In 1968, Chris Welch, writing for Melody Maker, tipped either Yes or Led Zeppelin to make it big out of a long list of new British bands which included Deep Purple, Black Sabbath and Genesis. Now all these bands are known as giants of world rock music but, to most people Yes are still comparatively an unknown entity. At this time Yes were still essentially a cover band, playing songs by The Beatles and The Supremes amongst others, and their great fear was becoming another of the 'one hit wonder' groups that typified British music at the time. Jon Anderson (vocalist) and Chris Squire (bassist) wanted Yes to evolve, and become a stage band, and as their popularity and confidence grew, so did the level of experimentation with their music, to the extent that by the time the band's third album, The Yes Album, was released in 1971, they were the undisputed champions of the new progressive era. During the next three years a staggering five albums, Fragile, Close to the Edge, Yessongs, Tales from Topographic Oceans and Relayer, were released. Each was of a musical complexity that was virtually unheard of before and since.
Jon Anderson regarded Rick Wakeman (keyboards) and Steve Howe (guitars) as instruments which he as the director could juggle to form unique intricate material. Combined with the growling bass of Chris Squire and drumming of Bill Bruford this gave Yes its edge, and with Jon's fragile and haunting lyrics and vocals, Yes had something very special. Yes music can be serene and transcendent one moment, complex and aggressive the next and then wane into something as beautiful as it is simple, and so intricate that many subtleties can only be picked up after repeated listening. The Gates of Delirium, the twenty-three minute epic on a full first side of the Relayer album typifies Yes music; loosely based on War and Peace it is of such magnificent proportions it must rank alongside many major classical works. Yes were always at the forefront of technology, and used everything available to produce studio albums so complex that they were deemed impossible to reproduce on stage. However, the live albums, Yessongs and Yesshows, however give us a taste of the breathtaking performances Yes managed to create on stage.
As the seventies became the eighties, the band's line-up and music began to change. Going for the One, released in 1977, is widely considered as the last great offering from Yes, and the 1983 release of 90125 signified the complete change to mainstream rock. After the Big Generator album and tour, Jon Anderson became unhappy with the direction Yes were taking, and returned to his progressive roots. The Anderson, Bruford, Wakeman, Howe album in 1989 caused a large rift in the Yes framework, and only now, with the release of a new album Talk, are there small signs of a return to the Yes of '70s.
Yes were, and are, one of the most influential and unpredictable rock bands. Their music and philosophy is best summed up by the words of Jon Anderson in a rare radio interview with Tommy Vance on Virgin 1215 recently.... ' in a way, what we were doing was challenging ourselves right from the word go.'
reviewed by Gareth Grindell