Bruford: "I think, on reflection - I’ve had many years to think about this - the band hit its real template, really, with “Heart of the Sunrise” ... And that seemed to have it all; that was a shorter version of what was to become “Close to the Edge” and some of the longer-form things that we did. It had all the bits and pieces in place."
Hey Justin! HOTS played live is fantastic!! Chris at his very best!! Jon's vocals are simply incredible. One of my favorite YES songs for years!!!❤️🌅👍😎
You have a very different way of enjoying music than I do. It seems to me that since you are a musician you think about certain things while listening and, so, that feels "taxing" in a way. For me this Yes music is like a playground that I get to explore. I am an explorer so Yes' music is a glorious, intricate, undulating soundscape that has fascinated and thrilled me for 50 years. I'm so glad to be sharing these listenings with you and really enjoy hearing your perspective that is different than mine. Yes is the best! Heart of the Sunrise is my favorite song in the universe. Well, I've picked it from among many superb Yes songs as the great one that best exhibits Yes' best work in a nice little package. 🙂
Heart of the Sunrise... perfect example of Chris Squire's ability to be the glue (as Justin says). The tone on his Rickenbacker! Bruford is brilliant... they all are. There's a live version of this that is beyond... BTW, I don't think of these tracks as taxing me as a listener, just demanding me to focus on really listening, setting other things aside to be present.
So much contrast in one song. I love the long intro - over 4 minutes before Jon sings. Contrasts well with the shortest ever outro. Up vs. down arpeggios. Excellent power and dynamics contrasting with acoustic guitar and sweet vocals. This song could have been called Perpetual Change! Yet is doesn't seem chaotic. Miraculous musicianship and compositional skills.
I think there's a lot of knowledge gained retrospectively that just didn't exist, or wasn't as culturally embedded in 1971-72. Looking back after all we know now knowing what came next in the decades since Fragile's release in late 1971 might reduce the cultural and musical impact of those albums in the early seventies. But I think it's almost as if those albums were so far ahead of the game in 1971 that, in a way, it's taken 50 plus years of musical development since to enable us all to look back at Fragile and say 'This is still quite different, adventurously non-generic and distinctly melodic popular music, if occasionally somewhat flawed and self indulgent in places'. I See Fragile as a stepping stone album between The Yes Album and Close To The Edge. Everything was beginning to fall into place. The best was yet to come.
This is the song I usually play for folks who have never heard Yes. It really shows what their classic period was about better than any other song, while still remaining accessible.
Oh yeah..."moving on to Close to the Edge"! My favorite album of my 65-year existence. I expect you'll be blown away. Love your reaction/analysis. Can't wait!
It's taxing with all the jumping from frenetic to paced melodic, but I think what makes is palatable to non-professional ears is the long extended Squire/Bruford intro which draws you into a novel rhythm section melody. Then, when Anderson starts singing, it's against Squire's counter-melodic harmonizing, which is quite appealing You asked how Anderson "wrote songs" without an instrument. I think that right from the beginning of their partnership, Jon would sing the melodies in his head & Chris would play his bass against it. The others would add their own inspirations to make it a song. Later, Jon would do the same thing with Steve Howe, who gave life to their songs with his unique contributions to Jon's ideas. Of course, by this time there was optimal collaboration by multiple talented musicians & the result is history...
A masterpice by Yes ! 3 highlights for me : 1- The play of Squire on his wonderful Rickenbacker bass. 2- The voice of Anderson. 3- The drumming of Bruford. This song is even better on the live album Yessongs.
Just incredibly good music! Going to see Jon Anderson and the Band Geeks in a couple weeks. Can't wait! Saw them last year and they were great!! Thanks for posting these videos.
Total masterpiece. Elements of RTF, Pink Floyd, King Crimson....but all their own sound and the melodies are amazing. Virtuoso musicianship all around and to think they did all this way before the days of easy editing and Pro Tools. This band was so innovative and still doesn't get the respect they deserve.
Near the beginning, you mentioned it reminded you of Return to Forever. I read somewhere the fast sections were inspired by Mahavishnu Orchestra. Sometime in 1971, Yes played a gig with Mahavishnu Orchestra and a couple other bands. While listening to MO, Jon turned to Chris and said, "We need to practice more". That was the second time he said that to Chris while listening to a band, the first time being when they saw King Crimson in 1969 in a London club.
For me "Heart of the Sunrise" is the best track on the album, even over "Roundabout" and a portent of things to come. For the next 6 years all Yes songs would be at least 10 minutes long or longer. They were forging a new musical direction. I'm very interested to see what you make of the Yes epics to come. For me, I love their long songs. Most are masterpieces still to this day.
@@TheReaperMan275 I got the Jon and The Band Geeks DVD from last year's tour. It's fan filmed but excellent in so many ways. Awesome songlist! Close your eyes and it sounds like 70's YES❗️❗️❗️👍😎
@@jeffschielka7845 Sounds fantastic! I can't wait to listen to their new album, _True._ Any band playing Yes material better have Jon Anderson on lead vocals before even _considering_ calling themselves YES! I'm looking at you, Steve Howe! 😆
It always depends on my mood as to whether I like The Yes Album or Fragile more. The two are like two parts of a whole, having been released in the same year and having such a similar sound and album structure. Of course, then comes Close To The Edge, which arguably contains the greatest Prog Rock song ever, the title track, an awe inspiring song if you've ever heard one.
This is a fav. of mine, but HOTS becomes less accessible/mainstream and one writer called HOTS a "proto math rock epic." Good analysis comparing Rush's P.W. to M.P. with The Yes Album to Fragile. Rush stayed more mainstream with Signals afterward, however, and Yes moved into cosmic transfiguration with Close to the Edge! Happy Memorial Day, All
I’ve been following you for years and missed this vid from you. It’s poetry. You are such a cool guy. So how do you love what these “nerds”do so much? Guess it’s cause you are essentially a good human and a lover of arts. This is an underrated Rush epic song that is considered from the critics their “goat album” from this band’s catalogue. You saw how great it really was. Good for you.
Justin, you said it perfectly in comparing Fragile/Moving Pictures and Yes Songs/ Permanent Waves. As an example Both Roundabout and Tom Sawyer were over played on the radio and helped propel them above the other albums.
Yeah, I like The Yes Album better also. Steve Howe really elevated their sound on Fragile but the solo tracks for me were am exercise in diminishing returns.
Excellent analysis. Great comparison that the yes album is like permanent waves whereas fragile is like moving pictures. Fragile is the first yes album I owned. Roundabout and the artwork on the album got me to buy it, much like Tom Sawyer got me to buy moving pictures (first rush album I ever bought). So for me, and apparently for many others, that’s why those albums are considered their breakthrough albums.
I always thought the main riff was a bit repetitive and jarring and the door opening to the We Have Heaven reprise is the resolution, a breath of fresh air. I don't know if and when you'll get to this little snippet, but the flow will be lost. Anyway, thanx for tackling YES.
I believe Yes would basically just jam in the studio and record all the parts and piece them altogether later.... and to be honest it does sound like that rather than something that was composed prior to recording as I don't think the flow is that smooth at times. I'm not the biggest fan of these kinds of tracks but this was ok and better than most of Yes' other material... much prefer Awaken and Wonderous Stories...
I'm a drummer and Bill just blows me away with his timing and precision. Of course they all do. And of course Jon the angel voice. I tend to agree with you, I like The Yes album better. I tend to listen to all songs on the record whether I like them a lot or not since it's a record. Close to the Edge will blow you away, def. album rock with long songs.
Pretty much any time a Yes song is in a triple meter that's Jon's input. The opening riff on HotS was Chris', believed to be heavily influenced by "21st Century Schizoid Man". Yeah, Yes pushes the technical fireworks here, but as someone who has heard this song a million times the thing that I enjoy the most now are the ways tempos are pushed and pulled. I'm sure it was murder in the studio, but Chris and Bill are simply on another level throughout this song. I like the comparison between 'The Yes Album' (which was their breakthrough in terms of "OK, I guess the label won't drop us") and 'Fragile' (which was their breakthrough in terms of a heavily edited version of "Roundabout" making it onto AM radio!) to Rush's 'Permanent Waves' vs. 'Moving Pictures', although it would be even more perfect if 'Signals' was regarded as Rush's ultimate Magnum Opus. I'm interested in what Justin will think of the rest of 'Close to the Edge'. For an a 18+ minute epic, the title track flies by so don't fear the song lengths! 😀
Fragile introduced Wakeman to band. I agree that the solo pieces on the album were more like a filler to get an entire album made. Close to The Edge is the album that changed everything. Instead of trying to make 8 minute songs to get radio play, they decided to write a song that took the entire side of an album. I am old enough to remember what it was like waiting for the next album to come out. When Close To The Edge came out I remember putting on headphones, laying down, getting high and listening to the album. To me it was life changing. I never heard any music that could bring me into that head space. To me that was the genius of Yes.
I think the inclusion of the solo tracks was mainly because they were trying to get the album done quickly and didn’t have time to compose more full- band tracks. I also recall that Wakeman wanted to include as his solo some stuff from “The Six Wives of Henry the 8th”, which would have been a much better fit with the rest of the album, but couldn’t for legal reasons. I usually skip over most of the solo tracks, too.
Rolling Stone has always hated "YES" as well as all progressive music. There will be much bias against any band that is not a Rolling Stones or Bob Dylan wannabe. 4/4 Chorus Verse Chorus Verse Chorus Chorus simply BORES the pants off me. YES is brilliant through 1984 and better than most through 1999.
The RS review is mostly very positive. I've posted much of it here for the curious. With a couple exceptions, TYA through Drama get 4 and even 5 stars in the RS album guides. Of course, they've had critics who went hard on them, particularly during the new wave and grunge eras. The band that critics loved to hate back in the day was most definitely Rush. As far as 1999 goes, Yes recovered strongly from recent events and then the Masterworks tour in 2000 was the icing on the cosmic cake.
@@bookhouseboy280 Certainly there have been op-ed writers at RS who enjoyed the band and even appreciated their music. But when it came to anything their simpleton leader could edit, that's where the love ended. "YES" (1st album) got a favorable review yet 2 of 5 stars on the Rolling Stone Album Guide. "Time and a Word" was called "mentally exhilarating" in New Musical Express but RS declined to review the album and rates it 2 stars on their album chart. Their breakthrough original album "The Yes Album" was given a generally positive review, yet the 2004 RS Album Guide gives it a paltry 3 stars. "Fragile" got another half-and-half review deemed generally favorable but it is highly critical of what it considered "showing off." "Close to the Edge" - again, the original RS review is considered favorable, yet the author dismisses the bands efforts as being overly pretentious. A 1992 RS album review says "Pointlessly intricate guitar and bass solos, caterwauling keyboards, quasi-mystical lyrics..." "a monumental snore, a dubious hot-air suite whipped up around a handful of promising song fragments." (Mark Coleman, 1992 RS Album Guide)" "Relayer" received an unfavorable review from Rolling Stone while Billboard Magazine and others gave it very favorable reviews. I could go on but nobody's still reading.
@@LetsDoEntertainment The ratings vary as they do from critic to critic. Not that I'm defending RS, mind you. I'm just pointing out that, overall, they've been as positive as they've been negative. The RS critic was mostly effusive in his praise for Fragile which also gets 4 stars in the guides. Perhaps you didn't read the original review, but again, I posted it here, for what it's worth. The '92 guide is from the grunge era, so the negative CttE review is no surprise. The album gets 4 and 5 stars in the other guides where it's described as "technically brilliant," "breathtakingly intense," "strangely hip" and so on. TYA also gets 5 stars in the RS Record Guide. Odd that the '04 guide rates it lower than all but one album through Drama. That's also where Relayer is the most acclaimed album. The negative RS review I found most amusing was on Tormato; I recall it saying the tomato splattered cover sounded like what was inside.
Reviewers in the 70's have all since revised and reversed their opinions of albums they were critical of at the time. It was the nature of the music press at that time.
I see a lot of comments that YES is the best band ever and this YES album vs that YES album is the best etc….. thats all fine and good, but I tend to look at things a little differently with YES and other Prog bands. I like to think of the whole body of work not just one album vs another. The whole body of work for YES and some other bands are magnificent. There are ups and downs within the whole but no album that’s entirely just bad. Even the ‘bad’ ones have some redeeming songs. And yes there are albums I like more than others, but I like them all. Even the new YES albums have good music on them. As for YES or any other band for that matter is the best band ever. I don’t believe that. Rush, Kansas, YES, King Crimson, etc….are ALL great bands and are not ‘better’ than each other and none of them are the ‘best’. They all have their own lanes that no one else really occupies. My favorite band is Kansas. Are they the ‘best’? No. They’re freaking amazing. But so are the rest on my list and so many more who weren’t listed due to space. Anyway, thats my 2 cents worth. Keep the great reactions coming Justin.
I always skipped the solo stuff even though Howe's contributions were cool (also with the Yes Album). When you consider the 5 band tracks on the album (incl. The Fish) it's a fantastic album.
We have heaven. Written for the birth of Jon’s son. Jon and Chris doing a little bit of magic. You should not read anything. Just feel what YOU feel. Screw others
It's a classic album, and this is the best track on it. Jon Anderson's best vocals of his career. And yet, in retrospect, it's not as good as "The Yes Album". No track here is as good as, say, "Perpetual Change". The masterful "Close To The Edge" is also a better album, but it's also very different to "The Yes Album". Yes was a remarkable band.
Cans and Brahms is the only solo "excercise" that I always skip, I love Wakeman's playing, but this is for me (as for u) out of place, the others I like, but when I listen the whole album (as I do almost always), that's the way it all makes sense for me
You think this piece is taxing. You ain’t seen nothing yet. Move on to “Close to the Edge” and “Awaken” which will likely blow you away. Thanks for a great review!
BS on the written critique that was read. When YES shows off, it has power, imspct, and meaning, and the music always matches the lyrical content viscerally. From WE HAVE HEAVEN to HEART/SUNRISE the arrangement, changes & composition inject an emotion relative to the concept. There are not simply arbitrary elements, cool sounding or to be pretentious. This is band song and it's easy hear who came up with what even the crazy syncopated Bill section. Anderson was very involved in the structure
To a lot of listeners, and I can understand this, the only real flaw in HOTS may be that light and peppy Emersonesque synth part between around 6:34 and 7:43, which just sounds out of place. But it's not like I'd ever want to fast-forward through it. If you're truly unfamiliar with Close To The Edge, I can't WAIT for your reaction!
The criticisms seem so contradictory to the creative process itself but Yes, just like any other band, is not everyone’s cup of tea. Nor should they be. If musicians are of the caliber that their playing grabs your ears and holds your attention, should they settle for making radio-friendly pablum that doesn’t challenge them? Why? So critics will like their output? From what I can tell, Rolling Stone magazine likes their music dumbed down.
The criticisms seem so contradictory to the creative process itself but Yes, just like any other band, is not everyone’s cup of tea. Nor should they be. If musicians are of the caliber that their playing grabs your ears and holds your attention, should they settle for making radio-friendly crap that doesn’t challenge them? Why? So critics will like their output?
Bruford: "I think, on reflection - I’ve had many years to think about this - the band hit its real template, really, with “Heart of the Sunrise” ... And that seemed to have it all; that was a shorter version of what was to become “Close to the Edge” and some of the longer-form things that we did. It had all the bits and pieces in place."
Brilliant. Never knew he said that
My favorite song on Fragile. One of their very best. A Top 5 for me. To me it’s kind of a precursor to their masterpiece Close to the Edge.
Heavenly vocals. This whole album is classic. So glad I saw them live 49 times. Best band, ever. Period.
214 for me.👍😎
@@jeffschielka7845 ...Congrats #214. Well done.
36 for me ✨️🎶✨️
@@lesblatnyak5947 ....you and I have a LONG way to go to catch @jeffschielka7845 .
@@lesblatnyak5947 👍⭐️⭐️⭐️😎
Hey Justin! HOTS played live is fantastic!! Chris at his very best!! Jon's vocals are simply incredible. One of my favorite YES songs for years!!!❤️🌅👍😎
You have a very different way of enjoying music than I do. It seems to me that since you are a musician you think about certain things while listening and, so, that feels "taxing" in a way. For me this Yes music is like a playground that I get to explore. I am an explorer so Yes' music is a glorious, intricate, undulating soundscape that has fascinated and thrilled me for 50 years. I'm so glad to be sharing these listenings with you and really enjoy hearing your perspective that is different than mine. Yes is the best! Heart of the Sunrise is my favorite song in the universe. Well, I've picked it from among many superb Yes songs as the great one that best exhibits Yes' best work in a nice little package. 🙂
My top five favorite Yes songs
Heart of the Sunrise... perfect example of Chris Squire's ability to be the glue (as Justin says). The tone on his Rickenbacker! Bruford is brilliant... they all are. There's a live version of this that is beyond...
BTW, I don't think of these tracks as taxing me as a listener, just demanding me to focus on really listening, setting other things aside to be present.
It's perfect!
I know nothing about music.
I'm a farm boy that was hooked even before I was them live in 1976
You are right Justin in that individually they are good musicians but when they come together, oh my goodness they produce music that is exponential!
This is by far my favorite Yes song.
A local tv station used to have parts of this song they would play when going to a break.
My favorite song ever.
So much contrast in one song. I love the long intro - over 4 minutes before Jon sings. Contrasts well with the shortest ever outro. Up vs. down arpeggios. Excellent power and dynamics contrasting with acoustic guitar and sweet vocals. This song could have been called Perpetual Change! Yet is doesn't seem chaotic. Miraculous musicianship and compositional skills.
Iv'e heard this so many times but i'm never bored of Bruford's drumming in this it still sounds fresh.
So much great stuff happening here, but the thing I come back to every time I hear this song is that Chris Squire is a badass.
I think there's a lot of knowledge gained retrospectively that just didn't exist, or wasn't as culturally embedded in 1971-72. Looking back after all we know now knowing what came next in the decades since Fragile's release in late 1971 might reduce the cultural and musical impact of those albums in the early seventies. But I think it's almost as if those albums were so far ahead of the game in 1971 that, in a way, it's taken 50 plus years of musical development since to enable us all to look back at Fragile and say 'This is still quite different, adventurously non-generic and distinctly melodic popular music, if occasionally somewhat flawed and self indulgent in places'.
I See Fragile as a stepping stone album between The Yes Album and Close To The Edge. Everything was beginning to fall into place. The best was yet to come.
An absolute beast of a track
YES!! Amazing Song!!
This is glorious. Every one is a top notch performer...more important music is beatiful. Can feel the emotion.😢
Many a fan’s favorite Yes song ❤
Another all-time top 10 for me. It's all there!
Ladies and gentlemen YES the greatest show on earth. On to Close To The Edge. ✨️👑✨️
This is the song I usually play for folks who have never heard Yes. It really shows what their classic period was about better than any other song, while still remaining accessible.
Fully agree about the solo tracks.
After my favourite track of Yes, Close to the Edge, this is my second favourite Yes track. A masterpiece of complexity m.
Show your emotions Justin..dont br shy
Oh yeah..."moving on to Close to the Edge"! My favorite album of my 65-year existence. I expect you'll be blown away. Love your reaction/analysis. Can't wait!
It's taxing with all the jumping from frenetic to paced melodic, but I think what makes is palatable to non-professional ears is the long extended Squire/Bruford intro which draws you into a novel rhythm section melody. Then, when Anderson starts singing, it's against Squire's counter-melodic harmonizing, which is quite appealing
You asked how Anderson "wrote songs" without an instrument. I think that right from the beginning of their partnership, Jon would sing the melodies in his head & Chris would play his bass against it. The others would add their own inspirations to make it a song. Later, Jon would do the same thing with Steve Howe, who gave life to their songs with his unique contributions to Jon's ideas. Of course, by this time there was optimal collaboration by multiple talented musicians & the result is history...
Best...band...EVER. 😇
This is the song that led me to sneak into my brother's room to find this actual song I could hear doing Starsky & Hutch.
Moving forward, CTTE is another masterpiece. The title track is THE best prog song EVER recorded. Period❗️👍😎
A masterpice by Yes ! 3 highlights for me : 1- The play of Squire on his wonderful Rickenbacker bass. 2- The voice of Anderson. 3- The drumming of Bruford. This song is even better on the live album Yessongs.
One of the greatest intros ever!🤩
Just another masterpiece, amazing... And pleeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeaseeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee, Close To The Edge next!!! Mindblowing
YES! 😊 Fragile 👍
Just incredibly good music! Going to see Jon Anderson and the Band Geeks in a couple weeks. Can't wait! Saw them last year and they were great!! Thanks for posting these videos.
Another great Yes tune! The live version on Yessongs is so much better!
Total masterpiece. Elements of RTF, Pink Floyd, King Crimson....but all their own sound and the melodies are amazing. Virtuoso musicianship all around and to think they did all this way before the days of easy editing and Pro Tools. This band was so innovative and still doesn't get the respect they deserve.
Near the beginning, you mentioned it reminded you of Return to Forever. I read somewhere the fast sections were inspired by Mahavishnu Orchestra.
Sometime in 1971, Yes played a gig with Mahavishnu Orchestra and a couple other bands. While listening to MO, Jon turned to Chris and said, "We need to practice more". That was the second time he said that to Chris while listening to a band, the first time being when they saw King Crimson in 1969 in a London club.
OK, I agree.
For me "Heart of the Sunrise" is the best track on the album, even over "Roundabout" and a portent of things to come. For the next 6 years all Yes songs would be at least 10 minutes long or longer. They were forging a new musical direction. I'm very interested to see what you make of the Yes epics to come. For me, I love their long songs. Most are masterpieces still to this day.
👍😎
@@jeffschielka7845 What's up, Jeff? 😉
@@TheReaperMan275 I got the Jon and The Band Geeks DVD from last year's tour. It's fan filmed but excellent in so many ways. Awesome songlist! Close your eyes and it sounds like 70's YES❗️❗️❗️👍😎
@@jeffschielka7845 Sounds fantastic! I can't wait to listen to their new album, _True._ Any band playing Yes material better have Jon Anderson on lead vocals before even _considering_ calling themselves YES! I'm looking at you, Steve Howe! 😆
@@TheReaperMan275 Couldn't agree more. Steve is a d***! TRUE will be awesome. Supposed to release the first song in June!!👍😎
It always depends on my mood as to whether I like The Yes Album or Fragile more. The two are like two parts of a whole, having been released in the same year and having such a similar sound and album structure.
Of course, then comes Close To The Edge, which arguably contains the greatest Prog Rock song ever, the title track, an awe inspiring song if you've ever heard one.
This is a fav. of mine, but HOTS becomes less accessible/mainstream and one writer called HOTS a "proto math rock epic." Good analysis comparing Rush's P.W. to M.P. with The Yes Album to Fragile. Rush stayed more mainstream with Signals afterward, however, and Yes moved into cosmic transfiguration with Close to the Edge! Happy Memorial Day, All
I’ve been following you for years and missed this vid from you. It’s poetry. You are such a cool guy. So how do you love what these “nerds”do so much? Guess it’s cause you are essentially a good human and a lover of arts. This is an underrated Rush epic song that is considered from the critics their “goat album” from this band’s catalogue. You saw how great it really was. Good for you.
Justin, you said it perfectly in comparing Fragile/Moving Pictures and Yes Songs/ Permanent Waves. As an example Both Roundabout and Tom Sawyer were over played on the radio and helped propel them above the other albums.
Yeah, I like The Yes Album better also. Steve Howe really elevated their sound on Fragile but the solo tracks for me were am exercise in diminishing returns.
Excellent analysis. Great comparison that the yes album is like permanent waves whereas fragile is like moving pictures. Fragile is the first yes album I owned. Roundabout and the artwork on the album got me to buy it, much like Tom Sawyer got me to buy moving pictures (first rush album I ever bought). So for me, and apparently for many others, that’s why those albums are considered their breakthrough albums.
I always thought the main riff was a bit repetitive and jarring and the door opening to the We Have Heaven reprise is the resolution, a breath of fresh air. I don't know if and when you'll get to this little snippet, but the flow will be lost. Anyway, thanx for tackling YES.
I believe Yes would basically just jam in the studio and record all the parts and piece them altogether later.... and to be honest it does sound like that rather than something that was composed prior to recording as I don't think the flow is that smooth at times. I'm not the biggest fan of these kinds of tracks but this was ok and better than most of Yes' other material... much prefer Awaken and Wonderous Stories...
I'm a drummer and Bill just blows me away with his timing and precision. Of course they all do. And of course Jon the angel voice. I tend to agree with you, I like The Yes album better. I tend to listen to all songs on the record whether I like them a lot or not since it's a record. Close to the Edge will blow you away, def. album rock with long songs.
Their music became sloppy with alan white's loose chops
Pretty much any time a Yes song is in a triple meter that's Jon's input. The opening riff on HotS was Chris', believed to be heavily influenced by "21st Century Schizoid Man". Yeah, Yes pushes the technical fireworks here, but as someone who has heard this song a million times the thing that I enjoy the most now are the ways tempos are pushed and pulled. I'm sure it was murder in the studio, but Chris and Bill are simply on another level throughout this song.
I like the comparison between 'The Yes Album' (which was their breakthrough in terms of "OK, I guess the label won't drop us") and 'Fragile' (which was their breakthrough in terms of a heavily edited version of "Roundabout" making it onto AM radio!) to Rush's 'Permanent Waves' vs. 'Moving Pictures', although it would be even more perfect if 'Signals' was regarded as Rush's ultimate Magnum Opus. I'm interested in what Justin will think of the rest of 'Close to the Edge'. For an a 18+ minute epic, the title track flies by so don't fear the song lengths! 😀
I like Fragile but I like the Yes album more
Fragile introduced Wakeman to band. I agree that the solo pieces on the album were more like a filler to get an entire album made. Close to The Edge is the album that changed everything. Instead of trying to make 8 minute songs to get radio play, they decided to write a song that took the entire side of an album.
I am old enough to remember what it was like waiting for the next album to come out. When Close To The Edge came out I remember putting on headphones, laying down, getting high and listening to the album. To me it was life changing. I never heard any music that could bring me into that head space. To me that was the genius of Yes.
Anyone who thinks the Yes Album was not a breakthrough event missed it! It was wildfire.
I think the inclusion of the solo tracks was mainly because they were trying to get the album done quickly and didn’t have time to compose more full- band tracks. I also recall that Wakeman wanted to include as his solo some stuff from “The Six Wives of Henry the 8th”, which would have been a much better fit with the rest of the album, but couldn’t for legal reasons. I usually skip over most of the solo tracks, too.
a top 5 YES song. Bruford's BEST drumming. IMMACULATE prog.
Rolling Stone has always hated "YES" as well as all progressive music. There will be much bias against any band that is not a Rolling Stones or Bob Dylan wannabe. 4/4 Chorus Verse Chorus Verse Chorus Chorus simply BORES the pants off me. YES is brilliant through 1984 and better than most through 1999.
Rolling Stone magazine SUCKS❗️👍😎
My sentiments exactly! I get bored with repetitious stuff.
The RS review is mostly very positive. I've posted much of it here for the curious. With a couple exceptions, TYA through Drama get 4 and even 5 stars in the RS album guides. Of course, they've had critics who went hard on them, particularly during the new wave and grunge eras. The band that critics loved to hate back in the day was most definitely Rush. As far as 1999 goes, Yes recovered strongly from recent events and then the Masterworks tour in 2000 was the icing on the cosmic cake.
@@bookhouseboy280 Certainly there have been op-ed writers at RS who enjoyed the band and even appreciated their music. But when it came to anything their simpleton leader could edit, that's where the love ended.
"YES" (1st album) got a favorable review yet 2 of 5 stars on the Rolling Stone Album Guide.
"Time and a Word" was called "mentally exhilarating" in New Musical Express but RS declined to review the album and rates it 2 stars on their album chart.
Their breakthrough original album "The Yes Album" was given a generally positive review, yet the 2004 RS Album Guide gives it a paltry 3 stars.
"Fragile" got another half-and-half review deemed generally favorable but it is highly critical of what it considered "showing off."
"Close to the Edge" - again, the original RS review is considered favorable, yet the author dismisses the bands efforts as being overly pretentious. A 1992 RS album review says "Pointlessly intricate guitar and bass solos, caterwauling keyboards, quasi-mystical lyrics..." "a monumental snore, a dubious hot-air suite whipped up around a handful of promising song fragments." (Mark Coleman, 1992 RS Album Guide)"
"Relayer" received an unfavorable review from Rolling Stone while Billboard Magazine and others gave it very favorable reviews.
I could go on but nobody's still reading.
@@LetsDoEntertainment The ratings vary as they do from critic to critic. Not that I'm defending RS, mind you. I'm just pointing out that, overall, they've been as positive as they've been negative. The RS critic was mostly effusive in his praise for Fragile which also gets 4 stars in the guides. Perhaps you didn't read the original review, but again, I posted it here, for what it's worth. The '92 guide is from the grunge era, so the negative CttE review is no surprise. The album gets 4 and 5 stars in the other guides where it's described as "technically brilliant," "breathtakingly intense," "strangely hip" and so on. TYA also gets 5 stars in the RS Record Guide. Odd that the '04 guide rates it lower than all but one album through Drama. That's also where Relayer is the most acclaimed album. The negative RS review I found most amusing was on Tormato; I recall it saying the tomato splattered cover sounded like what was inside.
Reviewers in the 70's have all since revised and reversed their opinions of albums they were critical of at the time. It was the nature of the music press at that time.
try following Roundabout with Mood For A Day and see how that hits you
To say the The Yes Album is better than Fragile isn't a sin...
I see a lot of comments that YES is the best band ever and this YES album vs that YES album is the best etc….. thats all fine and good, but I tend to look at things a little differently with YES and other Prog bands. I like to think of the whole body of work not just one album vs another. The whole body of work for YES and some other bands are magnificent. There are ups and downs within the whole but no album that’s entirely just bad. Even the ‘bad’ ones have some redeeming songs. And yes there are albums I like more than others, but I like them all. Even the new YES albums have good music on them. As for YES or any other band for that matter is the best band ever. I don’t believe that. Rush, Kansas, YES, King Crimson, etc….are ALL great bands and are not ‘better’ than each other and none of them are the ‘best’. They all have their own lanes that no one else really occupies. My favorite band is Kansas. Are they the ‘best’? No. They’re freaking amazing. But so are the rest on my list and so many more who weren’t listed due to space. Anyway, thats my 2 cents worth. Keep the great reactions coming Justin.
I always skipped the solo stuff even though Howe's contributions were cool (also with the Yes Album). When you consider the 5 band tracks on the album (incl. The Fish) it's a fantastic album.
Thanks Justin. Ready for topographi? Ritual.remembering. ancient. Tge revealind. Bet you would like that order.
We have heaven. Written for the birth of Jon’s son. Jon and Chris doing a little bit of magic. You should not read anything. Just feel what YOU feel. Screw others
Ouffff tu vas triper quand tu écouteras Relayer et TFTO
It's a classic album, and this is the best track on it. Jon Anderson's best vocals of his career. And yet, in retrospect, it's not as good as "The Yes Album". No track here is as good as, say, "Perpetual Change". The masterful "Close To The Edge" is also a better album, but it's also very different to "The Yes Album". Yes was a remarkable band.
Cans and Brahms is the only solo "excercise" that I always skip, I love Wakeman's playing, but this is for me (as for u) out of place, the others I like, but when I listen the whole album (as I do almost always), that's the way it all makes sense for me
Cans And Brahms is only a minute long.. Think of it as a showcase of the Electra-piano.
@@videotape2959 I will
You think this piece is taxing. You ain’t seen nothing yet. Move on to “Close to the Edge” and “Awaken” which will likely blow you away. Thanks for a great review!
BS on the written critique that was read. When YES shows off, it has power, imspct, and meaning, and the music always matches the lyrical content viscerally. From WE HAVE HEAVEN to HEART/SUNRISE the arrangement, changes & composition inject an emotion relative to the concept. There are not simply arbitrary elements, cool sounding or to be pretentious. This is band song and it's easy hear who came up with what even the crazy syncopated Bill section. Anderson was very involved in the structure
To a lot of listeners, and I can understand this, the only real flaw in HOTS may be that light and peppy Emersonesque synth part between around 6:34 and 7:43, which just sounds out of place. But it's not like I'd ever want to fast-forward through it.
If you're truly unfamiliar with Close To The Edge, I can't WAIT for your reaction!
The criticisms seem so contradictory to the creative process itself but Yes, just like any other band, is not everyone’s cup of tea. Nor should they be. If musicians are of the caliber that their playing grabs your ears and holds your attention, should they settle for making radio-friendly pablum that doesn’t challenge them? Why? So critics will like their output?
From what I can tell, Rolling Stone magazine likes their music dumbed down.
The criticisms seem so contradictory to the creative process itself but Yes, just like any other band, is not everyone’s cup of tea. Nor should they be. If musicians are of the caliber that their playing grabs your ears and holds your attention, should they settle for making radio-friendly crap that doesn’t challenge them? Why? So critics will like their output?