When Did Yes Peak?
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Forum Name: Prog Bands, Artists and Genres Appreciation
Forum Description: Discuss specific prog bands and their members or a specific sub-genre
URL: http://www.progarchives.com/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=67599
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Topic: When Did Yes Peak?
Posted By: topographicbroadways
Subject: When Did Yes Peak?
Date Posted: May 21 2010 at 14:35
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there are people who say the high point which was never seen again was The Yes Album - Close To The Edge, i personally think tales from topographic oceans is their finest work and the bands peak was on the relayer tour. -------------  
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Replies:
Posted By: LiquidEternity
Date Posted: May 21 2010 at 15:32
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Roundabout. Fragile goes down from there, and the band really never recovered. Of course, I may have just committed an excommunicable heresy.
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Posted By: Finnforest
Date Posted: May 21 2010 at 15:36
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Tales was the peak, you are correct.
------------- https://www.youtube.com/shorts/sQD8uhpWXCw" rel="nofollow - It's a beautiful day in the neighborhood...Road Rage Edition |
Posted By: JLocke
Date Posted: May 21 2010 at 15:38
Relayer. Although many people think they were past their prime by that point. I couldn't disagree more. 
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Posted By: UndercoverBoy
Date Posted: May 21 2010 at 15:39
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Finnforest wrote:Posted By: topographicbroadways
Date Posted: May 21 2010 at 15:40
steve howe definitely reached the top of his game on relayer and the rest of the band were instrumentally on top all the way through its not my favourite album or line up but it is definitely the tour where each member was on top -------------
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Posted By: Slartibartfast
Date Posted: May 21 2010 at 15:42
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I don't know much about the peak but 90210 was Yes on the decline for me...
------------- Released date are often when it it impacted you but recorded dates are when it really happened... 
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Posted By: JLocke
Date Posted: May 21 2010 at 15:43
I don't know . . . I think 786530987524 has its moments of brilliance.
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Posted By: moshkito
Date Posted: May 21 2010 at 16:05
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Hi, Easy ... TfTO. There is no second. While Relayer is very very nice, and it seemed to maintain the strength that the group had generated, it still felt a bit ... not as good ... to my ear when compared to the previous album.
They really gave in to the trashing that they got for that piece of music, and instead of standing up to it, one of their members started saying that he didn't think it was very good either, and that pretty much sealed the deal for me ... the band was over because there was not enough respect between the members for their own compositions to stand up for their own work! ------------- Music is not just for listening ... it is for LIVING ... you got to feel it to know what's it about! Not being told! www.pedrosena.com |
Posted By: ProgressiveAttic
Date Posted: May 21 2010 at 16:14
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Agreed with Tales-Relayer! (we could add Close to the Edge too.... three masterpieces in a row... that's why Yes is matchless!) ------------- Michael's Sonic Kaleidoscope Mondays 5:00pm EST(re-runs Thursdays 3:00pm) @ Delicious Agony Progressive Rock Radio(http://www.deliciousagony.com) 
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Posted By: KingCrimson250
Date Posted: May 21 2010 at 16:17
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I don't know, it's hard to say. There's a pretty obvious arc, with The Yes Album being the band building up to something, and GFTO being the band winding down from something, but it's tough to pick one point where they'd hit their peak. The three albums in there (CTTE, TFTO, Relayer) are all classic cuts, in my opinion (though I rarely have time to listen to TFTO), and all represent the band doing something different, and well. CTTE was, in a lot of ways, the band's tour de force. It announced loudly to the world that their prog chops were in full working order. TFTO, on the other hand, was the band taking steps towards a bold, artistic direction, far from what people wanted to hear at the time. Relayer was it's own mark of creativity, and we saw a shot of jazz-fusion enter the Yes bloodstream, resulting in a refreshingly inventive album, rather than the return to a CTTE sound that one might have expected after an opus like TFTO. So I guess I'd have to answer those three. If you made me choose one album, I'd probably tentatively pick TFTO. |
Posted By: harmonium.ro
Date Posted: May 21 2010 at 16:21
| Audience-wise, it was circa 1975. The QPR show form the Relayer tour gathered about 50000 people if I'm not wrong. |
Posted By: The Truth
Date Posted: May 21 2010 at 16:24
Sigh... I loved that concert...  ------------- http://blindpoetrecords.bandcamp.com/" rel="nofollow">  
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Posted By: thellama73
Date Posted: May 21 2010 at 16:29
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Tales was the peak. They lost Bruford, they lost Wakeman and I never liked Relayer. Edit: Before I catch flak for this, I am aware that Bruford left prior to Tales, but I associate his leaving with that album, so for me Tales represents the peak just before the band toppled. ------------- 
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Posted By: Vompatti
Date Posted: May 21 2010 at 16:34
| For me Relayer is the ultimate Yes album. |
Posted By: presdoug
Date Posted: May 21 2010 at 16:38
| Musically speaking, they peaked with The Yes Album-that was their best recording, and there was nothing later on that could top it |
Posted By: yanch
Date Posted: May 21 2010 at 16:45
| My personal favorite is Relayer. After seeing the tour it solidified that. The 3 album stretch of CTTE, TFTO, and Relayer is hard to top. |
Posted By: J-Man
Date Posted: May 21 2010 at 16:50
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Relayer was their peak. Not quite their best album, but after that they subsequently went on the decline. For me, CttE is their best album.
------------- 
Check out my YouTube channel! http://www.youtube.com/user/demiseoftime" rel="nofollow - http://www.youtube.com/user/demiseoftime |
Posted By: rushfan4
Date Posted: May 21 2010 at 16:51
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I imagine that there were probably some mountain peaks included within the topographic oceans. Not sure if they really peaked per se. They just seemed to have a really high plateau. ------------- 
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Posted By: Bonnek
Date Posted: May 21 2010 at 17:03
 I'm glad I'm not the only one who feels this way! Which doesn't mean I don't like Fragile, CTTE, Tales or Relayer of course. |
Posted By: javier0889
Date Posted: May 22 2010 at 01:18
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Going for the One imo. It was certainly the end for an era for Yes' music. Awaken was like the epitaph for a way of making music, the way of creating the classic Yes sound which after that album, changed completely, due to lineup changes. Drama has Machine Messiah, but it was a different band trying to be Yes, they did a good job, but it wasn't Yes. Then, with ABWH, and the new songs for the Keys to Ascension albums, they just tried to copy that old sound, which isn't bad, but it shows us that the true Yes sound comes from The Yes album-Going for the One era. |
Posted By: richardh
Date Posted: May 22 2010 at 02:27
Close To The Edge 5 star masterpeice. Bruford left and Yes were never as good again although they churned out a series of very decent 4 star albums and remained a consistent prog band if relying slightly on past glories. They also became a little bit of a parody of themselves after1972 imo with all the cosmic shenanigans and giant mushrooms.(not to mention the curry )
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Posted By: Triceratopsoil
Date Posted: May 22 2010 at 13:01
| Definitely before Howe left. That is all. |
Posted By: Ronnie Pilgrim
Date Posted: May 22 2010 at 15:12
| It was Tales From Topographic Oceans, Side 3, 13:21. |
Posted By: Xanthous
Date Posted: May 23 2010 at 10:16
| Tales From Topographic Oceans is definitely the point at which I don't think they could have gotten any better. Relayer and GFTO are amazing too, but they could never match the brilliance of Tales. |
Posted By: InClouds
Date Posted: May 23 2010 at 19:35
| I would was say from CTTE to Relayer is my favorite period for Yes. It'd be pretty hard to top those three amazing albums. |
Posted By: Dellinger
Date Posted: May 23 2010 at 21:40
| For me their peak was Fragile and CttE, the only 5 stars albums from them as far as I'm concerned. Though I might stretch their peak until Going for the one, because those 3 albums also have monumental songs from their classic sound. I don't really like The Yes album so much, but so many people like it so much that I guess it must be considered within their peak era. However, the very peak must be CttE, which is most of the time the favorite in polls and in the ratings from PA. |
Posted By: PROGMONSTER2008
Date Posted: May 23 2010 at 22:31
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The Yes album-Fragile.
Close to the edge is in the same vein but there tends to be a bit of filler because the songs go for 15 minutes. ------------- Jazz/Classical Rock(70's style prog/fusion). Lots of prog keys and melodies(all original ideas) http://www.myspace.com/vigilante2008" rel="nofollow - http://www.myspace.com/vigilante2008 |
Posted By: Triceratopsoil
Date Posted: May 23 2010 at 22:33
I feel the same. I think I've been pretty vocal about that on this site so far  |
Posted By: Chris S
Date Posted: May 23 2010 at 22:34
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Going For the One ------------- ...As I venture through the slipstream, between the viaducts in your dreams...[/COLOR] |
Posted By: AtomicCrimsonRush
Date Posted: May 23 2010 at 22:36
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Has to be the Yes Album and this followed by Fragile sent them on their way to super group and of course Close to the edge sealed the deal. ------------- 
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Posted By: richardh
Date Posted: May 24 2010 at 01:50
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Posted By: Kashmir75
Date Posted: May 24 2010 at 03:15
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The Yes Album-Fragile-Close To The Edge. Doesn't get better than that. TFTO was the point when many think they lost the plot. But people here seem to love it. ------------- Hello, mirror. So glad to see you, my friend. It's been a while... |
Posted By: cobb2
Date Posted: May 24 2010 at 03:33
| Tales was their creative peak, but I feel they got kicked in the teeth so much for this that they just gave up trying to reach greater heights- ie they stopped progressing and produced a few more brilliant works, but nothing too musically risky. GFTO was for me, last of their great works. |
Posted By: Gerinski
Date Posted: May 24 2010 at 04:05
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I think "peak" does not necessarily need to be equated with "best album". The OP asked specifically which was their peak, I guess if he wanted to ask which was Yes' best album he would have asked it straighforward.
With this consideration in mind, I consider their peak to be Going for The One, although I consider Fragile and CTTE their best albums.
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Posted By: PROGMONSTER2008
Date Posted: May 24 2010 at 04:05
I love prog, but i don't like filler or repetition. It just says lack of ideas to me
Yes should have kept their songs to 10 minutes. I'd prefer 4 songs of 10 minutes of strong melody than 3 songs of 15 minutes with strong starts and ends but with kind of boring bits in the middle hehe. It's much harder to make a great melody than to play some weird sounds. Also when a melody or idea repeats itself for 10 minutes the song becomes a bit boring ------------- Jazz/Classical Rock(70's style prog/fusion). Lots of prog keys and melodies(all original ideas) http://www.myspace.com/vigilante2008" rel="nofollow - http://www.myspace.com/vigilante2008 |
Posted By: ProgBob
Date Posted: May 24 2010 at 07:06
Which version of CTTE is this with three 15 minute songs on it? I can't be the same version as mine as two of the songs on mine are 10 minutes or less. ------------- Bob |
Posted By: slidesandbends
Date Posted: May 24 2010 at 11:20
| you have to look at it a bit subjectively...close to the edge is THE prog standard...without that single song, countless bands would never have formed (across the prog and metal genres.) its sphere of influence was about as expansive as you get for a prog song. Close to the edge. |
Posted By: lazland
Date Posted: May 24 2010 at 13:47
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Going for the One for me, but I do not regard what came afterwards as being exclusively awful. I loved 90125, Talk was even better, The Ladder was a hugely enjoyable album, and Magnification, if it is tio be the swansong, was not a bad way to go out.
------------- Enhance your life. Get down to www.lazland.org Now also broadcasting on www.progzilla.com Every Saturday, 4.00 p.m. UK time! |
Posted By: csmosher
Date Posted: May 24 2010 at 15:05
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Yes definitely peaked at Close to the Edge. Someone told Jon Anderson that Close to the Edge was a complete holy work like the Bible. He took offense and decided to really do a religious epic. The next album (Tales) went WAY overboard. It went in musical directions that alienated Wakeman and he left after. There is too much drum solo, long expanses of music, with some really good stretches. First two sides are the best. I could have been a really good single album but the double was thin (in the same way that Genesis Lamb is thin as a double). Fragile was sheer genius although not as well planned, just a few great ensembles with solo tracks thrown in. Might be a tie between the two but the "Edge" goes to the "Edge" (LOL). So Close to the Edge is as good as it gets with the classic lineup, Fragile close at second, and I really like the Yes Album too. So those are the three "must have" albums with "Awaken" from Going for the One thrown in. Peace out!
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Posted By: richardh
Date Posted: May 24 2010 at 15:28
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Posted By: ghost_of_morphy
Date Posted: May 24 2010 at 15:42
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Yes has had a lot of peaks. I suppose TYA to CTTE could be considered a plateau instead, but other peaks would be GFTO and Keys 2. ------------- 
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Posted By: Bitterblogger
Date Posted: May 24 2010 at 18:07
| I agree, the band's had several peaks--the first Wakeman years, the Moraz experiment, the return by Wakeman, and the Rabin recruitment. Big sales, big attention, big concerts, much respect. |
Posted By: mondello1
Date Posted: May 24 2010 at 18:27
| December 10, 1974 - Yes with special guests Gryphon |
Posted By: Brendan
Date Posted: May 25 2010 at 04:48
| Funny thing, 'Tales from Topographic Oceans' has aged well. Now it seems like a small drop in form between the much loved "close to the edge' and 'relayer', but still good classic yes, and most people see it as a whole lot better than what would come after '90125'. |
Posted By: someone_else
Date Posted: May 25 2010 at 04:59
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Their peak period started with The Yes Album and ended with their greatest masterpiece, Close to the Edge. They reached a minor peak with Relayer and Going for the One. ------------- 
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Posted By: AtomicCrimsonRush
Date Posted: May 25 2010 at 05:04
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Posted By: rod65
Date Posted: May 25 2010 at 10:34
| I'm inclined rather strongly toward Relayer as the culmination of an artistic development that had taken years. Some band members had left, but the enrgy was still high, and I think Moraz was a good, though brief, addition. I admit that I don't know who was the better keyboardist technicaly speaking, him or Wakeman, but I've always thought he had a good touch. |
Posted By: SilverEclipse
Date Posted: May 25 2010 at 11:06
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Yes peaked three seperate times in three very different ways with Close To The Edge (spacey, psychedelic prog), Tales From Topographic Oceans (epic, majestic prog), and Relayer (uber-aggressive prog). That is why they have no match in the prog universe. ------------- "and if the band your in starts playing different tunes, I'll see you on the dark side of the moon" |
Posted By: Norman Kiddie
Date Posted: May 25 2010 at 11:07
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The Yes Album, CTTE , Fragile and TfTO are the real classics in my book. Relayer is a bit too heavy for my taste but has wonderful moments, Going for The One (must be the worst title ever) is a good album too
and was the last of any interest to me. I have listened to most of the others but would prefer to remember
Yes as one of their sampler titles indicates, `Yesterdays´´
------------- Norm |
Posted By: The-time-is-now
Date Posted: May 25 2010 at 12:35
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I would say 1972-1973, with a revival in the 90's (but with a different music). -------------  One of my best achievements in life was to find this picture :D |
Posted By: Dellinger
Date Posted: May 25 2010 at 22:40
You forgot their pop peak with 90125. By far not my favourite, but I guess it could be called a peak. |
Posted By: nordwind
Date Posted: May 27 2010 at 23:39
"The Ladder" was their last peak . ------------- Jazz isn't dead.......it just smells funny. Frank Zappa / Live in New York |
Posted By: rod65
Date Posted: May 28 2010 at 00:29
The Ladder is an excellent album--exuberant and controlled, showing growth from previous high points. I have to agree.
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Posted By: ColinInLA
Date Posted: May 29 2010 at 11:06
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Artistically, I would have to say Relayer. Topographic Oceans was well-intended and full of great ideas, but ultimately, they over-reached. Given the strength of The Yes Album, Fragile and CTTE, many of us have continued to hope that they would somehow recapture the early creative majesty. Instead, we got various mix and match lineups and material that never quite hit the mark - "Awaken" excepted. Now that Jon has been shut out, for me, there is no more Yes. They've become their own tribute group. Great memories, but the nagging notion that they could have been so much more had they been able to settle into any kind of consistency. |
Posted By: AtomicCrimsonRush
Date Posted: May 29 2010 at 11:19
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a lot of peole like The Ladder here. Interesting I took no notice. I wil listen again but I was unimpressed on first listen -------------
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Posted By: topographicbroadways
Date Posted: May 29 2010 at 11:27
it's definitely an interesting album although the only track i immediately fell in love with was Homeworld there is definitely some great music on this album very fitting of yes and one of the only late efforts that i can see yes in -------------
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Posted By: genbanks
Date Posted: May 30 2010 at 20:48
| I think that the peak of Yes, in artistic terms, was Going for the one. At this time they were musically mature and the overall album has much more soul than the others. They knew how to combine great melodies with a virtuous job. After that they started to decline (in a progressive rock context). By a commercial and success point of view, their peak was 90125. |
Posted By: TheGazzardian
Date Posted: May 30 2010 at 21:28
I'm hoping their peak is sometime in 2010. 
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Posted By: Peter
Date Posted: May 30 2010 at 22:09
 Fragile and Close to the Edge were the creative peak, for me. 
(The Yes Album was very good too, but they still needed Wakeman.)
Yes were still instrumental in inventing prog at that point -- after CTTE they were ever-increasingly re-visiting, tweaking and diluting an established formula.
------------- "And, has thou slain the Jabberwock? Come to my arms, my beamish boy! O frabjous day! Callooh! Callay!' He chortled in his joy. |
Posted By: The-time-is-now
Date Posted: May 31 2010 at 12:06
The LAdder is really a good work, IMO. Homeworld is a masterpiece, one of the band most achieved songs. And the rest id excellent, too. ------------- One of my best achievements in life was to find this picture :D |
Posted By: lotuseuropa1
Date Posted: June 01 2010 at 07:40
| Definitely Tales From Topographic Oceans, an absolute masterpiece. I'm glad after all these years that I am not the only one that thinks it's the best thing Yes have ever done after all the slating it took in the music press at the time. |
Posted By: richardh
Date Posted: June 01 2010 at 14:14
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Posted By: seventhsojourn
Date Posted: June 01 2010 at 14:43
| 1972. |
Posted By: Guitarman1
Date Posted: June 16 2010 at 10:02
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The band has many peaks:
Bill Bruford - Close to The Edge
Allan White - TFTO
Steve Howe - TFTO + Relayer
Rick Wakeman - Going For The One
Patrick Moraz - Relayer
Chris Squire - Drama
Jon Anderson - Anderson Bruford Howe & Wakeman + The Ladder
Trevor Rabin - 90125
Billy Sherwood - Open Your Eyes
Betwen mountainpeaks is valleys and then, hopefully, another peak.
If we are patient, maby they create another peak for us to enjoy.
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Posted By: Padraic
Date Posted: June 16 2010 at 10:07
great post, couldn't have said it better |
Posted By: The-time-is-now
Date Posted: June 16 2010 at 11:18
I really think your first post here is very interesting. You're right. Yes had many peaks, but your idea to link these with the personnel is brilliant, even if such an argument can't explain everything.Thanks. ------------- One of my best achievements in life was to find this picture :D |
Posted By: Ronnie Pilgrim
Date Posted: June 16 2010 at 18:56
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Soon after Jethro Tull stopped closing their shows for them.
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Posted By: SergiUriah
Date Posted: June 16 2010 at 22:57
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The Yes Album - Fragile - Close To The Edge is the perfect trilogy of Yes, in my opinion. So, for me, CTTE would be their peak.
------------- http://img229.imageshack.us/i/bonfirma.jpg/"> 
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