Best Yes Studio Albums (POLL)

Cafe Society
1

You define the criteria. Just pick the studio album from Yes you think is best.

I have to say, 1971 was a remarkable year for Yes with two great albums.

  • Yes 1969
  • Time and a Word 1970
  • The Yes Album 1971
  • Fragile 1971
  • Close to the Edge 1972
  • Tales from Topographic Oceans 7-Dec-73
  • Relayer 28-Nov-74
  • Going for the One 15-Jul-77
  • Tormato 22-Sep-78
  • Drama 18-Aug-80
  • 90125 11-Nov-83
  • Big Generator 21-Sep-87
  • Union 30-Apr-91
  • Talk 21-Mar-94
  • Open Your Eyes 25-Nov-97
  • The Ladder 20-Sep-99
  • Magnification 10-Sep-01
  • Fly from Here 22-Jun-11
  • Heaven & Earth 16-Jul-14
  • The Quest 1-Oct-21

0 voters

I’m limited to 20 options so I dropped Keys to Ascensions the hybrid albums.

If this proves at all popular, I’m going to do some other discographies.

2

I voted The Yes Album, but I fondly recall 90125, also. That was when CD’s were coming on strong and the word was that the sound quality of CDs was outstanding. And the sound quality on that one was outstanding.

3

90125 was the first Yes Album I bought. I was in High School at the time.

Close to the Edge, The Yes Album and Fragile were already in the house though between by older sister and older brother.

Come to think of it, 90125 was in tape format and I ended up buying it again years later in CD format.

4

I think Time and a Word doesn’t get much recognition. It has some great songs on it.

Then

Time and a Word

I saw them perform this live to open the concert. It was incredible.

Astral Traveller

The Prophet

No Opportunity Necessary, No Experience Needed

Of course, I voted for Close to the Edge and Fragile was my second choice. The Yes Album is incredible and also Relayer.

5

My favorite Yes album, which is the first album of any kind that I bought, was Yessongs - a wonderful three-disc purchase from the Sound Warehouse up on Coit Road in Dallas for $5.99.

Since that’s live, though, you do exclude it, and I voted Fragile. There are other great albums, but “South Side of the Sky” is such a banger.

6

I knew Fragile would win, since it always does in polls about Yes. But my first encounter was Close to the edge, about a year after the release, so I’ll always stick to that.

7

I voted for Fragile, but in reality I really highly esteem what I consider the Tetralogy of Yes, which is The Yes Album, Fragile, Close to the Edge, and Tales From Topographic Oceans. All from around the same time representing different facets of what I liked best in them.

Off topic, I also have a “Tetralogy of Floyd” for Pink Floyd, which to me would be Dark Side of the Moon, Wish You Were Here, Animals, and The Wall

8

I voted for “The Yes Album” because Starship Trooper is one of those songs I could listen to over and over again, especially the guitar solo (and the build up to it) in the outro.

I haven’t heard 90125 in ages but I remember that being a really enjoyable album to listen to.

9

Same here, and though it’s always been polarizing among fans of “classic Yes,” I also love 90125. It came out just as I entered college, and it was my gateway to Yes, and to progressive rock in general.

10

These match close to mine.

I would replace Tales with Relayer for Yes and Floyd would need to expand to 5 to include Meddle.

11

Meddle should be in there, so pentalogy?

12

I also enjoyed 90125 and Relayer but I never listened to them as much as those other 4.

As for my off topic Floyd comment, Meddle was also a very good album but I never got endlessly lost in it like I did the other 4.

13

I voted for Relayer because it’s kept me engaged over time better than any of the others. The battle part in “The Gates of Delirium” hasn’t gotten old one single bit in forty-eight years (damn!), and I’ve been playing it with some consistency the whole time.

But I really like all the seventies stuff pretty well (except with Tormato being a very distant last place).

14

I’m not sure there is anything on Drama I love. Tormato has at least two songs.

Don’t kill the Whales and Arriving UFO.

15

Meddle is still my favorite Floyd record. Not much of a theme to it, but I really like the songs. “One of These Days” is my favorite.

I voted for Fragile, and have never really like 90125. My brother likes it, though. I should probably give it another try.

16

Now that I have a turntable, I’ve been listening to my old copy of Meddle quite a bit lately. Every song on it is great (yes, even Seamus), and the crowd singing “You’ll Never Walk Alone” at the end of “Fearless” is a favorite moment across pretty much all Floyd.

17

Oh man, it still makes my nipples hard.

18

Well, now I’m going back through my old Yes vinyl, and I’ve made a discovery:

Jon Anderson writes lyrics that are pretty vapid, and would go better on Hallmark’s ‘Psychedelic New Age’ greeting card line.

Not bad per se, and they do fit the music. But to actually read the lyrics (I started with the first video here, ‘THEN’)… it was awkward.

19

Wanted to vote for Close To The Edge (definitely the best!), but I missed and got Fragile, which is probably #3 for me behind The Yes Album.

20

I’m pretty sure you have the option to change your vote. One of the features in Discourse I do like.