THE YES ALBUM

With Steve now on board YES was ready to make things happen-and this was a good start. Howe's playing would become a necessary component of the YES sound from here on out. (don't even mention Trevor in this writer's presence!)

Half of this album is very good and half is still pretty unremarkable. The good half here is Starship, Perpetual Change, and Yours Is No Disgrace. The Clap and Venture are nice little filler pieces, and I'm no longer able to be objective about All Good People because FM radio has killed the song for me. I honestly can't tell you if it's a good song or not because my ears shut down when they hear that one ;-)

Your is No Disgrace and Starship in particular really embody the new spirit and direction YES would begin to take and would become fan favorites forever. At the encore of the show I saw in 84, Starship Trooper just brought down the house. It was the definite favorite of the audience on that night. (Of course, anything from the 70s sounded like Heaven after enduring countless numbers from 90125.)

The Yes Album is not their finest hour but it puts everyone on notice that this was a band to be reckoned with. 3.5 stars. Too bad the cover doesn't reflect the majesty of the music, it's really pretty poor.