Most integral member of Yes

Ambient Hurricanes wrote: It's hard to determine Squire's importance, because he's played on every Yes album, so we don't have any albums without him to judge what impact his absence would have had.

Bill Bruford is the most integral one to Yes as I like them best. I prefer TYA, Fragile and CTTE to anything that came afterwards by miles, and I do think Bill Bruford's presence is one of the biggest reasons for that. They were a much tighter and cleaner band with him than without him, so I assume he kept some of their excesses in check. Or maybe his playing was so busy that he didn't leave the others any room to "noodle around". However, I do have to acknowledge that Yes without Bill Bruford were still very much Yes, so I will have to go with Jon Anderson. He was their main creative force and "ideas man", and the albums without him feel markedly different from the ones with him.


Edited by HarbouringTheSoul - January 08 2013 at 03:35

I'll go with Chris Squire - he's the only one who's there from the very start, his bass is unmistakable and the same goes to his back vocals. Yes, Anderson's voice and Howe's guitar are important for Yes's sound too but anyway... Chris it is!

From this day forth, let it be said that the definithe Yes Line-up is:

Jon Anderson

Chris Squire

Bill Bruford

Rick Wakeman

Steve Howe

However, I vote for Jon. His voice is Yes's signature sound. Think about Drama and Fly From Here, without Jon, is it really Yes?  His tenor voice fits perfectly with the symphonic style of Yes's music. The day that they forced him out of the band was the day that classic prog died. Yes is the only Big Six Band that is still active, and without Jon, its like Drama all over again. Even after Benoit fell ill, they didn't take Jon back, they just took Jon Davidson. Of all The nerve, they replaced him with a singer who not only has a similar voice, but a simmilar sounding name as well. Replace David win Ander and you get Jon Anderson.

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Bill Bruford, looked what happened to them after he left.  Pretty much nothing.

Snow Dog wrote: No Chris squire, no Yes.

Snow Dog wrote: Moogtron III wrote: Snow Dog wrote: No Chris squire, no Yes. No problem, we'll have Anderson Bruford Wakeman Howe instead.  That's good too, isn't it?  Actually not a fan of that album.

I have to give it up for Squire. He is the only one to be on all the albums, unless I missed something.


Edited by Slartibartfast - January 08 2013 at 13:57

for me its jon anderson, not only becaus of his incredible voice, also was the mastermind of some of the greatest records of the band

mister nobody wrote: dwill123 wrote: Bill Bruford, looked what happened to them after he left.  Pretty much nothing. Thank god he left Yes. And my choice would be Steve Howe, easily.

why thank god he left Yes?? Yes's drums were never the same afterwards