YES

Before they became " Symphonic Gods", Yes was a Rock band without the Roll; to mean non-mainstream exactly styled compositions.This debut release did not pass unobserved as you would have noticed on the back cover of the vinyl version. Printed was the comment; of Melody Maker (a "respectable" British "Rock" underline "Rock" magazine ) betting on the most promising band launches in; no other than: 1969; the year at the time. Now we know; this "Year" will turn to be no common year. No it was the turning path in all sorts of ways. Prog got a shape and name, just like that! Year of The Whos´s: "Tommy", Beatles´s: Abbey Road, Miles´s Davis: "In a Silent Way", people realising Hendrixs´s "Electric Lady" will turn to be his last (alive at least!) work. To make things even better;.. The King arriveth... KCs´s "In the Court of the Crimson King" . All of them OVERSHADOWED by a 4-Headed Monster that will errupt into the scene and mark its enourmous space for years to come; no; not Yes; their time will come 4 years later;.. The enourmous loved/hated Led Zeppelin. So 1969 was an amazing year. A tough one to survive in this "Biz". I had, because of physical/time circumstances (I was 8 at the time;became a "declared" audiophile around 1972. So I myself met Yes in their super-top shape "Close to the Edge". But out of that experience I went directly to their first work. Who are these guys? Where do they come from? Logical questions with logical answers. Work number one. So without any expectations I dug in. Yes "1" is the perfect balanced composition wise Yes songs we all know; but in the raw. It could have turned anyway really. From track 1; you understand the importance of the Chris Squire bass work in this Yes and the next. The instantly structured and original language; made me forget "The Edge" completely. That was a relieve. Unpretensious (considering Jon Andersons´s tendencies towards x-treme-sweetness);.... to put it lightly more like the Beatles than Symphonic Yes; without sounding like them. Considering I went from Top-Progarchive album for years to come to a band that was just stating they had a voice and people should be aware of it.. The stakes were quiet high and yet; they survived into the collective consciousness of millions. Wow! 4 Stars