Best Yes Epic?

[Rick and Roll]

Funny you should say "bare your soul" when GFTO has a naked man on the cover

Open Your Thighs is abysmal.

I love Tormato. The only issue I have with it is that it's very treble and tinny sounding. On The Silent Wings Of Freedom is awesome, Don't Kill the Whale, Onward. I've always been a Squire man.

Drama is excellent! Howe and Squire work magic on it.

So is Relayer...

And I have a soft spot for "Brother of Mine". A great tune.

Sorry about Endless Calling, I just think it has 7-8 minutes of unexciting music. Again, just me I'm sure...

[RogorMortis]

The first Yes record I bought was CTTE, which remains "the epic" in my mind as it is a well contructed song while TFTO follow closely afterwards. Awaken however is far down the list for me.

[PFD]

Hmm, gets more interesting, as more people add their thoughts.

I see a lot of people haven't paid too much attention to Yes of the last decade.

Open Your Eyes is garbage, that's a fact. But I recommend to anybody who doesn't have it, to pick up Keys to Ascension 1. It's a double CD containing some classic live Yes songs from the 70s period. Plus the second disc contains two pretty impressive studio songs, both lengthy and worthy of being epics (hence why I put That, That is on the list).

Picking my favourite Yes album is one of those tough things. It all depends on my....um....mood for a day (heh).

The Yes Album, of course, contains some of the classic songs Yes never seem to tire of performing (Disgrace, All Good People, Trooper). Fragile, of course, contains one of my favourite Yes tunes ever (Sunrise). And CTTE has And You and I.

But Going For The One, by far, as a whole album, seems to be the best. It also seems to be the favourite Yes album by Yes members, considering that as recently as their anniversary tour they played just about all of it except for Parallels.

My least favourite of the classic Yes period is Relayer. Not sure why, but that album never did anything for me. Gates is a good song, but those other two songs really grate my nerves. I find them way too noisy and that whole, "cha cha cha cha cha" bit on one of them drives me suicidal.

I have a soft spot for Drama as that was actually the first Yes album I bought.

I'm not averse to liking the Rabin period; good for them for building a nice little retirement fund from the 80s. And for once it did bring out some hot babes to the Yes shows of that period. Must be the whole Rabin in leather pants.

The KTA studio stuff was a return to form, I think, and it was good to see Mind Drive on the last tour. The Ladder and Magnification both leave me wanting. There's some good tracks on both, but none that make me rank them high on the alltime great Yes albums.

I hope there's at least one more good Yes album out there left in them before they pack up and call it a day.

[Rick and Roll]

Originally Posted by PFD

Hmm, gets more interesting, as more people add their thoughts.

Keys to Ascension 1.

Relayer - those other two songs really grate my nerves.

Mind Drive

I love the Ascension records. Some say the recording is crap, but I can't tell. The side with America is great.

Mind Drive is nice, but Footprints the song I dig.

I can see Sound Chaser doing it but To Be Over? That's a wonderful song.

[Michael]

So I'll ask this do you guys think Trevor Horn did a good Job filling in for Jon?Really i would love to see em do another Album really i think horns pretty good.And what ever happend to Eddie Offord?

[roger]

ok guys, I'm about to bare my soul, please be gentle with me.

which album is Awaken on? the only Yes album that I really know is Fragile. (which I love)

for some reason, after I bought Fragile, I just never bought anymore Yes. guess I shouldn't have wasted my money on that fourth Starcastle record... (I know I shouldn't have wasted my money on the fourth Starcastle record!!)

[kirk]

WHAAAAAA??

bud, if you've never heard "going for the one" you're in for a treat!!!
the whole album's great.on AWAKEN, rick plays the great pipe organ
at vevay switzerland, backed by the choir.

k

[Richard701]

Must admit I'm not one of the fans of the more 'recent' Yes music. Tormato was the last good Yes album for me, although I do particularly like the ABWH albums, proper Yes to me in everything except name. I was quite disappointed with Drama and 90125 and don't think I own any studio album after that time under the official Yes banner.

Yes to me are, and always will be a 'Cosmic Prog' band, and although I've nothing against bands developing over time, for me the development of Yes was a negative rather than a positive progression.

[kirk]

hi richard- i think i enjoy DRAMA now, more than i did when it
was released. it's still tough to find a better mix than howe,
squire and white, although jon has always been the driving force,
the crucial element for me.
his "OLIAS..." and later work w/ vangelis...
Roger...don't tell me. is outstanding.

actually, i enjoyed J&V's "private collection","friends of mr. cairo"
better than some of the Yes output from the same era.
i always list them as influences.

p e a c e

kirk

[roger]

ok, thanks for the Tormato hit. I do have that one, too. "no clowns..."

I am a huge Jon Anderson fan, and really like his work with Vangelis, (after hearing "So Long, So Clear" on Heaven and Hell. stunning) especially "Short Stories". I also have "Olias", which is great. (but not as good as SS for me. timing, most likely.)

guess I'll hit up Amazon for GFTO!

[kirk]

Originally Posted by roger

ok, thanks for the Tormato hit. I do have that one, too. "no clowns..."

TORMATO did very badly sales wise, but like DRAMA, it's held up
over time.
those 2 cd releases came years after the "classic" material.
it was a time of infighting, much debate on direction, likely due to
the quality of the GFTO material (see ELP's "love beach").

@roger- fyi- jon and rick left to be replaced by trevor horn and
geoff downes, AKA "the buggles" of "video killed the radio star" fame.

IMO the only Yes material not worth the plastic it's printed on
is "open your eyes". i don't think i've played it since the day of purchase.
i can't say that most of "Magnification" impressed me much, but
i did like some parts of "the ladder", esp. "9 voices".

if you haven't heard J&V's "private collection", it's well worth the $$,
my personal favorite. "he is sailing" (which, btw was the AM anniversary
party "name that tune in 1 note" contest answer..thank you davin)
is worth the price of the cd.

k

[roger]

< Private Collection

I'll put it on my Wish List...

[kirk]

Open Your Thighs is abysmal.

thank you...i felt a little ill when i got to "man in the moon".
comicbook guy voice- "worst Yes song ever"!

my favorite cut on Talk is "where will you be.." hands down.
it was a highlight of that tour.
it was only jon, trevor and chris center stage w/ a white spot.
jon kept the beat w/ a handheld wooden instrument (beats me...)
jon and trevor sat, chris stood behind w/a white zeta upright bass.

trevor tore that acoustic guitar part in the middle up.
it was stunning.

ok, sounding like a fanboy...time to go.

k

[Michael]

Tales and Close To The Edge whats was funny was i just got done Playing Revealing Science of God Not 5 mins ago .I'll add Machine Messiah in there one of my favs from Drama if you can call it epic

[podakayne]

LOL i like the development of this thread...i have most of the classics on vinly and sorry you cant get to the Rabin period...i actually thought i was going to hate that lp—but i don't it's one of my favorites start to finish (esp. Soundchaser, i see an entire animated film in with that score) it's also one of my favorite lp covers...Going for the One, Close to the Edge, the Yes Album...don't make me choose

poda

[kirk]

"the more drama tour". the syn's playing a smaller venue in seattle
(the tractor in ballard for the seattlites on the list) w/ alan white
on drums through january. see www.yesworld.com for tour info.

i thought trevor did a great job. chris said they were booed off stage
when doing the old stuff live.

eddie offord produced a few pieces on Union.

k

[sharcnorris]

Here in Hartford, the first Non/Jon Yes concert ever occured. In the round the Yes/Buggles Synergy arrived still to a full Civic Center. Horn was Nervious and really didn't sing with any force untill Half way in. It was a fine show.
Trevor's true skills lay in producing. His incredible audio soundstage, extreme Left/right sound placement, and pristene low ends made his studio skills first class.
Besides producing BIG GENERATOR and 90125, Try listening to his studio manipulations on FRANKIE GOES TO HOLLYWOOD. A Recording Major.......

[kirk]

it's not for everyone, but no one's mentioned experimental brit
synth group art of noise,fronted and produced by trevor horn-

http://music.yahoo.com/ar-252491---A...se&ov tac=PPC

"the seduction of claude debussy" featured lol creme of
godley and creme/10cc.

agree w/ sharc, an excellent producer.

k

[dinosaur]

Jumping in late to add my two cents...
'Gates of Delirium' defines Yes for me.
Great guitar work, crashing war scenes (anti-war message, really), soothing beauty and hope--soon, oh soon.

LOTS of close seconds, and 'That, That Is' kinda grows on you!

[Yesspaz]

Originally Posted by PFD

Having a debate with some friends over at the Marillion chat room.

What is the best Yes epic song?

Close to the Edge?
Revealing Science?
Ritual?
The Ancient?
The Remembering?
Gates of Delirium?
Awaken?
That, That is?

Might have forgotten one, not sure.

I'm thinking a toss up between Close and Awaken.

Yeah! You missed TWO! Mind Drive and Endless Dream.

My vote goes for, uh, ummm... Awaken and Ritual and Gates and Endless Dream...