Yes – The Yes Album Review

Progressive rock and the boom felt in the genre through the late 1960s and early 1970s is a near-endless series of rewarding listens. Anything from Van Der Graaf Generator to Pink Floyd, the tones and meaning of these prog rock pieces offer monumental variety. Such is the case for Yes, an opportune and exciting piece of work who found their footing on this, The Yes Album. Third times the charm and it could not have come at a better time for Yes. They were nearly dropped by their label, had replaced founding member Peter Banks and were searching for a sound which would define them. They find it on The Yes Album, a bold statement of intent from a band in freefall. But this fall hears them consolidate what was working on their first two albums with a refreshed view from incoming guitarist Steve Howe. 

He is a difference maker for this six-track album. Here is an album which redefines a band who were on the cusp of being a mere footnote in some obscure late-60s traipse through the UK scene. But no, Yes produced one of the finest and surprisingly warmest spaced-out pieces of work from this period. Opener Yours is No Disgrace is such a monumental shift in tone for the band, it just about saves Yes from oblivion. What a first track it is, too, benefitting greatly from new guitar work from Howe. He redefined the style the band were pursuing at the time and the difference it makes for The Yes Album cannot be understated. Sharp, slick guitar work guides the best of The Yes Album. Howe has made the difference. Salvaging the band from the murky depths of obscurity, but it is not just his overhaul of the driving sound which makes the difference – improvements are heard throughout. 

From the ghostly, slightly psychedelic flourish of frontman Jon Anderson to the bass-heavy grooves barging their way to the front, The Yes Album is about as complete a prog experience from the band as you can get. There is a cooler twang to The Clap, which in its refurbished state sounds like a function room playing host to a folk band. Therein lies the intimate appeal of The Yes Album, a strong indicator of the sound these instrumentalists could pull from the blue. It feels light, breezy and effortless-sounding moments which have a great deal of skill behind them. Winding through Starship Trooper is certainly an experience, a same-y but multi-instrumental example of the Yes talent. It is not for everyone. Their prog style relies on repetition and the slow build to come, the pay-off is what The Yes Album nails time and again.  

The likes of A Venture are the bits worth listening in to. The Yes Album is a tremendous piece of work though spots of its prog nature leave a little to be desired. They have one eye on the psychedelic playbook of Pink Floyd. No harm in a glance or two but Yes relies on the flash and light style of songwriting heard in the 1960s Brit charm of The Kinks. Sweet work and well worth a listen, Perpetual Change in particular highlights a band in full control of their sound, a flash of new ideas to their name and a chance to salvage their careers. It works and the rest, fortunate or not, is history. The Yes Album led to some of their all-time best works. This road has also led us to Mirror to the Sky. Still, give a little, get a lot. Yes may be a flogged horse of an entity at this point, but at their very best, they were innovators.