YESSONGS

This was the album that got me into Yes and prog! Now, I will admit that this album is badly in need of a remaster. The sound quality is not so great, hence the subtraction of a star. But the performances are outstanding. Perhaps there is some sloppiness (I don't think there is much at all...and I am a musician who has been playing for 20 years now), but it is made up for by sheer energy and emotional exuberance by all band members. An incredible performance. Perhaps I am a bit biased since this was the album that turned me on to Yes (I was starting to discover other prog bands at the time, but this was what made me a prog head), but I think this album is outstanding. Other than the above mentioned, relatively poor production (it's a live ablum though, so I can cut some slack for that) all songs outshine the studio versions for me, especially the Close To The Edge material. I always felt that the songs on close to the edge sounded like a bunch of pieces recorded seperately and glued together in the studio.....and they were. But here, they sound like cohesive pieces of music and you realize just how magnificent they really are. So, to conclude, an excellent intro to Yes. I have used it for that purpose with a number of friends, and nearly all of them loved it (the one or two exceptions were people who didn't like any other prog I played for them either). 4 stars without a doubt.