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Yes in the 90's

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AFlowerKingCrimson View Drop Down
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    Posted: November 16 2019 at 07:54
For most people Yes is more or less a band from the 70's. Sure, their best selling album is from the 80's but their reputation as a top tier prog rock band was cemented in the 70's. When you consider that their most famous albums in the prog community were released in the time span of 71-74 and especially 71-72 it's easy to see why so many feel that way. Recently I went somewhere that sells posters of rock bands. The only Yes poster there was of Fragile. It's not their best album cover but it is certainly one of their most iconic(and the first to feature artist Roger Dean). The point here is that even today Yes are probably remembered by music fans(and especially classic rock not to mention prog rock fans) most fondly for their 70's era despite the fact that their only number one single was from the following decade.

While I admittedly do feel their 70's albums were the best they have ever done(not to mention among the best in the entire prog rock genre)the band didn't end with that decade. Well, they almost did actually but then they resurfaced. However, many prog rock fans(and classic rock fans too for that matter; especially them) will have you believe that their 70's material is the only stuff that matters. In my opinion this is simply not true and those who believe that are missing out on some great music.

For me personally, the 1990's is their most under rated and underappreciated decade. Sure, there were some albums that many people don't like and feel were poor but even on those albums there are a few gems. The decade started out with Union which, while a bit of a hodgepodge in terms of production especially considering the different musicians and lineups involved including ghost musicians, still has a few gems on it that wouldn't have sounded too out of place on the Anderson, Bruford Wakeman Howe album from 1989. Next up is Talk which in general is a very underrated album by the band. The production and engineering was handled by Trevor Rabin who wrote most of the music and as such some feel it is more of a Trevor Rabin solo album then a true Yes album. Nonetheless it is a very fine album and "Endless Dream" in particular is among the best epics they have ever done. Next up are the keys to ascension albums which saw a return to the classic lineup of Howe, Anderson, White, Squire and Wakeman. Unfortunately, that lineup didn't last that long and the band ultimately recorded the much poppier and less than stellar Open Your Eyes which still had a few good tunes on it although admittedly it is not the most representative of their career. Finally(no pun intended)we have the Ladder which was a bit of a return to Yes's roots and while not quite as progressive or retro sounding over all as the studio tracks to keys to ascension was certainly more of a bone thrown to their hardcore fans than Open Your Eyes. The opening track "Homeworld(the ladder)in particular is a good example of Yes reviving their glory days. Yes would continue into the next decade(and beyond)but the focus here is Yes from the 90's so I will conclude by listing 10 songs that I feel are worthy of checking out for those who don't know Yes past the 70's or 80's.

Yes from the 90's song list:

1. I would have waited forever (Union)
2. Lift Me Up (Union)
3. Silent Talking (Union)
4. The Calling (Talk)
5. Endless Dream (Talk)
6. Be The One (Keystudio) (originally Keys To Ascension)
7. Mind Drive (Keystudio) (originally Keys To Ascension 2)
8. New State of Mind (Open Your Eyes)
9. Homworld (the ladder) (The Ladder)
10. The Messenger (The Ladder)

There were a few other good songs from those albums and it's difficult to chose only ten but those in particular I feel are worth mentioning.





Edited by AFlowerKingCrimson - November 16 2019 at 13:53
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Psychedelic Paul View Drop Down
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Psychedelic Paul Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: November 16 2019 at 07:58
Oddly, even though I'm a YES fan, I still haven't listened to the the six 1990's albums you mentioned in your list.
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote AFlowerKingCrimson Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: November 16 2019 at 08:00
Originally posted by Psychedelic Paul Psychedelic Paul wrote:

Oddly, even though I'm a YES fan, I still haven't listened to the the six 1990's albums you mentioned in your list.

Well, I figured there would be some fans like you out there which is why I included the song list. 
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Psychedelic Paul Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: November 16 2019 at 08:14
I like the two more recent YES albums though:- Magnification and Fly from Here.
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (1) Thanks(1)   Quote AFlowerKingCrimson Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: November 16 2019 at 08:51
Originally posted by Psychedelic Paul Psychedelic Paul wrote:

I like the two more recent YES albums though:- Magnification and Fly from Here.

Well, you owe to yourself to at least check out some of these 90's albums. Both of those are good but I think Talk, KTA and the Ladder are at least as good if not better(imo).


Edited by AFlowerKingCrimson - November 16 2019 at 10:01
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote SouthSideoftheSky Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: November 16 2019 at 11:50
 
Nice post! I agree that the 1990's is Yes' most underrated decade. I like all these albums.

A small note: the album that gathers together the studio tracks from the Keys to Ascension albums is called Keystudio (not "Studio Keys").
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Psychedelic Paul Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: November 16 2019 at 12:02
Originally posted by AFlowerKingCrimson AFlowerKingCrimson wrote:

Originally posted by Psychedelic Paul Psychedelic Paul wrote:

I like the two more recent YES albums though:- Magnification and Fly from Here.

Well, you owe to yourself to at least check out some of these 90's albums. Both of those are good but I think Talk, KTA and the Ladder are at least as good if not better(imo).
 
I will, eventually. I have over 80,000 albums to listen to in my own personal Artists & Albums database. Smile
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote AFlowerKingCrimson Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: November 16 2019 at 13:50
^Only 80,000 albums? Lol. 
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Psychedelic Paul Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: November 16 2019 at 13:51
Originally posted by AFlowerKingCrimson AFlowerKingCrimson wrote:

^Only 80,000 albums? Lol. 
 
Yes, but they're not all prog albums. Smile


Edited by Psychedelic Paul - November 16 2019 at 13:52
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote AFlowerKingCrimson Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: November 16 2019 at 13:51
Originally posted by SouthSideoftheSky SouthSideoftheSky wrote:

 
Nice post! I agree that the 1990's is Yes' most underrated decade. I like all these albums.

A small note: the album that gathers together the studio tracks from the Keys to Ascension albums is called Keystudio (not "Studio Keys").

That seems a bit nitpicky and trivial to me but fine. I'll change it. 
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote AFlowerKingCrimson Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: November 16 2019 at 13:53
Originally posted by Psychedelic Paul Psychedelic Paul wrote:

Originally posted by AFlowerKingCrimson AFlowerKingCrimson wrote:

^Only 80,000 albums? Lol. 
 
Yes, but they're not all prog albums. Smile

Oh god, I hope not. LOL
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Psychedelic Paul Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: November 16 2019 at 14:20
Originally posted by AFlowerKingCrimson AFlowerKingCrimson wrote:

Originally posted by Psychedelic Paul Psychedelic Paul wrote:

Originally posted by AFlowerKingCrimson AFlowerKingCrimson wrote:

^Only 80,000 albums? Lol. 
 
Yes, but they're not all prog albums. Smile

Oh god, I hope not. LOL
Less than 1% of the total (or less than 800) are actual prog albums, listed in the genres of Progressive Rock, Symphonic Rock & Neo-Prog. They were the same three prog genres we used when I ran my own music site. To be honest, I think ProgArchives system of multiple prog genres is much better. I wish I'd thought of it at the time when my music site was still up and running. Smile


Edited by Psychedelic Paul - November 16 2019 at 14:21
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (1) Thanks(1)   Quote omphaloskepsis Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: November 16 2019 at 16:41
I like 90's Yes.  Talk is my personal favorite.  Listen to Talk a lot. 
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote SouthSideoftheSky Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: November 17 2019 at 01:31
Originally posted by AFlowerKingCrimson AFlowerKingCrimson wrote:

Originally posted by SouthSideoftheSky SouthSideoftheSky wrote:

 
Nice post! I agree that the 1990's is Yes' most underrated decade. I like all these albums.

A small note: the album that gathers together the studio tracks from the Keys to Ascension albums is called Keystudio (not "Studio Keys").

That seems a bit nitpicky and trivial to me but fine. I'll change it. 


Sorry for nitpicking Embarrassed
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Cristi Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: November 17 2019 at 04:46
The 90s were Yes's least inspired years, you have two uneven albums - Union and The Ladder, a decent album with Talk and the godawful and bland Open Your Eyes.


Edited by Cristi - April 21 2022 at 14:34
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Psychedelic Paul Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: November 17 2019 at 05:12
Originally posted by Cristi Cristi wrote:

The 90s were Yes's least inspired years, you have two uneven albums - Union and The ladder, a decent album with Talk and the godawful and bland Open Your Eyes.
 
Having read your two-star review of "Open Your Eyes" I'll take your advice and say "No" instead of "Yes" to listening to that "godawful" album. Smile
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Blacksword Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: November 28 2019 at 05:34
I can take or leave 90's Yesm although I did enjoy the Talk album. Endless Dream is fantastic.

I do have a soft spot for Lift me Up from Union, although it does sound like a John Farnham cheese on toast fest.
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Chaser Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: November 28 2019 at 06:19
Look, they weren't in the same ball park as the 70's classics but, for all that, they did make a couple of decent albums that I would recommend to anyone who likes Yes.
 
The Ladder and Talk are the two that really stand out to me
 
Endless Dream is a fantastic track and is one of the few that might have a chance of competing with some of the 70's output.
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (1) Thanks(1)   Quote Cboi Sandlin Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: March 26 2021 at 07:59
I know that i am kinda late to the party by a couple of years Tongue but i would say that i really like the 90's Yes albums. Union is a really nice album, i think that the fact that a huge number of people collaborated on it intead of just a band of 5 or 6 people really gives a different flavor and perspective to the music. The Keys To Ascension albums I have not listened to in full, but i will say that i have listened to "That, that is" and it is prolly one of my favourite Yes songs of all time. Talk is not on Spotify so i have not listened to it yet, i am prolly gonna need to find somewhere i can buy it one vinyl or CD. As for Open Your Eyes, yes, it sounded very poppy, but i think that a lot of the tunes in it were very catchy. Of course, catchy pop songs are definently not what you are looking for when you listen to yes, but i still found it pretty good, i really liked the happy upbeat vibes in the album. I will say that the last song was complete trash though, idk what idiot would put 2 minutes of silence in the middle of a song, and then just put in nothing but bird sounds and small snippets of other songs for frickin 15 minutes! Still, other than that song, the album is pretty good. As for The Ladder, I think that it was also very good, i loved the positive vibes in the album. All in all, i think that Yes' 90's albums were very differant than Yes' 70's albums, but they were still amazing albums, prolly better than what most bands made in their prime years. I think that anyone reading this should definently give them all a listen.
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Psychedelic Paul Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: June 15 2021 at 13:32
Originally posted by AFlowerKingCrimson AFlowerKingCrimson wrote:

Originally posted by Psychedelic Paul Psychedelic Paul wrote:

I like the two more recent YES albums though:- Magnification and Fly from Here.

Well, you owe to yourself to at least check out some of these 90's albums. Both of those are good but I think Talk, KTA and the Ladder are at least as good if not better(imo).

You're right! Having now listened to the entire Yes back catalogue, these are my current Top 7 Yes albums:-

1. The Ladder 
2. Going for the One
3. Talk
4. Close to the Edge 
5. The Yes Album 
6. Fly from Here 
7. Magnification 
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