Music Review About the Yes Album by Yes (1971)

This was Yes' third album, and one that changed their career, foreshadowing future albums like Fragile (1971) and Close to the Edge (1972) of thier "classic" period. This album was more ambitious than their first two albums Yes (1969) and Time and a Word (1970), more complex (with songs like "Starship Trooper"), more creative ("Clap"), and more radio-friendly ("Ive Seen All Good People"). Yes gave up the symphonic rock from Time and a Word, with a more focused, tight, and successful progressive rock album. Although it only held 6 songs, The Yes Album will truly move you with Steve Howe's guitar and Tony Kay's keyboards chasing each other through these six landscapes, and Jon Anderson's thrilling vocals complete the package.

1.Yours is no Disgrace - A great opener. Running over nine minutes, this song begins with loud blocks of guitar and keyboard, fusing into a fast-paced instrumental section. Anderson's vocals come in later during a slower portion of the song. The song varies in tempo throught, while keeping the same general melody. There is a two minute instrumental break five minutes into the song, featuring Steve Howe's guitar skills. The song ends with several inclining keyboard scales. Great, complicated song. One of their best. Rating: 9/10

2. Clap- A live instrumental piece by Steve Howe. A three-minute song solely guitar, which showcased his abilites as a great rock musician. Rating: 8.5/10

3. Starship Trooper (a. Life Seeker b. Disillusion c. Wurm) - Probably the most complete song on the album, "Life Seeker" begins with arpeggios by the guitar and rock organ. This song exhibits the musical abilities of Tony Kay. This portion is slow, with Anderson's high soft vocals. "Disillusion" is an acoustic portion that has a few band members singing at once. "Wurm" is the instrumental coda at the end of the song, which shows the abilities of the entire band. Great guitar solos and riffs here. The best song on the album and out of Yes' catalouge. Rating: 10/10

4. I've Seen All Good People (a. Your Move b. All Good People)- The first ever radio-friendly song by Yes (due to complexity and initial dislike in previous singles), and it starts off as an acoustic, soft song. The lyrics compare a relationship with a chess match. Gradually, the song gets louder (though it doesn't get very loud), until it gets to "All Good People", a fast paced, loud, rock'n'roll inluenced song with repetitive lyrics. Though not the best song on the album, it still gets a perfect ten. Rating: 10/10

5. A Venture- My least favorite song on the album, the song is soft and piano-driven, it has the old dance sort of feeling. One of the few Yes songs in 4/4 time. Rating: 7/10

6. Perpetual Change- Starts of with blocky keaboard, and then a fast, guitar driven few seconds. The song turns soft, as Anderson's vocals enters in. In the middle of the song, there is a relatively long instrumental break, and the beginning repeats itself. The song fades out with wordless vocals from the band Rating:8.5/10

Overall: 9/10 (nothing's perfect)

I hoped you liked my first report, and tune in next time for #9 on my list!