No autotune, no pitch correction, no Apple Pro tools, no computers ... and Eddie the engineer slicing the magnetic tapes with a razor blade and sticking tape sections together to construct the finished song. And then they go out and play it live, no backing tracks, no lip syncing ... and it becomes even more powerful. YES, indeed.
Maybe a little too creative. Screwed over the entire Binghamton, NY audience when they decided to play a special performance in the 70's. It was like classical music, no vocals. Only reason to stay was thinking they have to close with Roundabout. Nope, very disappointing and worst concert ever. I'm a fan, but I want my $7 back. 😄
@@ericj166 i own all of elp and yes albums up till big generator and even though i love elp, they dont compete with the songs yes has outputted. I love greg lakes vocals and keith emersons playing but yes still is higher on my ranks.
@@ericj166ELP were really just an extension of Kieth Emerson. They killed it of course, a real power trio..But for those who love some hard guitar work, ELP were not delivering. But we must credit the almighty Keith for showing us the sheer rockin face-melting potential of the Moog and the Hammond B3!
@@rabbithowls71 What happened to music is recording turned it into a commodity. This great music was the last gasp of a culture where everyone was an amateur musician. Now, musicians are like mutants, off in their own world, so they'll go into some kind of unapproachable freeform Jazz, because there's no broad audience for them to play for, or try to win over.
Now you’re getting Yes. Don’t analyze the lyrics, just let the vocals wash over you as another instrumental melody that happens to rhyme. Great reaction!
Aye, even Jon Anderson says that his words don't often mean anything specific, they are to transmit a feeling, individual to each listener, rather than a meaning. Truly poetry set to music.
It's immersive. It pulls you in and takes you for a ride. And when those last few notes play out, you smile and think back on where you just were, and think fondly on returning again.
True. It entices you in, gently lifts you up, rips you to pieces, puts you back together again, flawlessly put's you down again, gives you a lovely thank you and sends you on your way with a little tap on the butt cheek!
Rick Wakeman, the virtuoso keyboard player in Yes, used to play the organ during the morning religious assemblies at my school when we were pupils in West London in the 60’s, before he joined Yes. Wonderful times. Stunning times.
In 1968, two London bands were formed that would have a major impact on Rock Music for many decades to come: Led Zeppelin & YES. Led Zepplin had a major impact early on with their very first album, which is definitely one of their greatest of all time. It took YES a couple more years to mature into their Uber-Classic period of amazing musical inspirations. It was their 3rd album that turned listeners into hard core YES fans, the same album that featured *Starship Trooper* as one of its masterpieces Led Zepplin was a band with 3 musicians & a singer; YES had four musicians (always had a keyboard player) & a singer. While Led Zepplin was always an innovative band that always took risks, YES' music was quite a bit more complex, blending more sounds to produce a final output. They indeed became Masters of Complexity, producing amazing soundscapes that managed to avoid becoming just a blur of competing sounds. Never had complexity sounded so good. Also, Led Zepplin was heavily influenced by American blues while YES drew inspiration from all over the place: classical, jazz, pop, R&B, & even Broadway show tunes. YES' "sound" was notably quite funky, driven by Chris Squire's always dominant bass. Also of special note, YES was a band that loved to SING, with a special emphasis always placed on vocal harmonies, which almost no other Progressive Rock band embraced (the Moody Blues a possible exception to that rule) IF you want to continue to be amazed by YES music, your best bet is to react to *Yours Is No Disgrace* next which is the _other_ masterpiece on YES' 3rd album: *The Yes Album.* If you react as I expect you will, you'll then want to listen to *Siberian Khatru* off their 5th album. You won't be disappointed...
I really think, and it sounds nuts because the two bands have a very different style, but Jimmy Page and Steve Howe approach guitar playing in a very similar way, and I hear a lot of Steve's style in the later Zep, especially 'In the Light'
The percolating bass line driving the song is courtesy of the late Chris Squier, who stayed with the band from the beginning. His big, fat sound is distinctive.
@6:43 might just be the finest 1 minute 15 seconds in all of recorded music. When Bruford (drums), Howe (guitar), Squire (bass) and Wakeman (keys) drop that insane jam you'd have to be dead not to feel that deep in your bones. They're all phenomenal musicians, but Bill Bruford can rightly be considered the best prog/rock/fusion drummer to ever sit behind a kit.
Progressive Rock, my friends! Another level for people who love music that's more than four chords with a verse and chorus! Each of the members of Yes are master musicians.
Check back a month or two in their catalog… their first Yes reaction was to a song from The Yes Album: Starship Trooper. This (I believe) is their second dip into the Yes ocean.
Emerson, Lake, and Palmer, Yes, Pink Floyd and Jethro Tull are a few of the prog rock bands I had in my collection back in high school in the seventies. Rick Wakeman (Yes) and Keith Emerson (ELP) are two of the best prog rock keyboard players. Watching them live is an otherworldly experience. Watching the younger generations listening to and reacting to music that blew my mind as a teen 50 years ago is so cool.
It's good to hear someone realizing that the one thing GOOD music generates is a genuine spectrum of emotions and feelings from the listener. The entire Fragile album is a performance and technical masterpiece.
I am old enough to have experienced YES as a young teen. My first rock concert was YES and it changed me to be a lifetime fan of all different kinds of types of music. But music that you first listen to stay with you. I still get goose bumps from this Song and many other songs from the 70s. Really enjoyed your reaction, keep it up.
Thanks! YESSS!! Knew you would enjoy "Roundabout"...just an incredible song...I am SOOO looking forward to the live Dazed and Confused reaction from the 1973 MSG show (you Zep-heads know this show well by now)...I am sending this monetary "tip" to hopefully give you some additional incentive to react to that track...it's over 29 minutes, so i realize it will take quite a bit of your time...BUT it will be SOOO worth it...IMHO, still the best live performance of Jimmy Page's career...with "No Quarter" (live MSG) and "The Song Remains the Same" (live MSG) being close..of course, you already know how awesome the '73 solo for "Stairway to Heaven" was from that show...but the drums in "Dazed and Confused" take it to another level...anyway, long request, but i check your channel everyday hoping for your reaction to that track...thanks for checking out "Roundabout"...truly one of the great bands from the 70's...take care
Very good reaction. I think Roundabout is the best track for new listeners because I love the fact that it is like something they have never experienced before.
A celebration of the English Lake District (a couple of hours by car from the town where Jon grew up) and the psychological effects its spectacular landscape and violently unpredictable weather have on anyone who visits the area. A similar theme is explored in South Side Of The Sky, which closes Side One of the album.
Yes was just another one of the many musically diverse bands we enjoyed on a daily basis back in the 70's- Yes, Pink Floyd, Queen, Emerson Lake and Palmer, David Bowie, Led Zeppelin, The Who, Chicago, Crosby Stills and Nash, Fleetwood Mac, The Eagles, artists like Linda Ronstadt, Joe Cocker, James Taylor, Jackson Browne, and on and on. We took it for granted and only looking back and comparing it to today's music do I realize how fortunate we were to be living in that time.
And there are a lot of more bands: Jethro Tull "Songs from the wood" Gentle Giant "Peel the paint" Frank Zappa "Zomby woof" Mahavishnu Orchestra "Birds of fire" Steely dan "Aja" And so much more
This is an amazing song. Remember, modern rock was still fresh out of the oven when this came out. It's only a few years after mop top Beatles appeared. Led Zeppelin was still a new band.
Imagine jumping in your car and turn on the radio and get these guys,or Led Zeppelin, Peter Frampton, even the gap band, or The Ohio players, Parliament, and Motown bands. It was a magnificent time to be alive.
Check out the live performance when Yes was inducted into the Rock Hall of Fame. Bassist Chris Squire had already passed away, sadly, and Geddy Lee of Rush performed the bass line. A really great performance!
Driving across the desert in southwestern United States is where I completely had my baptism in Yes. You are exactly right about imagining it being great for long drives. The Yes Album, Fragile, Close The The Edge, Relayer, Going for the One, and even Tales from Topographic Oceans, are all great long-distance driving albums.
One wonderful thing about Roundabout is that it stands the test of time. Younger people recognize it from the closing credits of an anime show. But when they listen to the whole song it usually wins them over and rightfully so.
Weirdly, I have known this song my entire life and had no clue what it was called, let alone who sang it. Yet, the second I saw the thumbnail to this, I instantly knew it was this song!!! Gotta love the '70's!!!
Young lady cracked me up when she said, "what now", like halfway through the song,..lol,..you could've said that after the classical guitar intro, lol, and really say it throughout the song, there's so many transitions,..songs like this, like almost a decade later, after it's release, when I heard it on the radio it was highly played during the summer, and like that song by Alice Cooper, "School's Out", they kinda were the kick off of summer, you knew when you heard them, summer was here,..I was in junior high when this came out,..so very long ago, so very glad to see young people of today check this out, and most of all, that's it's still here for you to listen to,..60's, 70's, 80s were blockbuster decades of music, and long before the digital age,..analog, reel to reel tape, just such talent,..do keep going, check out Children of the Sun, Billy Thorpe,...Godspeed, Peace ✌
1974 I first heard this fading in and out on the Medium Wave from Radio Caroline. I was in the north-east of England, way out range of the boat. Wonderful, part of my youth.
I got to see Jon & Band Geeks LIVE in May. Right across the river in my state ( NJ ) New Brunswick NJ! At 79, Jon can still sing great & the bass player was once with Blue Oyster Cult for 20 years.
Love to see you two young guys discovering 'my music' - or at least the music that I listened to years ago. Huge hole you've dug for yourselves, and you are going to enjoy every minute of the trip!
In fact, Yes did make a song for a video game, Homeworld (The Ladder), in 1999. Most of their music is regarded as progressive rock, and their third album. The Yes Album, was their real breakthrough. The song you listened to is from their fourth album. The band still performs, despite some key members (bass player Chris Squire, drummer Alan White) passing away the last decade. Over the years, more than thirty musicians have been part of Yes.
I think the Roundabout in the song may refer to the plant Earth? What makes this track so compelling 50 years on - apart from the amazing musical talent and innovative sound - one word - energy! Superb 🥳
For forty years I misheard the line - "In and around the lake, mountains come out of the sky and they stand there".. I thought Jon was singing "Mallards come out of the sky". I lost a five dollar bet in 1983, long before the internet when you had to read the album liner notes for the lyrics.
You're hearing them in the right order. The Yes Album was the countdown. Fragile was the take off. Close To The Edge was when they went beyond the atmosphere... and they just kept going until Going For The One when they brought it all back home. haha You've got to hear 'And You And I' next.
Great reaction guys! Reminded of my '70s childhood. Jon Anderson, the lead singer, has a collaboration with Vangelis to produce the song "Friends Of Mr. Cairo"... a very different song with a storyline and creative keyboards... almost like a movie! Enjoy! PS: do the long version for full effects of the song.
You two r so inspiring! I saw this band about 7 times thru out the years and each concert was mind blowing and I would be naturally high for a week afterwards! Each band member were and r those who r still with us…. Expert musicians who really cared about what they were creating!! Your reactions r just like how I reacted the first time I heard this band and this song… you two r awesome to watch and I am a fan! Keep diving into Yes and you will go on a wild journey! Have a blast!❤❤❤🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥
Hearing this on my radio in 1972 changed everything for me. Much credit should go to Eddie Offord the engineer/producer. I saw them live in 1974. Like seeing martians from outer space.
Every time I hear this song, I am blown away. The bass is PHENOMENAL. Fun fact: Greg Graffin, lead singer of the punk band Bad Religion, cites Yes as one of his musical influences. If you ever listen to their stuff, you can hear it in the harmonies they're known for: 'melodic punk'.
DUDE! Your girl is super cute! What a beautiful smile she has. I love the bass in this song (as do most people). It's usually the first thing people mention.
And, at around 4 minutes, that's bongos played 'Salsa' style. Considering that this song is about driving through Scotland, the salsa bongos works just fine.
If you enjoyed this flavor of music then Zappa (any album but start with One Size Fits All - 1975) & King Crimson (any album but try Court Of The Crimson King - 1969 or Discipline - 1981). You two would find these gems accessible music for your pleasure.
Thank you for listening for your first time, for some of us it's been over 50 years and many, many live concerts. *You will hear people say not to try figuring out what the lyrics say or mean, (Listen to your people)😂 Just enjoy the music it's the best there is
Fantastic reactions! Their songs, "Heart of the Sunrise", "Yours Is No Disgrace", "Owner of a Lonely Heart", and "Changes" are all well worth a recommendation! (But, seriously, I'll watch ANY reactions you two do to Yes songs!)
I was in the 3rd grade and my older brother drove me to school on an winter day. On the center hump of our old 1968 impala was a after market stereo with an 8 track player. This is where i heard close to the edge for the first time. It changed my life. I had heard the beatles and thought some of there songs were good but that type of music never quite moved me like yes, rush and elp.
I saw them live in '77, six years after this album and 4four albums later. I was a hughe fan then and still love to listen to it and watch others discovering this music 👍
Loved your reaction. This came out when I was in my late teens, and me and all of my friends had this album. Lots of listening, and a lot of joints to go along with it. lol. All of these years later, I can still appreciate this song almost like I'm hearing it for the first time. Watching your reaction as you listen for the first time is a wonderful vicarious experience. Warms this boomer's heart.
I've seen this live many times, Yes, they actually played it like the album. Unfortunately the group has changed due to personnel changes but they still do an excellent job and are out touring now.
This band launched the minds of Rush and Dream Theater. Progressive Rock came out of this band right here. They were so far beyond their time they didn’t get a lot of airplay, because the radio stations sucked.
YES!!!! Yes was the first band i really fell in love with. This song from the album "Fragile" is a masterpiece and way befor their time...Great reaction guys. Thank you.
No better time to be a music loving teen who grew up with the music of The Classic Era. Such creativity was everywhere and it seemed anything was possible. Good times… Glad to see your reactions are the same as ours were upon first listening. Regards
If you want to get a visual of this great band, check out their live performance of "Yours Is No Disgrace" in 1991. Over time the original guitar player, drummer and keyboardist left the group......and then they came back.......but nobody left......so they just played with two lead guitarists, two drummers and two keyboardists......
This beautiful song always takes me back to a Spring morning in March in the mid Seventies. My brother and I had our motorcycles loaded in my truck and were headed from our campground to Daytona to race. This song came on my truck radio and cemented the wonder of the moment. I've always loved mountains and lakes and spent many days in their beauty. This song just wraps it all up for me. Just wonderful!!
Thank you for reacting to the core of the 70's exploration of music. This was a single, and it did well. Nowadays, a single idea beaten to death is acclaimed as genius.
This is my favorite Yes song. I used to have the cassette of that album back in the 70s. Another song with a lot of transitions and a very "feel good" sound that you should check out is "Jessica" by The Allman Brothers Band. It is an instrumental but it will make you tap your foot and smile, for sure.
No autotune, no pitch correction, no Apple Pro tools, no computers ... and Eddie the engineer slicing the magnetic tapes with a razor blade and sticking tape sections together to construct the finished song. And then they go out and play it live, no backing tracks, no lip syncing ... and it becomes even more powerful. YES, indeed.
The greatest show on earth ✨️🎶✨️
"Are you ready, Eddie?"
In the round!
I’m a guitarist and I love the guitar work in this song; but the bass work in this song absolutely blows me away.
Chris Squire is on another plane of existence.
@@hippiedad Well, he's passed, so he definitely is. RIP Chris
You have just listened to one the most creative and innovative group of musicians ever assembled into one band.
apart from ELP of course
Maybe a little too creative. Screwed over the entire Binghamton, NY audience when they decided to play a special performance in the 70's. It was like classical music, no vocals. Only reason to stay was thinking they have to close with Roundabout. Nope, very disappointing and worst concert ever. I'm a fan, but I want my $7 back. 😄
They threw the rule book out. It's like music that evolved on a different planet.
@@ericj166 i own all of elp and yes albums up till big generator and even though i love elp, they dont compete with the songs yes has outputted. I love greg lakes vocals and keith emersons playing but yes still is higher on my ranks.
@@ericj166ELP were really just an extension of Kieth Emerson. They killed it of course, a real power trio..But for those who love some hard guitar work, ELP were not delivering. But we must credit the almighty Keith for showing us the sheer rockin face-melting potential of the Moog and the Hammond B3!
Welcome to my life going up in the 1970's. We had REAL music...
Old people didn't think so. They thought it was crap. Just like we think modern music is crap.
@@miken.2847 Yeah, but they were wrong and we are right. 😁
There is still good music being made. But you really gotta look for it, now.
@@rabbithowls71 What happened to music is recording turned it into a commodity. This great music was the last gasp of a culture where everyone was an amateur musician. Now, musicians are like mutants, off in their own world, so they'll go into some kind of unapproachable freeform Jazz, because there's no broad audience for them to play for, or try to win over.
@@miken.2847we don't think its crap. It is crap.
Chris Squire was one of the greatest bass players of all time, without his bass riffs this song would not work. He’s just a genius. Great reaction btw
Rick Wakeman is going full psycho on that Hammond! Remastered in 2008 but recorded in 1971. 53 years ago. Definitely ahead of their time.
Chris Squire (RIP)... LEGEND. Greatest bass guitarist in the history of Rock & Roll.
Iconic bassist, no doubt. But he's number 2 to John Entwistle.
Don’t forget Geddy
Geddy wouldn’t say anything about it, so we’ll all say it for him.
@@michaeldavid6284 As they are bassists and often get overlooked I think they can share the number one spot. Both are the best for different reasons.
Now you’re getting Yes. Don’t analyze the lyrics, just let the vocals wash over you as another instrumental melody that happens to rhyme. Great reaction!
Well said.
Aye, even Jon Anderson says that his words don't often mean anything specific, they are to transmit a feeling, individual to each listener, rather than a meaning. Truly poetry set to music.
I have been a huge Yes fan since dinosaurs ruled the Earth. I still have no idea what most of their songs are about and I don't care
helps if you smoke a bowl motorbreath first
It's immersive. It pulls you in and takes you for a ride. And when those last few notes play out, you smile and think back on where you just were, and think fondly on returning again.
True. It entices you in, gently lifts you up, rips you to pieces, puts you back together again, flawlessly put's you down again, gives you a lovely thank you and sends you on your way with a little tap on the butt cheek!
Rick Wakeman, the virtuoso keyboard player in Yes, used to play the organ during the morning religious assemblies at my school when we were pupils in West London in the 60’s, before he joined Yes. Wonderful times. Stunning times.
A Christmas party in 1974 and it's winding down; someone puts on Roundabout by YES; I've been listening ever since!
Great to see the new youth enjoying it, isn't it?
How much fun adultery and drunken shenanigans happened?
Lucky enough to see Yes live around half a dozen times in the 70s - the most innovative band of their era !
I love to watch the smiles of younger folks listening to Yes for the first time. Most are blown away.
In 1968, two London bands were formed that would have a major impact on Rock Music for many decades to come: Led Zeppelin & YES. Led Zepplin had a major impact early on with their very first album, which is definitely one of their greatest of all time. It took YES a couple more years to mature into their Uber-Classic period of amazing musical inspirations. It was their 3rd album that turned listeners into hard core YES fans, the same album that featured *Starship Trooper* as one of its masterpieces
Led Zepplin was a band with 3 musicians & a singer; YES had four musicians (always had a keyboard player) & a singer. While Led Zepplin was always an innovative band that always took risks, YES' music was quite a bit more complex, blending more sounds to produce a final output. They indeed became Masters of Complexity, producing amazing soundscapes that managed to avoid becoming just a blur of competing sounds. Never had complexity sounded so good.
Also, Led Zepplin was heavily influenced by American blues while YES drew inspiration from all over the place: classical, jazz, pop, R&B, & even Broadway show tunes. YES' "sound" was notably quite funky, driven by Chris Squire's always dominant bass. Also of special note, YES was a band that loved to SING, with a special emphasis always placed on vocal harmonies, which almost no other Progressive Rock band embraced (the Moody Blues a possible exception to that rule)
IF you want to continue to be amazed by YES music, your best bet is to react to *Yours Is No Disgrace* next which is the _other_ masterpiece on YES' 3rd album: *The Yes Album.* If you react as I expect you will, you'll then want to listen to *Siberian Khatru* off their 5th album. You won't be disappointed...
I really think, and it sounds nuts because the two bands have a very different style, but Jimmy Page and Steve Howe approach guitar playing in a very similar way, and I hear a lot of Steve's style in the later Zep, especially 'In the Light'
The percolating bass line driving the song is courtesy of the late Chris Squier, who stayed with the band from the beginning. His big, fat sound is distinctive.
@6:43 might just be the finest 1 minute 15 seconds in all of recorded music. When Bruford (drums), Howe (guitar), Squire (bass) and Wakeman (keys) drop that insane jam you'd have to be dead not to feel that deep in your bones. They're all phenomenal musicians, but Bill Bruford can rightly be considered the best prog/rock/fusion drummer to ever sit behind a kit.
Bravo, Chris Squire!!!!
Progressive Rock, my friends! Another level for people who love music that's more than four chords with a verse and chorus! Each of the members of Yes are master musicians.
Finally you guys are exploring the YES rabbit hole. Check out the Yes Album too. "Yours Is No Disgrace."
Check back a month or two in their catalog… their first Yes reaction was to a song from The Yes Album: Starship Trooper. This (I believe) is their second dip into the Yes ocean.
I was alive for that era, aged 15 in 1971. The previous Album had set me on my way, to a life of ‘YES’.
The Masters of Prog’ Rock. 🎶❤️🎶
We are the same age. What a time to experience music.
@@charleskurtz9744 Yes, Magical. 🎶❤️🎶
The smile on your faces throughout the entire song says it all.
Emerson, Lake, and Palmer, Yes, Pink Floyd and Jethro Tull are a few of the prog rock bands I had in my collection back in high school in the seventies.
Rick Wakeman (Yes) and Keith Emerson (ELP) are two of the best prog rock keyboard players. Watching them live is an otherworldly experience.
Watching the younger generations listening to and reacting to music that blew my mind as a teen 50 years ago is so cool.
💯💯💯💯💯
just add Zappa and your set for life....
YES!!! The greatest band there ever was or will ever be!🤩
What Tiger said.
What they said!❤
Absolutely one of the best songs ever performed, produced and recorded.
It's good to hear someone realizing that the one thing GOOD music generates is a genuine spectrum of emotions and feelings from the listener. The entire Fragile album is a performance and technical masterpiece.
I am old enough to have experienced YES as a young teen. My first rock concert was YES and it changed me to be a lifetime fan of all different kinds of types of music. But music that you first listen to stay with you. I still get goose bumps from this Song and many other songs from the 70s. Really enjoyed your reaction, keep it up.
Thanks!
YESSS!! Knew you would enjoy "Roundabout"...just an incredible song...I am SOOO looking forward to the live Dazed and Confused reaction from the 1973 MSG show (you Zep-heads know this show well by now)...I am sending this monetary "tip" to hopefully give you some additional incentive to react to that track...it's over 29 minutes, so i realize it will take quite a bit of your time...BUT it will be SOOO worth it...IMHO, still the best live performance of Jimmy Page's career...with "No Quarter" (live MSG) and "The Song Remains the Same" (live MSG) being close..of course, you already know how awesome the '73 solo for "Stairway to Heaven" was from that show...but the drums in "Dazed and Confused" take it to another level...anyway, long request, but i check your channel everyday hoping for your reaction to that track...thanks for checking out "Roundabout"...truly one of the great bands from the 70's...take care
Only a young woman could move and groove like you do It's a beautiful thing.
Very good reaction. I think Roundabout is the best track for new listeners because I love the fact that it is like something they have never experienced before.
A celebration of the English Lake District (a couple of hours by car from the town where Jon grew up) and the psychological effects its spectacular landscape and violently unpredictable weather have on anyone who visits the area. A similar theme is explored in South Side Of The Sky, which closes Side One of the album.
Bill Bruford. Best prog Drummer
Yes was just another one of the many musically diverse bands we enjoyed on a daily basis back in the 70's- Yes, Pink Floyd, Queen, Emerson Lake and Palmer, David Bowie, Led Zeppelin, The Who, Chicago, Crosby Stills and Nash, Fleetwood Mac, The Eagles, artists like Linda Ronstadt, Joe Cocker, James Taylor, Jackson Browne, and on and on. We took it for granted and only looking back and comparing it to today's music do I realize how fortunate we were to be living in that time.
Makes ones mind "Roundabout" like. Thanks CC! I was fortunate to Yes perform. Chris Squire's bass on this!! Wheeee! Love you guys!!
And there are a lot of more bands:
Jethro Tull "Songs from the wood"
Gentle Giant "Peel the paint"
Frank Zappa "Zomby woof"
Mahavishnu Orchestra "Birds of fire"
Steely dan "Aja"
And so much more
Grew up in the 70’s. Yes we were spoiled just didn’t realize it at the time. Yes is still my all time favorite
This is an amazing song. Remember, modern rock was still fresh out of the oven when this came out. It's only a few years after mop top Beatles appeared. Led Zeppelin was still a new band.
"Don't tell me it's over" that's how everyone who hears this song feels. It's an experience.
Just amazes me that people into music would not have heard this classic. Yes live was such a treat in the 70s! Lucky you to hear it now.
Imagine jumping in your car and turn on the radio and get these guys,or Led Zeppelin, Peter Frampton, even the gap band, or The Ohio players, Parliament, and Motown bands. It was a magnificent time to be alive.
Check out the live performance when Yes was inducted into the Rock Hall of Fame. Bassist Chris Squire had already passed away, sadly, and Geddy Lee of Rush performed the bass line. A really great performance!
"Oooof!!" is a perfect response. "Shocking!!" is perfect , too.
Driving across the desert in southwestern United States is where I completely had my baptism in Yes. You are exactly right about imagining it being great for long drives. The Yes Album, Fragile, Close The The Edge, Relayer, Going for the One, and even Tales from Topographic Oceans, are all great long-distance driving albums.
One wonderful thing about Roundabout is that it stands the test of time. Younger people recognize it from the closing credits of an anime show. But when they listen to the whole song it usually wins them over and rightfully so.
Weirdly, I have known this song my entire life and had no clue what it was called, let alone who sang it. Yet, the second I saw the thumbnail to this, I instantly knew it was this song!!! Gotta love the '70's!!!
One of the few bands of the era that i can think of that guys and girls liked equally well.
Young lady cracked me up when she said, "what now", like halfway through the song,..lol,..you could've said that after the classical guitar intro, lol, and really say it throughout the song, there's so many transitions,..songs like this, like almost a decade later, after it's release, when I heard it on the radio it was highly played during the summer, and like that song by Alice Cooper, "School's Out", they kinda were the kick off of summer, you knew when you heard them, summer was here,..I was in junior high when this came out,..so very long ago, so very glad to see young people of today check this out, and most of all, that's it's still here for you to listen to,..60's, 70's, 80s were blockbuster decades of music, and long before the digital age,..analog, reel to reel tape, just such talent,..do keep going, check out Children of the Sun, Billy Thorpe,...Godspeed, Peace ✌
This was such a unique song, it was played in it’s entirety on AM radio when it came out... back when only 3 min songs
were ever played.
My fav live band. Saw them 8 times in their prime/tour peak. Literally man for man an all start band.
What a masterpiece of a song. What a happy time to live, then, there, among such people.
1974 I first heard this fading in and out on the Medium Wave from Radio Caroline. I was in the north-east of England, way out range of the boat. Wonderful, part of my youth.
I got to see Jon & Band Geeks LIVE in May. Right across the river in my state ( NJ ) New Brunswick NJ! At 79, Jon can still sing great & the bass player was once with Blue Oyster Cult for 20 years.
In the background, Bill Buford is playing a Samba rhythm. That’s why it sounds so cool!
1976 graduate...this was a trip banger! ❤
Love to see you two young guys discovering 'my music' - or at least the music that I listened to years ago. Huge hole you've dug for yourselves, and you are going to enjoy every minute of the trip!
Carol I believe your silhouette will charge the view of distant atmospheres. Nice reaction. I haven't seen moves that good to this song ever
In fact, Yes did make a song for a video game, Homeworld (The Ladder), in 1999. Most of their music is regarded as progressive rock, and their third album. The Yes Album, was their real breakthrough. The song you listened to is from their fourth album. The band still performs, despite some key members (bass player Chris Squire, drummer Alan White) passing away the last decade. Over the years, more than thirty musicians have been part of Yes.
I think the Roundabout in the song may refer to the plant Earth? What makes this track so compelling 50 years on - apart from the amazing musical talent and innovative sound - one word - energy! Superb 🥳
When I seen Yes around 1980 they played this song they said alright time for a little dancing music.
For forty years I misheard the line -
"In and around the lake, mountains come out of the sky and they stand there"..
I thought Jon was singing "Mallards come out of the sky".
I lost a five dollar bet in 1983, long before the internet when you had to read the album liner notes for the lyrics.
If mallards came out of the sky and stood there I think they’d fall to the ground and become someone’s dinner.
I think a great follow-up reaction would be Yours Is No Disgrace, the 1st song off 1971's The Yes Album. Like Roundabout, it's exuberant.
You're hearing them in the right order. The Yes Album was the countdown. Fragile was the take off. Close To The Edge was when they went beyond the atmosphere... and they just kept going until Going For The One when they brought it all back home. haha You've got to hear 'And You And I' next.
Great reaction guys! Reminded of my '70s childhood. Jon Anderson, the lead singer, has a collaboration with Vangelis to produce the song "Friends Of Mr. Cairo"... a very different song with a storyline and creative keyboards... almost like a movie! Enjoy! PS: do the long version for full effects of the song.
Love all the movie outtakes: “don’t worry honey I’ll buy the whole factory…”
Certain songs combined with certain reaction channels make me smile and say, yep gotta listen to this one. 😀
You two r so inspiring! I saw this band about 7 times thru out the years and each concert was mind blowing and I would be naturally high for a week afterwards! Each band member were and r those who r still with us…. Expert musicians who really cared about what they were creating!! Your reactions r just like how I reacted the first time I heard this band and this song… you two r awesome to watch and I am a fan! Keep diving into Yes and you will go on a wild journey! Have a blast!❤❤❤🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥
Hearing this on my radio in 1972 changed everything for me. Much credit should go to Eddie Offord the engineer/producer. I saw them live in 1974. Like seeing martians from outer space.
Yes he came up with the reverse piano intro
It works and Yes, it always puts a smile on your face. Positive and brilliant.
Every time I hear this song, I am blown away. The bass is PHENOMENAL.
Fun fact: Greg Graffin, lead singer of the punk band Bad Religion, cites Yes as one of his musical influences. If you ever listen to their stuff, you can hear it in the harmonies they're known for: 'melodic punk'.
That's the nature of a roundabout; you're going round and round in circles.
Great tune. Yours is no Disgrace is my favourite, followed by Starship Trooper but the whole of "The Yes Album" and "Fragile" are flawless
They recorded live when they were here in '72 and released it about ten? years ago. One of the first bands I saw as a teenager.
Can you hear it? It’s the sound of Rush, only earlier. Great tune and a massively influential band.
Great to see a younger generation enjoying the music of my early adulthood.
DUDE! Your girl is super cute! What a beautiful smile she has. I love the bass in this song (as do most people). It's usually the first thing people mention.
And, at around 4 minutes, that's bongos played 'Salsa' style. Considering that this song is about driving through Scotland, the salsa bongos works just fine.
If you enjoyed this flavor of music then Zappa (any album but start with One Size Fits All - 1975) & King Crimson (any album but try Court Of The Crimson King - 1969 or Discipline - 1981). You two would find these gems accessible music for your pleasure.
Thank you for listening for your first time, for some of us it's been over 50 years and many, many live concerts.
*You will hear people say not to try figuring out what the lyrics say or mean,
(Listen to your people)😂
Just enjoy the music it's the best there is
Fantastic reactions! Their songs, "Heart of the Sunrise", "Yours Is No Disgrace", "Owner of a Lonely Heart", and "Changes" are all well worth a recommendation! (But, seriously, I'll watch ANY reactions you two do to Yes songs!)
I was in the 3rd grade and my older brother drove me to school on an winter day. On the center hump of our old 1968 impala was a after market stereo with an 8 track player. This is where i heard close to the edge for the first time. It changed my life. I had heard the beatles and thought some of there songs were good but that type of music never quite moved me like yes, rush and elp.
my fav Yes track is " Parallels " featuring bassist the late, great Chris Squires.
Great song, fantastic bass line
YES was my first concert, Wings Stadium summer of 1977.
Brilliant musicianship all around. The song will forever be remembered for that heavy, driving bassline.
I saw them live in '77, six years after this album and 4four albums later. I was a hughe fan then and still love to listen to it and watch others discovering this music 👍
All the early Yes music (pre 1973) is best listened to from the LIVE album Yessongs. It's a wall of music and is amazing.
Those '70's bands liked to jam. 💯 🎶
Loved your reaction. This came out when I was in my late teens, and me and all of my friends had this album. Lots of listening, and a lot of joints to go along with it. lol. All of these years later, I can still appreciate this song almost like I'm hearing it for the first time. Watching your reaction as you listen for the first time is a wonderful vicarious experience. Warms this boomer's heart.
I've seen this live many times, Yes, they actually played it like the album. Unfortunately the group has changed due to personnel changes but they still do an excellent job and are out touring now.
This band launched the minds of Rush and Dream Theater. Progressive Rock came out of this band right here. They were so far beyond their time they didn’t get a lot of airplay, because the radio stations sucked.
YES!!!! Yes was the first band i really fell in love with. This song from the album "Fragile" is a masterpiece and way befor their time...Great reaction guys. Thank you.
Like many of the best Yes tunes, this song is beyond time -- it is truly timeless . . . .
No better time to be a music loving teen who grew up with the music of The Classic Era. Such creativity was everywhere and it seemed anything was possible. Good times… Glad to see your reactions are the same as ours were upon first listening. Regards
If you want to get a visual of this great band, check out their live performance of "Yours Is No Disgrace" in 1991. Over time the original guitar player, drummer and keyboardist left the group......and then they came back.......but nobody left......so they just played with two lead guitarists, two drummers and two keyboardists......
This beautiful song always takes me back to a Spring morning in March in the mid Seventies. My brother and I had our motorcycles loaded in my truck and were headed from our campground to Daytona to race. This song came on my truck radio and cemented the wonder of the moment. I've always loved mountains and lakes and spent many days in their beauty. This song just wraps it all up for me. Just wonderful!!
Better than Starship trooper? You simply cannot compare one Yes song to another. lol
They are ALL FANTASTIC!!!
Music that takes you on a journey and makes your brain work a little. It's a good thing.
"Awaken" by Yes is an excellent song. You should check it out sometime.
Fragile was released in 71' which was the Prog-Rock era. These guys were all pros.
Best band, ever. Period.
Best incarnation of that band. The other line-ups just didn't have 'it'.
Thank you for reacting to the core of the 70's exploration of music. This was a single, and it did well. Nowadays, a single idea beaten to death is acclaimed as genius.
This is my favorite Yes song. I used to have the cassette of that album back in the 70s. Another song with a lot of transitions and a very "feel good" sound that you should check out is "Jessica" by The Allman Brothers Band. It is an instrumental but it will make you tap your foot and smile, for sure.
Released 53 years ago! Who makes anything close to this complexity now? I saw Yes 3 or 4 times and they were superb.
Imagine growing up with this music screaming out at us on the beach, in the school hallways, in our cars cruising. Boy we had a blast!
This is one of those songs I heard on the radio a lot as a kid. I don't remember a time before hearing Roundabout.