THE YES ALBUM

Clap: first solo piece by Howe, it is a good melody and has rhythm. Sometimes I think this song is a little childlike, but nothing that takes the merit of it. Great start for Steve. 4 stars.

A Venture: very catchy song, it has incredible melody and harmony. It's calm, soft and has something special. I really like it. 4,25 stars.

I've Seen All Good People: this album made some hymns for Yes, some songs that Yes NEEDS to play in any show. This is one of them. With its opening probably influenced by medieval music, where we can hear a lute or something like that, it has a powerful phrase: 'I've seen all good people turn their heads each day so satisfied, I'm on my way'. All fans shout this sentence when they play it. Obviously. It's a catchy song, very melodic, harmonic and beautiful. At 3:32, it becomes a rock song, that's amazing. 5 stars.

Perpetual Change: simply amazing. It contains some of the most important elements of Progressive Rock. If somebody asked me to show a progressive rock song, I'd probably show this song, and when it arrived at 5:10, I'd say 'My friend, THIS is Progressive Rock'. Great lyrics, great rhythm, there's a lot of complexity, mainly by Bruford's syncopation and by the counterpoint part (5:10 - 6:26). The end of the song is absolutely amazing, that wonderful rhythm playing with the "aaaahs" till the song fades out. Nothing more to say, great hymn by Squire and Anderson. 5 stars.

Starship Trooper: Another hymn for the band, a necessary song for any show. I'd call it a Progressive Psychedelic song, because of its psychedelic atmosphere, given by all instruments. Very mystic, the lyrics and the guitar fit perfectly with the drum fills. This is about 'Life Seeker', cause 'Desillusion' is totally different from the whole song, but of course it is good as well. Fast, with country and folk influences, this part is very beautiful, mainly the acoustic guitar and the lyrics. The section 'Wurm' is so Progressive that it almost describes all Prog Rock by itself: the remarkable guitar chords with effects, the acoustic guitar following the electric guitar, the drums entering softly and the guitar solo are fantastic. Classic Yes song. 5 stars.

Yours Is No Disgrace: This song is almost impossible to be described in mere words, at least for me. Another MUST-BE-PLAYED-YES-SONG, this classic has fantastic lyrics. I've read somewhere they are about Vietnam war. I don't know if it's true, but they're amazing anyway. The intro is simply the BEST INTRO I've heard in a song in my whole life. Jon Anderson's voice is soft in some parts, aggressive in others. He really gives the emotion this song needs. All instruments are so incredible and fit so good together, it seems this song is so perfect that it doesn't exist. But thank god it does. The bass line is, once again, a classic from Mr. Squire. The part from 4:45 to 6:56 is very Psychedelic, and the part after that is very emotional. The way the band plays in this part is different from the beginning, it has more feeling. The song ends with the riff from the intro and a bass which goes to infinity (if you ever listened to it, you know what I'm talking about.). 1000 stars.

Yes, this album opened all the doors to Yes. 5 stars.

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