Customer Reviews

The Yes Album

5 star:		(138)
4 star:		(32)
3 star:		(4)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

Yes is arguably the best of not most well-known progessive rock band. Audiophiles and progressive rock fans especially appreciate the best sound possible on this complex music. This newly remastered (by Bill Inglot and Rhino) version of "The Yes Album" greatly improves upon the the original cd release of this set which I already owned. The biggest difference for me is the greater clarity of Bill Bruford's drumming and Steve Howe's adept guitar work. The harmony vocals are also more noticeable. The album itself one of the group's best is almost a greatest hits collection. I think every song except "A Venture" has remained in the group's concert set even to this day. This proved to be Tony Kaye's last album with the band for a long time but his organ playing is good on this set. He apparently left or was forced out because he resisted using some of the newer synthesizer technology which was becoming available at this time. With this set the band finally achieved their goal of playing complex arrangements but utilizing catchy and memorable harmonies which remain in your head long after the song is finished. Songs such as "Yours Is No Disgrace", "Starship Trooper" and "I've Seen All Good People" prove this point and the latter two were issued in edited form as single versions included here as bonus tracks. The other main reason for puchasing the set is the inclusion of the unissued studio version of "Clap" which is Steve Howe's acoustic guitar picking tour de force. The song appears of the album in an energetic live version but the studio version is not only longer but also clearer in sound. If you do not already have this album pick it up immediately especially considering the improvement in sound quality and the addition of three bonus tracks. Another plus is the detailed booklet included with great pictures, song lyrics and details about the album sessions. Great job Rhino! I can't wait for the next batch of remasters!

The Yes Album was the breakthrough third recording that established the band. The Yes album marks the introduction of the extended works that characterized the Yes sound through the seventies and eighties and also highlights the coming and going of key band members who contributed to that sound. The Yes Album marked the arrival of guitarist Steve Howe and the departure of keyboardist Tony Kaye (to be replaced by the more synthesiser oriented Rick Wakeman during their most successful period).

"Yours Is No Disgrace" kicks off the set with a classic chopping riff from Steve Howe and a stirring organ from Kaye, reminiscent of western movie soundtracks. Bass player Chris Squire and drummer Bill Bruford (later of King Crimson and others) add energy and pace to keep the piece moving through its interesting twists and turns allowing keyboards and guitar to interplay with vocals.

The lyric, sung by Jon Anderson, is most definitely a hang over from the sixties ("Yesterday a morning came, a smile upon your face. Caesars Palace, morning glory, silly human race. On a sailing ship to nowhere leaving any place. If the summer change to winter, yours is no disgrace."). 40 years later, I still love that imagery, although to be honest, I have little idea what it is all about. You love or hate the ethereal, sometimes choirboy, quality of Jon Andersons voice, and if you love it, he could be singing a shopping list for all that matters.

A live version of "Clap" is a fun interlude. It is a ragtime like piece - popular in the UK folk circuit at the time - allowing Steve Howe to demonstrate his guitar virtuosity. Although this may seem to be a filler, it sets up the next track beautifully with a similar acoustic guitar section to bridge "Life seeker" and "Disillusion".

"Starship Trooper" is composed of three pieces. Andersons "Life Seeker" again features Kayes stirring organ, Squires "Disillusion", with aforementioned guitar, and Howes "Wurm" which is basically a riff building up to a crescendo which works wonderfully at full volume. Budding guitarists can work the "Wurm" riff out by sliding a C chord up and down the fretboard - you are on your own as far as the stratospheric guitar solo goes.

"I've Seen All Good People" opens up what was originally side two of the vinyl recording. Made up of separate parts by Anderson and Squire, the second part "All good People" works as an introduction to "Your Move". This will be my last dig at Yes lyrics, but "Your Move" appears to be a treatise on love and chess ... "don't surround your self with yourself, move on back two squares. Send an instant karma to me, initial it with loving care, yourself..." opines Anderson. A beautiful song nonetheless - with a recorder and organ adding depth to what would have otherwise been just pleasant. "All Good People" crashes in with the powerful rhythm section, augmented by the organ, driving the vocal and guitar lines.

"A Venture" once again provides an interlude between the longer tracks, this time allowing the bass and guitar to work together in what would become a signature sound of Yes - Chris Squires percussive bass snap and Steve Howes squealing guitar. A jazzy piano solo ends the track.

"Perpetual Change" again features the characteristic guitar/bass sound in this Anderson/Squire composition, that partnership also to become a central feature of future recordings. As a single piece rather than an amalgam of separately composed tunes, "Perpetual Change" flows more smoothly and is a more satisfying piece - presaging the longer works of future recordings, not least "Tales From Topographic Oceans".

Clocking in at about 45 minutes, this was the standard length of a recording made for vinyl. There are other re-issues and remasters that include two singles ("Life Seeker" and "Your Move") excerpted from extended tracks and a studio version of "(The) Clap" but you are really not getting much more than this original.

"The Yes Album" was actually the third album from the group spearheaded by singer John Anderson, but represented enough significant differences from its two predecessors to constitute a new and bigger beginning for the progressive rock group. Guitarist Steve Howe had replaced Peter Banks (who had gone off to join Blodwyn Pig), the album featured only original material, and the songs now tended to be much longer tracks. The four longer tracks--"Yours Is No Disgrace," "Starship Trooper," "I've Seen All Good People," and "Perpetual Change"--are structured similarly, although each allows for considerable instrumental freedom. Usually a melodic theme is introduced by one member of the band and then echoed by the others. Science fiction concepts are combined with folk melodies and transformed into soaring showpieces for vocal and musical instruments alike. On this particular album the stand out musician is, rather surprisingly, bassist Chris Squire. Sometimes I think they made a mistake on the mix and pumped up the volume on the bass, but then it becomes clear this is by design. Howe's guitar work as well as the organ played by Tony Kaye are given their moments to shine while Bill Bruford's drumming just stays out of the way. However, the defining element of Yes is probably the vocal harmonies, with Howe and Squire blending with Anderson in the falsetto range, highlighted on "All Good People." It was this that made Yes unique from their most obvious British progressive rock counterpart Emerson, Lake & Palmer.

"All Good People" was also the group's second American single to crack the Top 40 and really became the song that introduced them to a larger listening audience. However, the best is yet to come, with the additional of Rick Wakeman as the keyboard player and Anderson's continued exploration of oblique lyrics. This is the second remastered CD version of the album and offers annotations by Yes scholar Bill Martin and a trio of bonus tracks: single edits of both "Your Move" and the "Life Seeker" segment of "Starship Trooper," and the studio version of the Steve Howe acoustic guitar solo "Clap." These are minor but welcome additions to what was already a five star album.

After working with an orchestra on Time and Word (1970) and parting company with former guitarist Peter Banks, Yes joined forces with staggering virtuoso guitarist Steve Howe and took a massive leap forward into the world of full blown prog. Although I do not wish to offend Peter Banks fans, I just really appreciate Steve's playing more and feel that he brought a great deal to Yes. The Yes Album (1971) shows the classic Yes group sound starting to take shape, which would come to full and glorious fruition one year later with Close to the Edge (1972). The Yes Album however stands as their first creative (and yes, commercial) success.

The musicians on this album include Jon Anderson (vocals; percussion); Chris Squire (Rickenbacker bass; vocals); Steve Howe (acoustic and electric guitars; vachalia; vocals); Bill Bruford (drums; percussion); and Tony Kaye (Hammond organ; piano; and mini-moog). This would be Tony Kaye's last album with Yes and would be replaced by none other than the keyboard wizard himself Rick Wakeman on the follow-up album Fragile (1972). With most of the classic lineup in place, the level of the musicianship on The Yes Album went up as did the quality of the pieces themselves. In spite of this, The Yes Album is still just a very sophisticated rock album, without necessarily being progressive in the sense that Close to the Edge and Relayer (1974) were progressive.

The six tracks on the album range in length from 3'03" (Steve's acoustic solo piece Clap) to 9'23" (Starship Trooper). Starship Trooper really is a fantastic piece and as I recall, brought the record into the after school jazz band rehearsal to share my love of Starship Trooper with everybody else. One of things that I like about this track is the level of emotion that it imparts. In fact that is what a lot of Yes music was about - sweeping emotion - a property that is featured to varying degrees on all Yes albums right up until 1977 or so. Steve's acoustic solo piece "Clap" is also excellent and was recorded live (the bonus tracks include the studio version which is just as good). I guess it's worth noting that somebody added a "The" onto "Clap" and Steve has had to deal with that embarrassing title to this day. Fortunately Rhino had the good sense to correct this. Perpetual Change is a great piece along with the underrated A Venture, which features some excellent playing by Chris. In fact, his solo consists of simply adjusting the pickup switch to shift from the warmer sound of both the "treble" and "bass" pickups (I am not going to go into detail about string length and frequency) to a sharp and trebly sound using just the treble pickups. Although simple, it is incredibly effective.

This remastered and expanded album by Rhino is simply excellent. It features well-written and insightful liner notes by Dr. Bill Martin (Philosophy/DePaul University)(his book Music of Yes: Structure and Vision in Progressive rock is superb) and loads of band photos. The bonus tracks are OK and include a few single versions along with the studio version of Steve's acoustic guitar solo piece Clap.

All in all, this album marks the beginning of a creative peak for Yes that would last until 1977. Very highly recommended along with Fragile; Close to the Edge; the live Yessongs (1973); Tales from Topographic Oceans (1973); Relayer (1974); Going for the One (1977); and the live Yesshows (1980). Long live Yes!

THE BAND: Jon Anderson (vocals & percussion), Steve Howe (guitars), Chris Squire (bass), Tony Kaye (piano/organ/moog), Bill Bruford (drums & percussion).

THE DISC: (1971) Originally 6 songs clocking in at approximately 42 minutes, this digitally remastered (2003) edition adds 3 bonus tracks and lasts just over 52 minutes. Included with the disc is a 14-page booklet containing song credits/titles, song lyrics, band photos, and singles released. This is the band's 3rd album. Recorded at Advision Studios, London. Originally released on Atlantic's label, this reissue released on Elektra by Rhino.

COMMENTS: Indicated in the liner notes - this album needed to attract a much larger audience, or their label (Atlantic) was going to drop them. I'd say YES responded to the challenge. Original guitarist Peter Banks was out. Enter the new - Steve Howe. What a difference one player can make. Where the first two YES albums took on a very experimental psychedelic feel, Howe's playing and writing led them into the progressive rock arena. Listen to Howe's solo on "Yours Is No Disgrace" and perhaps you'll see what I mean ("Can a song really rock and yet also be beautiful?"). I also have to note Kaye's Hammond B3 organ - a solid backbone in many of the songs here. Bruford's drumming, as always, is complex and varied, and proving in some spots that less IS more. Classic YES songs include the 9 minute opener "Yours Is No Disgrace", the 3-part "Starship Trooper" (the best song on the album and one of their finest in their entire catalog), and the 2-part "I've Seen All Good People"... all 3 of these songs featured on many of their compilation discs. The remaining 3 songs are deep album gems - including Steve Howe's acoustic live recording "Clap", "A Venture", and the heavily underrated 8 minute album closer "Perpetual Change" (this song never got its due). The bonus tracks are adequate fare - single version sections of longer songs here "Your Move" (from "I've Seen All Good People"), "Life Seeker" (from "Starship Trooper"), and the studio version of Howe's "Clap". The remastered sound is crisp. YES has many a classic album - and I rank "The Yes Album" 2nd - closely behind 1972's "Fragile" (and slightly ahead of "Close To The Edge"). Classic disc (5 stars).

There are a few records that define their moment with utter clarity, and this is one. Like Revolver, The Madcap Laughs, The Land of Grey and Pink, Pawn Hearts, Nursery Cryme, Another Green World, Hunky Dory, Electric Warrior, and others, The Yes Album is quintessential and unique. No question, 30 years is nothing to this album. But to really get it, you had to hear it in 1971.

Bruford's drumming literally knocked you down - every listen gave you another "how did he do THAT?" Squire's snarling play sang and elevated the bass to a lead role - the most melodic bass playing next to Richard Sinclair you'd ever heard by then. Brittle then fluid, jagged then round, franatic then calm, Howe redefined rock guitar. Kaye's keyboards are still closer to rock than the later classical discipline of Wakeman, and his work travels from support to the front, shadow to light, adding dimension where it's needed. On top, Anderson's maturing writing and vocals brought glimpses of poetry and a language the began a more phonetic link to the overall sound. Individually it could seem that they were playing in different directions, different spaces. Yet the whole is light as air, bright as the sun and perfectly solid.

This was new music, authentically new. Complex and accessible, contrapuntal and straight-ahead, there were no words up to describing what was going on here. Take it apart, put it together. Pick a favorite track then discover something new and change your mind. It doesn't matter. With "The Yes Album" things changed. Importantly, the work on this record stands at the boundary between innovation and innocence, and is all the more powerful for the fact that it is free of the sometimes confusing and cumbersome concepts that shaped future releases. The focus was more completely on the music and less on peripheral concerns.

It came from nowhere and set a new reference point for the decade. For a while you could set aside Schizoid Man or balk at the tulmult of A Plague of Lighthouse Keepers. You could compare the brilliant recording quality of Yours is no Disgrace to the muddiness of The Knife. The Yes Album seemed to outshine them all.

Today, there's a better sense of balance, but the fact remains that The Yes Album was a revolution. Purposeful, dynamic, intricate and accessible, recognizeable and completely unique. This gave us all the intelligence and passion we sought in music.

There is an excellent review by "Bob" from L.A. that discusses different audio versions of this disc. I don't have the HDCD or SHM-CD versions of this disc to compare to. That would be the ideal, no doubt. So with that limitation, I will say that this new MFSL gold is an excellent audiophile release of my favorite Yes disc. The Yes Album really was the first presentation of Classic Yes and the songs remain my favorites by a long shot. Steve Howe makes a stunning debut with the band on guitar. Like Steve Hackett of Genesis, he was the key guitar addition to an existing band that elevated them immediately. I really like Tony Kaye's effective keyboards and while not the virtuoso that Rick Wakeman was, this Yes Album lineup really gels. Once Wakeman joined, Yes became big with 'Fragile' and then progressively more complex with each release, in some ways too much so for their own good. They imploded after 'Tales' and the revolving door of members became commonplace. But on The Yes Album, they were focused and wrote true classics such as "Yours Is No Disgrace", "I've Seen All Good People/Your Move", "Perpetual Change" and "Starship Trooper". But as this was my first Yes album, I am biased and much of that is emotional. I am sure people who bought 'Close To The Edge' as their first Yes album would feel the same.

I am not a big fan of the newest batch of Mobile Fidelity discs. Some are excellent, incorporating SACD as well as gold quality (eg. "Everybody's In Showbiz" by the Kinks). Others, such as the new release of Abraxas by Santana and Yes' Fragile leave me wanting more sonically. So it is a mixed bag now where I used to hear consistently higher quality from Mobile Fidelity. I am happy to write that this MFSL release of The Yes Album is the best that I have heard of the newbies. Not boxy, not too bright. Nor did they impose a loudness boost that can ruin some remastering.

When I listen to a new release of an album that I know well but new things are heard, I know something special has happened. Such is the case with the new Mobile Fidelity gold of The Yes Album. Unless you go vinyl, this is as good as I can imagine hearing digitally. I have a number of different formats of cd's - SACD, SHM-CD, HDCD, HQ, Blu-Spec and gold discs such as Mobile Fidelity and DCC/Audio Fidelity. The most consistent for me are the older MFSL gold discs and SACD. I am happy to add this gold cd to one of my better sounding ones. As Bob also said, it is too bad that reviews of different cd releases get lumped in together sometimes on Amazon. So I will be specific once more and say that this new MFSL gold release of The Yes Album is highly recommended.

This review is only for those interested in sound quality. For reviews regarding content, please see other posts in this forum, or go to All Music Guide (dot com). Also, due to Amazon's unfortunate programming policy of cross-pollinating reviews across different versions of the same CD title, this review may appear elsewhere.

The primary Yes catalog has been through at least five different sonic revisions since the debut of those horrid-sounding domestic Atlantic CD's in the late 1980's. Domestically, in 2003, Rhino released a full set of new remasters with added bonus tracks. In 2009, Japan issued a complete set of fifteen new SHM-CD's, non-HDCD-encoded titles with exactly the same bonus material as their U.S. Rhino counterparts, but audio-wise, they are all now slightly better than the Rhino's, due to new `09 remastering.

In my personal preference, the 1998 HDCD-encoded Japan mini-sleeves are my favorites. The HDCD editions had a superior clarity to the mid and high range that no other standard-CD remaster, including the 2003 Rhinos, came close to. However, the HDCD's had no bonus material. The same mid-upper clarity is also resident on these new `09 remasters, and when A/B'd against the HDCD's, there is virtually no difference in the mid to high frequencies. There are other subtle, audible differences between the two editions, but nothing being a showstopper in either, and neither series has any loudness compression or insidious remixing, like the recent, terrible, bastardized Genesis "remasters".

The major difference between the two Japan releases is the HDCD's very distinctly heightened bass. So from a audiophile-purist standpoint, the SHM's are probably the more sonically acceptable of the two releases. However, I find the HDCD's more enjoyable for that very dichotomy. Yes is renowned for it's fabulously inventive and adventurous rhythm section, and the HDCD's are literally thunderous in the lower frequencies, while still remaining faithful to the dynamic range of the original recordings. You can, of course, try pushing the SHM's by attenuating the bass on your pre-amp, but it's just not exactly the same. You also notice a little extra oomph in harmonics when the HDCD's are fed thru an HDCD-capable DAC (mine is a Camelot Uther). No doubt, a Horde Of Hoffman denizen will take issue with my preference, but you have to actually listen to both versions to understand why I lean to the HDCD's; to me, they're just more fun to listen to. I should also mention I have never been able to discern any sonic benefit on ANY SHM release from the incorporation of the supposedly magical LCD-material substrate.

So, if you're lucky enough to own the HDCD's, acquisition of the 2009 SHM's should still be considered, to obtain the best audio versions of the bonus material. I certainly would never divest either set for the other.

Then there's mini-sleeves themselves. As glorious as the audio is on these releases, the immaculately detailed replication of each miniature LP album jacket, especially of the Roger Dean-art titles, are just downright fabulous... THIS is why Japan `sleeves are so great.

The 1998 `sleeves were based on the U.S. LP designs, but the `09 SHM's are reproductions of the U.K. albums, and there are stark differences between the two series in several of the titles. Examples: The HDCD Yessongs had the U.S. accordian-jacket design, while the SHM has the U.K.'s booklet-type package (I prefer the SHM), and Close To The Edge has the U.K.'s cool textured finish to the exterior cover, which is much nicer than the photo matte-finish of the original Atlantic LP and the HDCD `sleeve.

It should also be noted the expanded booklets from the Rhino releases are included in each SHM title. Unfortunately, while many non-Yes SHM-CD mini-sleeve releases have contained neat one-page replications of the original LP's A&B-side labels, Warner Japan has chosen not to participate in those.

These new SHM-Yes mini-sleeves sold out when they streeted in Japan in July 2009, but were re-issued in 2010. That wasn't entirely a surprise, as the older Yes HDCD's, in addition to the 1999 Genesis and 2001 Pink Floyd 'sleeve catalogs, were among the most highly prized and sought-after collectable mini-sleeves ever produced by Japan. Indeed, when the SHM's were announced for pre-order, I had reservations about making the additional investment. However, swayed by the 2009 remastering, the bonus material, the U.K. jackets, and being a long time ardent Yes fanatic, the acquisition proved to be an albeit expensive but perfect complement to the HDCD versions. If you are a true Yes fan, these are the benchmark of any standard CD versions available worldwide, and short of also owning the HDCD's, this is the Yes catalog you need to acquire.

WHAT IS A JAPAN "MINI-LP-SLEEVE" CD?

Have you ever lamented the loss of one of the 20th Century's great art forms, the 12" vinyl LP jacket? Then "mini-LP-sleeve" CD's may be for you.

Mini-sleeve CDs are manufactured in Japan under license. The disc is packaged inside a 135MM X 135MM cardboard precision-miniature replica of the original classic vinyl-LP album. Also, everything included in the original LP, such as gatefolds, booklets, lyric sheets, posters, printed LP sleeves, stickers, embosses, special LP cover paper/inks/textures and die cuts, are is precisely replicated and included, An English-language lyric sheet is always included, even if the original LP did not have printed lyrics.

Then, there's the sonic quality: Often (but not always), mini-sleeves have dedicated remastering (20-Bit, 24-Bit, DSD, K2/K2HD, and/or HDCD), and can often (but not always) be superior to the audio on the same title anywhere else in the world. There also may be bonus tracks unavailable elsewhere.

Each Japan mini-sleeve has an "obi" ("oh-bee"), a removable Japan-language promotional strip. The obi lists the Japan street date of that particular release, the catalog number, the mastering info, and often the original album's release date. Bonus tracks are only listed on the obi, maintaining the integrity of the original LP artwork. The obi's are collectable, and should not be discarded.

All mini-sleeve releases are limited edition, but re-pressings/re-issues are becoming more common (again, not always). The enthusiasm of mini-sleeve collecting must be tempered, however, with avoiding fake mini-sleeves manufactured in Russia and distributed throughout the world, primarily on eBay. They are inferior in quality, worthless in collectable value, a total waste of money, and should be avoided at all costs.

YES proved with The Yes Album that third time is truly the charm. They had already released two modest efforts prior to this disc, but those were missing the guitar prowess of Steve Howe. With the key contributors to YES in place now -- vocalist Jon Anderson, bassist Chris Squire and Howe -- the band were set to lay down some great prog rock. Even if you don't like prog, you will find something to dig about this disc. YES manage to create music that is complex yet accessible, quirky yet listenable, unified yet versatile. It has a warmth and melodious quality that is sometimes absent from prog rock.
The album kicks off with Yours Is No Disgrace, an anti-war song without all the hippy psychedelics. Other highlights are Starship Trooper, Howe's first guitar classic called Clap (not THE Clap, as some album liner notes have mistakenly listed it in the past), the hit I've Seen All Good People, with its great jam, and the fan fave Perpetual Change.
The band also try and balance strong music with strong vocals. Here, Jon Anderson provides most of the vocals (including backing vocal overdubs) as Howe and Squire provide some backing of their own.
YES infuse elements of folk, rock, jazz, country, and classical structures into an album that would go on to be the first in a set of albums the band would be best known for (Fragile and Close To the Edge being the other two). This is the first in the Holy Trinity of classic YES discs, and is excellent listening.
As for the bonus tracks, if you don't own this disc, its a nice addition, but if you already have this disc, I don't know if it's worth buying again.

I purchased this CD, my first Yes album ever, a few days back and was surprised by how much I liked it. The band turns in a perfect mix of pop melody and driving prog rock. "Starship Trooper," no matter what people say, has an excellent bass sound and great stop-and-start ensemble playing, and "I've Seen All Good People" is a terrific epic, despite being overplayed on FM radio. Chris Squire, like Geddy Lee and the late John Entwistle, plays the bass as if a lead instrument, diving in between's Steve Howe's guitar patterns and Bill Bruford's jazzy drumming. Howe's guitar prowess comes to light on his brilliant, hillbilly-like instrumental "The Clap." Yes, there are some silly lyrics here and there on the CD, but even the grandest of all rock bands, The Beatles, turned out a few silly lyrics here and there (I Am The Walrus, Why Don't We Do It In The Road). Jon Anderson's soaring vocals might be an acquired taste, but I don't find them any more annoying than other first-tenor and alto-range singers. And I would definitely take Anderson's vocal phrasing over the shouting metal rappers of today. "The Yes Album" is a really good record, for musicians, for people who don't play an instrument but have fine taste in music, and for anyone else wishing to uncover what Yes was - and still is - all about.