RESULTS: The Top Prog Tracks Of All Time - 2016

3177.9 points     Appears 11 times           Mean rank: 35               Ranked highest by The Dark Elf (#2)

"And you and I is a great sample of how a romantic song may sound in the progressive rock genre; the rhythm and the lyrics are there but there is no concession to cheesiness or weeping, only a story to be told. Now guitar and bass are responsible for creating an impressive atmosphere; the music goes in a crescendo until a fabulous and majestic ending. It is no surprise why many people consider this as their favorite Yes song." - Atkingani

"What follows is one of the most gorgeous compositions ever played on twelve strings; it evokes in my mind the image of having gone through a difficult night, but for enduring, getting to watch morning break through the darkness. The verse employs only three chords for quite some time, making this one of the most undemanding parts of the whole album. The following section consists of more counterpoint, with the background vocals sung through a Leslie, which to be honest, makes them hard to understand. The chord progression during this section is amazing, as is the refrain Anderson sings with himself over only Howe's twelve-string. The Mellotron builds and brings the listener to one of the greatest moments in Yes music: Howe's steel guitar and Wakeman's mini-Moog and organ painted on a canvas of Mellotron, bass, and drums. Anderson's vocals soar during this part, and soon Howe reprises his introduction, flowing right into something of a singer-songwriter section. Squire's bass growls as the rest of the band comes back in, building through Wakeman's mini-Moog and some rich vocal work, to the final moments of the song, entitled "Apocalypse," which is merely the refrain from earlier- but is such a lovely, lovely way to end one of Yes's finest pieces." – Epignosis

"When that mellotron hits on You and I.. the clothes come off. Micky tested.. Micky approved" – Micky

3183.1 points     Appears 10 times           Mean rank: 16               Ranked highest by Zravkapt (#1)

"The album opens with a cute little song called TARKUS. This pompous, overblown, self-indulgent and pretentious epic, has the quality that distinguishes the memorable ones from the forgettable ones: This 20 minute song feels like a 3 minute Top 40 hit single to me. And you know why? Because of its cohesiveness, every note is where it should be, every section has a purpose and even Lake's vocals fit with the mood of every section perfectly." - crimson87

"The title track remains, even almost forty years later, as one of the most fantastic, and most cohesive, prog rock epics ever recorded. Many long epics sound like many songs joined together to make them into one long song. But this one, with its complex interwoven themes that pop up throughout the work, flows perfectly from one section to the other, often referencing back to previous ideas, or previewing sections to come. This is just a work of genius." – Evolver

"God: Listen to it, that intro, 'Eruption', is it?

Atavachron: That's right.

God: Well there it is, all of it, the cerebral culmination of everything modern music had accomplished in the five-hundred years before they recorded. The very foundation of modern populist tonalogy; the classics; the advent of electricity; jazz; mid-20th Century; and folk. Emerson understood, and knew he was the right man at the right time to attempt what needed to be done. To do, if you'll forgive me, God's Work." - Atavachron