Yes

Steve Howe, lead guitarist for Yes

Band Members, roughly in order in which they joined the band:

• Jon Anderson - lead vocals
• Chris Squire - bass/vocals
• Tony Kaye - keyboards
• Peter Banks - guitar
• Bill Bruford - drums
• Steve Howe - guitar/vocals
• Rick Wakeman - keyboards
• Alan White - drums
• Patrick Moraz - keyboards
• Geoff Downes - keyboards
• Trevor Horn - vocals/bass
• Trevor Rabin - guitar/vocals
• Billy Sherwood - various
• Igor Khoroshev - keyboards

The early works of the band are generally considered to be their best, and they were in the early 1970s at the leading edge of progressive rock. Some consider the album Close to the Edge to be the high point of the whole genre. The classic line-up is usually quoted as Anderson Squire Howe Wakeman, together with either Bruford or White. Fans of this era commonly describe themselves as "Troopers", after the 3-part track "Starship Trooper" from The Yes Album.

Band members

After the Tormato album, the band split, with Anderson and Wakeman leaving. They were, rather surprisingly, replaced by both members of The Buggles, Downes and Horn. The Drama album that resulted from this line-up has its fans (named "Panthers" after a feature of the album's artwork), but most Yes followers missed Anderson's unique lyrics and vocal style. Following this period, another split left the band effectively dead.

Later in 1980 after the release of the Drama album, Squire and White teamed up with former Led Zeppelin guitarist Jimmy Page to form a power trio dubbed XYZ (Ex-Yes-Zeppelin). Though producing some powerful and inspired music, the supergroup fell apart due to creative differences, and Squire and White once again found themselves out to sea. Early in 1981, a promising jazz-rock guitarist from South Africa named Trevor Rabin (late of the band Rabbitt) shopped his solo material to an A&R executive at Atlantic Records, who suggested that he meet Squire and White.

The resulting band called Cinema (Squire, White, Kaye, and Rabin) showed Anderson some of their new music, with the result that Anderson joined the band and it was renamed Yes. The resulting album, 90125 (produced by Horn), was a radical departure from their earlier sound. It was simpler and harder, with modern (for the time) electronic effects. The song "Owner of a Lonely Heart" from this album was even a hit in discos, resulting in the band's only number one single. Fans of this line-up are called "Generators", from this line-up's second album, Big Generator.

From this point, the band's history becomes very messy indeed, with two versions of the band existing at the same time. The legal owner of the name Yes was the 90125 line-up (known colloquially as YesWest and based in the USA), but without Anderson, who had defected to form Anderson Bruford Wakeman Howe (known as YesEast and based in Britain). There were law suits, a coming together (resulting in the Union album and tour), and another split before the 90125 line-up released its last album, Talk.

After that point, the band reformed with a classic line-up (Anderson Squire White Howe Wakeman). The new music created by this line-up appeared mixed with live recordings on the Keys To Ascension albums, and is considered by many to be their finest music since their 1970s zenith. With the notable exception of Wakeman and the temporary addition of two new members, it has retained this line-up to this day.

Discography

• 1969 in music Yes (Anderson Squire Bruford Kaye Banks)
• 1970 in music Time and a Word (Anderson Squire Bruford Kaye Banks)
• 1971 in music The Yes Album (Anderson Squire Bruford Kaye Howe)
• 1972 in music
  • Fragile (Anderson Squire Bruford Howe Wakeman)
  • Close to the Edge (Anderson Squire Bruford Howe Wakeman)
• 1973 in music
  • Yessongs (live triple - Anderson Squire Bruford White Howe Wakeman)
  • Tales from Topographic Oceans (double - Anderson Squire White Howe Wakeman)
• 1974 in music Relayer (Anderson Squire White Howe Moraz)
• 1975 in music Yesterdays (compilation from first two albums, plus Paul Simon's America)
• 1976 in music In this year, rather than release a group album, each of the band members released a solo project, often guesting on each other's albums. These were:
  • Ramshackled (Alan White — Anderson guests on one track)
  • Olias of Sunhillow (Jon Anderson — Anderson plays all instruments and sings all parts)
  • Beginnings (Steve Howe)
  • Fish out of Water (Chris Squire)
  • Story of I (Patrick Moraz)
• 1977 in music Going for the One (Anderson Squire White Howe Wakeman)
• 1978 in music Tormato (Anderson Squire White Howe Wakeman)
• 1980 in music
  • Drama (Horn Squire White Howe Downes)
  • Yesshows (live double - Anderson Squire White Howe Wakeman Moraz)
• 1981 in music Classic Yes (compilation)
• 1983 in music 90125 (Anderson Squire White Kaye Rabin)
• 1985 in music 9012Live: The Solos (live - Anderson Squire White Kaye Rabin)
• 1987 in music Big Generator (Anderson Squire White Kaye Rabin)
• 1989 in music Anderson Bruford Wakeman Howe* (Anderson Bruford Wakeman Howe)
• 1991 in music
  • Union (Anderson Squire White Howe Wakeman Kaye Bruford Rabin)
  • Yesyears (4-CD compilation)
• 1992 in music Yesstory (2-CD abridgement of Yesyears)
• 1993 in music
  • Highlights — The Very Best of Yes (compilation)
  • An Evening of Yes Music Plus* (live - Anderson Bruford Wakeman Howe)
• 1994 in music Talk (Anderson Squire White Kaye Rabin)
• 1996 in music Keys to Ascension (live/studio - Anderson Squire White Howe Wakeman)
• 1997 in music
  • Keys to Ascension 2 (live/studio - Anderson Squire White Howe Wakeman)
  • Keys to Ascension Volume 1 & 2 (live/studio - Anderson Squire White Howe Wakeman)
  • Open Your Eyes (Anderson Squire White Howe Sherwood with Khoroshev)
  • Something's Coming / Beyond and Before (old live material - Anderson Squire Bruford Kaye Banks)
• 1999 in music The Ladder (Anderson Squire White Howe Sherwood Khoroshev)
• 2000 in music
  • The Masterworks — Mix Your Own CD (compilation)
  • House Of Yes - Live from the House of Blues (live)
  • The Best of (compilation)
• 2001 in music
  • Keystudio (compilation of studio material from both Keys to Ascension albums)
  • Magnification (Anderson Squire White Howe with orchestra)
• 2002 in music
  • Yestoday (Anderson Squire White Howe Sherwood Khoroshev)
  • In a Word — Yes (5-CD compilation)
• 2003 in music Yes Remixes (assembled by Virgil Howe, son of Steve)
• 2004 in music Projected live retrospective CD box set

Material marked * was released under the band name "Anderson Bruford Wakeman Howe", because the band name "Yes" was then owned by Chris Squire. However, the material has the distinctive Yes sound and is considered by many to be as much a product of the band as any other release.

Sleeve artwork for many of these albums was done by Roger Dean, who also designed the band's logo.

The Yes Atlantic Records catalog has undergone at least two remasterings and re-releases on CD. The initial CD releases appeared in the late 1980s, and the first remasters were released in the mid 1990s, with dramatically improved sound and much original album art restored. In 2003 a further remastering effort was begun by Rhino Records, this time including more original art, extensive booklet liner notes, and rare bonus tracks.

External link

• Yesworld: The Official Yes site

Referenced By