• TalkBass has been independent since 1998. Add your voice.
    Create a free account to reply to discussions, view embedded media, and browse with fewer display ads.
    Join free Log in
    Want zero display ads or expanded classifieds tools? Compare plans.

Started to explore the band YES....

#62
Like many have said already, I recommend the OP start with the first album and work your way up through 90125. Most of the music I've heard from them since that point hasn't really grabbed me, at least not the way the early albums did. "Close to the Edge" is by far my favorite.

WoodyG3 said:
Check out the Anerson, Bruford, Wakeman and Howe album, too. It's basically Yes without Chris Squire. Great album.

I have to say, though, Fragile is my favorite Yes album.
Click to expand...

I saw Anderson, Buford, Wakeman, & Howe in the late 80's when they came out with their first album. Tony Levin was supposed to be the bassist for the concert, however he wasn't able to attend so Jeff Berlin filled in. I didn't care much for the solo album, like you said it was basically a Yes album that Chris Squire didn't play on, but I figured it would be a good concert to see, and it was. despite the fact that Squire wasn't there, it was an awesome concert with plenty of Yes classics in the set. One of the highlights was Jon Anderson asking the audience for requests, and I guess someone called out "Heart of the Sunrise". He said "Heart of the Sunrise? Ok, go." or something to that effect, and they dropped right into it, played perfectly.
 
#63
rocksmoot said:
OP, I recommend these guidelines be followed to achieve the fullest experience:
1. You must listen to the vinyl LP's
2. You must have a really good stereo with large speakers.
3. High volume is necessary. Headphones are not permitted.
4. You must examine the work of Roger Dean (the album cover artist for most of their early LP's) as you listen to each album
5. Each album must be listened to in its entirety in a session. Bathroom breaks are permitted when flipping the disc.

I envy you.
Click to expand...
6. Lyric sheet in hand mandatory upon first listen
 
  • Like
Reactions: MonetBass
#64
I actually thought Big Generator was a pretty good album. Maybe it was just that I was 15 or so when it came out, and not that I'd put it next to Fragile, but there's a lot of good stuff on there. The later 80s stuff with ABWH and the Union album, I didn't care for so much. Seemed like they were just making everything roar full out and sacrificing their musicality to the chops fest.
 
#65
SanDiegoHarry said:
I was exposed to yes when Fragile first came out - I was pretty young, but this teenager acrossed the street insisted that I sit and listen to it with him. I recall that I didn't really get it (I was 11 or 12) but that I listened to the whole thing just after it was released stuck with me; It clearly was a profound change from the dreck that was on the radio at the time.

I *loved* prog rock as a teenager. ELP, Yes, Floyd - loved it.
Click to expand...

These guys can PLAY!
 
#69
I'll add that after you listen to lots of Yes, you might want to check out Rick Wakemean's Six Wives of Henry the Eighth. Mostly keyboards of course, but there's quite a bit of good bass and drum work in there too. Very original for the time. Maybe sounds a bit dated now but still a good listen. I still like it at least.
 
#76
SanDiegoHarry said:
Sure. I always figured that the words were not nearly as important as the *sound* of the words - in fact, I recall reading an interview with Jon Andersen who said that's how they wrote - just for the sound of the words.
Click to expand...

Indeed. I always thought of them as the lyrical equivalent to abstract art - it's not a picture OF anything, it's about how the shapes and colors interact - or in this case, the sheer phonetics of the words. I posted in the other Yes thread going currently that I much prefer the abstraction to when they wrote lyrics you could actually understand. Most of the latter turned out to be trite new age mumbo jumbo.
 
#77
Lee Moses said:
According to Peter Banks, that was a big part of the friction that arose between him and Jon Anderson: "But what does this actually mean?"
Click to expand...

I think I heard something similar about Bill Bruford - that he quit after trying to get Anderson to explain what exactly a "Siberian Khatru" was. Not sure if the story's true or just a rumor.
 
#78
zontar said:
Get these ones to start-The Yes Album, Close to the Edge and Fragile (Which contains Roundabout--but listen to the other songs.)
Then branch out from there-Going For the One, Tormato, etc, etc...
Click to expand...

^^ THIS!

take it from an old[er] guy! They kinda lost me at "Tales..", but ALL THREE of these albums are "masterpieces" in their own right!
 
#79
MovingPitchers said:
The one sond I know from them is Roundabout...

Anytime I explore a new band I listen to their hits and singles and then branch into their "less-than-popular" songs.

Can anyone give me some songs to listen to and explore? I really am starting to dig this band!
Click to expand...

Chris Squire is NO JOKE! :)
 
#80
I've been a huge Yes fan since the early 70's. I pretty much grew up listening to those early Yes albums - The Yes Album, Fragile, Close to the Edge, and Yessongs. I have all of their albums on CD. I listen to the 4 mentioned, but I also really enjoy Drama, Union, The Ladder, and Keystudio. Chris Squire's Fish out of Water is also really good.

They're currently on tour. I'll be seeing them again in a couple of weeks when they play in Mesa. I always try to catch them when they come to town.
 

Latest posts

Top Bottom
Back