“Yessongs” - Yes

I spent the first half of 1973 engaged in what we call “finding myself”. Basically that amounted to working, skiing, listening to music and hanging out. I was hanging out with the same musician friends that introduced me to Zappa’s Roxy & Elsewhere, when they turned me onto Yes. Having never really listened to progressive rock, I had no idea what I was getting into.

I had heard some of Yes’s songs on the radio from their first few studio albums, mostly “Roundabout” and “I’ve Seen All Good People”. But this record floored me. These were some serious musicians, and the fact that my friend’s little garage band could play along with these guys amazed me. I started to listen closely to this music. Ultimately it didn’t turn me into a hardcore progressive rock fan. Heading off to San Francisco and college in the fall of ‘73 probably had something to do with that.

Of course Steve Howe’s guitar was at the center of this for me. I still marvel at his talent as I stumble on his interviews and video lessons on YouTube. Howe’s influence on the band was strong, and his approach to the guitar and songwriting played heavily on the success of studio albums “Fragile” and “Close to the Edge”. The ‘72 tour was in support of those two records, and the success of that tour and Yessongs catapulted the band to superstar status. I can’t not mention Chris Squire (bass), Rick Wakeman (keyboards) and Bill Bruford/Alan White (drums), as they are Howe’s equal on their respective instruments. All of them including Jon Anderson on vocals, brought live performance to new heights