The Yes Album Song by Song Thread

You all wanted it, here it is, my very first prog song by song, Yes' 1971 breakthrough The Yes Album, also the first With guitarist Steve Howe and the last with keyboardist Tony Kaye until his return in the eighties. Before we start, let's lay some ground rules:
1 - Please limit your comments to the song at hand, or songs that have already been discussed. You can let us know what your favorite song on the album is when we get to it.
2 - Please support your stated opinions, simply because it leads much more fruitful discussion than "This rocks" or "This sucks".

Also, I'd like to hear how you discovered this album and what your initial impressions were.

 

Great idea. I'm in. Start up Side One!

 

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How I Discovered This Album:
Yes was a band I knew of from Roundabout playing on classic rock radio, but it took me a while to actually check them out. First, I got Close to the Edge, since that was the one most people pointed to, and then I slowly worked myself backward, and I will say I love four of the first five albums. Is this one of the four? Let's see

 

OK. not my first choice but a good album.

Initial impressions: My Dad likes Yes a lot and I remember him playing stuff from this LP when I was a kid, but it didn't make an impression on me like when he played The Who, Beatles, Hendrix, Zep, Sabbath, Purple etc. To be honest I always thought I'd hate all Yes! I'm not into much prog.

Anyway, a few years ago I saw Yes on the German TV show Beat Club playing songs from this album and liked it. I then found The Yes Album, Fragile and Close To the Edge on vinyl at a car boot sale on vinyl in nice condition for only 50p each. So I picked them up to give a listen.

I always liked the cover of this one and liked most of it on first listen. To me it's more melodic, less clever arsed and pretentious than the other Yes albums I've heard. To be honest I can't get into much else by them at all. But I do play this occasionally and enjoy it. I'll play it this week as I'm not familiar with it all. There are some tracks I like a lot here though...

 

The difference between this and the other two you heard is that Tony Kaye is the keyboardist on here, so you may be more of a Tony Kaye guy. He goes for a more melodic and I guess simplistic style than Wakeman does.

 

Every track is brilliant.

 

I had this on last night, love it.

Starship Trooper & Wurm in particular is stupendous & a big shout for A Venture which doesn't get much attention but is a sublime track.

 

I know you're eager to talk about this record, but please wait until we get to those songs

 

Though Yes certainly made more grandiose and complex statements later on, the Yes Album remains my favorite of theirs. I love how positive the whole thing sounds; a feeling of pure, wide-eyed optimism permeates nearly every moment.

 

I'm in. When do we start talking about track 1?

I discovered Yes via Roundabout when it was a hit. A local group did a version of it at our county fair's Battle Of The Band and it made me want to know more about Yes. I got Fragile soon after and loved it. I can't remember how or when I finally made my way back to The Yes Album, probably a few years later when I found a Japanese pressing and bought it. I was familiar with the hits already, but finally got myself immersed in this classic record.

 

Yes, "Yours is No Disgrace" from 'The Yes Album' (1971): YESterdays

After two albums, Yes decided a change in direction was needed. With the ouster of founding member Peter Banks after 1970’s Time and a Word and the addition of guitar virtuoso Steve Howe, the band found the right chemistry.

In the fall of 1970, Yes went into Advision Studios with producer Eddie Offord (engineer on Time and a Word) to record what would become The Yes Album. The project begins with “Yours is No Disgrace,” which contains many elements which make Yes the world’s greatest progressive rock band.

Very much a whole group effort, “Yours is No Disgrace” features songwriting credit for all members. Indeed, while Yes fully embraced cover songs on the first two albums, they avoided them for this rebirth. Jon Anderson provided some of his most visual, yet compact lyrics up until that time on “Yours is No Disgrace.” Believed to be Yes’ first anti-war song, it conjures images of children entangled in a conflict of their parents.

Musically, “Yours is No Disgrace” jumps out of the speaker. With the blend of Bill Bruford’s snare drum, Steve Howe’s Gibson ES175 and Chris Squire’s Rickenbacker bass blasting off in stiletto harmony. Tony Kaye’s husky Hammond organ joins the march, then gives way to a Moog synthesizer break. Howe comes back with a fleet-fingered lead passage, which is supported by a moving, trebly bass run and snare-centered shuffle. Amazingly, “Yours is No Disgrace” takes the band to a new musical height and a not a word has been sung.

When Jon Anderson and the chorus of Chris Squire with Steve Howe come in with the first verse, you can’t help but believe this is how Yes was meant to sound. Eddie Offord’s mix verges on perfection, allowing each voice and instrument to be separate and distinctive yet not out of place. Chris Squire’s bass sound is like nothing else in rock, and keeps the song galloping along with Bill Bruford’s unique rhythmic contributions. Squire goes into a jazz-like bass walk, before another vocal break down.

Many bands would quit while they were ahead, but Yes forges on with an additional solo section and verse. The solo section deserves special mention, as Steve Howe evokes jazz and psychedelic elements in his Gibson-driven solo. His use of the volume pedal and distortion adds an additional element to the solo, and the section could be an entire song in itself. A Hammond/Moog-propelled final verse is added and before you know it almost 10:00 minutes has passed.

“Yours is No Disgrace” is a classic, and just one on several on The Yes Album.

 

Yours Is No Disgrace:

We open this album with Yours Is No Disgrace, credited to all five members. Influenced by the Vietnam War, this is basically about how war has no winners and is essentially needless.
The song begins with Steve Howe, the late great Chris Squire, and Bill Bruford laying down a marching beat, and I hear some early Rush in there, makes sense since they were big Yes fans. And then at :14, Tony joins in on that lovely Hammond organ, and man, does Squire growl like a mothaf---er on that Rickenbacker, I totally hear early Geddy Lee and even Les Claypool in there, boy do I love me some Chris Squire, my favorite member of Yes. But I also must mention some of the guitar work, Steve Howe does such an awesome job. Hey, with all due to Peter Banks, great player, mayhe rest in peace, Steve took these guys to another level. Jon Anderson comes in at 1:30, and he and Chris do some great otherworldly vocals, and once again, Steve is the man, my second favorite member of Yes. Goddamn, does Squire do some killer melodies on that four string, who said bass wasn't awesome? And my Lord, how did I forget Bill Bruford kicking ass on those drums? At 3:15, the track slows down with Chris doing a little bass line while Bruford lightly tapping on the drums, while Steve adds some texture, and man do Jon and Squire sound so good together. The song goes back to rocking at 4:04, and man, do I love Chris leading the way, while Steve does some chicken scratching and Tony adds his rich organ sounds, while Bruford sort of toys around with the rhythm. And I love the little exotic section starting at 5:08, and the richly textured guitar at 5:48 and especially 6:00, no wonder they hired this guy, he is amazing, and man, for a guy not that familiar with overdubbing, he does it masterfully with that tasty lead. Then it slows down shortly before the seven minute work, going for a more acoustic feel, and it's great. Man, I love Jon's voice, and Bill's drumming. For the record, I like Alan White as a drummer, but damn if Bruford isn't a genius on that kit, and to think he never recorded a solo.
This song is BRILLIANT, what a way to open an album. And at almost ten minutes,never once does it lose me, if anything, it leaves me wanting more!

 

Yessongs:

 

I've always loved 'Yours is No Disgrace'

One of the finest Yes classics ever. The interplay between the band, the harmonies, etc everything is wonderful. When I had a band, I was "Chris Squire", and this song always get us a great feel and vibe.

Here's the instrumental track remixed by Steven Wilson

 

Last year:

Not too bad, Steve still kicks ass, the current singer is decent enough, Billy Sherwood is respectable on bass, as is Geoff. The drummer does a good job playing Bruford's parts, but he sounds kind of stiff.

 

Steve Howe on 'Yours is No Disgrace'

 

I first discovered Yes via the edited version of Roundabout on AM radio, and that 45 was my first purchase of them, followed by the Yessongs album. Didn't buy the Yes album until several years after that.

Yours is No Disgrace is a great opening track. After hearing their first two albums much later, this is almost the sound of a new band with Steve Howe on board. My favorite song off this album.

 

So many layers of musical goodness... I've listened to this song at least a thousand times.
It. Never. Gets. Old.

 

No it does not!

 

"Yours is No Disgrace" is the first song I heard from Yes and since that moment I am a Yes-slave.

 

I discovered the album when I heard a track from it on radio back when it was first released. I believe it was "Starship Trooper." I bought the album and all these years later still listen to it quite often. Love it!

 

Back when rock radio was more adventurous, they would play cuts like 'Yours is no Disgrace.' And what an ear-opener it was. Just as CrombyMouse said, they grabbed me with that song.

On a similar note, those of you who like this album: you've got to hear the Steven Wilson 5.1 remix on BD or DVD-A from a few years ago. Absolutely stellar.

 

Great album from my favorite band. Looking forward to following and participating in this thread.