Yes | Artist
Yes is an English progressive rock band formed 1968 in London by singer Jon Anderson, bassist Chris Squire, guitarist Peter Banks, keyboardist Tony Kaye, and drummer Bill Bruford. Other notable players include Rick Wakeman (keyboards), Patrick Moraz (keyboards) and Steve Howe (guitar). The band's musicianship has always been virtuoso and they are regarded as one of the world's foremost Prog rock bands. Their origins date back to 1965 when Squire and Banks left psych band The Syn to join a progressive rock band called Mabel Greer's Toyshop. This group, led by guitarist and vocalist Clive Bayley, also included vocalist Jon Anderson, keyboards player Tony Kaye, and drummer Bill Bruford. Squire, Banks, Anderson, Kaye and Bruford decided to form their own band named Yes, initially playing covers of Beatles, Fifth Dimension and Traffic songs. On 16 September 1968, Yes performed at Blaise's club in London as a substitute for Sly and the Family Stone, who had failed to turn up. They were well received by the audience, including the host Roy Flynn, who became the band's manager that night. Soon after they scored the support slot for Cream's farewell concert at the Royal Albert Hall on 26 November. After seeing an early King Crimson gig, Yes realised they needed to be much more technically proficient, and started regular rehearsals. They subsequently signed a deal with Atlantic Records and released a debut album in late 1969, comprising mostly original material, with one Beatles and one The Byrds song. Although it failed to break into the UK album charts, Rolling Stone critic Lester Bangs complimented the album's "sense of style, taste and subtlety". Melody Maker columnist Tony Wilson chose Yes and Led Zeppelin as the two bands "most likely to succeed." Following a tour of Scandinavia with the Faces, Yes performed a solo concert at the QE Hall on 21 March 1970, playing excerpts from their next album Time and a Word, accompanied by a 20-piece youth orchestra. Similar to the first album, Time and a Word features originals and two covers. The album broke into the UK charts, at #45. Pete Banks left the group in April 1970, three months before the album's release, and was replaced by Tomorrow guitarist Steve Howe. The band then retreated to a farmhouse in Devon to write and rehearse material for their third album. Howe established himself as an integral part of the group's sound with his Gibson ES-175 and variety of acoustic guitars, and together with producer and engineer Eddy Offord, their overall sound became highly elaborate. Released in February 1971, The Yes Album reached #4 in the UK and #40 on the U.S. charts, with the single "Your Move" giving them mainstream radio exposure. Yes embarked on a tour of Europe with Iron Butterfly in January 1971, and purchased Iron Butterfly's entire PA system, which improved their on-stage sound. They then embarked on a tour of North America, supporting Jethro Tull. Friction arose between Tony Kaye and band members over Kaye's reluctance to play synthesizers, preferring to stick to piano and Hammond organ. This led to the keyboardist being fired from the band, who had just seen Rick Wakeman about a month earlier. Wakeman, a classically trained player who had just left the Strawbs, was already a noted studio musician. Squire commented that he could play "a grand piano for three bars, a Mellotron for two bars and a Moog for the next one absolutely spot on", which gave Yes the orchestral and choral textures they needed for their new material. Released in November 1971, the band's fourth album Fragile showcased a growing interest in the structures of classical music. It also marked the start of their long collaboration with artist Roger Dean, who designed their logo, album art and stage sets. Fragile peaked at #7 in the UK and was their first record to reach the top ten in North America. A shorter version of the track, "Roundabout" was released as a single that peaked at #13 on the Billboard chart. September 1972 saw the release of Close to the Edge, the band's fifth album, and their most ambitious work so far. At 19 minutes, the title track ran an entire side and combined elements of classical music, psychedelic rock, pop and jazz. The album reached #3 in the U.S. and #4 on the UK charts. "And You and I" was released as a single, peaking at #42 in the U.S. The growing critical and commercial success of the band was not enough to retain Bruford, who left Yes to join King Crimson. The band decided on former Plastic Ono Band drummer Alan White as his replacement. White learned the band's repertoire in three days before embarking on their 1972-73 world tour. By this point, Yes were beginning to enjoy worldwide commercial and critical success. They continued on, more or less with the same core lineup, for the next two decades, establishing themselves as one of the world's greatest progressive rock bands. With a present day discography of 24 studio albums, outstanding releases include The Yes Album (1971), Fragile (1971), Close to the Edge (1972), Tales From Topographic Oceans (1973), Relayer (1974), Going For the One (1977), and Drama (1980). Also recommended is the live set Yessongs (1973) and the compilation Yessingles (2023). Founding member Chris Squire passed away from leukemia in June 2015, signalling an end to the band's core lineup. In January 2016, former Yes members Jon Anderson, Trevor Rabin and Rick Wakeman announced their new group, Anderson, Rabin and Wakeman (ARW), something that had been in the works for years. Wakeman stated that Squire's passing inspired them to go ahead with the band. Steve Howe is the only member from their prime years still in the present day incarnation of the band Yes.
Artist Website: yesworld.com
Featured Albums: Yes
Related Artists: Chris Squire, Jon Anderson, Rick Wakeman
