Takin' You Back
Yes has nothing to do with Jim Carrey
If you’ve ever enjoyed progressive acts like Dream Theater, Coheed and Cambria, or The Mars Volta, you have quite a few people to thank for launching the progressive rock genre. The Beatles, Bob Dylan and The Byrds were some of the forerunners, but it wasn’t until the mid-late 60’s that progressive rock really took off. One of the biggest prog-rock acts was Yes. They were best known for blending symphonic structure with their own brand of musical style, which included rich vocal harmonies and some kick-ass keyboards. One of the most amazing things about Yes is that over nearly 40 years, multiple lineup changes and continually changing trends in music, they still have a pretty strong following.
On their third studio album The Yes Album, Yes established a few trends for which they later became known. Four of the six tracks on the album were over 6 minutes long, and three of those were over 8 minutes. Also, The Yes Album was the first to establish the so-called “democratic balance” of the band, with each member making a significant contribution. Also, “Starship Trooper” featured the use of a flanger, which was a new technology at the time.
Probably the most well known track on The Yes Album is “I’ve Seen All Good People.” The nearly seven minute track is split into two distinct parts. The first, “Your Move” contains many lyrical references to the game of chess, seemingly telling a story from the perspective of a chess piece. The second section, “All Good People,” is lyrically simple. It consists of one sentence, “I’ve seen all good people turn their heads each day so satisfied I’m on my way” repeated over and over from beginning to end. As the song fades out, the verse is repeated over and over, with each repetition one step lower than the previous one.
The Yes Album may not be Yes’s most commercially successful or most popular album, but it is probably their most important. As previously mentioned, the album established multiple trends that would become standard practice for the band, and helped push the progressive rock movement forward.
Posted by Cory Roop on Jan 06, 2009 @ 7:00 am
