The Yes Album (1971)
No contender to rival their best album, it still knocks out their worst (assuming you can’t get much worse than ‘Close To The Edge’. Then again, I’ve yet to have the honor of hearing ‘Tales From Topographic Oceans’. Yuck). “Yours Is No Disgrace” is constructed around Steve Howe’s killer riffs, and “Starship Trooper” features some great mounting guitar-plus-noise, culminating in a guitar war with himself for Mr. Howe. His contributions are marvelous, and I’d dare say he’s one of my favorite guitarists, when he’s on.
Which he certainly is here.
(“Yours Is No Disgrace”, “Starship Trooper”)
Grade: B
2011: Steve Howe is the attraction here. Without him they’re mediocre, and with him not caring/trying they’re mediocre. He’s trying on this album. I don’t think there’s anything special about “I’ve Seen All Good People” lyrically, because Jon Anderson just writes whatever he thinks is profound at the moment and while most of the time it’s just nonsense, statistically you have to be coherent once in a while. I like the SONG because of the music, the way the different parts mesh together and form a synthesis (like, I don’t know, classical music and hard rock) that is greater than…you know. But the real reason to listen to this is that Howe’s riffs will rock your socks off. He is absolutely out of his mind on “Starship Trooper” and “Yours Is No Disgrace”, and the other band members contribute well enough to back him up and make it stick.
(“Yours Is No Disgrace”, “Starship Trooper(Wurm)”)
Grade: B+
8/21/23: It’s just far too weak (and non Howe-ish) after “I’ve Seen All Good People”.
Grade: B
Fragile (1972)
A great art-rock album, this one never lets up. The song fragments are interesting and appropriate, providing imagery to enliven the longer proceedings here very well.
The two long songs that open and close the album are d@mn good. There are no bad songs…this is one of the few that you can put on and never have to worry about when to fast forward past that embarrassing track. Admittedly, it’s much better when you’re drunk. But that’s only to say that it is bordering on heaven (ahem, “We Have Heaven”) when wasted. Sober, it falls back to ordinary run-of-the-mill great.
(“Roundabout”, “We Have Heaven”, “Heart Of The Sunrise”)
Grade: A
Close To The Edge (1972)
Too close to the edge. They must have fallen in. The only one I’ll really miss is Steve Howe.
Grade: D
Tales From Topographic Oceans (1974)
Finally having heard this album, I run to the safety, comfort, and incredible quality of ‘Close To The Edge’. Compared to this, ‘Close’ is a masterpiece.
There are four “songs” here, and they’re all incredibly boring and completely free from musical quality or anything even approaching a good vocal or instrumental hook. Quite possibly the worst album I’ve ever heard.
Grade: F