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8 of 9 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Transitional but underrated and very listenable (3.5 stars), June 9, 2002
"Time And A Word" is one of the most underrated Yes albums, made at a time when they were still young, fresh and ready to rock. The jazz and classical influence becomes more prominent, although their sound was still formative and would fully gel on the next album, "The Yes Album". Nonetheless, there's some good stuff here and on a recent re-listen I found myself enjoying nearly every track. The obvious weak point, noted by most reviewers, is the orchestra, which is added to most of the songs and does not quite mix with the group's basic sound. This proved to be the case with all of the orchestral-rock albums released that year, a list that also included works by Deep Purple, The Nice and Pink Floyd. All of those artists would soon learn how to best express themselves through the use of a wider array of keyboards, although on "Time And A Word" the string backing works OK on the ballad "Clear Days" and the anthemic title track.Not surprisingly, the two best songs are those without the orchestra, and they point squarely to the sound devoloped for the upcoming "Yes Album"--"Sweet Dreams" is a strong, melodic pop-rock song with an uplifting chorus, while the slightly psychedelic "Astral Traveller" features the soon-to-be trademark "cosmic" lyrics and complex instrumental interplay that would make them famous. "Astral Traveller" would even improve in live performance after Steve Howe joined the group, and is a song the band should reconsider adding to their live setlist (they have periodically reprised "Sweet Dreams" and the title track over the years). "Time And A Word" is upbeat, positive music that stands in stark contrast to the music being made by today's youth. It was made by a band just coming out of the radical changes induced by the 60s and about to refine it into a classic progressive sound for the 70s. As such, it is a worthwhile historical curiosity--and might surprise you with a few good tunes in the bargain. You just can't beat the jazzy drumming, rumbling bass, hammond organ and clear-toned guitar stylings that marked their sound at this time, and of course if you like this you should love "The Yes Album", "Fragile" and "Close To The Edge".
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4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Most underrated, yes?, July 26, 2000
Of all the Yes albums, this is probably the most neglected, falling between the overtly 60's Yes (album) and the prog cassic Yes Album. It's also unique in their back-catalogue because there's a very prominent string quartet and the occasional brass section on many of the tracks, which combined with Kaye's fab organ, frequently make the instrumental passages sound not dissimilar to some of the great jazzy easy-listening of the time - see the Sound Gallery compilation. Tracks like the apocalyptic Then and the fleshed out Buffalo Springfield cover Everydays most benefit from this treatment, but there's some great and somewhat atypical four minute songs here too, like the boppy Sweet Dreams, the anthemic Time and a Word, which I could imagine Oasis covering, and the storming Big Country (film soundtrack) sampling opener. This all sounds much less dated and hugely more invogorating than Topographic Oceans.
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3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Shapes of Things To Come, September 26, 2001
YES before they were YES. This album stands above their first eponymous release as being more closely linked to what they would eventually become with the inclusion of Steve Howe. Peter was still with the band at this time, and his jazz chops jive well with the strings (a harkening forth of where YES's music would go, with more complicated song structures and arrangements). This is a curious mix of prog rock fundamentalism and late psychedelia. The band's past is in evidence as it struggles to forge its future. Jon Anderson's lyrics have more in common with YES ALBUM and FRAGILE than the story-song drivel he wrote for the first LP. This is quite honestly the prequel to THE YES ALBUM, and it shows. The only thing is missing is Steve Howe, but Peter Banks allows you to forget all about him. Banks is a strong musician and it would have been interesting to see where YES would have gone had he remained with the band.
All things considered, this is a terrific album. They utilize two cover tunes (as they did on the first LP), which is something they didn't do later in the life of the band. It's interesting to see where one of prog rock's greatest heroes (or rock in general) came from.
Must see it to believe it. An all-around great CD.[....]
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