2 ORIGINALS OF YES

"2 Originals Of Yes" is a very special compilation of Yes. It's an economic package that includes Yes' debut eponymous studio album, released in 1969 and their second studio album "Time And A Word", released in 1970. This is a very interesting compilation because it includes the first two studio albums of Yes' catalogue at a very cheap price, what would be a very worth purchase at the time, when it was released. It's also very interesting because it shows the group giving their first steps before the beginning of their most creative phase, the period of their great masterpieces, which would turn them in one of the best, most important and most influential progressive rock groups ever. This is also very interesting because this compilation reunites together the only two albums with the original line up of Yes. These are also the only studio albums from the group that include songs which weren't written by Yes. So, and all in all, despite both albums can't be properly considered as two fundamental works from Yes, and two indispensable purchases, both have its merits and deserve to be checked and appreciated by all Yes' fans and all progressive rock lovers.

The line up on both albums is Jon Anderson (lead vocals), Peter Banks (vocals and guitars), Tony Kaye (keyboards), Chris Squire (vocals and bass) and Bill Bruford (drums).

As I've already reviewed these two albums previously on Progarchives, in a more extensive way, I'm not going to do it again. So, if you are interested to know, in more detail, what I wrote about them before, I invite you to read those my both reviews. However, in here I'm going to write something about them in a more short way. So, of course, I'm not going to analyze them track by track, as I made before, but I'm only going to make a global appreciation of both albums.

"Yes": Although Yes' eponymous debut album be not exactly what they're remembered most for, it's still a decent piece of proto-prog. From quite obvious reasons this is also their most 60's influenced album. Two of the tracks, "Beyond And Before" and "Sweetness" dates back from the time when Anderson and Squire were in a band called Mabel Greer's Toyshop. Some of the Yes' trademarks can already been heard here, like the falsetto vocal-harmonies and the powerful and distinctive bass playing of Squire. But it's of course a much more basic and rougher album than their symphonic progressive rock classics from the 70's. "Survival" remains the classic track from this album, and it's also the track with most glimpses of what Yes later would made. They also covered The Byrds' "I See You" and The Beatles' "Every Little Thing" in a very refreshing and convincing way. "Yesterday And Today" is a beautiful and atmospheric little tune, but the other ballad on the album "Sweetness" is all too sweet and fluffy. "Looking Around" and "Beyond And Before" is a kind of a late 60's progressive power pop driven song by the excellent Hammond work of Kaye and the gutsy guitar playing of Banks. "Harold Land" is another pretty tune with progressive tendencies and good melodies. In short, "Yes" marked a decent starting point for a band that would become one of the greatest progressive rock bands ever.

"Time And A Word": Yes' second album, the last with the original guitarist Banks, was the first where the band began to move into a more symphonic direction. They even hired a small orchestra to prove the point. Although, their sound was still under development, there was already plenty of excellent progressive rock to enjoy here. "Then", "Astral Traveller" and "Sweet Dreams" were all among the best tracks from very early Yes. The sound on the album is dominated a lot by the tasty Hammond work from Kaye and the orchestral arrangements works, fine nicely in my ears. The beautiful title track was the only track from the first two albums that would remain in their live sets for years to come, while "The Prophet" has a delightful fairytale atmosphere. And as just happened with their first album, "Time And A Word" also included two cover versions of songs. First there was a very tight and "yesified" version of Richie Haven's "No Opportunity Necessary, No Experience Needed" and an atmospheric version of Stephen Still's "Everydays" with an incredible instrumental part in the middle. Yes still had some more steps to go before they would reach their creative highlights and definitive masterpieces, but "Time And A Word" is a good piece of early 70's progressive rock, anyway.

Conclusion: If you have already the two individual studio albums of Yes, you don't need this compilation because it hasn't anything new to offer, like bonus tracks, for instance. Unless you are a collector and you have the chance to discover this, as a forgotten vinyl record, in any record store. In this case, this would be a great purchase and a good complement for you, to add a new item to your record collection. Anyway, if you don't have these two albums yet, on vinyl or CD format, I think you must buy them. But, as I wrote above, these two albums aren't properly two fundamental works of Yes. However, they represent a different side of Yes. Still, they witness the first moments as a band starts to develop and watch them progress, is one of the most rewarding things a music enthusiast can take part in. However, two years later the scaffold will be removed and the building work will be complete, and as strong as it would ever be.

Prog is my Ferrari. Jem Godfrey (Frost*)

2 Originals Of Yes is a compilation released by Yes in 1973 containing both their self-titled debut album released in 1969 and Time And A Word which was released in 1970. The line-up on these two albums are also exactly the same which adds a distinct similarity in sound between the two albums. That similarity in sound assists the compilation join together as one cohesive piece. As a compilation, the necessity of the album becomes somewhat questionable depending on your collection. In general, I do believe that these two albums together make a good, but non-essential addition to any progressive rock collection. Especially if you already do not own their first two albums!

𝙔𝙚𝙨 𝙍𝙚𝙫𝙞𝙚𝙬 -

This is the first of many classic albums to come out from the progressive rock band Yes. This album was released in July of 1969 and consisted of an interesting line-up of musicians. The current line-up consisted of Jon Anderson on vocals, Chris Squire on bass, Bill Bruford on drums, Peter Banks on guitar, and Tony Kaye on Hammond organ. This album displays the band in their early stages in which they are still developing their sound. It provides an interesting insight to how to band become goliaths of prog which we know them as today. Despite this album not aging that well, it still contains a few gems that go overlooked by most Yes fans.

When taking a look at the line-up, bassist Chris Squire does exactly what he need to. His bass performance throughout the album is incredibly prominent and gives real punch to some of the songs. In fact, I would say it is revolutionary. Jon Anderson's vocals on the other hand are fair but he seem like as if he holding back. The other band members do a solid job as well, from Bill Bruford's jazz like drums to Peter Banks psychedelic guitar the musician box is definitely checked off. Beyond and Before is the first track on the album that can also be considered to be the starting point of this iconic band. It was written by Squire and Clive Bailey. Clive Bailey was the former singer and guitarist in Mabel Greer's Toyshop, the rock band which was a precursor to Yes. The band would open a majority of their live shows with this tune. Chris Squire described the track as "one of those acid rock kind of songs" with its psychedelic lyrics. The song includes various interesting chord progressions and a nice vocal melody that highlights the bands terrific three-part harmonies. I See You is a cover of a song that was originally written by the band the Byrds. Peter Banks once stated that he was somewhat disappointed with the version recorded for the album as he later recognized the mistakes on it. It contains some jazz-like interplay between Peter Banks and Bill Bruford that is a delight to hear. I would actually consider this to be Peter Bank's finest work on the album, including some wonderful improvisations and well written melodies. However, I feel as if the improvisation goes on for a bit longer than necessary. Nevertheless, it is a solid track that elaborates on how to do a cover successfully. Yesterday and Today is a short but wonderfully pleasant acoustic piece that contains so airy vocals from Jon Anderson. Looking Around is definitely one of the highlights onthe album. It also remains to be one of Chris Squire's favorite tracks on the album. When it came to recording it, the band actually had some difficulties with its pitching as they were unsure on what key the song was in. There is some great Hammond organ from Tony Kaye that is present through the entire song. This is an exceptionally solid track!

Harold Land seems to be somewhat forgotten but remains as a genuinely remarkable song. This track yet again displays some nice keyboard work from Tony Kaye but also some robust drums coming from Bill Bruford. Harold Land remains as a good example of the path Yes would take when going into the future. Every Little Thing is yet another single which is originally from The Beatles. Chris Squire once said, he didn't realize 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 heard the instrumentation. He believed that the it was almost a new song being played until Anderson's voice was heard, making it a cover. This cover takes a different spin on the original which can be seen as an overall improvement when compared to the original Beatles song, due to it's more interesting and more complex arrangement. My favorite version of Every Little Thing still has to be the version found on the Songs From Tsongas - Yes 35th Anniversary Concert which has Rick Wakeman incorporating new and interesting keyboard melodies! Nevertheless, the version found here is still a nice listen that yet again displays Peter Banks skill with guitar. Sweetness is the first song that Jon Anderson and Chris Squire (including former Mabel Greer's Toyshop guitarist Clive Bailey) collaborated on following their initial meeting. The song has some interesting vocal harmonies that is drenched with the feel of a 60s love ballad with some progressive rock touches. Overall, it is still a good song that has a great build-up near the end. My favorite moment on this album has to be Survival. It includes stunning guitar in addition to some great keyboard melodies from Tony Banks. It's a track that I find myself revisiting the most. Survival also serves as the greatest example of how the band's career would be like in a few years.

The band's debut is an overall solid album that unfortunately suffers from the issue in which a few songs never get past the "fairly good" point. This ultimately brings down the album from the potential it might have reached. Nevertheless, from beginning to end this album is a great listen. It shows the early stages of what Yes and what they would come to be. They were able to craft an album that is very unique in its own right while also displaying what they had to offer. If you haven't heard this album and you are a fan of Yes I'd definitely recommend giving it a listen. 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."

𝙏𝙞𝙢𝙚 𝘼𝙣𝙙 𝘼 𝙒𝙤𝙧𝙙 𝙍𝙚𝙫𝙞𝙚𝙬 -

Time and a Word is the second studio album by Yes, released in July of 1970 on Atlantic Records. It was distributed several months after the release of the band's self-titled debut. During the writing of Time and a Word they continued to tour heavily and recorded the album during gaps between shows. In this album, Yes continued to follow their early musical direction and styles but now accompanied with a small orchestra of brass and string session musicians. The use of the orchestra seems to be a controversial point when discussing the album. The orchestra at points enhances the song and at other points feels unnecessary. However, the main problem I find with the release is the production/mixing of the orchestra, it just feels sloppy. Nevertheless, it doesn't take away from the overall listening experience all too much. The line-up of musicians remains the same as their previous album. It consists of Jon Anderson on vocals, Tony Kaye on Hammond organ, Chris Squire on bass, Bill Bruford on drums, and Peter Banks on guitar. Guitarist Peter Banks did not endorse the idea of adding an orchestra to the album, which resulted in heightened tensions between himself and the rest of the band. While touring in the United Kingdom during April of 1970 and before the album's release, Banks was fired by the band and was replaced by the now legendary guitarist Steve Howe. Funnily enough, the US album featured Steve Howe on the cover even though he didn't perform on Time and a Word. Let's take a closer look at some of the tracks found on this album.

No Opportunity Necessary, No Experience Needed is the album's first track. In fact, it is a cover which was originally written by American artist Richie Havens. It opens with an orchestral theme taken from the soundtrack to the 1958 Western film The Big Country by Jerome Moross. Unfortunately, I believe this track features the worst orchestra mixing on the entire album and amplifies the weak production found throughout the album. Nevertheless, it is still a solid track that contains tremendous energy throughout. Jon Anderson also sings a a lower register then usual with makes this track have a unique appeal to it. The next two songs, Then and Everydays (which is cover by Stephen Stills), contains a similar jazz style that works quite well for the band. Furthermore, they both feature some fantastic drumming by Bill Bruford. There are complex, elaborate, and interesting song structures. The track Then also shows how to use an orchestra successfully. Both the band and orchestra complement each other brilliantly by complementing each others playing. Just from these first few tracks, the improvements made from their debut are clearly apparent. Sweet Dreams is one of those tracks that I always find myself coming back to. Peter Banks displays excellent guitar work throughout this track while Chris Squire does what he's known for on the bass. It was also well-received by future Yes guitarist Trevor Rabin, who requested its performance during the 90125 tour in 1984.

The next song, The Prophet, is the longest song on the album and shadows some of the arrangements the band would be known for. Jon Anderson wrote The Prophet tells the story of "a man who tells others to find and believe in themselves and not follow like sheep". It contains an abundance of orchestra which fits this track fairly well. Despite it seeming to be forgotten by most of the Yes fanbase, it is a great track that I would love to see the band revisit in a live performance on their upcoming tour. Not to mention, there is some great Hammond organ work from Tony Kaye here. Clear Days is next and is a short yet beautiful song that has a similar style when compared the song Yesterday and Today from the band's self-titled debut album. Up next is Astral Traveler, which instantly became one of my favorite songs from this album. Jon Anderson uses an odd vocal distortion while singing which conveys an other- worldly sound. Once again, Peter Banks really shines here with his guitar work. Tony Kaye also steps up to a somewhat lead role in various parts of the song which is not necessarily common place on this album. Last but certainly not least we have Time and a Word. The band was searching for an anthem-type song. Jon Anderson presented its basic theme to the group on a guitar, using only two or three chords, which left the band members trying to discern what he was playing and eventually resulted in the song we know today. It was recorded with Jon Anderson previous bandmate David Foster on acoustic guitar. However, Peter Banks claimed it was not meant to be part of the final mix, having been intended only as a guide track. On the final version, Banks played his parts over Foster's. This song would become another classic tune from the album and would be played on multiple tours.

Regrettably, this album isn't perfect. Jon Anderson still seems to be finding his voice and sometimes the instruments seem to be lost which is most likely due to the incorporation of an orchestra. However, these flaws do not take away from the overall listening experience of the album. From beginning to end, this album contains and different yet excellent version of Yes that would not be revisited after this album. Soon after the recording of the album, Peter Banks would be kicked out of the band in favor of Steve Howe. Which would ultimately be a good decision by the band. The first excellent album by an excellent band! "There's a time and the time is now, and it's right for me, It's right for me, and the time is now!"