YES

Yes released their eponymous debut studio album in July, 1969, on the label Atlantic, an album rooted mainly in the tradition of psychedelic pop/rock - the dominant musical genre at the end of the decade, but gently hinting (and never fully revealing) what was about to storm the British rock scene in just some years' time.

Most progressive rock bands that started in the late 60s were off to an average-paced start, let's put it that way. Not achieving tremendous commercial success and not presenting their full potential with glorious decisiveness, many of these bands (like Genesis, Jethro Tull, Pink Floyd, Deep Purple and Yes) quickly shifted styles and decided to go their own ways, rather than adjusting themselves to what was popular at the time - actually, didn't they all try to enter the mainstream with their debut albums?

But signing a deal with Atlantic for your debut album is a very impressive achievement for any new band/artist and this is certainly one of the reasons why this band gradually rose to glory in the 70s ? because they got the exposure, despite failing to make a significant impact on the charts or by selling tons of records in their earliest days.

Back to 'Yes': the line-up is, of course, consisting of Jon Anderson, Chris Squire, Tony Kaye, Peter Banks, and Bill Bruford, and from all of them, I must say that Anderson and Squire make the best impression - one with its recognizable and absolutely memorable voice, the other with the masterful presence of his instrumental all throughout the album, and the beautiful backing/harmonizing vocals. This album is, however, not necessarily guitar-oriented and the style that the band display certainly does not allow Bill Bruford to show his genius. Tony Kaye is a decent keyboard player and does a good job for what would be expected from a psych pop/rock keyboardist in the late 60s.

The blend of sing-along choruses, sometimes cryptic lyrics, and uplifting themes is one of the elements that Yes definitely preserved in their later releases; However, 'Yes' does not contain the epic nature of the band's most acclaimed 70s releases, but it presents the capabilities of this young band, in the most pleasing of ways. Songs like 'Beyond and Before', 'Harold Land', 'Survival', and the two covers - 'I See You' and 'Every Little Thing' indicate a taste for experimentation and powerful writing, making this a really promising proto-prog debut. This should not come as a surprise, since Squire and Anderson practically wrote this album.