Re-Visiting weaker YES albums

[Progbear]

I quite liked Magnification. I was impressed with the suite on FFH but it hasn’t really held up. I still find it decent/listenable, but I think there are newer bands that are Yes-influenced that do that type of thing much better. I wonder what that means.

I should try out The Ladder one of these days. It’s probably the only post-ABWH album apart from KTA and the ones I’ve mentioned that I have any interest in.

Talk has quite a few very big fans, actually. I don't get it at all, I'm sorry to say. The only thing that feels like 'Yes' about it to me is that Jon Anderson is singing on it- something it shares with Open Your Eyes.

Yeah, I don’t feel it. “Endless Dream” was meant to evoke classic Yes but just felt like the usual Rabin AOR fluff padded with new-age noodling.

[Splicer]

I thought his album, Piano Works, from around the time he was in Yes was rather good. I'm assuming some of those tracks might have been reworked as Yes songs rather than solo piano pieces.

[Haruspex Carnage]

Weak Yes albums to me are Union and Open Your Eyes...in fact i can't even name a single track off those two...unless i just did.

FFH and H&E i don't even pretend exist...joke.

[Sean]

There are no weak Yes albums! Only weak souls!

Bwoooohahahahahahahha!

[Booba Kastorsky]

I guess I should qualify the "weaker" description. Of course, with my namesake, even a weak YES album is better than 95% of what else is out there. Even Heaven and Earth.

With all my respect, this statement is questionable and disrespectful to other artists "out there". Looks like being YES die-HEAD means loving anything labeled "Yes", even if it hardly sounds like Yes
Every band with long and glory history have album(s) that they would rather not recorded and that hardly add to their glory.
As much as I love Yes, I clerly understand Yes have their shares of such kind of albums. Heaven and Earth with a fake Jon Anderson vocalist is definitely one of them, and hardly "is better than 95% of what else is out there".

[Booba Kastorsky]

Weak Yes albums to me are Union and Open Your Eyes...in fact i can't even name a single track off those two...unless i just did.
FFH and H&E i don't even pretend exist...joke.

Union isn't that bad, IMHO,
As of FFH and H&E: no joke in your statement to me!

[Trane]

Re-Visiting weaker YES albums

wouldn't that be 95% of all Yes albums??

You want to discuss most everything since Going For The One? or since Relayer?

Since CTTE (though I like Relayer)... and everything before TYA

i'll get flack for this but i think Going For The One is a weak album. sure Awaken is brilliant, but the rest is so so.

I think some are getting to realize this. Take Awaken out and you've got something worthy of Tormato.

There are no strong Yes albums! Only weak souls!

Bwoooohahahahahahahha!

[Progatron]

I love Going For The One from beginning to end. Beautiful album. You lot are off your rockers.

[YESHEAD777]

[QUOTE=Mikhael;553176]I know I'm definitely in the minority here, but I thought "Talk" was the strongest of the Rabin years. About 75% of it was really good to me. I rate it above most of what came after.

I like Talk alot too. And I like the lesser played tracks from 90125 and BG like Changes, Hearts, Shoot high Aim Low, Final Eyes, and I'm running. I also think the first five tracks on Talk are very consistant. State of Play is a real sleeper cut for me-it really rocks, and sounds great cranked up. Where will you be is the only clunker, and Endless Dream starts and ends great, but is very incohesive. Probably my fav Rabin era album overall too.

[YESHEAD777]

BTW....love Tormato too. Brings back alot of great memories, like the amazing in the round tour of '79.

[YESHEAD777]

With all my respect, this statement is questionable and disrespectful to other artists "out there". Looks like being YES die-HEAD means loving anything labeled "Yes", even if it hardly sounds like Yes
Every band with long and glory history have album(s) that they would rather not recorded and that hardly add to their glory.
As much as I love Yes, I clerly understand Yes have their shares of such kind of albums. Heaven and Earth with a fake Jon Anderson vocalist is definitely one of them, and hardly "is better than 95% of what else is out there".

Guess I should have added IMHO, sorry you interepreted my statement as questionable and disrepectful, it sure wasn't meant to be. And YES, I guess I'm guilty of liking anything labeled YES, even if it hardly sounds like YES IYHO.

[yesstiles]

"Tormato" Side 1 is better than "Going For The One" Side 1.

[JJ88]

As for Fly From Here, I've been meaning to play it again but I feel kind of lukewarm about it. It occupies a strange place in their history because Benoit David was out only a matter of months after its release, and Oliver Wakeman was already out before its release (he contributed a little to the album).

It's not a bad effort but very heavy on old songs. Worse still, the big 'suite' doesn't really cohere at all...largely because of 'Bumpy Ride'. Surely they could have come up with something better than that, to bridge the other songs together?

I always liked 'Into The Storm' and 'Hour Of Need' though...they are accessible but feel like old Yes to me.

[BigSixFan]

Guess I should have added IMHO, sorry you interepreted my statement as questionable and disrepectful, it sure wasn't meant to be. And YES, I guess I'm guilty of liking anything labeled YES, even if it hardly sounds like YES IYHO.

Everyone has their fanbois. There is an ELP appreciation site on Facebook that has fans comparing Emerson to Bach, Beethoven and Mozart, as well as considering his technical skills better than anyone who ever lived. Like your 95% comment, life is filled with hyperbole...

[Mikhael]

"Tormato" Side 1 is better than "Going For The One" Side 1.

No.

[2steves]

I love Going For The One from beginning to end. Beautiful album. You lot are off your rockers.

Agree --100% --For me weak Yes albums are albums with a lot of weak tracks---even if there are a few good songs---and the list is long in the 80's and 90's.

Like most of Yes west---the Ladder------Tormato---Heaven and Earth----yes west Union cuts---Fly from here---only one horrible Yes album OYE

All the rest are good albums.

[Phlakaton]

goodness me... I read the thread title "re-visiting wanker Yes albums" lol Big Generator signaled the end for my tastes. Its almost that production became too clean or something... like that ruined some of it for me - but the songs also seemed too light and happy too. Meh... my own problem I suppose. I know there is some solid music in there.

[Mister Triscuits]

goodness me... I read the thread title "re-visiting wanker Yes albums" lol

Those would be any of the ones featuring Rick Wankman.

[YESHEAD777]

Those would be any of the ones featuring Rick Wankman.

ok....that is freaking hilarious.

[JKL2000]

Talking about post-90125, The Ladder and Magnification are the best of the bunch. I've sort of come around to some of the Keys material...at least they were making an effort. I can't say the rest of the later albums are played very often...once/twice a year, and Open Your Eyes I haven't bothered with for a few years.

As for Fly From Here, I've been meaning to play it again but I feel kind of lukewarm about it. It occupies a strange place in their history because Benoit David was out only a matter of months after its release, and Oliver Wakeman was already out before its release (he contributed a little to the album).

It's not a bad effort but very heavy on old songs. Worse still, the big 'suite' doesn't really cohere at all...largely because of 'Bumpy Ride'. Surely they could have come up with something better than that, to bridge the other songs together?

I always liked 'Into The Storm' and 'Hour Of Need' though...they are accessible but feel like old Yes to me.

Put me in the "Bumpy Ride is the worst thing they ever released" camp. It sounds like 70s game show music.

[miamiscot]

Why do people hate Bumpy Ride so much? I thought it was the highlight of the Side One Suite.

All the Keys material is great. As is The Ladder and Magnification!!!

The Yes West stuff was so-so. I never listen to those records (which is probably why I'm not too excited about the whole ARW thing...)

[Digital_Man]

Bumpy ride sounds like music for pre-schoolers.

By the way, how does "Heaven and Earth" rate in Yes's catalog? How many albums(and which ones)would you consider to be worse? It's the only Yes studio album I have never owned or heard.

[yamishogun]

Why do people hate Bumpy Ride so much? I thought it was the highlight of the Side One Suite.

I had a Japanese girlfriend who I forced, yes forced to listen to the full 23 minutes. She knows maybe 500 words of english and I told her the name of the part that was so out of place. When we got to it she cracked up and laughed "Bumpy ride!!"

I know what Howe was aiming for. First, composing two minutes on the song so he would have a part. Second, be creative and throw in turbulence. He gets a lot of points for creativity except it ruined the ending. Third, he wanted to be on the suite. Fourth, Howe really , really wanted to be a part of the writing on the Suite. Fifth, he was thinking "After all, I am Steve Howe! I get two minutes on this!"

[Facelift]

Bumpy ride sounds like music for pre-schoolers.

By the way, how does "Heaven and Earth" rate in Yes's catalog?

The general consensus? Not well.

In here? There are a few people who don't hate it.

[Digital_Man]

[It sounds like music from a children's TV show. ]

Exactly. I guess I'm not the only person to think that. I always visualize little kids running around(or doing some funky little dance) when I hear it.