KevinJS

Lunatic Member
There has always been a Yes, but the band has been through many incarnations, to the extent that one person's Yes is a far different animal to another's. Since 1968, 19 musicians have been members of the band, and still more have been affiliated in one way or another. Some have been fired, others have quit, one has been a member on five different occasions. The band has usually been a 5-piece, but on occasion the number of members has swollen to eight.

Most of the members have performed in multiple bands and/or pursued solo careers. There has been animosity and friendship, some crazy stories surrounding the members, a vast amount of highly experimental but very approachable music. Some of the members are no longer with us and others are still going strong.

This thread will run through the discography of the band as I've attempted in the similar threads based on the work of Rush and Queen, but Yes is different. So many people have been connected to the band, and in so many ways, that I'll like to follow each of the band members too, with some emphasis on their work outside the band.

Participation is encouraged from anyone who has anything to say about the band. I'll be working through the discography and the lineup changes in more or less chronological order, but please don't wait until I reach a particular point before commenting. All input is welcome, and I believe this will be the most interesting musical journey yet.
 
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May as well get started.

1968. The beginning. The original line-up of Yes was Jon Anderson, Chris Squire, Peter Banks, Tony Kaye and Bill Bruford. The band's name was the idea of Peter Banks, and originally came with an exclamation mark - Yes! - which was later dropped. Anderson was introduced to Chris Squire, who was playing bass for Mabel Greer's Toyshop, a band for whom Peter Banks had played guitar. Anderson effectively joined the band and he and Squire worked together and composed "Sweetness", which would appear on the first Yes album. Bill Bruford was approached with a view to forming a new band, Banks rejoined and Tony Kaye, whom Anderson had met in Leicester several years previously, completed the line-up.

The band's name was not immediately agreed upon. Anderson favoured "Life", while Squire chose "World". In the end, it was Banks who persuaded the others to adopt the name Yes! and the stage was set.

The members of the first line-up were already quite well established in their musical careers, and I'd like to pursue some back history before moving forward to the first Yes recordings.
 
I have had the pleasure of seeing them play live 18 times and the only band I have had a meet & greet with (3 times). These guys made some incredible music over the years and like other groups who have stood the test of time, are better live than on record. My avatar is a photo of my "Yes" sheet sign that I made in college (Purdue) when they appeared there "in the round" with the rotating stage in 1979. The concert committee sponsored a sheet sign content and I won first place...four tickets to the show. Lots of fantastic memories provided by this band and I still feel that the first Yes concert I attended in 1977 was one of the most incredible performances I have ever seen by any group. Many thanks to the OP for putting in the time to document their history.
 
I have had the pleasure of seeing them play live 18 times and the only band I have had a meet & greet with (3 times). These guys made some incredible music over the years and like other groups who have stood the test of time, are better live than on record. My avatar is a photo of my "Yes" sheet sign that I made in college (Purdue) when they appeared there "in the round" with the rotating stage in 1979. The concert committee sponsored a sheet sign content and I won first place...four tickets to the show. Lots of fantastic memories provided by this band and I still feel that the first Yes concert I attended in 1977 was one of the most incredible performances I have ever seen by any group. Many thanks to the OP for putting in the time to document their history.

Thanks for posting, and for recounting what must be a great memory. I hope I can do justice to your enthusiasm. Unfortunately, I never saw the band live, although I lived close to Wembley when the Union tour was happening. My memory fails me as to how and why I missed this one. As I indicated in the lead post, I believe that the band has been so diverse over time as to be a completely different experience depending on where one pitches in, and my favourite line-up is from around the time of Going For The One. Awaken is one of my favourite pieces of music in any genre, from any time. When writing these posts, I attempt to listen to each album so that I have the music fresh in my mind, and I possess most, if not all, of the Yes catalogue, so I'll be in a position to do this.

At present, I couldn't name all 19 members of the band, so as I research for the thread, I'll be educating myself. Hopefully, others will find the journey interesting.
 
I as a teen dropped the am radio Listening upon turning 14 in 1970. Was introduced to this band with "The Yes Album", By a guy who also smoked a bunch of weed. Along with Pink Floyd and Led Zeppelin, They got me on the road to rock music. They are always well recorded and what I call, Smart lyrics. You have to pay attention. Thanks Kevin for the effort. Will be following along.
 
I have had the pleasure of seeing them play live 18 times and the only band I have had a meet & greet with (3 times). These guys made some incredible music over the years and like other groups who have stood the test of time, are better live than on record. My avatar is a photo of my "Yes" sheet sign that I made in college (Purdue) when they appeared there "in the round" with the rotating stage in 1979. The concert committee sponsored a sheet sign content and I won first place...four tickets to the show. Lots of fantastic memories provided by this band and I still feel that the first Yes concert I attended in 1977 was one of the most incredible performances I have ever seen by any group. Many thanks to the OP for putting in the time to document their history.

At Mackey? Been there numerous times to watch the Boilers kick ass. Fantastic venue for BB especially when IU comes to town.
Great story, thread and contributions.
Anything from 90125 takes me back to the beginning of my drafting career.
 
At Mackey? Been there numerous times to watch the Boilers kick ass. Fantastic venue for BB especially when IU comes to town.
Great story, thread and contributions.
Anything from 90125 takes me back to the beginning of my drafting career.

Correct, they played at Mackey arena which my dorm room (Cary Quad) overlooked. I still remember seeing their tour equipment semi trailers parked outside the arena the day before the concert. This was their "10th Anniversary Tour" that had a terrificsetlist which included a medley of songs that concluded with the last (instrumental) section of "Gates of Delirium" - which was the only tour where Rick Wakeman played this - that segued into "Soon". A fantastic show by a fantastic band made even better that four of my buds got to attend with me due winning the tickets, as I already had purchased a pair for myself. I got my picture taken with the sheet sign by a photographer of the "Exponent" paper, but it did not make the release due to too many other events that weekend...Grand Prix, Yes concert, etc. I did end up being a driver for Cary Quad in the Grand Prix a few years later (1982) and cherish those memories as well.

Here's the setlist from that show:
Siberian Khatru
Heart of the Sunrise
Future Times / Rejoice
Circus of Heaven
The Big Medley (includes Time and a Word, Long Distance Runaround, Survival, The Fish, Perpetual Change, and Gates of Delirium/Soon)
Don't Kill the Whale
Clap
Starship Trooper
Madrigal
On the Silent Wings of Freedom
Keyboard Solo
Awaken
Tour Song

Encore
I've Seen All Good People
Roundabout
 
I didn't know them yet, but I was in Columbia MD for something and heard a big-ado as I drove by Merriweather Post Pavilion (maybe spring '73?) I didn't go in, but it was the America/Yes tour that became the Yessongs album ... had no idea, but wished I'd wandered in.

That fall when I was in college (USC - Columbia, SC) I got introduced to the band's music by folks at the campus radio station who were big fans ...
So when they played at the Carolina Coliseum during the "Tales of Topographic Oceans" tour, I was there, with fairly good seats. (Feb 10, 1974)
(I was the radio station "Photographer" - and no one questioned that) - That got me into the meet and greet event afterwards -
I met Roger Dean, among others, who was trying to find someone to work on the mellotron
(it was suffering from the climate shift from an outdoor show the night before and the indoor show at the coliseum) ...
I was star struck and more than a bit stoned so I can't say much more about that event ...
other than those huge stage props were flat awesome,
and the TOTO music was pretty "out there" for that audience ...

Saw the Relayer Tour at The Capital Center in the DC area ... (July 24, 1975) -
Then kind of lost interest in the band after much of the internal battles and politics -
when they became a big pop music phenomena (go MTV!) ...

I took Emma to see them for the "Yes, Symphonic" tour (Aug 24, 2001) at Wolf Trap ...

Had fun at every single show ...

Darned shame about Chris Squire ...
I have no desire to see Yes without him or Jon Anderson ...
 
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Thanks for posting, and for recounting what must be a great memory. I hope I can do justice to your enthusiasm. Unfortunately, I never saw the band live, although I lived close to Wembley when the Union tour was happening. My memory fails me as to how and why I missed this one. As I indicated in the lead post, I believe that the band has been so diverse over time as to be a completely different experience depending on where one pitches in, and my favourite line-up is from around the time of Going For The One. Awaken is one of my favourite pieces of music in any genre, from any time. When writing these posts, I attempt to listen to each album so that I have the music fresh in my mind, and I possess most, if not all, of the Yes catalogue, so I'll be in a position to do this.

At present, I couldn't name all 19 members of the band, so as I research for the thread, I'll be educating myself. Hopefully, others will find the journey interesting.

I too prefer the "classic 70's" lineup of Anderson/Squire/Howe/Wakeman/White (Bruford was long gone by the time I discovered their music). GFTO is most likely my favorite studio release and that tour was something very special. I have seen the "Yes West" lineup live with Trevor Rabin and Tony Kaye, but did not find that version of Yes as satisfying as the classic lineup. Trevor Rabin is a very gifted musician/songwriter/producer that propelled Yes to huge commercial success in the 80's, but was a very controlling personality that did not blend all that well with the other members. There are some excellent books out there about the band...two of which are "Yes Stories - Yes in their own words" by Tim Morse and "Close To The Edge - The Story of Yes" by Chris Welch.
 
1. Jon Anderson

Born John Roy Anderson, 25th October, 1944, in Accrington, Lancashire in the north of England. Jon was the youngest of 4 children born to Albert and Kathleen Anderson.

His first foray into music came when he joined The Warriors as a backing vocalist, a local band for whom his brother Tony was the lead vocalist. The material was cover versions of bands like The Beatles, and the band played locally but also as far afield as Germany. The Warriors split while in Germany and returned to England, but Anderson stayed in Germany, joining a band called The Party, also from Lancashire.

On his return to England, Anderson joined a London band called The Gun, enjoying moderate success, including opening for The Who at the Marquee, but was fired when the rest of the band decided that they didn't need a lead vocalist.

Anderson joined Mabel Greer's Toyshop after being introduced to Chris Squire, who played bass for the band. The two discussed the possibility of forming a new band and Bill Bruford was hired to replace Robert Hagger. Peter Banks replaced Clive Bailey, and Tony Kaye joined. Mabel Greer's was renamed Yes. Anderson became the de facto leader of the band, and was instrumental in finding venues to play.

Anderson was recruited by King Crimson, specifically to perform vocals on Lizard, which was outside the vocal range of Gordon Haskell.

Anderson' first solo work was Olias Of Sunhillow in 1975. He teamed up with Vangelis in 1979 and the duo produced several albums together.

He left Yes in 1980 along with Rick Wakeman, returning in 1983 via the band Cinema, to perform on 90125.

In 1984, Fritz Lang's movie, Metropolis was rereleased and Anderson was featured on the soundtrack. His voice was also heard on other soundtracks: St Elmo's Fire and Scream For Help.

He teamed up with Tangerine Dream in 1985 to perform "Loved By The Sun" for the movie "Legend".

He recorded several more solo albums before rejoining Yes bandmates in Anderson Bruford Wakeman and Howe in 1988. ABWH united with Yes for Union, resulting in Anderson rejoining the band.

In 2010, after several more solo albums and more work with Vangelis, Anderson teamed up with Rick Wakeman, forming Anderson/Wakeman to produce The Living Tree.

In 2014 AndersonPontyBand came about as a result of a collaboration with French violinist/composer Jen-Luc Ponty and in 2016 Roine Stolt and Anderson recorded Invention Of Knowledge as Anderson/Stolt.

Anderson is presently a member of the latest incarnation of Yes, with Rick Wakeman and Trevor Rabin - ARW or Yes featuring Jon Anderson, Trevor Rabin and Rick Wakeman.
 
Always loved Yes, even more than Pink Floyd. For your Yes timeline, Peter Banks, after leaving the band, started a band called Empire and released three albums and then moved onto some solo work and collaborations. On the first Empire album, Phil Collins played drums and backing vocals on several tracks.
RIP Peter Banks, (mar 7, 2013)
 
1. Jon Anderson

Born John Roy Anderson, 25th October, 1944, in Accrington, Lancashire in the north of England. Jon was the youngest of 4 children born to Albert and Kathleen Anderson.

His first foray into music came when he joined The Warriors as a backing vocalist, a local band for whom his brother Tony was the lead vocalist. The material was cover versions of bands like The Beatles, and the band played locally but also as far afield as Germany. The Warriors split while in Germany and returned to England, but Anderson stayed in Germany, joining a band called The Party, also from Lancashire.

On his return to England, Anderson joined a London band called The Gun, enjoying moderate success, including opening for The Who at the Marquee, but was fired when the rest of the band decided that they didn't need a lead vocalist.

Anderson joined Mabel Greer's Toyshop after being introduced to Chris Squire, who played bass for the band. The two discussed the possibility of forming a new band and Bill Bruford was hired to replace Robert Hagger. Peter Banks replaced Clive Bailey, and Tony Kaye joined. Mabel Greer's was renamed Yes. Anderson became the de facto leader of the band, and was instrumental in finding venues to play.

Anderson was recruited by King Crimson, specifically to perform vocals on Lizard, which was outside the vocal range of Gordon Haskell.

Anderson' first solo work was Olias Of Sunhillow in 1975. He teamed up with Vangelis in 1979 and the duo produced several albums together.

He left Yes in 1980 along with Rick Wakeman, returning in 1983 via the band Cinema, to perform on 90125.

In 1984, Fritz Lang's movie, Metropolis was rereleased and Anderson was featured on the soundtrack. His voice was also heard on other soundtracks: St Elmo's Fire and Scream For Help.

He teamed up with Tangerine Dream in 1985 to perform "Loved By The Sun" for the movie "Legend".

He recorded several more solo albums before rejoining Yes bandmates in Anderson Bruford Wakeman and Howe in 1988. ABWH united with Yes for Union, resulting in Anderson rejoining the band.

In 2010, after several more solo albums and more work with Vangelis, Anderson teamed up with Rick Wakeman, forming Anderson/Wakeman to produce The Living Tree.

In 2014 AndersonPontyBand came about as a result of a collaboration with French violinist/composer Jen-Luc Ponty and in 2016 Roine Stolt and Anderson recorded Invention Of Knowledge as Anderson/Stolt.

Anderson is presently a member of the latest incarnation of Yes, with Rick Wakeman and Trevor Rabin - ARW or Yes featuring Jon Anderson, Trevor Rabin and Rick Wakeman.
One of the great voices, Watched the set for the RR Hall Of Fame induction. Still fantastic. Was surprised. The man killed it.
 
In high school in the 70's the people that wore yes concert t-shirts seemed to be of a different mind set than those of us that regularly attended Foghat concerts. I went to see them on the Tormato tour. None of my friends were interested in them so I went all by myself. One of the best shows I have ever seen. Immediately went and bought most their catalog as I only had Yessongs, Tormato, and The Yes Album. I really love that Tormato lineup and saw them again around 2000. I think I have only seen them five or six times, but only twice with the same personnel. I saw the Drama tour, 90125, Big Generator, and recently caught Jon, Rick and Trevor on their last tour through the Northwest. I saw Steve Howe with GTR when that was thing, but it was short lived. All in all, one of my favorite bands and still to this day never get tired of anything they have done. I always prefer Jon on vocals but Drama is such a great album.
 
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