How far back do you go with Yes?

[Soundwaveseeker]

Some of us on here have listened to Yes for most our lives. Some discovered the band in the 70's, some go back later on in the80's, some may have discovered Yes last week. How far back do you go with Yes? What was your first album bought and first concert? For me it was buying Drama the last week of 1984. Thought I'd take a chance on them because I learned that they were supposed to be one of those 'musician-y' art rock bands like Rush or King Crimson which I already was a fan of. First concert was Big Generator tour in Dec. 1987, Capital Center in Maryland. So not way way back for me, but pretty way back.

Anybody go waaaaayyy back? Any of you guys over there in the UK see Yes in a place like the Marquee club with Peter Banks on guitar? That would be going way back.
So how far back do you go as a Yes fan?

[Gilly Goodness]

Peter Brockbanks you mean. Played rugby with him at school. We all knew he liked that rock and roll stuff. I went on to be a Tory backbencher. But. I've said too much.

Only kiddin'. Older sister had Fragile then CTTE on audio cassette. Played them to death then bought by airmail with pocket money TFTO and then Relayer and then pretty much everythin' followin'.

Finally saw them in Sydney 2003 on The Full Circle tour. Was fun to see that great poster on so many underpass walls that year. So excitin'. The return of Wakeman and him playin' Magnification live.

Was a strident NJNY but then mellowed towards Juano with TQ. Prefer mellower pastoral prog.
Crazy big fan of DBA. Just seems the planets are alignin'. 😗

[Ash Armstrong]

July 1973. I received some cash for my 14th birthday and bought Close to the Edge. It was £2.14. I liked the cover, and the endless waterfall on the inner gatefold made me think of Reepicheep the intrepid mouse in CS Lewis's Voyage of the Dawn Treader. I'd never heard any of the music before but I knew a couple of school friends were keen.

First concert was November the same year, the Tales Tour. My first ever rock concert. I'd never experienced anything that loud before. I only knew Close to the Edge at that point. I'd heard some of Revealing Science on a late night BBC Radio 1 show the week before the concert, but the rest of Tales when they played it was wholly new to me. I don't think the album had even been released at that point. I got it for Christmas. The whole experience was totally overwhelming on every level, especially to a 14 year old boy from a quiet Leicestershire village.

[Ceasar’s Palace]

1979. Got the Relayer album as a hand-me-down from my brother or sister.
At 13/14 had the right age to be crazy enough to explore the album.
Later that year picked up the Tormato cassette from a sales bin.
First time live was much later ABWH, 1989.
First time Yes proper Union tour 1991.
After that only Symphonic tour 2001.

[soundchaser09]

2009 I discovered the YES 35th anniversary CD- fantastic set to showcase Yes from all eras. I also watched the Classic Artists documentary and knew I needed to get their discography ASAP. As a Genesis fan it was fascinating to see another band of that ilk that I liked just as much and with with even greater longevity, the changing lineups intrigued me also as there was always stability in Genesis (for the most part).

Upon hearing most of their albums I was obsessed ,which continues to this day , I found out Jon Anderson wasn't in the group anymore, which at first was dissapointing but then I understood that with Yes this was how things were lineup wise. I was just grateful that the lineup with Benoit and Oliver was active and followed them hoping they would make an album eventually- at least we did get From a Page from that era- but I was very excited when Geoff Downes was coming back with Trevor Horn to produce Fly From Here, the album didn't disappoint- good times!

[Chris2210]

I had 'Yes' written on my school satchel, but I'd inherited that from an older sibling and I don't think it has anything to do with the band. One of my school mates remarked on it and asked if I was a fan. At that stage I don't think I'd heard anything by them, he described them as 'a sort of puffy David Bowie[!}' Political correctness was not a thing back then.

I used to buy albums from Bostwick's Records in the market - they seemed to have a lot at £1.99 and I think the first I bought from Yes was Yesterdays. I liked it, but it didn't turn me into a die-hard fan. A while later someone played me CttE and all I remember from that is hearing the flaws in it - the bombast, the clumsy offbeat bass in that bit where it's too high in the mix. I wasn't taken. But by that stage I was buying a lot of albums - both from the aforementioned stall in the main market and a second hand record dealer in Byram Arcade. It was there my eyes alighted on a slightly battered and very cheap copy of Tales from the Topographic Oceans. After a couple of listens I really liked the opening disc and after a few more I loved all of it. It was a ravishing, expansive sound world that captivated me and made me keen to explore the rest of the catalogue.

I think I probably bought Going for the One a few weeks after its release and I acquired Tormato on the day of its release - by then they were 'my band' and I had all the other studio albums. Unfortunately they started to lose me a little bit after that as they seemed to disappear from the scene with much more seismic volatility in the lineup. My Yes was gone along with that magnificent run.

I continued to love those albums but I suppose it was the return of the classic lineup that really reignited my interest along with the rise of the internet and discussion of the band and what it was doing then.

[wilsoib]

1972 - second year at high school. We had a music teacher who, to encourage participation in the class, allowed the last 10 minutes of the period for pupils to bring in records to play. One day someone brought in The Yes Album and I heard Yours Is No Disgrace for the first time.

1975 - first Yes concert in Vancouver while on holiday. This was the original Relayer tour.

[madbear]

Mid 1970s whilst at secondary school in London. Saw the film Yessongs at Hammersmith Odeon with two friends - we were the only three in the whole cinema for a teatime showing after school. Heard Relayer live from QPR, wafting in the wind, since we lived quite near, had front row seats every night for the Wembley 1977 gigs - four of us camped overnight outside the venue to get them.

[Ash Armstrong]

I remember when me and three mates got out tickets for Wembley 1978. As it was the band's 10th anniversary, I decided to decorate my denim jacket. One of my friends made a plastic stencil of the classic logo, probably 6 inches across. On the back of my denim jacket we put the classic logo inside the speech bubble from the first album using fabric paints, and added some of the triffid-like tendrils from the front cover of Yessongs and the spaceship from Fragile, with 'Ten True Summers Long' in a Dean-esque script underneath. I no longer have it, long gone now but as I remember it looker fucking brilliant, and I got a lot of compliments from fellow-fans at Wembley. We went to both the matinee and the evening show. We arrived early enough to pick up some returned/remaining tickets for the matinee show. I did buy a t-shirt, a programme, which I still have, and a 12 inch square mirror with the Tales front cover on it. That got smashed not long after sadly.

[Roundabob]

Late 1971 I heard Your Move/All Good People on the radio. I loved it, but didn’t catch the name of the band. A few months later, in the Spring of 1972, I heard Roundabout, connected the dots to Your Move/All Good People, and bought Fragile and The Yes Album (this one on eight track tape!). My first Yes concert was February 12, 1974 in Roanoke, Virginia where they performed the entire Tales from Topographic Oceans album. What a long, strange trip it’s been…

[Ceasar’s Palace]

Late 1971 I heard Your Move/All Good People on the radio. I loved it, but didn’t catch the name of the band. A few months later, in the Spring of 1972, I heard Roundabout, connected the dots to Your Move/All Good People, and bought Fragile and The Yes Album (this one on eight track tape!). My first Yes concert was February 12, 1974 in Roanoke, Virginia where they performed the entire Tales from Topographic Oceans album. What a long, strange trip it’s been…

Wow, that sounds like the perfect way to become a Yesfan. Just skip the first two albums and live the journey.

[rabin105]

if i asm being honest i think around 1988 when I was 2 dad showed them to me.. I remember the union in concert 91 as well

[Dantalion Rides Again]

About 1990 for me. I was about 16 and had a bass player friend at school who more or less said 'Since you love Rush borrow my Fragile tape'. It was my instant favorite album for like two weeks, and that's all I listened to. Then I borrowed his CTTE record I believe and I was ready to start buying stuff. Then the details are a little fuzzy on how it went down, but basically bought used copies of TYA, Fragile, Tormato & Big Generator (that one on cassette) all at once. Probably had the catalog by the time Union came out.

Actually a different friend suggested I'd love the ABWH CD, had me borrow that from her and I returned it after a couple spins having decided it wasn't for me. A year later I couldn't stop listening to that album, was magic at the time to me.

[cybrkhatru]

Bought 90125 around my 13th birthday, late 1983.


Bought Classic Yes in 1986-7

A bass playing friend who was a big Squire fan knew I loved Genesis, and handed me copies of The Yes Album, Fragile, Close to the Edge and Going for the One to check out. I was bemused but intrigued.

Joined Columbia Record House and ordered (among other things) Fragile, Big Gen, and Yessongs in 1988
Hearing Close to the Edge live on Yessongs was what pushed me over the edge, so to speak.

Saw my first show in 1988.

[Gary Betts]

A friend from school played me Close to the Edge. We then went to the QPR gig. I was 15 at time so made one heck of an impression, hence I am still a fan through thick and thin.