Favourite Yes Album

[4000]

On 23/08/2019 at 18:48, BassTractor said:

BTW, I've seen footage of the Union tour, and loved it.

First saw Yes on the Union tour. Was a bit disappointed, if I’m honest. They were far better the next few times I saw them, barring one gig somewhere at Liverpool docks, IIRC. That wasn’t the best either. The Symphonic gig at the Apollo was epic. 

EDIT; There was another gig at the Apollo which was spectacular and a friend filmed much of it. I still have the footage.

Edited August 24, 2019 by 4000

[4000]

27 minutes ago, Skinnyman said:

This is an impossible question to answer - I love most of them equally and have a different favourite every day depending on mood. If I had to pick just one it would (controversial, this) be Topographic. Yes, it's flawed, yes there are boring bits - but you could say that about Mozart or Beethoven. But taken as a whole, it builds up to Ritual and that glorious, marvellous climax.

Yessongs is a very good call and has my favourite version of And You And I.

Apart from the "classic" stuff, I also like The Ladder and Fly From Here a lot - much better than 90125, Magnifi-wotsit and Onion.

Saw them loads of times and was heartbroken the last time i saw them with Chris Squire. Close to the Edge at the RAH with Geoff Downed on keys and they were distinctly ordinary - looking back, Chris was obviously unwell at that stage.

 

I’m just glad I got to see him (and the band of course) several times and got to meet him twice. The first time, I shook his hand and told him that in my opinion he was the best. He seemed genuinely touched. 

[wateroftyne]

Quote

 

Was playing Exit Stage Left in the car yesterday, normally I'm a huge fan of live albums, but this one just doesn't 'do it' for me, feels flat and bland. 

Doing a cross thread mashup, played some of Yessongs in car today...now THAT is a live album!!!! Starship Trooper is IMMENSE!!!!

 

...quoting @Oopsdabassist from the Rush thread, and continuing the cross-thread mash-up...

I was about to post in this thread that - IMO - Yessongs could be great, but I think I suffers from similar audio issues to Exit Stage Left. Weird phasing, weak bass... like ESL, I wish they would rework it. 

But then the compilation they released from that tour seems to have similar issues, so maybe it's burned to the tape.

[wateroftyne]

Incidentally, has anyone heard the recent live album? Yikes.

[stef030]

close to the edge

mr squire at his best

[ead]

32 minutes ago, wateroftyne said:

Incidentally, has anyone heard the recent live album? Yikes.

JUst bought it but not played it yet.

[pfretrock]

On 23/08/2019 at 16:21, Urban Bassman said:

For me it would be The Yes Album, then Fragile with Close To The Edge 3rd.  Relayer would be my 4th choice tied with Going For The One.  I also think if I had to choose one, in a Desert Island Discs stylee, it would be YesSongs, which is pretty much my top 3 albums all in one.  I love the extra energy on the live album.  Saw them live many times all of which were fab.

I'd agree almost 100% with this.  But never really liked anything after Relayer, seemed like a different band, I know bands have to change, but it did not work for me.

Once played Topographic Oceans every day for a year. Is that dedication of a fan, or just sad? (other LP's were available!)

[Cosmo Valdemar]

2 hours ago, wateroftyne said:

Incidentally, has anyone heard the recent live album? Yikes.

I had a listen on Spotify, out of morbid curiosity. It wasn't pleasant. 

In a similar mindset I watched some recent footage of the band playing Gates of Delirium. Absolute car crash viewing. The whole thing threatens to derail several times causing Steve Howe to visibly conduct the rest of the band back into order. Geoff Downes simply isn't up to playing Moraz's parts (or Wakeman's for that matter) and bemusedly stumbles through. Davison and Sherwood are competent but complete charisma vacuums.

And saddest of all is poor old Alan White, literally propped up beside a small drum kit next to the main one, limply tapping away. I know he's been unwell, but come on.

I try to never begrudge an artist from continuing to tour their material, even if it no longer interests me (Brian May and Roger Taylor). But the current Yes is pretty shameful.

[Stub Mandrel]

2 hours ago, pfretrock said:

Once played Topographic Oceans every day for a year. Is that dedication of a fan, or just sad?

What do you think about that Captain America?

"Err ... Avengers dissemble?"

[Woodinblack]

If you hate the widdly odd time signature stuff, then how about 90125?

[BlueMoon]

Another vote for the Yes Album. I remember listening to "Yours is No Disgrace" on Dynatron headphones at an exhibition in the very early 1970's. Hooked from that day on.

I agree that their interpretation of America is fantastic. I first came across this on an "Atlantic" sampler album. 

Strange: there is not much talk of "Talk" in the thread.

[daveybass]

1 hour ago, BlueMoon said:

Another vote for the Yes Album. I remember listening to "Yours is No Disgrace" on Dynatron headphones at an exhibition in the very early 1970's. Hooked from that day on.

I agree that their interpretation of America is fantastic. I first came across this on an "Atlantic" sampler album. 

Strange: there is not much talk of "Talk" in the thread.

Talk is quality, worth it for Endless Dream alone

[mattbass6]

Talk by a country mile, for me. Such a wonderful, uplifting album. Highly underrated, and not accepted by most Yes fans, which in my humble opinion, is such a shame. 

Edited August 25, 2019 by mattbass6

[dmccombe7]

Never been a huge fan of YES but i liked Close To The Edge and Going For The One. I think i prefer Going For The One these days tho.

Saw them as Yeggles and thought they were pretty good. Never managed to see the original line up tho.

Dave

[Bassman Sam]

The Yes album, Fragile and mostly everything else that Chris Squire played on.

[NikNik]

3 hours ago, dmccombe7 said:

Never been a huge fan of YES but i liked Close To The Edge and Going For The One. I think i prefer Going For The One these days tho.

Saw them as Yeggles and thought they were pretty good. Never managed to see the original line up tho.

Dave

I saw the Yeggles in, what,  1979? I thought that they were shee-eyt. As much as I admired TH, he wasn't a frontman and he did admit it. 

Finally saw the AWWHS line-up in '98(?) at Edinburgh Playhouse. They were awesome. I watched Wakemam most of the time, making it look all so effortless. 

What a band!

Edited August 25, 2019 by NikNik

[dmccombe7]

1 hour ago, NikNik said:

I saw the Yeggles in, what,  1979? I thought that they were shee-eyt. As much as I admired TH, he wasn't a frontman and he did admit it. 

Finally saw the AWWHS line-up in '98(?) at Edinburgh Playhouse. They were awesome. I watched Wakemam most of the time, making it look all so effortless. 

What a band!

Back in the good old days Anderson and Wakeman were always gonna be a hard act to follow and i thought TH did an ok job. Then again i'm not a mad fanatic for YES so my opinion is not coming as a fan of them but more of what i thought the Yeggles sounded like as a band.

Anyone that was a genuine YES fan were always gonna slate the replacements no matter whether good or bad.

Anyone that can front Buggles with Video Killed the Radio Star has to be a good frontman 

Dave

[spectoremg]

9 hours ago, mattbass6 said:

Talk by a country mile, for me. Such a wonderful, uplifting album. Highly underrated by many, and not accepted by most Yes fans, which in my opinion, is such a shame. 

I underrate it too - $h1te!

[spectoremg]

Fragile cos its the first one i heard. The Yes Album if I'd heard that first. 

[spectoremg]

On 24/08/2019 at 21:24, Cosmo Valdemar said:

 

And saddest of all is poor old Alan White, literally propped up beside a small drum kit next to the main one, limply tapping away. I know he's been unwell, but come on.

 

I also have a morbid curiosity and watched a bit of it and you're right, a truly tragic spectacle, I doubt they're even in the mix. 

[Frank Blank]

The Lamb Lies Down on Broadway...

...oh.

[4000]

20 hours ago, Frank Blank said:

The Lamb Lies Down on Broadway...

...oh.

Next thread! 😉

 

[Frank Blank]

7 minutes ago, 4000 said:

Next thread! 😉

Indeed so but Fragile is my favourite Yes album simply because that was the first Yes album played to me by my brother. My favourite track however is Sound Chaser from Relayer. I’ve only recently been remembering how influential Chris Squire has been, I loved his playing, as did my brother, that mad metallic tone and the distinctive Rickenbacker. He was important also as something to kick back against when Punk happened as I would listen to the incredible virtuosity of Yes and think I’d never play music or be in a band but then Punk happened and that was my music rather than the hand-me-down prog from my brother. Obviously Punk made lots of us suddenly realise we could play, form bands, gob at each other and suddenly all that widdly-woo prog indulgence was sneered at by the new Punk orthodoxy. I still listened to Yes, Genesis, Steely Dan but in private! Thank lord the silly orthodoxy wore off with age and now I listen to Crass alongside Yes, Genesis alongside Sleaford Mods. I’m rambling... 

[4000]

2 hours ago, Frank Blank said:

Indeed so but Fragile is my favourite Yes album simply because that was the first Yes album played to me by my brother. My favourite track however is Sound Chaser from Relayer. I’ve only recently been remembering how influential Chris Squire has been, I loved his playing, as did my brother, that mad metallic tone and the distinctive Rickenbacker. He was important also as something to kick back against when Punk happened as I would listen to the incredible virtuosity of Yes and think I’d never play music or be in a band but then Punk happened and that was my music rather than the hand-me-down prog from my brother. Obviously Punk made lots of us suddenly realise we could play, form bands, gob at each other and suddenly all that widdly-woo prog indulgence was sneered at by the new Punk orthodoxy. I still listened to Yes, Genesis, Steely Dan but in private! Thank lord the silly orthodoxy wore off with age and now I listen to Crass alongside Yes, Genesis alongside Sleaford Mods. I’m rambling... 

Sleaford Mods are great. Not as great as Yes or Genesis, mind. 😉

I’ve never really had much time for any sort of “musical orthodoxy”, probably because my dad was/is what I refer to a a “Jazz fascist”, in that he views almost all non-Jazz as crap and I grew up not being able to play music at home (although did hear stuff on the radio) unless it had been vetted; the first I was allowed to play was ABBA. Of course it wasn’t all bad as I was exposed to most of the great jazz artists literally from birth (probably before!).

So I decided pretty early that if I liked something, it didn’t matter what it was. As such I’ll happily switch between Yes, The Damned, Manowar, Tangerine Dream, ABBA, Count Basie, Johnny Cash, Stravinsky, First Aid Kit and Sandy Denny etc etc without blinking an eye.

So far as I’m concerned there are only 2 types of music, music you like and music you don’t. If you don’t like it, that doesn’t mean it’s not valid. Just move on to something you do like.

 I’m rambling a bit too..... been a long day.😉

[toneknob]

+1 for Relayer