It's an amazing coincidence that your first foray into Yes comes out the day we heard the sad news of the passing of their great drummer of 50 years Alan White. Yes are widely considered the greatest progressive rock band of all time. These two songs are from their 80's more radio friendly phase which was still very creative. Strongly recommend you check out their '71 to '77 classic prog era. "Heart of the Sunrise" , "Roundabout" & "South side of the sky" from their immortal Fragile album are great tracks for you to continue your Yes journey, cheers
Another great tune from 90125 is “Leave it” (you’ll love the vocals on this). And another great song from the Big Generator album is “Shoot High, Aim Low”.
Yes, I discovered Yes with the 90125 album when it was released and when I heard "Leave It" I had never ever heard anything like it, a song that just grabs your attention. (I was also impressed by the diversity/range of the material on the album, relative to other commercially successful bands at that time)
Ladies and gentlemen Chris Squire and Yes the greatest show on earth. Turn Of the Century is a beautiful love story and of course Roundabout is a must.
Speaking of 90125 - 9012Live is a live concert recording that is available both as audio-only and as a video directed by Steven Soderbergh. This video was nominated for a Grammy but lost to "Bring on the Night" which chronicled Sting and his band's preparing to tour for the "Dream of the Blue Turtles" solo album.
"Big Generator" is one of the album's three tracks credited to the whole group. It developed from a riff by Squire and Rabin, originating from a specific tuning Squire had on his 5-string bass which helped to create the song, which involved contributions from White on the drums.In its early development, White felt the song needed some "Yes stamps" incorporated into the arrangement, and instructed the group to play a section and not listen to his playing. "I just stopped and started ... like the drummer fell off his stool and then got back on trying to catch up the beat. Playing very slowly and then faster ... and then I was back in time". Once he was, "I reversed the beat around backwards so I came in with the bass drum on two and four instead of one and three
R.I.P. Alan White, drummer of Yes (and also drummed for John Lennon's Plastic Ono Band and on George Harrison's "All Things Must Pass"), who passed away today. "Changes" is an apropos tribute, as he was responsible for writing that opening/closing rhythm part.
I am loving your reactions! I was raised in this! Plenty of YES tattoos on my back and when my dad passed away it always YES. We (all three brothers) pumped our favorite song when we scattered his ashes
I'm a retired guitarist (almost 70 now, I can't keep up with the physical demands of gigging any more) and I worked HARD at playing "Big Generator" on guitar. During my research, I learned TWO things: 1) Eventually I took my guitar's low E string, and tuned it down an octave. THAT'S the main riff sound! I had to be delicate with my fretting and picking - the detuned low E string was SO loose it was easy to press or pick it unpleasantly out of tune! 2) For Trevor Rabin's lead sound, IIRC I used a pedal that produced a parallel harmony note a 4th BELOW (5th above, octave lower!) that I used for Trevor's SEARING lead passages. The absolute musical GENIUS on display here in "Big Generator" is these BRILLIANT players quickly adopting NEW technology and ARTFULLY using it to explore COMPLETELY new sonic territory and SUCCEEDING BRILLIANTLY! Lastly, I HAVE TO add that I've seen Yes live multiple times, I actually saw Yes's "Big Generator" tour live in a rather modest-sized northeast American concert arena, and watching them perform the song "Big Generator" was nothing short of transcendental! One of the most moving concert experiences I've EVER had - and BELIEVE ME, I've been to COUNTLESS EXCELLENT concerts! For example, in the early 70's I saw Led Zeppelin live in the Boston Garden perform most of Zep I & II, plus a BUNCH of Zep III! Fast forward - Jimmy Page and the Black Crowes! I hope I've made my point - I don't want to drone on here.
These two songs are amongst my all-time favourites. I love how Trevor and Jon's vocals twin each other's lead from time to time. 🙂 Now and again, Chris Squire had some lead vocal moments during the Rabin-era, such as on It Can Happen and Rhythm Of Love.
The band were undeniably at their vocal peak with the Anderson-Rabin-Squire line-up. Each of them were capable lead singers, and their harmonies together were top-notch.
Thank you for reacting to these songs! My dad was a huge yes fan, which he made me a fan as well. These two albums that these songs came from were my favorites by them. My dad saw them live a few times back in the 70s..
Yes was a favorite of Rush's Geddy Lee and Alex Lifeson when they were young and they inducted Yes into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame a few years ago, with Lee filling in for Chris Squire on bass on Roundabout. RIP Alan White
Lifelong Yes fan...One of the greatest bands, especially their work from about 1971-1977 was on fire--truly just daring, passionate, transcendent music. This was their 'comeback' period in the 1980s (with the #1 hit "Owner of a Lonely Heart") with guitarist/vocalist Trevor Rabin. He is the main vocalist here on "Changes," and Jon Anderson (the high voice who sings the "One word for you, one word for me..." interlude) is the band's usual main lead singer from their beginnings.
Um, Jon Anderson is pretty obviously the vocalist for "Changes." I believe you meant Trevor Rabin was the main writer. Jon Anderson is the lead vocalist for both of these songs.
@@lewsheen7514 You can say "not correct" all you like, but the lead vocals are Jon. If you don't recognize that, you have a severe deficiency in both your ability to read and your ability to hear. Look up any source for the former, and learn basic audio recognition for the latter.
@@reliantncc1864 No need to get pissy, but since you did I'll go on record say it's YOU who needs remedial LISTENING classes. You seem to think that because every web reference you find says Jon Anderson was the lead vocalist in Yes that means he was the lead vocalist for EVERY Yes song - and that's NOT TRUE. That's NOT Jon Anderson singing the first two verses in "Changes..." It's OBVIOUSLY Trevor Rabin! Jon Anderson DOES sing a few lead parts here and there - and LOTS of backup harmonies - but CLEARLY Trevor Rabin is the main singer on this cut. If you can't differentiate Trevor's voice from Jon's I'm sorry, I can't help you there. 1864, Instead of getting defensive and insulting, how about opening your mind to the possibility you might actually be WRONG sometimes? Just trying to help you grow, grasshopper!
@@reliantncc1864 From wikipedia: "Changes" was another song from Rabin's demos, with its introduction put together by White. Rabin developed it during a "depressed time", after a potential solo album deal with Geffen Records fell through as they wished for him to join a band and play more "like Foreigner". Trevor Rabin recorded most of "Changes" LONG before Jon Anderson was in the picture. Any questions 1864?
The main keyboards on Changes are the Fairlight C.M.I. IIx programed and played by J. J. Jeczalik. Other keyboards are the EMU Emulator sampler, Waldorf P.P.G. Wave 2.2. The Yamaha DX-7 was also used. In the song Changes verses are sung by Trevor Rabin. The chorus is sung by Jon Anderson. On the album 90125 the Fairlight is the main synthesizer-sampler. Changes has the gated reverb effect on the snare drum. Simmons electric drums and a Linn Drum Drum Machine was also used on the album
Still have 2 albums: Close to the Edge and YESSONGS, which is a unfolding 4 section cover with 3 LPs & a 11X11 photo book, 2 pages per member & back with photos of the producers, engineers. From 1972 live tour Must not forget Roger Dean's artwork which fills the expanded cover. A great interview with Jon Anderson on Rick Beato's YT is so funny, telling stories of the beginnings of YES and recording mishaps.
I would be really interested to hear your thoughts on Going For The One - my favourite Yes Album. Not as pop oriented as 90125 but nonetheless beautifully executed, produced and performed.
I had the same reaction - the first couple of times I listened to Going For The One I was less than impressed. Over time, I grew to LOVE this album. The songs Going For The One, Parallels, and Awaken are absolute musical MASTERPIECES! Little known fact: The stunningly powerful Rick Wakeman organ parts on Parallels and Awaken were recorded on the pipe organ at St. Martin's church in Vevey, Switzerland. Peace out!
Since you just made a lot of reactions to Genesis music, here is a tie-in. When Phil Collins first took over lead vocal duties in Genesis, the first drummer they called on to play for Genesis live performances was Bill Bruford, the original drummer for Yes (that I know of). In the meantime, Yes then recruited Alan White (mentioned already in these comments). Bill Bruford then moved on to concentrate on playing with King Crimson and Genesis hired Chester Thompson as the live drummer. You're going to like some of the Yes history and evolution. At some point, you may even discover a relation between the 80s pop song "Video Killed the Radio Star" and the band Yes.
I'm so glad you reacted to this, not heard it for years! RIP Alan White Yes always were ahead of the prog game and I love them for it, I need to find more time to listen to them Awaken is still my favourite, it s a cliché, I know, but I'm a sucker for powerful organ music! Keep reacting to the leftfield stuff, really enjoying it🧡👌
YES is my favorite group. I subscribe to anyone who reacts to them because I want others to discover their great talent and the best Progressive rock band in my opinion. Keep playing their music and I'll keep my subscription. My number one favorite is "The Gates of Delirium" with "Close to the Edge" an extremely close second. Studio versions only. It's pretty hard to reproduce those live. "Roundabout" is awesome too. One of my favorite live ones is "Awaken" : ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-nDXccU0xgNo.html . They have loads of good songs. And their music is complex not the usually short songs. "Close to the Edge" is a masterpiece. On par with classical music like Beethoven. Every note is just right. The lyrics are mystical and spiritual with the interpretation up to the listener like a Picasso painting. A couple of others include "Turn of the Century ', "That, That Is" and "The Revealing Science of God" -(live version from The Keys to Ascension album).
06:20 Lead vocals on this were shared by Trevor Rabin (guitarist) and original Yes lead vocalist Jon Anderson. What you're hearing as "his high register" is actually Jon singing.
Nice choices here! From Big Generator, I'd also recommend the song, "Shoot High, Aim Low." Really quite good, and, much like "Changes," makes VERY effective use of both Jon and Trevor's voices.
Rabin-era Yes. Wonderful stuff. Trevor Rabin is an incredible producer, engineer, and guitar player. I'm a huge fan of Steve Howe, but I love Trevor's stuff.
The Yes journey is a huge rabbit hole. I'm enjoying your discovery. If you want to become a hard core fan you really need to do Close To The Edge, widely regarded as the greatest prog rock song of all time
Phil Collins fave band before he joined GENESIS in 1970 ! My 2 fave bands of all time 70’s/80’s GENESIS & 70’s/80’s YES ! YES and GENESIS are in my opinion the 2 greatest PROGRESSIVE BANDS OF ALL TIME ! You will be blown away by 70’s YES and more of 70’s GENESIS ! I grew up loving 80’s pop/rock not knowing what had been created in the 70’s ! Keep up great reactions !
Awesome. I've been listening to this song in the car for two weeks. Love the intro build and yeah, Trevor Rabin's voice. And his guitar OMG he's a lick machine.
Rewatching this and love it again. How about Close to the Edge or Gates of Delirium. Different (earlier) lineup, but their finest works ❤ Truly progressive
Great reaction! So, a fun Yes story. I wanted guitar lessons as a birthday present for my 12th birthday. At 15, I was in a garage band with my buddies and no one played bass. I volunteered and sold my guitar for money to buy my first bass. For Christmas, I asked my parents for an album that highlighted the bass guitar. My dad was not a musician so he asked the guy at the record store for his recommendation. This is when record stores were still a thing. And the guy recommended "Classic Yes", which is a "best of" album with some of Yes's best early stuff. After listening, I immediately became a fan of Chris Squire. This was the mid 80's - after 90125 had been released but before Big Generator was released. So, I had heard Owner of a Lonely Heart, It Can Happen, and Leave It on the radio already but wasn't at all familiar with their early work. I was blown away. Chris was phenomenal, as were Anderson, Bruford, Wakeman, and Howe. Anyway, glad to see you've discovered one of my all time favorite bands. The odd time signatures, virtuoso musicianship, and Anderson and Rabin's powerful vocals, along with the cool transitions and arrangements will always keep them at the top of my list. 90125 and Big Generator are best enjoyed with over the ear headphones with good isolation/noise cancelation. The production work on 90125 is some of the best I've heard from the 80s. The entire album is 100% ear candy. Another song I would recommend from the album that's a little outside the mainstream hit-radio single realm; but one that I think has aged as well as any on the album is City of Love. You also can't go wrong with Hold On, It Can Happen, Cinema/Leave It (must be played together), Owner of a Lonely Heart, and the epic romantic finale, Hearts. The A Capella version of Leave It is really fun too. Enjoy and keep reacting! Good stuff!
I had both of these cassette tapes - both KILLER and working at a high end retailer of audio (RSL) I can tell you both helped sell A TON of speakers! RIP Alan - you brought so much joy to so many!
About the tittle album: 90125, they're decided upon its allocated catalogue number on their label Atco Records, a subsidiary of Atlantic. It was 90124 initially, but sleeve designer Garry Mouat said: "Because they couldn't get consistency worldwide with that number, it got changed to 90125. I've still got some rough tour t-shirts and sleeves with the original number."
Really enjoyed your reaction!! From the 90125 album I highly recommend "Leave It" and "Hold On"!! "Owner of a Lonely Heart" was the hit from that album. From Big Generator I recommend "Love Will Find a Way" and "Final Eyes"!!!!! Promise you will absolutely love "Final Eyes"!!!!!!!!!
The Rabin era Yes albums are great. The vintage Yes will always be Anderson, Howe, Squire, et al., but Rabin helped bring this band back into the mainstream. I strongly believe that if Rabin hadn't been involved, you'd be hard pressed to find a copy of a Fragile or Close to the Edge LP or cassette on EBay.
RIP Alan White who recently passed away who was the drummer of Yes on this album. You should check out "Friends of Mr. Cairo" by "Jon and Vangelis". Jon is Jon Anderson of Yes and Vangelis is the keyboard player who sadly has also passed away recently.
"Cinema" is an instrumental by the progressive rock band Yes, from their 1983 album, 90125. In 1985 it won the Grammy Award for Best Rock Instrumental Performance, the band's only Grammy. -- wikipedia
Interesting choice. I saw Changes performed in Lafayette, Louisiana when they were touring to support the Big Generator album. By the way, you'll notice that the lead vocals are a bit shared between guitarist Trevor Rabin (lower voice) and singer Jon Anderson (higher).
This is Yes during the Rabin era (guitarist Trevor Rabin).....an era which literally saved the band. A lot of Yes purists (snobs) bemoan this era but I love it. I love their early prog stuff most of all....but I do appreciate the Rabin era as well. It's still great music played by masters of their craft. You can't beat undeniable talent! Also, the two Rabin/Yes albums are sonically superb productions.
Different line up of musicians on thus album. In the beginning riff of "Changes" they are using the pentatonic scale and playing in a 5/8 time signature.
Jon Anderson has multiple ways of referring to the earth, the universe, God, spirituality, etc . . . Big Generator is the earth. If you ever tackle the song Awaken, you will hear terminology like "Master of Images," "Master of Light," and "Master of Time." All spiritual references for things bigger than us (I'm not sure if he is of a particular faith, but he is very spiritual).
Awesome. I've been listening to this song in the car for two weeks. Love the intro build and yeah, Trevor Rabin's voice. And his guitar OMG he's a lick machine. Big Generator meaning, my take is that the song refers to some kind of enormous, powerful machine that actually creates each generation (of humans), pushing each to update societal norms. Best I can do :)
And, definitely progressive. On Big Generator you will definitely hear more of a fusion between pop and progressive. If you plan to dive into the Yes rabbit hole, you will hear an interesting evolution of their progressive experimentation in the 70s and on into member changes which also will bring about changes in their sound.
Thanks for playing Big Generator as I haven’t heard it in a while. I hear Changes a lot and it’s terrific. I love all of the Yes eras, from late ‘60s to present. Steve Howe guitar solos were what I learned as a teenage musician, Yes being a huge influence. Suggestions: “Yours Is No Disgrace” from the live Union Tour video, where 2 generations of members combine. It highlights jazz/rock master Steve Howe, and modern rock virtuoso Trevor Rabin. Likewise rock drummer Alan White with jazz drummer Bill Bruford playing electronics. ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-27IpoV43ceA.html
If you want to venture out to the early songs of this band I suggest the song close to the edge. Is the title of the album and the song. Prepared to have your mind blown away young lady.
One of the greatest voices in progressive rock or rock history. The legendary Jon Anderson and Hall of Fame Band! You would also like their earlier work called Perpetual Change
@@markhunter8554 Listening to that album made me a YES fan even if the sound quality was not good. Glad Steve Wilson improved the sound years later though as a pre teenager it did not matter to me.They allowed my imagination to soar.
Yes, prior to 1977 is where it’s at. If you’re into transitions and magical intros… I would start at the beginning of their discography… Or maybe start with the LP “the Yes Album” (1971) or “Fragile” (1971) and progress from there? 1968-1980 are the best years for Yes… (imho)
When it comes to so-called progressive rock, two groups rise to the top. "YES" and "RUSH". I would love to see you react to a Rush Song, In real time, genuinely that you may not have heard before. "BIG MONEY". This song is awesome and was a big hit for "RUSH" and on MTV/ The guitar, base and drums are so complex that hearing it live in concert is like watching an Olympic event. I have never heard any other group even try to play it as nobody could. I recall being blown away seeing Rush play it live and it made me think they were crazy for torturing themselves by creating a song like this. ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-qVnLWOg3Krs.html
And, for more modern Progressive, try Aryeon....or anything with Arjen Luccassen., Also, Styx' last album "Crash of the Crown" is surprisingly Progressive - and very good.
Enjoyed your reaction. I really enjoy the 90125 and Big Generator albums but agree they have wider appeal due to more typical song structures than their prior, more progressive works. This would be very evident if you listen to their earlier material. I'm sure another commentator has mentioned the Yes Album, Fragile, and Close to the Edge, as the three best albums from their classic progressive period. I do hope you enjoy the earlier (or later) stuff as well. Oh, and to answer your question straightforwardly, Yes is definitely a progressive band.
Funny watching your reaction. The first I started liking Yes was back in the 80's when MTV had a concert for the 90125 album (9012live). It just blew me away. I was slightly disappointed in the Big Generator album in comparison. And, yes, "Heart of the Sunrise" is incredible...that bass intro is so good, with Steve Howe's guitar on top of it.
Glad you’re enjoying these, especially Bog Generator. The album, and especially the song, aren’t particularly well regarded by most Yes fans. It’s quite a departure from their classic material, but was also a unique take on a heavier, poppier direction. I’ll be interested to see what you think when you get to the earlier stuff - especially Chris Squire’s bass…
I'll let you all in on a secret here: Chris Squire used a stereo Rickenbacker 4001, where the neck and bridge pickups had separate outputs. Chris would route the brighter, more trebly bridge pickup into a distorted Marshall guitar amp, and the bassier neck pickup into an Ampeg SVT - noted for its clean and powerful low end reproduction. The combined fuzzy and powerful deep sounds, AND round-wound bass strings, yield Chris's signature bass sound.
Similar to Genesis who had a more commercial output in the 1980’s, this era of Yes is similar and not what they’re famous for. Although Yes are still touring now the 1970’s is their “Classic” time and their 3rd,4th and 5th albums show this best. The Yes Album, Fragile and Close to The Edge are those albums and their most famous song is ROUNDABOUT from Fragile although their only number one US single was Owner of A Lonely Heart from the same album as Changes.
From the same albums, you have beautiful songs like : Final eyes (from big generator) Shoot high aim and low (from big generator) Our song (from 90125)
Final Eyes is a fine song. I had lent my BG cd to a girlfriend, and after we broke up, she showed up to return it. I looked inside and the lyrics to Final Eyes were outlined in crayon. I looked at her and she told me her daughter did it. Sure she did. The whole “You were there when I needed you” section can still make my eyes well up.
If you like the dynamics of this type of music, you might be a closet progressive rock/metal fan. It has always been my favorite genre, along with southern rock (70's ish) and grunge (90's). This is a great album. Some folks don't like it because it is more pop influenced as compared to 70's era Yes. But, it's all good to me. Enjoy!
They didn't have to do much vocal layering. They had three guys that were legit singers in Anderson, Rabin and Squire and Howe was a respectable backup singer.
3 месяца назад
If you want to hear a progressive rock song that’s completely outside the box, listen to “Leave It”, which is off the 90125 album, the same album that “Changes” came from.
