Details

Track Listing 1. Beyond and Before 2. I See You 3. Yesterday and Today 4. Looking Around 5. Harold Land 6. Every Little Thing 7. Sweetness 8. Survival 9. Everydays - (single version) 10. Dear Father - (previously unreleased, early version #2) 11. Something's Coming 12. Everydays - (previously unreleased, early version #1) 13. Dear Father - (previously unreleased, early version #1) 14. Something's Coming - (previously unreleased, early version)
| Details | | Producer: | Paul Clay, Yes | | Distributor: | WEA (Distributor) | | Recording Type: | Studio | | Recording Mode: | Stereo | | SPAR Code: | n/a |
Album Notes Yes: Jon Anderson (vocals, percussion); Peter Banks (guitar, background vocals); Tony Kaye (piano, organ); Chris Squire (bass, background vocals); Bill Bruford (drums, vibraphone). Recorded at Advision and Trident Studios, London, England in Spring 1969. Originally released on Atlantic (8243). All tracks have been digitally remastered. Though their name quickly became synonymous with '70s prog rock, Yes' 1969 debut is a far cry from the epic vistas they would later explore. Like many '60s bands, they covered the Byrds (the metaphysical "I See You") and the Beatles ("Every Little Thing"). Inspired by the likes of Vanilla Fudge and Rotary Connection, they turned these songs inside out, radically changing the tempos and creating their own elaborate arrangements. The end results often bore little similarity to the songs' original versions. Guitarist Peter Banks (who eventually formed the very Yes-like aggregation Flash with Yes keyboardist Tony Kaye) has a much less cerebral approach than his successor Steve Howe. Though not as facile, Banks is alternately subtle and jazzy ("I See You") and electrifyingly riff-oriented ("Looking Around"). All the elements that would soon make Yes a household name were already in place, but YES is the sound of a great band gearing up for greater things. It's nevertheless an ultimately substantive and satisfying debut.
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