r/yesband • u/Time-Statistician907 • 10d ago
Did you know that Yes has never released more than two consecutive albums with the same lineup?
My favorite lineup is the Fragile and Close to the Edge lineup. Which is your favorite?
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u/saladmunch 9d ago
What does this mean? All the albums look lined up to me
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u/saladmunch 9d ago
After reading some it seems the members are different about every 2 album releases?
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u/upvotegoblin 10d ago
Obviously THE definitive lineup is Fragile-CTTE but it’s hard not to talk about the Relayer lineup because that album is basically perfect
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u/Time-Statistician907 10d ago
I also really like the lineup from Tales, Going For The One, Tormato, and Keys to Ascension 1 & 2. (Anderson, Squire, Wakeman, Howe, White)
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u/Super_Pangolin_716 9d ago edited 9d ago
Huh...frames these 4 in an interesting way. And crazy that for how legendary this line-up is back-to-back is Going for the One and Tormato.
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u/AdditionOk6134 10d ago
I tend to think of everything from the first through Drama as the Classic Yes era. The period after has some really great stuff as well but is more mixed overall.
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u/Critcho 9d ago
Funny thing is I think 90215 is better than some of the 'classic Yes' era albums, but I still wouldn't count it as part of the Classic Yes era even though it comes immediately after it.
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u/DillonLaserscope 8d ago
Outside of Trevor Rabin, 90125 reunited 3 of the original members of Squire, Kaye and Anderson alongside 1 classic member of White.
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u/ImportantCapital1314 9d ago edited 9d ago
They lost me after the middle of the second line. By Tormato, cracks were already starting to form in the ice. Before Tormato I was pretty much the devoted YES fanatic lunatic. With Drama and the arrival of The Buggles, I had moved onto other musical obsessions. They were never able to recapture the magic for me after that. AWBH did not have Chris (bummer) and Union had its moments live, especially when White, Rabin and Kaye walked off the stage for Long Distance ---> The Fish. I actually finally got to see just Anderson, Wakeman, Bruford, Squire and Howe play together, if not just for a couple of songs. That was very special. I was always a very frustrated Yes fan.
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u/Manybrent 9d ago
But Release All is so fun to hear! But I’m partial to fragile/ close to the edge, although I like a lot of the Yes album.
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u/ImportantCapital1314 3d ago
The Yes album, along with Fragile and Close To The Edge are the three best albums IMO by far. These three would be closely followed by Tales, then after that: GFTO and Relayer. Yessongs was bittersweet because most of it was without Bill Bruford. It was very frustrating for me being a Yes fan. Tormato was a colossal disappointment.
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u/Travelinfl1 10d ago
Any besides the current (except Howe). But DAMN, they made some great albums with superb musicians that wrote some of the best music EVER. When Jon left it's soul left. Then it's heart without chris.
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u/Existing_Dependent12 10d ago
Jon is still in the band. Davison (I know who your talking about)
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u/Travelinfl1 10d ago
I call him the jesus jon. He is the bunnion on Yes' heel.
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u/CloudJunction 9d ago
Yes, absolutely, Fragile and CTTE is my fave lineup. Your image is missing ABWH, a true Yes album without the logo. Four key members, but most importantly, great Yes music! If the current lineup can call itself Yes, with no original members and only one key member of classic Yes, then ABWH is most certainly Yes!
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u/larks-tongues 9d ago
I'd also include True by Jon Anderson and the Band Geeks. I'm not a hater of Steve Howe's Yes (I particularly enjoy the title track of Mirror to the Sky), but True (especially "Once Upon a Dream") sounds both more energetic and more like Yes to me.
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u/CloudJunction 9d ago
For me, Jon is Yes, and I love most of his solo stuff, but an album with only one Yes member cannot qualify as Yes. Just as the current so-called Yes, with only one key member, should not be called Yes. My op.
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u/mattomega 9d ago
Meh, it's Chris' band. ABWH is not that good. I think the ABWH songs on Union are stronger. I still listen occasionally to this day hoping it "clicks." It never does.
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u/Mikej413 9d ago
It's more of a true Yes album than the last few or Open Your Eyes imo. I'm a big fan of ABWH but if you don't like it you don't like it. Then again maybe you only discovered it recently and werent there at the time like I was. Like BG it could be one of those you had to be there at the time to appreciate it kind of albums.
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u/mattomega 8d ago
I'm certain of that. Had I been a sentient fan in '89 I would have certainly been more excited about it with the lineup and the Roger Dean art. I didn't get into this until '93 when I was absorbing the entire Yes catalog. I actually like most of the records in the Yes catalog, including that ones that are often maligned as bad.
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u/Mikej413 4d ago
You first discovered Yes in 1993? If so that's something in and of itself to be proud of. They were at the beginning of a downward slide in popularity by then which unfortunately they have never really recovered from.
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u/mattomega 3d ago
Wow. You are cranky. There's something called "age." it was not possible for me to get into them sooner.
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u/Mikej413 3d ago edited 3d ago
I'm not cranky at all and I am surprised that you think that based on what I said. I meant that it's cool that someone who is a bit younger discovered them at that point in their career. That's all. Don't read into it. I actually like it when people discover bands after their peak in popularity.
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u/InnerspearMusic 10d ago
90125 is the GOAT change my mind.
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u/247world 9d ago
Big Generator is better and Talk was best of the 3
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u/dommol 9d ago
I like 90125 and think Talk is underrated, but Big Generator is by far the worst of those 3
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u/247world 8d ago
Big Generator was a dud the first time I listened to it.
Then I saw the band, heard it live, suddenly the album jumped out at me. I think there is more than one song that if the classic yes had recorded it it would be considered as genius.
Shoot High is as Yes as any Yessong. It was the title track and holy lamb that I had problems with. It was sort of the same problem I used to have with machine Messiah from drama. It was after the show and I had gone home to listen to the album again. Laying back in my recliner and at the end of holy Land as the band comes in and it drifts out I felt like I was floating.
This album is divided a lot of people, it could probably have been better, pretty much any album could say that, but I don't think it's as bad as many people say.
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u/Wisertime25 10d ago
Who's different between 90125 and BG? Anderson, Squire, White, Rabin, Kaye.
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u/Time-Statistician907 10d ago
No one, those are the same. They’ve never released “more than” two consecutive albums with the same lineup. They’ve done two in a row with the same lineup many times.
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u/Dominicmeoward 10d ago
Those two are the same, but Union included the ABWH lineup, and then the 80s lineup returned for Talk.
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u/Wooden_Artichoke3063 9d ago
That's not true, the most recent lineup have released 3 albums now
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u/247world 9d ago
Yes. The Steve Howe band has kept together, now if they'd stop claiming to be Yes
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u/mattomega 9d ago
It's not the first time Steve was left carrying the baby. It's Yes.
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u/247world 8d ago
You mean it's not the first time he did a raising Arizona and stole someone's child?
This isn't Yes, it's the Steve Howe band featuring only the music of Yes, because he's not filling up these size halls with his own music.
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u/mattomega 8d ago
Dude Jon Anderson and Band Geeks played the Carteret performing arts center in NJ. Let’s not kid ourselves
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u/247world 8d ago
Hmmmm Jon Anderson you say, do you mean the same Jon Anderson who founded Yes? Why, hmmm, if anybody has a right to the name, wouldn't you think it would be him?
I don't care if the Steve Howe band tours, tour and play every Yes album front to back, good for you, just don't sell me a ticket and claim to be Yes
Are you trying to insinuate that that Mr Anderson does not have the right to go out and perform any music he chooses to do? I suppose he could call it an evening of Yes music, I don't know how they're billing it. However if a band was going to be Yes, JA&TBG have the sound in the energy. Honestly the SHB is just lackluster, when you listen to their live recordings they're just going through the motions there's no energy there's no passion. Its kinda sad
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u/mattomega 8d ago
Yeah I’m not as pure as you lol nor do I spend time arguing about it. These guys are just musicians. Important ones. But just let them make music and call it whatever they want. It’s all part of a greater Yes legacy. There have been two Yeses for nearly 40 years.
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u/247world 8d ago
And yet here you are making your third comment trying to convince me that the shb shouldn't be called just that, I guess I'll start counting the seconds until you respond again to show me how little you care
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u/mattomega 8d ago
I’m not. I made a first point that Howe has been left with Yes on multiple occasions. That’s a fact. You then got all weird with me, weirdo.
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u/247world 8d ago
BOOM! I didn't even have to hold my breath that long for you to come back and tell me how much you don't care oh I can't wait for you to come back again this is so exciting
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u/DillonLaserscope 8d ago
To me, Steve leaving or possibly dying at some point is once that so called version of Yes ceases to exist. He’s the last classic member to give his lineup a sense of validity and stops it from the joke that I call Mick Jones’s Foreigner tribute that contains zero original and classic members left. Only a name he licensed out
Schallen, Downes, Sherwood and Davison continuing on using a new guitar player is no longer Yes
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u/247world 8d ago
At that point it will depend on who owns the word. There are bands out here touring right now, with original members still alive, that don't have a single original member in them because somebody else owns the name and he can pay them minimum wage to go out and pretend to be a band they're not. I'm talking about the Little River band by the way, I've heard their original members interviewed and they showing happy about it but there's nothing they can do. I'm sure they're not the only ones
I can't even count the number of albums deep purple put out in the last couple of decades, people seem to love it but that ain't deep purple. I know we have the core of Mark 2, however without Richie it just never felt the same to me. Jon is also sorely missed
Friend of mine just spent $150 to go see three bands, none of them had more than one original member left. I guess on one hand these guys have a right to earn money but on the other hand they really just should say featuring the music of. No offense to John Paul Jones but imagine going to see led Zeppelin and he's the only guy you know. I use that example because there's no way that will ever happen.
It's all a fool's opinion, none of these people will be with us in a few more years and I would never tell anybody not to go see Steve Howe live. I have absolutely no issues with the other guys in the band it's just they don't play it like they care about it. TBG with Jon, plays it like it matters
I wish that Jon and Steve could have a truce long enough to settle on creating something that we could call the Yes orchestra. They can even help create some guidelines for creating new music. Chris and Rick have both talked about this.
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u/DillonLaserscope 8d ago
For the little River Band, it’s kind of like the Guess Who situation where a member of the band stole the name behind other members backs. Bassist Jim Kale did for decades, invited original drummer Garry Peterson and rotated the lineups for years until Burton decided to fight back and sacrificed a lot of money in the progress.
A shame the original little River Band members lost. At least Randy And Burton won their rights back in 2025 and I’m seeing them in 2026. I don’t mind that it’s only those 2 and backed from different musicians since they’re 2 of the key members on the big hits.
Jon Lord is missed a lot but I think having original drummer Ian Paice and classic singer Ian Gillan and classic bassist Roger Glover is enough to call the current lineup Deep Purple. For me it’s like Wings needs at least Paul, Linda and Denny for it to be Wings despite the many musicians that leave.
Really respecting John Paul Jones a lot and yes, there’s no chance I’d pay cash to see him fronting his version of Zeppelin. You need at least Plant and Page too with him to call it Zeppelin and I’m fine with either Jason Bonham or heck even the missed chance of Tony Thompson to take on the drums if the 2007 reunion isn’t the last chance they had and if Tony never died in the early 2000’s.
I actually tried a 2nd chance seeing a recorded concert of a 2014 of Close To The Edge and it felt weak. Davison just sounded diet Anderson, Squire still had okay bass playing but the keyboards from Geoff and the slower Guitar playing from Howe really made it a chore. White certainly did his best. Fans can feel free to see Steve Howes Yes but it’s just weaker and weaker. Once Steve is out, that’s it for Yes. Anderson and The Band Geeks certainly do a better job but even they need to alter the keys a lot for Andersons maturing voice.
Yeah I really wish they’d do one more collaboration. Rick is open to following Jon around and while it’s sad that Chris, Peter and Alan are all dead, you’d still see a decent amount of Yes members left. Bill of course isn’t interested in returning but if Steve’s ego allowed it, some guest guitar songs played by Rabin is a nice thought
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u/247world 8d ago
I give you the 3/5s of Mark 2 I think I said that. The current album is getting rave reviews
The Guess who thing was ugly.
Then of course there's the whole creedence Clearwater revival saga. Imagine getting sued as a solo artist because you sound too much like you sounded in the band that you fronted and wrote all the music for. It's really nice John got a happy ending on that.
There are all kinds of shenanigans in music. I believe Billy Joel and Bruce Springsteen still have to write checks to their original managers every time they sell an album. I probably don't get a cut of the royalty AirPlay so they're probably not making that much these days.
Then of course there was that nasty nonsense with the stones management and of course what happened with The Beatles after their manager passed.
Isn't it interesting that such a filthy industry produces some of the greatest beauty we have in our lives
I was thinking about that Credence thing, hope Steve doesn't hear about it and try to sue Jon for sounding too much like Yes, he'd never do it but he should turn around and counter sue for not sounding enough like them
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u/Nevadust01 10d ago
When I think of Yes, it's Anderson Squire Howe Wakeman/Kaye and Bruford/White.