THE YES ALBUM

The Yes Album is the start of a new Yes-era, which is a less psychedelic, and more progressive one. The Yes Album features Yes songs which have became massive classics over the years, like Yours is No Disgrace, I've Seen All Good People and Starship Trooper. The album has a famous sound which can be recognized in a second by true Yes fans, with it's instrument volumes and overall sound.

The symbolic opening of hit Yours is No Disgrace is the start of this fantastic album. Tony Kaye's out-of-time organ chords and Bill Bruford's snare are the things this opening what it is. Steve Howe's sound is very similar to Peter Banks'; a fat guitar with a fat sound, fast blues-styled playing, yet with many classical influences, meaning Howe isn't as original as he originally seemed to be. Chris Squire is getting closer to the famous Squire- Rickenbacker sound on this album, now playing on an Ampeg amplifier with a slight amount of distortion, through the amp.

The thing Howe did not steal from Banks is actually acoustic and classical guitar playing. The Clap is a perfect example of what you will hear on following albums, like Mood for a Day on Fragile, and so on and so forth. Howe also has his famous ES-355-with-flanger sound, most famously utlized on I've Seen All Good People and Perpetual Change, both on this album, but especially on Wurm, the third segment of Yes classic Starship Trooper.

Your Move, the first section of I've Seen All Good People, has Colin Goldring, of soon-to-be Gnidrolog half-fame, playing the recorder. "For the queen to use" is a lyric which I have never really understood, but everytime I hear it makes me wonder what it might mean and what context it is said. Also, there are barely audible backing vocals on the Your Move section singing what seems to be John Lennon's Give Peace A Chance, a song which has Alan White's (soon-to-be Yes drummer) drumming.

This album is diverse yet simple, it goes high and low, right and wrong, good and bad, stop and go, happy and sad. This album really is a perpetual change, with its, well, endless changing. Like Squire, Bruford is one step closer to his trademark sound here, and I mean that seriously, his snare is even tuned a tad higher!

Anyway, The Yes Album is the beginning of Yes' trademark sound, with the trademark lineup starting only on the next album, Fragile, with Rick Wakeman joining in on keyboards, and staying up until his departure from the band in 1974, due to band problems. The playing here is fantastic, despite the arrival of a new guitarist and a whole new sound, so yeah, this album is an excellent addition to any prog rock music collection. The Anderson- non-false-falsetto sound has yet to change, and nor will it for a long time from this album, which is around, 38 years. So my final words are: this album is great, must-buy for starter Yes fans, people who have discovered Flash before Yes, and people who want to get turned on to progressive rock in general: 4/5 stars.

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