Thanks Eric, Always nice to see Yes mentioned. Are you referring to the latest remasters (4 more of which are being issued next week)?

To me, the flaws of Fragile actually manage to strengthen the album over time. When I first heard this album 15 years ago as a teenager, I found the "solo" tracks on it to be mere distractions from the meat of the album. Now, they add some mildly comical diversions to the album - save for Wakeman's "Cans And Brahms," a track that has never, not once, failed to bore me to tears. The real gem of these Yes albums to me is the jazzy influence of Bill Bruford's busy, fascinating drumming. There was something about the constraints Yes had that forced Bruford to do some of his best work during this period. Free as he was in King Crimson and beyond, having run screaming from the increasingly obtuse Yes after Close To The Edge, he is pretty much defined by the work he did with Yes as he matured over that two year or so period.

As goofy as Jon Anderson's lyrics can be (and they have, in general, gotten moreso over time,) the band has managed to continue putting out satisfying music, in general. Magnification and The Ladder are two recent releases that I have found very enjoyable. The usual warning applies - if you don't like prog-rock excess, and especially if you don't like Jon's choir-boy voice and lyrics, you ain't gonna like these either!

But if you do and can deal with the flaws, ummmmm Yes!

i've never been able to warm up to Anderson's voice...for me Yes has always been about interesting music.

even at it's most overblown (i like Tales From Topographic Oceans...which most folks seem to despise) they always come up with some colorful interplay.

only flaw for me on that sequence of albums: The Clap. love the song, but think it's just plain out of sequence on The Yes Album

I can't think of a single Yes album that isn't worth listening to, I love them all. Sure, some songs are hit-or-miss, but few bands have managed to put out consistently decent, even good albums like Yes, as far as I'm concerned.

Thanks, Eric, for the reminders. Now I'm going to spend the rest of the day listening to Yes!

I seem to recall hearing an early version of "Wurm" by Steve Howe's previous group.

I've come to appreciate the first two Yes albums in recent years. The production's not as slick, but there are some interesting cover songs and even some orchestral backing on "Time and a Word". And Peter Banks was no slouch on the guitar either, he's just overshadowed by Howe who was THE all-round guitarist of the 70's.

I wonder if Peter Banks is relateedd to Tony Banks of Genesis...

Good review of YES history. But I noticed no mention of Chris Squire on bass. He is one of the best. It might take take seeing/hearing his live performances of 'the Fish' passage to give perspective. From my late teen years cranking 'Yessongs' on a big stereo, to one particular performance of Fish in Dayton, OH in '79 (I have seen Yes live 5 times between '75-'79 in various US cities) which was just mind-blowing! Chris rates quite well in his category.

Oh, also true about Tales of Topographic Oceans. The project sure lends itself to criticism, however there are passages of the album that are amazing. As a whole, well....

Thanks Douglas, I did mention Squire in paragraph 2, though perhaps not with sufficient praise.

Oh yes, mentioned in paragraph 2. I guess I meant 'noted in a rave typed manner'.

Thanx for the article. It brings back some great memories.

That their work through Close to the Edge encompasses the best years of Yes is the conventional wisdom. I wouldn't disagree that the later-era Yes with Horn and Downes (of Buggles fame) and Rabin is vastly inferior to these three. What continues to leave me feeling argumentative is the dismissal of Topographic Oceans and Relayer, which are my favorites. Now, it's true that even Wakeman hated Topographic. His hatred for that style, along with his diminished role in the writing and playing, motivated him to leave the band. He says,

"It could have been a sensational album if more thought went into it and if certain parts were thrown out ...There are some nice parts, but it's like wading through a cesspool to get to a water lily."

Now, who am I to argue with Rick Wakeman about his own band? But I do beg to differ.

It sounds like it was a difficult and interesting time making the album. Alan White, the drummer, says,

"Jon decided that one of the songs sounded better when he sang it in his bathroom at home, so they actually built a bathroom in the studio so he could sing in it."

Relayer was the first Yes album I bought. I got Yessongs and Topographic the following weekend. What a find. I have always loved Topographic and Relayer. I wish everyone else did, so that Yes would have continued in that direction.

By the way, the quotes are from the book "Yes Stories," by Tim Morse. Thanks for the writeup, Eric.

Thought yall might be interested in a FREE DEAN/YES commemorative poster. Shipping from England is the only expense.

BYOA (bring your own acid)

free Dean/Yes Poster

Yer welcome!

I'm fine with the description of this classic band, which I think led my 70's teenage ears into a world of music that poppy rock stuff could never have revealed to me (now I'm into so much else, jazz, classical, dub, and techno/electronic most especially). A major reservation though - I've never been such a big fan of Eddie Offord's production style - I think the messy soups he made of Close to the Edge and particularly Relayer (so bad it's almost not worth listening to) are a massive pity. There were plenty of other albums form the period that sounded much crisper, and this complex music really needed clarity to hear it properly. I still wonder how much of the harmony I have just made up while trying to pick it all apart.

BTW, Starship Trooper was the title of an OK 1959 science fiction novel by Robert Heinlein (he wrote better stuff than that, too) which was travestied by the Hollywood shiny-SF style.