The Yes Album: Yes

This was the first time I had heard Steve Howe play guitar and I have to tell you....it was very intimidating because he just appeared one day in YES with this very hyper energized type of playing and amazing technique. He was a ball of energy on fire. He was a beachball sweating inside a furnace! He was a guitar player in a straight jacket wating to free himself and perform.   It was like an explosion and most guitarists had to go home and practice. Between styles/techniques of Ragtime playing, Jazz with some Jim Hall tone, sustaining Rock leads playing technical Progressive Rock note passages at a clean precise speed of no tomorrow....my God..it was time to practice and many guitarists had no idea what they were in store for on the next album. I wasn't too surprised when he began playing Classical nylon string guitar on Fragile. I could tell immediately that he contained other dimensions to his playing because I was trained, but yet many of his shifting patterns were awkward and difficult to master precisely and consistently ..which made him a very technical player. He was a little monster in the 70's and many guitarists were trying to catch up to him. I realize this sounds a bit extreme, but he devastated fine guitarists when he first appeared on The Yes Album.

Edited by TODDLER - February 09 2015 at 10:56

While not one of my favorites, favorites being 'Fragile', 'Drama', and 'Magnification', I do still think it's a pretty good album. 'Seen All Good People' is my personal favorite from the album.