•
Rating: Historical band, Yes.
A story that begins in 1968, with the meeting between guitarist Pete Banks and bassist and singer Chris Squire (from the Syn) with singer Jon Anderson (from the Warriors); the arrival of keyboardist Tony Kaye (from Bitter Sweet) and drummer Bill Bruford (fresh from rhythm 'n blues experiences) completes the line-up for a very interesting five-member formation that thus begins to emerge in a musically fertile landscape like London in 1968. The band performed for a few nights at the Marquee in London, perhaps the most interesting underground venue in the City, and started getting known and appreciated, so much so that they were chosen as the opening act for the historic Cream farewell concert at the Royal Albert Hall in November 1968.
At that time, progressive rock was already laying its solid foundations, and Yes were one of the first bands to grasp its message, playing music with influences partly from the era's proto-prog groups (especially the Nice), particularly in classical passages, partly from folk (Simon and Garfunkel, Byrds), partly from pop, but also tastefully combining jazz and psychedelic elements. In their self-titled first album of 1969, a significant portion of that music can be identified, which they would excellently evolve in subsequent albums, elevating them to the rock Olympus; but here, however, we are still in an embryonic phase, with an important but ultimately negligible first chapter in their discography of highs and lows. The ideas are there, but they are still confused and do not fully materialize in that mix of sounds that would become their trademark.
Of the eight tracks on this album, two are covers of Beatles (“Every Little Thing,” masterfully rearranged in structures close to prog and expanded with nods to other Beatles songs) and Crosby (“I See You,” more cheerful than the original version); two tracks (“Sweetness” and “Beyond And Before”) are instead reworkings of songs previously composed by Yes members, still with slight psychedelic hints. The rest of the tracks are signed by Anderson and Squire, with the gems “Harold Land” and “Survival,” which foretell the future "progressive" glories.
It is important to note how the band was quite cohesive from the start and one cannot say it ever had a real leader; rather, their strength was exactly in the union and compatibility among the various musicians, somewhat like Led Zeppelin; this impression of Yes was also perceived even after various line-up changes, demonstrating the importance of “chorality” in progressive music.
In the subsequent “Time And A Word,” the band would further develop their sound increasingly in favor of progressive standards, contributing to the definition of the genre.
Tracklist and Lyrics
01 Beyond and Before (04:57)
(Squire/Bailey)
Sparkling trees of silver foam cast shadows in winter home,
Swaying branches breaking sound, lonely forest trembling ground.
Masquerading leaves of blue run circles round the morning dew,
Patterns understood by you, reaching out beyond and before.
Time, like gold dust, brings mind down to hidden levels underground,
Say a few words to the wind, that's all that's left of winter's friend.
Reaching the snow in the days of the cold, casting a spell out of ice.
Now that you're gone,
The summer's too long and it seems like the end of my life
Beyond and before.
Time, like gold dust, brings mind down.
03 Yesterday and Today (02:51)
(Anderson)
Why is there you when there are few people around making me feel good?
Why is there me when air is free, some I can see better than I should?
There's only us simply because thinking of us makes us both happy.
I think of you ev'ry way, yesterday and today.
I think of things that we do, all the way, ev'ry day.
Stand in the sea, sing songs for me, sing happily, making me feel good.
Watching your eyes, feeling your sighs, saying goodbyes better than I could.
There's only us simply because thinking of us makes us both happy.
I think of you ev'ry way, yesterday and today.
I think of nothing but you, things we do, things we do.
04 Looking Around (04:02)
(Anderson/Squire)
Looking around me,
There's not so much in life I miss.
Things that I can't see,
I'll touch and I'll feel then I'll kiss.
Then I saw you standing there
With a smile I couldn't share,
Just looking around ev'rywhere.
All the things I've wanted to do
Take so much time to get around to you.
Just reach out and catch and hold on,
Leaving trails of dust and lust,
Never even ly'ng or try'ng, keep on moving, never dying.
Tunes that I can't hear
Would take me for a while my smile.
Fares that are too dear,
I'd rather walk out another mile.
Then I heard a tune so right,
It was in the dark of night,
Just list'ning around ev'rywhere.
All the things I've wanted to do
Take so much time to get around to you.
Just reach out and catch and hold on,
Leaving trails of dust and lust,
Never even ly'ng or try'ng, keep on moving, never dying.
Smiles that I don't see,
I'll make them up as I go on.
Laughs that just can't be,
I'll make and laugh at ev'ry one.
Then I saw you in your place
With a laugh upon your face,
Just looking around ev'rywhere.
All the things I've wanted to do
Take so much time to get around to you.
Just reach out and catch and hold on,
Leaving trails of dust and lust,
Never even ly'ng or try'ng, keep on moving, never dying.
Looking around with my feet on the ground
Full of words and of sound, bringing smiles all around.
Satisfy me with your words that can be,
Full of sound and I'll see I'm just looking around.
05 Harold Land (05:45)
number 5 from
the album 'Yes' by Yes
Harold land
Harold Land with a wave of his hand said goodbye to all that.
He paid his bills and stopped the milk, then put on his hat.
He tried to say his last farewells as quickly as he could,
Promising that he would return, but doubted that he would,
Doubted that he would, doubted.
Now he's marching soldiers in the rain as on to war they rode.
A long thin line of human mind, damnation as their load.
In the mud in coldness dark, he'd shiver out his fear,
What disappointing sights he'd seen instead of ones so dear,
Instead of ones so dear, so dear.
Going home, He's going home to the land he loved so well.
Going home, He fought for two years, never fell.
Going home, He's going home,
Going home. He's going home.
Harold Land with a wave of his hand stood sadly on the stage,
Clutching red ribbons from a badge, but he didn't look his age.
Only two years had passed between his leaving home and back;
He had lost his love and youth while
leading the attack, leading the attack.
In conversation it could be said,
Well after war your heart is dead.
Well it's not hard to understand,
There is no heart in Harold Land.
06 Every Little Thing (05:45)
(Lennon / Mc Cartney)
When I*m walking beside her,
People tell me I*m lucky
Yes I know I*m a lucky guy
I remember the first time
I was lonely without her
Can*t stop thinking about her now
Every little thing she does
She does for me
And you know the things she does
She does for me
When I*m with her I*m happy
Just to know that she loves me
Yes I know that she loves me now
There is one thing I*m sure of
I will love her forever
*cause I know love will never die
Every little thing she does
She does for me
And you know the things she does
She does for me
Every little thing she does
She does for me
And you know the things she does
She does for me
When I*m with her I*m happy
Just to know that she loves me
Yes I know that she loves me now
There is one thing I*m sure of
I will love her forever
*cause I know love will never die
Every little thing she does
She does for me
And you know the things she does
She does for me
Every little thing, Every little thing,
Every little thing, Every little thing.
07 Sweetness (04:33)
She brings the sunshine to a rainy afternoon
She puts the sweetness in and stirs it with a spoon
She watches for my moods and never brings me down
She puts the sweetness in all around
She knows just what to say to make me feel so good inside
And when I'm all alone I feel I don't wanna hide
Today she brought me in and told me where she'd been
She put my mind at rest and put the sweetness in
I'll ask her for some time to go and look around
She puts the sweetness in with a sound
She knows just what to say to make a sunny day
And when I'm all alone I really don't feel that way
Tell me how would you feel with no world of your own
And nobody to hold, I just can't see the way
I'm so glad it's today
And you're here, you're here
She brings the sunshine to a rainy afternoon
She puts the sweetness in and stirs it with a spoon
She watches for all my moods and never brings me down
She puts the sweetness in all around
She knows just what to say to make a sunny day
And when I'm all alone I really don't feel that way
Oh, how I need her so, I know she'll never never go
She'll never leave me, believe me
She'll never go
08 Survival (06:17)
Sunshine is creeping in and somewhere in a field a life begins,
An egg too proud to rape the beginning of the shape of things to come,
That start the run, life has begun, fly fast the gun.
The Mother flew too late and life within the egg was left to fate,
Not really knowing how the world outside would take it when it came,
And life's the same for things we aim, are we to blame?
Don't doubt the fact there's life within you,
Yesterday's endings will tomorrow life give you,
All that dies, dies for a reason,
To put its strength into the Season,
Survival, Survival,
They take away and they give their life as they live,
The living right to live, it's all that we need to show
The livings right to know.
The egg breaks all is out, the crawling bird begins to scream and shout,
Where is the parent bird, a loneliness arose and heard its name-
Ring in for live's begin, survival win, survival's sin.
So soon the evening comes with it runs the aching
Fear of hate could Someone still remain who thinks he
Still could gain by escaping fate? it's much too late,
Don't underrate, appreciate.
And we're all going
And we're all going
And we're all going somewhere!
Loading comments slowly
