YES

Yes were obviously progressive from the very beginning, and even though they hadn't fully developed their sound and approach to the degree they would a few albums later, they still sound very much like Yes on this fine debut. Chris Squire's punchy, organic bass playing, Bill Bruford's more on the jazz side of jazz./rock drumming, Tony Kaye's dark, evocative organ- heaving keyboarding are already present, and Jon Anderson's voice was already as beautiful, expressive, and otherwolrdly as it ever has been. Peter Banks is also an underrated guitarist, and while he may not sound like Steve Howe, his colorful tones and moody lead lines compliment Kaye's parts perfectly. As for the songs, they're all good, and even though they had a couple more albums to go before they'd fully refined their compositional approach, everything here is very progressive and confidently arranged, including insightful, positive lyrics, with the sweet "Sweetness" being the simplest track, and the emotionally dramatic "Survival" being the closest to their now familiar and recongnized style. As a matter of personal preference, I never have really got into Yes' cover versions nearly as much as their originals, and while I wouldn't consider their cover of "Every Little Thing" to be an improvement over the original, I make an exception for their cover of "I See You", where they take the jazzy elements and increase them to just the right degree, turning it into a true classic definitive version. There are some very interesting chord changes, vocal harmonies, and various musical nuances in songs like "Looking Around" and "Harold Land", and I'm sure that the album called Yes blew away many a mind in '69. If you're a Yes fan and still haven't heard this wonderful debut, you are missing out.