Yes- No Opportunity Necessary, No Experience Needed (REACTION//DISCUSSION) 

THIS is the song that Geddy Lee credits as inspiring him to pick up a bass. A Rickenbacker tour de force.

The recurring theme is from the movie The Big Country

Good choice, Justin. Some people write off this album, but I quite enjoy it.

This is one of my fav Yes albums. It is very underrated. The whole album has a great wonderful atmosphere, and the playing is top notch, even though that it predates the classic Yes sound of Yes album, Fragile, Close To The Edge. Peter Banks was an excellent guitarist with his own sound, he would go on to the shortlived progband Flash which had a similar sound to early Yes.

The first two albums are brilliant! Different to the later albums but groundbreaking in their own way, and Tony Kaye never gets enough credit for his playing, especially on the second lp 👍 Try Beyond and Before, Survival, Looking Around, their extraordinary cover of Every Little Thing, Something’s Coming, Astral Traveller, The Prophet, Then, Everydays...👍

Ladies and gentlemen Chris Squire and Yes the greatest show on earth.

The thing I've _always_ loved about YES is the way Chris Squire dominated their 'sound', especially early on. You can tell that the rest of his band mates understood that they really needed to build their sound around Chris' Industrial-melodic inspirations. Not every bassist could have pulled it off, but Chris was up to the task. Then add to that Bruford's special inspirations and you had the Best "Rhythm Section" in Progressive Rock. (Chris said that when Bill left, his style changed. I guess they fed off each other when it came to their improvisations.) (Unfortunately, Bill didn't share the opinion of fans like me who thought that their combined talents made all YES music special within the Prog Universe. For such a talented drummer, it's weird how he couldn't recognize how special their combined talents were. I think his tendency toward snobbery got the best of him.)

An opener as good as this doesn't give you much choice but to keep on listening. And what a satisfying listen the rest of the album is.

Not sure if you're into his style of music, but it's worth hearing the original by Richie Havens, it's on his "Something Else Again" album. This is fascinating how Yes incorporated the theme from "The Big Country" - the movie was before my time, but it's certainly one I saw on TV as a youth, and that theme is iconic.

Justin the first two Yes albums are full of hidden gems! This was the beginning of their sound which only became more refined over time. More please and thank you for all of your reactions..

Hi JP! The beginning orchestral theme is from a western series called "Big Country" which I'm sure which was before your time ;-)

"Then" is my favourite on here. The videos around this time are also cool

Alex and Geddy mention this song in their RnR HOF induction speech for YES.

Love this album especially the string arrangements.

This is Squire's album par excellence. He said that Eddie Offord mixed it on headphones, so kept asking the engineer to turn the bass up. If true, then it was a happy accident, because what he plays is so worth hearing and it established his style of 'lead bass'.

Chris Squire's bass on this track is just so epic right out of the gate! Haven't listened to this one is a looong time, so thanks for this timely reminder 😎👍

I remember in the 80s starting with 90125, then looking back with Classic Yes, Fragile and Close to the Edge. Then I discovered this song and album and thought “when does it end?” So good…go back and listen to the title track again. It will grow on you.

And to think, Chris was playing that way when he was at most 22 YEARS OLD!!! WOW!!!

The Big Country is a 1958 William Wyler western starring Gregory Peck, Burl Ives, Charleton Heston, Jean Simmons and Chuck Conners! The main title and soundtrack was composed by Jerome Moross and nominated for an Academy Award. The film was well received in the UK.

Still an album to enjoy all these years later.

It's not bad music, Squire is already amazing, a great idea here or there, but they hadn't found their sound yet, were still searching. Huge psych influence, there's a passage in there that sounds like Blood, Sweat & Tears! In other words, it sounds like a lot of things, but they needed Howe to crystallise and come up with The Yes Album, finding what made them true originals.

A bit of an underated Yes album. This is a good example of the creative cover versions in their early phase.

My favourite tracks are "Then" (especially the end part at 4:05 - so dreamy), and "Every Days", such a lovely album. Definitely of the time. I was 14 in 1970 and this album reminds of that time.

How cool that you finally chose to listen to this album. I have always liked it more than The Yes Album, maybe because of the outstanding playing by Squire & Bruford. Another cover, Everydays by Stephen Stills, and their original Astral Traveller are my favourites. Keep on going.

You need to listen to their 1st album too. It's wonderful.

I love the first two Yes albums! It's a little hipper than their more-mature prog stuff, at least for DJing, and the Bruford-Squire rhythm section is fantastic as always! Then and Astral Traveller are two of my faves on this one.

Wow, this was unexpected! I certainly remember my first reaction to the early Yes. A lot of people think of THE YES ALBUM as the first proper Yes album, but those 1st two albums are as Yes as Yes can be; criminally underrated.

This was one of the 3-4 covers YES put on their first 2 albums. You've already listened to the last cover they did, America, that I'm aware of. Part of their identity early on was re-doing the songs of other artists in a way that really grabbed your attention in a satisfying way. You can really tell why their early fans were so excited by what they were doing...

Songs like this is why I became a HUGE fan of Chris Squire! What monster bass riffs!! ✌🎸🐟

When circa came to NY I got to witness TK play that opening as part of a yes medley 😃

Yes's first two albums often get overlooked but they're really good. They're not as polished as what twas to come but there's a raw youthful energy to them that the later albums don't have. I think a big part of it was because these songs were composed for a live audience. The orchestra was added in for the album, but if you listen to the live versions of these songs from this period you can definitely hear that the arrangements were in place before they brought it to the studio. You should also check out the original version of this song from Richie Havens.

Early Yes doesn't get enough respect, and neither does later Yes with Jon Anderson, such as "Keystudio" and the final album with him, "Magnification". Great reaction!

Side-note: although Peter Banks was overshadowed by Steve Howe, he was still a fine guitarist in his own right, and if you listen to his post-Yes bands (Flash and Empire), you see just how much he must have contributed to the original Yes in terms of arrangement, dynamics, etc. The first Flash album (especially with the addition of Tony Kaye) sounds like a veritable continuation of Yes Mk. I. If one day you ever explore Banks' post-Yes catalogue, the obvious starter touchpoints are: Flash's "Small Beginnings" and "Children of the Universe"...also, I think Empire's epic "Everything Changes" is a totally forgotten classic that deserves a larger audience...

Love this epic song. Bought this casette in Greece on a school trip along with Aladdin Sane. Who else has a greek copy from the eighties.. lol🤔

This was an influential track for Geddy Lee.

Tony Cox Arranger and Orchestrator Family Renaissance Yes John and Beverley Martin Very interesting He also was producer or arranger of Caravan Trees Magna Carta (Roger Dean album Lord Of Ages) and many others

You can find the Beat Club (German TV show) version of this on YT. It's from late 1969, while they were still touring behind the first album. It confirms that this track was one of Yes' earliest, and it gives you a good idea of what the early band was like live. Of course Chris and Bill had to crank the tempo up by a factor of 2, just to emphasize how studly they were. No wonder teenagers like Phil Collins and Geddy Lee were taking notice.

Hey Justin! Finally some YES! Some early YES from the 2nd album. Lol, they sound so young, but oh so good!

Love this track, and the rest of the album. Sweet Dreams, my fave, for what it's worth. One of a couple of covers, but they're done really well. A slightly different line up than the one we all know and love, but still very strong. The guys all on point, and the addition of strings gives this (proto Yes, if you will), a real boosts. A very underrated album.

Peter Banks, named the group!!! Richie Havens appeared on Steve Hackett Please Don't Touch!!! 😊❤👍

Grooves like crazy.

Unique Yes song, written by Ritchie Havens and Jerome Moross! I really like how the keyboards and strings were blended in the Big Country movie themes. Ritchie Havens would later sing on a couple of Steve Hackett songs for his solo album Please Don't Touch. And after the movie The Big Country, Burl Ives would later go on to narrate the Rankin and Bass TV show Rudolph The Red Nosed Reindeer!

Oh great! I love the first two Yes albums but people often ignore them. I listen to "Time and a Word" quite often. I occasionally do an acoustic version of the song "Time and a Word" for my own amusement :)

"The big country" nicely incorporated into it...

"Survival" from their first album would be a nice one, please ! :) It was Jon Anderson's idea to bring in the orchestra for the second album "Time And Word". It caused a divide within the band. Especially guitarist Peter Banks made no secret that the idea wasn't that great, the arrangements mostly following his guitar parts and Tony Kaye's organ parts. Within a year or so Anderson smoked them out the band.

They actually performed the tracks with the brass & strings live once, sometime after Time & A Word's release at a London college. All members considered it a failure- limited practice with the orchestral section being named as the culprit. Jon Anderson remembered the boom mic used to capture the sound from brass & strings was suspended from a wire coat hanger..... 🚬😎

This is a cover from a Richie Heavens song with a little big country theme included... Yes was a bit Cowboy crazy on the first 3 albums.

One of my favorite early Yes songs is "Looking Around". I am aware that it is not on the album, "Time and a Word", but it is from the early years and a great song.

This song has every thing I love about music

One of my favourite Yes albums

Tony Kaye (keyboards) amongst other things went on to tour with Bowie on the Isolar (Station to Station) tour in 1976.

It's a very underrated album. You can hear Kaye doubling the orchestra strings melody line. Peter Banks hated the orchestra and thought his guitar was buried, but I think the mix is good. Bruford jokingly said they were "cowboy crazy" for lifting Western themes. He said "Yours Is No Disgrace" beginning came from Bonanza. My favorite track on the album is the next one: "Then". This song is a Richie Havens cover. Interesting to compare the original version.

My favorite Yes album. _Time and a Word_ is Psychedelic Prog, where later albums are Space Prog. "Then", "Astral Traveler", & "Sweet Dreams" are other album highlights.

This was my first venture into Yes. I bought it when the album first came out and I still have my original copy today. I went on the buy every Yes album thereafter but I still love this album. It takes me right back to that time in my youth. The title track Time and a Word would feature in my all time top five favorite tracks, as much as anything for the memories it brings back to me. This is early raw Yes just as A Saucerful Of Secrets is early raw Pink Floyd.

Maaaannn love that BBasss. This album I really enjoy. Have an original french pressing. Yes yes yes one band I will listen to until I die.

got to admit, the first 2 albums are pretty easy to forget...the orchestral part is lifted directly from "the big country" western TV show

Let's face it- the album is GREAT !! No fightin' it.... 🚬😎

Their use of the theme from "The Big Country" makes me think of a new genre to explore, classic Western movie soundtracks. Those of Ennio Morricone almost supply enough but the list must include the greatest of all, Elmer Bernstein's theme to "The Magnificent Seven".

People sleep on this album.But YES! Please do THEN bro

My favorite YES album. It's spirited and adventurous. I especially like the youthfull attack wich is the most rock they ever got. Listen to Astral travelers, Then, Sweet Dreams. Top notch in their repertoaire.

It stands out as a unique album with a unique Yes flavor, but it's actually amazing.

Totally agree with the positive comments about the first two albums made by Yes fans on this thread. If you haven't already, check out some of the videos of the band playing this and other songs from this period albeit recorded when Howe had replaced Banks. They are nuts! Some of my favourite Yes music!

Well, it’s about time! Great to see you get back into Yes! The next track on the album, “Then”, is one of my favorites.

Great to see you doing this album, its brilliant

This is the album that really sold me on YES!!!! Their second album with this Orchestra was a killer!!! Lost the vinyl but I am going to order it again on Amazon.

I love this song, listen to it all the time. I honestly love both of the first 2 albums. Good stuff. But this song is super great!

Great analysis man. I bought the album when it came out. And listened to it non-stop for a week.

"Yes" the 1st album by Yes, is worth checking out

Hello, Justin. Dave from London, on yet another grey, gloomy winter's day (Cloudy Every Morning, Sun Don't Never Shine...). These first two albums find Yes searching for a sound and a voice. Love the rock song (especially Tony's meaty chords), and I love the orchestral theme to The Big Country, but I don't think they blend that well. Yes, Chris's bass is dominant and distinctive, even at this early stage. My favourite early Yes track is Survival from the first record, and its environmental message was way ahead of its time. P.S. My song ref above are lyrics from the Chicago Transit Authority album.

Great song. Yes sure does know how to cover a song. Completely put their own stamp on it. Great way to open the album as well. Yes made some music videos for this album, including this song, you can find on YT. Steve Howe is actually in the videos though because Peter Banks was fired shortly after Time and A Word was released.

Justin, awesome reaction. You have to give "Something's Coming" a try - it is also early Yes - originally written for the musical West Side Story. Make a game out of it - listen to the broadway version, then Yes's version. The middle section begs the question, which came first, No Opportunity - or ELP's Fanfare for the Common Man.? they are similar, yet different. I agree with your analysis - this is certainly Yes music, early Yes, still Yes. :) Ken

Nice that you start to listen to their albums before Steve Howe appeared. Not because I dislike Steve, of course, but as you mentioned they are better known for the music they made afterwards. The reason is that I think they were already great during this time. On both of the albums there is not one song I dislike and all of them are on a level that I can hardly say which one I like most. Perhaps "Harold Land" from their debut but that can change from time to time. Bill Bruford said in an interview that this song was later continued by "Yours Is No Disgrace" what he described as "No opportunity necessary 2.0". This is a cover of a Richie Havens song who btw was also very much adored by the young Genesis, what was a reason that he appeared an Steve Hackett's second solo album "Please Don't Touch". The world was a village even before the www, wasn't it?

Yay finally gonna hear Astral Traveller!

There's some great moments on their first two albums with Pete Banks on guitar. Whoever mixed those albums had cotton wool in their ears though.

Big thank you Justin after seeing them on Belgium TV summer 69 ; I was at Amougies Festival - Belgium ( problems to have this festival in Paris ! ) with my elder brother and my sister to see Yes , 27 october 69 ; " Something's Coming " and " No Opportunity " where the best for me ( as I was still 14 - my first , ever - concert ) begining my progrock life ( sadly no " Beyond and Before "in this late at night performance ) ; here audio of this time ( sadly poor tape recording equiment ) => ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-ugjYg1LucvQ.html

Beef, it’s what’s fer dinner. I see the spaghetti and meatballs hadn’t receded yet. Jon had a lower tougher voice, very interesting. I want to hear anything early Yes.

Sweet! All new to me. Enjoyed

Fantastic opening to the album, and one of their best covers...shows the talent and the energy of the original line-up.

As in the first album, we feel here a slightly psychedelic touch as evidenced by the undulating bass part of Chris Squire but the little extra now, is the symphonic element added through an orchestra of strings and brass, and I appreciate this mix of orchestra and aggressive bass in the foreground, which certainly buries the other instruments a bit but which doesn't bother me and also gives punch to the whole piece. Admittedly, the band haven't fully found their style at this point, but I really like this track as well as the whole of Time And A Word album. Justin, when you finish this album, you can also try Magnification (released in 2001) which extends this rather unique symphonic experience in the discography of Yes.

If you want to hear Peter Banks listen to Astral traveler... by the way a favorite of Steve Howe even though he did not played in it.

from the beginning YES were different and seem to have all 5 fingers on the pulse that was to become progressive rock. i like all their pre-Howe lps. its young YES evolving

Of the first two albums, always thought this track sounds more like the later Yes we would come to Love - even though it's not their song. But then again, when did that matter - look what they did to Simon and Garfunkle's "America"?

I've always thought this lineup was just as impressive as the one most people know of as classic Yes with Howe and Wakeman. Beginning from their first album in '69 they really hit the ground running.

I think Bruford mentioned this was during their 'Cowboy Western' period.

I'd forgotten that I liked this.

Ritchie Havens does a lot of really cool music, and he's really good at doing cover songs himself. The Time and A Word song is great, it's one of the best early ones.

If you like yes on the one hand and also some special stuff from the 80‘s I highly recommend to listen to „the art of noise“. Especially their first album. „Who‘s afraid of the art of noise...?“. It‘s more about their (yes) late output, when Trevor Horn was a new member of the yes. Trevor Horn is the Producer and band member of the Art of Noise, but on his label ZTT (zang tuum tumb), he was also producer of Frankie goes to Hollywood, propaganda and grace jones (what a great line up for a label...) beat box (diversion 1+2) based on a drum break of the yes song „owner of a lonely heart“. Sampled on the groundbreaking Fairlight sampler and brought to a completely new and never heard before soundscheme - the Art of Noise!

Forgot to mention this is a Ritchie Havens tune. They covered it well.

My friends band "Earthbound" used to play this when it first came out, and they made it sound good. They went on to play lot's of Yes music, but I always liked this song. Thanks JP.

You should hear Jon sing I’m Down from the ‘76 tour. Peter Banks is unfortunately underrepresented in this recording and largely the album, as the orchestra replace a lot of his parts. In some cases you can hear him buried in the mix, in others they are replaced entirely. Live/BBC recordings are the place to hear his contributions from songs on this album. Some of Tony’s parts were also replaced.

I believe this was loosely based on Nina Simone's cover of this Richie Havens song. She was performing it in the late 60's at the same time that it also entered Yes' covers repertoire.

The sound engineers headphones were faulty on this album and he kept upping the bass volume which is why Chris playing is so up front, but in a good way !

I've never been able to get into Yes's first two albums, and I can't see that changing. It's not that there isn't good material on them, it's just the overall presentation and sound that I dislike pretty strongly.

More interesting early works by Yes: "Survival", "Harold Land", "Ev'ry Little Thing", (Beatles song), and "Something's Coming", from West Side Story. Almost as good as "Nursery Cryme", said the Genesis nut.

There are some great tracks on this album. You’ll know when you Get there.

I grew up to rock with Yes. But I started from Fragile on. The first two were long not available in France. So I heard them later and at first, did not like them as much as the serie from Yes Album to Relayer. But as I got older, these two first album grew in me. And I must say now I like them almost as much as the glorious ones. Especially for the pure rock sound, for the bass, for Peter Banks whirling guitar. I think I like his guitar more then Steve's. This may bring me bad comments, but it's the case. Peter puts more feeling and emotions in his playing. And I like Howe a lot, don't get me wrong.

Chris’s bass dominates the tune along with Bill’s drums! A bit of country western in the middle!

Yes knew how to cover a song - take the best bits, throw away the rest, then really go to town on what remains. This would be an ideal time to implore JP to react to the early Yes cover of Watcher of the Skies, sadly only available on a nasty French bootleg. Maybe somebody could supply a link WITHOUT spoiling the surprise. Don't Google this beforehand, Justin. Promise?

The early Yes albums are good and clearly show the band becoming the epic prog maters that they become. This is good song but has lot US TV western influence. Chris and Bill really shine. This lays down Chris's bass dominance that would become massive for Yes later. The next they added Steve Howe to the mix, what amazing talent. Try Astral traveler, in fact try more of both the first two albums. On the first album you can hear a Beatles influence in some tracks. But early Yes is largely ignored when compare to epics that came later.

From the era when Yes was a really good cover band. This album suffers from the poorly applied supporting orchestra. Kaye and Banks get pushed to the back. I would love to hear a remastered/remixed version of the album with less or no orchestra.