Description
They survived the extensive replacement of their audience as well as the departure of important band members – and thus undoubtedly wrote the greatest success story in progressive rock. The band were initially only able to hint at the ingredients for this on their 1969 debut, simply titled “Yes”, but it wasn’t just the spectacularly bold covers of “I See You” (Byrds) and “Every Little Thing” (Beatles) that promised greater things to come. That came two years later with “The Yes Album”: cosmically inspired lyrics, melodies inspired more by folk and classical music, instrumental virtuosity that also made complex arrangements possible and, of course, that unique singer in Jon Anderson, who seemed to float above it all with his ethereal falsetto and yet was right in the middle of it all.
In addition, Steve Howe was a brilliant guitarist, while Chris Quire placed his bass as prominently as only John Entwistle had dared to do with The Who. At the beginning of 1972, Rick Wakeman joined the band as a new keyboardist (complete with Moog synthesizer) and their international breakthrough came with their best album to date, “Fragile”. The single “Roundabout” reached the Top 20 in the USA and the fantasy cover by Roger Dean was a perfect match for the music. In the same year, Yes delivered their preliminary masterpiece.
The title track of “Close To The Edge”, which spanned an entire album side, encapsulated the quintessence of their sound and took the band into the Top 5 on both sides of the Atlantic. Ten years later, the Brits seemed to be more dead than almost any other band. But Trevor Horn’s shrewd production and Jon Anderson’s undiminished charisma led Yes to an astonishing renaissance among a new generation in 1983 with “90125”. The spectacular break in the huge hit “Owner Of A Lonely Heart” is one of the most sampled rap set pieces ever.
5CD set contains the albums:
Going For The One
Tormato
Drama
90125
Big Generator
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