Yes: Every album, every song

by Stephen Lambe

Yes, whose celebrated 50 years as a band in 2018, are the archetypal 1970s progressive rock group. Playing powerful, complex and adventurous music at a time when it was part of the mainstream, the band thrilled millions with their iconic albums and epic live shows. Records like Fragile and Close to the Edge helped define an era and although internal strife and falling sales contributed to the dissolution of the band at the end of the decade, Yes emerged once again with a streamlined, modern sound in the 1980s and a number one US hit single in 'Owner of a Lonely Heart' and The band continued to release albums and play live into the new millennium. Stephen Lambe steers the reader through each one of the band's twenty-one studio albums, highlighting the many high points and the rarer missteps as well as focussing on the changes in band dynamics, which led to some varied - but always interesting - music over almost fifty years of recording. He also discusses the band's many live recordings and provides a brief guide to the band's performances on DVD and video. The only book to feature coverage of the 50th anniversary celebrations, this is the most up to date and comprehensive guide to the band's music yet written and will be essential reading for the band's legions of fans worldwide.

Genres: Music, Nonfiction

141 pages, Paperback

Published December 1, 2018

Reviews

[John Keegan · Rating 4 out of 5]

I got the updated version that is up to date as of early 2023. I would say that this is an interesting, if sometimes too brief, look at the history and output of Yes over its entire current history. There were times when I wished there could have been a deeper dive into the songs or the context in which they were written. But it was a good, quick read.