a general aversion to prog rock. However, I endeavoured to listen to it and was quite surprised by what I heard. Not to the point that I enjoyed it, because I didn’t, but it was kinder on my ears than I thought it would be. The 3 tracks on this album are typically inflated and baroque, and the title track is an 18 minute play in 4 acts. However, it feels less self-aggrandising than a lot of progressive rock. There is relatively little showboating on the whole album, and there is a definite commitment to brevity. The entire album is under 40 minutes. That said, I cannot connect to the pomposity of the album, the pipe organ or the themes a in book I have no desire to read. It reminds me a lot of early Pink Floyd, without the whimsy, because it has that smug “Art” vibe on it. This album is the musical equivalent of reading Kafka in the original language. I will not deliberately listen to this album again.
Not really my type of music
Not their best.
Listened Before? N I'm usually a fan of prog rock, especially older stuff, but this one didn't resonate with me much. I don't like the 3 song format, and I don't really like the musical style. It's skillfully made, it's just not for me. Added to Library? N Songs added to playlist: And You and I
Meh, I much prefer their 80s stuff.
Yes .... No! Alright in parts but all too long winded for me. This from someone who likes Pink Floyd. Go Figure. Passable 2/5
That will push me over the edge
Wow. Back to back Yes albums. The other one I did not like (2). But maybe this one will hit me differently....................................... ............... It did not hit me differently. I'm not saying this is bad music. But I don't like synthesizer and I don't like high voices (generally).
I appreciate the experimentalism, and I like his voice. Songs are a little too long for me, when most of it is instrumental, and honestly a little noisy. Stand out songs: You and I
Yes. I’m not enjoying the prog albums. Unsure why these are so iconic and therefore making this list. Not terrible - but will never revisit
It was hard for me to stay focused
This felt like half an album. Just kind of ended abruptly, which seems weird for indulgent prog-rock.
Sometimes a bit cringe but otherwise great
Love the idea of exploring a song but if you have 4 songs, make 4 tracks
No
good but im not high enough to fully appreciate
Ville bara skriva "no" men är nog närmare ett "nja"
I do not like prog rock
So much faffing about. Would be so much better if they just took some of these ideas and parceled them into songs.
I thought only Maiden had 18 minute songs. A little weird and all over the map for me. On a different day in a different mood I might have liked it better.
Yes, No thanks. no album should start with a near 19 minute self indulgent wank fest.
This was an indulgent chore to listen to.
After listening to side one, I fully understand the hate for prog. Side two improves a bit, but it’s still largely self-indulgent nonsense.
'A dewdrop can exalt us / Like the music of the sun.' Musically, Close To The Edge is decent, approximating Steely Dan at times, tho less jazzy and far less immediate. 'For the crucifixion of her own domain.' Lyrically, it's all pseudo-literary. Even the refrain 'I get up, I get down' - sung w/ what Jon Anderson would like to be soul but is in reality just taciturn geekiness - is supposed to ultimately mean something DEEP but in fact means they read books (Hesse) and thought they were COOL. 'Emotions revealed as the ocean maid.' I'm not sure what they're getting at, but it seems to me that Yes pooh-poohed 'emotions' and went straight for the cerebellum instead. 'Even Siberia goes through the motions.' The fuck?
Well well well I know that back in the 70s making a more than 10min song was normal but 18 MINUTES THAT'S WAY TOO MUCH !!!! The worst is that you have some enjoyable parts in those way-too-long songs so I can't say that I enjoyed the album but the singing part was most of the time really good and there were some good riffs as well.
Love the cover Gloomy music
01) Close to the Edge - 5,5 02) And You and I - 6,0 03) Siberian Khatru - 6,0 TOTAL: 5,83 (58/100) Current ranking: 404/496 This kind of albums makes me feel kind of stupid. Everyone is talking about what a masterpiece it is, and all I hear is an incoherent collection of music put together under the title of the song "Closer to the Edge" which lasts 18 and a half minutes. And I'm trying to understand the quality of that song but I can't. Which means I must be a bit limited and my understanding of music is not good enough. Which makes me very sad. Then we have "And You and I" which is again ten minutes long and has at least four different songs put together and I still don't get the point. The first part is good, then the second part starts... When the third part starts you don't even remember the first one, but we're still on the same song... I don't care. Call me stupid. This is bullshit.
naja, ist bestimmt "künstlerich wertvoll", hat mich aber nicht begeistert
This is impressive in the way someone making a Lego model of your sleep paralysis demon would be: you can marvel at the technical prowess but the artistic direction is somewhat suspect.
Pure unadulterated prog (not a good thing)
I want my money back <you didn’t pay any money for this> I don’t care.
1st track: 😐🤚 2nd track: 🧐👍 3rd track: 😶🫴 "Yes"? Nope, "no thanks" more like.
I get the concept but it is just not for me. Chris Squire's bass tone is sick, though.
I'd like to listen again. I enjoyed bits of it, or bits of songs, but I'm not sure I get it as a whole yet. Some just didn't really tickle my brain. 4/10
These are, long songs. I feel like this would fit in Guardians of the Galaxy. It was fine, but I kind of got tired of it.
It was tough to listen to some of it - a little bit too prog for my taste at the first song. But then it kind of grew on me.
Meh
I generally like Yes (although not a huge fan), but this listen wasn't up to par to me. Not sure what it was, but they have better.
Went on too much, not a fan
Eh it's proggy. Some of it wasn't too bad.
It's alright. Boring and not really my thing.
My run of albums I can’t get enough is well behind me as this is another in the stream I couldn’t really get into I tried to enjoy this, I’m a fan of progressive rock for sure but close to the edge missed the mark for me . I did like it in parts, it is ambients. I think it’s worth a listen but probably not many more for me
When I finally thought the album was done I checked Spotify only to find that I had only heard the first track and it was 18 min long... Like the music wasn't bad, there were tracks I liked. But I am not just going to revisit 10-18 min tracks because I "kinda" liked them.
Mediocre band.
Not for me
Meh Not horrible, but not great.
Long songs that maybe are best left to their era. Good but Ive never been into prog or drawn out music. Just not for me
Interesting but not really my thing.
Nooooo not for me at all. Prog rock
I did not enjoy this at all. While I never did skip a track, I'm not sure if there's another album on the list that had me looking at the time left in the song as often as this one did.
Was ok. It’s prog rock so not my thing
I'm of the opinion that people listened to Yes and King Crimson because there wasn't a lot of better prog rock at the time. Give me Pink Floyd or Porcupine Tree or Explosions in the Sky any day. (And yes, Floyd was around when this came out, but it wasn't really until '73 that they hit their full stride.) 2 stars
Too proggy for me
Really struggling with the vocals on this one. Musically it's fine.
Easy response to this album. No! An 18 minute track to kick off the album was ugh. I’m sorry but these super long tracks artists like to do back then come off as nothing but pretentious. I gave this album until I was done with breakfast, and there were somehow still 3 songs left. I can’t with progressive rock, and most classic/dad rock as it is, so this was extra annoying.
Det här måste man lyssna mycket på för att det ska bli bra.
2.5 Yeah, I’m not getting the hype behind this one. Granted, I’m not a huge prog rock guy, but I can certainly admit there are some cool offerings from the genre - they’re just not on this album. Nothing here wowed me in any way; it just felt overly long and complex for the sake of being overly long and complex. I do appreciate the fact that the first two songs seem to break off into segments to help with the pacing, but there wasn’t any one chunk in particular that felt unlike anything else I’ve heard from Yes - which is three albums at this point, and this one doesn’t even have Roundabout on it. It’s kind of like pizza - if you were presented with an X-Large pie containing every topping known to man on it, would you really opt to eat that over a simple, well-done medium pepperoni? Cause to me, that sounds like an over-indulgent mess, but I’m sure it would have its takers, just as this album does here. The bright side of this album is that it gave me a further appreciation of punk rock. You don’t hear any of the bullshit in that genre you do here - it’s straight-to-the-point, all killer no filler. While I definitely wouldn’t say this album is bad, it just didn’t succeed in pulling me in at any point across my listening to it. At the risk of getting my music nerd card taken away (jk that thing’s been long revoked), I would probably opt to listen to Owner of a Lonely Heart over anything found here.
Was an alright album. My favorite part happened around 10 minutes into the first song. It sounded alright, and it was catchy, but the first song being 18 minutes long is what initially made me not like it as much. It’s not for me, but it’s definitely not completely horrible as an album.
In fairness to this album, I only listened once. Yes' brand of prog rock has yet to click with me, and this album felt the same. Despite my trying to just become engulfed in the music, the 10-20 minute songs weren't for me. Technically good music playing and nothing else. 2/5.
TOO MUCH ORGAN OMFG. lay off the keys my man…i don’t like the guy’s voice—that very 70s strained-sounding style (not sure how else to describe this). i feel like these albums are difficult to rate because i literally don’t feel anything about them but “0 stars” implies i think it’s bad—but i don’t. i don’t think anything.
girl what the hell. i guess i don’t really know the “use case” (for lack of a better/less-nerdy term) for this kind of music. is this something people are listening to just to chill in their house or is it oriented around industrious live performances? it feels too sprawling to be the former but not interesting enough to be the latter. i really don’t want anymore Yes albums… pleek….pleek…….…
I struggled with this one
Close to the Edge “Sad preacher nailed upon the coloured door of time Insane teacher be there reminded of the rhyme There'll be no mutant enemy we shall certify Political ends as sad remains will die Reach out as forward tastes begin to enter you Oooh, ooh’ I mean what can you say about this album? It’s Yes, it’s 18 minute songs consisting of multiple parts, there's lots of technical skill, there's blues and folk influences, the lyrics are shit, the singer enunciates all the syllables at equal length and it’s all a bit lumpen. So it’s exactly what it is - if you are into them and Prog then I imagine this is great. If you aren’t that into them then this all feels a bit pointless. The Close to the Edge Suite - not a great deal to pick out, the guitar intro is immediately aggravating and I don’t think the reggae inspired beat works particularly well. Although I do quite like the bass sound, there is the odd good guitar run here and there and some of the backing vocals are decent. There is probably a great folk inspired song in And You and I, but it gets lost in the rather unnecessary musical changes. This is also probably the worst track for lyrics and vocal style. His voice isn’t particularly interesting and the vocal/melodic style isn’t great either. Similarly there is a decent blues/funk rocker in Siberian Khatru, but, again, the musical changes don’t add to it, they rather dilute the nucleus of something good in that riff and bassline. I think Prog is the genre I’ve struggled most with so far with the list, especially as I feel like I’m now starting to appreciate Jazz (even if I’m not yet fully embracing it). I hadn’t listened to a great deal of Prog before, despite some attempts, so I was looking forward to giving things like this a proper go, but I’m finding it hard going. Not because, I think, I’m struggling with the musical density and difficulty of it, more that I’m struggling with it philosophically. Everything, both musically and lyrically seems to be done for the sake of being complicated or fantastical, with very little sense of either depth or fun, emotional weight or joy, or that it comes from a genuinely different perspective or from actual musical bonkersness or eccentricity - purposefully writing stupid lyrics and overcomplicating songs seems to be the only principle, rather than actually making genuinely interesting music. I gave the previous Yes album 3, as I think it had better songs and ideas and I probably had more of a sense of innocent open mindedness back at album no 82, but this is certainly a 2. It can’t be a 1, as I think, despite the above, there are some decent moments and I can appreciate that if you are a fan then this is good, but it really doesn’t work particularly well musically or emotionally for me. 🥱🥱 Playlist submission: Siberian Khatru
I didn’t listen to the deluxe edition, just the regular. That was enough. Probably a 1.5.
Just way too long and boring for me
2 heavy on the progg, 2 easy on the grogg
Progressive Rock suggests it’s Rock that is better than the Rock that came before, and that is clearly not the case with this album. Progress is an admirable goal, but they fell short here. This is the musical equivalent of Musk trying to build something better than an underground train and ending up with an inefficient taxi service that can only drive one route very slowly. It’s stupid enough trying to reinvent the wheel, but you should at least arrive at something that functions as, you know, a wheel!
No!
let me start out by saying that these guys are very talented. i do like rush and what i have heard from king crimson, so it’s not that i don’t like progressive music, but it’s that yes is just so… boring. the album clocks in at just under 38 minutes. and there are only THREE songs, so i knew going in this would be a challenge. the issue that many progressive bands have is that they tend to lean towards songs being long, grandiose epics full of masturbatory excess. any time a band separates a song into separate “suites”, that’s usually a bad sign. this is one of those albums. but like i said, they’re very talented.
Not my jam.
Starting to think some of these Brit prog acts didn’t have much to say.
Prog is just not my thing. It sounded exactly how I expected it to be; with harpsichords, big riffs and odd lyrics about stuff no one cares about. Then there was the third song with it's funky way-outness. I did like that one so it gets a 2.
Prog Rock ist nicht so mein Ding
This record wasn't as bad as the last Yes record but I wouldn't say it was good. I like the idea here but there has to be SOMETHING to hold onto. Some melody or something.
It's not a Yes from me. Wasn't sure how to rate this one because parts of it were good. But overall, I was begging for the album to end. Songs were way too long. The bird noises at the start threw me off, and theres multiple riffs and genres mashed together on one song. Also wasn't a huge fan of the singers voice. Sorry! 2 ⭐️
Ironically, no.
I wanted to like it more but unfortunately didn’t do much for me
Busy, too much going on. I prefer Emerson, Lake, and Palmer
The nature sounds to start the album off are nice. Very interesting instrumentation, especially the guitar. Really excited for another progressive album. This first song has been a wild ride. Am loving the gothic organ type music 12 mins in! Another vibe change within the same song! Keeps you guessing for sure. And You and I is a really good song. I like the folky bit 6 mins in. The nonsense lyrics sprinkled in are kind of funny to me. So far it has been an ok album, but nothing has gripped me. Some of the instrumentation seems a bit pointless, which I think is a common gripe of progressive music. I am enjoying the song America. This album was fine, but nothing special. That was surprising to me since I enjoy prog so much.
A nothing album
Heard some of it, just to long of songs that didn't really land.
2.5/5
Pompous, fantasy van music. The funny part is, I don't think nights flying dragon or aliens, floating through space would want to listen to the garbage. When it comes to Yes, I say no thanks.
No
prog slog
Not a prog enjoyer
I like two songs by YES. Neither is on this album. But if you've ever heard Roundabout and thought, I wish this song was longer, 10 minutes longer, and more pointless - this may be the album for you. Not for me though.
Boring and weird.
Never thought I’d find an album too “progressive”, but hey, if you are a fan of the genre, you’re going to love this album.
If my kids ever ask what 70s prog-rock sounded like outside of radio-edited singles, I feel confident that I can point to this or Jethro Tull’s “Thick as a Brick” as representative examples. I’m equally confident that they will never ask that question. Prog-rock singles are just fine.
Three songs too many Rambling jammy hoopla No hooks, just endless
I'd heard of Yes, but hadn't listened to them. I'm not sure how that had happened but i'm glad it did. time saved
This is overly long and too similar to Roundabout for me
I prefer other Yes albums. Never listened to this one before. Probably won't listen again...
I enjoy an occasional Yes tune but this was a bit overwhelming. Didn’t love it.
I guess I just don’t understand what this adds to the list that the previous two Yes albums that cropped up don’t. 2.5
Day76 - crazy that an album was released with just 3 songs
Meh. I like some other Yes but this didn’t do it for me.
Interesting album. Not terrible but not really my jam. 2.5 stars
no
Amazing musicianship, but I don't come away humming Yes melodies.
Yes? That’s a no from me dawg.
Forgot pretty much everything this album presented to me the second it finished
Как старый неинтересный фильм посмотрел, не понравилось.
5/10
I really can't get into prog. Just so insipid.
I usually like prog...
Weird album. 2
I’m not averse to a bit of prog when I’m in the mood, but to quote Joseph II this really has far too many notes for my taste. It opens with mad, free jazz style guitar noodling and never really calms down at any point. The 18 minute title track has some good parts, but it’s hard work to listen to. Apparently side 2 is supposed to be more folk and rock oriented, but it’s really more of the same, although the songs are a bit shorter. OK, I guess.
No.
Yes? No.
Sehr konzeptionell angelegt. Ein paar nette Passagen dabei, aber dann doch teilweise etwas zu abgehoben für mich.
No. Mere end 18 minutter er over kanten...
I was not expecting a sea of 5 star reviews here. The amount of interesting music summarily dismissed because it isn't straightforward rock music in this list is extremely high. So I naturally imagined this would get a rough ride. I don't know Yes. I haven't ever really heard their stuff, but I know they are largely the reason the music press turned on prog and convinced a young and impressionable me that it was unlistenable noodle wank, and so I didn't listen to any prog for many years. It later seeped in as I delved deeper into the output of crate diggers with niche radio shows and podcasts (and also, World Snooker Champion turned DJ Thundermuscle, Steve Davis, opened my ears to the wondrous Weidorje), and there is so much to love about it. I'm still not sure about Yes though. Some of this stuff sounds like Flaming Lips in places among other things. Particularly the midpoint in the opener. This isn't a bad thing, but my favourite stuff in prog is when a tune builds and builds on a rhythm and goes in different directions, expanding and contracting all the while. This does that, but chaotically, a little like free jazz, which I find a little harder to connect with. The apotheosis of prog? No. Get out. It is definitely 'interesting' however. Thanks, Steve.
Ugh
not a fan of prog. my adhd simply cannot handle an 18 minute song. the shorter songs were more bearable but i just wanted it to be over
Sorry but I really dislike prog rock
Again, not sure why this is considered a top album.
It's not that it's bad or anything, it's just that this is not well-suited to my tastes. It's self-indulgent. It's too dang long. It's got more head than heart involved in the creation of it. It's very clever. And I'm a fan of cleverness in lots of human endeavors, but not really in music all that much. I think it could use an editor. I'd prefer it if it were in two-and-a-half to five minute long chunks instead of in overblown 18 minute long slogs. These guys are incredible musician's. They are capable of greatness. This album is just a little too far up its own butthole for me to really enjoy it.
Well, I guess brilliant if you like progressive rock, but I don't. Okay, the musicians including singer are of course exquisite, legendary line-up, that makes it 2 stars and not 1.
A bit to proggy for me. I thought every song sounded like Roundabout and none were
- Als ich die Laufzeit des ersten Songs gesehen habe, hatte ich direkt wieder Bedenken. Allerdings gefiel es mir bis zum dritten Part tatsächlich gut. Nach einem ruhigeren Übergang, gegen den wenig einzuwenden ist, ging es dann mit dem vierten Part nervig und eintönig zu Ende - schade. Im Song Titel haben sie schon die Unterteilung in vier Parts, dementsprechend hätte man auch vier Tracks daraus machen können (wobei ich natürlich verstehen kann, dass sie hier wahrscheinlich ein Konzept dahinter gibt und diese vier Akte ohne Unterbrechung rüberbringen möchten). - And You and I hat zwischendurch ganz coole Instrumentals, hätte aber auch wieder gerne ab der Hälfte zu Ende sein können - Auch die zweite Hälfte des Albums holt mich nicht mehr wirklich ab Rating: 2 / 5
No to Yes. Songs are series of novels. Some fun lyrics and instruments but nah.
2/5 - Hard for me to judge this properly as I don't like the genre. Not my cuppa.
Puf, sin pies ni cabeza. Puf, encima tienen una versión de América de Simon and Gartfunkel ... que no mejora nada la original.
Group should be called No this was not for me
I like Yes but I have to be in the right mood for this one. The title track might be good for meditation or falling asleep'
Music for pretentious hobbits
I really tried but it’s too meandering and I couldn’t hold my attention for even the length of the shortest track. Great musicianship - mediocre record.
Too much organ synth.
zu stressig
I’m generally feeling kind of meh about this. It’s 70s prog rock, lots of guitar shredding and synth sounds together. It’s just not really hitting much for me beyond a few moments here and there. Not super critical, but the album is stylized in a weird way that wasn’t super clear from the Spotify version. I was listening to the first song (15 minutes long) and I thought “this sounds like multiple totally different songs”. Turns out on the original version each side was one song with sub-songs (plus one more main song on the B side). Spotify doesn’t make this clear though, so it makes the 15 minute song feel a bit odd altogether. The Spotify version also has a few other tracks that weren’t on the original, including an “America” cover (significantly worse than the original). Favorite song: And You and I Other: Total Mass Retain
Puf, sin pies ni cabeza. Puf, encima tienen una versión de América de Simon and Gartfunkel ... que no mejora nada la original.
Favourite songs: Total Mass Retain, Siberian Khatru Least favourite songs: Close to the Edge 2/5
Classic Yes
Apparently my old music teacher at school used to get beaten up for his love of Yes albums in the 70s. While I abhor bullying, I can't help but feel his tormentors may have been trying to help him. With 7 songs in one hour, this is truly the Geoffrey Boycott innings of records. Unlike The Yes Album, there is at least an element of groove in this, and some synths to vary the textures of the album. However, they are still taking 10 minutes to say what others say in 2. Good prog makes 10 minute songs that need that space. Bad prog feels like they started with 10 minutes to fill and kept going till they did. This falls on that side.
every song was so long and not intreseting enough so i barely listened, didnt seem bad tho
Not good.
There is much musical virtuosity here but the songs are rambling and similar-sounding due to the common arrangements.
Puf, sin pies ni cabeza. Puf, encima tienen una versión de América de Simon and Gartfunkel ... que no mejora nada la original.
It's interesting, intriguing, but I'm sorry Prog Rock, I just don't want to join you on that very, very long journey
Yes is not one of my favourite band directly. It feels sligthly navel gazing. I really wasn't a fan of the opening track but the next few ones where better. But i got really tired of it and struggled to listen to it all the way. This type of progressive long songs takes a few listens to get into but I don't feel like I wan't to listen to it again to get to know it better. I guess that means it will have to be a 2 for now.
It was ight, rlly boring
I feel like I've already had this album five or six times already. That's what happens when your opening track is over 18 fucking minutes long. That takes up all of side one for those of you scoring at home, or even if you're alone. The reissue of this thing has a funky cover of Simon & Garfunkel's "America". That's a feature and surely not a benefit. Having to listen to so many Yes albums is just toying with my Spotify algorithm at this point. Leave me alone.
This is the kind of music that bores me. No-one needs an 18 minute song. No-one has ever needed an 18 minute song. Though it's not even one consistent song, it's several mashed together. There's interesting bits, but overall it's so far up it's backside. I mean it's technically good, but it's not for me
It's alright if you want to donate your most valuable resource, time. Otherwise, a bit indulgent.
bit long and shit innit.
Meh again
Far too experimental for me.
Prog rock, very long but not filling the time so to speak. It just seemed like many songs with no cuts. 2/5
Absolute dirge
Much of the music of Yes is phrenetic and this one was too. Hard to groove to it because it bounces all over the place. Yes just isn't my style.
You say "YES" and I say, "meh" This is a transitional album. It's like a bridge from one era to the next. Once you cross that bridge there's no reason to keep it because you're on the other side and nobody cares to look back except some weird mix of people that frequent 1001 albums ... and the bridge falls into disrepair, or an earthquake comes and demolishes it, or maybe not demolishes it, but badly damages it so you can't use it even if you wanted to. And then, maybe there's a flood and it gets washed away and all that remain are some steps to the bridge but nobody cares about the dumb bridge unless those weird 1001 people come over to it and take pictures and occasionally ask each other "Hey, where do you suppose those steps used to lead to..." And someone says... uh, I dunno I guess they lead ... "Close to the Edge"
Two underwhelming prog albums in a row with "Close to the Edge" following "Peter Gabriel." Yes has much better work than "Close to the Edge." I'm sure the title track is a brilliant literary work of poetry, but it's 18 minute "Siddhartha" and "Lord of the Rings" inspired meanderings are lost on me. It might have been lost on the band, too? Apparently the writing and recording process was a bit of a mess, and it eventually drove the drummer away from the band. Prog is a weird genre. There are a lot of elements of it I like, when done well. (Or done to my taste?) How do you make a long, meandering rock song rise and fall, sink and swell, shift and then return, without it feeling disjointed? I can't answer that, but I know it when I hear it. And this ain't it.
not for me
No.
Tedious.
It's all quite long winded and wanky. As well as the Simon & Garfunkel cover.
Could not wait for this to end. It’s a meandering mess, somewhere between 1 and 2 stars.
undeniable talent, but it's all a bit too much for me
I just ... never really got Yes. They're innovative but just... meh. They're like bad jazz for guitarists.
I dont mind it that much but there us no reason for a song to be 18 minutes long Jesus Christ.
whats with the 10 minute songs my guy
To sporadic
I can see why prog rock gets a bad name. I expected to like this far more than I actually did, but found much of it fairly tedious.
This album has 3 songs. They are long. I definitely understand why this is on the list, but it’s not something I’d listen to again. The first 3 minutes of this album felt like the musical version of a panic attack - that horrible energy was then resuscitated at around the 15 minute mark of this EIGHTEEN MINUTE track. Despite this, the first track was the best one on the album, with the following two paling in comparison to the point of boredom. As a summary: prog rock is apparently not for me.
One of the things I am noticing about this list is that it seems to pick the most commercially successful album of a group, which, in my opinion, is often not a band's best work. Eliminator by ZZ Top is a good example and so is this. No one listened to this, at least no one who would admit it. It was the first two albums with, Yours is no Disgrace, I've Seen All Good People, Roundabout, etc. The first 2 Yes albums are enough. Tres Hombres is enough for ZZ Top.
Noooooooooo! First song is 18 minutes long! Starts with birds and chimes? Prog is both good and way too self indulgent! I like ideas in the music but they need to be removed, shortened and made into more manageable songs! The sing chanting doesn't help! All the playing is too notch, just nerds that wouldn't stop until they were perfect players! Oh it's supposed to sound like a bunch of songs it's like part 1,2,3 or whatever! 18 minutes later...still not sold on prog but I didn't turn it off! Oh track 2 is only 10 minutes and I've heard this before! Still can't get into the voice!
Very trippy! I didn’t quite ever know what was going on, but there were some recurring themes that are interesting. I probably won’t listen again but that’s not on Yes. Favorite song: “America”
I like Yes, but did not enjoy this album
Not a Yes fan
Overdone noodling. 2/5
Here we go, another album by Yes on the list! Hurray! If only I could move back in 50 years I would be the happiest person on Earth. Well, I'm not a fan of this band or what they represent. This album reminded me a little bit of Rush (maybe because of vocalist?), but the overall effect is very underwhelming. I much more prefer King Crimson, or even Emerson, Lake and Palmer when we are talking about progressive rock from this period in time. In Case of "Close to the Edge" I don't feel anything special, no unique atmosphere is generated, three long songs that are quickly gone, like tears in the rain, to quote our favourite android. I wasn't hooked by any riff or guitar solo, I don't even remember drums or bass guitar, and I definitely didn't like the vocal. I suspect that whoever made this list certainly overvalues 70s prog rock. But to be fair, 1000 albums is a lot, so they have to fill the list somehow.
Heard it before?: No Enjoy it?: not really, it wasn’t awful I just can’t grasp music that isn’t classical having songs that are above 10 minutes Long Favourite song: didn’t have one
Not a fan of this particular Yes album. Just 3 long suite type songs that don't really appeal to me. 2 stars
Despite their name its a no from me. The songs are faaar to long and doesnt hold enough quality to justify being that way
Better if it had no vocals
Well, there's a whole lot going on here, and it goes on for a whole long time. Can't fault the musicianship, but golly gee it rambles, and not in a way that holds my interest.
It’s a No for me
Not terrible considering what it is, but still mostly pretentious, self indulgent wanking.
Not really my cup of tea, but decent enough background music
At the beginning I thought to myself "what's this?" later on it got better but as far as songs by yes go I really prefer songs like owner of a lonely heart and roundabout over any of these
Kind of just blurred together really
Didn't feel like a lot going on but was fine
its very similar to Boston and rush 3 songs but each last 13 minutes 2.5
Mystical hippy dippy music from a band that when they were hot, they were HOT.
No.
No
no
This is utter wankery. I can appreciate the technical musical skills, but it’s a fucking mess and so far up it’s own area that it can see the sky. So many different elements and yet none with memorable hook or moment.
Prog widdling and noodling dreadful but some of the more conventional song sections almost Steely Dan-esque so an extra star for the yacht rock elements
They’ve gone for epic, and A for effort, but to my ear it’s a gratuitous mess. Lead singer sounds like Sting, which in itself is extremely off putting. Hate the omnipresent slappy bass. Having listened to the whole thing, there’s not a single hook I could recite back. Not for me.
Christ
Still figuring out how I feel about prog. This one had a few enjoyable moments, but they're lost in all the clever noodlings and whacky time signatures (which never feel out of place with eg Tool, FWIW). And I couldn't stand the empty sounding, high-pitched vocals. Not doubting the musicianship, but I preferred Rick Wakeman's work in the dictionary corner on Countdown.
Knowing this isn't my usual genre of music, I really tried to go into this listen with an open mind after seeing the reviews. 'And You and I' saved it from a one-star. Not for me.
The rock ballads of the decade don’t appeal to me some of the songs are good but the overall album was just too much instrumental
To be honest I found this heavy going at times
It didn’t really speak to me, but I didn’t get a chance to listen to the whole album
Every now and then there's a good bit, but just as you start enjoying that it changes, so it's a No rather than a Yes for me.
Yes? More like no
Yes
I really like Yes and prog rock, but this was just an average to below average, kinda bland offering. Just nothing but endless songs with little redeeming value. 2/5
interesting take on America, otherwise not much else there
Meh
Bit too boring for me
2/5 nothing much
more of that 70's rock I dont like
I was not a fan of this. Three overly long songs doth not an album make. I didn’t find the songs interesting or engaging. I didn’t hate it, but I was glad when it was over.
I'm just not a fan of prog rock. Feel like I should like it, but I find it boring.
This had none of the famous yes songs on it and was more prog rock than anything. Wasn't super memorable
I didn't listen to the version of Close To The Edge with the bonus tracks, just the original release, and it's more miss than hit. The title track doesn't do it for me, And You and I has its moments, as does Siberian Khatru. Don't think I enjoyed it enough for a 3 so it's a 2/5.
The 18 minute opener for me is just too long, too fusion in style and just plain TOO MUCH! Ends up clouding my opinion of what comes after which has some fine moments. 2.5 stars
It is a short album but is not memorable in any way. One song is over 18 minutes which is half the album. I did not skip any songs but I wasn't entertained. I will not be listening to it again.
I like the “I get up I get down” bit but the songs drag on a bit too much for me. Not too bad though 4/10
Let down by its frequent forays into gibberish
ugh. Prog. Why do lists like this rate prog so highly? prog often forgets to just rock, you know? Too much talk, not enough trousers. Some terrific moments, but just too clever clogs for me. (Interestingly, the deluxe version I listened to had the studio run-through guide track for Siberian at the end. I MUCH preferred the more straightforward playing approach)
Ça faisait longtemps que je ne m'étais pas replongé dans cet album. Je l'aime moins qu'à l'adolescence. Yes est peut-être le groupe qui fait en sorte que les gens n'aiment pas (voir détestent) le progressif. La voix de Jon Anderson n'est vraiment pas évidente et les thématiques fantastiques à la Lord of the Ring (inspiration justement pour la pièce titre) n'aident définitivement pas. Les harmonies vocales aussi ne sont pas intéressantes. Je préfère de beaucoup King Crimson et Genesis (époque Peter Gabriel). Par contre le lineup de musiciens sur cet album est mon préféré avec Bill Bruford au drum, Chris Squire à la basse (avec son son emblématique de sa basse Rickenbacker), Steve Howe à la guitare et Rick Wakeman aux synthétiseurs. Si tu aimes le genre, Close to the Edge et Fragile sont les 2 albums à avoir de Yes.
Not a fan
The thing about Prog rock is that while the musicianship is quite amazing, it too often requires one to put up with over indulgence. This is pretty self indulgent.
No.