When could have YES captured the most mystique?

[Grey Wolf]

Isn't Mystique an enemy of the Avengers? What would Yes want with her?

[Ash Armstrong]

Isn't Mystique an enemy of the Avengers? What would Yes want with her?

I thought it was one of those tacky perfumes from the 1980s... Adds flavour to shoulder-pads

[PeterCologne]

If Yes had split up, fans would be constantly posting about whether they will re-unite. If Yes doesn't split up, fans constantly post complaining it's the wrong line-up. The latter is slightly more interesting than the former, so I'm glad they're still going.

Agree to that.

[Gtkgasman]

Agree to that.

Agree to agree. 😆. Well put mr Henry. That’s the nature of us humans with everything.......lol.

[luvyesmusic]

If Steve had been the first to bite the head off of a bat live on stage, instead of being second, a day after Ozzy. ;-)

[OB1kenOB]

Having a big "one off" Friends, Family, and Fans event recorded on film like The Band - The Last Waltz. Doing it at the end of the Union tour. Special Stage design and visual art by Roger Dean. Alan Parsons as the sound engineer. Rotating guests joining the Union line up. Possible guests: Trevor Horn, Geoff Downes, Pat Moraz, Wakeman kids, Nikki Squire, John Wetton, Tony Levin, Howe kids, Simon and Garfunkle, Vangelis, Eddie Jobson, and on and on. PS- Only if they change their minds a year later and continue to tour and record.

[luna65]

I'll be contrarian and say that I don't believe Yes could have ever garnered mystique as such. They had some esoterica associated with their particular aesthetic, but not quite enough. I think if they had continued on in another direction after Relayer then they might have reached that particular plateau. However, they did establish themselves as an institution and it worked, mostly. So that's an achievement which even some long-running bands haven't managed.

[luvyesmusic]

If This Is Spinal Tap and Rob Reiner credited YES for much of the story ideas, perhaps more folks would have investigated.

YES was huge in the 70s ( and beyond ) but they just didn't have the notoriety of say a band like The Greatful Dead. There is a ton of folks who can't/couldn't stand the Dead, but at one time, much of the western world knew who they were, or heard about them.
I always thought the marketing of KISS was genius, the band, not so much. You mention The Dead or KISS, the majority of folk in certain demographics know who you are talking about. YES, bunch of old farts, primarily. KISS, and the Dead, you don't even have to mention a song. Same can't be said of YES for good amount of folks who hadn't been to a show since the 70s. So embarrassing even bringing up Owner of a Lonely Heart to try and get folks to remember who YES is. ;-)

[Gtkgasman]

I can’t put my finger on a time. Or era. This band was destined for longevity with the first guitar change, followed by etc etc etc. lol.

And I am way too selfish to have wished any era away 😊. Each change and stretch coincides with a certain point in life so I don’t want to give any up, even in theory.

I will say, that after the 2002-2004 run, and Jon’s health issue, I could have accepted if they didn’t head out as Yes again without him. And then again the same after Chris passing away. This is not to say that I didn’t enjoy the music and enjoy every show from ‘08 to present, because I have.....

.....and discussions on how they will carry on, and who with, are the driving force on thread after thread here....😆

[Gilly Goodness]

Ditto. I've said it before but we are blessed the band had continued on and on. We all have our preferences to eras and members but it really has been the soundtrack of our lives. Can only recall certain times and events because of associations with the albums.

Never the coolest band or most popular. Kids these days know Zep and the Beatles. YES not so much. But that's fine. Those bands had great runs of albums over a finite period. Were cultural touchstones.

The sheer joy of hearing good, new YES music in 22 is priceless. Stunning new Dean paintings as well. I'm up for nextgenYES. As Heath Ledger mumbled in Brokeback Mountain, "I can't quit you."

[Mr. Holland]

Say, they would have quit after Tormato for good, I think that whatever mistique they would have had, would have been predominantly amongst the prog rock fanbase and they would be vieuwed as one of the prog rock pioneers, much as they are today. They never reached the mass popularity of bands like say Cream or Zeppelin, so I'm not so sure there would have been much mistique in the end.

[luna65]

As Heath Ledger mumbled in Brokeback Mountain, "I can't quit you."

No my dude, it was Jack (Jake Gyllenhaal) who said to Ennis, "I wish I knew how to quit you." And there was no mumbling involved. 😜

[Gilly Goodness]

No my dude, it was Jack (Jake Gyllenhaal) who said to Ennis, "I wish I knew how to quit you." And there was no mumbling involved. 😜

Nothin' slips by you.

[bondegezou]

Having a big "one off" Friends, Family, and Fans event recorded on film like The Band - The Last Waltz. Doing it at the end of the Union tour. Special Stage design and visual art by Roger Dean. Alan Parsons as the sound engineer. Rotating guests joining the Union line up. Possible guests: Trevor Horn, Geoff Downes, Pat Moraz, Wakeman kids, Nikki Squire, John Wetton, Tony Levin, Howe kids, Simon and Garfunkle, Vangelis, Eddie Jobson, and on and on. PS- Only if they change their minds a year later and continue to tour and record.

That would have been great fun and fans would've loved it, but it seems to me unlikely that it would have had any meaningful impact on the band's popularity with the public at large, their mystique.

[bondegezou]

Say, they would have quit after Tormato for good, I think that whatever mistique they would have had, would have been predominantly amongst the prog rock fanbase and they would be vieuwed as one of the prog rock pioneers, much as they are today. They never reached the mass popularity of bands like say Cream or Zeppelin, so I'm not so sure there would have been much mistique in the end.

Yes had more top ten and more #1 albums in the UK than Cream.