Yes the Band: That’s right it’s a band

By Lydia Dolly

L.M.Dolly@iup.edu

This paper will talk about three reasons why Yes is a brilliant progressive rock band.

            Yes. The word is more than a word, it is a band from the 1970’s. They have rocked and wowed the crowds and fans with their music. They are a great progressive rock band. They are almost brilliant. The band Yes is a great progressive rock band because they have fantastic instrumental combinations, peculiar lyrics and they are still playing together to this day.

Reason 1: Instrumental Combinations

            The instrumental combinations are unlike any other progressive rock band. Their songs can last for up to 12 minutes of mostly the instruments with only a few lyrics. The instrumental combinations do not follow the unwritten rules of rock ‘n’ roll. One rule is that the songs will be short with upbeat tunes. The Yes music is almost the opposite with 12 minute songs that have mystical tunes. On the album Fragile, 4 out of 9 songs are just instrumental and the combinations are amazing to listen too. Although the band plays a different way than the “normal” rock band, they still seemed to blow people’s minds with their instruments and beats. It is almost genius with the way they play. When listening to the band closely it is almost unbelievable with the combinations of the instruments and tunes that they put together. One person would have never thought they those combinations would come together.  

Reason 2: Peculiar Lyrics

            Their lyrics are rather strange. They do not make sense to the naked eye. They have a roundabout way of saying how they feel in the songs without bluntly saying it. It is a very unique way and that is what makes the band different from every other band. An example of the strange lyrics is in the song “Long Distance Runaround”. The last words in the song are Schindleria praematurus which is a fish of some sort but what does that have to do with the song that talk about dreams and sunshine. It is almost as though they put it in the song for laughter. Another example is in the song “We Have Heaven” where the band talks about a moon-dog and march-hare. Now, the march-hare is from Alice in Wonderland but are they really talking about the hare from a children’s story or is it about something else? And what is a moon-dog? It is one of those subjects that Yes sings about but no one really knows what they are talking about? Most likely, they like to put those kinds of different meanings and words into their songs. Those words are what makes the band unique to others and what keeps people listening to the band to this day.

Reason 3: They are still playing to this day but not known

            Yes has great lyrics and interesting sound that are still going today. The band is also still playing but somehow they are not as known as what they were back in the 70’s. Yes started playing together since 1968 in Birmingham, England. To this day, the band is still playing in concerts and making cd’s. Their most recent cd was (Re)Union which was made in 2004 and their last concert was in 2004 as an anniversary tour. It has almost been 40 years together. They, throughout their many years, have changed their members but their sound and lyrics have not changed. They have not forgotten the memorable tunes and self image. Although they were known back then, some people have not even heard of the band today. They were huge in the 1970’s but today they are not that big due to the different changes in music. People do not who they are because their music is not played on the radio. Their songs are long and people probably would not want to listen to the same song for eight straight minutes. And that is sad because Yes made some great music that has been honored and praised for so many years. Another reason for them not being known today is because they were not always in the media for wrecking a stage or having sex with as many women as possible. British Broadcasting Company says “they are not natural 'celebrities'. These are professional musicians first and seldom attract publicity for their own actions. They are not 'hotel wreckers'.” Which explains that Yes got their fame and publicity from their actions on the stage and their unique music.

All in all, they were and still are a great progressive rock band. They have such unique instrumental combinations because the combinations are complex. Most of their sings are mostly instrumental with only a few lyrics. Yes is also great because they have peculiar lyrics. If a person listed really hard they would stop and think what they are trying to say. The fact that they are still playing is also what they makes them great. Not a lot of bands from that era are still together. Yes has found a way to be together and keep the sound that they have had for all these years. In the end, Yes is Yes and will always be Yes.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/dna/h2g2/A959952

http://www.historymania.com/american_history/Yes_(band)