Early Yes have yet to get into anything approaching concept albums yet, Rick Wakeman and Steve Howe have both yet to join, so the focus ( for me at least ) is largely on Jon Anderson and Chris Squire, and neither disappoints, even if the album occasionally does. As for the guitarist here, a Mr Peter Banks provides the six string sounds, and does perfectly well, even if the string arrangements and the two hundred miles an hour bass sometimes obscure him. The keyboards don't do anything terribly interesting, although they are certainly present and heard. Bill Bruford is solid on the drums, and that's your line-up card filled for now. The keyboards do something through the introduction for the opening song, by the way. Very church organ, a sound that would reappear in future Yes music from time to time. Mr Squire is everywhere on bass, the keyboards pipe through trying to keep up with him, and Jon Anderson provides the melody with his vocals. Good track. 'Then' is a solo Jon Anderson composition, no prog here, just a straight pop/rock song, coated in strings, but then the bass gets going, the funny blasts of rhythm and guitar, a keyboard solo. Yes were still in the process of falling into place, still searching for themselves, still finding their feet. 'Then' is entertaining, the strings are semi-movie score strings in places, the keyboards are utterly hilarious and over the top. The drums are good! Stephen Stills of Crosby Stills And Nash and Buffalo Springfield sees his 'Everydays' turned from a three minute little ditty into a six minute piece of Yes music. Pretty unique this in Yes-land, though. I've never heard them sound so relaxed in a Jazz sense before, and this Yes version of the Stephen Stills song, with added strings, manages to be far more Jazz sounding than the Buffalo Springfield original. Jon Anderson sounds like a girl, he sounds nice!
'Sweet Dreams' even though it's only four minutes long, is the single most recognizable piece of 'classic' Yes music here. Who cares who is in the band, anyway? Jon Anderson is here! The bass is here, the guitar is kind-of here, although not prominent. It doesn't matter, this is just a fine, ultra-melodic song with great vocals, harmonies. Lots of good stuff. 'The Prophet' is a six minute long mess, 'Clear Days' just Jon Anderson and strings, and to be honest, he misses the group. This song isn't Yes, it's Jon Anderson solo. 'Astral Traveller' has some cool musical parts, although the mixing and production effect on the vocals is annoying. Basically, the vocals sound like they are coming at you not so much from Space, but from a long-wave radio transmission from 300 miles away. The title song is pretty nice and relaxed, although nothing astonishing. 'Time And A Word' isn't astonishing either. 'Sweet Dreams' is here though, and that'd make any 'best of yes' CD i'd compile. You can hear lots of future Yes elements on this album, although rarely employed together in the same song, in a 'correct' Yes fashion.
No Opportunity Necessary
Then
Everydays
Sweet Dreams
The Prophet
Clear Days
Astral Traveller
Time And A Word
'Sweet Dreams' even though it's only four minutes long, is the single most recognizable piece of 'classic' Yes music here. Who cares who is in the band, anyway? Jon Anderson is here! The bass is here, the guitar is kind-of here, although not prominent. It doesn't matter, this is just a fine, ultra-melodic song with great vocals, harmonies. Lots of good stuff. 'The Prophet' is a six minute long mess, 'Clear Days' just Jon Anderson and strings, and to be honest, he misses the group. This song isn't Yes, it's Jon Anderson solo. 'Astral Traveller' has some cool musical parts, although the mixing and production effect on the vocals is annoying. Basically, the vocals sound like they are coming at you not so much from Space, but from a long-wave radio transmission from 300 miles away. The title song is pretty nice and relaxed, although nothing astonishing. 'Time And A Word' isn't astonishing either. 'Sweet Dreams' is here though, and that'd make any 'best of yes' CD i'd compile. You can hear lots of future Yes elements on this album, although rarely employed together in the same song, in a 'correct' Yes fashion.
No Opportunity Necessary
Then
Everydays
Sweet Dreams
The Prophet
Clear Days
Astral Traveller
Time And A Word
