Zappa.com

This past week, a musician friend of mine told me to check out YES (particularly Talk and Big Generator), so I'll likely be picking up some YES albums pretty soon. I'm quite sure that there are many YES fans on this forum with strong opinions on the matter, so let's hear 'em.

And in case you're wondering, no, I haven't gotten any Pink Floyd albums yet but I assure you that I will.

Holy Crap, man. Get the lead out!

The first Yes album to get is probably either The Yes Album or Fragile. Close to the Edge is actually my favorite though, and I'm a big fan of the "Tales From Topographic Oceans" release, which has yet to get a decent review. Knowing you, you'd probably dig the underrated 1st album "Yes" as well. For newer stuff, be sure to check out "Magnification".

As far as the Trevor Rabin era stuff goes, have an open mind, but be ready for some heavy 80s production. The songs themselves are often quite good though.

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Let's hear it again for the London Philharmonic Orchestra!

NO. don't get those. they suck.

you have to get these, though:

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"bit of nostalgia for the old folks."

Just another word about Talk and Big Generator. They've gotten a lot of bad press, but they are NOT bad albums. I actually enjoy both of them quite a lot. BUT! They are NOT the albums you want to hear if you want to get to know what YES is about. Trust me on this. Save them for last.

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Let's hear it again for the London Philharmonic Orchestra!

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The fun hasn't beginned yet, uh, later on apparently The Mothers are gonna hand out the bingo cards and everything, you know

Die hard Yes fan here, and certainly, the big three (The Yes Album, Fragile, & Close To The Edge) are the place to start. You can accomplish pretty much all of that same material with Yessongs. I too am also a big fan of Tales From Topographic (at least disc 1) and I got into Yes and first saw them in '77 during the Going For The One tour, so that effort holds a place in my heart. I could never really get into Relayer though.

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"Why do people say "Grow some balls"? Balls are weak and sensitive! If you really wanna get tough, grow a vagina! Those things take a pounding"! -- Sheng Wang

Start here and go forward ! ---- You need to catch up , son.
What else have you deprived yourself of ???

Talk and Big Generator are complete trash. You should kick your friend in the nuts for suggesting those 2 turds over Relayer.

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Make your checks payable to QUENTIN ROBERT DeNAMELAND, Greatest Living Philostopher Known to Mankind.

Those two particular projects deviate from traditional YES
as much as Bing Crosby and family without a morning cup of
Minute Maid Orange Juice.

Basically the projects are far too Trevor Rabin influenced and are the
TANG equivalent of YES. Not that Minute Maid is my choice for OJ for
even that is a bad Slow Speed Chase of Concentrate.

TALK is so over indulgent Trevor Rabin YES where basically no one else showed up .
It's as if Trevor was trying to make a Yes album all by himself and just had the members support it.
Each era of YES has projects tat stand out and that era is Yes Tang
without any Rocket Fuel.

Best review I ever herd for Talk was Shut Up.
I can appreciate what Trevor Rabin did but it just was not Yes.
It was YES TRON with TANG.

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Trendmonger's Moment Of Clarity

FZ "Read It And Weep"
April 17,1981

Frank Zappa left the ZFT in Control of his Vaults and Artistic rights.
We the fans are not in control. We have a choice to use our eyes and ears or read it and weep.

Talk is probably my LEAST favorite and Big Generator my "next-to-least-favorite." I do like some cuts on Big Generator, but play it onec a year...Talk I haven't played in I don't know how many years....Most of the rest of theYes collection I listen to quite often,

I agree to begin the beginning, or at least with Fragile and Close To The Edge.

I would recommend getting all the studio (non live), stuff first, then some of the live stuff.

There is one possible exception to this, there are two double CD sets called "Keys to Ascention I and II" that have very good versions of all their "biggies." I'd still opt for the studio stuff first, starting in the early years, but if you want a quick and dirty sampeling of the band, those two double CD's are very good.

That's my HO.

Yes...one of the best fucken bands that ever was

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Lesser-evilism is war.

My sentiments exactly. Strange recommendations form your friend Jakeobs! I enjoy both albums, but they are not first listens in any way...

Get Close To The Edge or The Yes Album first IMO.

Skip Yes entirely and go directly to Rick Wakeman's King Arthur album. It's a riot.

I believe the reason why my friend may have suggested Talk and Big Generator first is because he grew up in the '80s (he's almost 36) and learned most of what he knows about playing music during that time. Needless to say, he has quite a soft spot for that particular decade for many different reasons to say the very least.

THE YES ALBUM. Definitely. It was my first, and good one to draw you in by the short and seasoned curlies.

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You might think my hats funny, but I don't...
Shitty blog./Shitty youtube.

The title track from "Time and a Word" is one of my favorite songs of all time. Such a wonderfully uplifting hippie song. Not too crazy about the rest of the album - though none of it is bad.

"Drama" deserves mention here as an oddball in the Yes discography - it was basically the precursor to Asia. But about half of the 6 songs on that album are great - the other 3 are pretty iffy.

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Let's hear it again for the London Philharmonic Orchestra!

Agreed. Get those. The other ones ones he mentioned are not indicative of the music they are famous for.

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For a beginner, The Yes Album is a great place to start.

After that, Fragile, Close To the Edge, Tales From Topographic Oceans, Relayer, Going For the One, Keystudio.

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I can't tell when you're telling the truth.
>I'm not.
How do I know anything you've said to me is...
>You don't.

I would call those three YES projects reflective
of YES at the hight of their Prog Rock material
from a fan point of view but overall in the entire
decade of the 1970s they not only sold more US concert tickets
than any other band but I think in selecting let's say
6 Projects from their beginning to end of that decade
would be not only more reflective of different YES ensembles
but that reflects a broader scope of their overall creativity than those 3
from a short period of creativity.

I have always liked everything they have done
but I have seen that band so many that their shows
at times have become quite a yawn.

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_________________
Trendmonger's Moment Of Clarity

FZ "Read It And Weep"
April 17,1981

Frank Zappa left the ZFT in Control of his Vaults and Artistic rights.
We the fans are not in control. We have a choice to use our eyes and ears or read it and weep.

Did you hear something?

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Sounds like a blind spot. I like the song "Shoot high, aim low" but it's during that completely different sounding Rabin era.

I think a lot of Yes fans started out with Fragile because they were familiar with 'Roundabout' from the radio. That's a pretty good album to start with; it's got all the elements of the best Yes lineup happening.

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“The person who stands up and says, 'This is stupid,' either is asked to behave or, worse, is greeted with a cheerful 'Yes, we know! Isn't it terrific!" -Frank Zappa

I've only owned two jazz albums (Bitches Brew and A Love Supreme) and one reggae album (a Desmond Dekker best of) in my life as well. Never owned a big band album either.

Bob Marley - Legend (A must have)
Check out some Jimmy Cliff too.

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"Why do people say "Grow some balls"? Balls are weak and sensitive! If you really wanna get tough, grow a vagina! Those things take a pounding"! -- Sheng Wang

they never got better after about 3 albums, maybe 2; they rode the popularity of those 1st 3 albums for the rest of their careers; marginally interesting on a rare occasion but boring for the most part

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I've only owned a very small handfull of classical albums (including the FZ ones) as well.

And for the record, I did NOT buy the Desmond Dekker best of because he died (I fucking HATE people who do that shit). I've been a fan of "Israelites" since I heard it at the end of the movie Drugstore Cowboy some 20 years ago.

By the way, besides the fact that it's YES's best selling album and thus probably their most commercial sounding, is there a reason why no one has mentioned 90125 yet?