THE YES ALBUM

The Yes Album is actually the first symphonic prog album that I owned and for years I did not even know that it was a prog album. I always thought that this was an amazing album, but I only recently discovered the wonderful world of prog music. When I first heard this album I was kind of taken back by how intricate the songs were and how bombastic sounding it was. I was blown away so to speak. The reason I sought out this album was because I had heard Starship Trooper for the first time at a laser light show featuring "space" themed songs. That song really stuck out to me. Hearing that song for the first time on such loud speakers was quite the experience. Sorry for that tangent, I will now continue with the review.

The Yes Album, to me sounds like a new beginning. They already had an album entitled "Yes" but their third album was entitled "The Yes Album" with emphasis on "The." In other words, this was "The" Yes sound, and "The" first real Yes album. Now, granted I have never heard "Yes" or "Time and a Word," but from what I heard these are not even close to what their sound developed into.

Yours is No Disgrace starts out with a loud, bombasitic, syncopated, intro that will grab your attention. The song is never boring, very musical, great lyrics, and is one to blast in your car. The Clap is a great acoustic number performed by Steve Howe. Here he is basically showing off his skills, but this is really a great song. Maybe it doesn't fit in with the rest of the music, but still. Of course Starship Trooper is an amazing song with a great guitar riff that is repeated for most of the first part of the song. The end of the song does get repetitive, but not to the point where it is annoying or pointless; it builds appropriately to a short solo by Steve and ends.

The second half of the album is only slightly weaker than the first. If you have ever listened to any classic rock radio then you have probably heard I've Seen All Good People. It's a great song, but personally I enjoy the Your Move section much more than the second part which is repetitive and doesn't have that umph that most Yes stuff has. A Venture is a good tune, but just good. It is short and seems somewhat pointless compared to the other stuff on the album. Now, Yes ends the album with Perpetual Change, an amazing song. There is another syncopated intro just as in Yours is No Disgrace, but it is still very different from Yours is No Disgrace. There are jazzy moments here; transitions between more rocking parts and slower, softer passages; and lyrics that are interesting and obscure ("And one peculiar point I see, As one of many ones of me").

In closing, this is an excellent album by Yes, but their best was definitely yet to come. I am giving this album 4 stars due to the unimpressive second section of I've Seen All Good People and the weaker track A Venture. The highlights here are Yours is No Disgrace, Starship Trooper, and Perpetual Change.