America by YES

I like YES since their "Yes album". Afterwards came "Fragile" and "Close to the edge". I was stunned by that music.

In any discussion about this group I never hear talking someone about a song that overwhelmed me in his artistic and musical power: "America". It was released on an Atlantic sampler (vinyl) "The new age of atlantic". This song was overwhelming. But nobody is talking about it now. Some people shrug their shoulders pointing out that it is "merely" an adaption of SIMON AND GARFUNKEL. And that is a little folk song. Nothing big. - For me "America" is a wonderful, powerful, excentric rock epic (about 10 min).

Do you feel it is only a orchestrated folk tune?

No, it's a great cover version but they've taken the original song and made it completely different. The instrumental beginning, middle and end bear no relation to the S&G original. Yes did a lot of cover versions like this in their early days - Something's Coming and Every Little Thing for a start.

It's a great cover - just like all their early cover versions. But Jon's pronunciation of Michigan as mitch-igan really bugs me.

I have a version of it on the 'Close to the Edge' re-master. Is that not a 'full' version...

Anyway, to be honest I've never liked it... I'll give it another go. Everyone else seems to love it, perhaps I'm missing the point.

Andy, there is a short single version which is on Yesyears and is probably the one on your CTTE remaster. It cuts off the magnificent intro and has a really obvious edit later on. You'll know when you hear the full 10 minute version!!!

This full version does sound more inpsiring than the version I've been used to. I shall check it out.

     I listen to it alot, and love the beauty and power of the arrangement. Especially Howe here shows a real mastery of various styles of American picking, and Anderson a brilliantly original sense of vocal arrangements, that not only capture the beauty of the original, but carry it to new realms.

I know both the live version from KTA and the one released on the "Fragile" remaster. Both smoke, and have nothing whatsoever to do with the original - which, BTW, is quite a nice folk song by a great duo of musicians.

I've loved both the original version by S&G and the Yes version for decades now.  I used to work with an avid Yes fan who never liked the Yes version.  He changed his tune when I showed him an interview with Paul Simon where Simon mentioned how much he loved the Yes version with all of its energy.

I think he also sneaked a bit of "Day Tripper" into "Every Little Thing".