The Yes Album

Their first breakthrough recording

Released in 1971, this third album from Yes made possible what was to come. Without The Yes Album there would have been no Fragile, no Close To The Edge. This was the blueprint.

It was the first album not to feature any covers, such as rearrangements of film themes like The Big Country. All the tracks on the album were original compositions, written by the band members. Personnel wise, it was the first album to feature guitarist Steve Howe, replacing Peter Banks, and the last to feature keyboardist, Tony Kaye. He would be replaced by Rick Wakeman, fresh from The Strawbs, for their next album, Fragile.

Peter Banks went on to form another progressive rock group, Flash. Their debut album, Flash, and the follow-up, both from 1972, are worth checking out. His departure from Yes was triggered by the controversy surrounding their second album, A Time and a Word. Much of his guitar parts were replaced by a full orchestra which didn’t go down too well with Banks. After he made his dissatisfaction known, he was asked to leave.

Certainly with Steve Howe now in the band, the band’s sound expanded significantly. The virtuoso musician was able to play a number of styles with breathtaking dexterity, switching fluently between different styles and genres. For his first album with Yes, he used a Martin…