"Yes" fans- album recommendations?

The Yes Album
Fragile
Close to the Edge

That's their "classic" trilogy. If you like that, get into:

Tales from Topographic Oceans
Relayer
Going For the One
Yesterdays (comp with highlights of first two albums; I like this comp because on their own first two albums are kinda spotty)
Yessongs (live album)

After you're done with all that, or perhaps if you didn't like any of that, then go for 90125.

 

Start with Fragile, then Yes Album, then Yesongs and Close to the Edge.

For a different feel, try Drama and 90125.

 

Late to the party but I'll toss in my two cents and confirm the recommendation of others.

Yes, these filled my cup of Yes


Yes ‎– The Yes Album
Label:
Mobile Fidelity Sound Lab ‎– UDCD 779
Series:
Original Master Recording –
Format:
CD, Album, Limited Edition, Numbered, Reissue, Remastered, 24 Kt Gold
Country:
US
Released:
2010



Yes ‎– Fragile
Label:
Mobile Fidelity Sound Lab ‎– UDCD 766
Series:
Original Master Recording –
Format:
CD, Album, Reissue, Remastered, 24Kt Gold
Country:
US
Released:
2006



Yes ‎– Close To The Edge
Label:
Audio Fidelity – AFZ 147
Format:
SACD, Hybrid, Stereo, Album, Limited Edition, Numbered, Reissue, Remastered
Country:
US

These are as far as I went with the band but they are substantial albums that I have enjoyed for 48 years or so

 

I love it. Huge fan of Topographic.

 

The Steven Wilson remix helpfully includes bite-sized "single edits" of all four Tales songs (two for Ritual).

 

I recently saw their live show at the Apollo Theater, its later Yes, but I was impressed how good Anderson's
voice was. The guitarist was excellent. Made me think about picking up the cd. It's available on dvd also.

 

I agree it's a pretty unique album in their catalog and probably the most infamous. When people talk about prog rock's so-called excess, TFTO is usually their poster boy, with ELP Works a close second. It still merits a listen. You can't truly say you know Yes until you experience it at least once.

Tales has no hooks or compelling melodies to me. Granted, prog rock isn't about hooks like say blues-rock or arena rock, but it just comes across as meandering noodling. It reminds me of the scene in Amadeus where the king, having listened to Mozart's opera, comments "too many notes.... remove a few!" Was the king right? In the context of the movie, no, he was unrefined and just didn't "get" Mozart. In fairness to him, when people feel aurally assaulted or otherwise overwhelmed by a piece, it can sometimes simply be just that.

 

Close To The Edge is essential, not just to Yes but Prog in general-if you're looking to own one Prog album, it's probably CTTE. I would suggest The Yes Album and Relayer as the next places to go. All outstanding records.

 

All their albums from the 1970s are equally great, each at its own of course, and probably I'll be the only one here who suggested Tormato as well, as their last great album, though criminally underrated.


On the Silent Wings of Freedom (from Tormato, 1978)

 

The solo songs are all filler to varying extents. If they had left those off and added ‘America’ that would have made for a flawless album. Maybe keep Mood For a Day and The Fish.

 

Totally agree. Fish Out of Water is the best solo album, with Jon Anderson’s Olias of Sunhillow a close second.

 

Fragile and Close the Edge are both rock solid. I have a soft spot for the album Owner of a Lonely Heart comes off too.....

 

I don’t know if I can seriously recommend anything to anyone who has a Kenny G avatar. I mean are you serious?

 

Their debut is a must have. I have no idea why it gets dismissed so much, especially by Yes fans, when it's a truly terrific album start to finish.

 

As already stated several times, go for the Wilson Box Set, it is great. I would have been ok without Tales in there but it wasn't my call lol

And add Yessongs and you'll have all your bases covered

My top three are Fragile, Relayer and Close to the Edge. All great start to finish in my opinion.

 

Yes Album
Fragile
Close To The Edge

Basically the Bruford era...

For me, everything else is non-essential.

 

Amazingly, it's the freshest-sounding one, to me. After all this time, too! My pick for a "desert island" Yes record.

 

Close to the Edge was recently listed in Rolling Stone magazine's top 500 all time album list so maybe it's not such a bad album to start with. I think these days it seems to be their most lauded and most recommended also even though it's not their best selling album(that would be 90125).

 

The trouble with recommending CTTE is that a new listener would have to get past the first 2.5 minutes It nearly put me off!!

 

The studio albums are immaculately crafted. I suggest those as opposed to live. They also hang together well as albums and listening experiences - very well sequenced and immersive.

Classic:
Yes Album
Close to the Edge
Going For the One
Rabin 80s:
90125

 

I agree - I love the first 2 records, but I didn’t start with them and would suggest anyone should start there.

 

The Yes Album
Fragile
Close to the Edge
Tales from Topographic Oceans
Relayer
Going For the One
Tormato

Drama, 90125 & Big Generator & Union are good "digital age" albums too, although not as "70's proggy" as their 70's album output is

Forget the first 2 Yes alums, until you've dug enough into the above

Venture past 1991 (studio albums) at own risk, here be dragons

 

I have owned everything Yes has ever put out, if you are on a tight budget and can only afford 2 Yes albums, you can get, in my opinion, 95% of their greatest music with just these two!

 

Close to the Edge
Fragile
Relayer
The Yes Album
Going for the One
90125
Drama
Tales from topographic oceans

In that order. After those then go back to the first two then Tormato then the later stuff. Classic Yes or some other compilation would be good too if someone is just starting out.

 

To cover the most ground where they're excelling at fairly different styles without ever hitting anything that feels like retread of something they'd already done better I'd say, chronologically:

• Yes
• The Yes Album
• Fragile
• Close To The Edge
• Relayer
• Drama
• Yesshows (live)*
• 90125

* on this one you get: the title track / poppiest song from 2nd album, not included in above list; the three songs from Going From The One that made me want to include it in above list and neither of the songs that made me skip it; one song you will already have from the above list — the track that takes up side one of Relayer (so you could check this out first, before Relayer but Relayer I think is one of their top five albums…); the best song from generally dreadful Tormato; and a side-length song (split on vinyl of this across two sides) from their effort to prove all the naysayers right about Prog, Tales From Topographic Oceans (though I'd really prefer it were The Revealing Science of God included here instead of Ritual) performed by the Relayer lineup, as is the one Relayer selection (the rest of the numbers are performed by the Tales/Going For The One/Tormato lineup).

{Or you could just start with Yessongs, which is live representation of stellar The Yes Album—Fragile—Close To The Edge run of albums.}