YESTERDAYS

As said in previous reviews, I normally avoid reviewing compilations because according to my opinion an album must be listened in the way the artist released originally, specially when listening Progressive Rock albums, being that even in the case that it's not a conceptual album, the albums use to have a preeminent atmosphere that makes each one absolutely individual.

But here are always exceptions and in this case it's mostly because of sentimental reasons. Lima in the mid/late 70's was not a fertile ground for Prog Rock and except Dark Side of the Moon and a couple of ELP albums there was nothing to buy, so after listening for a long time Yessongs, went to the store and bought "Yesterdays" despite I didn't knew any track.

I must also accept that the incredibly beautiful art cover by Roger Dean helped me to take the decision, being that my only approach to YES was via home recorded cassettes without cover, I remember listening the music and watching the old LP for hours, those were the days in which I became a real proghead.

The album starts with "America" a 10:30 minutes cover version of Simon and Garfunkel's hit recorded for an album called "The New Age of Atlantic" in 1972. In the way home from the record store on a bus (I was 13 and of course couldn't drive yet) read the credits and expected a soft bland song as the original version, but what a pleasant surprise, it was breathtaking from start to end, the acute voice of Jon Anderson never sounded better. This is how a cover must sound, respectful of the original spirit but at the same time the new artist must add something of his own soul and YES did it.

"Looking Around" was almost a shock, the guitar was harder than what I had previously listened in YES music (Just then learned that Peter Banks played before Steve Howe) and of course the keyboards sounded different, less pompous and also discovered that Wakeman hadn't been YES keyboardist since the start.

More Rock oriented and easier to get into with strong guitar chords an incredible vocal work despite the poor production that sounds as if the song had a patch near the end, but each moment I liked this Prog thing more..

"Time and a World" works as a relief after two frantic tracks, a bit oneiric and ethereal as if the voice of Jon and Chris was recorded in different planes, not a Prog masterpiece but still a very solid song.

"Sweet Dreams" is a very interesting song, a very coherent opening that explodes when the voice of Jon blends with a beautiful collision of sounds and instruments as trying to bring coherence to a provoking chaos, odd timings, violent changes and again a solid guitar by Peter Banks, who of course is not a Steve Howe but still knows how to Rock.. First class material, at this point my jaws were wide opened with this strange and challenging sound.

"Then is another solid track" in the beginning seems that we're before a violent and complex song with Chris Squire's incredible bass work but then Jon joins and again the things come back to normal. This is the first YES track with orchestral arrangements that I ever heard and it was more than I could have ever expected, but at the middle ii turns more rocker than ever with a really nice keys work by Tony Kaye and master Bill Bruford perfectly accurate, by far the best song up to this moment of the album.

"Survival's" intro was pretty disappointing, I never got to like the sound of the guitar, seems fake and out of place but the song violently changes into a soft ballad that goes "in crescendo", pretty but not impressing despite the excellent vocal work, seems that the idea was good but they were not able to achieve it at the end a vibrant coda, good but not in the level of the previous, don't know why but always believed they planned to make this song longer and for a reason I don't know was cut abruptly.

"Astral Traveller" is a strange song, sounds much closer to Psychedelia than to Progressive Rock, I don't deny it's complex but never convinced me, the Baroque keyboards sound absolutely out of place and I'm not able to find coherence, the weakest song in the album IMHO.

The album ends with "Dear Father" a simple but incredibly beautiful track, strong from start to end, has many time changes but everything sounds in it's place, Jon's vocals in an unusual low range (well for him) blend perfectly with the excellent backing work by Chris Squire, nothing special from a musical perspective but it became my favorite YES song for several years, still today I have goose bumps every time I listen it, the closing section is absolutely perfect.

I would love to rate this album with 5 stars because of the sentimental value it has for me but it wouldn't be honest being that I believe YES was still far from their peak, this is one of the occasions in which I wish Prog Archives had half stars because 3.5 would be the perfect rating, but sadly will have to go with three very solid and a it unfair stars, good introduction for YES newbies.