Yes in the 90's

While I admittedly do feel their 70's albums were the best they have ever done(not to mention among the best in the entire prog rock genre)the band didn't end with that decade. Well, they almost did actually but then they resurfaced. However, many prog rock fans(and classic rock fans too for that matter; especially them) will have you believe that their 70's material is the only stuff that matters. In my opinion this is simply not true and those who believe that are missing out on some great music.

For me personally, the 1990's is their most under rated and underappreciated decade. Sure, there were some albums that many people don't like and feel were poor but even on those albums there are a few gems. The decade started out with Union which, while a bit of a hodgepodge in terms of production especially considering the different musicians and lineups involved including ghost musicians, still has a few gems on it that wouldn't have sounded too out of place on the Anderson, Bruford Wakeman Howe album from 1989. Next up is Talk which in general is a very underrated album by the band. The production and engineering was handled by Trevor Rabin who wrote most of the music and as such some feel it is more of a Trevor Rabin solo album then a true Yes album. Nonetheless it is a very fine album and "Endless Dream" in particular is among the best epics they have ever done. Next up are the keys to ascension albums which saw a return to the classic lineup of Howe, Anderson, White, Squire and Wakeman. Unfortunately, that lineup didn't last that long and the band ultimately recorded the much poppier and less than stellar Open Your Eyes which still had a few good tunes on it although admittedly it is not the most representative of their career. Finally(no pun intended)we have the Ladder which was a bit of a return to Yes's roots and while not quite as progressive or retro sounding over all as the studio tracks to keys to ascension was certainly more of a bone thrown to their hardcore fans than Open Your Eyes. The opening track "Homeworld(the ladder)in particular is a good example of Yes reviving their glory days. Yes would continue into the next decade(and beyond)but the focus here is Yes from the 90's so I will conclude by listing 10 songs that I feel are worthy of checking out for those who don't know Yes past the 70's or 80's.

Yes from the 90's song list:

1. I would have waited forever (Union)

2. Lift Me Up (Union)

3. Silent Talking (Union)

4. The Calling (Talk)

5. Endless Dream (Talk)

6. Be The One (Keystudio) (originally Keys To Ascension)

7. Mind Drive (Keystudio) (originally Keys To Ascension 2)

8. New State of Mind (Open Your Eyes)

9. Homworld (the ladder) (The Ladder)

10. The Messenger (The Ladder)

There were a few other good songs from those albums and it's difficult to chose only ten but those in particular I feel are worth mentioning.

Well, I figured there would be some fans like you out there which is why I included the song list. 

Well, you owe to yourself to at least check out some of these 90's albums. Both of those are good but I think Talk, KTA and the Ladder are at least as good if not better(imo).

 

I will, eventually. I have over 80,000 albums to listen to in my own personal Artists & Albums database.

 

Yes, but they're not all prog albums.

Oh god, I hope not.