Are Yes relatively unknown to most people these days?

[Slugwart]

The Who aren't really that well known these days either. They haven't had a hit since the 80's so I'm not sure why they would get a pass and not Yes although I agree they are more well known these days than Yes.

I would add Rush to that list as well.

Overall, I think Yes these days are about more or less equal in popularity to the following bands (some on here may agree or disagree and that's ok):


Kansas
Jethro Tull
Deep Purple
Supertramp
Porcupine Tree
King Crimson
Emerson, Lake & Palmer (ok a bit more well known than ELP but maybe not by a whole lot)
The Moody Blues
Asia
Genesis (Steve Hackett and PG era only)
Dream Theater
Opeth
The Kinks (not a prog band obviously but I think their popularity level is more or less equal)

A bit less popular than(but maybe not a whole lot):

The Who
Rush

Others I'm sure.

Proud to say my teenage kids are familiar with all these bands except Kansas and Opeth. They are big fans of the Kinks and the Who. Unfortunately, Yes not so much.

They are also fully versed on old school 70/80 punk and goth bands.

[Dantalion Rides Again]

My son told me yesterday that Roundabout is the punchline of a current trend, where something goes wrong and you hear the intro riff, the last bit where it slams into the full band. I didn't get any examples but he said like something goes wrong in the video and in comes the Roundabout riff. I'm not describing it well.

I have no idea how well known Yes is among younger people that like Zep and Floyd etc, but that's a good question.

[Gtkgasman]

Not entirely scientific. But walkin' thru Kmart behind Mrs Goodness. 3 steps behind. My eye alighted on the rock t-shirts. The results...

ACDC.
The Beatles.
The Stones.
Def Leppard.
Motley Crue.
The Who.

So that's the temperature on the ground.
No YES.

Ka-Ching.......bingo......and that’s something that is not a new trend. Same in all big retail outfits, small specialties stores like Hot Topic (like Spencer’s back in the day), etc. I always take a peek - zeppelin, Floyd, who, stones, Metallica, Maiden, dead, Marley....etc etc yadda yadsa ......and whole genres I honestly don’t know who they are.

Yes is becoming irrelevant. Unfortunately.

[Davy]

I still hear Owner, ISAGP, and Roundabout on the radio, so that's a good thing.

[yamishogun]

When I was 18, I didn't care about the music of my parents or grand-parents. The few of them who know the name "Yes" probably think of an old LP they've seen in their grandfather's collection.

True, but there is a much bigger difference in the popular music your grandparents listened to and Yes and the music many 20 year olds listen to and Yes.

[pianozach]

Not entirely scientific. But walkin' thru Kmart behind Mrs Goodness. 3 steps behind. My eye alighted on the rock t-shirts. The results...

ACDC.
The Beatles.
The Stones.
Def Leppard.
Motley Crue.
The Who.

So that's the temperature on the ground.
No YES.

I was in the supermarket a month ago and the overhead music was Karn Evil 9. Uh-huh, Emerson, Lake & Palmer. Weird.

[Soundwaveseeker]

I once heard Going For The One (the song) at Wal Mart on their overhead music PA system. I thought there must have been some mistake,

[bondegezou]

My son told me yesterday that Roundabout is the punchline of a current trend, where something goes wrong and you hear the intro riff, the last bit where it slams into the full band. I didn't get any examples but he said like something goes wrong in the video and in comes the Roundabout riff. I'm not describing it well.

It's because of it's use in the anime "JoJo's Bizarre Adventure": https://knowyourmeme.com/memes/yes-r...o-be-continued

On the general point of the thread, in the UK, I think most people older than my 51 years of age have heard of Yes and most people younger have not. Yes awareness trends older in the UK than in the US, I think: "Owner..." wasn't much of a hit here.

Rick Wakeman may have greater awareness as an individual. Among people who are into music, Trevor Horn will have greater awareness. There's plenty of Yes-related songs that people will be familiar with: "Imagine", "Video Killed the Radio Star", "Innuendo", "Relax", "Two Tribes", "Killer", "Kiss from a Rose", "Do They Know It's Christmas?", early Wakeman sessions with Bowie and T-Rex.

[Esthe]

There's a joke here somewhere.

I wonder where?

[Soundchaser413]

It's because of it's use in the anime "JoJo's Bizarre Adventure": https://knowyourmeme.com/memes/yes-r...o-be-continued

On the general point of the thread, in the UK, I think most people older than my 51 years of age have heard of Yes and most people younger have not. Yes awareness trends older in the UK than in the US, I think: "Owner..." wasn't much of a hit here.

Rick Wakeman may have greater awareness as an individual. Among people who are into music, Trevor Horn will have greater awareness. There's plenty of Yes-related songs that people will be familiar with: "Imagine", "Video Killed the Radio Star", "Innuendo", "Relax", "Two Tribes", "Killer", "Kiss from a Rose", "Do They Know It's Christmas?", early Wakeman sessions with Bowie and T-Rex.

How is "do they know it's Christmas?" related to Yes? The only Yes related Christmas song I know of is "run with the fox" not counting Jon Anderson's three ships.

[Ash Armstrong]

How is "do they know it's Christmas?" related to Yes? The only Yes related Christmas song I know of is "run with the fox" not counting Jon Anderson's three ships.

It's a tenuous connection. The song was recorded at Sarm studios, owned by Horn, and Horn was co-producer, with Midge Ure. Making a case for it being a Yes-connected thing is really forcing it though. I'm no fan of Horn in any capacity, so I'm biased anyway. Personally I wish he'd never had anything to do with Yes at all, but wishing for things does nothing.

[Chris2210]

In the Anglosphere they're probably better known than Sibelius. So there is that.

Do I care that people are unaware of Sibelius? Their loss.

[Esthe]

How is "do they know it's Christmas?" related to Yes? The only Yes related Christmas song I know of is "run with the fox" not counting Jon Anderson's three ships.

Same with Kiss From A Rose.

[Soundwaveseeker]

It's because of it's use in the anime "JoJo's Bizarre Adventure": https://knowyourmeme.com/memes/yes-r...o-be-continued

On the general point of the thread, in the UK, I think most people older than my 51 years of age have heard of Yes and most people younger have not. Yes awareness trends older in the UK than in the US, I think: "Owner..." wasn't much of a hit here.

Rick Wakeman may have greater awareness as an individual. Among people who are into music, Trevor Horn will have greater awareness. There's plenty of Yes-related songs that people will be familiar with: "Imagine", "Video Killed the Radio Star", "Innuendo", "Relax", "Two Tribes", "Killer", "Kiss from a Rose", "Do They Know It's Christmas?", early Wakeman sessions with Bowie and T-Rex.

Wasn't 'Wondrous Stories' a hit over there? It probably was bigger than Owner Of A Lonely Heart, I think.

As for Yes Christmas songs, Yes might be the most Christmas-inclined of all those prog bands. Jon Anderson, Squire/White, Wakeman, Billy Sherwood, Patrick Moraz, Downes and I suppose Horn have either a Christmas/Holiday song or album.

[Yorkshire Square]

Today I approached one hundred people in the high street and asked them about Yes. Seven people knew who they were insofar as they could name a member (all Rick Wakeman).

I searched in vain for a Clapham omnibus though...