Yes: underrated debut

[patrickq]

Just one of occasional plugs for the original lineup of Yes. Yes, their 1969 debut, is fun and psychedelic. Anderson sings lower, not using his upper range as much as he eventually will. The vocal harmonies would never be the same after Banks left. And speaking of Banks, I always say that he wasn’t fired because of his guitar playing. And, as is the case with all of the band’s first five albums, Bruford and Squire underpin the sound while adding more musicality than most rhythm sections did back then.

[Homemade Parachute]

You're not wrong! It's pretty good as debut albums go, although like a lot of debut albums, not quite distinct enough to hint at a viable future. IE, without a shake up, I don't think we'd be celebrating the dynasty of this band all these years later. They're good songs, but without a unifying identity to take them to the next level, maybe like Rush's debut, more than, say, King Crimson's or ELP's or Marillion's. But in and of itself, quite listenable indeed.

[JMKUSA]

Sometimes I think I like the debut better than TAAW. So many great songs, played with incredible energy.

But I really, really, really do not like Sweetness. Otherwise I think I enjoy every other song on the album.

[Soundwaveseeker]

I listened to that a month ago. I like it a lot, it's Yes enough for me. The nucleus of what was to come. But also something different, something eventually lost once Banks and then Kaye were gone. A raw and dangerous element. Fave moments:

I See You - love the Banks/Bruford jazzy duet! I don't think Howe/Bruford did something quite like that. One of my favorite bits from this album, maybe all of Yes actually.

Yesterday & Today & Sweetness - I very much like these ballad-type tracks. Hits if they were by somebody else, for sure. Jon's voice sounds somewhat fragile/not totally confident, he was learning on the job. Some have mentioned (including some band members) that these tracks in retrospect sound too naive/innocent/"twee" etc. But hey, the world needs some naive & innocent & sweet because it's damaged beyond reconstruction. Don't mind if you do "put the sweetness in". Syrupy? Maybe, but I like them. I dig Kaye' piano solo in Y&T.

Beyond And Before - the first note of the first Yes song of the first Yes album from the last original Yes man you hear, fittingly, was from Chris. That one note sets up a career and legacy for a musician and a band. It says 'welcome to Yes'.

Looking Around - cool hammond organ, and cool that Kaye is all over these first two albums. No synths yet, but he made do with what he had.

Survival - actually not my favorite from here, I know this one seems to have a lot of fans and is generally the track that seems to represent the album in popularity. Absolutely love the acoustic passage (with organ accompaniment) right before the song proper begins.

Every Little Thing & Harold Land - possibly my least favorite tracks from here. Well, maybe just Harold Land, the Beatles cover is pretty rockin' and Peter Banks tears it up in a psychedelic, wailing 60's guitar hero kind of way, but more melodic & inventive.

Something's Coming - can't forget this associated track. Wonder what Bernstein thought of it.

First Yes album - lots of late 60's fun.

[Roundabob]

Energy is the word. From the opening notes of Beyond and Before to the “and we’re all going somewhere” end of Survival, the first album is a great introduction to what was to come. I think that Every Little Thing ranks with America as the best covers that Yes ever performed. Love the first album.

[carlmarx38]

Sometimes I think I like the debut better than TAAW. So many great songs, played with incredible energy.
Otherwise I think I enjoy every other song on the album.

It's pretty amazing that the general consensus is that TAAW is the better album. For starters, I have always been bored silly by the title track to TAAW. "The Prophet" is one of the most neglected deep tracks (never played live AWAIK), and "Sweet Dreams" is great live (even by the Davison band who did a smokin hot version on the YES 50 tour). Ditto for "No Opportunity Necessary", one of the highlights of the 2019 tour. The rest of TAAW is mostly filler. Whereas the debut album is alnost all killer. Say what you will, but I'll take "Yesterday and Today" or even "Sweetness" any day over TAAW or "Clear Days" (perhaps their worst song ever). As for the B-sides.....if you were on your death-bed, would you rather hear "Something's Coming" or "Dear Father" ?

[Mr. Holland]

Sometimes I think I like the debut better than TAAW. So many great songs, played with incredible energy.

But I really, really, really do not like Sweetness. Otherwise I think I enjoy every other song on the album.

I do like the debut album better than TAAW. Never beeb much of a fan of the tagged on orchestra on TAAW. YES feels much more like a true band effort.

[Susanne]

I like the whole of the album. Even the slower tracks (which I sometimes like less).

Survival is still one of my favourite Yes songs.

[VicBilh]

I do like the debut album better than TAAW. Never beeb much of a fan of the tagged on orchestra on TAAW. YES feels much more like a true band effort.

Sometimes I agree with that at other times I would disagree. I think that depends on my mood at the time I listen. When TAAW came out I was disappointed at the guitar taking a back seat but both albums were excellent building blocks and showed a band searching for their path.

Harold Land lyrics would have been influenced by the story of the Accrington Pals (East Lancashire Regiment) who, like many other Pals regiments, were all but destroyed in the first attack of the Somme offensive in 1916.

'He paid his bills and stopped the milk', Jon delivered milk as a child to help pay the family bills.

[Chrisklenox]

Love the debut album and consider it as essential. Yes could do no wrong for me from 1969 - 1980 save a few moments on Tormato.

[soundchaser09]

its a solid effort, though I wouldn't argue underrated. I like Looking Around and I See You the most.

[Ash Armstrong]

My first encounter with material from the first two albums was with the release of Yesterdays in 1975. It came out a month or so before the UK Relayer tour started, and the encore on that tour included Sweet Dreams. As Yesterdays did well, Yes and Time and a Word became available in the shops again, which is when I bought them, some time in later 1975. I liked them both right from the first time I heard them. Never felt any need to set one or the other up against subsequent albums in any kind of competitive or comparative fashion.

[patrickq]

I agree that ranking albums is just a fun game, and that TaaW and Yes are of similar quality, thus inviting fans to choose between them.

The orchestra never bothered me. It’s effective on “No Opportunity” and especially “Everydays” and “The Prophet.”

The average song on Yes might me slightly better, but Tine and a Word has “Astral Traveller,” which is in my all-time top 10.

fwiw.

[Davy]

I've never gotten into those first two albums, though there's some good songs on them. Kudos to you guys for enjoying them.

[carlmarx38]

I like the whole of the album. Even the slower tracks (which I sometimes like less).

Survival is still one of my favourite Yes songs.

"Survival" is great......but too slow to be a show opener, as it was in 2017.