ALBUM: Yes, ‘Progeny: Live From Seventy-Two’
Yes is one of the best known progressive rock bands. They had an ever changing lineup, and they morphed their style from progressive in 1969 to the late ’70s to a more synthpop sound in the ’80s with 1983’s 90125. They went back to doing more progressive rock in the ’90s and still play their best works in concert today. In recent years, they’ve kept busy by touring, releasing new albums like 2011’s Fly From Here and 2014’s Heaven and Earth. Over the past three years, there was Cruise To The Edge (a play on words referencing their 1972 album and song “Close To The Edge”), which was, yes, a cruise. Then, last month, bassist Chris Squire passed away from leukemia. He was the only member to play on every Yes album. One of the best ways to keep the memory of his music alive is to listen to it. The show keeps going on, and Yes will be playing shows in August and September with Toto.
Progeny was released this year after Yes’ social media networks posting mysterious fragments of pictures, later revealing a box set of shows from Yes’ peak fame in 1972. There are two versions of this box set: one with 14 CDs featuring performances from seven shows from the US and Canada, and one which is shorter and features a mix of performances from different live tour dates on two CDs. This covers the latter.
Beyond progressive rock, Yes is a band who draws its influence from many different types of music, from classical (Rick Wakeman did a few classical albums with synthesizers that are worth checking out — I recommend The Six Wives of Henry VIII and Journey to the Centre of the Earth) to country (one of Steve Howe’s influences is Chet Atkins — you’ll hear more country influences in his solo albums) to jazz. Jon Anderson and Chris Squire had a love of ’60s pop music like Simon & Garfunkel, the Fifth Dimension, and the Byrds. Chris Squire’s bass influences came largely from Paul McCartney and John Entwistle, and Squire in turn influenced Rush bassist and frontman Geddy Lee. Yes were also influential to the American prog band Starcastle.
The album primarily features songs from their most recent (at the time) albums released in 1972 and 1971 (these were peak years for progressive rock): Close To The Edge, Fragile, and The Yes Album. All of these albums are considered classics by fans of the band. Progeny opens up with an excerpt from “The Firebird Suite” — a classical piece — and segues into “Siberian Khatru” from Close To The Edge. Steve Howe really shines on “Clap,” “Mood For a Day,” and “Yours is No Disgrace.” Rick Wakeman’s best moments are the excerpts from The Six Wives of Henry VIII and the solo on “Roundabout.” Meanwhile, Jon Anderson’s best performances are heard on “I’ve Seen All Good People” and “And You And I.” “Close To The Edge” and the classic “Roundabout” are tracks to not be missed. The rhythm section made up of Chris Squire and Alan White is perfect and an important part of the Yes sound, and all the tracks really highlight their contributions.
One of the greatest things about Yes is that every member shines in their albums and live performances. The sound of the album is great overall. Just get a nice stereo, and you’re good to go! There’s a big difference between the sound of this album and Yessongs, which was a live album with performances from right around the same time as Progeny. There’s been a lot of progress as far as technology since 1972, of course, and the sound quality is clearer and better than the recording of Yessongs. These new releases definitely give you a more accurate picture of what they sounded like live. Poor quality recordings don’t do a great band any favors. The instruments all blend together nicely and also are easy to tell apart. If you’re a Yes fan, Progeny is definitely a must-have.
To get your copy of Yes’ Progeny, head over to Amazon!
