Yes are an English rock band who achieved worldwide success with their
progressiveProgressive rock is a subgenre of rock music that developed in the late 1960s and early 1970s as part of a "mostly British attempt to elevate rock music to new levels of artistic credibility." John Covach, in Contemporary Music Review, says that many thought it would not just "succeed the pop of...
,
artArt rock is a subgenre of rock music that originated in the United Kingdom in the 1960s, with influences from art, avant-garde, and classical music. The first usage of the term, according to Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary, was in 1968. Influenced by the work of The Beatles, most notably their Sgt...
, and
symphonicSymphonic rock is a sub-genre of progressive rock. Since early in progressive rock's history, the term has been used sometimes to distinguish more classically influenced progressive rock from the more psychedelic and experimental forms of progressive rock....
style of rock music. Regarded as one of the pioneers of the progressive genre, Yes are known for their lengthy songs, mystical lyrics, elaborate
album artAn album cover is the front of the packaging of a commercially released audio recording product, or album. The term can refer to either the printed cardboard covers typically used to package sets of 10" and 12" 78 rpm records, single and sets of 12" LPs, sets of 45 rpm records , or the front-facing...
, and live stage sets. No less than 16 musicians have been a part of the band's line-up, with its current form comprising singer
Benoît DavidBenoît David is a Canadian singer who is the lead vocalist of the English progressive rock band Yes and Canadian band Mystery. He was selected by Yes in 2008 to stand in for long-time vocalist Jon Anderson, who left the band due to ill health...
, bassist
Chris SquireChristopher Russell Edward "Chris" Squire , is an English musician, known as the bass guitarist and backing vocalist for the progressive rock group Yes. He is the only member of the group to appear on every album.-Before Yes:...
, guitarist
Steve HoweStephen James "Steve" Howe is an English guitarist, known for his work with the progressive rock group Yes...
, drummer
Alan WhiteAlan White is an English rock drummer known for his work with the progressive rock band Yes. White was also a member of the Plastic Ono Band, playing live in 1969 at the Toronto Rock and Roll Revival, which was recorded and released three months later as Live Peace in Toronto 1969...
, and keyboardist
Geoff DownesGeoffrey "Geoff" Downes is an English rock keyboard player, songwriter, best known as the keyboardist for the bands The Buggles, Yes and Asia, of which he is the only consistent member. When he was a keyboardist for The Buggles, he played multiple keyboards to achieve a New Wave technopop sound...
. Yes have sold close to 50 million albums worldwide.
Formed in 1968 by Squire and singer
Jon AndersonJon Anderson is an English singer-songwriter and musician best known as the former lead vocalist in the progressive rock band Yes...
, the first line-up also included guitarist
Peter BanksPeter Banks is an English guitarist. He was the original guitarist of the progressive rock band Yes.-Early career:When Banks was a young boy, his father bought him an acoustic guitar...
, keyboardist
Tony KayeTony Kaye is a British musician.Kaye was the original keyboard player for the progressive rock group Yes from 1968 to 1971, and rejoined Yes from 1983 to 1995...
and drummer
Bill BrufordWilliam Scott "Bill" Bruford is an English drummer, percussionist, composer, producer, and record label owner. He was the original drummer for the progressive rock group Yes, from 1968-1972. Bruford has performed for numerous popular acts since the early 1970s, including a stint as touring...
, who released two albums together to lukewarm reception and sales. Yes began to enjoy success after the release of
The Yes AlbumThe Yes Album is the third studio album from the English progressive rock band Yes, released on Atlantic Records. It is the last record to feature keyboardist Tony Kaye until 1983, and the first to feature guitarist Steve Howe, who replaced Peter Banks in 1970...
(1971) and
FragileFragile is the fourth studio album from the English progressive rock band Yes, released on Atlantic Records. It is the first to feature keyboardist Rick Wakeman, who replaced Tony Kaye in 1971, and the first to feature cover art by Roger Dean, who would design many of the band's records.Upon its...
(1971), which featured new arrivals Howe and
Rick WakemanRichard Christopher Wakeman is an English keyboard player, composer and songwriter best known for being the former keyboardist in the progressive rock band Yes...
. They achieved further success with Close to the Edge (1972) and
Tales from Topographic Oceans-2003 CD re-issue:A remastered edition was released in 2003, which restored a two-minute ambient section at the beginning of the album's first song. This section was deleted at the last minute before the album was originally pressed...
(1973), the latter of which featured White on drums. Wakeman was replaced by
Patrick MorazPatrick Philippe Moraz is a progressive rock keyboard player. He is best known as the keyboardist for the progressive rock band Yes, from 1974 to 1976, and the Moody Blues from 1978 to 1991...
, who played on
Relayer-Personnel:*Jon Anderson – lead vocals*Steve Howe – acoustic and electric guitars, vocals*Patrick Moraz – keyboards*Chris Squire – bass guitar and vocals*Alan White – drums, percussion-Production:*Produced By Yes & Eddie Offord...
(1974). Wakeman returned on
Going for the OneGoing for the One is the eighth studio album from the English progressive rock band Yes, released in 1977 on Atlantic Records. It was produced after an extended break for solo activity from the group, and marks the return of keyboardist Rick Wakeman, who had departed in 1974 after the Tales from...
(1977) and
TormatoTormato is the ninth studio album by British progressive rock group Yes. Issued as the follow-up to 1977's acclaimed Going for the One, Tormato received less than charitable reviews upon release and its virtues are still a matter of debate for Yes fans and critics...
(1978). Anderson and Wakeman left the group due to musical differences amongst the band in 1980. Their replacements,
Trevor HornTrevor Charles Horn CBE is an English pop music record producer, songwriter, musician and singer. He was born in Houghton-le-Spring in north-east England....
and Downes, featured on
DramaDrama is the tenth studio album by British progressive rock group Yes. It is the first of two Yes albums without vocalist Jon Anderson. In early 1980, after rehearsing music for the follow-up to the tepidly-received Tormato, both Anderson and Rick Wakeman departed the band over creative and...
(1980) and its supporting tour.
Yes reformed in 1982 after Squire and White were joined by the returning Anderson and Kaye, with the addition of guitarist
Trevor RabinTrevor Charles Rabin is a South African born musician, best known as a guitarist, vocalist and songwriter for the British progressive rock band Yes from 1983–1994, and since then, as a film composer.- Early years :...
. They adopted a
pop rockPop rock is a music genre which mixes a catchy pop style and light lyrics in its guitar-based rock songs. There are varying definitions of the term, ranging from a slower and mellower form of rock music to a subgenre of pop music...
sound and released the number one single "
Owner of a Lonely Heart"Owner of a Lonely Heart" is a song by the progressive rock band Yes. It is the opening track of their 1983 album 90125. Written primarily by Trevor Rabin, the song reached number one on the United States Billboard Hot 100 — to date Yes's biggest chart success...
" and
90125-Yes:*Jon Anderson – lead vocals*Tony Kaye – keyboards*Trevor Rabin – guitars, additional keyboards, backing vocals*Chris Squire – bass, backing vocals*Alan White – drums, percussion, backing vocals- Studio personnel :...
(1983), their best-selling album to date, followed by
Big GeneratorBig Generator is the twelfth studio album by progressive rock band Yes. It was released in 1987 on Atlantic Records' Atco subsidiary label and was the follow-up to the massively successful 90125 album.- History :...
(1987). Anderson left and co-formed the side project
Anderson Bruford Wakeman HoweAnderson Bruford Wakeman Howe was a project of four progressive rock musicians, vocalist Jon Anderson, drummer Bill Bruford, keyboardist Rick Wakeman, and guitarist Steve Howe . They had played together in Yes in the early 1970s...
with the named members in 1989. Following a legal battle amongst both Yes groups, they formed an eight-man band to perform on Union (1991) and its supporting tour. Rabin and Kaye featured on Talk (1994) before leaving, while the "classic" line-up reformed with
Keys to AscensionKeys to Ascension is a double album by the British progressive rock group Yes and was released in 1996. The last time Jon Anderson, Chris Squire, Steve Howe, Rick Wakeman and Alan White had worked together on officially released studio recordings was 1978's Tormato...
(1996) and
Keys to Ascension 2Keys to Ascension 2 is a double album by the British progressive rock group Yes and was released in 1997. It is the successor to the critically acclaimed Keys to Ascension 2-CD set from 1996...
(1997). Wakeman was replaced by
Igor KhoroshevIgor Petrovich Khoroshev is a Russian keyboard player living in the USA, best known for his work with Yes between 1997 and 2001. Khoroshev appeared on their studio albums Open Your Eyes and The Ladder and the live album House of Yes: Live from House of Blues.-Biography:Igor Khoroshev was born in...
, who featured on
Open Your EyesOpen Your Eyes is the seventeenth studio album by progressive rock band Yes, released in 1997. The follow-up to the twin projects Keys to Ascension and Keys to Ascension 2, Open Your Eyes marked Billy Sherwood becoming an official member of Yes, following Rick Wakeman's departure.-History:Sherwood...
(1997) and
The Ladder* "Top Pop Albums 1955-2001", Joel Whitburn, c. 2002...
(1999) along with guitarist
Billy SherwoodWilliam "Billy" Wyman Sherwood is a musician, record producer, and engineer.-Family:Sherwood comes from a musical family which includes his father Bobby Sherwood, who was an actor, musician, and big band leader, his mother Phyllis, a singer and drummer, and brother Michael, a keyboardist and...
. The release of
MagnificationMagnification is the nineteenth studio album by progressive rock band Yes, released in 2001. It was the band's first album of the new century, and their second with a full orchestra...
(2001) marked the second album since 1970 to feature an orchestra.
In 2002, Wakeman returned for the band's 35th anniversary tour. The band ceased to tour in 2004, partly due to health concerns regarding Anderson and Wakeman. Following a hiatus, Yes re-started in 2008 with keyboardist
Oliver WakemanOliver Wakeman is a rock keyboardist, best known as a member of Yes, where he replaced his father, Rick Wakeman.-Biography:Oliver is the first son of Rick Wakeman, but his parents divorced when he was young....
and David. The band released
Fly from Here-Reaction from Anderson:In an interview with Rolling Stone, Anderson stated that on hearing the single "We Can Fly" he felt it sounded "a bit dated" and that Horn's production "wasn't as good as I expected"...
(2011), which marked the return of Downes on keyboards and Horn as producer. Yes continue to perform to this day, more than 40 years since their formation.
Formation and first three albums (1968–1971)
Yes was formed in 1968 by vocalist
Jon AndersonJon Anderson is an English singer-songwriter and musician best known as the former lead vocalist in the progressive rock band Yes...
and bassist
Chris SquireChristopher Russell Edward "Chris" Squire , is an English musician, known as the bass guitarist and backing vocalist for the progressive rock group Yes. He is the only member of the group to appear on every album.-Before Yes:...
. Anderson was a member of
The WarriorsThe Warriors, also known as The Electric Warriors, were a British rock'n'roll, Beatles-inspired band of the early 1960s. While the band recorded a few singles with Decca Records, it is mostly remembered because many of its members later became successful musicians in the British progressive rock...
with his brother Tony, and had performed on singles under the pseudonym Hans Christian. Squire was part of
The SynThe Syn are an English band that were active from 1965 to 1967, and then reunited as a progressive rock band in 2004. Chris Welch, in his book, Close to the Edge: The Story of Yes wrote, "The Syn were very similar to Yes in fact...
, and spent time to develop his bass-playing technique following the band's split in 1967. He formed Mabel Greer's Toyshop in January 1968 that consisted of singer and guitarist Clive Bayley, drummer Bob Hagger and former Syn guitarist
Peter BanksPeter Banks is an English guitarist. He was the original guitarist of the progressive rock band Yes.-Early career:When Banks was a young boy, his father bought him an acoustic guitar...
. They played at The Marquee club in
SohoSoho is an area of the City of Westminster and part of the West End of London. Long established as an entertainment district, for much of the 20th century Soho had a reputation for sex shops as well as night life and film industry. Since the early 1980s, the area has undergone considerable...
where Jack Barrie, owner of the nearby La Chasse drinking club, saw them perform. "There was nothing outstanding about them...the musicianship was very good but it was obvious they weren't going anywhere". Barrie introduced Squire to Anderson at La Chasse, where they found common interest in bands such as Simon & Garfunkel and harmony singing. That evening at Squire's house they wrote "Sweetness", which appears on the first Yes album. Banks left Mabel Greer's Toyshop to join Neat Change, but Squire invited him back into a reformed group after the departure of Bailey and the addition of Anderson on lead vocals. Hagger was replaced by
Bill BrufordWilliam Scott "Bill" Bruford is an English drummer, percussionist, composer, producer, and record label owner. He was the original drummer for the progressive rock group Yes, from 1968-1972. Bruford has performed for numerous popular acts since the early 1970s, including a stint as touring...
, a jazz aficionado who placed an advertisement in
Melody MakerMelody Maker, published in the United Kingdom, was, according to its publisher IPC Media, the world's oldest weekly music newspaper. It was founded in 1926 as a magazine targeted at musicians; in 2000 it was merged into "long-standing rival" New Musical Express.-1950s–1960s:Originally the Melody...
. Bruford first met the band on 7 June 1968 and performed that day at the Rachel McMillan College in
DeptfordDeptford is a district of south London, England, located on the south bank of the River Thames. It is named after a ford of the River Ravensbourne, and from the mid 16th century to the late 19th was home to Deptford Dockyard, the first of the Royal Navy Dockyards.Deptford and the docks are...
. Classically-trained organist and pianist
Tony KayeTony Kaye is a British musician.Kaye was the original keyboard player for the progressive rock group Yes from 1968 to 1971, and rejoined Yes from 1983 to 1995...
, who had been in Johnny Taylor's Star Combo and The Federals, was the fifth and final member to join.
With the line-up complete, Mabel Greer's Toyshop was renamed Yes at the suggestion of Banks. They rehearsed in the basement of The Lucky Horseshoe cafe on
Shaftesbury AvenueShaftesbury Avenue is a major street in central London, England, named after Anthony Ashley Cooper, 7th Earl of Shaftesbury, that runs in a north-easterly direction from Piccadilly Circus to New Oxford Street, crossing Charing Cross Road at Cambridge Circus....
between 10 June and 9 July 1968. Their first live show under the Yes name followed on 4 August at East Mersea Youth Camp in
EssexEssex is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in the East region of England, and one of the home counties. It is located to the northeast of Greater London. It borders with Cambridgeshire and Suffolk to the north, Hertfordshire to the west, Kent to the South and London to the south west...
. Early sets were formed of cover versions of songs by artists such as
The BeatlesThe Beatles were an English rock band, active throughout the 1960s and one of the most commercially successful and critically acclaimed acts in the history of popular music. Formed in Liverpool, by 1962 the group consisted of John Lennon , Paul McCartney , George Harrison and Ringo Starr...
, The 5th Dimension and
TrafficTraffic were an English rock band whose members came from the West Midlands. The group formed in April 1967 by Steve Winwood, Jim Capaldi, Chris Wood and Dave Mason...
. "What covers they were, given the full Yes treatment! We didn't just rearrange a song – we celebrated it with much enthusiasm", said Banks. On 16 September 1968, Yes performed at London's Blaise's club as a substitute for
Sly & the Family StoneSly and the Family Stone were an American rock, funk, and soul band from San Francisco, California. Active from 1966 to 1983, the band was pivotal in the development of soul, funk, and psychedelic music...
, who failed to turn up. They were well-received by the audience, including host Roy Flynn, who became the band's manager that night. Spots at The Marquee soon turned into a residency, but Bruford decided to leave in September to study at Leeds University. He was replaced by Tony O'Riley of
The KoobasThe Koobas were an English beat group from Liverpool. Their music, and their early history, is similar in some ways to that of fellow Liverpudlians The Beatles, though they never achieved widespread popularity.-History:...
, who struggled to perform with the group on-stage. Anderson and Squire pleaded for Bruford to return, who after being refused a year of sabbatical leave, rejoined for Yes' supporting slot for
Cream'sCream were a 1960s British rock supergroup consisting of bassist/vocalist Jack Bruce, guitarist/vocalist Eric Clapton, and drummer Ginger Baker...
farewell concert at the
Royal Albert HallThe Royal Albert Hall is a concert hall situated on the northern edge of the South Kensington area, in the City of Westminster, London, England, best known for holding the annual summer Proms concerts since 1941....
on 26 November 1968.
In early 1969 Yes signed a deal with
Atlantic RecordsAtlantic Records is an American record label best known for its many recordings of rhythm and blues, rock and roll, and jazz...
. Their self-titled debut album was released in August, and included covers of "
Every Little Thing"Every Little Thing" is a song written by Paul McCartney and performed by The Beatles on their 1964 British album Beatles for Sale. In North America, Capitol released it as the last track on Beatles VI.-Composition:...
" by The Beatles and "I See You" by
The ByrdsThe Byrds were an American rock band, formed in Los Angeles, California in 1964. The band underwent multiple line-up changes throughout its existence, with frontman Roger McGuinn remaining the sole consistent member until the group disbanded in 1973...
, as well as original material.
Lester BangsLeslie Conway "Lester" Bangs was an American music journalist, author and musician. He wrote for Creem and Rolling Stone magazines, and was known for his leading influence in rock 'n' roll criticism....
gave a positive review in Rolling Stone, and complimented the album's "sense of style, taste, and subtlety". Melody Maker columnist Tony Wilson chose Yes and
Led ZeppelinLed Zeppelin were an English rock band, active in the late 1960s and throughout the 1970s. Formed in 1968, they consisted of guitarist Jimmy Page, singer Robert Plant, bassist/keyboardist John Paul Jones, and drummer John Bonham...
as the two bands "Most Likely to Succeed". After a tour of
ScandinaviaScandinavia is a cultural, historical and ethno-linguistic region in northern Europe that includes the three kingdoms of Denmark, Norway and Sweden, characterized by their common ethno-cultural heritage and language. Modern Norway and Sweden proper are situated on the Scandinavian Peninsula,...
with
The Small FacesThe Small Faces were an English rock and roll band from East London, heavily influenced by American rhythm and blues. The group was founded in 1965 by members Steve Marriott, Ronnie Lane, Kenney Jones, and Jimmy Winston, although by 1966 Winston was replaced by Ian McLagan as the band's...
in February 1970, Yes performed their first major solo concert at the
Queen Elizabeth HallThe Queen Elizabeth Hall is a music venue on the South Bank in London, United Kingdom that hosts daily classical, jazz, and avant-garde music and dance performances. The QEH forms part of Southbank Centre arts complex and stands alongside the Royal Festival Hall, which was built for the Festival...
in London on 21 March. The second half consisted of excerpts from their upcoming second album,
Time and a WordTime and a Word is the second album by progressive rock band Yes, released in mid-1970 in the UK and November 1970 in the US. This was the last Yes album to feature the group's original line-up, as Peter Banks was fired before the album's release....
, accompanied with a 20-piece youth orchestra. Released in July 1970, Time and a Word featured the orchestra with band-composed material and two cover songs – "Everydays" by
Buffalo SpringfieldBuffalo Springfield is a North American folk rock band renown both for its music and as a springboard for the careers of Neil Young, Stephen Stills, Richie Furay and Jim Messina. Among the first wave of North American bands to become popular in the wake of the British invasion, the group combined...
and "No Opportunity Necessary, No Experience Needed" by
Richie HavensRichard P. "Richie" Havens is an African American folk singer and guitarist. He is best known for his intense, rhythmic guitar style , soulful covers of pop and folk songs, and his opening performance at the 1969 Woodstock Festival.-Career:Born in Brooklyn, Havens was the eldest of nine children...
. Peter Banks, who had been particularly dissatisfied with using the orchestra and the sacking of Roy Flynn earlier in the year, left the group before the album's release on 2 May 1970. Banks' replacement was
TomorrowTomorrow were a 1960s psychedelic rock band. Despite critical acclaim and support from DJ John Peel who featured them on his "Perfumed Garden" radio show, the band was not a great success in commercial terms. They were among the first psychedelic bands in England along with Pink Floyd and Soft...
guitarist
Steve HoweStephen James "Steve" Howe is an English guitarist, known for his work with the progressive rock group Yes...
, who was included on the cover of the American issue of Time and a Word, despite not having played on it. The album reached number 45 on the
UK Albums ChartThe UK Albums Chart is a list of albums ranked by physical and digital sales in the United Kingdom. It is compiled every week by The Official Charts Company and broadcast on a Sunday on BBC Radio 1 , and published in Music Week magazine and on the OCC website .To qualify for the UK albums chart...
, and Howe played his first show with Yes on 15 July at London's Lyceum Theatre.
The Yes AlbumThe Yes Album is the third studio album from the English progressive rock band Yes, released on Atlantic Records. It is the last record to feature keyboardist Tony Kaye until 1983, and the first to feature guitarist Steve Howe, who replaced Peter Banks in 1970...
, the band's third, was released in January 1971. It was the first to solely feature original compositions, which the band wrote and rehearsed in a rented farmhouse in
DevonDevon is a large county in southwestern England. The county is sometimes referred to as Devonshire, although the term is rarely used inside the county itself as the county has never been officially "shired", it often indicates a traditional or historical context.The county shares borders with...
. Howe quickly established himself as an integral part of the Yes sound, and played a wider variety of instruments including the Spanish
vihuelaVihuela is a name given to two different guitar-like string instruments: one from 15th and 16th century Spain, usually with 12 paired strings, and the other, the Mexican vihuela, from 19th century Mexico with five strings and typically played in Mariachi bands.-History:The vihuela, as it was known...
. The Yes Album also united the group with their long-serving producer and engineer
Eddie OffordEddy Offord is a former record producer and recording engineer, who worked on some of the most famous progressive rock albums of the 1970s, often at London's Advision Studios. He is especially well known for his work with the groups Emerson, Lake & Palmer and Yes. ELP wrote a tribute to Offord with...
. According to Offord, the recording sessions would last for 12 hours or more. Each track was assembled from small sections, typically 30 seconds to one minute in length, which he pieced together to form a complete track. Only after the final mix of each track would the band then learn to play the song right through for live performances. The Yes Album peaked at number 4 in the UK and number 40 on the US
Billboard 200The Billboard 200 is a ranking of the 200 highest-selling music albums and EPs in the United States, published weekly by Billboard magazine. It is frequently used to convey the popularity of an artist or groups of artists...
charts. To promote it, Yes embarked on a 28-day tour of
EuropeEurope is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
with
Iron ButterflyIron Butterfly is a US psychedelic rock band best known for the 1968 hit "In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida".Their heyday was the late 1960s, but the band has been reincarnated with various members. In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida is the 31st best-selling album in the world, selling more than 25 million copies.-History:The...
in January 1971. The band purchased Iron Butterfly's entire public address system which improved their on-stage performance and sound. Their first date in
North AmericaNorth America is a continent wholly within the Northern Hemisphere and almost wholly within the Western Hemisphere. It is also considered a northern subcontinent of the Americas...
followed on 24 June 1971 at
Edmonton GardensThe Edmonton Gardens was the first indoor hockey arena built in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. It was originally built as Edmonton Stock Pavilion in 1913, and held 5,200 spectators after its 1966 renovations....
in Edmonton, Alberta, supporting
Jethro TullJethro Tull are a British rock group formed in 1967. Their music is characterised by the vocals, acoustic guitar, and flute playing of Ian Anderson, who has led the band since its founding, and the guitar work of Martin Barre, who has been with the band since 1969.Initially playing blues rock with...
. Tony Kaye performed his final show with Yes at the
Crystal Palace- United Kingdom :* The Crystal Palace, an 1851 building in south London destroyed by fire in 1936** The Great Exhibition, the event the building was built for, sometimes also known as Crystal Palace...
Bowl that August. The decision was made after friction arose between Howe and himself on tour, and his reported reluctance to play the
MellotronThe Mellotron is an electro-mechanical, polyphonic tape replay keyboard originally developed and built in Birmingham, England in the early 1960s. It superseded the Chamberlin Music Master, which was the world's first sample-playback keyboard intended for music...
and the
MinimoogThe Minimoog is a monophonic analog synthesizer, invented by Bill Hemsath and Robert Moog. It was released in 1970 by R.A. Moog Inc. , and production was stopped in 1981. It was re-designed by Robert Moog in 2002 and released as Minimoog Voyager.The Minimoog was designed in response to the use of...
synthesiser.
Fragile, Close to the Edge and Topographic Oceans (1971–1973)
Yes found their new keyboardist in
Rick WakemanRichard Christopher Wakeman is an English keyboard player, composer and songwriter best known for being the former keyboardist in the progressive rock band Yes...
, a classically-trained player who left the folk rock group Strawbs earlier in the year. He was already a noted studio musician, with credits including
T. RexT. Rex were a British rock band, formed in 1967 by singer/songwriter and guitarist Marc Bolan. The band formed as Tyrannosaurus Rex, releasing four folk albums under the name...
,
David BowieDavid Bowie is an English musician, actor, record producer and arranger. A major figure for over four decades in the world of popular music, Bowie is widely regarded as an innovator, particularly for his work in the 1970s...
,
Cat StevensYusuf Islam , commonly known by his former stage name Cat Stevens, is an English singer-songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, educator, philanthropist, and prominent convert to Islam....
and
Elton JohnSir Elton Hercules John, CBE, Hon DMus is an English rock singer-songwriter, composer, pianist and occasional actor...
. Squire commented that he could play "a grand piano for three bars, a Mellotron for two bars and a Moog for the next one absolutely spot on", which gave Yes the orchestral and choral textures that benefited their new material.
Released on 26 November 1971, the band's fourth album
FragileFragile is the fourth studio album from the English progressive rock band Yes, released on Atlantic Records. It is the first to feature keyboardist Rick Wakeman, who replaced Tony Kaye in 1971, and the first to feature cover art by Roger Dean, who would design many of the band's records.Upon its...
showcased their growing interest in the structures of classical music, with an excerpt of
The FirebirdThe Firebird is a 1910 ballet created by the composer Igor Stravinsky and choreographer Michel Fokine. The ballet is based on Russian folk tales of the magical glowing bird of the same name that is both a blessing and a curse to its captor....
by
Igor StravinskyIgor Fyodorovich Stravinsky ; 6 April 1971) was a Russian, later naturalized French, and then naturalized American composer, pianist, and conductor....
being played at the start of their concerts since the album's world tour. Each member performed a solo track on the album, and it marked the start of their long collaboration with artist Roger Dean, who designed the group's logo, album art, and stage sets. Fragile peaked at number 7 in the UK and number 4 in the US (after it was released there on 4 January 1972) during a stay of 46 weeks, their first to reach the top ten in America. Its best known track, "
Roundabout"Roundabout" is the opening track for the 1971 album Fragile by British progressive rock band Yes. The song was written by singer Jon Anderson and bassist Chris Squire. In January 1972, an edited version of the song was released as a single with "Long Distance Runaround" on the B-side. "Roundabout"...
", was released in the US, in edited form, as a single that peaked at number 13 on the
Billboard Pop SinglesThe Billboard Hot 100 is the United States music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by Billboard magazine. Chart rankings are based on radio play and sales; the tracking-week for sales begins on Monday and ends on Sunday, while the radio play tracking-week runs from Wednesday...
chart. In February 1972, Yes recorded a cover version of "
America"America", written by Paul Simon, is a song popularized by 1960s folk-rock duo Simon & Garfunkel. It was included in their album Bookends, released on 3 April 1968, and is notable as one of the few rock records to have a completely unrhymed lyric....
" by
Paul SimonPaul Frederic Simon is an American singer-songwriter and guitarist.Simon is best known for his success, beginning in 1965, as part of the duo Simon & Garfunkel, with musical partner Art Garfunkel. Simon wrote most of the pair's songs, including three that reached number one on the US singles...
. The track subsequently appeared on
The New Age of AtlanticThe New Age of Atlantic, released in 1972, was the third in a series of rock music samplers released by the Atlantic label in the UK. The collection is notable for its inclusion of two tracks, those by Yes and Led Zeppelin, unavailable elsewhere at the time. It reached no...
, a compilation album of several acts from Atlantic Records.
Released in September 1972, Close to the Edge, the band's fifth album, was their most ambitious work so far. At 19 minutes, the
title track"Close to the Edge" is the title track to progressive rock band Yes's album of the same name. The song is over 18 minutes in length and takes up the entire first side of the album. It consists of four movements.- Movements :-I...
took up an entire side on the vinyl record and combined elements of classical music, psychedelic rock, pop and jazz. The album reached number 3 in the US and number 4 on the UK charts. The growing critical and commercial success of the band was not enough to retain Bruford, who left Yes in the summer of 1972, before the album's release, in order to join
King CrimsonKing Crimson are a rock band founded in London, England in 1969. Often categorised as a foundational progressive rock group, the band have incorporated diverse influences and instrumentation during their history...
. His replacement was former Plastic Ono Band drummer
Alan WhiteAlan White is an English rock drummer known for his work with the progressive rock band Yes. White was also a member of the Plastic Ono Band, playing live in 1969 at the Toronto Rock and Roll Revival, which was recorded and released three months later as Live Peace in Toronto 1969...
, a friend of Anderson and Offord who had once sat in with the band weeks before Bruford's departure. White learned the band's set list in three days before embarking on the record's supporting world tour. By this point, Yes were beginning to enjoy worldwide commercial and critical success. Their early touring with White was featured on
YessongsYessongs is the first live album from the English progressive rock band Yes, released on Atlantic Records. The album is formed of recordings from their supporting world tours for their studio albums, Fragile and Close to the Edge, between February and December 1972...
, a triple live album released on 18 May 1973 that documented shows from their 1972 North American tours. The album reached number 7 in the UK and number 12 in the US. A concert film of the same name premiered in 1975 that documented their shows at the Rainbow Theatre in December 1972, intermixed with psychedelic visual images and effects.
Tales from Topographic Oceans-2003 CD re-issue:A remastered edition was released in 2003, which restored a two-minute ambient section at the beginning of the album's first song. This section was deleted at the last minute before the album was originally pressed...
was the band's sixth studio album, released on 14 December 1973. It marked a change in their fortunes and polarised fans and critics alike. The double vinyl set was based on Anderson's interpretation of the
Shastric' is a Sanskrit term used to denote rules in a general sense. The word is generally used as a suffix in the context of technical or specialized knowledge in a defined area of practice; e.g., Bhautika Shastra , Rasayana Shastra , Jeeva Shastra , Vastu Shastra , Shilpa Shastra , Artha Shastra ' is a...
scriptures from a footnote within
Paramahansa YoganandaParamahansa Yogananda , born Mukunda Lal Ghosh , was an Indian yogi and guru who introduced many westerners to the teachings of meditation and Kriya Yoga through his book, Autobiography of a...
's book
Autobiography of a YogiIn 1946, Paramahansa Yogananda , published his life story, Autobiography of a Yogi, which introduced many westerners to meditation and yoga...
. Though extended compositions were by now a Yes hallmark, each of the four compositions on the album took up an entire side on each record. It topped the UK charts for two weeks and reached number 6 in the US, buoyed by enthusiastic pre-orders. It also became the band's fourth consecutive gold album. Wakeman was not pleased with Tales from Topographic Oceans and is critical of much of the album. He felt sections were "bled to death" and contained too much musical padding. Wakeman left the band after the Tales world tour, where his solo album
Journey to the Centre of the EarthJourney to the Centre of the Earth is the second album from the English keyboardist and composer Rick Wakeman, released through A&M Records in May 1974. The album is a live recording from his second of two sold-out concerts on 18 January 1974 at the Royal Festival Hall in London...
topped the UK charts in May 1974.
Patrick Moraz and Relayer (1974–1976)
Several musicians auditioned to take over for Wakeman, including former Atlantis and Cat Stevens keyboardist Jean Roussel,
Eddie JobsonEdwin "Eddie" Jobson is an English keyboardist and violinist noted for his use of synthesizers. He has been a member of several progressive rock bands, including Curved Air, Roxy Music, U.K., and Jethro Tull. He was also part of Frank Zappa's band in 1976-77...
, and Greek musician Vangelis Papathanassiou, previously of
Aphrodite's ChildAphrodite's Child was a Greek progressive rock band formed in 1967, by Vangelis Papathanassiou , Demis Roussos , Loukas Sideras , and Anargyros "Silver" Koulouris . Their band's name was derived from the title of a track from another Mercury act, Dick Campbell, from his Sings Where It's At album...
and later known as Vangelis who would work with Anderson as
Jon and VangelisJon and Vangelis is the collaborative effort between the singer Jon Anderson and the Greek synthesizer musician Evangelos Papathanassiou who is usually known as "Vangelis"...
in the 1980s. Wakeman's replacement was Swiss keyboardist
Patrick MorazPatrick Philippe Moraz is a progressive rock keyboard player. He is best known as the keyboardist for the progressive rock band Yes, from 1974 to 1976, and the Moody Blues from 1978 to 1991...
, a distinctive electric-jazz musician who had previously been part of the trio Refugee, alongside two former members of
The NiceThe Nice were an English progressive rock band from the 1960s, known for their blend of rock, jazz and classical music. Their debut album, The Thoughts of Emerlist Davjack was released in 1967 to immediate acclaim. It is often considered the first progressive rock album...
. Moraz arrived during the recording sessions for
Relayer-Personnel:*Jon Anderson – lead vocals*Steve Howe – acoustic and electric guitars, vocals*Patrick Moraz – keyboards*Chris Squire – bass guitar and vocals*Alan White – drums, percussion-Production:*Produced By Yes & Eddie Offord...
, the band's seventh studio album. He fit in well with the jazz-fusion-influenced direction the band were pursuing with the record. Released in November 1974, Relayer continued certain traditions in featuring a side-long track, a cosmic battle initially inspired by Tolstoy's
War and PeaceWar and Peace is a novel by the Russian author Leo Tolstoy, first published in 1869. The work is epic in scale and is regarded as one of the most important works of world literature...
titled "
The Gates of Delirium"The Gates of Delirium" is the first track on Yes’s 1974 album, Relayer. Based on Leo Tolstoy's War and Peace, the song begins with a prelude, which leads into a lengthy instrumental section representing the battle...
". Its closing section, "Soon", was subsequently released as a single. The album reached number 4 in the UK and number 5 in the US. From 1974 to 1975, Yes embarked on a world tour to support Relayer followed by a North American tour in 1976, after each member released a solo album. Though none were well-received commercially (the combined sales of all five solo albums was still far less than the sales of any Yes album of the era), Squire's Fish Out of Water was praised among music critics. A compilation album named Yesterdays was released in 1975 that contained tracks from the band's first two albums as well as their version of "America".
Going for the One, Tormato and band disagreements (1977–1979)
Recording sessions for
Going for the OneGoing for the One is the eighth studio album from the English progressive rock band Yes, released in 1977 on Atlantic Records. It was produced after an extended break for solo activity from the group, and marks the return of keyboardist Rick Wakeman, who had departed in 1974 after the Tales from...
, the band's eighth studio album, began in late 1976. Wakeman rejoined Yes after a period of negotiation on a "session musician" basis. He liked the group's new material which he considered to be more energetic and interesting than Tales from Topographic Oceans. Moraz was dismissed, though he appears on the list of thanks on the album's sleeve. Released in July 1977, Going for the One topped the UK charts for two weeks and reached number 8 in the US. "Wonderous Stories" was released as a single in the UK and reached number 7 in the UK single charts in September. Going for the One was also the first not to feature Dean's artwork since The Yes Album. The design firm
HipgnosisHipgnosis was a British art design group that specialized in creating cover art for the albums of rock musicians and bands, most notably Pink Floyd, T.Rex, The Pretty Things, UFO, 10cc, Bad Company, Led Zeppelin, AC/DC, Scorpions, Yes, The Alan Parsons Project, Genesis, Peter Gabriel, ELO and XTC...
handled the cover design on this release. The album topped the UK charts during a period of 21 weeks and peaked at number 8 on the Billboard 200 for the same period. A successful supporting world tour took place between 30 July and 6 December 1977.
Released on 20 September 1978,
TormatoTormato is the ninth studio album by British progressive rock group Yes. Issued as the follow-up to 1977's acclaimed Going for the One, Tormato received less than charitable reviews upon release and its virtues are still a matter of debate for Yes fans and critics...
was released at the height of the
punk rockPunk rock is a rock music genre that developed between 1974 and 1976 in the United States, the United Kingdom, and Australia. Rooted in garage rock and other forms of what is now known as protopunk music, punk rock bands eschewed perceived excesses of mainstream 1970s rock...
era in England, during which the music press often criticised Yes as representing the most bloated excesses of early-1970s progressive rock. The album saw the band continuing their movement towards shorter songs, played with a tighter rock feel that at points approached
New WaveNew Wave is a subgenre of :rock music that emerged in the mid to late 1970s alongside punk rock. The term at first generally was synonymous with punk rock before being considered a genre in its own right that incorporated aspects of electronic and experimental music, mod subculture, disco and 1960s...
styling. At this point, there was evidence that Yes were beginning to change aspects of their sound. Wakeman replaced his Mellotrons with the
BirotronThe Birotron is a tape replay keyboard conceived by Dave Biro of Yalesville, Connecticut, USA, and funded by Rick Wakeman of the progressive-rock group Yes, and Campbell Soup Company-Pepperidge Farm Foods in the mid-late 1970s....
, a tape-driven keyboard, and Squire experimented with harmonisers and Mu-tron pedals. The band have since said that they were not sure about some of the material on the album. This lack of focus extended to the production style, which was handled collectively by the band and saw disagreements at the mixing stage. The album artwork would see large changes as well, as Hipgnosis took a turn once again with their combination of manipulated photography and graphical elements in lieu of Dean's traditional approach. Despite internal and external criticisms of the album, the band embarked on a successful supporting world tour between 28 August 1978 and 30 June 1979.
In October 1979, the band convened in Paris with producer
Roy Thomas BakerRoy Thomas Baker is a multiple award-winning Anglo-American music producer, songwriter, arranger and Recording Academy Governor, who has produced Platinum and Gold certified pop and rock records from the 1970s to the present.- Career :Baker began his career at Decca Records in England at the age...
. Their diverse approach was now succumbing to division, as Anderson and Wakeman favoured the more fantastical and delicate approach while the rest preferred a heavier rock sound. In 1980 Howe, Squire and White liked none of the music Anderson was offering at the time as it was too lightweight and lacking in the heaviness that they were generating in their own writing sessions. The Paris sessions abruptly ended in December after White broke his foot. When the band reconvened to consider their next move, their growing musical differences, combined with internal dissension, obstructed progress. By May that year, relations had deteriorated and Anderson departed from Yes. Wakeman immediately followed suit, thinking that the band could not continue without their primary voice.
Merger with The Buggles, Drama and band split (1980–1981)
At the suggestion of Yes manager Brian Lane, Squire invited the pop duo
The BugglesThe Buggles were an English New Wave band consisting of Trevor Horn and Geoff Downes . They are remembered chiefly for their 1979 debut single "Video Killed the Radio Star" that was #1 on the singles chart in 16 countries. Its music video was the first to be shown on MTV in the U.S...
(keyboardist Geoffrey Downes and singer/bassist
Trevor HornTrevor Charles Horn CBE is an English pop music record producer, songwriter, musician and singer. He was born in Houghton-le-Spring in north-east England....
) to help out on a new Yes album. As the Buggles, Downes and Horn had recently enjoyed success of their own, including a worldwide hit with their single "
Video Killed the Radio Star"Video Killed the Radio Star" is a song by the British synthpop/New Wave group The Buggles, released as their debut single on 7 September 1979, on Island Records from their debut album The Age of Plastic. It celebrates the golden days of radio, describing a singer whose career is cut short by...
," and the initial idea was for them to help in writing new material. The duo already had a song called "We Can Fly From Here," which had been written with Yes in mind. To their surprise, they were invited to join Yes as full-time members. They accepted the invitation and appeared on the
DramaDrama is the tenth studio album by British progressive rock group Yes. It is the first of two Yes albums without vocalist Jon Anderson. In early 1980, after rehearsing music for the follow-up to the tepidly-received Tormato, both Anderson and Rick Wakeman departed the band over creative and...
album in 1980. The record displayed a heavier, harder sound than the material Yes recorded with Anderson in 1979, opening with the lengthy hard rocker "
Machine Messiah"Machine Messiah" is a song written and recorded by the British progressive rock band Yes. It is the opening song on their tenth studio album Drama. It was brought to the group by Trevor Horn and Geoff Downes, but received extensive input from the other three band members...
." Yes undertook a North American tour in September 1980. When the band returned to England later that year, the press heaped great criticism on the band's new line-up, labeling them the "Yuggles"..
After the Drama tour, Yes reconvened in England to decide the band's next step. They dismissed their manager Lane, but this did not solve the immediate problems within Yes itself. Ultimately, Horn chose to leave and pursue a career in music production, and the band then began to disintegrate in earnest. White and Squire were next to depart, leaving Downes and Howe as the only remaining members. They opted not to continue with the group and went their separate ways in December 1980. An announcement came from the group's management in March 1981 confirming that Yes no longer existed. Two more albums were released: the live album
YesshowsYesshows is the second live album by British progressive rock group Yes. Released shortly after the appearance of Drama, Yesshows comprises live performances ranging from the summer of 1976 to the supporting tour for Tormato in 1978...
(covering the pre-Drama tours supporting Relayer, Going for the One, and Tormato) and the
Classic YesClassic Yes is the second compilation album by British progressive rock group Yes.Originally released as a single LP with a bonus 7-inch 33 1/3 RPM disc featuring live versions of "Roundabout" and "I've Seen All Good People" from 1978, everything has been compiled onto one CD...
compilation.
Within the year, Downes and Howe had reunited as part of the new supergroup
AsiaAsia are an English rock group formed in 1981. The band was labelled a supergroup as it included former members of several veteran progressive rock bands, namely John Wetton , Geoff Downes , Steve Howe and Carl Palmer Asia are an English rock group formed in 1981. The band was labelled a...
, with former
King CrimsonKing Crimson are a rock band founded in London, England in 1969. Often categorised as a foundational progressive rock group, the band have incorporated diverse influences and instrumentation during their history...
and
UKU.K. were a short-lived British progressive rock supergroup active from 1977 until 1980.The band was composed of Singer/Bassist John Wetton, formerly of King Crimson, Bryan Ferry's band and Uriah Heep, Keyboardist/Electric Violinist Eddie Jobson, formerly of Curved Air, Roxy Music and Frank Zappa's...
bassist/vocalist
John WettonJohn Kenneth Wetton is an English bassist, guitarist, keyboardist, singer and songwriter. He was born in Willington, Derbyshire, and grew up in Bournemouth. He has been a professional musician since the late 1960s...
and
Carl PalmerCarl Frederick Kendall Palmer is an English drummer and percussionist. He is credited as one of the most respected rock drummers to emerge from the 1960s...
from
Emerson, Lake & PalmerEmerson, Lake & Palmer, also known as ELP, are an English progressive rock supergroup. They found success in the 1970s and sold over forty million albums and headlined large stadium concerts. The band consists of Keith Emerson , Greg Lake and Carl Palmer...
on drums. Squire and White also continued to work together, initially recording sessions with former Led Zeppelin guitarist
Jimmy PageJames Patrick "Jimmy" Page, OBE is an English multi-instrumentalist, songwriter, and record producer. He began his career as a studio session guitarist in London and was subsequently a member of The Yardbirds from 1966 to 1968, after which he founded the English rock band Led Zeppelin.Jimmy Page...
for a proposed band to be called XYZ (short for "ex-Yes-and-Zeppelin"). Page's former bandmate
Robert PlantRobert Anthony Plant, CBE is an English singer and songwriter best known as the vocalist and lyricist of the iconic rock band Led Zeppelin. He has also had a successful solo career...
was also to be involved as the vocalist, but he ultimately lost enthusiasm for the project, citing his ongoing grieving for recently deceased Zeppelin drummer
John BonhamJohn Henry Bonham was an English musician and songwriter, best known as the drummer of Led Zeppelin. Bonham was esteemed for his speed, power, fast right foot, distinctive sound, and "feel" for the groove...
. Minus an appropriate frontman, XYZ ground to a halt. The project did produce a few demo tracks, elements of which would appear in Page's band The Firm and later Yes music, such as "Mind Drive" from
Keys to Ascension 2Keys to Ascension 2 is a double album by the British progressive rock group Yes and was released in 1997. It is the successor to the critically acclaimed Keys to Ascension 2-CD set from 1996...
and "Can You Imagine?" from
MagnificationMagnification is the nineteenth studio album by progressive rock band Yes, released in 2001. It was the band's first album of the new century, and their second with a full orchestra...
. In 1981, Squire and White released "Run With the Fox", a Christmas single as a duo with Squire on lead vocals and with words by onetime
King CrimsonKing Crimson are a rock band founded in London, England in 1969. Often categorised as a foundational progressive rock group, the band have incorporated diverse influences and instrumentation during their history...
/ELP lyricist
Peter SinfieldPeter John Sinfield is an English poet, lyricist and artist, most famously known as the lyricist and co-founding member of early incarnations of King Crimson, whose debut album In the Court of the Crimson King has been regarded as one of the most influential progressive rock albums ever...
, which received heavy radio airplay through the 1980s and early 1990s during the Christmas periods.
Yes revived and revamped: 90125 and Big Generator (1982–1988)
In 1982 Squire and White reunited for a new project which was to be named
CinemaCinema yes were a short-lived band started in 1982 by former Yes members Alan White and Chris Squire, with guitarist Trevor Rabin. They had plans to release their debut album in 1983, and were working on a number of songs, most of which had been written by Rabin.Eventually, these musicians were...
, with their first choice as collaborator being South African rock guitarist and singer
Trevor RabinTrevor Charles Rabin is a South African born musician, best known as a guitarist, vocalist and songwriter for the British progressive rock band Yes from 1983–1994, and since then, as a film composer.- Early years :...
. Since leaving his group
RabbittRabbitt were a South African rock band formed in 1972, evolving from a band called The Conglomeration, consisting of members Trevor Rabin, Duncan Faure, Ronnie Robot, and Neil Cloud. Their successes included making it to the top of the South African charts with the hit "Charlie" in 1976. Rabbitt...
, Rabin had released three solo albums, developed a parallel career as a record producer, and had even briefly been considered a member of Asia. His understanding and experience with popular music fitted Cinema's concept, which was not initially intended as a continuation of Yes, though Squire and White brought over certain aspects of Yes' original style in terms of vocal harmonies and song-writing. Squire also recruited Tony Kaye, whose approach to keyboards suited his vision for the new band. Demos were recorded, and Cinema subsequently entered the studio to record a complete album, which was to include a riff-oriented song written by Rabin titled "
Owner of a Lonely Heart"Owner of a Lonely Heart" is a song by the progressive rock band Yes. It is the opening track of their 1983 album 90125. Written primarily by Trevor Rabin, the song reached number one on the United States Billboard Hot 100 — to date Yes's biggest chart success...
".
Initially Rabin and Squire shared lead vocals, with the intention being that Rabin would take over, but the band's management had misgiving over whether Rabin was a strong enough singer. Trevor Horn became involved with the project as a potential replacement lead singer but eventually opted to produce the recording sessions. Horn, in turn, clashed with Kaye, leading to the latter's departure after six or so months of rehearsing – the situation being complicated by the fact that Rabin played most of the keyboards during the recording sessions. While Cinema remained under pressure to find an acceptable frontman, Jon Anderson had released two solo albums since leaving the band. He had achieved success with the "
Jon and VangelisJon and Vangelis is the collaborative effort between the singer Jon Anderson and the Greek synthesizer musician Evangelos Papathanassiou who is usually known as "Vangelis"...
" project, but he later confessed that he had been "missing the band terribly."
In early 1983, Anderson encountered Squire at a party in Los Angeles, and Squire took the opportunity to play him some of Cinema's demos. Seeing that Anderson was impressed with the band's new approach in songs such as "
Leave It"Leave It" is a song by Yes. It appears on their 1983 album, 90125. The song featured repeated single issues, most backed with remixes of the song or an a cappella version. The original version was occasionally placed as the B-side of "Owner of a Lonely Heart", and on another instance, the original...
", Squire invited him to add his vocals to the new project. Anderson's involvement with Cinema was initially comparatively minor, involving re-singing vocals in the last few weeks of production. As he became integrated into the band, he also rewrote lyrics. By this point the band contained three founding members of Yes and the record company decided it made more commercial sense to drop the "Cinema" name and market the album under the Yes name. Rabin initially objected, as he now found that he had inadvertently joined a reunited Yes with a history and expectations, rather than helped to launch a new project. Ultimately the band agreed to go along with the plan and Yes were formally relaunched, with this incarnation sometimes informally referred to as "Yes-West", reflecting the band's new base in Los Angeles rather than London.
Released in 1983,
90125-Yes:*Jon Anderson – lead vocals*Tony Kaye – keyboards*Trevor Rabin – guitars, additional keyboards, backing vocals*Chris Squire – bass, backing vocals*Alan White – drums, percussion, backing vocals- Studio personnel :...
– named after its catalogue serial number – became Yes' most commercially successful album by far, selling over 6 million copies and securing a new lease of life for the band. As the album's primary producer, Trevor Horn had polished the songs with modern studio effects and digital sampling tricks (via the
Fairlight CMIThe Fairlight CMI is a digital sampling synthesizer. It was designed in 1979 by the founders of Fairlight, Peter Vogel and Kim Ryrie, and based on a dual-6800 microprocessor computer designed by Tony Furse in Sydney, Australia...
). He also played a prominent role in vocal arrangement, even contributing his own vocals at various points on the album (e.g. on the predominantly a-cappella showcase "Leave It"). Kaye's more streamlined playing style and the replacement of Steve Howe's unusually eclectic guitar stylings with Rabin's more layered approach (favouring hard rock, pop and jazz-fusion) also smoothed down the band's sound.
"Owner of a Lonely Heart" was a number one hit on the main charts and even crossed over to become a top hit on the R&B and disco charts. The music video reveals a brief Yes personnel shuffle. During the promotional period for the song Kaye, who had had continual conflicts with Horn, left the band after 90125 had been completed but was yet to be released. His replacement was
Eddie JobsonEdwin "Eddie" Jobson is an English keyboardist and violinist noted for his use of synthesizers. He has been a member of several progressive rock bands, including Curved Air, Roxy Music, U.K., and Jethro Tull. He was also part of Frank Zappa's band in 1976-77...
, who appeared briefly (though edited out as much as possible) in the original version of the video. Jobson was first asked to replace Kaye and then, as relations were mended, to share the keyboard duties. Jobson declined and left the band as Kaye returned. Yes also had hit singles with "Leave It" and "
It Can Happen"It Can Happen" is a song by the progressive rock band Yes, from their 1983 album 90125. It was released as the third single from that album, reaching number 51 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart in 1984.- History :...
" and garnered a
Grammy Award for Best Rock Instrumental PerformanceThe Grammy Award for Best Rock Instrumental Performance was an honor presented to recording artists for quality instrumental rock performances at the Grammy Awards, a ceremony that was established in 1958 and originally called the Gramophone Awards...
for the two-minute track "
Cinema"Cinema" is an instrumental song by the progressive rock band Yes, from their 1983 album, 90125. It won the 1984 Grammy Award for Best Rock Instrumental Performance, the band's first Grammy.- History :...
". The 90125 tour lasted over a year and was the most lucrative in the band's history. In 1985 a concert video named
9012Live9012Live is the video release of a concert by the progressive rock group Yes recorded live at Northlands Coliseum in Edmonton, Canada, on September 28 and 29, 1984. It mostly features material from the band's reunion album 90125, which was a major success for the band. The 1984-1985 tour was the...
, directed by a fresh-out-of-film-school
Steven SoderberghSteven Andrew Soderbergh is an American film producer, screenwriter, cinematographer, editor, and an Academy Award-winning film director. He is best known for directing commercial Hollywood films like Erin Brockovich, Traffic, and the remake of Ocean's Eleven, but he has also directed smaller less...
, was released including the live mini-album
9012Live: The Solos† – Recorded at Edmonton, Canada at Northlands Coliseum, 28 September 1984, as part of the soundtrack of the movie "9012Live"‡ – Recorded at Dortmund, Germany, 24 June 19849012Live: The Solos reached #44 in the UK...
.
In 1986, Yes began recording for their twelfth album
Big GeneratorBig Generator is the twelfth studio album by progressive rock band Yes. It was released in 1987 on Atlantic Records' Atco subsidiary label and was the follow-up to the massively successful 90125 album.- History :...
. The recording sessions underwent many starts and stops, due to the use of multiple recording locations in Italy, London and Los Angeles as well as interpersonal problems between Rabin and Horn which kept the album from timely completion. Eventually Rabin took over final production, and the album was released in 1987. Although the record did not fare as well as 90125, it still sold well over 2 million copies. The album fared less well than its predecessor as a launchpad for singles, with the radio-friendly, Rabin-written-and-sung "
Love Will Find a Way"Love Will Find a Way" is a song by the progressive rock band Yes, from their 1987 album Big Generator. It was released as the first single from that album, reaching number 30 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart in late 1987. It also topped the U.S...
" charting only moderately well, and "Rhythm of Love" barely scraping the US Top 40. The supporting tour ended on 14 May 1988 with an appearance at
Madison Square GardenMadison Square Garden, often abbreviated as MSG and known colloquially as The Garden, is a multi-purpose indoor arena in the New York City borough of Manhattan and located at 8th Avenue, between 31st and 33rd Streets, situated on top of Pennsylvania Station.Opened on February 11, 1968, it is the...
as part of Atlantic Records' 40th anniversary celebrations, but it left Yes members exhausted and frustrated with one another.
The years of two Yeses: Anderson Bruford Wakeman Howe and Union (1989–1992)
By this point, Jon Anderson was feeling creatively sidelined by Rabin and Squire and had grown tired of the musical direction of the "Yes West" line-up, wishing that the band would return to the classic Yes sound. Following the 1988 tour, he took leave of the band, asserting that he would never stay in Yes purely for the money. Soon afterwards, he began working in Montserrat on what initially appeared to be a solo album but soon involved three other former Yes members from the band's "classic" 1970s period – Rick Wakeman, Steve Howe, and Bill Bruford. Inevitably, this collaboration led to suggestions that there would be some kind of reformation of "classic" Yes, although from the start the project had included bass player
Tony LevinTony Levin is an American progressive rock musician, specializing in bass guitar, Chapman stick and upright bass ....
, whom Bruford had worked with in King Crimson. The new project was contractually unable to take over or otherwise use the Yes name (as Squire, White, Kaye, Rabin, and Anderson held the rights, dating back to the 90125 contract) so the new group called themselves "
Anderson Bruford Wakeman HoweAnderson Bruford Wakeman Howe was a project of four progressive rock musicians, vocalist Jon Anderson, drummer Bill Bruford, keyboardist Rick Wakeman, and guitarist Steve Howe . They had played together in Yes in the early 1970s...
," or simply ABWH. This suited some members of the project – particularly Bill Bruford, who wanted to distance himself from the "Yes" name.
The eponymous
Anderson Bruford Wakeman HoweAnderson Bruford Wakeman Howe is the self-titled album by four alumni of the progressive rock group Yes: Jon Anderson, Bill Bruford, Rick Wakeman, and Steve Howe.- History :The project began in 1988...
album of 1989 featured "Brother of Mine," which spawned a popular MTV video in its own right, and went gold in the United States. It later emerged that the four band members had not all recorded together (as they had in the early 1970s); instead, Anderson and producer
Chris KimseyChristopher Kenneth Kimsey is a record producer, mixer and musician most famous for having co-produced The Rolling Stones' Undercover and Steel Wheels albums...
slotted their parts into place. Howe has stated publicly that he was unhappy with the mix of his guitars on the album (a version of "Fist of Fire" with more of Howe's guitars left intact eventually appeared on the In a Word box set in 2002). ABWH toured with a concert series titled "An Evening of Yes Music Plus" which featured Levin, second keyboardist
Julian ColbeckThe current CEO of Keyfax NewMedia, Julian Colbeck is a former professional keyboard player of over 25 years, author of several music-related books and guides, the creator of Twiddly.Bits MIDI loops, the concept designer for the PhatBoy MIDI controller, and producer of several music technology DVDs...
and guitarist
Milton McDonaldMike "Milton" McDonald is a session guitarist. He has played with Patricia Kaas, Anderson Bruford Wakeman Howe, The Spice Girls, S Club 7, Ray Davies, Take That, Robert Palmer, M People, Louise, Mick Jagger, Tina Turner, Atomic Kitten, Hear'Say, Mylène Farmer, and Girls Aloud.McDonald also played...
as support musicians and saw performances of both music from Anderson Bruford Wakeman Howe and vintage Yes songs. Each night opened with short solo stints from all four ABWH members, reproducing most of their original solo spots from previous Yes tours. A live recording – also called
An Evening of Yes Music PlusAn Evening of Yes Music Plus is a live album by the English progressive rock side project Anderson Bruford Wakeman Howe . Released on October 12, 1993, it was recorded at the Shoreline Amphitheatre in Mountain View, California on September 9, 1989....
– was released: recorded on the last night of the tour, it featured Bruford's ex-bandmate
Jeff BerlinJeff Berlin is an American jazz, jazz fusion and progressive rock electric bass player.Jeff Berlin's bass playing is somewhat similar to that of Jaco Pastorius, though Berlin plays a fretted bass and has stated his distaste for Jaco imitators.-Early life:Jeff Berlin was born to parents who were...
in Levin's bassist spot (the latter had been forced to sit out for two weeks because of illness.) The tour was also dogged by legal battles sparked by Atlantic Records due to the band's references to Yes in promotional materials and the tour title.
Meanwhile the Anderson-less Yes in Los Angeles were working on their follow-up to Big Generator and had been shopping around for a new singer. Ex-
SupertrampSupertramp are a British rock band formed in 1969 under the name Daddy before renaming to Supertramp in early 1970. Though their music was initially categorised as progressive rock, they have since incorporated a combination of traditional rock and art rock into their music...
vocalist
Roger HodgsonCharles Roger Pomfret Hodgson is a British musician and songwriter, best known as the former co-frontman, and founding member, of progressive rock band Supertramp....
had already rejected the post: Although he enjoyed working and writing with the group, he thought it unwise to attempt to pass off the resulting music as "Yes." The band had also been working with
KansasKansas is an American rock band that became popular in the 1970s initially on Album-Oriented Rock charts, and later with hit singles such as "Carry On Wayward Son" and "Dust in the Wind"...
singer
Steve WalshSteve Walsh is a singer and songwriter best known for his work as a member of the progressive rock band Kansas.-Introduction:The keyboardist/vocalist/songwriter/producer/percussionist is best known for his visionary work with Kansas...
and with
Billy SherwoodWilliam "Billy" Wyman Sherwood is a musician, record producer, and engineer.-Family:Sherwood comes from a musical family which includes his father Bobby Sherwood, who was an actor, musician, and big band leader, his mother Phyllis, a singer and drummer, and brother Michael, a keyboardist and...
of
World TradeWorld Trade was a U.S. progressive rock band that featured Billy Sherwood on bass and vocals and Bruce Gowdy on guitar. Yes's Chris Squire performed on their second album, Euphoria.-History:...
: although the former only spent one day working with Yes, the latter worked well enough with the band to continue with writing sessions (which resulted in at least one future Yes song "The More We Live - Let Go").
When presented with the initial mixes of the second ABWH album, which was to be called Dialogue, ABWH's new label,
AristaArista was an American record label. It was a wholly owned subsidiary of Sony Music Entertainment and operated under the RCA Music Group. The label was founded in 1974 by Clive Davis, who formerly worked for CBS Records...
, notified the band that they would not release it, as they felt the material was too weak. Instead they encouraged ABWH to seek outside songwriters, preferably ones who could help them deliver hit singles. Anderson approached Rabin about the situation, and Rabin sent Anderson a demo tape with four songs, indicating that ABWH could have one but had to send the others back. Anderson selected one, "
Lift Me Up"Lift Me Up" is a song by the progressive rock band Yes. It was the first single released from their 1991 "reunion" album Union. It reached the number-one spot on Billboard Hot Mainstream Rock Tracks chart in May 1991, and stayed at the top for six weeks...
", for use, and contacted Arista, who listened to all four songs and wanted all of them, a request to which Rabin would not agree.
Arista sensed the commercial possibility of a Yes reunion and suggested that the "YesWest" group, with Jon Anderson on vocals, record the four songs to add to the new album, which would then be released under the Yes name. This arrangement would lead to the end of Yes' run on Atlantic Records after more than 20 years, dating to their initial recording contract. Throughout early 1991, phone calls were made, lawyers soothed, and agreements struck, with Yes West joining ABWH for the Union album. Each group did their own songs, with Anderson singing on all tracks. Squire sang background vocals on a few of the ABWH tracks, with Tony Levin doing all the bass on those songs. The album was clearly a somewhat forced combination of the music from the two line-ups, since none of the songs on Union featured all eight members at once; two-thirds were actually ABWH compositions, while Rabin and Squire contributed four songs, including the Billy Sherwood collaboration "The More We Live."
The album itself fared well, with approximately 1.5 million sold worldwide. However, nearly the entire band have subsequently – and openly – stated their disliking for the finished product, predominantly because of producer
Jonathan EliasJonathan Elias is a U.S. composer and record producer, known for his movie soundtracks, production for several pop and rock acts, and his award-winning advertising music including the PBS logo instrumental from October 1, 1984 to October 1, 1989....
and
Jon AndersonJon Anderson is an English singer-songwriter and musician best known as the former lead vocalist in the progressive rock band Yes...
's involvement of session musicians on the ABWH tracks after the initial sessions. Bruford has disowned the album entirely, and Wakeman was reportedly unable to recognise any of his keyboard work in the final edit and allegedly threw his copy of the album out of his limousine. He has gone on record as referring to the entire venture as "Onion", sarcastically claiming it made him cry when he thought about it.
Elias later stated publicly in an interview that Anderson, as the associate producer, knew of the session musicians' involvement. He added that he and Anderson had even initiated their contributions, because of the hostility between some of the band members at the time (notably between Anderson and Howe and Wakeman), with the result that none of the work was getting done.
The Union world tour united all eight members on one stage in a short-lived "Mega-Yes" line-up of Anderson, Squire, Howe, Rabin, Kaye, Wakeman, Bruford, and White. The tour itself featured tracks spanning the band's entire career, and it was one of the highest-grossing concert tours of 1991 and 1992. Only a few songs from Union were performed live. "Shock to the System" and "Lift Me Up" were played at every show of the tour. "Take the Water to the Mountain" was played only at the first date in Pensacola, Florida. "
Saving My Heart"Saving My Heart" is a song by the progressive rock band Yes, written and produced by Yes guitarist Trevor Rabin. It was the second single released from their 1991 "reunion" album Union, following "Lift Me Up"...
" was played at a handful of shows during the second North American leg. Howe would play "Masquerade" on later tours.
While the Union tour was commercially successful, it did not heal the band's fractured personnel situation. Jon Anderson began to write with both Steve Howe and Trevor Rabin separately, as the two guitarists had still not managed to achieve a good working relationship with each other. Bill Bruford chose not to remain involved with Yes and returned to his jazz project
EarthworksEarthworks is the debut album by Bill Bruford's Earthworks, a jazz band led by drummer Bill Bruford and featuring Django Bates, Iain Ballamy and Mick Hutton...
. He did, however, contribute to the 1992
Alan ParsonsAlan Parsons is a British audio engineer, musician, and record producer. He was involved with the production of several significant albums, including The Beatles' Abbey Road and Let It Be, as well as Pink Floyd's The Dark Side of the Moon for which Pink Floyd credit him as an important contributor...
-produced
Symphonic Music of YesSymphonic Music of Yes was a 1993 orchestral album covering songs of the progressive rock band Yes. The arrangements were by Dee Palmer . Playing on the album were two then-former Yes members, guitarist Steve Howe and drummer Bill Bruford...
on the RCA Victor label: for this album, former
Jethro TullJethro Tull are a British rock group formed in 1967. Their music is characterised by the vocals, acoustic guitar, and flute playing of Ian Anderson, who has led the band since its founding, and the guitar work of Martin Barre, who has been with the band since 1969.Initially playing blues rock with...
orchestrator
David PalmerDee Palmer is an English composer arranger and keyboardist best known for having been a member of the rock group Jethro Tull.Palmer studied composition at the Royal Academy of Music with Richard Rodney Bennet,winning the Eric Coates Prize and The Boosey and Hawkes Prize...
reinterpreted various Yes songs as orchestral pieces. Howe too made contributions to the album, which also featured Anderson's vocals on two of the songs.
The Talk era (1993–1995)
As with Union, the next Yes project was masterminded by a record company rather than the band itself. Victory Music approached Rabin with a proposal to produce an album solely with the 90125 "YesWest" line-up. Rabin initially countered by requesting that Wakeman also be included. (Howe was not invited to participate.) Rabin began assembling the album at his home, using the then-pioneering concept of a digital home studio, and used material written predominantly by himself and Anderson.
By 1993, the new album was well into production, but Wakeman's involvement had finally been cancelled, as his refusal to leave his long-serving management created insuperable legal problems. (Rabin and Wakeman have both expressed regret that they never played together on a Yes album – although Rabin did guest on Wakeman's
Return to the Centre of the EarthReturn to the Centre of the Earth is a 1999 concept album by Rick Wakeman. This work is a sequel to Journey to the Centre of the Earth, an earlier album by Wakeman released in 1974.-Track listing:# A Vision # The Return Overture...
album in 1999.) With Howe and Bruford already out of the picture, Yes were back to their popular 1980s line-up of Anderson, Squire, Rabin, Kaye, and White, as Victory had desired.
In 1994, Yes released the new album under the title "Talk". Entirely digitally recorded by Rabin on an Apple computer, it blended elements of "YesWest" radio-friendly rock with a more structurally ambitious approach taken from Yes' 1970s blueprint, even including the lengthy epic "Endless Dream" across most of the second half, as well as ingredients of contemporary electronic dance music, metal, and jazz. It also featured the more AOR-inclined song "
Walls"Walls" is a song by the progressive rock band Yes, from their 1994 album Talk. It was a rock radio hit for the band, reaching number 24 on Billboard Hot Mainstream Rock Tracks chart.- Details :...
," which Rabin had written with
Roger HodgsonCharles Roger Pomfret Hodgson is a British musician and songwriter, best known as the former co-frontman, and founding member, of progressive rock band Supertramp....
for one of the latter's solo albums. Rabin's dominance over the album had extended beyond being producer, engineer, songwriter, and guitarist to include playing all of the album's keyboards (save for occasional Hammond organ work from Tony Kaye) and some of the bass guitar, and the response from fans was mixed.
Despite Victory Music's hopes, Talk proved ultimately to be one of Yes' poorest-selling releases, possibly affected by the sudden rise in the popularity of
grungeGrunge is a subgenre of alternative rock that emerged during the mid-1980s in the American state of Washington, particularly in the Seattle area. Inspired by hardcore punk, heavy metal, and indie rock, grunge is generally characterized by heavily distorted electric guitars, contrasting song...
music at the time. Although the first single from the album, "
The Calling"The Calling" is a song by the progressive rock band Yes, from their 1994 album Talk. It was a rock radio hit for the band, reaching number 3 on Billboard Hot Mainstream Rock Tracks chart.- Background :...
," was perhaps Yes' strongest single since "Owner of a Lonely Heart," neither the record label nor U.S. radio stations provided much promotion for it. However,
David LettermanDavid Michael Letterman is an American television host and comedian. He hosts the late night television talk show, Late Show with David Letterman, broadcast on CBS. Letterman has been a fixture on late night television since the 1982 debut of Late Night with David Letterman on NBC...
had heard one broadcast of the single while driving: impressed, and unaware of the source of the single, he had immediately taken steps to find out more about the "new band" that had performed it in order to have them appear on his show. Yes performed on the
Late Show with David LettermanLate Show with David Letterman is a U.S. late-night talk show hosted by David Letterman on CBS. The show debuted on August 30, 1993, and is produced by Letterman's production company, Worldwide Pants Incorporated. The show's music director and band-leader of the house band, the CBS Orchestra, is...
on 20 June 1994, just days into their 1994 Talk tour, performing the song "Walls."
For the tour, guitarist/vocalist
Billy SherwoodWilliam "Billy" Wyman Sherwood is a musician, record producer, and engineer.-Family:Sherwood comes from a musical family which includes his father Bobby Sherwood, who was an actor, musician, and big band leader, his mother Phyllis, a singer and drummer, and brother Michael, a keyboardist and...
was added, playing additional guitar and keyboards. The Talk tour featured an innovative sound system, through which fans at the concerts could listen on their portable FM radios turned to a specific frequency to hear greater dynamic range and stereo effects.
Following the tour, Rabin opted to leave the band to pursue other projects and soon became a highly successful and prolific film-score composer. Kaye also left the band to retire, although he subsequently returned to performing, providing Hammond organ on several tracks on the Sherwood-produced
Return to the Dark Side of the MoonNot to be confused with the covermount album of the same name with Mojo magazine in 2011Return to the Dark Side of the Moon is a tribute album organised by Billy Sherwood, and released in 2006 on Purple Pyramid. It is a re-creation of Pink Floyd's The Dark Side of the Moon, and a sequel to...
in 2006 and then working on further Sherwood-led projects.
"Classic Yes" revival: Keys to Ascension & Keys to Ascension 2 (1995–1997)
With Rabin and Kaye now out of the picture, Anderson, Squire, and White opted to return to the classic 1970s style of Yes music in 1995. Repairing their working relationship with Howe and Wakeman, the remaining members of the core 1970s line-up, the band reunited for a three-night live performance near Anderson's home in the California town of San Luis Obispo in early March 1996. The shows sold out and were recorded, with the band's enthusiasm continuing into further studio sessions. The band formed a brief contract with
CMC InternationalCMC International was an American independent record label founded by Tom Lipsky in 1991, focused mainly on classic rock, and classic heavy metal. The label was the haven of many hard rock, arena rock, glam metal and AOR artists in the period when all the majors were investing all their financial...
Records, which released some of the live tracks from the show later in 1996 as
Keys to AscensionKeys to Ascension is a double album by the British progressive rock group Yes and was released in 1996. The last time Jon Anderson, Chris Squire, Steve Howe, Rick Wakeman and Alan White had worked together on officially released studio recordings was 1978's Tormato...
, which also included two new studio tracks. A live DVD under the same name was also released.
With the revived line-up now established and enthusiastic, the band recorded new tracks, drawing in part on material written around the time of the band's initial split in 1980 and including material that Squire and White had demoed for the XYZ project. Although at one point the new material was to be released as a standalone studio album, with the working title of Know, commercial considerations meant that the new tracks were eventually packaged with the remainder of the 1996 live material on another hybrid live-and-studio album,
Keys to Ascension 2Keys to Ascension 2 is a double album by the British progressive rock group Yes and was released in 1997. It is the successor to the critically acclaimed Keys to Ascension 2-CD set from 1996...
. The studio material from these two albums was later combined and released on a single CD called
KeystudioKeystudio is a compilation album released by Yes in 2001. It is made up of the studio tracks from both Keys to Ascension and Keys to Ascension 2....
.
The initial "classic Yes" reunion was short-lived, because of disagreements with Wakeman. He was disgruntled at the way in which a full new Yes studio album had been sacrificed in favour of the two Keys to Ascension releases, as well as how a Yes tour was being arranged without his input or agreement. Wakeman left Yes in 1997 for the fourth time, shortly before the release of Keys to Ascension 2, leaving the band without a key performer and undercutting the commercial potential of the "classic" reunion. A projected 1997 summer tour was then rescheduled for the fall.
Bridging the styles: Open Your Eyes & The Ladder (1997–2000)
Now in need of material for a new Yes studio album that could reflect the change in circumstances, Squire turned to a project called
ConspiracyConspiracy was a progressive rock band founded by Billy Sherwood and Chris Squire . The band released two albums: Conspiracy and The Unknown , and a live DVD...
, which he'd been working on with Sherwood (and which had included contributions from White). Squire and Sherwood reworked existing Conspiracy demos and recordings to turn them into Yes songs and added new material. Anderson and Howe were less involved with the writing and production at this stage and expressed dissatisfaction about the situation later. Sherwood's integral involvement with the writing, production and performance of the music led to his formally joining Yes as a full member at the end of the sessions, taking on the role of harmony singer, keyboardist and second guitarist. On tour, he would concentrate on backing vocals and guitar, playing backup parts to Steve Howe and performing the solos on Rabin-era songs. (Howe refused to do this himself, claiming that his style would not fit those solos.)
The new album,
Open Your EyesOpen Your Eyes is the seventeenth studio album by progressive rock band Yes, released in 1997. The follow-up to the twin projects Keys to Ascension and Keys to Ascension 2, Open Your Eyes marked Billy Sherwood becoming an official member of Yes, following Rick Wakeman's departure.-History:Sherwood...
, was released in the fall of 1997. This album, and future releases, would come out on the Beyond Music label, which ensured that Yes would have more of a say in packaging and titling the albums. The title track and one other, "New State of Mind," received a fair amount of radio airplay. The well-attended tour that followed featured only a few pieces from the new album ("
Open Your Eyes"Open Your Eyes" is a song by the progressive rock band Yes, from their 1997 album of the same name. It was a rock radio hit for the band, reaching number 33 on Billboard Hot Mainstream Rock Tracks chart.- Details :...
," "From The Balcony," and "No Way We Can Lose") and mostly concentrated on the revival of early Yes material, such as "
Siberian Khatru"Siberian Khatru" is the third, shortest and final song of progressive rock band Yes album Close to the Edge. Live versions of the song are found on the Yessongs, Keys to Ascension, and Live at Montreux 2003 albums, and it also is on several compilation albums. It is notable for being the only song...
." Yes also performed "Children of Light" from the album
Keys to Ascension 2Keys to Ascension 2 is a double album by the British progressive rock group Yes and was released in 1997. It is the successor to the critically acclaimed Keys to Ascension 2-CD set from 1996...
. Many fans considered the return of Howe to the touring Yes, along with a heavier emphasis on 1970s-era Yes music, an exciting development. The tour also featured keyboards from Russian keyboard player
Igor KhoroshevIgor Petrovich Khoroshev is a Russian keyboard player living in the USA, best known for his work with Yes between 1997 and 2001. Khoroshev appeared on their studio albums Open Your Eyes and The Ladder and the live album House of Yes: Live from House of Blues.-Biography:Igor Khoroshev was born in...
, who had played on a few of the Open Your Eyes tracks.
Khoroshev continued to work with the band, becoming a full member by the time the band recorded their next album,
The Ladder* "Top Pop Albums 1955-2001", Joel Whitburn, c. 2002...
. This would be the last project that record producer
Bruce FairbairnBruce Earl Fairbairn was a Canadian musician and international record producer from Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. He was active as a producer from 1976 to 1999 and is considered one of the best of his era...
would work on before his untimely death. Many fans were reminded of the band's 1970s sound – largely because of Khoroshev's classically oriented keyboard approach – although White also brought in a strong world-music influence (with the band experimenting with Latinesque arrangements, and with multi-instrumentalist
Randy Raine-ReuschRandy Raine-Reusch is a Canadian composer, performer, improviser, and multi-instrumentalist specializing in wind and string instruments from around the world, particularly those from East and Southeast Asia....
contributing to the album's textures). Sherwood's role continued to be limited to backup vocals and backup guitar. One of the album tracks – "Homeworld (The Ladder)" – was written for Relic Entertainment's
HomeworldHomeworld is a real-time strategy computer game released on September 28, 1999, developed by Relic Entertainment and published by Sierra Entertainment. It was the first fully three-dimensional RTS. In 2003, Relic released the source code for Homeworld...
real-time strategy computer game and was used as the credits and outro theme. The band stated that they wrote the song not because the game's developers asked them but because they liked several aspects of the game itself.
The 1999 Yes tour resulted in a live DVD of the performance at the Las Vegas
House of BluesHouse of Blues is a chain of 13 live music concert halls and restaurants in major markets throughout the United States. House of Blues first location was in Cambridge's Harvard Square. It was opened in 1992 by Isaac Tigrett, co-founder of Hard Rock Cafe, and Dan Aykroyd, star of The Blues Brothers...
. This would be the band's last work with Sherwood, who had been finding Yes' internal politics uncomfortable. He left the band before the 2000 Masterworks tour, which featured a revival of the Moraz-period extended piece "The Gates of Delirium" (from the album
Relayer-Personnel:*Jon Anderson – lead vocals*Steve Howe – acoustic and electric guitars, vocals*Patrick Moraz – keyboards*Chris Squire – bass guitar and vocals*Alan White – drums, percussion-Production:*Produced By Yes & Eddie Offord...
). Khoroshev was let go from the band at the tour's conclusion.
Orchestral Yes and second "classic" revival – Magnification and Wakeman's return (2001–2004)
Yes' following studio album, 2001's
MagnificationMagnification is the nineteenth studio album by progressive rock band Yes, released in 2001. It was the band's first album of the new century, and their second with a full orchestra...
, was recorded without a keyboard player in the band. Instead, Yes were backed by a 60-piece orchestra performing specific parts and arrangements written by notable film composer
Larry GroupéLawrence Nash Groupé, best known as Larry Groupé, is an Emmy Award-winning American film score composer. His most popular works include the score for Rod Lurie's movies Deterrence and The Contender. In 2004 he was nominated for the Emmy Award to the best original score for the TV series Line of Fire...
. The band took an orchestra on tour with them to promote the album, although they also hired keyboardist
Tom BrislinTom Brislin is an American keyboardist, vocalist, songwriter, and producer from New Jersey. He is the founding member of the rock band Spiraling, and plays or has played keyboards with several well-known acts...
to reproduce some of the classic Yes keyboard material more faithfully. Magnification received a warm reception from critics and fans, although not on the level of older albums such as Fragile or Close to the Edge; the album reached No.71 in the UK and No.186 in the US – relatively low by the high standards set by the previous records.
Fans who felt they were short-changed in 1996 were delighted as Wakeman announced his return to the group on 20 April 2002, and a world tour for Yes followed, including a return to Australia after more than 30 years. The line-up enjoyed a somewhat revitalised presence in the public consciousness, especially during the celebration of their 35th anniversary in 2004. This revitalisation showed itself during a show in New York's
Madison Square GardenMadison Square Garden, often abbreviated as MSG and known colloquially as The Garden, is a multi-purpose indoor arena in the New York City borough of Manhattan and located at 8th Avenue, between 31st and 33rd Streets, situated on top of Pennsylvania Station.Opened on February 11, 1968, it is the...
. Near the end of the song "And You and I," where Howe finishes his steel-guitar part and before the last few acoustic notes, the band was overwhelmed with thunderous applause. It lasted so long that by the time it subsided, the roadies had already removed Howe's guitar. Wakeman then had to play the last bit, with Anderson singing.
Reacting to an online survey of popular Yes songs to play, the band added "
South Side of the Sky"South Side of the Sky" is a song by progressive rock band Yes from their album Fragile. It is one of the relatively few group performances on the album....
" to the touring set list, a surprise given that it had rarely been played before, even on the tour for Fragile, the album from which it came. In later legs of the tour, the band performed some songs in acoustic style, after doing a live-via-satellite concert as part of the
YesspeakYesspeak is a film chronicling the then current lineup of the progressive rock group Yes directed by Robert Garofalo and narrated by Roger Daltrey...
documentary premiere. The last concert of this Tour was performed in Monterrey, Mexico.
Hiatus, side projects, and health scares (2004–2008)
Following the 35th Anniversary tour in 2004, Yes were inactive for four years. Squire told Classic Rock Magazine in 2011 that the band had hoped to tour in 2005, 2006 or 2007 but were unable to after Anderson begged off due to health issues. In lieu of releasing new albums, they formed deals with
Image EntertainmentImage Entertainment, Inc. is an independent licensee, producer and distributor of home entertainment programming and film & television productions in North America, with approximately 3,000 exclusive DVD titles and approximately 250 exclusive CD titles in domestic release, and approximately 450...
and other video firms to release past concert performances, music videos, and interviews on DVD. Howe, Squire, Wakeman, and White had all expressed an interest in recording, but Anderson had been firmly opposed, wondering aloud if Yes had a future in original recorded music and because of his aforementioned health concerns. Anderson's unwillingness to record seemed due to the disappointing sales of Magnification. During the hiatus, band members pursued a variety of solo projects.
In January 2004 Anderson embarked on a solo tour called the "Tour Of The Universe," while Squire joined a reformed version of
The SynThe Syn are an English band that were active from 1965 to 1967, and then reunited as a progressive rock band in 2004. Chris Welch, in his book, Close to the Edge: The Story of Yes wrote, "The Syn were very similar to Yes in fact...
, one of his pre-Yes groups from the 1960s. The reunited group also included original singer Steve Nardelli and original Syn/Yes guitarist Peter Banks, augmented by new musicians. Squire's involvement would last until 16 May 2006, when he announced that he had left the group. (Banks had previously departed the reformed group in the early stages of the reunion). The Syn would continue for a few more years around the nucleus of Nardelli, with a variety of musicians including Tom Brislin,
Francis DunneryFrancis Dunnery is an English musician, singer-songwriter, record producer and record label owner. He is best known as a solo performer , and for fronting the original lineup of the band It Bites between 1982 and 1990 .Dunnery served as a sideman and...
and members of
EcholynEcholyn is an American progressive rock band based in eastern Pennsylvania.- Origins and first phase :Echolyn was formed in 1989 when guitarist Brett Kull and drummer Paul Ramsey, members of a recently split cover band called Narcissus, joined with keyboardist Chris Buzby to form a new band to...
.
On 11 November 2004, for one night only, Rabin, Howe, Squire, White, and Downes performed "Cinema" and "Owner of a Lonely Heart" at the Prince's Trust concert at Wembley Arena. The show was a tribute to former Yes vocalist/producer Trevor Horn. It remains somewhat unclear why Anderson did not perform that night, although since Horn was being honoured (the other acts that played that night were all produced by Horn), there may have been a desire to emphasise Horn's role rather than Anderson's. One report said that Anderson needed time to rest, under doctors' orders, and that Wakeman declined to join in because of Anderson's absence. Whatever the exact reason, fans of the 90125 era were delighted to see Rabin perform with the group for the first time in 10 years, and, as on the Union tour, the audience was treated to guitar solos by both Rabin and Howe.
Meanwhile, White had formed a new Seattle-based group, called simply White, featuring Downes. Their debut album, also called White, was released on 18 April 2006. Plans for a joint tour by White, The Syn, and Steve Howe (which would have included the Yes members, augmented by White singer Kevin Currie, performing songs from Drama) were cancelled. Instead, White toured separately in 2006.
On 16 May 2006, the original members of Asia – including Howe and Downes – announced that they would be reuniting for a 25th anniversary tour in September of that year. Anderson and Wakeman toured together in October 2006, and the setlist for most shows featured Yes material along with songs from both of their solo careers, and at least one ABWH song.
In March 2007, Sherwood, Kaye, White, and guitarist Jimmy Haun (a former bandmate of Sherwood's who'd played many of the guitar parts on Union) formally announced the formation of the Yes-related group called Circa, which had been rehearsing since the previous year. On 30 July 2007, the band self-released on the Internet their debut album, Circa 2007. Their debut live performance was held on 23 August 2007, at The Coach House in San Juan Capistrano, at which time the band performed their entire debut album, followed by an hour-long medley of Yes songs.
In November 2007, Anderson embarked on a one-month European solo tour. In the first half of 2008, he toured North America solo, extensively visiting Canada. Meanwhile, Howe continued to tour with
AsiaAsia are an English rock group formed in 1981. The band was labelled a supergroup as it included former members of several veteran progressive rock bands, namely John Wetton , Geoff Downes , Steve Howe and Carl Palmer Asia are an English rock group formed in 1981. The band was labelled a...
and White toured with Circa. Anderson also commented that he had also composed some new music with former Yes bandmate Trevor Rabin, although to date this music has not surfaced..
Yes themselves were due to return for a 2008 world tour in honour of the band's 40th anniversary, titled Close to the Edge and Back. This tour would have featured
Oliver WakemanOliver Wakeman is a rock keyboardist, best known as a member of Yes, where he replaced his father, Rick Wakeman.-Biography:Oliver is the first son of Rick Wakeman, but his parents divorced when he was young....
sitting in on keyboards, in lieu of his father Rick, who had had to bow out on the advice of his doctors. At the time, Anderson claimed that the band had been preparing four new "lengthy, multi-movement compositions" for the tour which were "very, very different." (After the weak sales of Magnification, Anderson also suggested that "putting together an album really isn't logical any more," and no announcement was made as to a release of recordings of the new material in any form.)
Anderson had been experiencing respiratory problems on his solo tours, as he puts it "I was coughing so much that the only time I wasn't coughing was onstage. " The proposed Yes tour was cancelled when Anderson was admitted to the hospital in May 2008 following a severe asthma attack. He was diagnosed with acute respiratory failure, and doctors advised him not to work for at least six months in order to avoid suffering further health complications. On 4 June 2008, the band officially put their tour plans on hold. Anderson has said "I just needed a break, but the guys were upset about that."
The perpetuation of Yes: more line-up changes & tours (2008–2011)
On 4 November 2008 in Hamilton, Ontario, Canada, the band began a separate North American tour titled "In The Present" as "Steve Howe, Chris Squire, and Alan White of Yes", featuring Howe, Squire, and White, along with Oliver Wakeman on keyboards and a newcomer replacing Jon Anderson as lead vocalist, Canadian singer
Benoît DavidBenoît David is a Canadian singer who is the lead vocalist of the English progressive rock band Yes and Canadian band Mystery. He was selected by Yes in 2008 to stand in for long-time vocalist Jon Anderson, who left the band due to ill health...
, previously known as the lead singer of the progressive rock band
MysteryMystery are a Canadian Progressive Rock band formed in 1986 by guitarist/keyboard player Michel St-Pere. Originally the band had no stable lineup, but in 1990 a lineup formed featuring Pere on guitars, along with Raymond Savoie on vocals, Stephane Perreault on drums, and Benoit Dupuis on Keyboards...
and of a Yes tribute band called Close to the Edge.
'Aliens (Are Only Us From The Future)', a brand new song presumably written by Chris Squire was added to the set-list and played at most of the shows on tour.
David's position as lead singer on the tour led many to question Anderson's ongoing role in the band, and even whether Anderson remained a member of Yes. The issue was complicated by the fact that the shows were formally billed as "Howe, Squire, and White of Yes," (although many reports and outlets simply referred to the band as "Yes") and because the band did not provide a clear statement as to whether or not Anderson's absence was permanent.
Anderson's own public reaction was one of disappointment, with the singer stating on his website that he felt "disappointed" and "disrespected" by the move and by the lack of contact the other members had had with him since his illness. Later, this announcement was removed from his website, and Squire has since said that the tour had Anderson's "blessings." Subsequently, Anderson conducted solo tours in Europe and North America, and a tour with Rick Wakeman was held in 2010.
In February 2009, the "In the Present" tour was cut short (and the remaining shows, mostly in the Western USA, cancelled) due to Squire requiring emergency leg surgery (plus a month of recuperation). Howe took advantage of the cancellations to fit in some more work with
AsiaAsia are an English rock group formed in 1981. The band was labelled a supergroup as it included former members of several veteran progressive rock bands, namely John Wetton , Geoff Downes , Steve Howe and Carl Palmer Asia are an English rock group formed in 1981. The band was labelled a...
. Following Squire's recovery (and similarly taking advantage of the gap in Yes' tour schedule) Squire and White reunited with Rabin at a benefit reception on 18 April 2009 in Snoqualmie, Washington, playing the music of
John LennonJohn Winston Lennon, MBE was an English musician and singer-songwriter who rose to worldwide fame as one of the founding members of The Beatles, one of the most commercially successful and critically acclaimed acts in the history of popular music...
.
The Yes tour resumed in the summer of 2009 and continued into 2010, with the same "In the Present" band. Now simply billed as "Yes," they played shows in Europe and North America. This tour featured Asia as an opening act, with Howe playing with both bands. Yes began further touring in June/July 2010 on a bill with
Peter FramptonPeter Kenneth Frampton is an English musician, singer, producer, guitarist and multi-instrumentalist. He was previously associated with the bands Humble Pie and The Herd. Frampton's international breakthrough album was his live release, Frampton Comes Alive!. The album sold over 6 million copies...
. On 9 July 2010, Rabin performed live with Yes onstage, for a one-time show at the Greek Theater in Los Angeles, for the first time in nearly six years.
On 15 October 2009, Squire confirmed in a radio interview that
Oliver WakemanOliver Wakeman is a rock keyboardist, best known as a member of Yes, where he replaced his father, Rick Wakeman.-Biography:Oliver is the first son of Rick Wakeman, but his parents divorced when he was young....
and
Benoît DavidBenoît David is a Canadian singer who is the lead vocalist of the English progressive rock band Yes and Canadian band Mystery. He was selected by Yes in 2008 to stand in for long-time vocalist Jon Anderson, who left the band due to ill health...
were official members of the band, stating "this is now Yes." It was also revealed that the new line-up had been working on new material and would enter the studio in Autumn 2010. Allaying further speculation regarding the state of Yes personnel, Howe has gone on to state categorically that Jon Anderson will not be working with the band on the new studio album, asserting that "this is the line-up that actually ... does the work. We're the perpetuation, the continuation, and the saga of Yes."
After a South American autumn leg of its 2010 tour, Yes embarked in March 2011 on its North American "Rite of Spring" tour which concluded with two shows in
MexicoThe United Mexican States , commonly known as Mexico , is a federal constitutional republic in North America. It is bordered on the north by the United States; on the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; on the southeast by Guatemala, Belize, and the Caribbean Sea; and on the east by the Gulf of...
in May 2011.
New studio album: Fly From Here (2011)
On 29 October 2010, Yes announced the signing of a worldwide recording deal with the Italian-based record label
Frontiers RecordsFrontiers Records is an Italian record label, predominantly producing melodic rock. It was formed in 1996 by Serafino Perugino and is based in Naples, Italy.-History:...
. The band commenced recording a new album in Los Angeles (with producer
Trevor HornTrevor Charles Horn CBE is an English pop music record producer, songwriter, musician and singer. He was born in Houghton-le-Spring in north-east England....
) in October 2010. Recording continued in November 2010 and again in January 2011. In March 2011, Squire announced that the band has "just finished recording the album" but that it "won’t be finished until the end of April". It would be the first new Yes studio album in a decade.
On 30 March 2011, the band's official website announced
Geoff DownesGeoffrey "Geoff" Downes is an English rock keyboard player, songwriter, best known as the keyboardist for the bands The Buggles, Yes and Asia, of which he is the only consistent member. When he was a keyboardist for The Buggles, he played multiple keyboards to achieve a New Wave technopop sound...
was returning to the band, replacing Oliver Wakeman on keyboards. According to Wakeman's website, it was not his decision to leave. With Horn producing, co-writing and doing some backing vocals, this was almost a return to the Drama line-up.
The new album, called
Fly from Here-Reaction from Anderson:In an interview with Rolling Stone, Anderson stated that on hearing the single "We Can Fly" he felt it sounded "a bit dated" and that Horn's production "wasn't as good as I expected"...
, was released on 22 June 2011 in Japan and France, on 1 July in the rest of Europe and Australia and on 12 July in the United States. A joint tour with
StyxStyx is an American rock band that became famous for its albums from the late 1970s and early 1980s. The Chicago band is known for melding the style of prog-rock with the power of hard rock guitar, strong ballads, and elements of American musical theater....
commenced on 4 July in support of the album. A European winter tour began in November and is scheduled to run into December 2011. In 2012, Yes will return to Australia as one of the headline acts of the 23rd Annual Byron Bay Bluesfest.
Squire has stated that he is open to Anderson returning to the band, but stated that it would not happen before at least another year promoting the new album. Anderson has been openly critical of Fly From Here, calling the sound "a bit dated" and "the production wasn't as good as I expected." calling Trevor Horn "a great producer" but asking "what the hell are you doing?" to the band. The six-part title track "Fly From Here" is based on a song by Trevor Horn and Geoff Downes that did not make either the Drama album or the ensuing second
BugglesThe Buggles were an English New Wave band consisting of Trevor Horn and Geoff Downes . They are remembered chiefly for their 1979 debut single "Video Killed the Radio Star" that was #1 on the singles chart in 16 countries. Its music video was the first to be shown on MTV in the U.S...
album for which a version was recorded. A shortened live version "We Can Fly From Here" can be found on "Yes: the Word is Live" disc 3 while the original Buggles version was finally released on a much-expanded 2010 reissue of their second album
Adventures in Modern RecordingAdventures in Modern Recording is the second and last studio album by the British synthpop duo The Buggles released in 1981 on Carrere Records. Made one year after their stint as members of Yes, the album contains nine tracks, including a stripped-down version of Yes's "Into the Lens", here...
.
Discography
Note: Only the main albums (the studio albums and two first historic live albums) are listed below. The ABWH album is also incuded to show a coherent timeline of the Yes and ABWH bands merging in 1991.
- Yes (1969)
- Time and a Word
Time and a Word is the second album by progressive rock band Yes, released in mid-1970 in the UK and November 1970 in the US. This was the last Yes album to feature the group's original line-up, as Peter Banks was fired before the album's release....
(1970)
- The Yes Album
The Yes Album is the third studio album from the English progressive rock band Yes, released on Atlantic Records. It is the last record to feature keyboardist Tony Kaye until 1983, and the first to feature guitarist Steve Howe, who replaced Peter Banks in 1970...
(1971)
- Fragile
Fragile is the fourth studio album from the English progressive rock band Yes, released on Atlantic Records. It is the first to feature keyboardist Rick Wakeman, who replaced Tony Kaye in 1971, and the first to feature cover art by Roger Dean, who would design many of the band's records.Upon its...
(1971)
- Close to the Edge (1972)
- Yessongs
Yessongs is the first live album from the English progressive rock band Yes, released on Atlantic Records. The album is formed of recordings from their supporting world tours for their studio albums, Fragile and Close to the Edge, between February and December 1972...
(live) (1973)
- Tales from Topographic Oceans
-2003 CD re-issue:A remastered edition was released in 2003, which restored a two-minute ambient section at the beginning of the album's first song. This section was deleted at the last minute before the album was originally pressed...
(1973)
- Relayer
-Personnel:*Jon Anderson – lead vocals*Steve Howe – acoustic and electric guitars, vocals*Patrick Moraz – keyboards*Chris Squire – bass guitar and vocals*Alan White – drums, percussion-Production:*Produced By Yes & Eddie Offord...
(1974)
- Going for the One
Going for the One is the eighth studio album from the English progressive rock band Yes, released in 1977 on Atlantic Records. It was produced after an extended break for solo activity from the group, and marks the return of keyboardist Rick Wakeman, who had departed in 1974 after the Tales from...
(1977)
- Tormato
Tormato is the ninth studio album by British progressive rock group Yes. Issued as the follow-up to 1977's acclaimed Going for the One, Tormato received less than charitable reviews upon release and its virtues are still a matter of debate for Yes fans and critics...
(1978)
- Drama
Drama is the tenth studio album by British progressive rock group Yes. It is the first of two Yes albums without vocalist Jon Anderson. In early 1980, after rehearsing music for the follow-up to the tepidly-received Tormato, both Anderson and Rick Wakeman departed the band over creative and...
(1980)
- Yesshows
Yesshows is the second live album by British progressive rock group Yes. Released shortly after the appearance of Drama, Yesshows comprises live performances ranging from the summer of 1976 to the supporting tour for Tormato in 1978...
(live) (1980)
- 90125
-Yes:*Jon Anderson – lead vocals*Tony Kaye – keyboards*Trevor Rabin – guitars, additional keyboards, backing vocals*Chris Squire – bass, backing vocals*Alan White – drums, percussion, backing vocals- Studio personnel :...
(1983)
- 9012Live (1984)
- Big Generator
Big Generator is the twelfth studio album by progressive rock band Yes. It was released in 1987 on Atlantic Records' Atco subsidiary label and was the follow-up to the massively successful 90125 album.- History :...
(1987)
- Anderson Bruford Wakeman Howe
Anderson Bruford Wakeman Howe is the self-titled album by four alumni of the progressive rock group Yes: Jon Anderson, Bill Bruford, Rick Wakeman, and Steve Howe.- History :The project began in 1988...
(1989)
- Union (1991)
- Talk (1994)
- Keys to Ascension
Keys to Ascension is a double album by the British progressive rock group Yes and was released in 1996. The last time Jon Anderson, Chris Squire, Steve Howe, Rick Wakeman and Alan White had worked together on officially released studio recordings was 1978's Tormato...
(studio & live) (1996)
- Keys to Ascension 2
Keys to Ascension 2 is a double album by the British progressive rock group Yes and was released in 1997. It is the successor to the critically acclaimed Keys to Ascension 2-CD set from 1996...
(studio & live) (1997)
- Open Your Eyes
Open Your Eyes is the seventeenth studio album by progressive rock band Yes, released in 1997. The follow-up to the twin projects Keys to Ascension and Keys to Ascension 2, Open Your Eyes marked Billy Sherwood becoming an official member of Yes, following Rick Wakeman's departure.-History:Sherwood...
(1997)
- The Ladder
* "Top Pop Albums 1955-2001", Joel Whitburn, c. 2002...
(1999)
- Magnification
Magnification is the nineteenth studio album by progressive rock band Yes, released in 2001. It was the band's first album of the new century, and their second with a full orchestra...
(2001)
- Fly from Here
-Reaction from Anderson:In an interview with Rolling Stone, Anderson stated that on hearing the single "We Can Fly" he felt it sounded "a bit dated" and that Horn's production "wasn't as good as I expected"...
(2011)
- In the Present: Live From Lyon (2011)
Videography
| Year |
Video |
Director |
| 1977 |
"Wonderous Stories" |
|
| 1978 |
"Don't Kill the Whale" |
|
| 1978 |
"Madrigal" |
|
| 1980 |
"Tempus Fugit" |
|
| 1980 |
"Into the Lens" |
|
| 1983 |
"Owner of a Lonely Heart" |
|
| 1983 |
"Leave It" |
|
| 1983 |
"It Can Happen" |
|
| 1985 |
"Hold On" (live) |
|
| 1987 |
"Love Will Find a Way" |
|
| 1987 |
"Rhythm of Love" |
|
| 1991 |
"Lift Me Up" |
|
| 2001 |
"Don't Go" |
|
| 2011 |
"We Can Fly" |
|
Personnel
| Year |
Lead vocals |
Guitar |
Keyboards |
Bass |
Drums |
| 1968–1970 |
Jon AndersonJon Anderson is an English singer-songwriter and musician best known as the former lead vocalist in the progressive rock band Yes...
|
Peter Banks Peter Banks is an English guitarist. He was the original guitarist of the progressive rock band Yes.-Early career:When Banks was a young boy, his father bought him an acoustic guitar...
|
Tony KayeTony Kaye is a British musician.Kaye was the original keyboard player for the progressive rock group Yes from 1968 to 1971, and rejoined Yes from 1983 to 1995...
|
Chris Squire Christopher Russell Edward "Chris" Squire , is an English musician, known as the bass guitarist and backing vocalist for the progressive rock group Yes. He is the only member of the group to appear on every album.-Before Yes:...
|
Bill Bruford William Scott "Bill" Bruford is an English drummer, percussionist, composer, producer, and record label owner. He was the original drummer for the progressive rock group Yes, from 1968-1972. Bruford has performed for numerous popular acts since the early 1970s, including a stint as touring...
|
| 1970–1971 |
Steve Howe Stephen James "Steve" Howe is an English guitarist, known for his work with the progressive rock group Yes...
|
| 1971–1972 |
Rick Wakeman Richard Christopher Wakeman is an English keyboard player, composer and songwriter best known for being the former keyboardist in the progressive rock band Yes...
|
| 1972–1974 |
Alan White Alan White is an English rock drummer known for his work with the progressive rock band Yes. White was also a member of the Plastic Ono Band, playing live in 1969 at the Toronto Rock and Roll Revival, which was recorded and released three months later as Live Peace in Toronto 1969...
|
| 1974–1976 |
Patrick Moraz Patrick Philippe Moraz is a progressive rock keyboard player. He is best known as the keyboardist for the progressive rock band Yes, from 1974 to 1976, and the Moody Blues from 1978 to 1991...
|
| 1976–1980 |
Rick Wakeman |
| 1980–1981 |
Trevor Horn Trevor Charles Horn CBE is an English pop music record producer, songwriter, musician and singer. He was born in Houghton-le-Spring in north-east England....
|
Geoff Downes Geoffrey "Geoff" Downes is an English rock keyboard player, songwriter, best known as the keyboardist for the bands The Buggles, Yes and Asia, of which he is the only consistent member. When he was a keyboardist for The Buggles, he played multiple keyboards to achieve a New Wave technopop sound...
|
| 1981–1983 |
Group disbanded |
| 1983–1989 |
Jon Anderson |
Trevor Rabin Trevor Charles Rabin is a South African born musician, best known as a guitarist, vocalist and songwriter for the British progressive rock band Yes from 1983–1994, and since then, as a film composer.- Early years :...
|
Tony Kaye
Trevor RabinTrevor Charles Rabin is a South African born musician, best known as a guitarist, vocalist and songwriter for the British progressive rock band Yes from 1983–1994, and since then, as a film composer.- Early years :...
(studio only) |
Chris Squire |
Alan White |
| 1990–1992 |
Trevor Rabin
Steve Howe |
Tony Kaye
Rick Wakeman |
Alan White
Bill Bruford |
| 1993–1994 |
Trevor Rabin
Billy SherwoodWilliam "Billy" Wyman Sherwood is a musician, record producer, and engineer.-Family:Sherwood comes from a musical family which includes his father Bobby Sherwood, who was an actor, musician, and big band leader, his mother Phyllis, a singer and drummer, and brother Michael, a keyboardist and...
(touring only) |
Tony Kaye
Trevor RabinTrevor Charles Rabin is a South African born musician, best known as a guitarist, vocalist and songwriter for the British progressive rock band Yes from 1983–1994, and since then, as a film composer.- Early years :...
|
Alan White |
| 1995–1997 |
Steve Howe |
Rick Wakeman |
| 1997 |
Steve Howe
Billy Sherwood |
Billy Sherwood (studio only) |
| 1997–2000 |
Igor Khoroshev Igor Petrovich Khoroshev is a Russian keyboard player living in the USA, best known for his work with Yes between 1997 and 2001. Khoroshev appeared on their studio albums Open Your Eyes and The Ladder and the live album House of Yes: Live from House of Blues.-Biography:Igor Khoroshev was born in...
|
| 2000 |
Steve Howe |
| 2001–2002 |
Tom Brislin Tom Brislin is an American keyboardist, vocalist, songwriter, and producer from New Jersey. He is the founding member of the rock band Spiraling, and plays or has played keyboards with several well-known acts...
(touring only) |
| 2002–2004 |
Rick Wakeman |
| 2004–2008 |
Group on hiatus |
| 2008–2011 |
Benoît David Benoît David is a Canadian singer who is the lead vocalist of the English progressive rock band Yes and Canadian band Mystery. He was selected by Yes in 2008 to stand in for long-time vocalist Jon Anderson, who left the band due to ill health...
|
Steve Howe |
Oliver Wakeman Oliver Wakeman is a rock keyboardist, best known as a member of Yes, where he replaced his father, Rick Wakeman.-Biography:Oliver is the first son of Rick Wakeman, but his parents divorced when he was young....
|
Chris Squire |
Alan White |
| 2011–present |
Geoff Downes |
Album line-up chart
| Album |
Yes |
Time and a Word Time and a Word is the second album by progressive rock band Yes, released in mid-1970 in the UK and November 1970 in the US. This was the last Yes album to feature the group's original line-up, as Peter Banks was fired before the album's release....
|
The Yes Album The Yes Album is the third studio album from the English progressive rock band Yes, released on Atlantic Records. It is the last record to feature keyboardist Tony Kaye until 1983, and the first to feature guitarist Steve Howe, who replaced Peter Banks in 1970...
|
Fragile Fragile is the fourth studio album from the English progressive rock band Yes, released on Atlantic Records. It is the first to feature keyboardist Rick Wakeman, who replaced Tony Kaye in 1971, and the first to feature cover art by Roger Dean, who would design many of the band's records.Upon its...
|
Close to the Edge |
Tales From Topographic Oceans -2003 CD re-issue:A remastered edition was released in 2003, which restored a two-minute ambient section at the beginning of the album's first song. This section was deleted at the last minute before the album was originally pressed...
|
Relayer-Personnel:*Jon Anderson – lead vocals*Steve Howe – acoustic and electric guitars, vocals*Patrick Moraz – keyboards*Chris Squire – bass guitar and vocals*Alan White – drums, percussion-Production:*Produced By Yes & Eddie Offord...
|
Going for the One Going for the One is the eighth studio album from the English progressive rock band Yes, released in 1977 on Atlantic Records. It was produced after an extended break for solo activity from the group, and marks the return of keyboardist Rick Wakeman, who had departed in 1974 after the Tales from...
|
Tormato Tormato is the ninth studio album by British progressive rock group Yes. Issued as the follow-up to 1977's acclaimed Going for the One, Tormato received less than charitable reviews upon release and its virtues are still a matter of debate for Yes fans and critics...
|
Drama Drama is the tenth studio album by British progressive rock group Yes. It is the first of two Yes albums without vocalist Jon Anderson. In early 1980, after rehearsing music for the follow-up to the tepidly-received Tormato, both Anderson and Rick Wakeman departed the band over creative and...
|
90125 |
Big Generator Big Generator is the twelfth studio album by progressive rock band Yes. It was released in 1987 on Atlantic Records' Atco subsidiary label and was the follow-up to the massively successful 90125 album.- History :...
|
Union |
Talk |
Keys to AscensionKeys to Ascension is a double album by the British progressive rock group Yes and was released in 1996. The last time Jon Anderson, Chris Squire, Steve Howe, Rick Wakeman and Alan White had worked together on officially released studio recordings was 1978's Tormato...
|
Keys to Ascension 2 Keys to Ascension 2 is a double album by the British progressive rock group Yes and was released in 1997. It is the successor to the critically acclaimed Keys to Ascension 2-CD set from 1996...
|
Open Your Eyes Open Your Eyes is the seventeenth studio album by progressive rock band Yes, released in 1997. The follow-up to the twin projects Keys to Ascension and Keys to Ascension 2, Open Your Eyes marked Billy Sherwood becoming an official member of Yes, following Rick Wakeman's departure.-History:Sherwood...
|
The Ladder * "Top Pop Albums 1955-2001", Joel Whitburn, c. 2002...
|
Magnification Magnification is the nineteenth studio album by progressive rock band Yes, released in 2001. It was the band's first album of the new century, and their second with a full orchestra...
|
Fly From Here -Reaction from Anderson:In an interview with Rolling Stone, Anderson stated that on hearing the single "We Can Fly" he felt it sounded "a bit dated" and that Horn's production "wasn't as good as I expected"...
|
| Vocals |
Jon Anderson |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Trevor Horn |
Jon Anderson |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Benoît David |
| Guitar |
Peter Banks |
|
Steve Howe |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Trevor Rabin |
|
|
|
Steve Howe |
|
|
|
|
|
| Guitar 2 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Steve Howe |
|
|
|
Billy Sherwood |
|
|
|
| Keyboards |
Tony Kaye |
|
|
Rick Wakeman |
|
|
Patrick Moraz |
Rick Wakeman |
|
Geoff Downes |
Tony Kaye |
|
|
|
Rick Wakeman |
|
Igor Khoroshev |
Alan White |
Geoff Downes |
| Keyboards 2 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Trevor Rabin |
|
Rick Wakeman |
Trevor Rabin |
|
|
Igor Khoroshev |
|
|
Oliver Wakeman |
| Drums |
Bill Bruford |
|
|
|
|
Alan White |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| Drums 2 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Bill Bruford |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| Bass |
Chris Squire |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Note that Trevor Rabin played many of the keyboards in the studio during his time in Yes. In addition, Tony Levin handled the bass role as a session musician on the majority of Union.
Covers and remixes
In 2005, DJ
Max Graham Max Graham is a Canadian DJ, composer and producer who manages to transcend genres while producing international hits in the dance music scene. He is most famous for his hits “Sun in the Winter” and “Nothing Else Matters”, His Cycles CD Series/Radio show as well as his remix of the classic song...
remixed Yes' "Owner of a Lonely Heart," credited to Max Graham Vs. Yes. The song reached the Top 10 on the UK Singles Chart.
Two characters in the film
The Break-UpThe Break-Up is a 2006 American comedy-drama romance film directed by Peyton Reed, starring Jennifer Aniston and Vince Vaughn. It was written by Jay Lavender and Jeremy Garelick and produced by Universal Pictures.-Plot:...
sing "Owner of a Lonely Heart"
a cappellaA cappella music is specifically solo or group singing without instrumental sound, or a piece intended to be performed in this way. It is the opposite of cantata, which is accompanied singing. A cappella was originally intended to differentiate between Renaissance polyphony and Baroque concertato...
at a dinner. The song is included on the soundtrack album of music from the film.
After the release of 90125, Yes released an extended single "disco" remix of "Owner of a Lonely Heart" called "The Red and Blue Mix" on cassette tape. A version of Leave It using scratching was on the B-side. This version was filmed and was an introduction video on a subsequent tour.
Members participations
- 1999 : Encore, Legends, & Paradox, produced by Robert Berry
Robert Berry is an American guitarist, vocalist and producer, best known for his work with Hush, 3, Ambrosia, Alliance & Los Tres Gusanos.-History:...
and drummer Trent Gartner, with 10 tracks of ELPEmerson, Lake & Palmer, also known as ELP, are an English progressive rock supergroup. They found success in the 1970s and sold over forty million albums and headlined large stadium concerts. The band consists of Keith Emerson , Greg Lake and Carl Palmer...
by 23 musicians (members of Yes (Banks, Khoroshev, Downes), Asia (Wetton, Downes),..)
- 2002 : Pigs & Pyramids-An All Star Lineup Performing The Songs Of Pink Floyd
Pink Floyd were an English rock band that achieved worldwide success with their progressive and psychedelic rock music. Their work is marked by the use of philosophical lyrics, sonic experimentation, innovative album art, and elaborate live shows. Pink Floyd are one of the most commercially...
– song 3# Comfortably Numb by Squire, White and Sherwood, + Kaye...
- 2005 : Back Against The Wall (A Tribute To Pink Floyd
Pink Floyd were an English rock band that achieved worldwide success with their progressive and psychedelic rock music. Their work is marked by the use of philosophical lyrics, sonic experimentation, innovative album art, and elaborate live shows. Pink Floyd are one of the most commercially...
), produced by Billy Sherwood, with Squire, Howe, White, Wakeman, Kaye, Sherwood, Downes, Wetton, Emerson (ELP)... (Comfortably Numb reprise)
- 2006 : A Tribute To Pink Floyd
Pink Floyd were an English rock band that achieved worldwide success with their progressive and psychedelic rock music. Their work is marked by the use of philosophical lyrics, sonic experimentation, innovative album art, and elaborate live shows. Pink Floyd are one of the most commercially...
– Return To The Dark Side Of The Moon, produced by Billy Sherwood, with Sherwood, Wakeman, Howe, Kaye, White, Bruford, Banks, Downes, Wetton, Levin (King Crimson), Moulding (XTCXTC were a New Wave band from Swindon, England, active between 1976 and 2005. The band enjoyed some chart success, including the UK and Canadian hits "Making Plans for Nigel" and "Senses Working Overtime" , but are perhaps even better known for their long-standing critical success.- Early years:...
)...
- 2008 : Led Box: The Ultimate Tribute To Led Zeppelin
Led Zeppelin were an English rock band, active in the late 1960s and throughout the 1970s. Formed in 1968, they consisted of guitarist Jimmy Page, singer Robert Plant, bassist/keyboardist John Paul Jones, and drummer John Bonham...
, with Sherwood, Kaye, Wakeman, Downes, Wetton, Emerson (ELP)...
- 2009 : Abbey Road: A Tribute To The Beatles
The Beatles were an English rock band, active throughout the 1960s and one of the most commercially successful and critically acclaimed acts in the history of popular music. Formed in Liverpool, by 1962 the group consisted of John Lennon , Paul McCartney , George Harrison and Ringo Starr...
, produded by Billy Sherwood too, with Sherwood, Kaye, White, Downes, Wetton...
English
- Yes: The Authorized Biography, Dan Hedges, London, Sidgwick and Jackson Limited, 1981
- Yes: But What Does It Mean?, Thomas Mosbø, Milton, a Wyndstar Book, 1994
- Yesstories: Yes In Their Own Words, Tim Morse and Yes, St. Martin's Griffin Publishing, 15 May 1996
- Music of Yes: Structure and Vision in Progressive Rock, Bill Martin, Chicago e La Salle, Open Court, 1 November 1996
- Close To the Edge – The Story Of Yes, Chris Welch, Omnibus Press, 1999/2003/2008
- Yes, an endless dream of '70s, '80s and '90s rock music: an unauthorised interpretative history in three phases, Stuart Chambers, General Store Publishing House, jan. 2001
- Beyond and Before: The Formative Years of Yes, Peter Banks & Billy James, Bentonville, Golden Treasure Publishing, 2001
- Yes: Perpetual Change, David Watkinson and Rick Wakeman, Plexus Publishing, 1 November 2001
- Yes: An Endless Dream Of '70s, '80s And '90s Rock Music, Stuart Chambers, Burnstown, General Store Publishing House, 2002
- Yes Tales: An Unauthorized Biography Of Rock's Most Cosmic Band, Scott Robinson, in Limerick Form, Lincoln, Writers Club Press, iUniverse Inc., 2002
- The Extraordinary World Of Yes, Alan Farley, Paperback, 2004
- Bill Bruford: The Autobiography: Yes, King Crimson, Earthworks, and More, Bill Bruford, 6 March 2009, Jawbone Press, London
- Mountains Come Out of the Sky: The Illustrated History of Prog Rock, Will Romano, 1 November 2010
Italian
- Yes , Paolo Battigelli; Armando Gallo, Roma, éd. Fratelli Gallo, 1985
- Progressive & Underground '67 – '76, Cesare Rizzi, Florence, Giunti Editore, 2003
- Fragile: La Storia Degli Yes, Chris Welch, traduction Stefano Pogelli, éd. Stampa alternativa, 2009
Songbooks
- Yes: Back from the Edge, Mike Mettler, Guitar School 3, no. 5, September 1991
- Classic Yes – Selections from Yesyears, April 1993
External links