Oh yeah good time to be 15 years old, I left school at 16 and started buying records, by the time I was 18 there just wasn't enough money to buy all that I loved, there was too many! Record sales were simply awesome and I'd come home sometimes with up to 60 records at a time.... plus at the time I got into the green, so it put a dent in my buying! Never did buy a house, just equipment and records hmmmm still got it all (but sold my psychedelic projector and light boxes) LOL
agreed, the great music of the "60's" really goes from 1963 about in to 1971...so much creativity, new sounds, blending, fusing, expanding...culminating in a superb year for music.
I grew up with all 70's. The progressive sound of Yes was very technical deep and brilliant. Those vocal parts were unique. Thxs God for let me be there at that time
I've heard these songs that Rick highlights hundreds of times, yet his enthusiasm and analysis makes me rediscover them all over again. Love this series!
Squire's bass sound on The Yes Album and Fragile has always been one of my biggest influences as a bassist. When I go back and think of my favorite bass tones, the majority of them are played on a Rickenbacker. It's just so gritty and nasty sounding.
That song is absolutely GREAT! I would have loved an analysis of the syncopated bass after the first verse, as well as to hear the backwards lead played forwards. But that song just gets your blood flowing!
That said, it is an early 1970s Yes song & it is complex. I hope that this video turns more people onto one of the greatest progressive rock bands of all time!
Amazing song, loved it the first time I heard it, and it hasn’t aged a bit for me. Also Rick, love your break down, I can feel our shared passion for a phenomenal song! Truly an exceptional band!
I'm almost glad I heard this song as late in life as I did (42 a couple of years ago now). .I just ended up driving around and replaying the track in my car, trying to figure out what the hell had just happened. .no other song I've ever heard the first, second or even the third time has mede me go "Ooh, what's that?!" as many times. .I mean, there are are a few songs that made me go "Oh, what fresh hell is this?!" but not this one. .especially when the drums kick in before the chorus, it was literally like a kick in the gut, albeit an enjoyable one! I still get surprised when I hear it now, although I'm expecting it. The slightly off-time beat (if I can call it that), coupled with the bass is just brilliant. Overall, am happy I enjoyed it with as much childlike curiosity as I did when I eventually got around to listening to it. .was a good drive that day :)!
Thank god. I just came for yes. Only yes. No Jojo for the love of god. The same happens with king crimson all the time. I just wanna enjoy my prog rock lmao
I’m ashamed I found out about this through JoJo’s, but this song is amazing and I only found out about it a few weeks ago, guess I need to check out Yes’s discography
Not gonna lie I didn't even know about Yes until JoJo's Bizarre Adventure. I only knew one song that plays on the radio sometimes. I just thought Roundabout was by some like newer band i didn't know. Until listening to the song in it's entirety did I realize it's an older band
I almost went to jail trying to steal this album in Brazil 😆 Penniless hippie but I HAD to have it! The store cop, instead of calling police, sat me down and had each record store employee come and give me an honesty speech... it worked... never stole anything ever again... Eventually I managed to afford the album and see them live, also in Brazil. Thanks Rick for such masterful, and joyful unpacking of this masterpiece ❤️
@Steven Young Rick is the man. His fingers are magic. Seeing him play has always been extremely extraordinary. He is the wizard of the keyboards. I had the pleasure of meeting Rick at an after show event. Extremely nice man. Carried on about a 10-minute conversation. I spotted Chris. I had to go chat Chris. I had the pleasure of having a cup of wine. A night I'll never forget. After seeing Yes about twenty times. It my first time meeting them. I also met Alan and Jon. Steve never came out. My friend who got me the aftershow passes told me Steve didn't like shaking hands. Lol
Conclusion: There is more musical content and creativity embed in one single Yes song than in the whole production of many far more famous today's musicians
I was thinking the same. I was working and this video was on in the background, and I thought, “My god, such intricate music. It’s been a long time since I’ve heard this.”
And "Roundabout" is one of their simpler songs. From the same album one could look at "Heart of the Sunrise " or "South side of the sky" as more complex compositions. "Long Distance Runaround" is about on a par with "Roundabout." Worth noting that those four songs make this album tied for the most important record in Prog (with King Crimson's "Court.") The next Yes record, "Close to the Edge," is their masterpiece. But this record is the one that established the template for what the ultimate Prog sound could be in composition, execution and production.
Different times, different drugs. But seriously, I refuse not to hear "Marmots come out of the sky". The image of 20 fat squirrels "in and around the lake" falling before his love is just too good to give up.
Part of that is because Geddy Lee was the keyboardist and vocalist as well as the bassist. He had triple duty, and with pedals, he would be doing all three at the same time. Yes’ songs are hard, for sure. There’s no question. But load on triple duty to the bassist and give him something that Chris Squire played, I doubt very many alive could do that, if any. I think the legendary Chris Squire himself would be hard-pressed to do that.
This is an incredibly beautiful musical masterpiece. Thanks, Rick Beato, for giving me a much fuller appreciation of it. Being 70 years old, I've loved it for nearly half a century, but now it's even better.
@David Roberts My favourite Yes song is their 18min opus Close to the Edge from the same album. And You and I is also up there with one of the best songs they've ever done too. 34 years myself and I've remember discovering Yes when I was 21. At the time I was a bit into mind-altering substances (the infamy of youth innit?) and decided to spin Close to the Edge and was absolutely floored by how good it is. I couldn't believe how musically intricate and complex a record from the early 70s was since I'd mainly listened to Led Zeppelin from that era and it completely changed my outlook on early rock music. Been a massive fan ever since!
@David Roberts they're definitely not needed agreed although I must admit they made the listening experience a lot more intense haha. In any case those days are long gone. Led and PF are also fantastic. Also dabbled in some Rush, Camel, Genesis etc. Much prog that is amazing! Have you checked out some more modern prog?
Best Yes line-up ever Steve Howe, Rick Wakeman, Jon Anderson, Bill Bruford and Chris Squire. That was a time when you only worried if you liked the Floyd, Crimson, Genesis or Yes better, and anyway you would buy all of these guys' LP.
Hmmm maybe but it was a shame they didn't stick with Patrick Moraz I think he brought something else to YES where they could have progressed in a different direction instead they went back to rick for more of the same ?
@@richardsanders3567 When Patrick joined Yes, Bill was gone to Crimson for two years already and had been replaced by Alan White, if I remember well. For me Bill was the best match to Chris Squire in the rhythm section. Anyway Yes remained a great band after the departure of Bill and King Crimson became a better one.
@@thewal1ofsleep Agreed. White is more of a rock drummer when Bruford has a jazzy approach of drumming. In the 70's, there were so many good musicians, it's would be preposterous to make a ranking,
When that first note of Echoes crossed my ears listening to CHOM FM from Montreal, I was a hardcore Floyd instantly. I was selective with both Yes and ELP because they were a little Avante Garde for my likes. The same for Rush until Moving Pictures.( I saw Rush in I think 74) I would see Pink Floyd in 74, 77, 87(x2) , and 94. ELP also in 77, I saw Rick Wakeman Journey to the center of the earth in 73 or 74. .
This song was my introduction to YES. It has elements of rock, pop, classical, and fusion. I bought the album FRAGILE, and playing the LP at home with my dad listening to it and he complimented my taste in music. I then borrowed from a friend ELP’s TARKUS of which my dad gave me the money to go and by are own copy. Soon after my record collection grew with THE YES LP, ELP first LP, and TRIOGY, along TUll’s AQUA LUNG of which my dad was intrigued with Anderson’s lyrics. This music help foster a common interest between my dad and I with my dad being classically trained amateur cellist and my playing guitar. If it wasn’t for the song ROUNDABOUT this relationship between my dad and I would had never happened.
I feel like I've been wasting my time watching and commenting on political commentary and newsfeeds, when music on RUclips is just so much more fun, entertaining, and overall just better! I'm just getting into Rick Beato's "What Makes This Song Great" series and I'm very impressed by the way he breaks the songs down to their individual parts, recreates them on his guitar and keyboard, and then plays certain parts together to show how everything just fits together so perfectly. I have been a Yes fan for at least 30 years. Fragile is one of the first Yes albums I bought, which got me hooked on Yes for the rest of my life! The songs on this album showcase the individual talents of each of the band members, but Roundabout brings them all together. I've heard Fragile, and Roundabout in particular, hundreds of times, I'm not kidding. And yet, listening to Jon Anderson's vocals when Rick separated them out, I was able to hear how much power he had in his voice. It sent tingles of delicious pleasure down my spine, like I was listening to Roundabout for the very first time!. Thank you Rick, for this amazing series, and for your awesome breakdown of this incredible, iconic song!
I agree completely. I had been spending considerable amounts of time and energy on political philosophy and debate, and ending up exhausted and angry. While originally the step back was prompted by negative events and the desire to be prudent, it provided the opportunity to see what else was out there. I stumbled across Adam Neely, leading to Nahre Sol, Jacob Collier, and most recently the persistent joy and inspiration that is Rick Beato. Thanks for articulating your experience and sharing the impact that a master teacher has had on you.
WELL SAID! "Politics is the entertainment division of the military industrial complex." - Frank Zappa “The illusion of freedom will continue as long as it’s profitable to continue the illusion. At the point where the illusion becomes too expensive to maintain, they will just take down the scenery, they will pull back the curtains, they will move the tables and chairs out of the way and you will see the brick wall at the back of the theater.” - Frank Zappa Americans like to talk about (or be told about) Democracy but, when put to the test, usually find it to be an 'inconvenience.' We have opted instead for an authoritarian system disguised as a Democracy. We pay through the nose for an enormous joke-of-a-government, let it push us around, and then wonder how all those assholes got in there. - Frank Zappa “Republicans stand for raw, unbridled evil and greed and ignorance smothered in balloons and ribbons.” - Frank Zappa
Almost crying out of joy and emotion. I'm 62, and I grew with YES, GENESIS, THE WHO, JETHRO TULL, VAN DER GRAFF, KING CRIMSON, GENTLE GIANT, PINK FLOYD...etc. Roundabout + the whole Close to the Edge are my YES picks. Thx for helping me understand it better
Hmm check out Dance on a Volcano (Genesis) analysis. Maybe I am biased but he really seemed have a blast getting into that one. Oops your comment was 8 months ago....
@@muziekfeestje8635 keen observations!!... it does sound smooth!! I love how Rick's able to get his hands on either the multitrack tapes or the files to be able to solo and otherwise dissect the tracks really makes it Uber interesting !! Great job Rick!!... I mean the only other way you'd be able to do that is if you were at Studio that recorded these Bands!, and they gave you access to the multi-tracks... Still so damn cool very educational very enlightening I love it !
I'm 51 and grew up hearing this song, its a classic rock staple, but it seems like I always heard it on some POS portable radio on a construction site. I listened to it tonite on some great sounding stereo speakers and I was left slack-jawed. This song is a heavy caliber machine gun of awesomeness. There isn't one second or note of this song where some amazing demonstration of musical mastery isn't happening. Its perfect.
I've had HD600s for 16 years now, and it still blows me away EVERY SINGLE TIME I listen to a song I know well on them. And, it isn't even like I have good hearing any more! I'd have hearing aids if they weren't $5000! Really good headphones are worth 10x in aural pleasure what you pay in cash.
True. And it was rumored in those days that these guys had knock down drag out fights at times and in spite of it, they realized how great what they were creating was, which helped keep them together, at least for a while. Such is life in the world of rock and roll, at least how it used to be anyway.
Oz Chambers Yeah. I was in High school and made my own speakers from sound reinforcement components. Then I would buy the special cutting records which were as good as CDs. You could hear foot tapping and such on the recordings.
Breaking the song into the primary elements gives me even more respect for all the thought and effort that went into making this incredible song. Thank you for showing us this!
I think Rick nails it with sounding off the hits from 71. It was a time period where something in music broke through a barrier. Also remember Hendrix died in 70 and The Beatles broke up too, so I think the industry was ignited by this incredible sense of loss / inspiration.
@@urabadperson That's a really good observation. From the surface things just happen. When you look deeper you see all the things that contributed to it.
For a bass player I agree totally. I happened to catch him play two tunes at the NAMM show in the Hilton lobby. Round About and All Good People. Chris went into the light a month or so later.
What a contrast though...for as serious as he was about his craft, he was fucking hilarious in interviews...as good as any professional comedian but he was just being himself
I agree and I truly feel Chris's passing should have been the end of YES, he was such a huge part of that band. I was sad to see them continue without him it just didn't seem right. Now Alan also. Today Steve Howe carries on without Jon Anderson or any original members and still calls it Yes? Something very wrong about it to me. I don't think I've ever missed a musician as much as Chris, it's like a wound that will never heal 😔
What makes Yes great is the musicianship of each member. Each one is at the top of their craft. It's like making the finest meal out of the best ingredients you can find.
I knew they were great musicians and then saw them on their Masterworks tour. I was in awe of their artistry and musicianship. Blown away for two hours.
I would argue their SENSE OF ADVENTURE AND INNOVATION are their TOP quality (as there are zillions of superbly skilled musicians out there who make cliche musics in all genres) over their chops. THE BAND WAS INTENTIONALLY TRYING TO AVOID ALL CLICHES (which is super-rare in music, which has always been a copycat form) which is why you didn't have super-fuzz on Howe and instead he's throwing in country and rockabilly licks! When I heard Chris Squire while I was 13 years old, it spoke to me maybe more than any other musician ever, i don't know why. I was like "THAT'S THE MOTHERFUCKER RIGHT THERE!! If i Had to listen to only ONE musician for the rest of my life!! THAT DUDE!! THAT is how a bass should sound! PUNCH ME IN THE FACE!" (Steve Howe is maybe my fave guitarist as well, but SQUIRE reinvented the instrument more than Howe did.) ELP were also intentionally trying to SMASH / IGNORE all cliches. RUSH, by contrast, wanted to JOIN THE CLUB, rather than lead it. GENESIS, as well, always (and still do) had the "baby brother" syndrome for being younger than YES / KC and not as cutting edge. My fave Rush stuff is when they started intentionally aping The Police, like Permanent Waves! I like bands that sound like nothing i've heard before like some of the new stoner-prog bands in the murican underground, like Jerusalem Witch, or Dick Flaccid & The Viagra-nauts. OH: FANTASTIC NEW PSYCHEDELIC METAL BANDS out there! ORANSSI PAZUZU (sp?) from finland! UNICORN HOLOCAUST from americxa!
I got to see Yes in '09, sadly Jon was on hiatus at the time, but Trevor Horn filled in in vocals and was great, along with Squire, Howe, Wakeman, and White.
Rick I doubt you'll ever see this comment, but I just wanted to take the time to thank you for the deep dive of one of my absolute favourite songs. Spectacular stuff.
Yes, I'm a COMPLETE musical ignoramus. Only know what I LIKE. Roundabout is definitely a favorite. But since I was born in 1958, I have at minimum a couple of hundred faves. Rick's videos help me understand why I love a song. Still have no musicality clue, but gain a higher respect for those who do!
Rick. Every time I went to the beach 'Your Move' was on the speaker. I loved it then and still do. One great memory for a 66 yo boomer. Never quite came to grips at that stage with the rest of their songs - just the hits. My tastes have changed.
@@rankedpsiguy1 Roundabout was a very Colorful song a great song, the 70s were Fantastic music from Zeppelin, yes, The Doobie Brothers, Bad company, Almond Brothers, Lynard Skinnerd , James gang, HENDRIX, Van Halen, Beatles, Poco Harem, Rush, Fleetwood Mac , Uriah Heap, the list just is endless of Raw ,Fantastic talent. So happy to have Lived in this era. I got one year older on ya , 1957- 6-11. Joe Montana's birthday.
@@rankedpsiguy1 I am right there with you. I couldn't tell you what note is what and I am in awe at how Rick just separates and explains it to us music idiots. Especially when he does it for music that I grew up with and loved, Chicago, Rush, Yes and so on.
I'll never forget the time my High School Band teacher told that at a previous school, he'd arranged Roundabout for marching band. Said the tuba section wanted to kill him.
Fausto Faria yea but most of his videos are in the 30 minute range and more on songs I think this one was a little to much didn't see him play much he usually plays through the hole song not here though
I especially liked when YES played this song at their induction to the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame, when Geddy Lee of RUSH stepped up to play bass in the absence of YES's bass player Chris Squire who passed away almost a year earlier. I REALLY would have loved to hear Jon Anderson join singing forces with Geddy Lee.
I loved near the end where he's not commenting much. He's just playing the song and bouncing to it, and me -- well, I've had a few by that time -- got out my drumsticks and was beating the desk, lamp, and filing cabinet like a chimp on meth. What a fuckin' happy moment.
YES.. Jon Anderson started writing this song in the early hours of the morning when the band was driving between gigs in Scotland on the way to Glasgow, Jon says they felt as if it seemed they where going around roundabouts forever and not getting to their final destination..Jon calls it their Scottish song. He loves telling his Scottish audience's this story.
You can picture Jon, in their bus, going around round bouts and thinking bloody hell, this is just like life. Then Greg Lake from ELP called him and he wrote the song. Yes, it could have happened.
Bands back then wrote music when they were touring, they didn't have much else to do. If that drive between gigs happened nowadays the result would be some Instagram searches and a few Candy Crush Saga games being played instead of one of the best songs ever.
that's funny - I will always think of that story going forward because on my first trip to Ireland, driving out of Dublin airport took eight roundabouts to the M4. It was my first time driving on the left side of the road and entering a roundabout on the left using a standard transmission, I stalled twice at the first one - i was so turned around but never failed a roundabout again. I sang Roundabout as I approached every roundabout after the initial eight. By the time i got to my father-in-law's farm I was so tense it took many whiskies to chill down, then he asks, Lets go to Ella's house for dinner - you drive and threw me the keys to an old Ford 150. LMAO! love the Irish. Thanks for the story👍
I feel smarter and dumber at the same time. Smarter because now I know more. Dumber because I keep learning how little I know about music. Yes = awesome Rick B = awesomeness Yes + Rick B = superawesomeness.
My surprise, being both a music major (a long time ago) AND a fan of this track, is once again having it confirmed: very often Less is More. A lot of the complex-sounding passages are actually built from layers of (relatively) simple, interlocking, riffs among the instruments. Case in point: Squire's bass is a simpler riff than I always imagined it to be, surprise! Great track, great reveal of how it was put together.
That's what learning is always like. The more you learn, the more you realise you don't know, and will know. It can really mess people up when they go to university, and realise that doing well in high school doesn't mean much because there's a shocking amount of stuff to learn you never even knew about. It's quite humbling
YES "FRAGILE" THE WHO "WHO'S NEXT" JETHRO TULL "AQUALUNG" LED ZEPPELIN IV BLACK SABBATH " MASTER OF REALITY" and the list continues but for these albums alone there wasn't a more powerfully significant year in music history than 1971
I would argue "great" sea,..vast maybe, but not great...lol. But 100% on the money with the value of Rick Beato and his knowledge/appreciation of music. Treasure is a great description! Wish RUclips had more content of this caliber.
Brilliant analysis. One small point, Rick mentions the vocals of Jon Anderson at the start but a very honourable mention should go to Chris Squire's backing vocals which always blended superbly on this and many other tracks and Steve Howe gave them a great 3-part harmony sound when they played live.
@@dr.michaelbennett8597 with all due respect, that is the unmistakeable sound of a Rickenbacker bass here on the original studio recording of Roundabout- Rick even says so in this video @ 12:24- Squire may have played a Fender at times, but not on this recording- peace
@@jerryhouck2237 I think you completely missed it. Having had Rickenbackers since 1977, I know the sound of a RIC. I was referring to the Geddi playing Roundabout on a Fender at the Rock and Roll Hall of fame. All due respect...😂
Love this song, as a bass player this song has the best Rick sound I’ve heard. You forget how great this song is. It’s great to hear it broke down like this.
Such a great song. Even after hearing it >1000 times, the isolated tracks revealed new details. The samba percussion jam, the double-tracked Minimoog and organ parts and of course the vocals were all revealing and helped me appreciate it even more. It kindled a compulsion to buy a Rickenbacker bass, plane the body thinner, and play it with a pick. More immediately it provoked me to put a reversed piano chord in something.
I did something similar to the reversed piano opening a while back - recorded a guitar chord going thru a Leslie simulator and switched the Leslie from fast to slow as I strummed. Then reversed it all - giving an accelerating crescendo. Probably the only good bit of my song
If I could have played back separate parts like this in the 70's, I would have never graduated high school. There would've been no time for homework - Your analysis is so cool. Keep 'em coming.
Wow I never thought of that... so true I was buried in music anyway, if I could have broken down each song like this I would have been a 15 year old hermit.
If someone suddenly opened up a library of music and we could listen to the individual tracks of any and every classic rock song I would never again be seen in the light of day.
Rick, OMG I just realized why I enjoy you so much...well...beyond the obvious shot in the arm of pure knowledge from a master virtuoso like you. My father and I would spend HOURS discussing his and my favorite tunes. Our record library was quite extensive. It rivaled his complete collection of Playboy Magazine which he is still collecting. I had hours and hours of pure musical joy dissecting the music and listening over and over to excerpts of whatever theoretical idea he was trying to convey to my 4-year-old mind. I suppose I was not a common child in the normal aspect of how one thinks a child is to behave I was a 40-year-old musician in a child's body. I could never get enough of what my Dad had to say. How did he know so much about so many bands? He could have been the editor in chief of Rolling Stone Magazine. At times, he would play the music on his guitar or base just like you do. He never told me how, or what to feel about music...my opinion was mine and I was right about it and to own it. I want to thank you for taking me back to my fond childhood memories when I worshiped my Dad like a God...looking back on things... as a fifty-five-year-old man, I still do. You remind me of him. Know that you are truly loved by so many people. I have a very special reason to love you...you love music as he does. Just own it and smile. Thanks again. David Fryer
@@AceFaceDesigns I imagine that resonates with a lot of people. What now makes me cry is the fact that we are losing our rights. We are losing our history. Next the will take away all music that reminds us of America. I never thought our leaders would sell us out for power and money. Losing music hurts.
WOW BEATO !! Having been born in 1956, I've been listening to this since it came out. With your astute analysis, it makes me love it that much more. GOOD WORK, MAN !! Thanks so much !!!
@@barrykeller6671 1958 here, and this album is one of my all time favorites. I learned all of the guitar parts and never got tired of playing it. Imagine these guys putting this kind of song together, still blows me away!!!
That's a fitting rival for them too. It seems like cheating but Tony Levin and Bruford are also incredibly solid. Any of the rhythm sections during the Larks era of King Crimson also are phenomenal
I was 17 years old when Fragile was released. I first heard the entire album at a house party and couldn't do anything else but listen intently until the album was over. The next day I went out and bought the album, playing it until I wore it out (along with Aqualung). When Fragile was released on CD, I bought a copy. Much, much later (several years ago) it became available as a remaster in 24/96, which I have also purchased. Looking back over 40 years, I have such a deep appreciation for the group and the individual players of Yes and other Prog groups. It is great to see this track back up on RUclips, after it had been taken down. Without these "What Makes This Song Great" videos by Rick Beato, I'm sure there would be many younger generation players that would miss out on music we took for granted.
Yes is the first band that made me really listen to the drums. I met Bill Bruford last year after he gave a talk at Eastman. Great guy, also an absolute genius. The music of Yes is really creative beyond anything we'll ever see again, and they introduced me to progressive music.
Steve Fleth in Taiwan amen, I almost tear up for kids these days, seriously! The musicians today are garbage compared to our days. A friend of mine bought their kid a guitar and his kid asked him where the video game console was to play it, when he told me the story I almost lost my mind. I had to beg my parents for months for my first guitar.
Great video! I love Heart of the Sunrise as well. The bass line is amazing. And the Mellotron. There's nothing like a Mellotron, nothing. I just bought YesSongs last week. I do have the old triple vinyl but no record player right now. Isn't Bruford's drumming so fresh on Roundabout here? Dr. Bill Bruford! That harmony vocal in the middle, you can feel that they are in the room, you can hear them licking their lips in the middle of the vox inbetween the lines. It's so LIVE.
+Bernie Boy Maybe you were, but it wasn't executed well. There are too many old-school rock elitists out there for me to assume that your post was a satire, especially when it's such a simple and deadpan statement.
Being 62 and having played bass for 50 years now I've obviously lived through loads of different eras of music HOWEVER the period 69' to 74 was JUST THE BEST - so many classics and this song and Chris' playing/sound, along with Macca's melodic lines are the reason I wanted to play bass. Everyone thinks their period of youth was the best BUT MINE WAS!!!
Saw Yes 3 times in different venues in Chicago '70s! I was (as a guitar nut) of course a fan of Howe, but Chris, to me, stole the show every time with his "Rick"! His solos were unique in that with 4 strings he was his "own band"! Btw, you're 1 yr. younger than me but I think you still kick butt slappin' that bass as well as you ever have! Peace
You SCORED in those years Jon K. You left out John Entwhistle as a bass god. For me - 1971 is the greatest year for singles, but 1973, 1970 & 1975 are the three greatest years for albums - in that order.
Being a producer myself, and a prog/fusion aficionado, I still have to say that it's not cool to generalize an entire genre and dismiss it as there being no real musicianship in it. Pop just means popular. Actually, it is on pop records that you find some of the best musicianship ever, including today. The level of musicianship found in Yes and similar bands wasn't the standard, even in the early 70s. There is some great modern pop music out there, and while it has become much easier to "fake" good playing/singing, that doesn't mean there isn't a lot of great playing that goes into some of the pop stuff, as much as there were incredibly cheesy songs in the 70s, with bad playing and horrible sounds. Yes, the arrival of digital recording has changed a lot, and not necessarily for the better, but just dismissing everything going on today, makes you loose out on some incredible stuff. 😊
60's & 70's prog was great, I loved the contrast between the complex musical arrangements and the warm old school valve amps and analog recording process.
Dear RIck. Not to favor YES in any way, but could you do a special on this channel and also analyze "Close To The Edge" monster of a song - imo the ultimate one of YES production catalog.
Mirek Goldberg I’m favoring Yes and you nailed it on the head! It’s actually kind of hard to say but I’m willing to say that Close to the Edge was some of Yes’ greatest work, but there’s just so much that’s great about Yes that it’s still hard to say.
Mirek Goldberg brilliant suggestion. I too consider Close to the Edge utterly brilliant, especially the existential central section... that, I’d put in my top ten music ‘bits’ of all time.
Christ imagine being on the charts at the same time as black dog, american pie, baba o reiley, imagine, changes, riders on the storm, and stairway to god damn heaven. Thats such an all star list.
I remember bar bands playing those songs back in the day. Some were good, some ... tried! Still makes me think of how talented people used to be. Now everything is garbage with no substance at all
@@brosefmcman8264 Makes me feel bad for the kids of today,,,,,,, and the noise they promote to them as art. The music industry has become a demonic mind control entity leading kids into a vast wasteland of confusion. The music and film industries at the very top level are controlled by satanic pedophiles that have no interest in true talent. Only money. Sad situation.
@@brosefmcman8264 Don't say "everything" is garbage. There are hundreds of amazing bands making their own music with more than a hat-tip to 70s and 80s rock. Anyone claiming that "today's music is crap" needs to get out more. You're not doing any of your own searching online, on RUclips, even in Amazon reviews, etc. I'm especially interested in younger bands doing prog rock with touches of jazz. Greta Van Fleet, Thank You Scientist, Bent Knee, Kaipa, Karmakanic, Pineapple Thief, Glass Hammer, Fates Warning, Frost*, Dopapod, District 97, Riverside, Kino, Enchant, Spock's Beard, Haken, Wobbler, Tangent, Sons Of Apollo, Ozric Tentacles, Flower Kings (Jon Anderson did a collaboration in 2016 with Flower Kings' genius Roine Stolt. "Anderson/Stolt". Find it!) I'm sure there's tons of new stuff out there that I'm missing. And to hear people say, "everything is garbage" or "today's music is no good" is annoying when all you've got to do is look around you to see.
LivioSegnini It’s more profitable for labels to pay bad artists pennies instead of having to negotiate with good musicians who can leave and sign with anyone else.
I think "what went so wrong" was that the music industry imploded in the 1980's. There was kind of a backlash against the supergroups of the 1970's. In an interview, Tom Petty said, "It's Rock 'n Roll; it's not supposed to be that good." Yeah, that's why I never bought one of his albums. Mediocre Rock gave way to "Gangsta rap." Some descent Rock'n roll came out in the 1990's, but nothing that really stands up over the decades. People got out of the habit of buying disks, so there's no point in promoting real music. On top of everything else is the disaster of our educational system. The arts are every bit as important, and maybe even more so than math and science. Even so, we've all experienced how English class turns the wonder of Shakespeare into a relentless horror.
All good points, and I'd just chalk it up to the natural, cyclical progression and regression of humanity. Mankind has been having up-and-down cycles like the Dark ages and the Renaissance since the beginning of our time on Earth.
Jon Anderson also played guitar and harp. Check out his harp on “Flamants Roses” from Vangelis’ “Opera Sauvage” (1979). Die-hards will know that Anderson and Vangelis collaborated on four albums as Jon & Vangelis. Anderson first started working with Vangelis in the mid-70s, and actually tried to get Vangelis into the band Yes. If that’d happened, would we have had the “Blade Runner” soundtrack?
One of my favorite bands growing up and being a amateur musician myself marveled at the complexities of Roundabout even then how that kind of music resonated with me. Other bands of the time like Emerson Lake and Palmer had that same affect on me so far off the beaten path of the Billboard top 40 hits. Those were the albums I bought ! Other mentionable artist and bands would be Jethro Tull ,Steely Dan, Kansas, Deep Purple ...
Early 70's music was so exciting with so many new styles of rock being created. I love this song especially the middle section. To my ears the arrangement was so weird, unlike anything being played on the radio back then. I know a lot of work went into making this video. Thanks again
I guess you never heard the song "lucky man" by ELP. If you have then that is another example of a song that was unlike anything else on the radio back then and imo even more unusual than Yes.
Lucky Man, a beautiful song and a big hit ... was a very simple ballot, probably ELP simplest arrangement. I know Keith gets a little bit out there at the end. What does imo stand for?
I love this song, and as a bass player of 43 years, I'm STILL excited by Chris' beautiful bass playing and tone, AND singing backgrounds too! He's probably playing Taurus pedals as well, because he can. I heard YES live, and when Chris hit one note on the pedals and the entire venue shook, I HAD to have that! Thank you, YES for the inspiration and beauty, and Rick for explaining their mastery of progressive and wonderful rock.
I was 9 years old when this song came out, but lucky for me I had an 18-year-old guitar-playing brother. He played this album until it was practically transparent. Now that I have headphones and the benefit of listening to 50 years of the decline and fall of great music, I can truly appreciate it!
Try the Stanley Clarke album School Days he plays bass like a guitar, Stanley is an awesome bass player, it is a stunning album, and Chris Squire's Fish out of Water is superb.
Just hearing Rick read off the songs that were topping the charts in 1971 puts it into perspective. I pretty much live in that era as far as my eardrums are concerned anyway, but I can’t imagine turning on the radio and have it just be impossible to hear bad music.
Yeah, there's good music coming out but that list of songs Rick reads off is fucking insane. I don't think the mainstream radio will ever be like that again
Yes, but most of us only had AM radio with shortened songs and a DJ that talked half way in to the beginning of the track. It was cool at night though, when we could pick up WLS out to Chicago or WOR out of NYC. Can still hear Blood Sweat and Tears and Al Kooper sing I'll Love You More than You'll ever Know. Should only be played at night!!
My nephew asked me last week what my favorite song is, without any thought I blurted out roundabout, he said "that's what they call that circle instead of a 4 way Stop and I said "Yes". I started laughing and he was puzzled. Amazing song, and break down video. Keep'em coming
I grew up and still live in Southern California and in the 70’s and 80’s going to concerts was one of the primary things you did. There was no internet or video games (thank God) and in LA every band came through town. My best friend was an entrepreneurial ticket scalper back then and I had access to tickets for all the great shows. Once a bunch of us had excess tickets to sell for Frank Sinatra at the Universal Amphitheater and as young 20’s something’s we dressed ourselves in blazers and went to sell the tickets and it was incredible. We ended up going into the show. My first concert was America at the Anaheim Convention Center. At 15 I saw Led Zeppelin at the forum and then went on to see 150-200 shows. I can remember seeing 2-3 shows a week at the Greek, The Forum, the Troubadour and so many other great venues. It was an amazing time and looking back on it I realize how grateful I am for so many incredible experiences.
Actually, now that he's done 'Roundabout' I'd sorta like to see a break down of 'Owner of a Lonely Heart' as well, to see the sonic shift and hear some of those crazy guitar parts soloed in the mix.
@@Jellyonpizza yes, not the same, but the Going for the One album with Alan White on drums is my favorite Yes album. It's as good as anything they did with Bruford.
I've been waiting to write something to Rick because I don't know anything about music, other than growing up on Rock and Roll. I've just been watching video after video that Rick has on RUclips and digging them more and more. What do I love about your videos, Rick ? I love the fact that you know everything about music, and even though I only have the narrowest knowledge base, I can follow your teaching and I have learned so much about the music that I grew up on and I know why this is the best music that has ever been. Your enthusiasm is intoxicating, your scholarship is inspiring, your delivery is exhilarating. Rick, you are a super cool dude. Having people like you in this world makes me want to go forward and do my part in making the world a better place.
![Tee Grizzley - Blow for Blow (feat. J. Cole) [Official Video]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/wNLN5xsx5dc/mqdefault.jpg)
when he started rattling off all the hits of '71 it made me realize what a gem of a year it was for the music industry!
'64 '69 '71 '77 '80 and '91 where in my opinion great years for rock song releases.
And I got to 20 that year. And sad to think I didn't get to go see that band. Bummer!
Oh yeah good time to be 15 years old, I left school at 16 and started buying records, by the time I was 18 there just wasn't enough money to buy all that I loved, there was too many! Record sales were simply awesome and I'd come home sometimes with up to 60 records at a time.... plus at the time I got into the green, so it put a dent in my buying! Never did buy a house, just equipment and records hmmmm still got it all (but sold my psychedelic projector and light boxes) LOL
agreed, the great music of the "60's" really goes from 1963 about in to 1971...so much creativity, new sounds, blending, fusing, expanding...culminating in a superb year for music.
Same, simply unbelievable. But hey, Ariana Grande has a hit this year... 😭
I grew up with all 70's. The progressive sound of Yes was very technical deep and brilliant. Those vocal parts were unique. Thxs God for let me be there at that time
I love this deconstruction of Roundabout SO MUCH! It's brilliant, as is the record. My favorite of all Rick Beato videos, and that is saying a LOT!
I've heard these songs that Rick highlights hundreds of times, yet his enthusiasm and analysis makes me rediscover them all over again. Love this series!
Squire's bass sound on The Yes Album and Fragile has always been one of my biggest influences as a bassist. When I go back and think of my favorite bass tones, the majority of them are played on a Rickenbacker. It's just so gritty and nasty sounding.
+ infinity
The complexity of the different overlays is astounding. Is there anyone today who could reproduce this music as it was?
That song is absolutely GREAT! I would have loved an analysis of the syncopated bass after the first verse, as well as to hear the backwards lead played forwards. But that song just gets your blood flowing!
Literally the most mainstream Yes song of the 1970s and still awesome. I'd love to have Rick analyze Close to the Edge or Gates of Delirium or Awaken.
That said, it is an early 1970s Yes song & it is complex. I hope that this video turns more people onto one of the greatest progressive rock bands of all time!
Amazing song, loved it the first time I heard it, and it hasn’t aged a bit for me. Also Rick, love your break down, I can feel our shared passion for a phenomenal song! Truly an exceptional band!
I'm almost glad I heard this song as late in life as I did (42 a couple of years ago now). .I just ended up driving around and replaying the track in my car, trying to figure out what the hell had just happened. .no other song I've ever heard the first, second or even the third time has mede me go "Ooh, what's that?!" as many times. .I mean, there are are a few songs that made me go "Oh, what fresh hell is this?!" but not this one. .especially when the drums kick in before the chorus, it was literally like a kick in the gut, albeit an enjoyable one! I still get surprised when I hear it now, although I'm expecting it. The slightly off-time beat (if I can call it that), coupled with the bass is just brilliant. Overall, am happy I enjoyed it with as much childlike curiosity as I did when I eventually got around to listening to it. .was a good drive that day :)!
To my surprise, I’m not seeing any JoJo memes in the comments
LOL HELL YEAH
Thank god. I just came for yes. Only yes. No Jojo for the love of god. The same happens with king crimson all the time. I just wanna enjoy my prog rock lmao
... Killer Queen has already touched the reply button.
slick
Yare yare daze...
I’m ashamed I found out about this through JoJo’s, but this song is amazing and I only found out about it a few weeks ago, guess I need to check out Yes’s discography
Not gonna lie I didn't even know about Yes until JoJo's Bizarre Adventure. I only knew one song that plays on the radio sometimes. I just thought Roundabout was by some like newer band i didn't know. Until listening to the song in it's entirety did I realize it's an older band
I almost went to jail trying to steal this album in Brazil 😆 Penniless hippie but I HAD to have it! The store cop, instead of calling police, sat me down and had each record store employee come and give me an honesty speech... it worked... never stole anything ever again... Eventually I managed to afford the album and see them live, also in Brazil. Thanks Rick for such masterful, and joyful unpacking of this masterpiece ❤️
Great story! If that doesn’t dissuade people from shoplifting,nothing will!
You should have played the album and they would have let you go and given you then album too.🤣
What a great story!
Three cheers for that store cop. God bless him.
Great story which album was that
What Rick Wakeman did with a keyboard is out of this world but the bass is absolutely killer.
I still listen to Journey To The Center Of Earth with my kids. Rick Wakeman is a legend.
Wakeman is amazing. The guy he replaced was pretty solid as well (Tony Kaye).
@Steven Young
Rick is the man. His fingers are magic. Seeing him play
has always been extremely extraordinary. He is the wizard of the keyboards. I had the pleasure of meeting Rick at an after show event. Extremely nice man. Carried on about a 10-minute conversation. I spotted Chris. I had to go chat Chris. I had the pleasure of having a cup of wine. A night I'll never forget. After seeing Yes about twenty times. It my first time meeting them. I also met Alan and Jon. Steve never came out. My friend who got me the aftershow passes told me Steve didn't like shaking hands. Lol
I suspected some of this mixed instrument tracking when I was just a kid hearing it for the first time or twenty.
Wakeman's skills are heard with many musicians, including the piano on David Bowie's "Life on Mars".
Conclusion: There is more musical content and creativity embed in one single Yes song than in the whole production of many far more famous today's musicians
I was thinking the same. I was working and this video was on in the background, and I thought, “My god, such intricate music. It’s been a long time since I’ve heard this.”
Correct
I mean as far as complexity they even put most of their contemporaries to shame. Led Zeppelin seems like child's play compared to this.
And "Roundabout" is one of their simpler songs. From the same album one could look at "Heart of the Sunrise " or "South side of the sky" as more complex compositions. "Long Distance Runaround" is about on a par with "Roundabout."
Worth noting that those four songs make this album tied for the most important record in Prog (with King Crimson's "Court.") The next Yes record, "Close to the Edge," is their masterpiece. But this record is the one that established the template for what the ultimate Prog sound could be in composition, execution and production.
Yes could never make Igor though
Nobody writes songs about Mountains coming out of the sky, or Alligator Lizards in the air any more.
Different times, different drugs.
But seriously, I refuse not to hear "Marmots come out of the sky". The image of 20 fat squirrels "in and around the lake" falling before his love is just too good to give up.
Hahaha Man I laughed so hard, its so true man. I want to hear about people on magical dragons.
Good point we should address that! Somehow
@@hal2098 ;)
Or shining flying purple wolfhounds
When Geddy Lee was interviewed before YES' introduction to the RRHOF, he said they didn't play any YES songs because they were too hard.
When Geddy Lee and RUSH say that, it is high praise indeed.
He did a damn good job on this one
Part of that is because Geddy Lee was the keyboardist and vocalist as well as the bassist. He had triple duty, and with pedals, he would be doing all three at the same time. Yes’ songs are hard, for sure. There’s no question. But load on triple duty to the bassist and give him something that Chris Squire played, I doubt very many alive could do that, if any. I think the legendary Chris Squire himself would be hard-pressed to do that.
This is an incredibly beautiful musical masterpiece. Thanks, Rick Beato, for giving me a much fuller appreciation of it. Being 70 years old, I've loved it for nearly half a century, but now it's even better.
Me too although less time cos I'm younger
I've loved it since the Fall of 1971, when I was in the fourth grade. By Spring of 1971, I was in love with YES, and still am.
Have you seen Jojo bizarres adventure though?
@David Roberts My favourite Yes song is their 18min opus Close to the Edge from the same album. And You and I is also up there with one of the best songs they've ever done too. 34 years myself and I've remember discovering Yes when I was 21. At the time I was a bit into mind-altering substances (the infamy of youth innit?) and decided to spin Close to the Edge and was absolutely floored by how good it is. I couldn't believe how musically intricate and complex a record from the early 70s was since I'd mainly listened to Led Zeppelin from that era and it completely changed my outlook on early rock music. Been a massive fan ever since!
@David Roberts they're definitely not needed agreed although I must admit they made the listening experience a lot more intense haha. In any case those days are long gone. Led and PF are also fantastic. Also dabbled in some Rush, Camel, Genesis etc. Much prog that is amazing! Have you checked out some more modern prog?
Best Yes line-up ever Steve Howe, Rick Wakeman, Jon Anderson, Bill Bruford and Chris Squire. That was a time when you only worried if you liked the Floyd, Crimson, Genesis or Yes better, and anyway you would buy all of these guys' LP.
Hmmm maybe but it was a shame they didn't stick with Patrick Moraz I think he brought something else to YES where they could have progressed in a different direction instead they went back to rick for more of the same ?
@@richardsanders3567 When Patrick joined Yes, Bill was gone to Crimson for two years already and had been replaced by Alan White, if I remember well. For me Bill was the best match to Chris Squire in the rhythm section. Anyway Yes remained a great band after the departure of Bill and King Crimson became a better one.
Alan White was still a great drummer, but far more direct than Bruford. Both were awesome.
@@thewal1ofsleep Agreed. White is more of a rock drummer when Bruford has a jazzy approach of drumming. In the 70's, there were so many good musicians, it's would be preposterous to make a ranking,
When that first note of Echoes crossed my ears listening to CHOM FM from Montreal, I was a hardcore Floyd instantly. I was selective with both Yes and ELP because they were a little Avante Garde for my likes. The same for Rush until Moving Pictures.( I saw Rush in I think 74) I would see Pink Floyd in 74, 77, 87(x2) , and 94. ELP also in 77, I saw Rick Wakeman Journey to the center of the earth in 73 or 74. .
This song was my introduction to YES. It has elements of rock, pop, classical, and fusion. I bought the album FRAGILE, and playing the LP at home with my dad listening to it and he complimented my taste in music. I then borrowed from a friend ELP’s TARKUS of which my dad gave me the money to go and by are own copy. Soon after my record collection grew with THE YES LP, ELP first LP, and TRIOGY, along TUll’s AQUA LUNG of which my dad was intrigued with Anderson’s lyrics. This music help foster a common interest between my dad and I with my dad being classically trained amateur cellist and my playing guitar. If it wasn’t for the song ROUNDABOUT this relationship between my dad and I would had never happened.
I feel like I've been wasting my time watching and commenting on political commentary and newsfeeds, when music on RUclips is just so much more fun, entertaining, and overall just better! I'm just getting into Rick Beato's "What Makes This Song Great" series and I'm very impressed by the way he breaks the songs down to their individual parts, recreates them on his guitar and keyboard, and then plays certain parts together to show how everything just fits together so perfectly.
I have been a Yes fan for at least 30 years. Fragile is one of the first Yes albums I bought, which got me hooked on Yes for the rest of my life! The songs on this album showcase the individual talents of each of the band members, but Roundabout brings them all together. I've heard Fragile, and Roundabout in particular, hundreds of times, I'm not kidding. And yet, listening to Jon Anderson's vocals when Rick separated them out, I was able to hear how much power he had in his voice. It sent tingles of delicious pleasure down my spine, like I was listening to Roundabout for the very first time!.
Thank you Rick, for this amazing series, and for your awesome breakdown of this incredible, iconic song!
I SO hear you--I couldn't agree more. :-)
Best comment on the Internet.
I agree completely. I had been spending considerable amounts of time and energy on political philosophy and debate, and ending up exhausted and angry. While originally the step back was prompted by negative events and the desire to be prudent, it provided the opportunity to see what else was out there. I stumbled across Adam Neely, leading to Nahre Sol, Jacob Collier, and most recently the persistent joy and inspiration that is Rick Beato.
Thanks for articulating your experience and sharing the impact that a master teacher has had on you.
@Cool Guitar Gifts music my first true love. Good music that is. Who wouldn't like good music?
WELL SAID!
"Politics is the entertainment division of the military industrial complex."
- Frank Zappa
“The illusion of freedom will continue as long as it’s profitable to continue the illusion. At the point where the illusion becomes too expensive to maintain, they will just take down the scenery, they will pull back the curtains, they will move the tables and chairs out of the way and you will see the brick wall at the back of the theater.” - Frank Zappa
Americans like to talk about (or be told about) Democracy but, when put to the test, usually find it to be an 'inconvenience.' We have opted instead for an authoritarian system disguised as a Democracy. We pay through the nose for an enormous joke-of-a-government, let it push us around, and then wonder how all those assholes got in there. - Frank Zappa
“Republicans stand for raw, unbridled evil and greed and ignorance smothered in balloons and ribbons.” - Frank Zappa
Something I noticed when the vocals are isolated, the breathing is audible. This is not some perfected, artificial track, these are human beings.
In artificial tracks, sometimes breathing sounds are added
It sounds beautifully organic
My Guess is July 2027 Before the Aliens reveal themselves ! ( heh heh ) .. LOL
Check out 20:00: "isolating" the organ still picks up the bass and drums. You're listening to Yes play live with a mic on a real organ.
@@Hastur876 nice observation cheers 🤙🤙🤙
Almost crying out of joy and emotion.
I'm 62, and I grew with YES, GENESIS, THE WHO, JETHRO TULL, VAN DER GRAFF, KING CRIMSON, GENTLE GIANT, PINK FLOYD...etc.
Roundabout + the whole Close to the Edge are my YES picks.
Thx for helping me understand it better
All those bands are great, I love all, but can easily do without The Who!!
Me, too! (We might even have been at the same gigs - back then!)
@@lemming9984 Listen to Live At Leeds.. One of the greatest live albums of all times.
Happiest I've seen Rick when analyzing a song.
My thoughts exactly! Made me happy too!
He knows a killer groove when he hears one.
Hmm check out Dance on a Volcano (Genesis) analysis. Maybe I am biased but he really seemed have a blast getting into that one. Oops your comment was 8 months ago....
That smile when he isolates the different instruments' parts!!
@@muziekfeestje8635 keen observations!!... it does sound smooth!!
I love how Rick's able to get his hands on either the multitrack tapes or the files to be able to solo and otherwise dissect the tracks really makes it Uber interesting !! Great job Rick!!...
I mean the only other way you'd be able to do that is if you were at Studio that recorded these Bands!, and they gave you access to the multi-tracks... Still so damn cool very educational very enlightening I love it !
I'm 51 and grew up hearing this song, its a classic rock staple, but it seems like I always heard it on some POS portable radio on a construction site. I listened to it tonite on some great sounding stereo speakers and I was left slack-jawed. This song is a heavy caliber machine gun of awesomeness. There isn't one second or note of this song where some amazing demonstration of musical mastery isn't happening. Its perfect.
When you listen to almost any good music on a really good system, you realize how much you never heard before. It's phenomenal, and so was YES!
I've had HD600s for 16 years now, and it still blows me away EVERY SINGLE TIME I listen to a song I know well on them. And, it isn't even like I have good hearing any more! I'd have hearing aids if they weren't $5000! Really good headphones are worth 10x in aural pleasure what you pay in cash.
I’m 60 and I was going into high school and to be into Yes was COOL LOL
True. And it was rumored in those days that these guys had knock down drag out fights at times and in spite of it, they realized how great what they were creating was, which helped keep them together, at least for a while. Such is life in the world of rock and roll, at least how it used to be anyway.
Oz Chambers Yeah. I was in High school and made my own speakers from sound reinforcement components. Then I would buy the special cutting records which were as good as CDs. You could hear foot tapping and such on the recordings.
300 years from now they'll still be playing Roundabout somewhere.
.....on a Mars colony...or interstellar travel 🚀
To be continued...
And they'll still be playing it in the year 2525.
@@tombirol1693 If man is still alive.
If woman can survive.
Chris Squire is an insanely good bassist.
Love the bass here!
Chris Squire telling his story on You Tube of meeting Jimi Hendrix is quite humorous.
@@toucantango1 love the part where Chris wants to take the bass away from Noel Redding cause it’s a 1-4-5 change melody and Noel is playing it wrong.
@@t.seank.529 Ditto that and his comment "ahh, desert."
Was. He passed away from acute leukemia one month after being diagnosed in 2015.
Breaking the song into the primary elements gives me even more respect for all the thought and effort that went into making this incredible song. Thank you for showing us this!
How does a producer think to reverse the piano on the into?
@@bellavia5 beats me, they were really creative!
I think Rick nails it with sounding off the hits from 71. It was a time period where something in music broke through a barrier. Also remember Hendrix died in 70 and The Beatles broke up too, so I think the industry was ignited by this incredible sense of loss / inspiration.
@@urabadperson That's a really good observation. From the surface things just happen. When you look deeper you see all the things that contributed to it.
@@bellavia5 Then follow up with a reversed guitar solo? Talk about a magnum opus of chords, harmonies, and talent.
They didn’t need Pro Tools. They had pros.
Nice!
With tools
They didn't need pros, they had groupies although some of them were tools. Nowadays too much music is made by pro crypto tools.
DanHarkinz99 - and with läther
...with drugs
It's that bass line baby!! RIP Chris
Basil indeed
Chris Squire was a genius. He is missed by so many. YES will never be the same again.
For a bass player I agree totally. I happened to catch him play two tunes at the NAMM show in the Hilton lobby. Round About and All Good People. Chris went into the light a month or so later.
What a contrast though...for as serious as he was about his craft, he was fucking hilarious in interviews...as good as any professional comedian but he was just being himself
I agree and I truly feel Chris's passing should have been the end of YES, he was such a huge part of that band. I was sad to see them continue without him it just didn't seem right. Now Alan also. Today Steve Howe carries on without Jon Anderson or any original members and still calls it Yes? Something very wrong about it to me. I don't think I've ever missed a musician as much as Chris, it's like a wound that will never heal 😔
@@vincentwhitley1119Sure was a funny guy. Check him out talking about the night he met Hendrix. Hilarious.
What makes Yes great is the musicianship of each member. Each one is at the top of their craft. It's like making the finest meal out of the best ingredients you can find.
Correct. The only other 3 bands I can think of as "peers" are Kansas, ELP and Rush come to mind
@@richardmitchell8213 there's a few others, King Crimson and Genesis most namely, that really don't deserve to be overlooked
I knew they were great musicians and then saw them on their Masterworks tour. I was in awe of their artistry and musicianship. Blown away for two hours.
I would argue their SENSE OF ADVENTURE AND INNOVATION are their TOP quality (as there are zillions of superbly skilled musicians out there who make cliche musics in all genres) over their chops.
THE BAND WAS INTENTIONALLY TRYING TO AVOID ALL CLICHES (which is super-rare in music, which has always been a copycat form) which is why you didn't have super-fuzz on Howe and instead he's throwing in country and rockabilly licks!
When I heard Chris Squire while I was 13 years old, it spoke to me maybe more than any other musician ever, i don't know why. I was like "THAT'S THE MOTHERFUCKER RIGHT THERE!! If i Had to listen to only ONE musician for the rest of my life!! THAT DUDE!! THAT is how a bass should sound! PUNCH ME IN THE FACE!" (Steve Howe is maybe my fave guitarist as well, but SQUIRE reinvented the instrument more than Howe did.)
ELP were also intentionally trying to SMASH / IGNORE all cliches.
RUSH, by contrast, wanted to JOIN THE CLUB, rather than lead it.
GENESIS, as well, always (and still do) had the "baby brother" syndrome for being younger than YES / KC and not as cutting edge.
My fave Rush stuff is when they started intentionally aping The Police, like Permanent Waves!
I like bands that sound like nothing i've heard before like some of the new stoner-prog bands in the murican underground, like Jerusalem Witch, or Dick Flaccid & The Viagra-nauts.
OH: FANTASTIC NEW PSYCHEDELIC METAL BANDS out there!
ORANSSI PAZUZU (sp?) from finland!
UNICORN HOLOCAUST from americxa!
@@luthien47 camel, brand x PFM
Chris Squires bass was nothing short of a masterpiece in this song.
Yes, the whole song is a Masterpiece. And Jack Black was right to assign it as homework in School Of Rock.
I saw Chris many times in the 80's, but sadly the last time I saw Yes about 2 years ago he was already gone. He is sorely missed.
@@biropa04 Ah, look.. You have the same first name as him.
I got to see Yes in '09, sadly Jon was on hiatus at the time, but Trevor Horn filled in in vocals and was great, along with Squire, Howe, Wakeman, and White.
No brainer
Rick I doubt you'll ever see this comment, but I just wanted to take the time to thank you for the deep dive of one of my absolute favourite songs. Spectacular stuff.
AMEN
Yes, I'm a COMPLETE musical ignoramus. Only know what I LIKE. Roundabout is definitely a favorite. But since I was born in 1958, I have at minimum a couple of hundred faves. Rick's videos help me understand why I love a song. Still have no musicality clue, but gain a higher respect for those who do!
Rick. Every time I went to the beach 'Your Move' was on the speaker. I loved it then and still do. One great memory for a 66 yo boomer. Never quite came to grips at that stage with the rest of their songs - just the hits. My tastes have changed.
@@rankedpsiguy1 Roundabout was a very
Colorful song a great song, the 70s were
Fantastic music from Zeppelin, yes, The
Doobie Brothers, Bad company, Almond Brothers, Lynard Skinnerd , James gang,
HENDRIX, Van Halen, Beatles, Poco Harem, Rush, Fleetwood Mac , Uriah Heap, the list just is endless of
Raw ,Fantastic talent. So happy to have
Lived in this era. I got one year older on ya , 1957- 6-11. Joe Montana's birthday.
@@rankedpsiguy1 I am right there with you. I couldn't tell you what note is what and I am in awe at how Rick just separates and explains it to us music idiots. Especially when he does it for music that I grew up with and loved, Chicago, Rush, Yes and so on.
I'll never forget the time my High School Band teacher told that at a previous school, he'd arranged Roundabout for marching band. Said the tuba section wanted to kill him.
🤣
Trying to play Yes bass lines, that's a good one.
Lol
😂😂
That's awesome! 😂
RIP, Chis Squire.
One of the greatest of them all on the bass.
The song is so great he took 20min to talk about.
Amazing series, Rick. Its nice to listen to details track by track...
Fausto Faria yea but most of his videos are in the 30 minute range and more on songs I think this one was a little to much didn't see him play much he usually plays through the hole song not here though
Haha... if he did, there is so much in that song, he would have taken an hour!
The intro to a YES song is more interesting and musically satisfying than most others 3 minute pop... Ah the magick of that time .
It has little to do with "that time" and more to do with the approach of the music.
I especially liked when YES played this song at their induction to the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame, when Geddy Lee of RUSH stepped up to play bass in the absence of YES's bass player Chris Squire who passed away almost a year earlier. I REALLY would have loved to hear Jon Anderson join singing forces with Geddy Lee.
"This is one of the coolest bass parts in any YES tune"
In ANY tune. So slick.
It changed my life as a bassist, I can assure you!
It's what made me want to pick up a bass the very first time!
Chris was voted best bassist for several years in a row after Fragile was released.
I'm voting foe his bass work in Ritual...
I’ll equal with “Parallels”
Anderson's vocals weren't just vocals, they were actually another instrument in the overall melody.
The concert from 2018 is AMAZING, Jon is so on form
Abso-freaking-lutely. That’s the power of a god-tier vocalist, a power held also by other vocalists such as Jim Morrison and Robert Plant.
Totally! The nonsense lyrics bear this out.
it was his northen accent that added to his unique talent.
As all should be.
I think this “What Makes this Song so Great?” episode has Rick at his most animated and happy. Love this song so I can’t blame him.
This one and the Plini video. He gets really happy on that one.
I loved near the end where he's not commenting much. He's just playing the song and bouncing to it, and me -- well, I've had a few by that time -- got out my drumsticks and was beating the desk, lamp, and filing cabinet like a chimp on meth. What a fuckin' happy moment.
@@BillPeschel "Like a chimp on meth", that's rich! Love it!
YES.. Jon Anderson started writing this song in the early hours of the morning when the band was driving between gigs in Scotland on the way to Glasgow, Jon says they felt as if it seemed they where going around roundabouts forever and not getting to their final destination..Jon calls it their Scottish song. He loves telling his Scottish audience's this story.
You can picture Jon, in their bus, going around round bouts and thinking bloody hell, this is just like life. Then Greg Lake from ELP called him and he wrote the song. Yes, it could have happened.
Bands back then wrote music when they were touring, they didn't have much else to do. If that drive between gigs happened nowadays the result would be some Instagram searches and a few Candy Crush Saga games being played instead of one of the best songs ever.
Guillermo Llamas Torío FACTS BRO!!!!!
...in and around the loch...
that's funny - I will always think of that story going forward because on my first trip to Ireland, driving out of Dublin airport took eight roundabouts to the M4. It was my first time driving on the left side of the road and entering a roundabout on the left using a standard transmission, I stalled twice at the first one - i was so turned around but never failed a roundabout again. I sang Roundabout as I approached every roundabout after the initial eight. By the time i got to my father-in-law's farm I was so tense it took many whiskies to chill down, then he asks, Lets go to Ella's house for dinner - you drive and threw me the keys to an old Ford 150. LMAO! love the Irish. Thanks for the story👍
Rick dissects a 50 year old song, now I know why I've always loved this track, thanks Rick!
_50_ _years?!_ Come on, it's only been 30... wow... I'm 31. 😭
You can see on Rick's face that he is a huge Yes fan.
Yes it is all I ever needed to know about the track. Perfect.
I feel smarter and dumber at the same time.
Smarter because now I know more.
Dumber because I keep learning how little I know about music.
Yes = awesome
Rick B = awesomeness
Yes + Rick B = superawesomeness.
That's the secret for success!
THAT made me laugh & i needed a laugh today. Thanks!
^^ me after every one of Rick's videos
My surprise, being both a music major (a long time ago) AND a fan of this track, is once again having it confirmed: very often Less is More. A lot of the complex-sounding passages are actually built from layers of (relatively) simple, interlocking, riffs among the instruments. Case in point: Squire's bass is a simpler riff than I always imagined it to be, surprise! Great track, great reveal of how it was put together.
That's what learning is always like. The more you learn, the more you realise you don't know, and will know. It can really mess people up when they go to university, and realise that doing well in high school doesn't mean much because there's a shocking amount of stuff to learn you never even knew about. It's quite humbling
I’m here after your interview with Jon Anderson to listen to this again. What a great job you have, Rick.
me too🙋
Moment! Du bist nach Deinem Interview mit Jon Anderson hier, richtig? Wo bist Du? And who are you? Ich meine: geht es Dir gut?
1971 sounds like an outstanding year to be a music fan.
Who’s Next!
@@mudstone6497 And a sad year for doors fans
It was.
YES "FRAGILE" THE WHO "WHO'S NEXT" JETHRO TULL "AQUALUNG" LED ZEPPELIN IV BLACK SABBATH " MASTER OF REALITY" and the list continues but for these albums alone there wasn't a more powerfully significant year in music history than 1971
@@aschule5684pink floyd’s meddle
My God Rick you break down these songs like a BOSS! So freaking brilliant this was
Came here for the anime, but stayed for the song. Such a wonderful beautiful brilliant song.
Seems a though they put more thought/talent into this one song than most people put into complete albums these days. IMHO
And this one is the low end of their catalog. Best band ever!
They put more thought in this whole song than most of these idiots considered musicians today put in their whole careers!
Seems?
they did.
cool. i do that.
i discovered this series way too late in the evening i'm never getting to bed tonight
I sailed the great sea of youtube before I found the island of Rick Beato with all of it treasures.
That guy kicks ass. Music for life.
Ahoy there, Fritz. It says on my sea chart: HERE BE DRAGONS! (Also: loads of talent.)
I've Been staying on Rick's Island for a long time now. Wanna stay forever.
But have you sailed the sea's of cheese?
I would argue "great" sea,..vast maybe, but not great...lol. But 100% on the money with the value of Rick Beato and his knowledge/appreciation of music. Treasure is a great description! Wish RUclips had more content of this caliber.
I can hear why Geddy Lee liked Chris Squire
Love Rush. Best Yes tribute band ever.
loved : )
I always preferred Squire over Lee -- probably because he used a pick. It just has more bite (i know this is sacrilege among bassists).
Two great bass players!
Rush and Yes were both built by Rickenbacker playing bassists.
Brilliant analysis. One small point, Rick mentions the vocals of Jon Anderson at the start but a very honourable mention should go to Chris Squire's backing vocals which always blended superbly on this and many other tracks and Steve Howe gave them a great 3-part harmony sound when they played live.
i think Chris and Jon started the band after meeting in a pub and talking about it! ..i was so into this band growing up...
Yeah, no one did majestic backing like Chris.
true that!
It’s ironic he mentioned Geddy Lee being a Chris Squire disciple. Geddy performed this song with Yes on their HOF induction. He friggin nailed it
But, he played it on a Fender. Geddis played a RIC forever🤷♂️
@@dr.michaelbennett8597 with all due respect, that is the unmistakeable sound of a Rickenbacker bass here on the original studio recording of Roundabout- Rick even says so in this video @ 12:24- Squire may have played a Fender at times, but not on this recording- peace
@@jerryhouck2237 I think you completely missed it. Having had Rickenbackers since 1977, I know the sound of a RIC. I was referring to the Geddi playing Roundabout on a Fender at the Rock and Roll Hall of fame. All due respect...😂
@@dr.michaelbennett8597 Ah- yes, I did misunderstand what u were saying- the way you worded it is confusing, keep rockin' those Ric's!!
@ exactly!- there is no better person for that job!
Seve Howe was a brilliant guitarist, Chris Squire is a legend, Jon Anderson is very underrated,
Early Yes was/is historical!
Fragile was the first album that Rick Wakeman played on for YES. He was brilliant as well.
And too many people neglect or underrate the sheer awesomeness of Bruford.
Don’t forgot Br00f
Jon Anderson underrated ????….. What planet are you on. ?????
@@johndunlop8081 -- Not me. I always thought his drum parts gave YES a buoyancy that made their music sparkle.
Love this song, as a bass player this song has the best Rick sound I’ve heard. You forget how great this song is. It’s great to hear it broke down like this.
Yes! SquIre had that Rickenbacker on fire. The tone is just killer!
If Rick Wakeman never played another note that solo would put him amongst the keyboard greats of all time. What a wicked keyboardist
@@gettyshiloh I have a huge collection of Wakeman stuff!
Or Awakened with his church organ playing.
@@davidgroll-cook7125 absolutely!!!
some of the sections in Tales From Topographic are stellar..and Rick Hated that album
Yes Sir. Still love his music. The old git. Same as me.
Such a great song. Even after hearing it >1000 times, the isolated tracks revealed new details. The samba percussion jam, the double-tracked Minimoog and organ parts and of course the vocals were all revealing and helped me appreciate it even more. It kindled a compulsion to buy a Rickenbacker bass, plane the body thinner, and play it with a pick. More immediately it provoked me to put a reversed piano chord in something.
It really is so cool to hear the music broken down this way.
So many little easter eggs to find in here. Can't overstate how funky Bruford is here along with Squire.
You could literally do this with every song by Yes. It is unbelievable.
I did something similar to the reversed piano opening a while back - recorded a guitar chord going thru a Leslie simulator and switched the Leslie from fast to slow as I strummed. Then reversed it all - giving an accelerating crescendo. Probably the only good bit of my song
It’s like a mini symphony. Yes were sort of like symphonic rock. Hear stuff everywhere unlike previous listens.
"I like hearing mistakes in my music because it seems to me that people are trying and that risks are being run." -Bill Bruford, 1971
Hearing Rick get so passionate when he's talking about old school analog recording made me smile
If I could have played back separate parts like this in the 70's, I would have never graduated high school. There would've been no time for homework - Your analysis is so cool. Keep 'em coming.
How cool what a cool thing to say i agree 1000% with you.
Wow I never thought of that... so true I was buried in music anyway, if I could have broken down each song like this I would have been a 15 year old hermit.
If someone suddenly opened up a library of music and we could listen to the individual tracks of any and every classic rock song I would never again be seen in the light of day.
No doubt!
Rick, OMG I just realized why I enjoy you so much...well...beyond the obvious shot in the arm of pure knowledge from a master virtuoso like you. My father and I would spend HOURS discussing his and my favorite tunes. Our record library was quite extensive. It rivaled his complete collection of Playboy Magazine which he is still collecting.
I had hours and hours of pure musical joy dissecting the music and listening over and over to excerpts of whatever theoretical idea he was trying to convey to my 4-year-old mind. I suppose I was not a common child in the normal aspect of how one thinks a child is to behave I was a 40-year-old musician in a child's body. I could never get enough of what my Dad had to say. How did he know so much about so many bands? He could have been the editor in chief of Rolling Stone Magazine. At times, he would play the music on his guitar or base just like you do. He never told me how, or what to feel about music...my opinion was mine and I was right about it and to own it.
I want to thank you for taking me back to my fond childhood memories when I worshiped my Dad like a God...looking back on things... as a fifty-five-year-old man, I still do.
You remind me of him.
Know that you are truly loved by so many people.
I have a very special reason to love you...you love music as he does.
Just own it and smile.
Thanks again.
David Fryer
Wow reading this message made me cry. Music just transcends. You talking about your love for music and your Dad just hit me.
@@AceFaceDesigns I imagine that resonates with a lot of people. What now makes me cry is the fact that we are losing our rights. We are losing our history. Next the will take away all music that reminds us of America. I never thought our leaders would sell us out for power and money. Losing music hurts.
Again, loved this song before, but watching Rick break down and appreciate every single element of the song makes me love the song even more
Yes. I didn't know that was a mellotron, I always thought it was a recorder.
WOW BEATO !! Having been born in 1956, I've been listening to this since it came out. With your astute analysis, it makes me love it that much more. GOOD WORK, MAN !! Thanks so much !!!
1955 baby here, are we not a supremely lucky to have lived through this era?
I'm a product of 1956 as well. We got to live through the greatest explosion of music of all time.
@@barrykeller6671 1958 here, and this album is one of my all time favorites. I learned all of the guitar parts and never got tired of playing it. Imagine these guys putting this kind of song together, still blows me away!!!
Squire and Bruford are the most perfect rhythm section you can possibly imagine in prog
Beckfuzz don't you mean backbeat?
The only rival I'd say is maybe Geddy and Neil from Rush
That's a fitting rival for them too. It seems like cheating but Tony Levin and Bruford are also incredibly solid. Any of the rhythm sections during the Larks era of King Crimson also are phenomenal
I was 17 years old when Fragile was released. I first heard the entire album at a house party and couldn't do anything else but listen intently until the album was over. The next day I went out and bought the album, playing it until I wore it out (along with Aqualung). When Fragile was released on CD, I bought a copy. Much, much later (several years ago) it became available as a remaster in 24/96, which I have also purchased. Looking back over 40 years, I have such a deep appreciation for the group and the individual players of Yes and other Prog groups. It is great to see this track back up on RUclips, after it had been taken down. Without these "What Makes This Song Great" videos by Rick Beato, I'm sure there would be many younger generation players that would miss out on music we took for granted.
Yes is the first band that made me really listen to the drums. I met Bill Bruford last year after he gave a talk at Eastman. Great guy, also an absolute genius.
The music of Yes is really creative beyond anything we'll ever see again, and they introduced me to progressive music.
Steve Fleth in Taiwan amen, I almost tear up for kids these days, seriously! The musicians today are garbage compared to our days. A friend of mine bought their kid a guitar and his kid asked him where the video game console was to play it, when he told me the story I almost lost my mind. I had to beg my parents for months for my first guitar.
You are the Anthony Bourdain of Rock Music! You bring a whole new level of appreciation to songs we have heard a thousand times!
Judson Moore and a doppelgänger too..
I didn't think anyone else noticed the Anthony Bourdain similarity
I knew that he reminded me of somebody..... Thanks, mystery solved!!
Best 22:25 I’ve spent all week.
Great video! I love Heart of the Sunrise as well. The bass line is amazing. And the Mellotron. There's nothing like a Mellotron, nothing. I just bought YesSongs last week. I do have the old triple vinyl but no record player right now. Isn't Bruford's drumming so fresh on Roundabout here? Dr. Bill Bruford! That harmony vocal in the middle, you can feel that they are in the room, you can hear them licking their lips in the middle of the vox inbetween the lines. It's so LIVE.
Rest in peace Chris Squire. You were truly a wizard.
The importance of Eddy Offord to the finished record should be recognised too.
This comment requires a hearty 2nd thumb up
This video needs "To be continued" in the end =(
Thorneyed no bandwagon fans this is serious lol
+Bernie Boy So he couldn't have made a joke? Besides, what about discovering Yes through a meme makes it a jump on the "bandwagon?"
MeowTheRainbowX Maybe I was also joking?
+Bernie Boy Maybe you were, but it wasn't executed well. There are too many old-school rock elitists out there for me to assume that your post was a satire, especially when it's such a simple and deadpan statement.
MeowTheRainbowX true. A lot of gatekeeping assholes too
Being 62 and having played bass for 50 years now I've obviously lived through loads of different eras of music HOWEVER the period 69' to 74 was JUST THE BEST - so many classics and this song and Chris' playing/sound, along with Macca's melodic lines are the reason I wanted to play bass. Everyone thinks their period of youth was the best BUT MINE WAS!!!
Saw Yes 3 times in different venues in Chicago '70s! I was (as a guitar nut) of course a fan of Howe, but Chris, to me, stole the show every time with his "Rick"! His solos were unique in that with 4 strings he was his "own band"! Btw, you're 1 yr. younger than me but I think you still kick butt slappin' that bass as well as you ever have! Peace
The people that came after you revered Les Claypool, but I doubt he would've ever existed without this song
You SCORED in those years Jon K. You left out John Entwhistle as a bass god. For me - 1971 is the greatest year for singles, but 1973, 1970 & 1975 are the three greatest years for albums - in that order.
Jonathan Kirkpatrick:::: Chris was the Thunder God on Bass..
Jonathan Kirkpatrick amen brother
This why I love Prog Rock. Such rich and diverse sound. Real musicians back then. Not the predictable processed Pop crap.
I dont think I've ever heard anything like 21st Century Schizoid Man by King Crimson, and that was released in 1969
Being a producer myself, and a prog/fusion aficionado, I still have to say that it's not cool to generalize an entire genre and dismiss it as there being no real musicianship in it. Pop just means popular. Actually, it is on pop records that you find some of the best musicianship ever, including today. The level of musicianship found in Yes and similar bands wasn't the standard, even in the early 70s.
There is some great modern pop music out there, and while it has become much easier to "fake" good playing/singing, that doesn't mean there isn't a lot of great playing that goes into some of the pop stuff, as much as there were incredibly cheesy songs in the 70s, with bad playing and horrible sounds. Yes, the arrival of digital recording has changed a lot, and not necessarily for the better, but just dismissing everything going on today, makes you loose out on some incredible stuff. 😊
Can you please appreciate a music without shitting on another ?
@@mathys2686Thank you, that was a Prog snob.
60's & 70's prog was great, I loved the contrast between the complex musical arrangements and the warm old school valve amps and analog recording process.
IF I keep watching this channel through the quarantine, I should emerge with a Masters in Music Theory!
Master in theory yet?😂😳
@@FiveStarHobo No. but I am more knowledgeable than I was. Apparently skipping classes is still not a good idea.
@@jimclarke8260 lol I get it, im in my 1st semester of theory and I have no idea how I'm gonna pass finals
I now know why I was listening to YES when my friends were listening to the Bay City Rollers....lol
Were your friends girls, and you are a man? YES!
bay city rollers. hilarious.
Well, YOU were right.
did you have the trousers with tartan trim?
Imagine the BCR trying to cover this. R...O...U.N.D...A...B...O.U.T.
Dear RIck. Not to favor YES in any way, but could you do a special on this channel and also analyze "Close To The Edge" monster of a song - imo the ultimate one of YES production catalog.
Mirek Goldberg I’m favoring Yes and you nailed it on the head! It’s actually kind of hard to say but I’m willing to say that Close to the Edge was some of Yes’ greatest work, but there’s just so much that’s great about Yes that it’s still hard to say.
Either 'Close to the Edge' or 'Relayer' would do it for me ... but it would take at least a couple of hours to 'do it'. ;-)
Steve Martin Yeah, Relayer played really LOUD! Or a treat on headphones, too.
I totally agree with your choice
Mirek Goldberg brilliant suggestion. I too consider Close to the Edge utterly brilliant, especially the existential central section... that, I’d put in my top ten music ‘bits’ of all time.
Chris Squire really was one hell of a bass player.
Christ imagine being on the charts at the same time as black dog, american pie, baba o reiley, imagine, changes, riders on the storm, and stairway to god damn heaven. Thats such an all star list.
1971 was an awesome year for releases.
I remember bar bands playing those songs back in the day. Some were good, some ... tried! Still makes me think of how talented people used to be. Now everything is garbage with no substance at all
@@brosefmcman8264 Makes me feel bad for the kids of today,,,,,,, and the noise they promote to them as art. The music industry has become a demonic mind control entity leading kids into a vast wasteland of confusion. The music and film industries at the very top level are controlled by satanic pedophiles that have no interest in true talent. Only money. Sad situation.
Is 'n it though???!!! Mind blowing top of the heap!
@@brosefmcman8264 Don't say "everything" is garbage. There are hundreds of amazing bands making their own music with more than a hat-tip to 70s and 80s rock. Anyone claiming that "today's music is crap" needs to get out more. You're not doing any of your own searching online, on RUclips, even in Amazon reviews, etc. I'm especially interested in younger bands doing prog rock with touches of jazz. Greta Van Fleet, Thank You Scientist, Bent Knee, Kaipa, Karmakanic, Pineapple Thief, Glass Hammer, Fates Warning, Frost*, Dopapod, District 97, Riverside, Kino, Enchant, Spock's Beard, Haken, Wobbler, Tangent, Sons Of Apollo, Ozric Tentacles, Flower Kings (Jon Anderson did a collaboration in 2016 with Flower Kings' genius Roine Stolt. "Anderson/Stolt". Find it!) I'm sure there's tons of new stuff out there that I'm missing. And to hear people say, "everything is garbage" or "today's music is no good" is annoying when all you've got to do is look around you to see.
Damn, listen to the charting songs back then... What went so wrong??
LivioSegnini It’s more profitable for labels to pay bad artists pennies instead of having to negotiate with good musicians who can leave and sign with anyone else.
Nowhere to go but down when the music game is that high quality. There’s a reason it’s called Classic Rock!
I think "what went so wrong" was that the music industry imploded in the 1980's. There was kind of a backlash against the supergroups of the 1970's. In an interview, Tom Petty said, "It's Rock 'n Roll; it's not supposed to be that good." Yeah, that's why I never bought one of his albums. Mediocre Rock gave way to "Gangsta rap." Some descent Rock'n roll came out in the 1990's, but nothing that really stands up over the decades. People got out of the habit of buying disks, so there's no point in promoting real music.
On top of everything else is the disaster of our educational system. The arts are every bit as important, and maybe even more so than math and science. Even so, we've all experienced how English class turns the wonder of Shakespeare into a relentless horror.
All good points, and I'd just chalk it up to the natural, cyclical progression and regression of humanity. Mankind has been having up-and-down cycles like the Dark ages and the Renaissance since the beginning of our time on Earth.
LivioSegnini what went wrong? Simple : milk powder + MTV.....
Was there any musician in that line up of Yes who wasn't virtuoso? Steve Howe, Chris Squire, Rick Wakeman, Bill Bruford? What a line up!
Jon Anderson is certainly a virtuous singer as well!!
Bill Bruford: "You were in Yes until someone better than you came along to replace you"
Jon Anderson also played guitar and harp. Check out his harp on “Flamants Roses” from Vangelis’ “Opera Sauvage” (1979). Die-hards will know that Anderson and Vangelis collaborated on four albums as Jon & Vangelis. Anderson first started working with Vangelis in the mid-70s, and actually tried to get Vangelis into the band Yes. If that’d happened, would we have had the “Blade Runner” soundtrack?
And the addition of Alan White was a great one too
Can't see how somebody can rattle off great musicians in Yes and not mention Jon Anderson . 😪
One of my favorite bands growing up and being a amateur musician myself marveled at the complexities of Roundabout even then how that kind of music resonated with me. Other bands of the time like Emerson Lake and Palmer had that same affect on me so far off the beaten path of the Billboard top 40 hits. Those were the albums I bought ! Other mentionable artist and bands would be Jethro Tull ,Steely Dan, Kansas, Deep Purple ...
This is officially my all time favorite youtube video in the whole entire multiverse. Just... THANK YOU RICK! You really ARE the greatest!
Early 70's music was so exciting with so many new styles of rock being created. I love this song especially the middle section. To my ears the arrangement was so weird, unlike anything being played on the radio back then. I know a lot of work went into making this video. Thanks again
Thanks Tom!
I guess you never heard the song "lucky man" by ELP. If you have then that is another example of a song that was unlike anything else on the radio back then and imo even more unusual than Yes.
Lucky Man, a beautiful song and a big hit ... was a very simple ballot, probably ELP simplest arrangement. I know Keith gets a little bit out there at the end. What does imo stand for?
imo = in my opinion; imho = in my humble opinion
Snowfire Sunwind hahaha, thought imo was some cool band I wasn't aware of. Lol
I like Rick. He's such a great music nerd.
Love Yes!
I love this song, and as a bass player of 43 years, I'm STILL excited by Chris' beautiful bass playing and tone, AND singing backgrounds too! He's probably playing Taurus pedals as well, because he can. I heard YES live, and when Chris hit one note on the pedals and the entire venue shook, I HAD to have that! Thank you, YES for the inspiration and beauty, and Rick for explaining their mastery of progressive and wonderful rock.
Jesus , 1971a year of released brilliance .
SpoonWood Gennaro Well... not exactly. 1971 was a year of CONCEPTION greatness... I was born the very next year😂👍👊
I was 8. It was fantastic back then
Now, take a gander at 1970 . . .
. . . I know, right!
I was 9 years old when this song came out, but lucky for me I had an 18-year-old guitar-playing brother. He played this album until it was practically transparent. Now that I have headphones and the benefit of listening to 50 years of the decline and fall of great music, I can truly appreciate it!
Bass should rightly be used as a lead instrument in rock music. It has really disappeared since the 90's.
Mike Nicholson pop music is devoid of musicians. Great players are still to be found, just on RUclips song cover videos from their parents’ basement.
While guitar players get the spotlight, Bass+Drums working together is the Backbone of rock, and the best in that era listened to jazz.
I blame Lars ;)
I bought a Rick because of Chris Squire. I can play "The Fish in my sleep.
Try the Stanley Clarke album School Days he plays bass like a guitar, Stanley is an awesome bass player, it is a stunning album, and Chris Squire's Fish out of Water is superb.
I have just become re-obsessed with yes specifically this song and starship trooper. Chris squire just creates the most amazing vibe it’s like magic
That bassline is top tier, even if ur not a fan of rock you can listen to how good it sounds
Pentatonics at their best! Who says that scale is boring..?
Just hearing Rick read off the songs that were topping the charts in 1971 puts it into perspective. I pretty much live in that era as far as my eardrums are concerned anyway, but I can’t imagine turning on the radio and have it just be impossible to hear bad music.
Yeah, there's good music coming out but that list of songs Rick reads off is fucking insane. I don't think the mainstream radio will ever be like that again
I could never tolerate Bruce Springsteen for some reason.
Yes, but most of us only had AM radio with shortened songs and a DJ that talked half way in to the beginning of the track. It was cool at night though, when we could pick up WLS out to Chicago or WOR out of NYC. Can still hear Blood Sweat and Tears and Al Kooper sing I'll Love You More than You'll ever Know. Should only be played at night!!
It was awesome, even pop radio back then
@@daleeasternbrat816 It's that goddamn abused Hammond organ, on EVERYTHING...
I absolutely love this song, all my life, I’m 64 now and it’s been the soundtrack to my life!
My nephew asked me last week what my favorite song is, without any thought I blurted out roundabout, he said "that's what they call that circle instead of a 4 way Stop and I said "Yes". I started laughing and he was puzzled. Amazing song, and break down video. Keep'em coming
Yes! :D
No wonder I was so skinny back in the '70's! Rocking out to that music, there were a lot of parts to keep up with! Damn we had good music back then!!
It was astonishingly good. No autotune, no drum machines, no computers. Just individuals and instruments and raw talent.
I grew up and still live in Southern California and in the 70’s and 80’s going to concerts was one of the primary things you did. There was no internet or video games (thank God) and in LA every band came through town. My best friend was an entrepreneurial ticket scalper back then and I had access to tickets for all the great shows. Once a bunch of us had excess tickets to sell for Frank Sinatra at the Universal Amphitheater and as young 20’s something’s we dressed ourselves in blazers and went to sell the tickets and it was incredible. We ended up going into the show. My first concert was America at the Anaheim Convention Center. At 15 I saw Led Zeppelin at the forum and then went on to see 150-200 shows. I can remember seeing 2-3 shows a week at the Greek, The Forum, the Troubadour and so many other great venues. It was an amazing time and looking back on it I realize how grateful I am for so many incredible experiences.
Awesome! I was so glad when I heard "Roundabout" instead of "Owner of a Lonely Heart"
I prefer 'Owner of a Lonely Heart'.
You said it, Lucas. OOALH was dog poo compared to vintage Yes
BigEdWo you're doo doo
Actually, now that he's done 'Roundabout' I'd sorta like to see a break down of 'Owner of a Lonely Heart' as well, to see the sonic shift and hear some of those crazy guitar parts soloed in the mix.
Funny thing, I had the same emotion!
Steve Howe is a genius and is completely underappreciated.
Maybe under appreciated now, but he did get named best overall guitarist five consecutive years by GuitarPlayer mag in the late 70s-early 80s.
Could be said for Bruford and Squire, too. Once Bruford left the band was never the same.
A genius, and a bloody tosser too....
@@Jellyonpizza yes, not the same, but the Going for the One album with Alan White on drums is my favorite Yes album. It's as good as anything they did with Bruford.
@@charliemcgary9031 I’ll check that out. Thank you.
I've been waiting to write something to Rick because I don't know anything about music, other than growing up on Rock and Roll. I've just been watching video after video that Rick has on RUclips and digging them more and more. What do I love about your videos, Rick ? I love the fact that you know everything about music, and even though I only have the narrowest knowledge base, I can follow your teaching and I have learned so much about the music that I grew up on and I know why this is the best music that has ever been. Your enthusiasm is intoxicating, your scholarship is inspiring, your delivery is exhilarating. Rick, you are a super cool dude. Having people like you in this world makes me want to go forward and do my part in making the world a better place.
This was awesome. Everything I feel in words.
Freakin-A!
Exfuckingactly
I feel the same as you. I have no musical background except two torturous years in a choir,but,Rick makes music more interesting!