Who influenced Yes?
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Topic: Who influenced Yes?
Posted By: mukster
Subject: Who influenced Yes?
Date Posted: November 29 2009 at 23:16
So I always hear how many bands the original "prog" bands influenced, but here is a question: who influenced Yes? Are there any bands that these guys listened to that helped them create their sound? ------------- "Johnny calls the chemist, but the chemist doesn't come" |
Replies:
Posted By: Equality 7-2521
Date Posted: November 30 2009 at 00:04
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Simon and Garfunkel were a big influence on Yes. ------------- "One had to be a Newton to notice that the moon is falling, when everyone sees that it doesn't fall. " |
Posted By: Eetu Pellonpaa
Date Posted: November 30 2009 at 00:09
| As one band, I have understood The Byrds were among them ("I See You" is in their 1st album, and they are also strong with multivocal harmonies in their 1st album). |
Posted By: Kestrel
Date Posted: November 30 2009 at 00:56
From Wikipedia's article on Chris Squire:
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When Squire was about sixteen, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Beatles - The Beatles and http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paul_McCartney - Paul McCartney were the catalyst that prompted him to consider a career in music and to take up the http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bass_guitar - bass guitar .Posted By: TheLastBaron
Date Posted: November 30 2009 at 01:14
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I would say that definetly the beatles, they were an influence on so many early prog bands
------------- " Men are not prisoners of fate, but prisoners of their own minds." - FDR |
Posted By: Jake Kobrin
Date Posted: November 30 2009 at 02:21
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Perhaps LSD was amongst them...
------------- http://www.facebook.com/pages/Dr-Neil-Kobrin/244687105562746" rel="nofollow - SUPPORT MY FATHER AND BECOME A FAN Jacob Kobrin Illustration |
Posted By: Trianium
Date Posted: November 30 2009 at 03:32
| The Beatles, Pink Floyd, probably The Doors, King Crimson... |
Posted By: Dick Heath
Date Posted: November 30 2009 at 04:13
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And never forget Hank Marvin/the Shadows! ------------- The best eclectic music on the Web,8-11pm BST/GMT THURS. CLICK ON: http://www.lborosu.org.uk/media/lcr/live.php - http://www.lborosu.org.uk/media/lcr/live.php Host by PA's Dick Heath. |
Posted By: Moogtron III
Date Posted: November 30 2009 at 04:57
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They say also: Vanilla Fudge. Oh, and don't forget Buffalo Springfield. And have Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young not influenced Yes? If you listen to "Carry On" on Deja Vu: some parts of Yes' "Yours Is No Disgrace" remind me of that song. |
Posted By: harmonium.ro
Date Posted: November 30 2009 at 05:20
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This is from Bill's blog: Quick answers for james hyden - 16/09/2009 23:04:09 . who wants to know 1) “what kind of music were you guys (by 'you guys' i mean, 'yes men' during the yes years (of 1968-1973) listening to?” I played Chris Squire Art Blakey and Coltrane, Squire played Anderson the Vanilla Fudge and Syn, Anderson played Kaye Sibelius and Mahler, and Peter Banks played me Wes Montgomery and Pete Townsend. |
Posted By: TODDLER
Date Posted: November 30 2009 at 07:38
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As said before Simon and Garfunkel were quite an influence. I believe just in the early days they were. The debut album and Time and a Word. No! wait, I've Seen all good People is a little on the Paul Simon side. Steve Howe was really into a Jim Hall sound especially on the Yes Album. If you listen to The Planets by Holst everyday for about a week, you will also hear direct notation used in Yes songs. But as I said give yourself time to absorb The Planets. Many little ditties by Yes are influenced by various classical composers and not always artists of their genre. The Clap is obviously a ragtime piece. There may be a ragtime guitarist that Howe listened to. Who knows? Or maybe he just listened to a lot of Scott Joplin?
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Posted By: Slartibartfast
Date Posted: November 30 2009 at 09:35
Dream Theater. 
------------- Released date are often when it it impacted you but recorded dates are when it really happened... 
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Posted By: mukster
Date Posted: November 30 2009 at 09:59
Interesting, looks like I shoulda googled just a bit more  Its interesting that so many "new" prog bands almost shamelessly copy some of the more traditional prog bands and at the same time these more traditional bands needed to grow from somewhere. Traditional isn't really the right word, but it is too early to think yet! Thanks for the input. ------------- "Johnny calls the chemist, but the chemist doesn't come" |
Posted By: Dean
Date Posted: November 30 2009 at 14:00
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"Who influenced Yes?" .... ------------- What? |
no they didn't.Posted By: Padraic
Date Posted: November 30 2009 at 14:03
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Posted By: Slartibartfast
Date Posted: November 30 2009 at 14:09
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Their best stuff was traveling through uncharted territory, moving away from their influences. Dream Theater. ------------- Released date are often when it it impacted you but recorded dates are when it really happened...
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Posted By: domizia
Date Posted: November 30 2009 at 16:23
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Isn't it amazing the lenght that bands like Yes went from their influences, while new bands nowadays arent' really much more than being good copies of these original prog bands, generally speaking. ------------- RPI=> http://www.camelotclubprog.net" rel="nofollow - Camelot Club Prog ...but also> http://www.maracash.com" rel="nofollow - MaRaCash records. |
Posted By: Dellinger
Date Posted: November 30 2009 at 21:33
| I guess Steve Howe must have been influenced by Bob Dylan (or at least he liked him a LOT). He even named his son Dylan Howe, and made a tribute album of Bob Dylan. |
Posted By: villastrangiato
Date Posted: November 30 2009 at 22:15
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I have a hunch that Howe had very disparate influences. Some of his phrasing is straight out of the Hendrix playbook but then on certain early songs you get a bit of a Les Paul and Chet Atkins kind of vibe coming through. He was always a fast and remarkably "clean" player - but towards the late seventies with Drama - it's pretty clear he was drawing upon some inspiration from others coming on the scene in that time period - while the rhythms, speed, and direction of the notes were all Howe, he was getting a more Van Halen-esque tone from the instrument - something that became very evident a couple years later with his stint in Asia. With Squire, jeez - how can you nail something like that down. The guy is and always was a tremendous innovator. Squire's harmonics experimentations may very well have influenced the great Jaco Pastorius who hit the scene a few years later with Weather Report. What can you say about a guy like that? Is there anybody that made bass sounds like Squire before there was Squire? - I'm not aware of anyone..... Bruford was another trendsetter. I can't think of anyone else before him that combined his intellect and disciplined approach to rock drumming. Yeah there were freaks of nature like Buddy Rich and Gene Krupa - but these guys weren't rhythm/blues/rock based artists - they were big band over achievers. The playing and interviews that Bruford did with King Crimson show a keen understanding of percussion that is more akin to a classically trained percussionist than a rock and roll drummer. Again, how do you spot the influences on an innovating genius - no easy task!
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Posted By: SergiUriah
Date Posted: November 30 2009 at 23:47
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The Beatles, Beach Boys and Small Faces. ------------- http://img229.imageshack.us/i/bonfirma.jpg/"> 
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Posted By: BaronVonCruzer
Date Posted: December 01 2009 at 05:20
You would be incorrect, It's well known that the Who is Jon's favorite band. The influences mentioned so far for Jon and Chris like Simon and Garfunkel, only address the vocal influences. Remember, we're talking about an actual band that plays instruments. ------------- THE PROG REPORT The Progressive Rock Fan's Guide To The iPod Revolution www.theprogreport.com |
Posted By: Dean
Date Posted: December 01 2009 at 06:20
But since you brought it up - no... being a fan does not necessarily imply influence, and influence would manifest itself in the recorded works. Listening to the first two Yes albums many of the "influences" meantioned so far are pretty self-evident (and I don't just mean in the choice of 4 cover songs) - those albums show a band finding their way, pooling their individual influences but not quite gelling them into a collective whole. Also S&G where not an a cappella band
 Paul Simon's gift for melody, without which all their vocal harmonies would fall flat, is something that certainly "inspired" Yes to go off on a 10 minute musical excursion during their cover of America.Anyway, Who picks up the ball and throws it to What. What throws it to I Don't Know. I Don't Know throws it back to Tomorrow. And as every Yes fan knows, Steve Howe was in Tomorrow but before that he was in with The In Crowd.
  ------------- What? |
Posted By: earlyprog
Date Posted: December 01 2009 at 07:00
You are implying that Hendrix influenced Howe. Couldn't it have been the other way around? Surely Hendrix must have met Howe in his London period.
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Posted By: M27Barney
Date Posted: December 01 2009 at 07:12
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You'll possibly get a floyd fan claiming that Dave Gilmour built a time-machine in his spare time (and from bits of an old washing machine and a couple of elastic bands) and went back in time to inseminate Mrs Hackett, Howe, Stolte and so on then going back even further to copulate with Mrs Beethoven, Bach and Handel.... Thus Dave Gilmour is the DADDY................... ------------- Play me my song.....Here it comes again....... |
Posted By: ExittheLemming
Date Posted: December 01 2009 at 07:43
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Not sure about the so-called poppy early stuff by Yes (cos I ain't heard it) but the Nice must have been a big influence on their first proggier material ? (Steve Howe was asked to join the Nice, tentatively agreed, then changed his mind apparently)
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Posted By: earlyprog
Date Posted: December 01 2009 at 07:53
| ^New to me, but I know for a fact that Howe was asked to replace Syd in Pink Floyd. In the same instant as he was about to enter the stage with them, Syd showed up after all and it didn't materialze. |
Posted By: Easy Money
Date Posted: December 01 2009 at 08:21
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I read an interview with them way back when and they cited early jazz fusion group The Crusaders, or Jazz Crusaders as they were often called, as a major influence. Also, the influence of Chet Atkin's guitar playing on Howe is more than obvious.
Re Hendrix/Howe, Jimi's guitar style was well established documented and recorded long before he arrived in London, that includes his early psych/prog/fusion numbers like 3rd Stone from the Sun too. Probably Howe, Hendrix, Clapton and many others were influenced by Albert King. Who influenced yes, no yes influenced who ever heard them except the who, yes the who were influential, but on yes, no. Yes were influenced by who they were listening to, maybe who was next door at the studios ... yes!, but not the who. |
Posted By: villastrangiato
Date Posted: December 01 2009 at 09:14
| I'm looking at specific techniques popularized by Hendrix - like something I call the "motown scratch" for example. It's nothing special - a simple effect that appears at the beginning of Voodoo Chile and in brief select moments - found its way (albeit somewhat modified with more of an accent on tone than percussion) into some of Howe's earlier stuff. Thinking back, it was really Hendrix in those days (late 60's) that was reinventing what one could do with the electric guitar. It has been well documented that legends like Clapton and Harrison attended Hendrix's concerts and experienced the jaw dropping syndrome much like Van Halen did years later watching Fripp engage in his onstage acoustic gymnastics. I always loved Howe's playing - placing it musically well above Hendrix for his clean classical approach infused with the kind of story telling lyrical solo that made Gilmour famous. Despite this, I recognize that Hendrix in the late sixties was truly a groundbreaker - and just about everybody who was somebody was soaking up his vibe at the time - not likely the other way around. That being said, if one listens to Chet Atkin's stuff, I think you'll find a lot more evidence of influence there in the direction Howe ultimately took than Hendrix. The kind of superhuman control and turn on a dime changes Howe is known for share a lot more in common with Chet than Jimi. Jimi had more of the trippy harmonies and melodies thing going on. Plus Howe's proclivity for acoustic arrangements and classical techniques is more up Chet Atkins alley than Jimi Hendrix so it seems like it was more natural for him to be influenced by master Atkins. Speaking of Atkins, I think he's not given the credit he's due as a true groundbreaker and legend. Only a few accomplished rock artists like Knopfler have widely acknowledged his contributions to modern music. Knopfler is sort of to Chet Atkins what Stevie Ray was to Hendrix - an interesting parallel. |
Posted By: Dick Heath
Date Posted: December 01 2009 at 09:51
Apparently Hendrix jammed with Tomorrow - but you got to be something really special to be allowed that sort of privilege - Hendrix jammed with Cream at least one gig because Hendrix's playing intimidated Clapton . ------------- The best eclectic music on the Web,8-11pm BST/GMT THURS. CLICK ON: http://www.lborosu.org.uk/media/lcr/live.php - http://www.lborosu.org.uk/media/lcr/live.php Host by PA's Dick Heath. |
Posted By: moshkito
Date Posted: December 01 2009 at 16:10
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Hi,
I've always thought that YES' main influences were classical music ... and the desire to take what they did beyond pop music ... and as such, it would be easy to say that this person and that person influenced this and that person, but in the end, the music was designed and defined to be a heck of a lot more than a pop song ... I say, they were trying to think of it as a "symphony" ... done by folks the same age as you and I.
You know what is sad? We don't want it! ... and the only things that get played are the "hit" songs, and not the more important and valid works that cement their group as a solid instrumental group quite capable of putting together very good music ... but you can see by the "standards" for "prog" that it will never happen ... since we don't believe that young folks can, or would want to ... do anything but create something that has already been done.
Btw .. Hendrix jammed with a lot of people, and it may mean something or not ... what does it matter? ... including the Beatles ... there was a bootleg that had a version of one song with Jimi ... and him and John had a rave on wahwah and massive guitar riffs! ... gotta a good reason ... and influences are ... a fleeting and silly connection ... like saying that everyone is copying Jimi simply because they use a wahwah ... and that's bs! ...
In the case of YES, some passages would be a representation of this and should have this and that , and it was composed to have that ... and had a lot less to do with Jimi or Clapton or anyone else ... which btw is also a bizarre comparison, considering they all came up at the same time, in the same schools and the same area! ------------- Music is not just for listening ... it is for LIVING ... you got to feel it to know what's it about! Not being told! www.pedrosena.com |
Posted By: Trianium
Date Posted: December 01 2009 at 16:22
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God AKA Jimi Hendrix was the father of all great guitarrist: Steve Howe, Steve Hackett, Eddie Van Halen, Ritchie Blackmore, Brian May, David Gilmour, Pete Townshend (yes he is an amazing player and he was influenced when the great Jimi went to UK...). I think that The Beatles and of course Moody Blues and King Crimson, probably Pink Floyd and the Byrds highly influenced YES. Why you forgot Procol Harum? i think they was one of the first Prog bands. |
Posted By: Trianium
Date Posted: December 01 2009 at 16:25
 This is funny!!!!
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Posted By: Dean
Date Posted: December 01 2009 at 18:10
 Yes were in their mid-20s when they produced Close To The Edge and Tales From Topographic Ocean - most of the great classical composers had written symphones in their mid-20s, so there is nothing remarkable in that.
There is nothing unusual in that either - how many people buy Classical Music compilations for the "Hits", or only buy Carmina Burana for O Fortuna, or can't recognise recognise the middle or end of Beethoven's 5th?
Who did? Not Yes and certainly not early (Banks/Kaye) Yes - they came from completely different areas of the UK (London, Leicestershire, Kent and Lancashire).
The biggest influence to any young band is not the discs they listened to on their little Dansette record players, it was the live bands they toured with and supported - any "scene" is self perpetuating, local bands gig together and a common sound develops. For Yes that local scene was the Marquee Club in London.
If you want to see which bands influenced Yes, and which bands they possibly influenced, look at the bands The Syn and Yes supported during their residencies at The Marquee Club from 1965 to 1968 ( http://www.themarqueeclub.net/calendar - http://www.themarqueeclub.net/calendar ) ... and yes, they supported the Who once. ------------- What? |
Posted By: Bitterblogger
Date Posted: December 01 2009 at 20:47
| The concert program for the Relayer tour provided many of the groups and individuals named above; what hasn't been mentioned are, in a contemporary vein, the 5th Dimension (Anderson) and Miles Davis (White); classically, John Dowland (Howe). Had Bruford still been in the group, he no doubt would've listed Scotty Moore from Elvis' group and several jazz artists. Check out the "Beginnings" segment of the YesYears video for others. |
Posted By: A Person
Date Posted: December 01 2009 at 20:49
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Posted By: Dellinger
Date Posted: December 01 2009 at 22:17
| I don't know about Hendrix influencing Howe, but I don know that Squire (and perhaps the rest of the original Yes) didn't even know him when they played at the Marquee. I read an interview with Squire about an occasion in which the leading act on The Marquee was changed to Hendrix, and he didn't recognize him, when he saw them playing he wasn't very amuesed at all (I think he even said the band couldn't play or something like that). But he was very amused to see in the crowd the likes of Clapton and George Harrison and other celebrities. |
Posted By: Dick Heath
Date Posted: December 02 2009 at 06:51
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The first CD issue of Touch (released by Renaissance Records c1992) includes citations in the liner notes by Jon Anderson and Kansas wrt Touch influencing their music. Touch's recording costs were subsidised by Hendrix because he was said to be impressed by the orginality of the their music. ------------- The best eclectic music on the Web,8-11pm BST/GMT THURS. CLICK ON: http://www.lborosu.org.uk/media/lcr/live.php - http://www.lborosu.org.uk/media/lcr/live.php Host by PA's Dick Heath. |
Posted By: moshkito
Date Posted: December 02 2009 at 17:35
I'm not sure that the "influence" ... is the measure for creation of something ... it is, however, a by-product that could be said to influence people ... but if you say ... that everyone gets influenced ... then, how is a Dali, Bunuel, Stravinsky, Bartok ... going to ... learn ... and eventually express themselves ...
Let me ask you a question ... is it not possible for you to learn to play a Stratocaster ... and you were born in Antartica, or Finland, or South Africa ... and because you do not sound like the "biggies" ... you are not "prog" or any other description for any kind of music?
Yes, it is very simple and easy to say that Steve Howe was infuenced by Hendrix or Clapton ... but then ... he never heard Beethoven or Mozart either? ... which was on the radio in England a heck of a lot more than a lot of this music that we discuss ... some of which even goes back to the Pirate Radio days? So, if I play a Mozart Violin Concerto with a stratocaster, and put it on a London Club ... and I get famous for playing that piece with 14 sound effects ... you are gonna say ... he was influenced by Jimi and Genesis and this and that?
There is a point, and this is what I have been saying all along, where you have to know what you are doing (to a point) and also have a desire inside to express something ... not just in lyrics ... in order to create something ... and something that is not just a song that in essence ... is a bit of a copy of the person you used to like before ... so, now, we're saying that Picasso's are not valid ... even if they played the same clubs as Yes did ...
I think that Steve Howe would say that he heard things and did things and liked some things ... but if you look at his catalogue, I want to say this ... the only artist he needed to know and hear ... was himself ... and he did that for this group and then some ... he has earned the right to be an artist and an individual ... where 90% of the bands that played in that club ... will not be remembered or mentioned again ... except have a song played in a movie someday!
Based on the Steve Howe days with the band, I really think that the influence is more classical music minded than it is anything else ... or the ability to do long cuts would not have happened ... in the end ... a clapton, jimi or that kind of influence is not enough ... they are not "srious musicians" .. they are POP musicians!
The point is ... when will you be old enough to be your own person ... not someoene else's idea or expression ... doesn't mean that as an adult you can't still like/enjoy appreciate Elvis or Jimi ... thus to say that one person's influence is this and that ... is almost so generic as to dilute the actual person's abilities into something that isn't!
------------- Music is not just for listening ... it is for LIVING ... you got to feel it to know what's it about! Not being told! www.pedrosena.com |
Posted By: Dick Heath
Date Posted: December 03 2009 at 07:32
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You don't have to work that hard at identifying Steve Howe's influences, when help is on hand to him paying his dues:
http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/images/B001HMQ6M6/ref=dp_image_0?ie=UTF8&n=77197031&s=dmusic">  ------------- The best eclectic music on the Web,8-11pm BST/GMT THURS. CLICK ON: http://www.lborosu.org.uk/media/lcr/live.php - http://www.lborosu.org.uk/media/lcr/live.php Host by PA's Dick Heath. |
Posted By: Kashmir75
Date Posted: December 04 2009 at 19:43
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I imagine the Beatles would have. They influenced everyone back then. Maybe Cream, Floyd, and Crimson influenced them as well. ------------- Hello, mirror. So glad to see you, my friend. It's been a while... |
Posted By: NecroManiac
Date Posted: December 05 2009 at 20:00
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This might be a shot in the dark but Aphrodite's Child's End of the World, released in '68, sounds pretty similar at times to the sound Yes adapted and later refined. Check 'em out: http://www.progarchives.com/artist.asp?id=1171 It's criminally ignored when the origins of progressive music is discussed. ------------- 
What's yer faovrite album? =^_^= |
Posted By: MichelNeurophile
Date Posted: December 07 2009 at 19:15
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I think Bill Bruford once said that Yes was first trying to do Beach Boys' harmonies in the jazz style. Michel. |