TIME AND A WORD

Sadly, at the time of this writing, this album's rating is only 3.22, for this is truly a masterpiece.

I prefer much of this to Close to the Edge. The whole album is so rocking and intense that really there are few flaws to be found. 'Then' stands out as my favorite track. (Also, some awesome footage of that song can be found on YouTube) Astral Traveler, The Prophets, Everydays, and Time and a Word are great as well. This album is especially interesting as it really shows the evolution of Yes. It transitions very well into The Yes Album, which, as this album, flirts at times with hard rock.

One of the unique qualities of this album is the backing orchestra. It sounds very different than most backing orchestral tracks. Instead of blending in the background, the orchestra is very easily separable from Yes in the mix. Just an interesting item to note when listening.

Another point of interest is the lack of Yes's later pompous-ness and over-exaggeration of prog themes to be found on Close to the Edge, Going for the One, Fragile, etc.

Oh, and Bill Bruford. He is a monster on this album. Better than even some of his King Crimson stuff. Tony Kaye also gives a good performance. His style is completely different from Wakeman, but fits in just as well with the music.

9/10 (5*)