Yes (Yes album)
Yes | ||||
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Studio album by | ||||
Released | 25 July 1969 (UK) | |||
Recorded | March–May 1969[citation needed] | |||
Studio | ||||
Genre | ||||
Length | 40:36 | |||
Label | Atlantic | |||
Producer |
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Yes chronology | ||||
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Singles from Yes | ||||
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Alternative cover | ||||
Yes is the debut studio album by English
Yes was positively received by critics in the United Kingdom and United States, but was not commercially successful and failed to chart in either country. Two singles from the album were released: "Sweetness" and "Looking Around". The album was remastered in 1994 and 2003, the latter containing several previously unreleased tracks, including a rendition of "Something's Coming" from West Side Story.
Background
In August 1968, Yes formed with a line-up of singer
Production
Recording
With their contract secured, Yes recorded their debut album in the spring of 1969, mostly at Advision with additional sessions at Trident Studios in London.[3][4] Anderson and Banks recalled that the band were in the studio for between one and four weeks.[5] They were joined by producer Paul Clay and engineer Gerald Chevin (and John Anthony at Trident).[6][7][4] Banks was unsure as to how Clay became involved in the album; he deemed Clay unfit for the job, for he had worked on film soundtracks and knew little about working with rock bands, which caused the album to lack in quality as a result, with Bruford's drums sounding "like biscuit tins" and Banks' guitar sounding "clangy".[5][8] Banks nicknamed Chevin "The Weasel" or "The Ferret", for his small stature and glasses that made him resemble "a rocket scientist from the 1950s", and for his general distaste for rock music.[9][4] Chevin also consistently asked the band to turn their levels down, much to the dislike of Banks, who would put his guitar levels up when no one was looking.[10]
Recording was also met with technical difficulties, with the group spending two days trying to get a Hammond organ for Kaye to play on to function correctly. They hired one to use, for Kaye owned a Vox Continental disguised as a Hammond.[11][5] These sessions marked Bruford's first time in a professional recording studio, and it was only when the album was nearly complete that he realised he could alter the volume levels of the other band members' instruments in his headphones. Instead, he recorded his parts with the guitar loud in one ear "and nothing else in the other".[5] Bruford described his playing on the album as "a mishmash of everything I'd heard" and later recognised his naïve playing, specifically to "swing on the cymbals".[11] Around the third day of recording, Ertegun visited the studio to hear what had been put down, but the band had nothing to play for him.[10]
Songs
"Beyond and Before" was written by Squire and Clive Bailey, former singer and guitarist in Mabel Greer's Toyshop, the rock band that was a precursor to Yes. The band would open their live shows with this tune, which features three-part harmonies, an attribute of Yes that quickly became a trademark in their sound. Years later, Banks was still unsure as to what the lyrics meant, yet suggested they were "drug induced".[8] Squire described it as "one of those acid rock kind of songs" with its psychedelic lyrics.[12] "I See You" is a cover version of the original performed by American rock band the Byrds. Banks was disappointed with the version recorded for the album, for he later recognised the mistakes on it. The instrumental section with the guitar solo was often stretched for several minutes when performed live, sometimes ending in Banks throwing his guitar in the air and banging it on stage.[12] "Yesterday and Today" was one of the tracks recorded at Trident and features Bruford playing the vibraphone. Despite Bruford telling the band he could play the instrument, Banks remembered the drummer getting nervous when it came to recording.[4][12] "Looking Around" remained one of Squire's favourite tracks on the album. When it came to recording it, the band had some difficulties with its pitching, for they were uncertain of which key the song was in.[13]
"Harold Land" got its title from Bruford, who recalled someone asking out loud what the track should be called. "I remember somebody saying ... 'I want to write a song about a man called...' and I said, 'Harold Land' as I walked through the room".[4] The song is named after Harold Land, an American tenor saxophonist, yet the song's lyrics deal with the effects of war on the named character.[4] The album's second cover version is "Every Little Thing" by the Beatles. Squire did not realise how much he liked the band's version until he turned on the radio after performing at Madison Square Garden in New York City in 1984 and liked the instrumentation, failing to recognise it was the band's version being played until Anderson's voice was heard.[13] "Sweetness" was the first song that Anderson and Squire collaborated on following their initial meeting. It is featured in the comedy drama film Buffalo '66 (1998), the first film with Vincent Gallo as director. "Survival" was a song that had contributions from the whole band, but it was not worked on fully due to the limited time they had to finish the album. It later became bothersome for Bruford, due to its ecology-inspired lyrics and "drippy" melody.[14] Anderson said the lyrics are "a simple story about how nature is an amazing thing that surrounds us."[15]
Sleeve design
The album was packaged in a gatefold sleeve, with the UK pressing featuring a front cover of the word "YES" in blue and red inside a speech bubble against a plain black background.[4] The sleeve was designed by Crosby/Fletcher/Forbes, a design collaboration between graphic designers Theo Crosby, Alan Fletcher, and Colin Forbes, with additional design work from Haig Adishian.[6] Music journalist and band biographer Chris Welch later wrote: "Although the sleeve wasn't graced with the kind of elaborate cover art that Roger Dean would introduce on the 1971 Fragile album, the ... cover was most effective".[4] The front cover of the United States and Canada pressings features a photograph of the band at an architectural centre in Fulham, taken by American photographer David Gahr.[6] It was also included in the album's 2003 remastered release.[4] The gatefold includes a group photograph and mid-gig shots taken by Nicky Wright at Parliament Hill Fields in north London.[10][6] When it came to producing the liner notes, Flynn requested that his name was omitted from the list of credits.[4] Anderson is credited on the original release as "John"; he removed the "h" from his name in 1970.[citation needed]
Release and reception
Review scores | |
---|---|
Source | Rating |
AllMusic | [16] |
The Encyclopedia of Popular Music | [17] |
Rolling Stone | (favourable)[18] |
The Rolling Stone Album Guide | [19] |
Yes was released on 25 July 1969 in the UK.[7] Its release in the US followed on 15 October 1969.[3] "Sweetness" was put out as the album's lead single and the band's first overall; Banks disagreed with this being done, for he thought it was the song that least represented the band's style.[13]
The album received a positive reception from two American newspapers. Scott Campbell of the
Track listing
No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
---|---|---|---|
1. | "Beyond and Before" | Chris Squire, Clive Bailey | 4:52 |
2. | "I See You" | Jim McGuinn, David Crosby | 6:47 |
3. | "Yesterday and Today" | Jon Anderson | 2:49 |
4. | "Looking Around" | Anderson, Squire | 3:58 |
No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
---|---|---|---|
1. | "Harold Land" | Anderson, Squire, Bill Bruford | 5:40 |
2. | "Every Little Thing" | John Lennon, Paul McCartney | 5:41 |
3. | "Sweetness" | Anderson, Squire, Bailey | 4:31 |
4. | "Survival" | Anderson | 6:18 |
No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
---|---|---|---|
9. | "Everydays" (Single Version) | Stephen Stills | 6:23 |
10. | "Dear Father" (Early Version #2) | Anderson, Squire | 5:51 |
11. | "Something's Coming" | Leonard Bernstein, Stephen Sondheim | 7:09 |
12. | "Everydays" (Early Version) | Stills | 5:18 |
13. | "Dear Father" (Early Version #1) | Anderson, Squire | 5:31 |
14. | "Something's Coming" (Early Version) | Bernstein, Sondheim | 8:02 |
Personnel
Credits are adapted from the album's 1969 and 2003 sleeve notes.[6][7]
Yes
- Bill Bruford – drums, vibraphone
- Tony Kaye – organ, piano
- Peter Banks – guitars, vocals
- Chris Squire – bass, vocals
- Jon Anderson – lead vocals, incidental percussion
Technical personnel
- Paul Clay – production
- Yes – production
- Gerald Chevin – engineer
- John Anthony – engineer (Trident Studios sessions only)[4]
- Crosby/Fletcher/Forbes – sleeve design
- Peter Sanders – other photographs
- Nicky Wright – full page photograph
- Haig Adishian – cover design (UK edition)
- David Gahr – cover photograph (US edition)
Reissues
- 1989 – Atlantic – CD
- 1994 – Atlantic – CD (Remastered)
- 2003 – Rhino – CD (Remastered with bonus tracks)
- 2014 – Friday Music – Vinyl
- 2015 – Music on Vinyl – Vinyl (Remastered by DigiPrep)
- 2019 - Atlantic - Vinyl
Charts
Chart (2019-2024) | Peak position |
---|---|
Hungarian Physical Albums (MAHASZ)[22] | 25 |
22 |
References
- ^ "Singles Discography".
- ProQuest 1624842773.
- ^ a b Yes (1994). Yes [1994 Remaster] (Media notes). Atlantic Records. 82680-2.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k Welch 2008, p. 59.
- ^ a b c d Morse 1996, p. 12.
- ^ a b c d e Yes (1969). Yes (Media notes). Atlantic Records. 588 190.
- ^ a b c Yes (2003). Yes [Expanded and Remastered] (Media notes). Rhino Records. 8122-73786-2.
- ^ a b Welch 2008, p. 60.
- ^ Morse 1996, p. 12, 13.
- ^ a b c Welch 2008, p. 63.
- ^ a b Welch 2008, p. 59, 60.
- ^ a b c Morse 1996, p. 13.
- ^ a b c Morse 1996, p. 14.
- ^ Morse 1996, p. 15.
- ^ Gottlieb, Doug; Gottlieb, Glenn (1999). Yes - The Ladder - North American tourbook. Yes Magazine.
- AllMusic. Retrieved 20 January 2019.
- ISBN 978-0195313734.
- ^ a b Bangs, Lester (7 February 1970). "Album Reviews (Yes: Yes)". Rolling Stone. Archived from the original on 20 February 2009.
- ISBN 0-7432-0169-8.
- Newspapers.com.
- ^ Wagner, David F. (21 December 1969). "Yes, Yes is promising". The Post-Crescent. Appleton, WI. Retrieved 2 September 2018 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "Album Top 40 slágerlista (fizikai hanghordozók) – 2024. 2. hét". MAHASZ. Retrieved 17 January 2024.
- ^ "Official Rock & Metal Albums Chart Top 40". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 28 June 2023.
Books
- Morse, Tim (1996). Yesstories: "Yes" in Their Own Words. ISBN 978-0-312-14453-1.
- Welch, Chris (2008). Close to the Edge – The Story of Yes. Omnibus Press. ISBN 978-1-84772-132-7.
External links
- Beyond and Before on YouTube