This band, (and Emerson Lake & Palmer and King Crimson) altered the course of my music listening in the 70s when I was in college. Don't get me wrong...I still love many other types of music, but Yes introduced me to music you had to listen to carefully because so much was going on all at once. Pretty much all modern progressive rock bands owe a lot to what was called 'art rock' of the time. By the way, the drummer on this track is Bill Bruford, and he is often the least talked-about member of Yes. But his slinky style, clever syncopation and brilliantly placed 'ghost notes' created a perfect recorded history for today's drummers like Gavin Harrison to grow up on. Thanks for this one! If you're feeling bold, try 'Close to the Edge'.
Ladies and gentlemen, YES, the greatest show on earth. I've been dancing to Roundabout for 53 years. Live video version from YesSongs is a must. Yours Is No Disgrace a good second listen. Enjoy your divine YES journey ✨️🎶✨️
Great transition to Nightwish ! Of course, this is not the same kind of show (for Nightwish, the track "Greatest show on earth" is about Life on earth), but musically, I find in Nightwish a lot of qualities that I love in Yes : mix of genres, many kinds of sounds, epicness, great vocals, poetry, frequent rithm and key changes.
@@SaeedReacts. My advice: listen to the studio version of Starship Trooper *_first._* One of the things about YES, as you must now know having listened to Roundabout, is that they spent an incredible amount of time at the sound board perfecting the mix. The studio masterpieces they created during their Uber-Classic Period (The Yes Album, Fragile, & Close To The Edge) were astounding musical experiences that benefited a lot from the studio effects they took advantage. Not saying that their live performances of those songs aren't interesting & worth checking out, but if you're only going to listen to one or the other, make it the studio version. You will then continue to be amazed by their amazing mastery of complexity & experimentation in their compositions...
Jon Anderson (lead vocals), Chris Squire (Bass/vocals), Steve Howe (guitar/vocals), Rick Wakeman (keyboards), Bill Bruford (drums). There is nothing this band does in the studio that they can't do live. Extraordinary band. The Close to the Edge album is considered one of the greatest albums of all time...by me. Steve Howe is a master on multiple stringed instruments. Rick Wakeman usually plays 2 separate keyboards at the same time (for unique sound). Wakeman plays a pipe organ from a cathedral on the song "Awaken"...a must listen. Keep the YES comin, and I'll keep comin back!
The specific place he's talking about is Loch Ness do I have been touring in Scotland and he was happy to be on his way home to see his lady. 24 before my love and I'll be there with you...
@@SaeedReacts. Three more good tracks from the band are Heart of the Sunrise from The Fragile album ,South Side of the Sky live from the early 2000s. Also And You and I from the Close to the Edge album.
🌎🌎🎼🦋🎼🌎🌎 .. so cool that you discovered YES here on your channel Saeed ! They are definitely one of my favorite Rock bands! This song in particular is so engaging , with excellent percussion and amazing keyboards. The lead singer , Jon Anderson , sings like no one else and has crazy range. You will get many recommendations which I hope you dive into. You will have to listen to " I've Seen All Good People " , or , " Owner Of A Lonely Heart " and you will understand how great they are. Jon Anderson has done some work with other musicians where his vocals just soar. This one made my day .. and to see your joy of 70s Rock is special. I was a youngster in the 70s .. and these songs just stay with me forever. Really cool .. I will listen to this reaction a bunch of times. TY 🌎🌎🎼🦋🎼🌎🌎
Thank you so much for watching. Another discovery for me. Learning so much through this channel and the viewers. Grateful ❤️🙏🏽. More Yes reactions coming.
Yes are an English progressive rock band formed in London in 1968. The band has undergone numerous line-up changes throughout its history, up to nineteen musicians have been full-time members. They have had a lot of great songs such as "Owner Of A Lonely Heart", "Starship Trooper", "Going For The One", "Masquerade", "Yours Is No Disgrace", "Heart Of The Sunrise", "The Gates Of Delirium", "And You & I", "Close To The Edge" etc. Sadly drummer Alan White passed away recently.
Yes is the band who made me really love music...Way ahead of their time....Masterclass and beyond. I saw the singer of the band Jon Anderson performing in Uppsala Sweden last summer. 79 years old and still in love with music he is incredible. Thank you! Cheers from a finn in Sweden.
Yes has been my favorite band since 1975. There are three singers, Jon Anderson is the lead, then there is Chris Squire who plays bass and sings, and Steve Howe the guitarist who also sings.
Yes is one of my all time favorite bands Chris Squire usually sang second vocals with lead singer, Jon Anderson. They can sound somewhat alike giving that layered effect. . They also employed masterful producers
And I've always found it a bit odd, having attended at a Steve Howe solo concert where he performed mainly his own compositions, and where I was subjected to his singing voice, that Howe's voice was used to such great effect in all of the three-part harmonies, with Howe holding down the low end due to his very limited range. Anderson and Squire inhabited pretty much the same range and you mainly hear the two of them, but Howe is often there droning away along with them. Yes has cited both The Association ("Cherish" and "Windy") a great vocal group with fabulous harmonies from the mid-60's, and Crosby, Stills, and Nash, as groups they greatly admired and enjoyed. They resolved to have the same sort of vocal harmonies in their music. That bit of almost a capella harmony just before the end of Roundabout sounds a whole lot like CS&N. I'd bet The Hollies, Nash's prior group, was also a huge influence.
YES the 70s had amazing music!!!! ....This came out in 1971 when I was in seventh grade...and they instantly became my all time favorite band....the lyrics by Jon Anderson are often impressionistic and don't always provide a linear tale or story...but as with the instrumentations they are usually "just right." Chris Squire is a bass legend, as is Rick Wakeman on keys and Bill Bruford (also played with King Crimson on "Discipline" and others and oodles of other collaborations) Steve Howe was at the time, light years beyond the musical curve .....The band's personnel changed often over the years but always quality..... This album, and the earlier "YES album" mark their turn into true progressive rock pioneers..the following ... Close to the Edge and Relayer and Tales of Topographic Ocean magnificently explore the parameters of the so-called genre........my favorite album is actually the 1977 "Going For the One" this saw a return of the band's original drummer Alan White, and in my opinion captured them at their peak...the title track is an absolute banger to this day and should not be overlooked...."Awaken" is an effing masterpiece....and "Turn of the Century" highlights the amazing guitar talents of Howe with breathtaking vocals by Anderson......could go on for days about what you should listen to...but,.. Just keep YES warming on the back burner and go in for a bowl or two whenever ya feel like it......Thanks again for helping to keep "my boy's" music alive and well......
I’m sorry but I must mention that Alan White, wonderful though he was, and he was! - but what he was not was Yes’ original drummer. That was the amazing Bill Bruford who departed the band after Close To The Edge.
I'm 70 years old yesterday. Yes has been my favorite band for 50+ of those years. They have created my favorite song (Close to the Edge) from my favorite album (Close to the EDGE), and have LOTS of fantastic songs. The one you just listened to is rather tame compared to many of their songs. THANKS!!! for the reaction.
@@Dave-hb7lx When I listened to the Close to the Edge album for the first time, I realized this was what I had been looking for, musically. I've resigned myself to the high probability that I then had listened to the best song and album that will ever be created by human beings. So how fortunate I've been to have found it so many years ago.
Welcome to the Yes family! Love their music. Even among all the great bands from this Era, they are like a fine wine. Always inventive and creative. 5 members, three of them singers. Hope all"s well in Belgium. We Texans know a thing or two about great music too!
Thanks so much. Definitely want to explore more. We finally had some sunshine in Belgium this past weekend 😀. Hope you are well too. Greetings from Belgium.
I feel that! Thanks for sharing Also grew up in that time. I inherited my father's love for movies. And eventually i became a writer. Definitely grateful for that.
Thank You! I generally subscribe to reactors that like Yes. You help me relive my first reactions to this music, when I was 16-20. Progressive 70's rock had its heyday from 1970-1978. For reasons I don't agree with it fell out of favour till recently. I am glad to witness its revival among young people. Also from those years, Genesis, Moody Blues, Pink Floyd, Camel, Gentle Giant, Mike Oldfield, Jethro Tull, ELP, Kansas, Renaissance, Rush, etc. IMO music peaked then. Yes I'm a proud prog snob! Neo prog came later with excellent bands a small notch below such as Porcupine Tree, Dream Theatre, IQ, Marillion. Newer bands such as Lifesigns, IOEarth, Moon Safari, Pineapple Thief, Riverside, Haken carry on the legacy of Yes. Welcome to the Universe of Prog!
Thanks for sharing all these. I am enjoying disovering all these artists and genres that are unknown to me. Happy that people join me on this adventure. Definitely will explore some of the bands you mentioned.
Awesome seeing Yes on the channel! They are one of the pioneers of progressive rock, so they've definitely inspired many musicians who came after them. I've seen them many times live, and trust me, they can pull off stuff live that is a lot more challenging than this song! They were phenomenal musicians and live performers. At some point you're going to have to check out their epic masterpiece called "The Gates of Delirium." It's loosely based on War and Peace. I know you're an avid reader, and love to dissect lyrics, so you're going to have fun with that one. And that's one of those ones a lot more challenging to perform live than "Roundabout," but they were definitely up to the task. The studio version should be heard first, though.
I think some songs no-one knows what Jon Anderson is talking about - yet I am a big fan 😂 On keyboards you hear Rick Wakeman, Background vocals are guitarist Steve Howe (still with the band) and bass player Chris Squire (who sadly passed away several years ago).
While YES created masterpieces of complexity & experimentation, they did it all on top of their virtuoso bassist's inspirations, which were always given prominence in the mix, the same emphasis that is usually given to the lead guitarist. While you'll hear the contributions of all the other musicians in their time, you'll always hear Chris Squire's industrial-melodic contributions, so fundamental were they to YES' overall Sound...
Yeah... Squire and Wakeman really carried YES so much. However, Howe and Anderson did it at parts and really all their musicians were/are virtuosos. Incredibly talented band.
Jon Anderson on lead vocals - the bassist Chris Squire and guitarist Steve Howe sing back up. There is a great live version from the YesSongs 1972 concert.
I started to really get into progressive rock in the late 70s and Yes was one of my favorite prog rock bands. Try out "Yours Is No Disgrace" or "I've Seen All Good People" next.
I can tell you exactly how this sounded live: F-ing mind-blowingly terrific. In 1973, I saw Yes at my second concert ever. They were the opening act for Black Sabbath, and they began their show with "Roundabout." A shortened version was receiving heavy radio airplay at the time, and my buddies and I were shocked that Yes would begin the show with their big hit. However, the rest of their set was equally awesome. Black Sabbath paled in comparison.
Fans here will suggest listening to "Close to the Edge" and their later stuff, but their breakout and classic sound started with "The Yes Album". You will have more context if you hear that album first.Then the chronologically next album "Fragile" will prepare you for the more complex later stuff. An incredible band whose music has stood the test of time.
John Anderson could indeed paint a picture with his Lyrics. Channelling from somewhere special. Together This ensemble where of Another World. Squires bass was something else too, Wakemans wizardry on Keys...Thanks for finding Yes, and many more eras to explore❤
Good reaction👍 and nice to see your surprise after hearing Yes at their best.😘 In the 70's they were one of the founders of prog rock, it remained great until the 80's!
There are a ton of videos on youtube of Yes live. They are still together and touring but with a lot of lineup changes over the years. The original singer isn't with Yes anymore, but still performs a lot of Yes music with various bands, and still sounds great. Roundabout is an amazing jam song, rock, funk, jazz, classical, rock, all mixed together.
EVERYBODY in this band sang, and sang really well.....but it was their lead singer, Jon Anderson, who also wrote most of their lyrics. All of them were on this tune, and there is plenty of footage of them performing this live. In fact, Yes was astounding, live. ASTOUNDING. You have some wonderful experiences ahead. :)
Specifically, Jon Anderson was the lead singer and his vocals are unmistakable. Chris Squire and Steve Howe both sang background vocals though Squire more so than Howe.
I heard them for the first time on US radio in1971, wen I was 14. The member line up and style of music changed over the decades, but no one has ever faulted them for their musicianship. Starship Trooper, And you and I ,Close To The Edge, and At The Turn of the Century are some of my favorite tracks
It's very interesting listening/watching different reactors. Most of you tend to analyze the lyrics and try to understand the meaning. When I was listening to this new back in the 70's we just enjoyed the songs, didn't really ever talk much about the actual lyrics.
Thanks for sharing that perspective. Maybe it is because i am a writer or maybe it is because i listen to a lot of hiphop where i always analyze metaphores and double entendres. Or maybe it is as you said and times have changed 😃
YES, you are now in the rabbit hole. Top 3 songs they are noted from the ‘70s for are Close to the Edge/Gates of Delirium and Awaken(‘80s was Owner of a Lonely Heart). Get the Yessongs live album(1973) and that will answer your “Live” questions. Enjoy
Happy Birthday! I trust you seen YES a few times seeing you sound English. I've only seen Chris and Alan 36 times from Relayer to the passing of Chris.
Steve is 77! Damn. I have seen your name many a time and yes, I’m jealous of all the times you seen them. Especially with Jon and Alan. I have only seen them twice here in California. None of my friends were into them growing up. My first album was GFTO in 79 but didn’t listen to till 2000s. Always had in my car cd player. Four years ago I got cancer and had time to catch up on music. Since then I finally figured out they were best group for me. Where are you from??? Would love to hear more about your experiences
I remember when this came out! I've been rockin it ever since. Another of theirs that is my favorite is "Leave It" off the 90125 off the 1983 Deluxe version album. It starts acapella then moves into a very large song. Excellence! I hope you give that a try. Loved this reaction! Thank you so much.
There's a live recording from 1972/73 on Yessongs (both audio and film) - it is quite a different arrangement but pretty amazing nonetheless. Other good recordings are from Songs from Tsongas, Yes Symphonic, and Keys to Ascension - each arrangement slightly different, but they each show their versatility as musicians and as a band.
I think we are many who are happy to see you discover Yes. It's great to see you approach the lyrics with just your feelings. Yes is the sound of my life. I listen them for more then 50 years. Jon Anderson is the main singer but Chris Squire, on bass, is the main second vocals with a voice rather close to Jon's. Steve Howe does also third vocals.
@@SaeedReacts. Thank you for the answer. I understand you are from Belgium? I'm French. We even played some Yes on my wedding (in church I mean). If you want to discover more prog from the 7', you got lots of great and amazing bands. Yes of course has lots of incredible tracks. But for something really different, I also advice Gentle Giant. If you are curious to try that band, start with the song On Reflection (studio version). All the best to you.
Thanks for sharing. Hope to get to those as well. Just recorded a reaction to Starship troopers (studio version) . That one should be coming this week.
Their harmonies are Jon (lead singer) and Chris (bassist) with Steve (guitar) sometimes adding a 3rd voice. No tricks used in this perfect YES masterpiece. They were the real deal. Rabbit hole time for you my friend.
Are you familiar with Rush? Both Yes and Rush are early progressives rock with awesome musicians…. Also check out a band called dream theater ( they are the one with music degrees from Berkley and Julliard) check out Pull me under from them.
Rush is also 1970,s ( till recently when their drummer passed) Neil Pert from Rush was widely considered the best rock drummer ever and influence a lot of newer music including Danny Carey from Tool!!!!!!
Now you need to hear more. That is a great intro to YES but you won’t believe what they produce before and after that track. Keep listening- and Chris Squire the bassist is the harmony while Steve Howe lead guitar shares some harmony as well.
I LOVE your thoughts about not having to see everything. The world is different now than it was then, and both times have their strengths and weaknesses. Great music was one of the strengths back then. You are right about Yes' influencing music to this day.
There is something special about witnessing something and sharing that experience with only the people that are their at that very moment. Definitely want to explore more of their music. Thanks for watching. Have a great day.
Jon Anderson (lead vocals), Chris Squire (Bass/vocals), Steve Howe (guitar/vocals) - responsible for ALL 3 WAY HARMONIES - , Rick Wakeman (keyboards), Bill Bruford (drums). EACH are well respected and renowned INDIVIDUALLY as MAJOR TALENTS on their INSTRUMENTS. This is JUST an tiny INTRODUCTION to the POWER of the YES creative UNI-VERSE. This song was a major Hit but YES were NOT into writing music for the mainstream audience. In this genre known as PROGRESSIVE ROCK, they were supported & wrote outside the Commercialized Market and went on NEXT to produce 20+ minute EPIC songs on subsequent albums during their heyday era throughout the 70's! They were virtuosos, RENOWNED for replicating perfectly ALL their complex music LIVE! In essence, YES were the most imaginative and creatively unique BAND of ALL TIME at that time! BTW, as you hear, their LYRICS can be as COMPLEX as the music, often written in METAPHORS and with abstract expressive poetics that often expressed deep spiritual UPLIFTING concepts rather than with typical mundane R&R themes. You've ONLY scratched the surface! Your journey into the Rabbit Hole of YES has just begun if you're ready to take an adventure! Next, I recommend listening to more of this album, "FRAGILE" and the previous "THE YES ALBUM" before taking the drastic leap into 'CLOSE TO THE EDGE" (which people are definitely prone to recommend). CTTE is Master's Degree level and beyond is PHD level! LOL!!!
First of all, they can definitely perform this live and did, and you can find video of it. The studio version does contain some overdubs of guitar parts and vocals, but there are three singers at work here, though you are mainly hearing the amazing voice of Jon Anderson. The keyboard instruments, which seem to be what you were not sure of, are primarily a Hammond organ and a Mini-Moog synthesizer. (and a dash of Mellotron here and there) Keyboardist Rick Wakeman is a legendary musician and his primary expertise is actually in piano, but he is masterful on electronic keyboards, as well.
There is a very interesting article on Wikipedia about this song and how it came about. Otherwise I can only recommend (like a few other listeners) the live album "Yessongs" (1973); their most important songs from the early 70s, with a good 2 hours (3xVinyl) live atmosphere. Oh yes, in addition to the lead singer (Anderson), the bassist (Squire) and the guitarist (Howe) also sing. At the end of the song, however, I could imagine that Anderson sang several tracks.
My husband plays guitar and he does this one on the daily. Good thing I like it! This one and I Am A Camera. I actually use this band when my husband and I argue about Nightwish. I love Nightwish but he doesn't like the synth sounds. I point out Yes, Rush and Max Webster and how their synths sound like organs and is the reason I don't like most of the songs he listens to. I can only play my Nightwish when he's out, and I play it LOUD. I believe it it two singers.
Oh waouh... As I can see, you also react to prog rock bands ! I love that ! And I love that song ! If you like it, you should also react to Genesis in their prog rock area, with Peter Gabriel... You could start with "Firth of Fifth" (1973), one of their masterpieces, with an amazing and touching guitar solo... I’m sure you will enjoy ! And yes, the "70’s" is the most creative decade of all time ! ❤😘
Short list of other songs to experience are “Starship Trooper”, “Heart of the Sunrise “, “Southside of the Sky”, “And you and I”. Then the entire Close to the Edge album. It’s only 3 songs😊
The organ/syntheziser is played by the incredible Rick Wakeman. You should check out his album The Myths and Legends of King Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table. Yes is fenomenal. I used to start my day by putting Fragile on my record player and end my day the same way.
@@SaeedReacts.The journey to see someone long missed and in 24 hours and taking the scenery with joy in is the gist 😊 “Ten true summers long” is a recurring lyric ❤ Written in unique Jon fashion. A real trip they were all on. There are three singers on this ❤
As I understand it, the song is about taking your loved one to spend a day driving around the Scottish highlands, simply appreciating the time together and the natural beauty, of course expressed somewhat expressionistically.
This was recorded before computers. They had to play live to tape. What you were hearing was them playing as they really sounded. Master Craftsman, Master composers. The leap to playing live on stage wasn't that great because they played it live in the studio. And when you saw them live, again there was no computers, it was them warts and all. And with these guys, there were hardly any warts, just dazzling musicianship.
In the USA we didn’t understand the lyrics to this song until about 10 years ago, (we finally started building roundabouts). On the other hand, who am I kidding, no one has ever understood Jon Anderson’s lyrics. 😅 The music is amazing of course.
@@freefall8243 right. I'm in the Philly area but in New Jersey is where they had so many traffic circles. Still have them but a lot of them have been cut through
Music of my teen years. I call this progressive rock on steroids! The musicianship on this is top level! After having this quality to listen to in a great portion of the music then, the pop and rap music now leaves me less than impressed.
You made some very incisive comments about their music and their influence on other musicians. Having cut my musical teeth on Janis Joplin, Yes, Gentle Giant, Genesis, King Crimson and a whole lot of others it’s fun to watch young folks react to this music which is now 50+ years old. Keep going, Yes is a very deep well; just for the record their Close to the Edge album rarely leaves my CD player and I keep a copy of it in the car as well. Brilliant music from brilliant musicians.
Best not dig too deeply on Yes lyrics. The singer plays his instrument of syllables with poetic phrases but any deeper connection between phrases is secondary to the tone and timbre of the voice.
Thats not my approach, but i understand the sentiment. Definitely many reaction channels out there that have a style you do enjoy. Thanks for taking the time to comment. Have a great day.
It’s multiple singers, Chris Squire on bass singing harmonies, Steve Howe on guitar singing & Jon Anderson singing lead. With Bill Bruford on drums & Rick Wakeman on keyboards. YES is the greatest band ever!!! As others said there are multiple videos on RU-vid, & they were better live than in studio even though they are pretty great in the studio.
He’s talking about from Aberdeen to London & the many Roundabout’s, Mountain’s, & Lake’s & going home to see his love ones. You’ve heard of bands that are one hit wonders? YES is a 150+ song Wonders!!!
Thank you for letting me know. First roundabout i ever took in England i had to go around twice to make sure i went the correct way. Not used to driving on the left 😅. Many songs to explore!
