YES

Yes the cover band. (Only two songs.)

1. "Beyond and Before" (4:50) a long-time opener to Yes concerts (even in their previous incarnation as Mabel Greer's Toyshop) the song is notable for Chris Squire's already loud, chunky bass play and the band's three part harmony vocals (start to finish). Really this is a pretty decent--and surprisingly proggy--song. Definitely a top three song. (9/10)

2. "I See You" (6:33) a blues-rocker cover of a Byrds song whose rendering could've come from CREAM is notable for the jazzy Robert Fripp-like muted guitar tone used by the ambling play of Peter Banks as well as the first (sparing) display of Jon Anderson as a lead vocalist (the majority of the song's vocals are delivered in three part harmony). The instrumental fourth and fifth minutes shows more of Chris Squire's chunky bass as well as some of Bill Bruford's jazzy drum chops. Peter Banks is impressive as a jazz/electric-classical guitarist! And those serious rock guitar chops in the sixth minute definitely preview the shoes that Steve Howe eventually steps into. (8.875/10)

3. "Yesterday and Today" (2:37) a more pastoral jazz-folk sound that bears more resemblance to the delicate songs proffered by The Moody Blues and The Beatles only these are far more acoustic-anchored than anything I know from these other bands mentioned. Quite delicate and lovely--with great melodies and wonderful layers of jazz- and folky-nuances. Definitely my favorite song on the album. (9.75/10)

4. "Looking Around" (3:49) full-on Yes with some of the raw heaviness and Hammond organ-dominance of URIAH HEEP. Great chord progressions, bridges, and nuanced transitions as well as harmony vocals in between Jon's lead lines--not too far from the Hollies and Crosby, Stills, and Nash stylings of the same period. (8.875/10)

5. "Harold Land" (5:26) opens with more Hammond organ-featuring music with a bit of a Country&Western twang to it--especially in the bass and simplistic guitar strumming pattern, but then things shift at the 1:20 mark into something that sounds more Gospel liturgical as Jon enters singing the lead (backed with Peter and Chris in true backing fashion). Jon's vocal sounds a lot like the folk vocals of some of the 1960s great female singers like Jacqui McShee, Judy Dyble, Maddi Prior, or Linda Thompson. (8.75/10)

6. "Every Little Thing" (5:24) heavier music with some Hendrix and Winwood-like jamming up front and frenetic rock drumming behind. Impressive musicianship over a Beatles song (making it almost unrecognizable as originally coming from the Fab Four)! (8.75/10)

7. "Sweetness" (4:19) a song that opens with gentle organ, acoustic guitar, and upper register electric bass weaving with delicate drum play beneath over which Jon sings a bluesy vocal with some very nicely arranged (and performed) harmony vocals supporting him. The collective sound of the instruments begins to thicken and harden in the third minute but then, rather suddenly, things revert to the delicate thinness of the opening. Interesting song. (8.75/10)

8. "Survival" (6:01) one of my all-time favorite Yes songs--even from first hearing it back in 1975 or 76 when I purchased the Yesterdays album. I love all parts of the suite (shades of things to come!) I especially love the fact that there are two rather distinct motifs introduced and explored before a vocal ever enters--and then the amazingly surprising vocal that Jon enters with! And then the way it builds--with the vocals doing the work!--to the two parts of the angelic chorus! Sublime! And so unique! (9.5/10)

Total Time 38:59

Overall, this album offers a very impressive introduction of a set of very skillful musicians who, together, have a very unique, creative, and surprisingly mature style of composition and song rendering. The skills and ranges of Peter Banks, Jon Anderson, and Tony Kaye all come shining through while those of Chris Squire and Bill Bruford still seem to be shaping and developing (though there are plenty of glimmers of brilliance from both throughout the album).

A-/five stars; a surprisingly mature and skillful display of song-crafting: it's not the full brilliance of future Yes, but, when compared to all of the other music produced in 1969, this is amazing! Especially for the definite expression of creativity offered to the world. This is definitely an album of what I would call full-on "progressive rock" music! In my opinion, had they never done another album after this, they would still hold a prominent place in the history of progressive rock music for this album alone.

After listening to SO MANY albums from the 1960s over the past three years (mostly for the sake of research into the histories of Prog Folk, Jazz-Rock Fusion, the prog epic, the "first prog album," and proto-prog), I can say with clear confidence that this is one of the best and most complete prog albums of the 1960s!

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