THE YES ALBUM

Damn, this is a good album! Peter Banks is out and Steve Howe is securely in place, but what makes the real difference this time around is confidence. The band have at this point clearly established their own sound and have sufficient faith in it to make a complete album without resorting to cover versions and without having to bring in a string section - the band by itself is powerful enough to carry the music without orchestral boosts.

Actually, this is rather a unique album in the Yes catalogue, being the only one of their "mature" albums to feature Tony Kaye on keyboards - Kaye strongly favours traditional keyboards like the organ, which at the time was the cause of tension in the band because of his reluctance to use the Moog (compared with Rick Wakeman, who never met a synthesiser he didn't like), but this subtle difference in the keyboard sound sets The Yes Album apart from all the band's other classic-period albums. Still, a masterful album and once which I am happy to join most of the other reviewers in heartily recommending.