Yes - The Studio Albums 1969-1987 [2013, 13CD Box-Set]

The Studio Albums 1969-1987 includes expanded and remastered versions all 12 studio albums released by the prog rock band during this period. They are Yes (1969), Time and a Word (1970), The Yes Album (1971), Fragile (1971), Close to the Edge (1972), Tale from Topographic Oceans (1973), Relayer (1974), Going for the One (1977), Tormato (1978), Drama (1980), 90125 (1983) and Big Generator (1987).

In total, 66 bonus tracks (previously released) feature in this box, including the Love Will Find A Way and Rhythm Of Love remixes that were appended to the Japanese issue of Big Generator.

This set will be packaged in the familiar clamshell style rigid card box, with the 13 CDs packaged in simple ‘vinyl replica’ card sleeves. The set will also feature new Roger Dean artwork.

~ superdeluxeedition

Yes' debut album is surprisingly strong, given the inexperience of all those involved at the time. In an era when psychedelic meanderings were the order of the day, Yes delivered a surprisingly focused and exciting record that covered lots of bases (perhaps too many) in presenting their sound. The album opens boldly, with the fervor of a metal band of the era playing full tilt on "Beyond and Before," but it is with the second number, a cover of the Byrds' "I See You," that they show some of their real range. The song is highlighted by an extraordinary jazz workout from lead guitarist Peter Banks and drummer Bill Bruford that runs circles around the original by Roger McGuinn and company. "Harold Land" was the first song on which Chris Squire's bass playing could be heard in anything resembling the prominence it would eventually assume in their sound and anticipates in its structure the multi-part suites the group would later record, with its extended introduction and its myriad shifts in texture, timbre, and volume. And then there is "Every Little Thing," the most daring Beatles cover ever to appear on an English record, with an apocalyptic introduction and extraordinary shifts in tempo and dynamics, Banks' guitar and Bruford's drums so animated that they seem to be playing several songs at once. This song also hosts an astonishingly charismatic performance by Jon Anderson. There were numerous problems in recording this album, owing to the inexperience of the group, the producer, and the engineer, in addition to the unusual nature of their sound. Many of the numbers give unusual prominence to the guitar and drums, thus making it the most uncharacteristic of all the group's albums.

by Bruce Eder, AMG

Tracklist:

01. Beyond and Before - 4:56
02. I See You - 6:53
03. Yesterday and Today - 2:52
04. Looking Around - 4:20
05. Harold Land - 5:47
06. Every Little Thing - 5:47
07. Sweetness - 4:35
08. Survival - 6:23

Bonus Tracks:

09. Everydays [UK single B-side, October 1969, bonus track] - 6:24
10. Dear Father [Early Version #2, previously unreleased, bonus track] - 5:52
11. Something's Coming [UK single, April 1969, bonus track] - 7:10
12. Everydays [Early version, previously unreleased, bonus track] - 5:19
13. Dear Father [Early version #1, previously unreleased, bonus track] - 5:32
14. Something's Coming [Early version, previously unreleased, bonus track] - 8:02

Yes' second (and least successful) album was a transitional effort; the group trying for a more produced and sophisticated sound through the use of an orchestra. Even so, the results weren't conventional, because the group didn't tone down or turn down its sound. Much of Time and a Word relies on bold, highly animated performances by Bill Bruford, Chris Squire, and Tony Kaye. Additionally, by this time the group was developing a much tauter ensemble than was evident on their first LP, so there's no lack of visceral excitement. "No Opportunity Necessary, No Experience Needed" was a bold opening, a highly amplified, frenzied adaptation of the Richie Havens song, melded with Jerome Moross's title music from the movie The Big Country. Somewhat more successful musically is "Then," which keeps the orchestral accompaniment to a minimum and allows Kaye and Banks to stretch out on organ and guitar. "Everydays" is highlighted by Anderson's ethereal vocals and Kaye's dueting with the orchestra. A surprising amount of the material here seems rather tuneless, but the group was solidifying its sound and, in the process, forcing Banks out of the lineup, despite some beautiful moments for him (and Tony Kaye) on the prettiest parts of "The Prophet," a piece that also contains fragments of music that anticipate Yes' work right up through Tales from Topographic Oceans. "Astral Traveller," as a title, anticipates the themes of future group work, though they still don't have the dexterity to pull off the tempo changes they're trying for. By the time the record was completed, Banks was out of the band, which is why Steve Howe, his successor, ended up pictured on the cover of most editions.

by Bruce Eder, AMG

Tracklist:

01. No Opportunity Necessary, No Experience Needed - 4:53
02. Then - 5:50
03. Everydays - 6:12
04. Sweet Dreams - 3:52
05. The Prophet - 6:39
06. Clear Days - 2:09
07. Astral Traveller - 5:57
08. Time And A Word - 4:40
09. Dear Father - 4:15

Bonus Tracks:

10. No Opportunity Necessary, No Experience Needed (Original Mix) - 4:46
11. Sweet Dreams (Original Mix) - 4:21
12. The Prophet (Single Version) - 6:34

he album that first gave shape to the established Yes sound, build around science-fiction concepts, folk melodies, and soaring organ, guitar, and vocal showpieces. "Your Move" actually made the U.S. charts as a single, and "Starship Trooper," "Perpetual Change," and "Yours Is No Disgrace" became much-loved parts of the band's concert repertory for many tours to come. Remastered in 1995, with significantly improved sound.

by Bruce Eder, AMG

Tracklist:

01. Yours Is No Disgrace - 9:41
02. Clap (Live) - 3:17
03. Starship Trooper A) Life Seeker, B) Disillusion, C) Wurm - 9:29
04. I've Seen All Good People A) Your Move, B) All Good People - 6:55
05. A Venture - 3:20
06. Perpetual Change - 8:57

Bonus Tracks:

07. Your Move (Single Version) - 3:00
08. Life Seeker (Single Version) - 3:28
09. Clap (Studio Version) - 4:02

Fragile was Yes' breakthrough album, propelling them in a matter of weeks from a cult act to an international phenomenon; not coincidentally, it also marked the point where all of the elements of the music (and more) that would define their success for more than a decade fell into place fully formed. The science-fiction and fantasy elements that had driven the more successful songs on their preceding record, The Yes Album, were pushed much harder here, and not just in the music but in the packaging of the album:the Roger Dean-designed cover was itself a fascinating creation that seemed to relate to the music and drew the purchaser's attention in a manner that few records since the heyday of the psychedelic era could match. Having thrown original keyboard player Tony Kaye overboard early in the sessions – principally over his refusal to accept the need for the Moog synthesizer in lieu of his preferred Hammond organ – the band welcomed Rick Wakeman into its ranks. His use of the Moog, among other instruments, coupled with an overall bolder and more aggressive style of playing, opened the way for a harder, hotter sound by the group as a whole; bassist Chris Squire sounds like he's got his amp turned up to "12," and Steve Howe's electric guitars are not far behind, although the group also displayed subtlety where it was needed. The opening minute of "Roundabout," the album opener – and the basis for the edited single that would reach number 13 on the Billboard charts and get the group onto AM radio in a way that most other prog rock outfits could only look upon with envy – was dominated by Howe's acoustic guitar and Bill Bruford‘s drums, and only in the middle section did the band show some of what they could do with serious amperage. Elsewhere on the record, as on "South Side of the Sky," they would sound as though they were ready to leave the ground (and the planet), between the volume and intensity of their playing. "Long Distance Runaround," which also served as the B-side of the single, was probably the most accessible track here apart from "Roundabout," but they were both ambitious enough to carry most listeners on to the heavier sides at the core of this long player. The solo tracks by the members were actually a necessity: they needed to get Fragile out in a hurry to cover the cost of the keyboards that Wakeman had added to the group's sonic arsenal. But they ended up being more than filler. Each member, in effect, took a "bow" in mostly fairly serious settings, and Squire's "The Fish" and Howe's "Mood For a Day" pointed directly to future, more substantial projects as well as taking on a life of their own on-stage. If not exactly their peak, Fragile was as perfect a record as the group would ever make, and just as flawless in its timing as its content.

by Bruce Eder, AMG

Tracklist:

01. Roundabout - 8:36
02. Cans And Brahms - 1:43
03. We Have Heaven - 1:40
04. South Side Of The Sky - 7:58
05. Five Per Cent Of Nothing - 0:38
06. Long Distance Runaround - 3:30
07. The Fish (Schindleria Praematurus) - 2:42
08. Mood For A Day - 3:03
09. Heart Of The Sunrise - 11:33

Bonus Tracks:

10. America - 10:33
11. Roundabout [Early Rough Mix] - 8:35

With 1971's Fragile having left Yes poised quivering on the brink of what friend and foe acknowledged was the peak of the band's achievement, Close to the Edge was never going to be an easy album to make. Drummer Bill Bruford was already shifting restlessly against Jon Anderson's increasingly mystic/mystifying lyricism, while contemporary reports of the recording sessions depicted bandmate Rick Wakeman, too, as little more than an observer to the vast tapestry that Anderson, Steve Howe, and Chris Squire were creating. For it was vast. Close to the Edge comprised just three tracks, the epic "And You and I" and "Siberian Khatru," plus a side-long title track that represented the musical, lyrical, and sonic culmination of all that Yes had worked toward over the past five years. Close to the Edge would make the Top Five on both sides of the Atlantic, dispatch Yes on the longest tour of its career so far and, if hindsight be the guide, launch the band on a downward swing that only disintegration, rebuilding, and a savage change of direction would cure. The latter, however, was still to come. In 1972, Close to the Edge was a flawless masterpiece.

by Dave Thompson, AMG

Tracklist:

01. Close To The Edge - 18:43
02. And You And I - 10:09
03. Siberian Khatru - 9:01

Bonus Tracks:

04. America [Single Version] - 4:13
05. Total Mass Retain [Single Version] - 3:21
06. And You And I [Alternate Version] - 10:18
07. Siberia [Studio Run-Through Of 'Siberian Khatru'] - 9:20

Four decades after its release, this is still the most controversial record in Yes' output. Tales from Topographic Oceans was the place where Yes either fulfilled all of the promise shown on their previous five albums or slid off the rails in a fit of artistic hubris, especially on the part of lead singer Jon Anderson and guitarist Steve Howe, who dominated the composition credits here. Actually, the group probably did a bit of both here across 80 minutes of music on a fully packed double-LP set; the group's musical ambitions were obvious on its face, as it consisted of four long songs (really suites) each taking up a side of an album, and each longer than the previous album's side-long "Close to the Edge." And Tales had a jumping-off point that was as far advanced in complexity and density as Close to the Edge had been out in front of its predecessor, Fragile, – and all of it made The Yes Album seem like basic rock & roll. Anderson, by virtue of his voice and lyrics, is the dominant personality on Tales, and his fascination with Eastern religion is fully manifest, as never before (or since). Confronted by song titles such as "The Revealing Science of God," and a concept derived from the Buddhist Shastric scriptures, the casual listener might have felt in need of both a running start and a sheet of footnotes: Yes keyboard player Rick Wakeman clearly felt something along those lines, as it was while making this record that he decided to exit the group. And, yet, Tales contains some of the most sublimely beautiful musical passages ever to come from the group, and develops a major chunk of that music in depth and degrees in ways that one can only marvel at, though there's a big leap from marvel to enjoy. If one can grab onto it, Tales is a long, sometimes glorious musical ride across landscapes strange and wonderful, thick with enticing musical textures; it offers the Yes fan the chance to be a true "astral traveler." Apart from one percussion break by Alan White that doesn't come off (if there had to be a Yes album with a percussion solo, why couldn't it have come along when Bill Bruford was in the band?), the music never falls flat, and it's a pity that Wakeman couldn't appreciate the richness and vitality he brought to the album. And Anderson and Howe get to work in an extraordinarily wide range of musical voices. In another reality, perhaps the gorgeous, folk-like passages on Tales would have spawned songs of four or five minutes, but here they are, woven into these long-form pieces, and if one can take the plunge into these particular sonic oceans, and comfortably stay under long enough, it's a journey that will reward. But it's not a trip for everyone – or even every Yes fan – to take, especially not too soon after discovering the album.

by Bruce Eder, AMG

Tracklist CD1:

01. The Revealing Science of God . Dance of the Dawn - 22:37
02. The Remembering . High the Memory - 20:53
03. The Ancient . Giants Under the Sun - 18:35


Tracklist CD2:

01. Ritual - Nous Sommes Du Soleil - 21:52

Bonus Tracks:

02. Dance Of The Dawn (Studio Runthrough) - 23:36
03. Giants Under The Sun (Studio Runthrough) (Bonus Track) - 17:18

Yes had fallen out of critical favor with Tales from Topographic Oceans, a two-record set of four songs that reviewers found indulgent. But they had not fallen out of the Top Ten, and so they had little incentive to curb their musical ambitiousness. Relayer, released 11 months after Tales, was a single-disc, three-song album, its music organized into suites that alternated abrasive, rhythmically dense instrumental sections featuring solos for the various instruments with delicate vocal and choral sections featuring poetic lyrics devoted to spiritual imagery. Such compositions seemed intended to provide an interesting musical landscape over which the listener might travel, and enough Yes fans did that to make Relayer a Top Ten, gold-selling hit, though critics continued to complain about the lack of concise, coherent song structures.

by William Ruhlmann, AMG

Tracklist:

01. The Gates Of Delirium - 21:56
02. Sound Chaser - 9:27
03. To Be Over - 9:19

Bonus Tracks:

04. Soon [Single Edit] - 4:18
05. Sound Chaser [Single Edit] - 3:14
06. The Gates Of Delirium [Studio Run-Through] - 21:17

Going for the One is perhaps the most overlooked item in the Yes catalog. It marked Rick Wakeman's return to the band after a three-year absence, and also a return to shorter song forms after the experimentalism of Close to the Edge, Tales from Topographic Oceans, and Relayer. In many ways, this disc could be seen as the follow-up to Fragile. Its five tracks still retain mystical, abstract lyrical images, and the music is grand and melodic, the vocal harmonies perfectly balanced by the stinging guitar work of Steve Howe, Wakeman's keyboards, and the solid rhythms of Alan White and Chris Squire. The title track features Howe on steel guitar (he's the only prog rocker who bothers with the instrument). "Turn of the Century" and the album's single, "Wonderous Stories," are lovely ballads the way only Yes can do them. "Parallels" is the album's big, pompous song, so well done that in later years the band opened concerts with it. Wakeman's stately church organ, recorded at St. Martin's Church, Vevey, Switzerland, sets the tone for this "Roundabout"-ish track. The concluding "Awaken" is the album's nod to the extended suite. Again, the lyrics are spacy in the extreme, but Jon Anderson and Squire are dead-on vocally, and the addition of Anderson's harp and White's tuned percussion round out this evocative track.

by Ross Boissoneau, AMG

Tracklist:

01. Going For The One - 5:32
02. Turn Of The Century - 7:55
03. Parallels - 5:58
04. Wonderous Stories - 3:50
05. Awaken - 15:38

Bonus Tracks:

06. Montreux's Theme - 2:38
07. Vevey (Revisited) - 4:47
08. Amazing Grace - 2:36
09. Going For The One [Rehearsal] - 5:11
10. Parallels [Rehearsal] - 6:21
11. Turn Of The Century [Rehearsal] - 6:59
12. Eastern Numbers [Early Version Of 'Awaken'] - 12:17

The '70s model of Yes runs out of gas. Recorded in a morale slump and an impending haze of drink, Tormato's decent tunes are sabotaged by Rick Wakeman's increasing penchant for cheesy textures and the band's thin overall sound. "Don't Kill the Whale" was their last successful single for years; the soaring "Onward" almost but not quite redeems the twee silliness of "Arriving UFO" and "Circus of Heaven." Of special interest is the pounding "On the Silent Wings of Freedom," which pushes Chris Squire and Alan White to the front of the mix, establishing the kind of aggressive and straightforward rhythms that would propel the band through the '80s. Bass freaks, take note: this tune also marks one of the few appearances of the Dipthong pedal, accounting for Squire's distinctive "bow bow bow" sound.

by Paul Collins, AMG

Tracklist:

01. A.) Future Times B.) Rejoice - 6:47
02. Don't Kill The Whale - 3:58
03. Madrigal - 2:27
04. Release, Release - 5:49
05. Arriving UFO - 6:09
06. Circus Of Heaven - 4:32
07. Onward - 4:05
08. On The Silent Wings Of Freedom - 7:52

Bonus Tracks:

09. Abilene (B-Side To 'Don't Kill The Whale' Single) - 4:03
10. Money - 3:15
11. Picasso (Previously Unissued) - 2:12
12. Some Are Born (Previously Unissued) - 5:43
13. You Can Be Saved (Previously Unissued) - 4:20
14. High (Previously Unissued) - 4:30
15. Days (Demo) - 1:00
16. Countryside (Previously Unissued) - 3:12
17. Everybody's Song (Early Version Of 'Does It Really Happen) - 6:48
18. Onward (Orchestral Version) - 3:06

For this one album, ex-Buggles Geoffrey Downes and Trevor Horn were drafted in to replace Jon Anderson and Rick Wakeman. It rocks harder than other Yes albums, and for classically inclined fans, it was a jarring departure; but it was a harbinger of Yes and Asia albums to come. A newly emboldened Chris Squire lays down aggressive rhythms with Alan White, and Steve Howe eschews his usual acoustic rags and flamenco licks for a more metallic approach, opting for sheets of electric sound. Prime cuts include the doom-laden "Machine Messiah" and the manic ska inflections of "Tempus Fugit." Despite the promise of this new material, the band soon fell apart; Horn went into production, Howe and Downes joined Asia, and Squire and White toyed and then gave up on a pair-up with Robert Plant and Jimmy Page, which was to be titled XYZ (i.e., Ex-Yes and Zeppelin).

by Paul Collins, AMG

Tracklist:

01. Machine Messiah - 10:28
02. White Car - 1:21
03. Does It Really Happen? - 6:36
04. Into The Lens - 8:32
05. Run Though The Light - 4:43
06. Tempus Fugit - 5:22

Bonus Tracks:

07. Into The Lens (I Am a Camera) (Single Version) - 3:48
08. Run Through The Light (Single Version) - 4:31
09. Have We Really Got To Go Through This - 3:43
10. Song No. 4 (Satellite) - 7:32
11. Tempus Fugit (Tracking Session) - 5:40
12. White Car (Tracking Session) - 1:11
13. Dancing Through The Light - 3:17
14. Golden Age - 5:58
15. In The Tower - 2:55
16. Friend Of A Friend - 3:38

A stunning self-reinvention by a band that many had given up for dead, 90125 is the album that introduced a whole new generation of listeners to Yes. Begun as Cinema, a new band by Chris Squire and Alan White, the project grew to include the slick production of Trevor Horn, the new blood (and distinctly '80s guitar sound) of Trevor Rabin, and eventually the trademark vocals of returning founder Jon Anderson. His late entry insured that Rabin and Horn had a heavy influence on the sound. The album also marked the return of prodigal keyboardist Tony Kaye, whose crisp synth work on "Changes" marked the band's definitive break with its art rock roots. "Owner of a Lonely Heart" was a huge crossover hit, and its orchestral break has been relentlessly sampled by rappers ever since. The vocal harmonies of "Leave It" and the beautifully sprawling "Hearts" are additional high points, but there's nary a duff track on the album.

by Paul Collins, AMG

Tracklist:

01. Owner Of A Lonely Heart - 4:30
02. Hold On - 5:18
03. It Can Happen - 5:30
04. Changes - 6:20
05. Cinema - 2:08
06. Leave It - 4:14
07. Our Song - 4:18
08. City Of Love - 4:52
09. Hearts - 7:43

Bonus Tracks:

10. Leave It [Single Remix] - 3:57
11. Make It Easy - 6:12
12. It Can Happen [Cinema Version] - 6:05
13. It's Over - 5:41
14. Owner Of A Lonely Heart [Extended Remix] - 7:05
15. Leave It [A Capella Version] - 3:19

The four-years-in-the-making follow-up to Yes' comeback album, 90125, Big Generator was also a million-selling hit, although not as successful as its predecessor, probably because the singles "Love Will Find a Way" (number 30) and "Rhythm of Love" (number 40) couldn't match "Owner of a Lonely Heart" from the previous LP, even if they were favorites on AOR radio at the time. Actually, it was the title track that was a carbon copy of "Owner," so maybe that was the problem. More likely, though, "Owner" was a one-shot (courtesy of producer Trevor Horn), and as Yes asserted itself more here, the band reverted more to its old style, making for some confusion. Nevertheless, this album was Yes' last major hit.

by William Ruhlmann, AMG

Tracklist:

01. Rhythm Of Love - 4:48
02. Big Generator - 4:34
03. Shoot High Aim Low - 7:03
04. Almost Like Love - 5:01
05. Love Will Find A Way - 4:51
06. Final Eyes - 6:26
07. I'm Running - 7:38
08. Holy Lamb (Song For Harmonic Convergence) - 3:24

Bonus Tracks:

09. Love Will Find A Way (Edited Version) - 4:18
10. Love Will Find A Way (Extended Version) - 7:12
11. Rhythm Of Love (Dance To The Rhythm Mix) - 6:55
12. Rhythm Of Love (Move To The Rhythm Mix) - 4:26
13. Rhythm Of Love (The Rhythm Of Dub) - 7:51




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