This Day in Music History: Yes/The Yes Album (02/19)

Today is the 49th (holy crap!) anniversary of The Yes Album, the third studio album released by Yes in 1971. It was the first to feature Steve Howe on guitar, and the last for Tony Kaye on keyboards. This was basically the beginning of the Yes musical chairs.

I have covered this album previously and more in depth here (Side One) and here (Side Two).

Anyway, enjoy this song (hey, I actually heard this one before!)

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Music Monday: Yes/Fragile (Side 2)

So now it's time to head on to Side 2 of Fragile. The back side of the album has even more artwork from Roger Dean, where the fragile planet is breaking apart and a ship (space ark?) is orbiting above it. This will come in to play on future album covers. The painting looks like this:

Music Monday: Yes/The Yes Album (Side 2)

Now it's time to continue our journey through the music of Yes. Side 1 of The Yes Album was covered here, so now it's on to the flip side.

The back cover. Yeah, creepy.

Music Monday: Yes/The Yes Album (Side One)

Time for another weekly installment of Yes music. At this point we have moved forward to their third album, The Yes Album, which is their first to go platinum. To me, this is their first "modern" sounding music and basically every song is included on most greatest hits compilations. The main difference in sound can be attributed to Steve Howe and his outstanding guitar talents. Yes did a tour where they played this album in its entirety. This also started their tendency of fewer, but longer compositions with multiple sections. Side One has only three songs, but three classics.

The album cover is kinda weird, though it was 1971.

This Day in Music History (09/20): Yes/Tormato and Yes/The Ladder

On this day in music history, Yes was at it again (they love the month of September apparently) with not one, but two different albums released on this date.

First, in 1978, Yes released Tormato, which had a few decent ideas, but overall was basically crap.

The original album title was to be Yes Tor, referring to a geological formation in southern England. The photographs taken by Hipgnosis for the album cover were seen as so unimpressive that Rick Wakeman (RW!), in frustration, threw a tomato at the pictures. The cover and title were adjusted accordingly. No, really. That's how it got its name.

Friday and the Random 10 (Year of Hell Edition)

So if there was any good news at all coming out of 2016 it was that three of my favorite bands made it into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. Not that it matters much anyway, the place is a sham, but to be inducted this year are YES(!), Electric Light Orchestra (ELO), and Journey.

This week's countdown, and the first for 2017, will be 16 random songs from these bands and no one else. It's the only way to send out the Year of Hell*.

Let music take the pain of 2016 away!

Music Monday (The Ladder, Side 2)

So after covering side one, and trying to sort through the whole John Lennon/Yoko Ono thing (whut?), it is time to move on to the second half of The Ladder.

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