YES: Worst to Best | Albums Ranked

welcome classic rock fans another one of my worst the best videos and today we're looking at the albums of yes i would like to state that i'm just going to include the official studio albums by yes so there's no keys to ascension there's no anderson brewford wakeman howe project here and because there's so many albums 19 i've counted i'm gonna have to be fairly brief for the ones at the bottom of my list number 19 is open your eyes from 1997. i think when the band employed that original yes logo there was this expectation that they were returning to the glory days so to speak however i have to say that i find the material on this record largely uninspired and inspiring it's way too long it just meanders and drifts a lot of the solos on this record seem rather uninvested and directionless and it has to be said that the guitar riffs don't provide any uh impetus at all for the music on this record for me this album is the the epitome of a creative dry patch made flesh number 18 is taught from 1994. there's an energy to this regular sense of fun if you like it tends to juggle that desire for the commercial success that the 90125 lineup enjoyed with the instrumental pyrotechnics of old it doesn't meander or drift like open your eyes but it does also feel a little bit uh safe shall we say um part of me feels that this is just a a rather cynical attempt to cash in on the commercial success of the 90125 album but the quality of the material just isn't there doesn't engage or challenge the listener in any way so number 18 is talk number 17 is union from 1991. i must admit i quite like the idea of this this merging of these worlds this the yes incarnation as it was then with the anderson brewford wakeman hound project this all-star cast or uber yes uh but unfortunately it just doesn't seem to work i'm sure the whole thing looked great on paper but unfortunately the music and the musicians tend to great against each other than unify hence we get union or onion as rick wickman likes to call it as it always brings tears to his eyes i've noticed down some of the songs actually enjoy after this record for example masquerade i think it's a nice guitar work i would have waited forever vocally is quite interesting and one that i enjoy i think i suspect that the whole issue with this project is it was a effectively a managerial decision rather than based on any kind of artistic integrity this uh altogether now gimmick has just produced music that is um inconsistent muddled and i have to say rather strained number 16 is heaven and earth from 2014. you know this sound was very easy to listen to and i think therein lies the problem it feels very much like yes by numbers pretty generic stuff really i must admit i really love the cover of this record the roger dean artwork which i think is one of his best in my opinion but unfortunately the great cover fails to uh speak of the music contained therein i must admit with subsequent listens i i find myself enjoying some of the nuances that this music reveals i do love the track believe again and i love the track to ascend unfortunately the music fails to do just that rather it just tends to flat line uh john davidson's lyrics are good and it's the and the thundering bass of chris squire is always a pleasure to listen to jeff downes uh keyboard work is decorative and steve house guitar workers is intriguing and uh engaging as well it's just overall the whole thing just comes across as a little bit listless number 15 is tomato from 1978. i think it's clear from this album that the the band just didn't like playing together anymore it's if they kind of wanted to merge together in one room to see if there was any of any kind of creative spark would uh come of it and often with this material it seems to lack that uh that like that synergy that classic yes always had islam that's plagued by animosity in fighting and lethargy that being said there are some nice moments i think especially from john anderson and rick wakeman circus of having his fun i don't kill the whale of course is uh was a single i believe and this is also a standout track but i also love the song madrigal i think that's a lovely track and has something of the wondrous stories about it i think by the time this album came out that established punk scene and burgeoning new wave would have been given a fair bit of ammunition to use against this band with this album i think it's safe to say that we're definitely running out of ideas this is arguably the band's p45 number 14 is yes the debut out from 1969. it's now not enjoy it's a great record in many respects but i think it's safe to say that fully fledged yes sound was just wasn't quite there yet it has some remarkable standout moments of the band forge and identity amid the psychedelic vagaries and meanderings of their peers although it has to be said by 1969 a lot of that psychedelic those psychedelic tropes had kind of already started to drift away from the musical vernacular some of the standout tracks on this record are beyond him before which is about firing alterlands i love the the birds cover on here every little thing is also an explosive and dynamic number that beautifully employs the daytripper motif it has to be said my favorite from this album's harold land i love the keyboard sound it sounds like it's been lifted straight from blackpool pier and chris squire's base is thundering of course which certainly points the way of things to come and also this song anticipates those multi-part suites that of course would come to define yes's 70s output this album is definitely a great start number 13 is the ladder from 1999. a lot of yes fans tell me this is a remarkably good album however i listen to it it just fails to grab my imagination like you know classic yes musical always has done the keyboard seem a little bit lost as if they're there just to provide some texturing rather than a main instrument in themselves the music of course is giving some added um full power by billy sherwood's second guitar some of the tracks that really stand out in the sound me at home world i love the sort of acoustic guitar and piano bit in that um lightning strikes face to face steve how was excellent as chris squire's bass is at its thundering best of course new language is interesting cause it provides a platform for all the members of yes all six of them at this juncture to uh show what they could do not that there was ever really any doubt to be honest with you for me what's missing with this album is that sense of excitement and that sense of adventure that yes his music always contained i think the attempt to meld those pragey elements with a more pop aesthetic was getting a bit tired by this juncture so i must admit i find the ladder a bit of a climb number 12 is time in the word from 1970. this album there's no doubt this happened displays much of the promise that would be revealed on the album that comes after this we certainly can't help but marvel at the ambition of this record it almost feels as if they try to do too much too soon but on this one they delve into some pretty deep oceans no pun intended i mean the music is ambitious the song structures are interesting as well and it certainly builds on it certainly has new dimensions to the the sound that was established by their debut the use of orchestra and this certainly adds a sense of grandeur there was a trend in pop music to be working with orchestras at this juncture but for me the progression seems somewhat forced in fact one critic said that uh time in the word is an overblown statement of its meaning diminished by its bloated sound i certainly don't agree with that as there's so much energy impetus and inventiveness on this record no opportunity necessary no experience needed is a vibrant powerful open it's a frenet frenetic interpretation of the richie haven's number and i have to include a call out for the track astral traveler stirring stuff number 11 is drama from 1980. i think it's fair to say that anything after the rather musically flat tomato album would feel like a kind of prague breath of fresh air and drama is just that it's an intriguing mix of thundering prague with machine messiah with the sensibilities of 80s pop as yes and the buggles merge there's certainly much to recommend this album it's musically great and some really really good material on it i must admit i do find myself missing the rather esoteric and ethereal astral warblings of john anderson wherever he was at this juncture probably yogic flying or astrally projecting somewhere i guess this album provides the much needed musical shift to the yes landscape after the cultural tsunami that was punk it has to be said that trevor horn's vocals do blend well with the music and jeff downes playing is uh is great on this one as well for me the real stand-up moments on this record are the the glorious sonic construction that is machine messiah into the lens does it really happen i think it's fair to say that the yes sound is given a darker more dystopian twist for this record and certainly befitting of his moniker because the music is uh is dramatic if nothing else that's to be said this is a good album and trevor horn does perform very well i just find myself missing the the personality and the charisma that john anderson brings to the mix number 10 is magnification from 2001. one critic has pointed out that this album is the perfect blend of the band needing to evolve and to explore as well as trying to appease its fan base which was a pretty eclectic mix by this juncture i think magnification is a collection of strong numbers so there's some great songwriting on here that sees them replace eagle horoscope my wife is russian and she says that's definitely how his name should be pronounced uh we've obviously he's replaced with an orchestra and therein lies the problem for me with this record i find the orchestral elements on this are a little bit um intrusive a little bit swamping i'd much rather that the orchestral bits were replaced with some wonderful explorative and progressive keyboard parts the songs are built around the concept of love and that need to connect with one another and the wider world of course has to be said that steve howe plays absolutely brilliantly on this record i think john anderson's voice is remarkably strong at this juncture i just find that the material me anderson and drifts a little bit although i find that's a criticism that could be aimed at a lot of their their later material to be honest with you there are some longer pieces on this album that are really enjoyable for example dream time and in the presence of our interesting sonic forays not quite close to the edge of course but but great nonetheless it has to be said that this is a a good album as far as i'm concerned number nine is big generator from 1987. there's no doubt that 90125 divides yes fans but probably delights the band's accountants i suspect i think the attitude was with big generators if it ain't broke why fix it and i must fess up to being a fan of this material in fact one of the reasons i went to see arw or anson raven and wakeman was simply to see some of these songs performed live i read somewhere that during the making of this album there was significant disagreement between tony kane and trevor horn which effectively strikes the death knell for this incarnation of yes it's a bit like the curse of the rotten tomato all over again this album tries to replicate the sound of the hugely successful 90125 album but it the quality of the material just does not live up to the uh to its predecessor it feels like a lesser version of there was a lot of tension in the band at the time that sometimes tension can actually work more often than not in yes it doesn't uh john anson apparently wanted to was yearning for a return to a more uh traditional yes sound so the the bandwidth uh kind of crossroads really do they look backwards with anderson or go forwards with raven this probably explains why it took about four years for them to actually produce this album i mean there's some good songs on this on this record for example you know i love shoot high aim low finalize love will find a way and you know the title track as well which is excellent but the material there on doesn't uh quite i think live up to the mark i put down by the the album that precedes it the m8 is fly from here the return trip from 2018 i consider the sound to be a real return to form you know originally released in 2011 with the the vocals of david benoit i think it's how you pronounce his name uh re-recorded of course remixed with um trevor horn on vocals effectively reuniting that drama lineup i love the first track on this record that 20-minute sweep that uh positively soars again no pun intended there are some remarkable musical passages on this album for example solitaire by steve howe which absolutely delights perhaps to make up for his lead vocal and hour of need which certainly doesn't delight i mean no disrespect to steve howe he's an exceptional musician but he's got a voice that's as flat as the berkshire downs nevertheless as always his playing is immense on this record and chris squire's base as well i love that opening uh the opening of the album i mean chris those deep resonances that uh chris squire achieves really sort of rattles the fillings and that opening suite is absolutely fantastic i think yes they're at the very best when they're exploring and fleshing out these long drawn out multi-faceted pieces there is certainly an energy to this album in fact one critic has said it's it's like they're inventing progressive rock for the first time listening to the course it comes across as a labor of love as if the band is just producing something uh with nothing to prove and of course what they do is produce a pretty damn good album in my opinion of course one must be inevitably drawn to comparisons with the drama album i think the songs on this are lighter uh softer less edgy they certainly don't don't have that menace or that heaviness that the drama album has i certainly think it's one of the best things they've done in years number seven is 90125 from there's probably a lot of hardcore yes fans out there will probably bristle with indignation that i put this one so high up on my list i remember attending a signing at hmv in london of the classic lineup of yes they were uh you know still on their 35th anniversary tour i believe and just before the band came out they played owner of lonely heart over the the tennoy and there was an audible groan from the s faithful interestingly if what i took to get signed was this my uh full circle tall prague program sorry which i managed to get signed by all of them including the the late great chris squire i was only about 13 when this album came out and i found the songs absolutely intriguing as well as the videos of course there was standard mtv fair in this album's defense i'm pretty sure there are a lot of um dedicated and fervent yes fans out there because of this album myself included and there was that vhs video that came out as well wasn't it 90125 live or something i can't remember what it was called uh but obviously i watched it to death and i remember just being enamored with the the swirling uh starship trooper of course that compelled me to go rushing off to my local second-hand record store and buy a copy of the yes album uh the rest of course is history but i get it uh you know a lot of uh the faithful see this is a kind of a radio friendly blot on the landscape and certainly a landscape not drawn by roger dean there's no doubt in my mind that trevor raping is an incredibly talented guitar player and songwriter uh one of the songs on this app that i really really love is changes it's one of my favorite if i was to do a top 10 yes songs that would probably make my top 10 believe it or not but you know if you got past all these sports wearing the croft haircuts and things like that i really enjoy this music even though many would feel that it was a bit of a sell out i think on this album the trevor horn production is sleek and effective perfectly suiting the music it's not an ad that suffers too much from those what i call those 1980s production affectations it doesn't pollute this album that much i think those tended to affect the albums recorded round about between 85 and 89 more than the the very early 80s of course the song structures are tighter and shorter therefore more accessible uh they reach out to um they certainly reach out to a new audience with their very harder edged somewhat say more commercial sound i personally think this is a great out more though i do understand there's probably a bit of a thorn in the side to the prog purists number six is going for the one from 1977. of course this is the ad that sees rick wakeman returned to tickle the ivories once more after his uh um bewilderment this the prague obfuscation that was topographic oceans and um obviously he we sensed with the way he plays on this record that he has a renewed enthusiasm for this music and on this album we get a much tighter more consistent song structure from the very rocky title track of course for the wonderful slice of whimsy that is wonderful stories that being said there's still something with the topographic about in terms of the lyrics i mean it doesn't uh explore hindu shastras over four sides of vinyl of course but nevertheless the lyrics are still full of mystical abstract and spiritual resonances and imagery but the music is dramatic and melodic it also contains the the beautiful lengthy piece that is awaken of course and it just sounds so good at the vocal harmonies that are in perfect uh symbiosis with steve house guitar work and as i said weightman revels or reveals a genuine enthusiasm for this material one critic has suggested that the title track is yes his first real attempt at a rock song and certainly you know it's the the resonance of steve house guitar has a more aggressive tone to it perhaps he was getting himself primed up for his stint in gtr and asia i love the sound of rick wakeman's keyboards on parallels a very stately organ sound and awaken the courses see one of those extended suites that this pen do so well i mean the lyrics are spacey and unforced and i think john anson and chris squire are dead-on vocally some suggested the sleeker and harder sound that yes employ on this album was perhaps to do with some of the pressures uh contextual pressures that were perhaps on these sort of bands at the time if you think of the prague landscape at this time of course jethro told the noodling away within the paradigms of english folklore elp were about to oil up and jet off the love beach uh gentle giant was searching for the missing piece and genesis were down to three and king crimson were nowhere to be seen strange times indeed there's no wonder that yes wanted something more defined perhaps uh i'm really going for it on this one and now of course we move into the real creme de la creme of the yes catalogue i have an interesting question i want to put to all the s fans which i will do at the put at the very end of this video stay tuned for that one number five is relay from 1974. i remember when i lived in moscow i was visiting tolstoy's house and there was this russian guy in the queue that was actually psyched to hear that this band had performed a kind of appropriation of tolstoy's war and peace although this sound certainly has its critics a lot of people finding the music on this record rather jarring i think like topographic oceans it contains moments of astonishing beauty those of course who feel that the top graphical bridge too far might feel that this album gets a little bit too close to the edge oh yes puns are bound and i can see how many feet feel this music is pompous inflated uh overconsidered musical meanderings i however feel the band creates worlds with this music universes even that the listener can immerse themselves in the topography which is beautifully mapped out by roger dean listening to this album i find myself carried away on the the ethereal and cosmic tones and textures contained therein it's one of those classic yes album that's defined but it's uh beautiful multi-layered atmospheric instrumentals the musical and conceptual scope of this album is breathtaking although it's a completely rickless affair of course wakeman had felt that uh obviously he felt completely alienated by the direction the band were going in as revealed on topographic i'm pretty sure he probably wouldn't like relay either he certainly felt disenfranchised by this material but when i listen to these albums i'm not only struck by how beautiful they are but how rhythmically dense they are at times and the musical virtuosity is absolutely breathtaking one critic has said of this record that's no more than a continuation of the incoherent indulgence of topographic often wonderful these people actually listen to this music i mean there are elements on this album that are quite tight and heavy and well structured almost almost similar to close to the edge the track the gates of delirium is is just remarkable the way the band employ tension and drama there's a perfect example of metaphorical instrumentation as the band recreate that clatter and clash of battle i don't know it's just me but i think sound chase has an almost improvisational quality to it which perfectly displays the the band's musical nouns and technical abilities and it has to be said that the soon section of the gates of delirium is achingly beautiful uh when you listen to it almost feels unearthly number four is the yes out from 1971. with this album markers laid down in which yes we're going to redefine the very essence of progressive rock music and squire and broof would play exceptionally well especially with the opening third of the bonanza the theme tune to the wonderful counter melodies and rhythms they lay down all providing a perfect platform for steve howe and steve how's playing on this is a perfect blend of country folk based progressive guitar work he uh with some jazz thrown in as well of course he is the charlie parker of prague and steve how's the guitar playing certainly the magic ingredient for this record with its uh distinctive sound cosmic thrust and defining lift if [ __ ] and bruth would give this music ballast it's uh house rifts and intricate guitar work that anchors it to mother earth as uh anderson of course is soaring away in the firmament singing of uh summer and long winters longer than time can remember one thing i get about the sounds that sense of purpose there's a real feel of camaraderie uh all the and the blend of the instruments is absolutely fantastic it's almost if they're all bouncing off each other all on a kind of a separate journey in a way that makes sense as well as uh beautifully complementing of course anderson's cosmic warble overall the performances are purposeful edgy and graceful at the same time that's one thing i really enjoy about this record is the compositional structures are absolutely remarkable you know with anderson's um soaring falsetto of course which is the very much the cherry on the frog cake his lyrics are just remarkable you know the words and phrasings drawn from the the paradigms of folk uh blues and jazz influences as well haunting lyrics uh which are lifted from according to classic rock magazine lifted from science fiction and delivered with the dazzle of an operatic performance number three is fragile from 1971. many viewed this out as a kind of bridge between the yes album the full-blown prague ambitions displayed on close to the edge and topographic and on this record we get four tracks of full band performances which are absolutely remarkable as well as five individual tracks showcasing each member's abilities the spectre of pink floyd's amagama rattles its chains from the margins but thankfully this is uh this is much better the song roundabout of course is is wonderful as well with that gorgeous guitar intro by steve howell followed by the frenetic baseline of chris squires played beautifully i have to say by getty lee during their rock and roll hall of fame induction and that's not to ignore of course uh what rick wakeman brings to this track of course rick white and joins him about this time i think comes from the straws if i'm not mistaken i'm bringing his moog with him as well as other instruments and even steve howe employs a whole variety of different guitars and string beasties on this one for me south side of the sky on this one is the standout track it's absolutely mental um you know it contains some of the band's most intense performances in fact one critic said that they play as if they were about to leave the planet and no doubt orbit the earth of course that roger dean has depicted in his absolutely beautiful artwork the earth of course said that roger dean has depicted this uh uh fits him with the idea of fragility the and there's a very eco message out i'm sure peter thunderberg would be applauding from the wings but uh roger dean also said that the the the earth scene from that perspective or somewhat fragmenting is supposed to represent the the mindset of the band as well long distance run around very much like roundabout is uh you know a fairly accessible number i mean even this the the kind of solo pieces uh are really enjoying this as well we have heaven uh chris squares um bass noodling in in the fish as well as uh mood for a day by steve howe all exercises in um not only individual virtuosity but in atmospherics and texturing number two is tails from topographic oceans from 1973. now i know a lot of you will be wondering why i place this at number two uh especially after everything i've said about this album which still brings true by the way topographic is my go-to yes album it's one i i think enjoy more than any other however when i for the purpose of this video i was listening to them side by side and i just felt that uh close to the edge perhaps does slightly edge it there's no doubt about it with this album uh for many this is this is where the it all goes to see so to speak and um you know it's in that but for me this is now that contains passages of intense uh beauty all based of course on the footnote of a yogi uh the yogi in question is paramahansa yogananda if my memory serves me right and the songs are organized around the the nuances and what is revealed in uh four hindu shastras paramounts yogananda described these uh shastras as revealing if i might quote uh they're a comprehensive treaty that convey profound truths under a veil of detailed symbolism and of course each track explores or represents the spiritual essence of each shastra there's no doubt about it there's a lot of people that see this as bloated hogwash emblematic of everything that's wrong with progressive rock but as i've said i see it as a work of unparalleled scope and immense beauty it very much comes down down to you really whether you view it as a work of of creative brilliance or just artistic hubris i believe john anderson and steve how are the main writers on this as they they expand this uh exploration of these shasta's over four sides of vinyl and both really assert themselves on this record of course it's anderson who is predominant with very ethereal and soaring vocals but it's also an album that contains some of steve how's greatest guitar work my favorite track on this elm is the revealing science of god i.e what is revealed now rick wakeman has got a record of saying that this would have been an absolutely incredible single album but uh it's a rather bloated double album uh and uh you know it's a shame that he couldn't really appreciate this record because i think some of the what he contributes in terms of his playing is absolutely wonderful in terms of the dynamics sounds and textures of this album he did actually at one point during the recording of this album shuffle off to another studio and play with uh add something to black sabbath's um i think they were recording tab of bloody sabbath at the time could be wrong though on listening to this we can't help but marvel at at its scope but as one critic pointed out there's a a different there's a big leap from marveling to understanding when i listen to sam i'm taking this wonderful journey across musical landscapes which both um mystifies and fascinates an equal measure and it's an album full of delightful little moments as well for example you know the the house guitar parts and the gorgeous folk-like passages that are woven very much into the fabric of the extended pieces this is not an album that i would encourage somebody to listen to they wanted an introduction to yes but once they were feeling a little bit more confident i would urge them to take the plunge and number one is close to the edge from 1972. a thing of beauty is indeed a joy forever and when we listen to this record we can't help but lose ourselves in the in the cosmos of texas and sounds that all contribute to this masterpiece from the burbling beginnings to the uh the dissonant interplay of the instruments brought bursts into life with uh chris squire's wonderful bass and and steve howe's rather jagged riffing and squire's glorious uh rumbling counter rhythms provide an excellent platform for uh wakeman's frenetic keyboard flourishes it's like prague freeform jazz on benzedrine what is constructed here is a dense ocean of sound a rich tapestry or prognose i love the way squiers face pounds away in total must retain uh providing a pulse of the music and you and i has got to be one of the most beautiful pieces of music ever composed i love the way it starts with that flutter of steve house guitar and those melotron soaked crescendos uh are you know incredibly uplifting and suffering catcher of course is another standout moment on this album capture apparently comes from arabic is arabic for as you wish it's got a a very sort of funky jazz infusion to it really and chris squire's ripping back a bass just the twang of that is is beautifully complements steve howe's riffing at the beginning and i love the keyboard section in the middle of this it's now with intense beauty there's no doubt about that but according to brewford it masks the the um some discontent amongst the personnel in fact uh i think he actually names the album close to the edge to reflect those tensions the title track is is fantastic it's a lengthy piece of course i've said before that i think it's been yesterday the very very best but it's also perfectly economic if that makes sense and what i mean by that is it it doesn't sprawl aimlessly there's no fat on it at all it's which is often a criticism aimed at uh topographic oceans of course every note in this track is just perfectly placed it's like an interstellar overdrive for the senses and we come to you and i again that uh song that has a transcendent quality to it i love the way this track just unfolds into being starting those very gentle harmonics from steve house guitar before we get that strumming and almost heartbeat that uh beautifully complements uh john anderson's vocals which are spine chillingly beautiful i must add there's no doubt about it that anson's lyrics are becoming a little bit more esoteric and otherworldly shall we say it was apparently for this album he was influenced by the the novel uh siddhartha by herman hesse not to be confused with rudolf hess of course this book tells the story of a young man alive during the time of buddha who experiences a spiritual awakening it's perhaps a metaphor for anderson's own journey but it's certainly a perfect platform for anson's trippy far-outedness this was one of the alienating factors for bruford who didn't share in ansen's rather mystifying lyrics and uh this exploration of prague obfuscation which of course would see a weightman leave the following year i mean this album represents music lyrically a sonic culmination of everything this band was striving for from the last five years i think it's safe to say that this album is a flawless masterpiece anyway this video marks my journey through the wonderful landscape that's mapped out by yes if you appreciate the work that goes into these videos and my reviews generally do check out the links below this video you can donate you can become a patreon you can even check out my facebook page i do post stuff on there on a daily basis now in this video i did say that there was a question for you all there's actually two questions for you first question is if you could think of one word that defines what yes's music means to you what word would that be for me it's uh transcendence because i always find their music incredibly uplifting and the second question is which welsh band did a marvelous version of the yeses at wondrous stories and i'll give you a clue it definitely wasn't the manic street preachers so it just leaves me to say thank you for watching please do click like subscribe and check that bell so you get notified of any future uploads uh thank you for watching stay safe and more importantly please do keep listening you

Channel: Classic Album Review

Views: 66,181

Keywords: review, album, best, top ten, analysis, classic album review, song, progressive rock, punk, music, live, new, unboxed, Yes, band, topographic ocean, relayer, fragile, tour, new album, chris squire, wondrous stories, going for the one, owner of a lonely heart, 90125, albums, ranked, worst to best, yes best songs, Steve howe guitar, trevor rabin, Yes best albums, yes and eastern philosophy, Rick wakeman topographic, Yes and scripture

Id: 6Z0aHhBnND8

Length: 31min 36sec (1896 seconds)

Published: Sat Aug 08 2020