Genesis vs Yes

floydaholic wrote: Yes is the superior band

Theres no doubt about that. Yes is the superior band with superior talent.

Buuuut Genesis is better. (IMO)

FragileDT wrote: floydaholic wrote: Yes is the superior band Theres no doubt about that. Yes is the superior band with superior talent. Buuuut Genesis is better. (IMO)

 

Meh, to each his own. And superior, better, those two words are practically synonyms.

Love the first two Yes LPs....great jazzy band that specialized in far out covers.  The first two Genesis LPs do little for me....some of Tresspass points the direction to the future....and some of the 12 string and flute passages were pretty groovy.  Of course, the lads in Yes were a bit older.....the members of Genesis were barely out of school when they made the first LP.

The addition of Howe accelerated the eap forward into the realm of epic prog.  Genesis, too, was heading in that direction with the very fine Nursery Cryme....but, again, Yes were the much more mature band and it really shows....The Yes Album is a true classic while Nursery Cryme, though an excellent LP and a HUGE leap forward for the band, simply pales in comparison.

Foxtrot and Selling England By The Pound are signature Genesis....no other band could have pulled off the vague English references and folksy themes of these albums.  They mark the absolute high points of the band and are certainly true progressive classics.  The same goes for Fragile and Close to the Edge.....the group and individual performances showed the boys were virtuosos and the true vanguard of the prog movement.  Verdict:  too close to call....don't wanna call....absolute must-have albums.

The Lamb is simply a more interesting record than Tales....though Tales contains some absolute stunning passages.  The Lamb was a real departure in sound for Genesis while Tales just rehashes their side long style.

On the flip side, Relayer is a much more daring LP than Trick of the Tail.  Relayer, while at times wildly atypical of the band's sound, is masterfully played if, at times, a bit bombastic, but definitely a prog record in every sense of the word.  Trick is a friendly bear hug of an album....sweet and bouncy and kind on the ears, but not very progressive.

Wind is where it ends for Genesis....but what an ending.  A solid return to the prog form.  And, again, at the same time Yes took a step back from prog in search of a radio friendly sound.  The bands almost seem to have been spying on each other....when one went proggy, the other went pop!  Never really noticed that before.

I won't go on....no LP after these really interest me.  I probably have owned and sold each and every release by Genesis after Wind.  Interesting pop music, but nothing to hold the ear too long....Three Sides Live might make it to the turntable on occasions.

As for post-GFTO Yes, I kinda like Tormato....and Drama has some interesting moments....but almost everything I heard after that is really drab....even the live stabs at the old classics....just bland.

• Peter Gabriel - Jon Anderson
• Tony Banks - Rick Wakeman
• Steve Hackett - Steve Howe
• Mike Rutherford - Chris Squire
• Phil Collins - Bill Bruford

Albums:

• Nursery Cryme - The YES album
• Foxtrot - Fragile
• Genesis Live - Yessongs
• Selling England By The Pound - Close To The Edge
• The Lamb Lies Down On Broadway - Tales From Topographic Oceans
• A Trick of The Tail - Relayer
• Wind & Wuthering - Going For The One

Genesis wins, IMO!

Zitro wrote: Of course, the two bands for many are very similar in musical quality and style, so it is a good idea to compare which is best in specific areas : Members Steve Hackett > Steve Howe Phil Collins > Alan White Edit : Phil Collins = Bill Bruford  (if you wish) Mike Rutherford << Chris Squire Peter Gabriel > Jon Anderson Tony Banks = Rick Wakeman   Albums   From Genesis to Revelations < Yes (both poor) Tresspass  >  Time and a Word Nursery Cryme = The Yes Album Foxtrot >> Fragile Selling England By the Pound > Close To The Edge Genesis Live > Yessongs Lamb Lies Down on Broadway >>>>>>> Tales of topographic oceans Trick of the tail < Relayer (but close) Wind and Wuthering = Going for the one And then there were three = Tormato Duke < Drama Genesis = 90125 (both abysmal) Acabab = Big Generator (again, both abysmal) ... Genesis > Yes  = if you can't decide  > < greater, worse than >>  <<  much better , worse than

I'll only rate the albums i know, by both bands.

Members

Steve Hackett vs Steve Howe (i don't like either as much as the other Steve H., of Gong)

Phil Collins vs Alan White (but Bruford is better the Collins and no mistake)

Mike Rutherford vs Chris Squire (pretty obvious is an understatement)

Peter Gabriel vs Jon Anderson (equal, as mentioned earlier Gabrial has the emotion but Anderson the range)

Tony Banks vs Rick Wakeman (who can top the caped crusader?)

So Genesis 1 point, Yes 3 points

Albums

Tresspass  vs  Time and a Word

Nursery Crime vs The Yes Album

Foxtrot vs Fragile (equal, i can't decide...)

Selling England By the Pound vs Close To The Edge (personal enjoyment )

Lamb Lies Down on Broadway vs Tales of topographic oceans (extremely close)

Trick of the tail vs Relayer

Wind and Wuthering vs Going for the one

Genesis 3 points, Yes 3 points

 

Edited by the icon of sin

In both bands prime they played as good as music played in the history of rock music.I think Genesis had better vocals and lyrics but from a musicianship standpoint Yes cant be matched.I hated the pop music played by both bands.

I don't know the purpose or find any sense to comparisons between bands, we're not talking about soccer teams, I consider music an ART, so I just enjoy listening to it. If I like this album or the other should be a very private & intimate matter, it sounds so snob when I hear people arguing about different bands. There, that's my humble opinion...

Seems like we have seen these comparisons before.  As for me, I think both are great but can hardly be compared very well.  Their styles are just too different IMO.  They did, however, follow a similar path from being great prog bands to great pop bands.  Too bad they couldn't just keep making the same great stuff that made them great to begin with.

Members

Steve Hackett << Steve Howe (Hackett plays his guitars with no attack)

Phil Collins > Alan White (Phil really is a great drummer...)

Phil Collins <<<  Bill Bruford  (...but Bruford is one of the people I model my playing after)

Mike Rutherford << Chris Squire (All I have to say is The Fish)

Peter Gabriel < Jon Anderson (I prefer Jon because of his range and writing; I love heady, intellectual topics)

Tony Banks <<< Rick Wakeman (All bow before the Lord, our God... Rick Wakeman)

 

Albums

 

From Genesis to REvelations vs Yes (Haven't heard FGtR)

Tresspass  vs  Time and a Word (Haven't heard TaaW)

Nursery Crime << The Yes Album (Starship Trooper and Perpetual Change, people)

Foxtrot > Fragile (Not because the songs are better, but simply because there are more group works, though I love both dearly)

Selling England By the Pound << Close To The Edge (Perfect all the way through)

Genesis Live <<< Yessongs (My favorite album)

Lamb Lies Down on Broadway (> for composition)(< for writing) Tales of topographic oceans

Trick of the tail <<< Relayer (The Gates of Delerium is better than any single thing Genesis ahs done)

Wind and Wuthering >> Going for the one (I hate GftO)

And then there were three > Tormato (Ditto; as in, my hate for GftO is so great, I also ahte Tormato)

Duke << Drama (Drama was great, Duke was sh*te)

Genesis < 90125 (I hate sellout-era Genesis...)

Acabab >>> Big Generator (...but Big Generator might actually be the worst thing ever)

...

Genesis < Yes

The reason why people like Genesis is because their music is like a puzzle. Everything has its place, fits, and makes the whole picture look great. I like Yes for the opposite reason; clashing, over-dramatic, pretentious w**kery on instruments to abstract Romantic poetry about the land and ideas. The slashing of Howe, the stabbing of Squire, the rapid-fire cuts of Wakeman, and the kind of tumbling, fiery feeling of Bruford/White underneath the serene singing of Jon with a voice reaching everywhere at once, building tension in you without changing his singing style. Gabriel tries for tension through his singing and succeeds. Jon does it through accentuation and pitch. Whereas Genesis is a puzzle, Yes is a blooming flower on the field of war. I still can't listen to Close to the Edge without getting the feeling that the music is telling about a war (and yes, I don't mean The Gates of Delerium). That, and I like the heady, abstract lyrics that you actually understand less if you try to conciously figure them out. As Jon once said:

"Straight light moving and removing sharpness of the color sunshine. Straight light searching all the meanings of the song long last treatment that relates to all the word sung. Dreamer easy in the chair that really fits you."

I love 'em.