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Top 5 Progressive Rock: Yes – Signature and Popular Songs

music writerKOH-1
Started working as a music writer as a side job while employed at a record shop, and have been contributing to music magazines and web media for over 15 years. Although Western music is my main field, I always strive to stay curious with the motto, “I like what I like.” I have experience playing in a band, where I was a bassist responsible for songwriting and composition. Instruments I’ve performed on include bass, guitar, and piano. I resumed piano lessons after turning 40 and have been continuing ever since!
Composer/arranger, guitarist, and bloggerAyumi Saito
I started playing guitar in elementary school, and in junior high and high school I played the horn in the concert band. In college I became engrossed in composing and began using DTM. These days, I provide songs to artists as a composer, run a blog under the name “Sakki,” and post music lesson videos on YouTube. My musical roots are in rock, but I also love dance music!

Among the progressive rock bands that Britain proudly boasts, Yes stands out as one of the so-called “Big Four” or “Top Five” of prog, having achieved global success with their powerful yet symphonic ensemble underpinned by advanced technique, artwork that exudes aesthetic sensibility, mystical lyrics, and beautiful melodies.

Over their long career, the band has undergone many lineup changes and even explored more pop-oriented directions at times, so it may take some persistence for newcomers to trace their illustrious history.

In this article, we introduce a number of Yes’s wonderful and representative classic songs.

We hope this serves as a gateway for you to discover their music!

[Big 5 of Prog] Yes - Signature and Popular Songs (31–40)

Lift Me UpYES

Yes – Lift Me Up

Lift Me UpYES

The members who held the rights to the band name “Yes” and the members who had left to form a separate band reconciled.

Yes was revived with a total of eight members, and in 1991 they released the album Union.

Although it is said that the album was not actually created through full collaboration among all the members, the music video for the single from it features all eight performing together, and it ultimately became a major hit.

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SurvivalYES

YES – Survival

SurvivalYES

This is the closing track from Yes’s 1969 debut album, “Yes.” Although the sound is still somewhat rough around the edges, you can already hear their distinctive harmonies coming together at this point.

It’s a gentle song with a folk-like atmosphere.

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In conclusion

This is true of progressive rock in general, but especially with Yes: they have many long tracks, and the amount of information packed into each song is incredible.

In the first place, it’s a genre where you really grasp the essence only after listening to an entire album rather than individual tracks, so if this article has sparked your interest in Yes’s music, be sure to check out their albums!