Author: Peter Podbrežnik
Artist: Yes
Label: Atlantic Records
Released: 1969
Running time: 38:59
Rating: 3/5
Yes, one of the best, most influential and most beloved progressive rock bands of all time, set out on their long road, marked by unpredictable adventures, a few months before the release of their self-titled debut, simply called “Yes”. Their birth was more or less just one of many chance events that led to one of the longest-running progressive rock fairy tales ever. It all started when Chris Squire, the inventive bassist of the obscure psychedelic rock outfit Mabel Greer’s Toyshop (and before that a member of Synn), was sitting around in some bar, fruitlessly pondering where to take his music next. There he ran into singer Jon Anderson, a little fellow steeped in Eastern spiritual ideals, already known back then for his one-of-a-kind, falsetto-laced angelic voice. Over the conversation they figured out that they didn’t just share similar musical tastes (The Beatles, The Byrds, Vanilla Fudge, Simon & Garfunkel, etc.) and outlooks (music that would cook up sonic combinations nobody had explored yet and push past the boundaries of the popular music of the day, all topped off with positively minded poetry), but that their voices were remarkably alike and blended superbly in multi-part harmonies. Those harmonies would become one of the most recognizable trademark sonic elements of their career.
After their first joint experiments in the studio, Peter Banks joined them on guitar, Squire’s old buddy from the Synn days, who was among the more innovative guitarists of the time because he didn’t stick to the rhythm and blues guitar forms that were standard back then and kept weaving a range of different sonic ideas into his playing. He’s also the one credited with naming the band. The inspiration came at an exhibition of paintings by Yoko Ono, the notorious, if not downright infamous, wife of John Lennon. Through an ad in Melody Maker they lured in Bill Bruford, a young drummer with a strong jazz pedigree, who quickly established himself as one of the most respected rock/jazz drummers of all time and was, technically speaking, surely the most impressive musician in the band back then. The last to join was Tony Kaye, a classically trained keyboardist who also had an ear for rhythm and blues. In their early years, his massive Hammond organ sound was one of the key building blocks of the melodic, flowing, constantly shifting sonic curtains that set Yes apart from the typical psychedelic rock bands of the era right from the start. Among other things, Yes also showed a remarkable knack for great covers of other bands’ songs, which they rearranged in a completely their-own way, effectively creating brand-new songs. In general, though, even then they were reaching for entirely original, mostly highly melodic but intricately structured compositions through which they could get their visions across. Unlike some other progressive rock innovators, melody always held an important place in their music.
“Yes” was stylistically a long way from the highly complex adventures that came later, when they invented a completely recognizable, symphonically conceived sound, also known as the “green tongue”. On it you can feel strong influences of psychedelia and 60s pop, and here and there you can pick up hints of jazz and classical music. All the songs on the album are at least solid and extremely listenable, not just for prog fans but for anyone with an ear for quality melodic rock. The opener “Beyond And Before” had its roots in one of the never-realized creations from Squire’s days with Mabel Greer’s Toyshop. This composition, an effective blend of psychedelia and melodic rock, is marked by Squire’s trademark melodic bass line and Banks’s energetic guitar riffs, in places run through a wah-wah effect. These then make room for melodic multi-part vocal harmonies that create an utterly pleasant mood. As the song unfolds, the main verse comes back several times. Kaye’s keyboards still sound pretty psychedelic, but they fit nicely with the guitar lines, while Bruford right from the start serves up an energetic mix of jazzy dynamics and rock punch. The lyrics, written by Squire and Clive Bayley, his pal from the Toyshop days, capture an individual’s inner feelings rather than telling a story, as was the norm for most of their contemporaries. Over time, this lyrical approach became yet another of their trademarks. All in all, it’s a thoroughly convincing opener that eased the listener right into the start of a magnificent career and showcased their exploratory nature.
“I See You” is a really nicely done cover of American psychedelic folk rockers The Byrds and one of the two covers on the album. Yes dressed it up in totally different sonic waters and ended up with a brand-new song. In the improvisations that pop up in the individual instrumental sections, their jazz influences ring out loud and clear. That’s especially obvious in how Bruford’s drums and Banks’s guitar are used. Despite the odd instrumental excursion, they stick to the song’s melodic structure the whole way through and keep the main, psychedelic-tinged chorus along with its rather naive lyrics. On the melancholic, romantically serene ballad “Yesterday And Today” they also show off a stronger sense for great melodic rock with a touch of pop, something they picked up in the legendary school of The Beatles. Kaye’s symphonic piano arrangements and Jon’s angelic vocals carry the central, deeply romantic melody beautifully. Light, lyrically rich pieces like this would become typical of Jon’s usual style of songwriting. The bouncy “Looking Around” has plenty of funk elements, a simple structure and a melodic multi-part chorus. The sound of Kaye’s Hammond organ blends nicely with Banks’s gritty guitar passages in the instrumental parts. The dynamic “Harold Land” is a far more experimental piece. After a bouncy intro with a rich layer of Hammond and excellent drum fills comes a melancholic section where Jon starts telling the story of the lyrics’ central character. It’s about a man who made it through the horrors of war and is reliving his memories. His name, by the way, refers to a real person, the well-known jazz saxophonist who was among Bruford’s favorite musicians. Especially interesting is the middle section, which recalls a military march band. The opening motif comes back again at the end.
Next up is an excellent, wound-up-to-the-hilt cover of the Beatles classic “Every Little Thing”, which surely ranks among the better Beatles covers out there. Here the band once again shows its mastery of completely reworking individual arrangements so that a cover turns into an entirely new song. The fiery opening passages on guitar, drums, bass and Hammond eventually give way to a gorgeous romantic melody, where Jon’s vocals come in and start telling the listener a love fairy tale in all its naive grandeur. A mighty guitar riff is laid in very tastefully between the organ parts, while Chris’s witty bass lines are one of the main treats in its structure. In my humble opinion, this splendid cover can stand shoulder to shoulder with the Beatles original. It was probably no coincidence that the two best pieces on the album sit at its end, which shows that the band was already refining its ideas from song to song.
“Sweetness”, brimming with romance and longing, is one of the most beautiful love songs of their entire career, if not the most beautiful, at least when it comes to lyrically expressing that “earthly” love on the usual guy/girl axis, rather than Jon’s usual lofty spiritual “mantras” that followed later in their career. The wonderful harmonic vocals create an outstanding mood. In my view it’s almost the perfect song for anyone who wants to introduce their sweetheart to the band’s music in the easiest way possible. I’d say even today there are few girls who wouldn’t be charmed by it. To close, there’s the symphonic treat “Survival”, which I think is the best piece on the whole album and already gives a partial glimpse of where their career was heading. The individual arrangements are laid out excellently while the rhythm section is, as usual, superbly oiled. After an energetic riff comes a witty motif in the style of a jingle from a kids’ shoe commercial, with the characteristic melodic bass, the ever-dynamic drum work and assorted percussion. Further on, the nature of the composition changes completely and drifts into far more melancholic and serene waters, where gorgeous jazz-tinged guitar passages and symphonic organ arrangements flow into each other. Jon’s vocal performance delivers an extremely effective blend of romantic pathos and social engagement radiating from his lyrics. They speak of the eternal circle of life and the never-ending struggle for survival of all its forms. The chorus is stuffed with beautiful multi-part harmonies that conjure up incredible ethereal magic. The opening theme returns several more times within the composition. A superb closer to the album, and of everything on it the closest to their later, far more refined symphonic prog rock creations.
The 2003 reissue of the album also includes a few bonus tracks. The first is the Buffalo Springfield cover “Everydays”, which in all its psychedelic grandeur appears here in its single version, while its final version came out on their next album, “Time And A Word” (1970). It’s a rather dreamy, psychedelic-tinged piece with numerous instrumental pauses, mostly mid-tempo, with the typical harmonies in the chorus. The central melody is carried by Kaye’s Hammond and Jon’s angelic vocals. I prefer its version on “Time And A Word” because of the symphonic arrangements. The same goes for the early version of “Dear Father”, originally released on the B-side of the single “Sweet Dreams”, which has different, rougher arrangements and a longer running time. The most interesting of the bonus tracks is “Something’s Coming”, a cover of a piece from Bernstein’s “West Side Story”, where Yes nicely demonstrate their experiments with all sorts of rhythmic approaches. Through his bass, Squire also brings in elements of the Paul Simon classic “America”. That one, too, ended up on their list of covers a few years later. On top of that, all three of the pieces mentioned are also included in their early versions, which offer only minimal differences in the individual arrangements and length. Those are a must mainly for the band’s most devoted fans.
“Yes” is light years away from what followed later in their career, when the band evolved sonically from album to album while conquering the progressive rock throne as one of the most innovative bands of all time, one that eventually also managed to achieve enormous popularity. In my view, though, such a comparison is completely pointless, and the album has to be seen in the context of the time it was made in and its role as the “newborn baby”. Seen that way, it’s an extremely solid start to a magnificent career, without which the fertile, forever-evergreen garden for planting their later symphonic prog rock masterpieces would never have grown. Even though they were rather unhappy with the final result when it came out and claimed they hadn’t managed to realize all their ideas the way they’d imagined (their ambitions already knew no bounds back then), this debut is, in my opinion, better than Chris and Jon would be willing to admit today. Unlike the incredible King Crimson, who shook the prog rock world in an instant with their debut, one of the very rare, almost unique cases in the history of rock music, Yes (much like Genesis and Jethro Tull) developed gradually into progressive greats, a status they reached “only” with their famous third album (more on that in another review). Far more exciting and refined things were still to come for Yes, but this was a beautifully shaped cornerstone that right away introduced the music world to an easily recognizable and resolute band with a completely own vision of going beyond the usual forms of rock music.
Lineup
Jon Anderson – vocals
Peter Banks – guitar
Chris Squire – bass guitar, backing vocals
Tony Kaye – keyboards
Bill Bruford – drums
Production
Paul Clay
Track list
1. Beyond and Before (4:50)
2. I See You (6:33)
3. Yesterday and Today (2:37)
4. Looking Around (3:49)
5. Harold Land (5:26)
6. Every Little Thing (5:24)
7. Sweetness (4:19)
8. Survival (6:01)
Bonus tracks from the 2003 reissue:
9. Everydays (single version) (6:23)
10. Dear Father (early version #2) (5:51)
11. Something’s Coming (7:08)
12. Everydays (early version) (5:18)
13. Dear Father (early version #1) (5:31)
14. Something’s Coming (early version) (8:02)
