After making their debut in 1969, the initial incarnation of Yes tried their hand at making an album with an orchestra (just like everyone else at the time). The result was this weird, cluttered record that downplayed Peter Banks’ guitar (which untimely led to the first lineup change) and is one that could most benefit from a remix.
Song-wise, this took the sound of the first album and expanded upon it, maybe getting a little bolder, and a little more out-there than before. Songs like “Then”, and the monumental “Astral Traveler” find the band in full psych glory while “The Prophet” points toward the prog directions the band would soon take. At the same time, the catchy “Sweet Dreams”, and the exquisite title track show that Yes is also capable of hooks.
Like the debut, this features two radically rearranged cover songs, both of which are among the most sophisticated pieces of music this version of the band ever performed. Richie Havens’ “No Opportunity Necessary, No Experience Needed” was infused with the theme to Big Country and was a live showstopper at the time, while the Buffalo Springfield’s “Everydays” is taken to its most logical space/jazz direction.
It is a shame that things with Banks went sour - he was a hell of a guitarist and, at least on stage, his playing defined the band - but time has proven that Steve Howe was (and still is) the right dude for the gig.
In fact, as Banks’ dismissal was before the American release of this album, it is Steve Howe who appears with the band on the cover (despite having not played a note).
This initial era is terribly overlooked and has always been very dear to me. Things would go next level very soon.
Anderson/Banks/Squire/Kaye/Bruford
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