Rating the albums I've heard

[arrel]

As a relatively new Yes fan, I've been trying to wait till I've heard them all before I try to rate them. But, I can't wait that long. ;)

So, here's the order I put them in so far:

The Yes Album - about as perfect as you can get - not a dud in the bunch, and I don't get tired of listening to it

Talk - rabin, schmabin...I don't care.."I Am Waiting" and "Endless Dream" are at the very top of my list right now. I love this album.

Close to the Edge - obviously the "greatest" of the ones I've heard, but I think I'm sort of CTTE'd-out right now

Fragile - obviously the second greatest, but ditto what I said about CTTE

Yes - I really like the debut album. If it weren't for "Yesterday and Today" and "Sweetness" it would be closer to the top

Magnification - I've only listened to this one once (just got it), but it has possibilities

Relayer - haven't heard the remastered CD yet. The sound on the original is pretty muddy. "Gates" carries this disc, though, as far as I can tell - the other two seem quite unexceptional (but I've only listened to it twice so far).

Yesterdays - too many repeats (although they got most of my favorites from the first two albums), and "Dear Father" does nothing for me, but "America" is fun

Time and a Word - really uneven, but it has its moments

Big Generator - too many clunkers. "Almost Like Love" is my least favorite Yes song of all the ones I've heard so far.

[Dale Cleary]

Ha ha just wait until you get to the solo albums.
Enjoy, they are all good.
:D

[Yes Oz]

obviously got the same taste as I have.

I said exactly what you said about the Yes album on a thread some months ago. Not a bad track on the entire album. First heard it when it came out in the Uk in 1970 (I think) and have never looked back.

Although I wouldn't necessarily go along with the list exactly as you put them I must admit that Talk would be way up their as the best of the Rabin era and also Mag would be in my top half a dozen.

its hard to explain to a non Yes listener just how prolific this group has been with the varied material in their 30 year plus life span.

[arrel]

Originally posted by Yes Oz
also Mag would be in my top half a dozen.



I never know what to do when I'm trying to rate an album I've only heard one time. Actually, I don't feel confident about rating until I've heard it more than five times. I've had it go both ways. I kind of liked Big Generator (the album) the first time I heard it, but each successive listening I liked it less and less. In contrast, it took me about four times before I realized that I really liked "Looking Around" from Yes, about five or six times for "And You and I", and three or four times before I absolutely fell in love with "I Am Waiting" and "Endless Dream". Similarly, I didn't really care for "Soon" from the Highlights CD no matter how many times I listened to it, but heard in the context of "Gates" it was an entirely different experience.

Don't ask me to analyze why. :)

[Original_Shifty]

Arrel, the more you listen to Relayer, the more you love Sound Chaser and To Be Over. I think I speak for many others.

Love your ratings though.

We are in agreement on Time and a Word and BG.

[BredYes]

Arrel, it must me really nice to discover all the Yes albums. I was in the same process 13 or 14 years ago. At that time Close to the Edge and Yessongs were my favorite albums and they still are today.
Did you already hear Going for the One or Tales from Topographic Oceans? Very popular among fans. I can also recommend you Keystudio. And they made "a few" solo albums.

[arrel]

Originally posted by BredYes
Did you already hear Going for the One or Tales from Topographic Oceans? Very popular among fans. I can also recommend you Keystudio. And they made "a few" solo albums.

I haven't heard GFTO yet (though I have heard "Wondrous Stories" and the title song, of course) or TFTO (though I have heard "Ritual" from the Symphonic Yes DVD). Will no doubt be hearing them pretty soon.

My next purchase should be DRAMA, because I promised a very talented cartoonist over at an artists' message board to try it next. (She's the one that convinced me to try TALK, also.)

I did just get my introductory package from Columbia House today that included Yessongs, The Ladder, Keys to Ascension and Keystudio. (In case you're wondering, the other albums in the introductory package were Foxtrot, Selling England By the Pound, Grand Illusion, Moving Pictures, Asia and Day for Night. I'm going to be kind of absorbed for a while, I guess. ;) )

[arrel]

Okay, my collection is pretty much complete now, and I have to say, when it comes to the question, "Do I want to hear this CD now?", my honest feelings are surprising even to me. So, which Yes CDs am I most likely to pop in to the old CD player on a whim? I kid you not:

1. Keys to Ascension Volume 1, disc 1

2. The Ladder

3. Going for the One

4. Magnification

5. Keys to Ascension Volume 2, disc 1

6. Fragile

7. Yes

8. Tormato

9. Tales From Topographic Oceans

10.Talk

11.Drama

12.The Yes Album

13.Close to the Edge

14.Relayer

15.House of Blues

16.Key Studio

17.90125

18.Union

19.Time and A Word

20.Big Generator

If you had asked me, "What are your favorite Yes albums?" I would have given you a different answer. But, this is pretty close to the order for me when it comes to playing something on a whim. (For example, much as I love The Yes Album, CTTE and Relayer, I really have to be in the mood to listen to them. The Ladder, on the other hand, I can pop in any old time. Weird, huh?):D

[Martin Riley]

Originally posted by arrel
. Weird, huh?):D

Not really, I find that I play 'the classics' less as time goes on, and am much likelier to play The Ladder, and hell I'll admit, I even play Open Your Eyes quite a bit.

Having said that I've just got the first 4 albums again in the new remastered form and the Yes Album is getting pretty high rotation now. Fragile was my first Yes album and I thought I would be drawn to that one the most but no, it is most definetely the Yes Album at the moment

Which is even stranger considering that when I first got into Yes it was Fragile, then I got CTTE & Yessongs as they came out and then went back to the Yes Album. Having heard the live songs first I didn't think much of the studio originals for many years, but now they're taking pride of place. A hell of an album

[arrel]

Originally posted by Martin Riley
Having said that I've just got the first 4 albums again in the new remastered form and the Yes Album is getting pretty high rotation now.

Bad timing for me I'm afraid. I just can't bring myself to spend more money buying the same albums I just bought within the last two or three months. The bonus tracks don't appeal to me much, though the re-mastering sounds good. Of the ones released so far, I'd have to say that The Yes Album sounds the most tempting. Maybe someday....

[Martin Riley]

Originally posted by arrel


Bad timing for me I'm afraid. I just can't bring myself to spend more money buying the same albums I just bought within the last two or three months. The bonus tracks don't appeal to me much, though the re-mastering sounds good. Of the ones released so far, I'd have to say that The Yes Album sounds the most tempting. Maybe someday....


I came into a bit of spare cash which allowed me to get these. I wouldn't have bust a gut to get them otherwise. You're right, the bonus tracks don't have an awful lot of merit to them, but as a completist I figured I'd better have them.The studio Clap is good, the early Roundabout is decent but the early versions of Everydays & Dear Father are not that different from what we ended up with. The single edits are there if you want them but will rarely be replayed by me.

The improved sound quality is excellent.

[YesDave56]

I am very partial to "Yes" because it has one of my 2 favorite Yes songs "Yesterday and Today" on it. My very favorite song is not really a song but a single release of part of "Gates Of Delirium", and that's "Soon(The Single Edit)". As far as over all albums though I'd have to say "The Yes Album" first and "Fragile" second.

[petemargowskins]

i'll just give my top ten, since i'm one of those list-maker-type people...

1 close to the edge
2 relayer
3 the yes album
4 tales from topographic oceans
5 big generator
6 fragile
7 magnification
8 going for the one
9 open your eyes
10 talk

(not counting live albums...)

[Vaguson]

I haven't heard in detail most of the earlier albums because my dad sold 'em before I became interested, but here goes (Not necessarily in order of preference):

TALK
UNION
Open Your Eyes
Keys to Ascension - "Be the One"
Keys to Ascension 2 - "Mind Drive"
90125 - sometimes it's just a little too '80s sounding...I have to be in the mood.

[Bo Locks]

I am very partial to "Yes" because it has one of my 2 favorite Yes songs "Yesterday and Today" on it.

I'm delighted to read this! The first album is so often overlooked by the cult of 'Classic Yes', but it's a YES album too. 'Looking Around' is tremendous fun.

Similarly, 'TAAW' has overlooked killer tracks on it like 'Astral Traveller' and 'Sweet Dreams'.

Banks, Bruford and Kaye - dontcha miss 'em?