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Yes: Roundabout. Yeah!

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hiraethified
I know they're as cool as a heatwave, but I don't 'alf like this song (full 8.36 min version, natch).

I've no idea what he's singing about, mind, but I freaking love that guitar riff and that nifty keyboard work. And listen to the drummer go. Yeah!

yesfragile.jpg


*slinks off to Uncool Corner.
 
Four Yes songs I like (in reverse order):
Roundabout
Heart of the sunrise
South side of the sky
Your's is no disgrace
 
I'll make a case for Yes having some great moments.

It took me a while to work out how to listen to Yes and then it took me ages before I worked out that it wasn't great. Lumpy awkward cleverness. But sometimes they hit the spot.



I like the way it's unpredictable but makes sense. There's not much in the way of doodling, it has a great melody, it's odd sounding but quite tasty, it's disciplined and precise and punchy. It's well written - a good composition. It's not about virtuosity or showing off - there is musical sense there. It's quite genuinely unique. A different take on rock/pop that might surprise if you haven't heard it. I like it more each time I listen to it and I've listened to it lots.

Anyway enough of that - I'm off to catch the end of John Cage on R3.
 
I have to say I also consider them to range from brilliant to dire. I'll be buying a new copy of Tales From Topographic Oceans... as soon as I have enough money to buy sufficient hallucinogens to enjoy it.
 
Who cares about "cool" anyway (I know, everyone else on Urban)? Life is short for heaven's sake, if you like it and your mates don't, get different mates or go to the gig alone (yeah, that's what I usually end up doing).

Anyway, here are another couple of great Yes tracks;

 
This thread should be re-titled as 'Your most uncool psuedo intellectual hippie prog rock with non sensical lyrics track?'.

I'm going with...

 
I'm sticking with Yes for the time being, there are some great tracks by the band which still haven't been mentioned. Like this one;

 
Anglagard. 90's Swedish prog rock as accomplished as anything by Yes or Gentle Giant (but closer musically to Genesis). Yes I did say "accomplished" there :oops: . Even Anglagard thought Anglagard were uncool. They broke up pretty quickly as non of them were particularly interested in the music. I don't know whether that last deserves a :( or a :D.
 
Yes went shit-even-if-you-like-that-sort-of-thing in the later 70's but then they lost Wakeman and Anderson and incorporated the Buggles and produced an OKish album. It probably deserves a mention.
 
Then there's the Italian PFM. Less overblown and less ear catching, more dreamy, more elegant. Yet I maintain - every bit as uncool as Yes!

 
I quite like Gates of Delerium and Awaken is alright if I'm really in the mood which is rare. But it's those early records - and it's the standard which makes most bands good, a good rhythm section. Bruford-Squire just rock. Even the relatively weak first two records are a bit exciting. In fact anything with Bill Bruford is a bit exciting.


Soon-to-be-expelled guitarist Peter Banks did a great solo record with Jan Akerman too.
 
Knotted said:
Then there's the Italian PFM. Less overblown and less ear catching, more dreamy, more elegant. Yet I maintain - every bit as uncool as Yes!

Click to expand...


There used to be a DJ in the 70's - it might have been Fluff Freeman - who played PFM's "Celebration" a lot. Here it is;

 
You know, I've never heard that one before. I think I always assumed that Photo's of Ghosts was just an English language version of Per un Amico (I'm not sure why I thought this - something I'd read somewhere, crossed wires). I'm actually a bit disappointed with Celebration there. Or perhaps just not as into this sort of thing as I used to be.

PFM did some quite good slightly more poppy stuff when singer Bernard Lanzetti joined. Try this:
 
People who like Yes should wrap their uncool ears around this. It's as well composed as anything by Yes and there are fewer egos getting in the way (although I appreciate that's part of the appeal (or should that be unappeal for the uncool)).
 
Knotted said:
People who like Yes should wrap their uncool ears around this. It's as well composed as anything by Yes and there are fewer egos getting in the way (although I appreciate that's part of the appeal (or should that be unappeal for the uncool)).
Click to expand...
gods that was awful, like ELP at their worst.

When Yes were great (and there were such times) its down to Chris Squires astounding bass playing. Then they turned shite when Anderson opened his gob
 
Knotted said:
Godwin's Law for prog rock that is. Do you have any idea of what those poor people who have heard ELP at their worst have been through? Any idea?
Click to expand...

Like this you mean;



Can you detect any hint of a tune in the last 5 minutes of that? I can't.

On the other hand, I think this is good;

 

Ha...was about to go to bed, but am now trawling you tube for my youth....I remember at school being asked to write an appreciation of a song and illustrate it.....I chose this one. Not my fave, but I wanted to draw it.

Yes - one of the first bands I liked and didnt want to be swept away and ravished by any of them. 'Yours is no disgrace' probably stands the test of time for me. Haven't listened to them for years though. I have a feeling I'll be dipping my toe tomorrow though.

Saw them in late seventies in wembley on a revolving stage, am sure I didnt imagine that? A friends aunt bought us the tickets, possibly my first big gig, never liked wembley but felt grown up . Spent hours perfecting the logo on my jeans/ruck sack/pencil case.

Went to the royal academy of music a month or so ago to see a percussion showcase, featuring world premiere of Stewart Copelands Gamelan and a stonking Rick Wakeman piece, he was sat above in the minstrels gallery, out of sight and sadly at the end when we expected him to stand and recieve his aplause, resplendent in purple velvet and flowing locks, he remained hidden and ' too ill ' to join Copeland on stage. I hope he is ok?

Yes and pre Collins Genesis are rolled into one in my memories, hand in hand, although of course I did, desperately did , want to be ravished by Peter Gabriel.
 
Stanley Edwards said:
It's Sergio Leone ripoff in a very bad way.

Foooking shyte basically.
Click to expand...

If you're talking about Abaddon's Bolero of the two tracks I mentioned, I like the fact that it starts quietly and builds to a crescendo (which I think is pretty much the definition of a bolero).
 
Meltingpot said:
Like this you mean;



Can you detect any hint of a tune in the last 5 minutes of that? I can't.
Click to expand...


Good heavens no. That's ELP at their best. I'm still not that keen on it. Their later records were seriously bad. In every way. Worse than 80's Yes.
 
This is bad ELP (and yes it's every bit as bad as it looks, you have been warned):


I should say even this isn't ELP at their worst. I'm damned if I'm hunting through their back catalogue to find their very worst song though.
 
Now, this is a Sergio Morricone rip off.

I do like this early lineup. Not great but it's pleasantly wild and wooly.
 
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