A1 	No Opportunity Necessary, No Experience Needed 	4:47
A2 	Then 	5:42
A3 	Everydays 	6:06
A4 	Sweet Dreams 	3:48
B1 	The Prophet 	6:32
B2 	Clear Days 	2:04
B3 	Astral Traveller 	5:50
B4 	Time And A Word 	4:31

Jon Anderson – vocals
Peter Banks – guitar
Tony Kaye – keyboards
Chris Squire – bass
Bill Bruford – drums
Tony Cox - orchestral arrangements

Yes' second (and least successful) album was a transitional effort; the group trying for a more produced and sophisticated sound through the use of an orchestra. Even so, the results weren't conventional, because the group didn't tone down or turn down its sound. Much of Time and a Word relies on bold, highly animated performances by Bill Bruford, Chris Squire, and Tony Kaye. Additionally, by this time the group was developing a much tauter ensemble than was evident on their first LP, so there's no lack of visceral excitement. "No Opportunity Necessary, No Experience Needed" was a bold opening, a highly amplified, frenzied adaptation of the Richie Havens song, melded with Jerome Moross's title music from the movie The Big Country. Somewhat more successful musically is "Then," which keeps the orchestral accompaniment to a minimum and allows Kaye and Banks to stretch out on organ and guitar. "Everydays" is highlighted by Anderson's ethereal vocals and Kaye's dueting with the orchestra. A surprising amount of the material here seems rather tuneless, but the group was solidifying its sound and, in the process, forcing Banks out of the lineup, despite some beautiful moments for him (and Tony Kaye) on the prettiest parts of "The Prophet," a piece that also contains fragments of music that anticipate Yes' work right up through Tales from Topographic Oceans. "Astral Traveller," as a title, anticipates the themes of future group work, though they still don't have the dexterity to pull off the tempo changes they're trying for. By the time the record was completed, Banks was out of the band, which is why Steve Howe, his successor, ended up pictured on the cover of most editions. ---Bruce Eder, allmusic.com

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1. Close To The Edge 	18:12
2. And You And I 	10:40
3. Siberian Khatru 	9:50
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4. Total Mass Retain [Single Version]	3:21
5. America [Single Version]		4:12
6. And You And I: Cord Of Life/Eclipse/The Preacher The Teacher/Apoca ... 10:17
7. Siberia [Studio Run-Through Of Siberian Khatru]		9:19

Bass, Vocals – Chris Squire
Guitar, Vocals – Steve Howe
Keyboards – Rick Wakeman
Percussion – Bill Bruford
Vocals – Jon Anderson 

With 1971's Fragile having left Yes poised quivering on the brink of what friend and foe acknowledged was the peak of the band's achievement, Close to the Edge was never going to be an easy album to make. Drummer Bill Bruford was already shifting restlessly against Jon Anderson's increasingly mystic/mystifying lyricism, while contemporary reports of the recording sessions depicted bandmate Rick Wakeman, too, as little more than an observer to the vast tapestry that Anderson, Steve Howe, and Chris Squire were creating. For it was vast. Close to the Edge comprised just three tracks, the epic "And You and I" and "Siberian Khatru," plus a side-long title track that represented the musical, lyrical, and sonic culmination of all that Yes had worked toward over the past five years. Close to the Edge would make the Top Five on both sides of the Atlantic, dispatch Yes on the longest tour of their career so far and, if hindsight be the guide, launch the band on a downward swing that only disintegration, rebuilding, and a savage change of direction would cure. The latter, however, was still to come. In 1972, Close to the Edge was a flawless masterpiece. ---Dave Thompson, AllMusic Review

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Side 1.
01 - Machine Messiah.
02 - White Car.
03 - Does It Really Happen.

Side 2.
01 - Into The Lens.
02 - Run Through The Light.
03 - Tempus Fugit.

    Trevor Horn – lead vocals, fretless bass 
    Steve Howe – guitars, backing vocals
    Chris Squire – bass, backing vocals
    Geoff Downes – keyboards, vocoder, backing vocals
    Alan White – drums, percussion, backing vocals
    Jon Anderson - lead vocals on the Paris sessions
    Rick Wakeman - keyboards on the Paris sessions

For this one album, ex-Buggles Geoffrey Downes and Trevor Horn were drafted in to replace Jon Anderson and Rick Wakeman. It rocks harder than other Yes albums, and for classically inclined fans, it was a jarring departure; but it was a harbinger of Yes and Asia albums to come. A newly emboldened Chris Squire lays down aggressive rhythms with Alan White, and Steve Howe eschews his usual acoustic rags and flamenco licks for a more metallic approach, opting for sheets of electric sound. Prime cuts include the doom-laden "Machine Messiah" and the manic ska inflections of "Tempus Fugit." Despite the promise of this new material, the band soon fell apart; Horn went into production, Howe and Downes joined Asia, and Squire and White toyed and then gave up on a pair-up with Robert Plant and Jimmy Page, which was to be titled XYZ (i.e., Ex-Yes and Zeppelin). ---Paul Collins, allmusic.com

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CD 1
01. Firebird suite
02. Going for the one
03. Sweet dreams
04. I've seen all good people
05. Mind drive part 1
06. South side of the sky
07. Foot print
08. Mind drive part 2
09. Yours is no disgrace
10. Second initial(steve how solo)
11.Jane Seymour(rick wakeman solo)	play

CD 2 
01. Long distance runaround
02. The fish				play
03. Whitefish
04. Owner of a lonely heart
05. Rhythm of love
06. And you and i
07. Starship trooper
08. Round about

Lineup:
Jon Anderson (Vocals)
Steve Howe (Guitars)
Chris Squire (Bass)
Rick Wakeman (Keyboards)
Alan White (Drums)

The show has been spectacular. Great thing to see 7,000 people in the rain for Yes. A beautiful location, and perfect sound. They sung and played excellently for over two hours. Setlist has also been very good, with their best successes and some songs they've never played in previous tour. Unbelievable that Jon can sing with a voice that is still the same after all these years. A great success and one of the best shows I've ever seen in my life. ---Alessandro, forgotten-yesterdays.com

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01 – Fly From Here – Overture		play
02 – Fly From Here Part I – We Can Fly
03 – Fly From Here Part II – Sad Night At The Airfield
04 – Fly From Here Part III – Madman At The Screens
05 – Fly From Here Part IV – Bumpy Ride
06 – Fly From Here Part V – We Can Fly Reprise
07 – The Man You Always Wanted Me To Be
08 – Life On A Film Set
09 – Hour Of Need			play
10 – Solitaire
11 – Into The Storm

Personnel:
Benoît David – lead vocals
Chris Squire – bass guitar, backup vocals, lead vocals on "The Man You Always Wanted Me to Be"
Steve Howe – guitars, backup vocals
Alan White – drums
Geoff Downes – keyboards
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Oliver Wakeman – additional keyboards on "We Can Fly", "We Can Fly (reprise)" and "Hour of Need"
Trevor Horn – backup vocals, additional keyboards
Luís Jardim – percussion
Gerard Johnson – piano on "The Man You Always Wanted Me to Be"

A decade after their last studio release, Yes has issued Fly from Here, and it's not only a keeper, but as good as any record to come from the group since 1974. Consisting here of Chris Squire (bass, vocals), Steve Howe (guitars, vocals), Alan White (drums), Geoff Downes (keyboards), and Benoit David (lead vocals), and with Trevor Horn producing, an obvious connection can be made between this album and 1980's Drama. But Fly from Here is a long way from that earlier album, even if the songs do possess a good deal of drama. Downright urgency is closer to it. Benoit David may not have Jon Anderson's range, but he makes up for it with deep expressiveness; and that, coupled with virtuoso-level playing and wonderfully elegant mixing of the vocals, allows this album to stand alongside the group's best work of the last 35 years.

Some of what's here will invite comparisons with their early years: the first six tracks are a six-part suite ("Fly from Here"), but it's not essential to hear them linked. Astonishingly for a 2011 release, the group sounds as though they're a bunch of kids again, inventing progressive rock for the first time, or perhaps perfecting it, complete with romantic ballads and folk-like pieces that stand in sharp contrast to the grander productions on which the album rests. Though nothing is overlong or complex, the songs are all presented with a depth and lushness that makes one think, at first, of a soundtrack to a movie, and then of the movie itself, as though Horn, Downes, and Squire (who, with Howe, dominate the composers' credits) had a long-form, multi-media piece in mind rather than just an album. And they execute it all with a fullness of sound and compelling melodic content that pulls the listener in, almost as surely as any first-rate opera; and with Howe's mostly instrumental contributions to break up the majestic production of Horn's songs, this album does, at times, remind one of the best moments of Tales from Topographic Oceans. Lyrics like "Dreaming, seeing you there" lofting gently over thin, silky sheets of sound, can sweep the listener away, and that's only one of the moments where the group's unique elements take hold. Fans of Howe's playing will also not be disappointed: his electric guitars are represented in complex, intense layers, but his acoustic work isn't shorted, providing quietly gorgeous openings to about a third of the material here. His "Hour of Need" is the most genial acoustic ballad that this group has delivered since "Your Move" on The Yes Album, 40 years ago. It's followed by "Solitaire," possibly the finest solo guitar piece we may ever hear from Howe on a Yes album. And it all closes with the rollicking "Into the Storm," all electric and all cylinders pumping, and, ironically, the least interesting track on the album. ---Bruce Eder, AllMusic Review

I tak już nadwerężonej reputacji jednej z najżywotniejszych kapel rockowych świata (rocznik 1968) „Fly from Here” nie zdruzgocze z tego prostego powodu, że mimo wiernej tradycji okładki nie sposób uznać tę płytę za wydawnictwo Yes.

Schorowanego Jona Andersona koledzy bezceremonialnie zastąpili wokalistą kanadyjskiego cover-bandu własnej kapeli. Po odejściu klawiszowca Ricka Wakemana grupę opuścił również jego syn Olivier. A ledwo zatrudniony na ich miejsce Geoff Downes – i to jest kuriozum największe – wespół z producentem płyty Trevorem Hornem odpowiada za większość niniejszego materiału z tytułową suitą na czele.

Panowie sklecili wprawdzie kilka ładnych tematów, tyle że potem rozciągnęli je na trzy kwadranse. Styl skopiowali zaś pieczołowicie z klasycznego okresu zespołu z lat 70. Uznajmy, że wydanym dziesięć lat temu „Magnification” Yes bardzo godnie zamknęło swoją studyjną karierę. ---ziemianiczyja.pl

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01. Roundabout (Jon Anderson/Steve Howe) – 8:29
02. Cans And Brahms (Extracts from Brahms' 4th Symphony in E Minor, 
      Third Movement) (arranged by Rick Wakeman) – 1:35
03. We Have Heaven (Jon Anderson) – 1:28
04. South Side Of The Sky (Jon Anderson/Chris Squire) – 8:03
05. Five Per Cent For Nothing (Bill Bruford) – 0:35
06. Long Distance Runaround (Jon Anderson) – 3:30
07. The Fish (Schindleria Praematurus) (Chris Squire) – 2:35
08. Mood For A Day (Steve Howe) – 2:55
09. Heart Of The Sunrise (Jon Anderson/Chris Squire/Bill Bruford) – 11:23
10. Roundabout (Rehearsal Take, Early Mix) - 8:09
11. We Have Heaven (Full Version, Steven Wilson Mix) - 2:22
12. South Side Of The Sky (Early Version, Steven Wilson Mix) - 5:12
13. All Fighters Past (Steven Wilson Mix) - 2:32
14. Mood For Another Day (Previously Unreleased Take) - 3:04
15. We Have Heaven (Acapella, Steven Wilson Mix) - 2:01

Personnel:
- Jon Anderson - vocals
- Steve Howe - electric & acoustic guitars, backing vocals
- Chris Squire - bass, backing vocals
- Rick Wakeman - Hammond organ, electric piano, harpsichord, Mellotron, synthesizer
- Bill Bruford - drums, percussion

Fragile was Yes' breakthrough album, propelling them in a matter of weeks from a cult act to an international phenomenon; not coincidentally, it also marked the point where all of the elements of the music (and more) that would define their success for more than a decade fell into place fully formed. The science-fiction and fantasy elements that had driven the more successful songs on their preceding record, The Yes Album, were pushed much harder here, and not just in the music but in the packaging of the album: the Roger Dean-designed cover was itself a fascinating creation that seemed to relate to the music and drew the purchaser's attention in a manner that few records since the heyday of the psychedelic era could match. Having thrown original keyboard player Tony Kaye overboard early in the sessions -- principally over his refusal to accept the need for the Moog synthesizer in lieu of his preferred Hammond organ -- the band welcomed Rick Wakeman into its ranks. His use of the Moog, among other instruments, coupled with an overall bolder and more aggressive style of playing, opened the way for a harder, hotter sound by the group as a whole; bassist Chris Squire sounds like he's got his amp turned up to "12," and Steve Howe's electric guitars are not far behind, although the group also displayed subtlety where it was needed. The opening minute of "Roundabout," the album opener -- and the basis for the edited single that would reach number 13 on the Billboard charts and get the group onto AM radio in a way that most other prog rock outfits could only look upon with envy -- was dominated by Howe's acoustic guitar and Bill Bruford's drums, and only in the middle section did the band show some of what they could do with serious amperage. Elsewhere on the record, as on "South Side of the Sky," they would sound as though they were ready to leave the ground (and the planet), between the volume and intensity of their playing. "Long Distance Runaround," which also served as the B-side of the single, was probably the most accessible track here apart from "Roundabout," but they were both ambitious enough to carry most listeners on to the heavier sides at the core of this long-player. The solo tracks by the members were actually a necessity: they needed to get Fragile out in a hurry to cover the cost of the keyboards that Wakeman had added to the group's sonic arsenal. But they ended up being more than filler. Each member, in effect, took a "bow" in mostly fairly serious settings, and Squire's "The Fish" and Howe's "Mood for a Day" pointed directly to future, more substantial projects as well as taking on a life of their own on-stage. If not exactly their peak, Fragile was as perfect a record as the group would ever make, and just as flawless in its timing as its content. ---Bruce Eder, AllMusic Review

Pierwsza płyta Yes w klasycznym składzie Anderson-Bruford-Squire-Wakeman-Howe, pierwsza z okładką Rogera Deana, płyta, która zapewniła zespołowi rangę rockowej supergwiazdy. Wakeman, który jako klawiszowiec The Strawbs miał już taką pozycję w biznesie, że znalazł się na okładce Melody Makera, nie tylko był błyskotliwym i bardziej wszechstronnym od Kaye’a instrumentalistą, ale miał klasyczny background i umiejętności kompozytorskie – wiedział, jak połączyć poszczególne motywy muzyczne w całość. Zespołowi, który nadal podążał w kierunku coraz większych form muzycznych, taki ktoś był w tym momencie bardzo potrzebny.

Zgodnie z ówczesną modą część Fragile wypełniają solowe popisy muzyków. Każdy z piątki członków zespołu nagrał jedną miniaturkę, w której mógł w pełni pokazać swoje możliwości: Anderson We Have Heaven, Bruford Five Percent for Nothing, Squire The Fish (Shindleria Praematurus), Howe Mood for a Day, natomiast Wakeman, który ze względów prawnych nie mógł dostarczyć własnego utworu, wykonał kompozycję Brahmsa. Moim zdaniem pomysł się nie broni – te miniaturki pod względem zarówno zastosowanych środków jak i klimatu brzmią jak od Sasa do Lasa i skutecznie rozbijają dramaturgię płyty, przy czym jako samodzielny utwór broni się tak naprawdę jedna z nich – Mood for a Day, który stał się zresztą trwałym punktem repertuaru koncertowego Yes. (No może jeszcze doczepiony do Long Distance Runaround benefis Bruforda).

Ale sławę Fragile zyskało przede wszystkim dzięki pozostałym utworom. Przede wszystkim dzięki dynamicznemu Roundabout, który został autentycznym przebojem w amerykańskich rockowych radiach i żelaznym punktem repertuaru koncertowego zespołu, oraz Heart of the Sunrise – najbardziej rozbudowanemu i najambitniejszemu utworowi na płycie. Chociaż, jak to już się stało typowe dla Yes, skonstruowanego tak naprawdę bardzo ekonomicznie – raptem z dwóch elementów składowych: potężnego wstępu instrumentalnego, później kilkakrotnie wracającego i przetwarzanego, i tematu głównego - uroczej piosenki śpiewanej przez Jona (który swoją drogą bardzo okrzepł jako wokalista, i zachwyca swoim niebiańskim – copyright by Piotr Kaczkowski – głosem). Gdyby jeszcze zupełnie niepotrzebnie do Heart... nie doklejono repryzy We Have Heaven... Ale ja nie mniej niż te oba klasyki cenię dość rzadko grywany na koncertach South Side of The Sky, z kapitalną, obsesyjną partią basu i z popisowym interludium Wakemana.

Fragile jest generalnie uważana za drugie największe arcydzieło Yes. Dla mnie to jest, mimo wszystkich wybitnych momentów, ciągle płyta Yes dojrzewającego, a nie już w pełni dojrzałego. Ale krawędź już była bardzo blisko. ---Citizen Cain, artrock.pl

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1 	The Gates Of Delirium 	21:56
2 	Sound Chaser 	9:27
3 	To Be Over 	9:19
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4 	Soon (Single Edit) 	4:18
5 	Sound Chaser (Single Edit) 	3:13
6 	The Gates Of Delirium (Studio Run-Through) 	21:16

Jon Anderson - Vocals
Steve Howe - Guitar, Vocals
Patrick Moraz - Keyboards
Chris Squire - Bass, Vocals
Alan White – Drums

This classic had already been remastered on the Atlantic label a few years back. Now, we are treated to yet another series of Yes remasters: this time for the Rhino label. My suspicions on the motives behind this second series of Yes remasters aside, this classic remaster features a couple of single edits, and a studio run through. These are not very essential in my book, especially for people who love the album exactly as it is, but it's welcome, nonetheless.

Intense, harsh, ethereal, voluminous and ruggedly symphonic, Yes' 1974 release, _Relayer_ is arguably their most dark, experimental, grandiose and aggressive. 1972's _Close To The Edge_ was positive, peaceful and reflective. 1973's _Tales From Topographic Oceans_ was spiritually (and/or religiously) deep. However, on _Relayer_, Yes gets bleak, harsh and ominous--attributes that are rare in the positive, hopeful, celestial and peaceful world of Yes. But, make no mistake, the cosmic factor is in droves on this album, and is one non-stop sonic adventure.

The 22-minute war tale known as "The Gates Of Delirium", is a gargantuan slice of mystical progressive rock. In atmosphere, this epic features screaming synths, manic guitar solos and overall explosive volatility. Steve Howe's claustrophobic, finger-itching and hasty-paced guitar solos qualify him as nothing less than a virtuoso. Jon Anderson's vocals are ethereal, heartfelt and moving. Some of the rhythms played by Alan White are quite tricky, and not to be taken lightly. Later, Steve Howe and Chris Squire (bass) play something of an ascending scale before the violent, stormy and powerful instrumental middle section takes off. This is followed by the achingly beautiful "Soon, oh soon" section. The sad and poignant synthesizer backdrops provided by Patrick Moraz, set the stage for Jon Anderson's most poignant, ethereal and shiver-sending performance. His very last sung line (The sun will lead us, our reason to be here) makes my soul cry. After that, the epic sadly fades into oblivion.

"Sound Chaser" is a manic, frenzied and aggressive jazz-fusion number, which features enough technical mastery to give classic King Crimson a run for their money. Alan White's drumming is ultra-technical and violent. He plays as if there were no tomorrow. Steve Howe's guitar parts are fluid and virtuosic. The middle section features an extended guitar solo. Steve also seems to slip a portion of "Mood For A Day" (off of _Fragile_) on here as well. Chris Squire's snaky basslines sandwiched in the crazed mix are something to behold as well.

"To Be Over" is the mellow closer of the album. It features country-esque soundscapes (courtesy of Steve Howe's pedal steel), an instrumental section featuring many eerie sounds seeping from Patrick Moraz's keyboards, and a finale of chant-like vocal harmonies.

_Relayer_ is Yes hitting on all cylinders: Violence, intensity, aggression, gloom, despair, ethereality, love, hope (and maybe triumph). The complexity here may take some getting used to. But, in the end, _Relayer_ is a trip worth taking. ---Samhot, amazon.com

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1. I Would Have Waited Forever (6:32)
2. Shock to the System (5:09)
3. Masquerade (2:18)
4. Lift Me Up (6:30)
5. Without Hope You Cannot Start the Day (5:18)
6. Saving My Heart (4:42)
7. Miracle of Life (7:30)
8. Silent Talking (4:01)
9. The More We Live - Let Go (4:34)
10. Angkor Wat (5:24)
11. Dangerous (Look in the Light of What You're Searching For) (3:39)
12. Holding On (5:24)
13. Evensong (0:52)
14. Take the Water to the Mountain (3:10)
15. Give and Take (see below)

Total Time: 65:25

Line-up / Musicians

- Jon Anderson / vocals on 1, 2, 4-5, 8, 10-12, 14-15
- Chris Squire: bass on 4, 6-7, 9, vocals on 1, 4, 6-7, 9
- Tony Levin / bass on 1, 2, 5, 8, 10-12, 14-15
- Tony Kaye / keyboards on 4, 6-7, 9
- Rick Wakeman / keyboards on 1, 2, 5, 8, 10-15
- Alan White / drums on 4, 6-7, 9
- Bill Bruford / drums on 1, 2, 5, 8, 10-15
- Trevor Rabin / guitars and vocals on 4, 6-7, 9
- Steve Howe / guitars on 1-3, 5, 8, 11-12, 14-15

With the exception of Peter Banks and Trevor Horn, virtually all the major contributors to Yes in its various incarnations over the previous 23 years, including both of its drummers, threw their hands into the making of Union, which was supported by a massive tour that filled arenas with at least two generations of fans. So even if Union had been as good as one hoped, this was an album that couldn't possibly have met the expectations inherent in the array of talent involved. The material is reasonably solid, and under ordinary circumstances this album would have been considered just fine, if not exceptional. "I Would Have Waited Forever" shows off the group's vocalizing (by Chris Squire and Jon Anderson) at its most melodic and Steve Howe has one of the most beautiful classical guitar showcases of his Yes career on "Masquerade." But the Trevor Rabin/Chris Squire-composed "Lift Me Up" seems a forced exercise in heaviness, and "Without Hope You Cannot Start" seems more like a composed-by-numbers piece than a truly inspired song. None of the material here would rate alongside the better (forget the best) tracks from any of the group's 1971-1974 albums. Perhaps the defects revealed the real purpose of this album, which wasn't so much to make a definitive statement by any of the participants, but rather to show the flag of the reunited band, which it did. The single "Lift Me Up" topped Billboard's Album Rock Tracks chart for six weeks, with two other cuts also making the list. But the single also only limped to number 86 on the Hot 100, and although the album shot to number 15 and went gold, this was a serious falloff from previous sales. ---Bruce Eder, AllMusic Review

Union to pierwsza płyta Yes, na którą czekałem w momencie, gdy się ukazywała. Pamiętam, jak dopadłem ją w sklepie, zapłaciłem za nią 190 tysięcy ówczesnych złotych (straszne pieniądze – średnia płaca w Polsce ’91 wynosiła 1 770 tysięcy; to dla młodzieży narzekającej, że dzisiaj płyty są drogie), po czym słuchając byłem bliski płaczu z rozczarowania. Pamiętam półtoragwiazdkową recenzję Filipa Łobodzińskiego w Rock’n’Rollu, w której Union było tylko pretekstem do gwałtownego ataku na rock progresywny jako całość, a na Yes w szczególności. Łobodziński wolał nie zauważać, że Union nawet nie stał koło rocka progresywnego... Tak czy owak, jego półtorej gwiazdki miało dużo więcej wspólnego z rzeczywistością niż pozytywne opinie innych recenzentów. Bo Union to płyta okropna. Najgorsza w historii Yes. I potwierdzająca starą matematyczną prawdę, że z zsumowania dwóch zer nie powstanie nic innego niż zero.

Przede wszystkim, wbrew nazwie, nie doszło do żadnej unii, a co najwyżej do luźnej konfederacji. Album jest kompilacją nagrań dokonanych niezależnie od siebie przez ABWH (do których Squire dograł chórki, bo już nie partie basu) i frakcję Rabina, przezwaną Yeswest (do których z kolei wokal dograł Anderson). Co więcej, ponieważ znaczna część członków obu frakcji była dość umiarkowanie zainteresowana całą płytą, wytwórnia ostatecznie zaprosiła do nagrania brakujących ścieżek muzyków sesyjnych, w liczbie około dwudziestu. Ale powiedzmy sobie szczerze – Union jest tak nieudany nie ze względu na kwestie produkcyjne, ale przede wszystkim ze względu na dramatyczną jakość materiału. Kawałki ABWH brzmią jak odrzuty z ich pierwszej płyty (zresztą nie ma się co dziwić – jak twierdzi producent Jonathan Elias, Anderson i Howe byli wtedy tak pokłóceni, że o jakiejkolwiej współpracy przy komponowaniu nie było mowy) a o utworach Yeswest (Lift Me Up, Saving My Heart, The Miracle of Life, The More We Live – Let Go) już w ogóle nie ma co mówić – to tandetny AOR usiłujący bezskutecznie podrobić Toto, Foreigner czy Styx, z tym że tamte zespoły wstydziłyby się umieścić czegoś takiego jak Saving My Heart na swojej płycie. Z utworów ABWH tak naprawdę wyróżnia się Without Hope You Cannot Start the Day, kilka innych (Take the Water to the Mountain, Silent Talking) pasowałyby świetnie na solowe płyty Jona, ale przecież nie na album Yes. Smutnego obrazu dopełniają dwie miniaturki instrumentalne – Masquerade Howe’a oraz Evensong Bruforda i Levina – same w sobie słuchalne, ale do całej płyty wstawione na zasadzie ni przypiął ni przyłatał.

Album Union stał się punktem wyjścia do trasy koncertowej zespołu w ośmioosobowym składzie – trasy, jak podaje większość źródeł, zdumiewająco udanej. Ale to już zupełnie inna sprawa. ---Citizen Cain, artrock.pl

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01. Beyond And Before (Chris Squire/Clive Bailey) – 4:50
02. I See You (Jim McGuinn/David Crosby) – 6:47
03. Yesterday And Today (Jon Anderson) – 2:46
04. Looking Around (Anderson/Squire) – 4:16
05. Harold Land (Anderson/Squire/Bill Bruford) – 5:40
06. Every Little Thing (John Lennon/Paul McCartney) – 5:40
07. Sweetness (Anderson/Squire/Clive Bailey) – 4:29
08. Survival (Anderson) – 6:17

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09. Everydays (single version) (Stephen Stills) – 6:20
10. Dear Father (early version #2) (Anderson/Squire) – 5:48
11. Something's Coming (Leonard Bernstein/Stephen Sondheim) – 7:05
12. Everydays (early version) (Stephen Stills) – 5:15

Personnel:
- Jon Anderson - lead vocals, percussion
- Peter Banks - guitar, vocals
- Chris Squire - bass, vocals
- Tony Kaye - organ piano
- Bill Bruford - drums, vibes

Yes' debut album is surprisingly strong, given the inexperience of all those involved at the time. In an era when psychedelic meanderings were the order of the day, Yes delivered a surprisingly focused and exciting record that covered lots of bases (perhaps too many) in presenting their sound. The album opens boldly, with the fervor of a metal band of the era playing full tilt on "Beyond and Before," but it is with the second number, a cover of the Byrds' "I See You," that they show some of their real range. The song is highlighted by an extraordinary jazz workout from lead guitarist Peter Banks and drummer Bill Bruford that runs circles around the original by Roger McGuinn and company. "Harold Land" was the first song on which Chris Squire's bass playing could be heard in anything resembling the prominence it would eventually assume in their sound and anticipates in its structure the multi-part suites the group would later record, with its extended introduction and its myriad shifts in texture, timbre, and volume. And then there is "Every Little Thing," the most daring Beatles cover ever to appear on an English record, with an apocalyptic introduction and extraordinary shifts in tempo and dynamics, Banks' guitar and Bruford's drums so animated that they seem to be playing several songs at once. This song also hosts an astonishingly charismatic performance by Jon Anderson. There were numerous problems in recording this album, owing to the inexperience of the group, the producer, and the engineer, in addition to the unusual nature of their sound. Many of the numbers give unusual prominence to the guitar and drums, thus making it the most uncharacteristic of all the group's albums. [Its first decent-sounding edition anywhere came with the 1997 remastering by Atlantic.] ---Bruce Eder, AllMusic Review

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