I've been a crazy Yes fan for almost 50 years now. I still can't get enough of this stuff!! I must have listen to these songs thousand times!! To me there is just no comparison to Yes, the way they put these epic songs together and bring it all back is just insanely good!! I know Jim likes to compare them to other groups and stuff but to me there is no one close. I was fortunate enough to see them live about 50 times in the 70's. Don't get me started how good they are live!! 😁
This was it… Their last chance. The record company gave them this album to break out or they were done. (No pressure.) They stayed at a cottage and with Steve Howe bringing in some already started pieces from his BODAST days and writing song after song they went about coming up with a fan freaking tastic album. Steve saved their butts big time but they all rose to the occasion. This was the real kick start to an incredible 70’s. I am a slightly younger fan so i include Tormato as a great album as it was the first album I was exposed to and saw the ‘79 tour in Toronto - life changing experience for a 15 year old… Funny enough it was another new guitarist Trevor Rabin who gave them the 80’s smash album that paid for some houses.
19th February 1971, over 50 years ago .......... unbelievable, it was this album that changed everything musically for me. My neighbour said that I have to listen to this, that was it, the next day I went and got my own copy (which I still have) and the first and second albums. Hearing Starship Trooper live at the Chatham Central Hall for the first time, the hairs on the back of my neck stood up, that first time will always be special.
The first YES song I heard on the radio as a senior in high school--that absolutely blew me away--was *Starship Trooper.* Got the album and went to see them in concert when they finally came to Tampa, FL, where I heard Close To The Edge for the first time. I've been a YES worshiper ever since, lol...
"Clap" live was probably put on there to showcase their brand new guitarist, Steve Howe. I find the whole album creates an ambient presence that can't be described and is greatly enhanced by Steve's live solo. Tony Kaye is absolutely killer on this record. Definitely one of Yes's best albums.
I've been looking forward to this one.... Such a good album. So many great tracks , but Starship Trooper is a sentimental favorite. I remember this from my earliest years ( born in '68) ,and my older siblings listened to this album a bunch.
@@mikereiss4216 I am sitting watching a video of Yes live on the Symphonic tour, doing Close To The Edge, and Chris is indeed doing the high harmony, hid did it a lot of times.
@@stevejamo1958 I did notice that quite often with Chris' part. Which is amazing cuz in his normal speaking voice was quite deep. So I guess higher octaves were falsetto, but didn't really sound as such (compared to the higher vocals of John Lodge, bassist of the Moody Blues, which did sound falsetto, IMO)
Hey Jim! I have to thank Lightmane for bringing me to your channel. I subscribed immediately. There is no bigger YES fan on this planet than I. You will eventually learn that. Lol. I have much to get caught up on. I have loved YES since the beginning. Have seen the band over 200 times. They are the best band in the galaxy! Enjoy their musicianship, for no band comes close to the expertise that is YES!😎
When they get to " Wurm" and you get interested, that little piece of music captivates people of all ilk. In concert this is when Chris would saunter over to Steve and then do a shuffle back across the stage to applause and crowd roars.
That's cool how you spotted right away that Yours is No Disgrace sometimes sounds like a TV show theme. Jon Anderson and Bill Bruford are both on record saying TV theme songs were an influence on Yours is No Disgrace, Bill Bruford claims it was mainly Bonanza, Jon claims it was Fabian of the Yard.
@@BigMacIain Ah, that tune was actually the orchestral intro to Richie Havens' "No Opportunity Necessary, No Experience Needed" (easy enough to compare the two on YT).
@@BigMacIain Er, not sure what riff you mean now. If you still mean "Yours is No Disgrace" then listen to this: ruclips.net/video/4B_M1KTMMIo/видео.html
Not sure if someone else answered your question but Chris Squire and Steve Howe contribute backing vocals, although at times they would double track Jon. I think on this album it's just Steve and Chris. Chris' voice is very similar to Jon's at times, so it's easy to believe that it's double tracking Jon. A great listen for a Monday morning.
A lot of young people say it must have been so mind blowing to hear Yes for the first time back in the 70s., but we had all kinds of trippy music all through the late 60s. The first time I ever heard them was when my local top 40 radio station played Your Move. So it was not really that strange. It was however the antithesis of the bland music that seemed to take over after Woodstock and the break up of the Beatles.
The new guy, Steve Howe, was a key component in Yes' new sound, as he often came in with a pile of new riffs, melodies, and rhythms. Hell, you can hear the progression by just listening to the first song with those great chord progressions, lyrical fills, and soaring guitar riffs. Since I discovered Yes, Howe has always been on my list of top five all-time greats.
Went to to 5 YES concerts in Seattle Washington and was completely in love with their sound, their beautiful Roger Dean’s set designs! Always walked away mind blown!!
"I don't understand why it was all swept aside so casually by punk"? Not only by punk music but also by blues-based rock and roll. To me, it seems the reason is because they're a more dramatic type of music while Yes and most progressive bands are about the wonder of music and how it can be taken to a different level. I suppose that's why reality TV shows have a bigger audience than a philosopher being interviewed on C-Span.
I bought this album in 1971 and have been a huge Yes fan ever since.I don't think they really had a bad album.I've seen them at least 30 times.The early shows were the best though when they didn't have many albums out.They would play the new material.
I gotta recommend a listen to the Wembley '78 concert. Starship Trooper is Yes on steroids, rocket fuel. Hell, the whole concert is amazing and so very heavy, partly due to good production. A shame the concert wasn't released by the band. Woukd make a killer lp!
This is Steve Howe's first album with Yes and his introduction to the world at large... I think Yes recognized his talent and featured him on Fragile too with Mood For A Day... Steve Howe went on to win every Guitar Player magazine poll for the next 5 years and was retired as one of the greats from the poll... The Yes Album is a guitar tour de force... Yes became "progressive" with Steve Howe...
Words seem superfluous when describing great works of art like this - what will be remembered in a million years from now is the beauty and creativity that once was, the musicians who made it and the pure message of spiritual enlightenment that underlay it - I was 17 when this album came out. Nothing comes close to lifting me up as much as this group - maybe "Echoes" from Pink Floyd, Genesis at their best. It is wonderful to have lived in England as a teenager in the late '60's/early '70, music was worth devoting most of our time to. A moment in time.....
Saw them live in 2002 in Brussels, Cirque Royale - which is basically a ball shape hall (Howe, Squire, Anderson, White & Wakeman) Best concert ever. When you have optimal acoustics and Yes music … I could feel that bass in my stomack.
It was 50 years ago this summer that I first heard Yours Is No Disgrace. My 14 year old mind was blown. That was also the summer of Tarkus. Not a bad summer.
That was some year, Meddle Pink Floyd, Zeppelin 4, Imagine John Lennon, Aqualung Jethro Tull, Master of Reality Black Sabbath, Fireball Deep Purple, American Pie Don McLean, Every good boy deserves a favor The Moody Blues, Look at yourself Uriah Heep, In search of Space Hawkwind and more. We do not have years like that anymore. And of course YES Fragile is included in 1971 too.
I would be remiss not to inform you that the two songs from this album "Yours Is No Disgrace", and "Starship Trooper", along with "Perpetual Change", and "Siberian Khatru" have Live Versions on YESSONGS, which absolutely Blow Up everything about these songs. Every instrument is running at 11, but being Live, the vocals are not studio quality, but I LOVE the Yessongs versions too. It's like listening to two different songs, but the same, and both version Masterpieces unto themselves.
The Yessongs versions of these song are amazing. Do yourself a treat and give them a spin they will blow you away. I have been listening to those live versions for 47 years and still they sound fresh and fantastic.
When this album first came out, I bought it and forever became a huge YES fan! Finally saw them perform live in 2002 with Jon, Chris, Steve, Rick & Alan. Sooooo glad that I did! They remain my favorite band of all time. (So sorry, Beatles!) Their musicianship is unrivaled.
Progressive rock is my favorite genre of music- Yes ("Starship Trooper"; "Close to the Edge"; "Southside of the Sky"; "Heart of the Sunrise"; "The Gates of Delirium") Renaissance ("Kiev"; "Carpet of the Sun"; "At the Harbour"; "The Song of Scheherazade"); Emerson, Lake & Palmer ("Tarkus"; the entire "Karn Evil 9 suite' "Pirates"); the Peter Gabriel era Genesis ("Dancing with the Moonlit Knight"; "Dance on a Volcano"; "I Know What I Like (In Your Wardrobe)"; "Get them Out by Friday"; "Time Table"; "The Musical Box"; "Supper's Ready")
My first Yes album was YESSONGS. I fell in love with it, then I only bought albums made after 1973. . Years later I bought the PRE 1973 albums, Fragile, Close To The Edge, The Yes Album, Time And A Word, and finally YES. Listening to the original compositions, especially with Bruford's unusually tuned drums and creative playful use of timing , it was like COMPLETELY, different songs ! .
I agree with you... why people don't celebrate this majesty..? I fell into it in 1974, I was 16 years old... Yes, Genesis, King Crimson, Van der Graaf/ Peter Hammill, Bowie... (and I have many others!) and nothing else mattered to me than exploring the worlds of all those magicians ! Jim, your sound is great and I love your room !
I was absolutely obsessed with this album at a difficult time in my life. At one point I went to sleep to this CD every single night. It always cheered me up, and then calmed me down and sent me off to my zzzzzzz
15:24 Clap ("The Clap" was an unfortunate misprint) was written in honor of the birth of Steve's 1st child, Dylan, who is a very accomplished musician in his own right, and as nice a guy as Steve. He's done a bunch of music with his Dad, and on his own, all worth checking out. "SUBTERRANEAN - New Designs On Bowie's Berlin" is particularly good.
This is the album that started the Yes classic era. Their distinctive sound and style all came together. For us it was the start of a great ride with YES that put them on the top shelf of prog rock from the early 70's onward. I have also commented below that you need to listen to the live versions of these songs on Yessongs they are absolutely amazing. The differences, enhancements and extensions are all fantastic. So give Yessongs a spin and sample how Yes worked and captivated their audiences on stage. In my opinion the best live album set ever made.
Looking forward to this. Hope you listen to their first 2 albums too. Tony Kaye was the original keyboard player and was on their first 3 albums. Steve Howe joined for this album. Peter Banks was the guitar player for their first 2 albums.
Great reaction. I only dare to tell you that in my opinion, with that beautiful smile you have, most of your thumbnails don't give you and your videos justice :) Much love and all the best brother
A diminutive self taught singer meets a 6'4" choir boy who plays bass and they both love the Beach Boys and then Peter Banks names the band Yes. So 54yrs later 🙏
Last night in Kefalonia, before going home to the beauty that is Northampton...Yours is no disgrace was probably their first iconic anthem...Steve Howe is just superb and the Bass is awesome..They sort of moved on without Pete Banks...who was instrumental in putting YES on the map...The music is awesome....60 now, grew up with YES at early age.......Bruford is so subtle....anyway..thanks as always....
Wurm was a progression written by Howe that was originally used in his prior group Bodast in the song The Ghost of Nether Street. Their record company suddenly folded after the album was complete, but before it was released. Howe never thought the song would be heard, so he used the chords and a lot of the solo ideas in Wurm. Also interesting to note, he actually played two solos during Wurm. That why you get the series two bars on the left and two on the right. Their producer, Eddie Offord thought that was the way the song would sound the best. You can faintly hear the other parts as Offord doesn't completely silence them with the faders. Howe then had to learn the solo as we hear it for when he played it live. But he added and substracted a lot of bits over the years.
True Yes Folks know what Yes is saying in their lyrics and music.......it sounds like some folks do not understand "Poetry." Because the later albums of Yes...they start writing lyric and music that explains the songs and music of previous albums and songs. So......in 1968 thru 1969...my friends and others would discuss the lyrics at parties.....so when you go to a Yes concert Everyone there know every inch and riff and lyric of all their songs and they demonstrate and express the songs in the audience. So, your interpretations of their music and lyrics have been very Correct!!!!! Don't listen to whoever is saying they just made up lyrics that don't make sense. Not true. And YOU ARE RIGHT AGAIN about the creations that humankind as created(fruit) Fruit = Deeds.....It is not just music that man has recorded but also the deed or actions we do in this Life that we have recorded or written down in Books also Film or Cinama......it is very Spiritual too....because Humans are Close To The Edge down by the River almost ready to cross.....to get to the other side...which could be the land of milk and honey or Paradise. You are right!!!! Congratulations!!!!
Going to listen to this one tonight, Jim. Really enjoying your personality and observations. Have you ever listened to Magma? I’d love to hear your take on Mekanik Destructiv Konnandoh, De Futura or anything Zeuhl frankly. 😂 Loving your videos. 🙏🏽
Hey Jim. 58 year old retiree from NJ here. Seen Yes from 1977 Going for the One tour @ MSG onward. Listen to the first album and then Time and a Word before moving on. 😀 Take care.
The CD reissue has 3 bonus tracks: a studio version of 'Clap' and single versions of 'Your Move' and 'StarshipTrooper: Life Seeker'. 'I've Seen All Good People' was my 1st exposure to Yes way back in the '70s and it's still my favorite by them.
Yeah they showed Kaye the door after this album because he would not get into playing the melotron and electric piano and other instruments. But they brought him back 12 years later; after he'd spent time leading his own band and playing for Peter Banks, Michael des Barres, and David Bowie.
Chris Squire was the founder and one constant member. All the others left and came back numerous times. Tony Kay toured with the group in the 90s. Bill Brueford left. but then recorded Anderson, Brueford, Wakeman and Howe and came back for Union. I think that Peter Kaye and Patrick Patrick Moraz are the only ones to leave and never rejoin.
Clap [klap] verb - strike the palms of (one's hands) together repeatedly, typically in order to applaud someone or something; noun - an act of striking together the palms of the hands, either once or repeatedly The clap slang term for a venereal disease, typically gonorrhea
The Live version of Clap was included because Steve Howe tried to record it in the studio (a studio version exists on the Rhino re-master CD) but he was just never happy with the sound. Plus the energy of performing it in front of a crowd really makes it come to life. Also, if you have an old vinyl copy, the piece is listed as "The Clap" which horrified Howe that it was printed as that. He couldn't think of a name for it, and Bill Bruford suggested Clap because whenever he played it live, the audience always clapped along. If you listen to Jon Anderson's introduction, he sayd, "Here's a song calllllled Clap." Whoever was in charge of designing the album cover must have thought he heard, "Here's a song called The Clap." Also on the Rhino re-master, that is fixed to just "Clap."
Jim, when you said you don’t know why this music was swept away by punk, let me tell you my story. In the early seventies when I was a young teen I was into classical music like Mum and Dad. Then I heard Bohemian Rhapsody and got into Queen’s first 4 albums and plenty of seventies metal. But I always retained my classical roots. Then I heard In The Wake Of Poseidon and waded into art rock (now apparently and annoyingly called prog rock) which included King Crimson, Yes and Henry Cow, all the while still liking classical and metal. But late in the seventies I heard a little album by The Dead Kennedys called Fresh Fruit For Rotting Vegetables which hooked me right into punk and alternative music, and my three fave bands into the eighties were Black Flag, Husker Du and The Minutemen (the latter which you could check out just on the basis of comparisons between the drum/bass sections of them and Yes, there are certain similarities, illustrated on albums such as The Punchline and What Makes A Man Start Fires). And I remember playing 21st Century Schizoid Man off King Crimson’s live Earthbound album to my punk friends because of its grating, punk-like anger. And through all that I still liked all my earlier music. Anyway, food for thought. These days I just listen to my Glenn Gould records so I’ve come full circle 😃
If you love the vocals, chances are you're loving Chris Squire's voice as much as Jon Anderson's. Chris did the backing vocals and had a beautiful voice. Sometimes he comes to the fore as in this point (20:45) of "Starship Trooper", the middle section of "South Side of the Sky", and the slow vocal part of "Close To The Edge."
Steve Howe's arrival was certainly fortuitous for everyone involved. I still maintain that Peter Banks was a fine guitarist, and a far more enjoyable player than your run of the mill blue-rock guitarist of the era. But not even he could contest with someone of Howe's unique talents (and this is way before he discovered the pedal steel, sitar guitar, etc.) I do think they were a bit short of material and time so "Clap" went in as a live performance rather than being worked up into a group arrangement. It's also why "A Venture" on side two seems a bit odd in context -- they had pretty much already invested everything they could into the other songs. Re: punk's impact on this music, that was still a way into the future. This album came along on the tail end of the idealistic hippy era, before the UK economy went downhill and the next generation's disillusionment (pardon the pun) had a chance to swing popular tastes in music to their side.
Chris Squire on Starship Trooper.....Chorus and tremolo pedals perhaps ??? And the Ricky bass....What a bassist and backing vocalist (amazing harmonies)....and someone I think Geddy Lee took some pointers from..... It's a stonking LP.... Bruford toured with Genesis back in 1976 (Trick of the Tail tour) as the other drummer when Collins took up vocal duties after Peter Gabriel's departure.....There is some good footage on this platform.....King Crimson after Close To The Edge and his own band, Bruford, which I actually saw back in 1980 supporting Brand X.....I am very old it seems !!!
This one is the best… after this they went off into years of musical “experimentation” I basically wrote them off between this album and 90125 and Big Generator..
Those us us who started out listening to this type of music still wanted to many years later. But new generations of music listeners wanted there own thing (disco, punk, new wave, etc Then rap, hi-hop, etc). But as long am I'm alive so to will this music be.
This was Howe’s first album with the group. He might’ve used The Clap to introduce himself to the group although it was actually written for a youngster. I’m not sure why a live recording was used unless it was just to demonstrate his ability to play it outside a studio.
Supposedly, according to Bill Bruford and Steve Howe, Yours is No Disgrace is based on the theme music from the American western TV series "Bonanza". In later albums they will incorporate the theme song from The Way We Were and a Choral Symphony by Holst.
... Steve Howe and his twenty-four fingers ... on left on cover !! Jon, close to the edge ! Chris red bass ! Bill on the floor and Tony Kayboards with a head !
While I've never seen any interview where Kurt Cobain says he was a Yes fan, you can hear some Chris Squire in Krist Novoselic's bass playing (at least I can). And do you know who Kurt did namecheck regularly? King Crimson - he said "Red" was one of his favourite albums of all time
Likely Kurt WAS a Yes fan, only the punks (and post-punks) were more or less forbidden from expressing such passions publicly if they felt them at all. I remember hearing Caravan's Richard Coughlin relating having been approached by either a Pistol or a Clash-man in an airport or hotel lobby somewhere to say how much they loved his playing. Once you become associated with a "movement" it can be difficult not to say what the punters want to hear and suppress anything/everything else, lest you appear an apostate of some kind. At the same time, I understand PERFECTLY why the genre I grew up on (along with Motown) got "swept aside" by punk. Because A LOT of what came out under the rubric of "prog" WAS pompous and self-indulgent (Genesis, longer ELP numbers, others I could name), when rock music began as "THREE CHORDS, NO WAITING!" Three chords or TWO. Punk was necessary and required, even if there are barely ANY songs worth remembering the way either countless original rock and roll numbers are, or pretty much ALL the original (releases 1-5) Yes corpus. There's your answer.
The Wurm is based on a composition by Steve Howe called Nether Street whilst in a short lived band called Bodast back in 1968/69. Nether Street is a street in Finchley so guess there's a link there. Chris Squire would pump up his bass so you could feel vibrations through the floor during The Wurm. Unbelievable but sadly never to be repeated again.
Saw Yes 36 times. Chris Squire was Yes granted he had the best back up band around. Should listen to Release Release off Tormato or the whole side. Its different in many ways but the same.
It wasn’t swept aside as much as you might think…well, here in USA. I completely agree about it not being pretentious. Far from it. I’m not saying one person is smarter than another, but my brain and soul understand YES! And have for five decades. On to side 2 😁
![Kodak Black - Sharp Vibes [Official Music Video]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/oEV0OoLJeIs/mqdefault.jpg)
One of the best bands there ever was.
Chris Squire and Jon Anderson's harmonies are exquisite
I've been a crazy Yes fan for almost 50 years now. I still can't get enough of this stuff!! I must have listen to these songs thousand times!! To me there is just no comparison to Yes, the way they put these epic songs together and bring it all back is just insanely good!! I know Jim likes to compare them to other groups and stuff but to me there is no one close. I was fortunate enough to see them live about 50 times in the 70's. Don't get me started how good they are live!! 😁
Just pointing out, being a Yes fan doesn’t make you crazy 😜!!!
@@JimNewstead 😄
So great that you can appreciate this band as much as I do. And doing the full albums is awesome. Keep it up Jim!
The Yes Album is where it all came together!!!
They sounded just like this in concert!! Masters at their music, each member master’s his talent and instruments!! Structured magic!
This was it… Their last chance. The record company gave them this album to break out or they were done. (No pressure.) They stayed at a cottage and with Steve Howe bringing in some already started pieces from his BODAST days and writing song after song they went about coming up with a fan freaking tastic album. Steve saved their butts big time but they all rose to the occasion. This was the real kick start to an incredible 70’s. I am a slightly younger fan so i include Tormato as a great album as it was the first album I was exposed to and saw the ‘79 tour in Toronto - life changing experience for a 15 year old…
Funny enough it was another new guitarist Trevor Rabin who gave them the 80’s smash album that paid for some houses.
19th February 1971, over 50 years ago .......... unbelievable, it was this album that changed everything musically for me.
My neighbour said that I have to listen to this, that was it, the next day I went and got my own copy (which I still have) and the first and second albums.
Hearing Starship Trooper live at the Chatham Central Hall for the first time, the hairs on the back of my neck stood up, that first time will always be special.
...listening to this 19 Feb 2024 :-)
The first YES song I heard on the radio as a senior in high school--that absolutely blew me away--was *Starship Trooper.* Got the album and went to see them in concert when they finally came to Tampa, FL, where I heard Close To The Edge for the first time. I've been a YES worshiper ever since, lol...
Love how you do this. To see you enjoy the music is a sight for sore eyes.
This was the first album to feature Steve Howe on guitar. I think they included the acoustic live track to introduce him to the fans.
Good point, but it also acts as a nice palette cleanser before starship trooper
and show us his chops live
"Clap" live was probably put on there to showcase their brand new guitarist, Steve Howe. I find the whole album creates an ambient presence that can't be described and is greatly enhanced by Steve's live solo. Tony Kaye is absolutely killer on this record. Definitely one of Yes's best albums.
I've been looking forward to this one.... Such a good album. So many great tracks , but Starship Trooper is a sentimental favorite. I remember this from my earliest years ( born in '68) ,and my older siblings listened to this album a bunch.
YES - The Gift that keeps on Giving 💝💝💝
Backing vocals Chris Squire RIP
The two part harmonies were Jon and Chris, the higher voice being Chris. Steve did the lower parts on the three part harmonies.
@@stevejamo1958 Chris did not sing higher than Jon.
@@mikereiss4216 I am sitting watching a video of Yes live on the Symphonic tour, doing Close To The Edge, and Chris is indeed doing the high harmony, hid did it a lot of times.
@@stevejamo1958 I did notice that quite often with Chris' part. Which is amazing cuz in his normal speaking voice was quite deep. So I guess higher octaves were falsetto, but didn't really sound as such (compared to the higher vocals of John Lodge, bassist of the Moody Blues, which did sound falsetto, IMO)
@@JJ8KK If you listen to Hold Out Your Hand, from his solo album 'Fish Out Of Water', his normal singing voice is quite high normally.
Hey Jim! I have to thank Lightmane for bringing me to your channel. I subscribed immediately. There is no bigger YES fan on this planet than I. You will eventually learn that. Lol. I have much to get caught up on. I have loved YES since the beginning. Have seen the band over 200 times. They are the best band in the galaxy! Enjoy their musicianship, for no band comes close to the expertise that is YES!😎
You are almost as big a goof as I am, LOL
I don't know I'm a pretty big YES fan too!! And I agree with you 100%!
@@johng.8517 when he said 200, it was a typo. He's only been to 2. He knows I'm just messing with him, lol 😛
Yo yo yo 214
Better we never seen!
@@lesblatnyak5947 😎
When they get to " Wurm" and you get interested, that little piece of music captivates people of all ilk. In concert this is when Chris would saunter over to Steve and then do a shuffle back across the stage to applause and crowd roars.
This is probably my fave album from the band when i just wanna stick on some yes and relax for a bit
It was Yes, arriving!
Thanks for this Jim, Wurm is a stunning piece, easily my favourite thing by Yes.
That's cool how you spotted right away that Yours is No Disgrace sometimes sounds like a TV show theme. Jon Anderson and Bill Bruford are both on record saying TV theme songs were an influence on Yours is No Disgrace, Bill Bruford claims it was mainly Bonanza, Jon claims it was Fabian of the Yard.
Jon was closer, the opening riff is the theme from "Gideon's Way" (as Chris Squire suggested).
Bill Bruford said the opening was influenced by the theme tune from The Big Country (western movie).
@@BigMacIain Ah, that tune was actually the orchestral intro to Richie Havens' "No Opportunity Necessary, No Experience Needed" (easy enough to compare the two on YT).
@@psbarrow Yes! You're right. My memory not what it was, I fear. Now, what does that opening riff come from? It has western written all over it too.
@@BigMacIain Er, not sure what riff you mean now. If you still mean "Yours is No Disgrace" then listen to this: ruclips.net/video/4B_M1KTMMIo/видео.html
I love Jon’s voice too!! Chris Squire and Steve Howe sing with him too!
Not sure if someone else answered your question but Chris Squire and Steve Howe contribute backing vocals, although at times they would double track Jon. I think on this album it's just Steve and Chris. Chris' voice is very similar to Jon's at times, so it's easy to believe that it's double tracking Jon. A great listen for a Monday morning.
A lot of young people say it must have been so mind blowing to hear Yes for the first time back in the 70s., but we had all kinds of trippy music all through the late 60s. The first time I ever heard them was when my local top 40 radio station played Your Move. So it was not really that strange. It was however the antithesis of the bland music that seemed to take over after Woodstock and the break up of the Beatles.
The new guy, Steve Howe, was a key component in Yes' new sound, as he often came in with a pile of new riffs, melodies, and rhythms. Hell, you can hear the progression by just listening to the first song with those great chord progressions, lyrical fills, and soaring guitar riffs. Since I discovered Yes, Howe has always been on my list of top five all-time greats.
Went to to 5 YES concerts in Seattle Washington and was completely in love with their sound, their beautiful Roger Dean’s set designs! Always walked away mind blown!!
"I don't understand why it was all swept aside so casually by punk"? Not only by punk music but also by blues-based rock and roll. To me, it seems the reason is because they're a more dramatic type of music while Yes and most progressive bands are about the wonder of music and how it can be taken to a different level. I suppose that's why reality TV shows have a bigger audience than a philosopher being interviewed on C-Span.
I bought this album in 1971 and have been a huge Yes fan ever since.I don't think they really had a bad album.I've seen them at least 30 times.The early shows were the best though when they didn't have many albums out.They would play the new material.
I gotta recommend a listen to the Wembley '78 concert. Starship Trooper is Yes on steroids, rocket fuel. Hell, the whole concert is amazing and so very heavy, partly due to good production. A shame the concert wasn't released by the band. Woukd make a killer lp!
This is Steve Howe's first album with Yes and his introduction to the world at large... I think Yes recognized his talent and featured him on Fragile too with Mood For A Day... Steve Howe went on to win every Guitar Player magazine poll for the next 5 years and was retired as one of the greats from the poll... The Yes Album is a guitar tour de force... Yes became "progressive" with Steve Howe...
Words seem superfluous when describing great works of art like this - what will be remembered in a million years from now is the beauty and creativity that once was, the musicians who made it and the pure message of spiritual enlightenment that underlay it - I was 17 when this album came out. Nothing comes close to lifting me up as much as this group - maybe "Echoes" from Pink Floyd, Genesis at their best. It is wonderful to have lived in England as a teenager in the late '60's/early '70, music was worth devoting most of our time to. A moment in time.....
Saw them live in 2002 in Brussels, Cirque Royale - which is basically a ball shape hall (Howe, Squire, Anderson, White & Wakeman) Best concert ever. When you have optimal acoustics and Yes music … I could feel that bass in my stomack.
It was 50 years ago this summer that I first heard Yours Is No Disgrace. My 14 year old mind was blown. That was also the summer of Tarkus. Not a bad summer.
Ah, Tarkus. There's another record I need to listen to.
That was some year, Meddle Pink Floyd, Zeppelin 4, Imagine John Lennon, Aqualung Jethro Tull, Master of Reality Black Sabbath, Fireball Deep Purple, American Pie Don McLean, Every good boy deserves a favor The Moody Blues, Look at yourself Uriah Heep, In search of Space Hawkwind and more. We do not have years like that anymore. And of course YES Fragile is included in 1971 too.
@@JimNewstead Tarkus is good but I'd skip it in preference for Trilogy. I think that is their Mount Everest.
I would be remiss not to inform you that the two songs from this album "Yours Is No Disgrace", and "Starship Trooper", along with "Perpetual Change", and "Siberian Khatru"
have Live Versions on YESSONGS, which absolutely Blow Up everything about these songs. Every instrument is running at 11, but being Live, the vocals are not studio quality,
but I LOVE the Yessongs versions too. It's like listening to two different songs, but the same, and both version Masterpieces unto themselves.
Jim, DEFINITELY , listen to the YESSONGS version.
The Yessongs versions of these song are amazing. Do yourself a treat and give them a spin they will blow you away. I have been listening to those live versions for 47 years and still they sound fresh and fantastic.
It's one of the best live performances in the 70's, no doubt. It's actually my most listened to album.
Side one of Yessongs is some of my favorite Yes ever.
I do rather like Yessongs.....
When this album first came out, I bought it and forever became a huge YES fan!
Finally saw them perform live in 2002 with Jon, Chris, Steve, Rick & Alan. Sooooo glad that I did! They remain my favorite band of all time. (So sorry, Beatles!) Their musicianship is unrivaled.
Progressive rock is my favorite genre of music- Yes ("Starship Trooper"; "Close to the Edge"; "Southside of the Sky"; "Heart of the Sunrise"; "The Gates of Delirium") Renaissance ("Kiev"; "Carpet of the Sun"; "At the Harbour"; "The Song of Scheherazade"); Emerson, Lake & Palmer ("Tarkus"; the entire "Karn Evil 9 suite' "Pirates"); the Peter Gabriel era Genesis ("Dancing with the Moonlit Knight"; "Dance on a Volcano"; "I Know What I Like (In Your Wardrobe)"; "Get them Out by Friday"; "Time Table"; "The Musical Box"; "Supper's Ready")
My first Yes album was YESSONGS. I fell in love with it, then I only bought albums made after 1973.
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Years later I bought the PRE 1973 albums, Fragile, Close To The Edge, The Yes Album, Time And A Word, and finally YES.
Listening to the original compositions, especially with Bruford's unusually tuned drums and creative playful use of timing , it was like COMPLETELY, different songs !
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I agree with you... why people don't celebrate this majesty..?
I fell into it in 1974, I was 16 years old...
Yes, Genesis, King Crimson, Van der Graaf/ Peter Hammill, Bowie... (and I have many others!)
and nothing else mattered to me than exploring the worlds of all those magicians !
Jim, your sound is great and I love your room !
I was absolutely obsessed with this album at a difficult time in my life. At one point I went to sleep to this CD every single night. It always cheered me up, and then calmed me down and sent me off to my zzzzzzz
Tony Kaye and Rick Wakeman were both brilliant contributors to the Yes sound. I have a hard time picking my favorite of the two!
And briefly, Patrick Moraz was pretty good too.
15:24 Clap ("The Clap" was an unfortunate misprint) was written in honor of the birth of Steve's 1st child, Dylan, who is a very accomplished musician in his own right, and as nice a guy as Steve. He's done a bunch of music with his Dad, and on his own, all worth checking out. "SUBTERRANEAN - New Designs On Bowie's Berlin" is particularly good.
Ahh, THE Yes album. Got this in 71 for my 18th Birthday present from my then girlfriend Carole. One of my favourite albums of all time.
Carole rocks.
This is the album that started the Yes classic era. Their distinctive sound and style all came together. For us it was the start of a great ride with YES that put them on the top shelf of prog rock from the early 70's onward. I have also commented below that you need to listen to the live versions of these songs on Yessongs they are absolutely amazing. The differences, enhancements and extensions are all fantastic. So give Yessongs a spin and sample how Yes worked and captivated their audiences on stage. In my opinion the best live album set ever made.
I've got it - I'll listen in due course.
Oh how I miss the old days when you could hear your move and starship trooper on your regular FM station ☹️☹️☹️☹️
Andersson's voice doesn't hurt me anymore. It's the age. I'm getting old. I think I have to give a good listen to the Yes' catalogue.
We're all getting older. Except for a friend of mine - he's actually getting younger. Crazy - the government knows all about it....
Do it! You won’t regret it.
There is much timeless music throughout the Yes catalogue. ❤
Looking forward to this. Hope you listen to their first 2 albums too. Tony Kaye was the original keyboard player and was on their first 3 albums. Steve Howe joined for this album. Peter Banks was the guitar player for their first 2 albums.
Great reaction. I only dare to tell you that in my opinion, with that beautiful smile you have, most of your thumbnails don't give you and your videos justice :) Much love and all the best brother
7:27 Backing vocals are Chris Squire and Steve Howe
Thanks Lightmane. Need to get caught up!😎
By the way, who told Steve he could sing? Lol!🤣🤣🤣
@@jeffschielka7845 I should've time stamped my comment for when he asked if that's Jon also doing the backing vocals 🙂
@@jeffschielka7845 lol
@@Lightmane I never liked Steve's singing. Still don't!😎
Days of vinyl, glad you're doing these. Brings back memories, the pops the skips the arm lol
One of my fave albums of all time!
A diminutive self taught singer meets a 6'4" choir boy who plays bass and they both love the Beach Boys and then Peter Banks names the band Yes. So 54yrs later 🙏
Yours Is No Disgrace was the theme tune for Reporting Scotland in the 70’s 😃👍
I absolutely love the transitions in this song, especially the acoustic to sustained and then es175 jazz part. It's really a timeless album. ❤ Yes!!!
Light years ahead of anything back then, sent shockwaves threw the Guitar community back then. huge influence on Rush, Kansas, etc.
For me, The Clap is the intro for Starship Trooper. That's why it's there.
Clap was an introduction to Steve Howe to fans. Best rock guitar ever.
Clap set a New standard for guitar players in rock bands.
What made Steve Howe so great, is the way he avoided blues licks so prevalent by the other well known player's of the age. Such a great player.
Last night in Kefalonia, before going home to the beauty that is Northampton...Yours is no disgrace was probably their first iconic anthem...Steve Howe is just superb and the Bass is awesome..They sort of moved on without Pete Banks...who was instrumental in putting YES on the map...The music is awesome....60 now, grew up with YES at early age.......Bruford is so subtle....anyway..thanks as always....
Welcome back!
Wurm was a progression written by Howe that was originally used in his prior group Bodast in the song The Ghost of Nether Street. Their record company suddenly folded after the album was complete, but before it was released. Howe never thought the song would be heard, so he used the chords and a lot of the solo ideas in Wurm. Also interesting to note, he actually played two solos during Wurm. That why you get the series two bars on the left and two on the right. Their producer, Eddie Offord thought that was the way the song would sound the best. You can faintly hear the other parts as Offord doesn't completely silence them with the faders. Howe then had to learn the solo as we hear it for when he played it live. But he added and substracted a lot of bits over the years.
"Clap" live was probably put on there to showcase their brand new guitarist, Steve Howe.
Great to see you again!
Was wondering when you would get back to Yes albums....this one is stellar 👏👏👏
I knew it, Yes ripped off Nirvana
True Yes Folks know what Yes is saying in their lyrics and music.......it sounds like some folks do not understand "Poetry." Because the later albums of Yes...they start writing lyric and music that explains the songs and music of previous albums and songs. So......in 1968 thru 1969...my friends and others would discuss the lyrics at parties.....so when you go to a Yes concert Everyone there know every inch and riff and lyric of all their songs and they demonstrate and express the songs in the audience. So, your interpretations of their music and lyrics have been very Correct!!!!! Don't listen to whoever is saying they just made up lyrics that don't make sense. Not true. And YOU ARE RIGHT AGAIN about the creations that humankind as created(fruit) Fruit = Deeds.....It is not just music that man has recorded but also the deed or actions we do in this Life that we have recorded or written down in Books also Film or Cinama......it is very Spiritual too....because Humans are Close To The Edge down by the River almost ready to cross.....to get to the other side...which could be the land of milk and honey or Paradise. You are right!!!! Congratulations!!!!
Thanks! 🙏
Steve and Chris did most of the backing vocals.
Starship Trooper ❤!
Going to listen to this one tonight, Jim. Really enjoying your personality and observations. Have you ever listened to Magma? I’d love to hear your take on Mekanik Destructiv Konnandoh, De Futura or anything Zeuhl frankly. 😂 Loving your videos. 🙏🏽
Yes' remake of Simon and Garfunkel's 'America' is a must listen.
Hey Jim.
58 year old retiree from NJ here.
Seen Yes from 1977 Going for the One tour @ MSG onward.
Listen to the first album and then Time and a Word before moving on. 😀
Take care.
The CD reissue has 3 bonus tracks: a studio version of 'Clap' and single versions of 'Your Move' and 'StarshipTrooper: Life Seeker'.
'I've Seen All Good People' was my 1st exposure to Yes way back in the '70s and it's still my favorite by them.
I try to hear these with new ears snd sometimes the excitement/memory takes me there.
As a newcomer in the band for this album, Steve Howe really kicks ass 🎸🤘
Yeah they showed Kaye the door after this album because he would not get into playing the melotron and electric piano and other instruments. But they brought him back 12 years later; after he'd spent time leading his own band and playing for Peter Banks, Michael des Barres, and David Bowie.
Great video, nice to have you back
Hey, thanks! I didn't really go anywhere, just been somewhat busy! Thanks for missing me :)
Chris Squire was the founder and one constant member. All the others left and came back numerous times. Tony Kay toured with the group in the 90s. Bill Brueford left. but then recorded Anderson, Brueford, Wakeman and Howe and came back for Union. I think that Peter Kaye and Patrick Patrick Moraz are the only ones to leave and never rejoin.
Actually, I found out that Moraz did come back for at least one live concert.
The Clap. A live Yes show would not have been completed before Steve Howe performed this acoustic classic!!
Clap [klap] verb - strike the palms of (one's hands) together repeatedly, typically in order to applaud someone or something; noun - an act of striking together the palms of the hands, either once or repeatedly
The clap slang term for a venereal disease, typically gonorrhea
The Live version of Clap was included because Steve Howe tried to record it in the studio (a studio version exists on the Rhino re-master CD) but he was just never happy with the sound. Plus the energy of performing it in front of a crowd really makes it come to life. Also, if you have an old vinyl copy, the piece is listed as "The Clap" which horrified Howe that it was printed as that. He couldn't think of a name for it, and Bill Bruford suggested Clap because whenever he played it live, the audience always clapped along. If you listen to Jon Anderson's introduction, he sayd, "Here's a song calllllled Clap." Whoever was in charge of designing the album cover must have thought he heard, "Here's a song called The Clap." Also on the Rhino re-master, that is fixed to just "Clap."
Thanks Chris.
Jim, when you said you don’t know why this music was swept away by punk, let me tell you my story. In the early seventies when I was a young teen I was into classical music like Mum and Dad. Then I heard Bohemian Rhapsody and got into Queen’s first 4 albums and plenty of seventies metal. But I always retained my classical roots. Then I heard In The Wake Of Poseidon and waded into art rock (now apparently and annoyingly called prog rock) which included King Crimson, Yes and Henry Cow, all the while still liking classical and metal. But late in the seventies I heard a little album by The Dead Kennedys called Fresh Fruit For Rotting Vegetables which hooked me right into punk and alternative music, and my three fave bands into the eighties were Black Flag, Husker Du and The Minutemen (the latter which you could check out just on the basis of comparisons between the drum/bass sections of them and Yes, there are certain similarities, illustrated on albums such as The Punchline and What Makes A Man Start Fires). And I remember playing 21st Century Schizoid Man off King Crimson’s live Earthbound album to my punk friends because of its grating, punk-like anger. And through all that I still liked all my earlier music. Anyway, food for thought. These days I just listen to my Glenn Gould records so I’ve come full circle 😃
If you love the vocals, chances are you're loving Chris Squire's voice as much as Jon Anderson's. Chris did the backing vocals and had a beautiful voice. Sometimes he comes to the fore as in this point (20:45) of "Starship Trooper", the middle section of "South Side of the Sky", and the slow vocal part of "Close To The Edge."
Steve Howe's arrival was certainly fortuitous for everyone involved. I still maintain that Peter Banks was a fine guitarist, and a far more enjoyable player than your run of the mill blue-rock guitarist of the era. But not even he could contest with someone of Howe's unique talents (and this is way before he discovered the pedal steel, sitar guitar, etc.) I do think they were a bit short of material and time so "Clap" went in as a live performance rather than being worked up into a group arrangement. It's also why "A Venture" on side two seems a bit odd in context -- they had pretty much already invested everything they could into the other songs.
Re: punk's impact on this music, that was still a way into the future. This album came along on the tail end of the idealistic hippy era, before the UK economy went downhill and the next generation's disillusionment (pardon the pun) had a chance to swing popular tastes in music to their side.
Chris Squire on Starship Trooper.....Chorus and tremolo pedals perhaps ??? And the Ricky bass....What a bassist and backing vocalist (amazing harmonies)....and someone I think Geddy Lee took some pointers from.....
It's a stonking LP....
Bruford toured with Genesis back in 1976 (Trick of the Tail tour) as the other drummer when Collins took up vocal duties after Peter Gabriel's departure.....There is some good footage on this platform.....King Crimson after Close To The Edge and his own band, Bruford, which I actually saw back in 1980 supporting Brand X.....I am very old it seems !!!
This one is the best… after this they went off into years of musical “experimentation” I basically wrote them off between this album and 90125 and Big Generator..
is my second best album choice, after Close to the edge. Brilliant !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Wonderful album ... blew my mind when i was 17 years old (i'm 54 now).
Hugs from Brazil >>>>
Those us us who started out listening to this type of music still wanted to many years later. But new generations of music listeners wanted there own thing (disco, punk, new wave, etc Then rap, hi-hop, etc). But as long am I'm alive so to will this music be.
Great to have you back jim.
You REALLY need to listen to the Yessongs version of Yours Is No Disgrace. IMO it blow this one away, plus it has Wakemen.
This was Howe’s first album with the group. He might’ve used The Clap to introduce himself to the group although it was actually written for a youngster. I’m not sure why a live recording was used unless it was just to demonstrate his ability to play it outside a studio.
Supposedly, according to Bill Bruford and Steve Howe, Yours is No Disgrace is based on the theme music from the American western TV series "Bonanza". In later albums they will incorporate the theme song from The Way We Were and a Choral Symphony by Holst.
... Steve Howe and his twenty-four fingers ... on left on cover !! Jon, close to the edge ! Chris red bass ! Bill on the floor and Tony Kayboards with a head !
While I've never seen any interview where Kurt Cobain says he was a Yes fan, you can hear some Chris Squire in Krist Novoselic's bass playing (at least I can). And do you know who Kurt did namecheck regularly? King Crimson - he said "Red" was one of his favourite albums of all time
Welcome back Jim! Great comeback album.
Thanks Bill. Loving the Yes journey!
So excited for these... thank you!
Glad you like them!
Likely Kurt WAS a Yes fan, only the punks (and post-punks) were more or less forbidden from expressing such passions publicly if they felt them at all. I remember hearing Caravan's Richard Coughlin relating having been approached by either a Pistol or a Clash-man in an airport or hotel lobby somewhere to say how much they loved his playing. Once you become associated with a "movement" it can be difficult not to say what the punters want to hear and suppress anything/everything else, lest you appear an apostate of some kind.
At the same time, I understand PERFECTLY why the genre I grew up on (along with Motown) got "swept aside" by punk. Because A LOT of what came out under the rubric of "prog" WAS pompous and self-indulgent (Genesis, longer ELP numbers, others I could name), when rock music began as "THREE CHORDS, NO WAITING!" Three chords or TWO. Punk was necessary and required, even if there are barely ANY songs worth remembering the way either countless original rock and roll numbers are, or pretty much ALL the original (releases 1-5) Yes corpus. There's your answer.
More the fault of all those dickheads at Melody Maker
The live version of the Clap was SH showing his chops.
The Wurm is based on a composition by Steve Howe called Nether Street whilst in a short lived band called Bodast back in 1968/69. Nether Street is a street in Finchley so guess there's a link there.
Chris Squire would pump up his bass so you could feel vibrations through the floor during The Wurm. Unbelievable but sadly never to be repeated again.
Excellent album, this one. I actually prefer this over 'Fragile'.
Saw Yes 36 times. Chris Squire was Yes granted he had the best back up band around. Should listen to Release Release off Tormato or the whole side. Its different in many ways but the same.
It wasn’t swept aside as much as you might think…well, here in USA. I completely agree about it not being pretentious. Far from it. I’m not saying one person is smarter than another, but my brain and soul understand YES! And have for five decades. On to side 2 😁