As far as I am concerned, this live album from the Fragile and Close to the Edge tours is by far the most incredible display of virtuosity displayed on a live prog album. Period. In fact, the virtuosity and the sheer ferocity with which they all play is both overwhelming and yet completely and utterly exhilarating. As a huge prog fan I have listened to a lot of live prog albums, but none seem to top the raw beauty of Yessongs.

Another property of this album that makes it a personal favorite is that the guys do not simply reproduce the studio works note for note or throw in gratuitous solos. New sections are added to the original pieces and the solos are incredible works unto themselves. In fact, listen to Chris Squire's awe-inspiring bass tour de force on The Fish - this piece alone inspired me to take up the bass guitar in the first place. Rick Wakeman also presents a nice 6'35" synopsis of his then recently released solo album The Six Wives of Henry VIII.

Bill Bruford had left Yes to join King Crimson and was replaced by Alan White on the Close to the Edge tour who had come from a strictly rock background. Based on what I have read, Alan had a rough time with the material straight off (who wouldn't), but gradually got better with subsequent concerts. I feel that his performances on Yessongs are quite solid - he plays on every track except for Perpetual Change and Long Distance Runaround/The Fish (Bill plays on these tracks).

I should note that the sound quality of this album is not great (it is thin, trebly, and harsh), although it does not bother me in the least. This is Yes after all and I would probably listen to the most poorly recorded bootleg over and over again without flinching.

Like other folks I have great memories of this album and as I recall, rode my bike five miles to pick the album up from a local store. In that it was 1979 or 1980, the triple album was still being issued on vinyl and was a very heavy thing. One aspect of the Yessongs experience that I do miss is the incredible inner gatefold art of the original vinyl release along with the awesome color booklet. With the huge triple gatefold, it was truly something to check Roger Dean's incredible artwork out while I listened to the music. Although the artwork presented in the CD format does not quite have the same magic, the music still blows me away. My hope is that Rhino will remaster this incredible gem because this version from Atlantic, although remastered, is not the best that it can be.

All in all this is an incredible statement from an incredible band. Very highly recommended with every fiber of my being along with all of their albums from 1971 - 1977 (The Yes Album through Going for the One).

I didn't think that Yes' supra-complex, textured studio recordings preceding this live set would be translated effectively to the live setting. It's not perfect, but the inadequacies created by the limitations of playing live are part of Yessongs' charm. And while the songs are occasionally missing small ingredients that flesh them out so well on the studio versions, the band's heaving energy more than makes up for it. You can especially hear it in Jon Anderson's singing. His voice is often delicate on studio albums, but here he's surprisingly powerful, singing full-force over his equally lively buddies, who jam with fervor exploding from their instruments. And man, there are lots of jams! Songs are often extended by five minutes or so for soloing, and although many would find it tiring, I think the intensity makes it totally exciting.

The songs cover three of the band's best albums: The Yes Album, Fragile, and the progressive monster Close to the Edge. This is the best lineup the band had (Anderson, Howe, Wakeman, Squire, Bruford/White), all of whom clearly feel the deeply spiritual, stirring nature of their music. Their most recent studio album, Close to the Edge, is especially well-represented, which is a marvel given the complexity of the music. The 19-minute title track is as beautiful and moving as the studio rendition. "Siberian Khatru" has tenfold the zeal. Disappointingly, "And You and I" is notably weaker than the studio version because Howe uses an electric guitar throughout, not the acoustic, which [...takes] away some of the original's subtle textures and simple charm.

Perhaps the most exciting songs come from The Yes Album. "Perpetual Change" blasts off after a lengthy jam interlude in the middle, returning to the exciting verses and impelling on Squire's rumbling bass lines. Wakeman's solo on "Starship Trooper" is killer, and when Howe came in with his lead, the crowd must have been slain. Fragile too gets covered well. After a stunning excerpt from Wakeman's "The Wives of Henry VIII," the band moves into a high-energy version of their biggest hit to that point, "Roundabout." "Heart of the Sunrise," with exciting drum & bass interplay and emotional vocals, makes for one of the best moments on the album.

Certainly the best live album from this era of progressive rock.

If you only know the one or two songs by Yes that made it to the top ten and got on the radio way back when, or if you only know one of their studio albums or their later work after the classic period, you don't know a lot about Yes. Comparing one of those top ten bits to some of the live Yes classics on this CD set, is like comparing a little Shakespeare sonnet to one of Shakespeare's great plays. Also, the live concert work that fills this album is far superior to Yes' studio work. This CD set captures Yes at their peak, when for a few years they reached pure genius.

With Yes, however, it is good to be advised: they are not for everyone. But if you have the patience to listen two or three times to a piece, there is a good chance you will find yourself falling very deeply in love.

This is especially true of the gorgeous, wild and sometimes extensive instrumental stretches that go on between the often lovely vocal parts of the songs. At first you might not hear anything much in all this instrumental work. But once your ear is caught, there is nothing else like Yes. If you like the guitar work of classic Creme's Eric Clapton, or of Jimi Hendrix, you ain't heard nothing yet. Yes's Steve Howe, as a guitarist, once you really listen, is arguably a full quantum leap or two above anyone you've heard before. It's not just that he's capable of playing a lightning fast series of notes. It's not just that he can play more intricate rhythms and textures at that incredible speed than other great guitarists can play at one-quarter of that speed; it's that with technical virtuosity the equal and superior of anyone out there, Howe combined imaginative genius and the most beautiful, furiously driving, guitar lines.

To get an idea of the miraculous cascade of guitar notes that precedes the first vocals (themselves beautiful) on "Yours Is No Disgrace", a flood of guitar notes that just might be the most glorious thing ever done with a guitar, for example, you'd have to fuse images of the greatest and most furious chase or action film you ever viewed, together with an image of the awesome richness and subtlety of the greatest impressionist paintings (when those paintings are seen in person).

Into his overarching rock genius, Howe fused both classical and country to produce a highly disciplined, yet incomparably wild, driving, furious and dynamic sound. I am speaking of Yes back in the 70s, classic Yes. The later stuff is sometimes good, but not GREAT in the sense in which classic, 70s Yes hit the stratosphere.

It is not just Howe that makes this band. Wakemen plays a rather miraculous rock and roll keyboard that is imbued with his classical virtuosity, and Squire plays what should be called a brilliant 'lead bass'. Anderson writes and sings some gorgeous melodies, with lovely vocal harmonies added by Squire and Howe.

Howe's guitar work during the first minute or so of "Close to the Edge", is to me a miracle that grows on me the more I listen to it, and to me was alone more than worth the price of this CD set. There is also an amazingly gorgeous and wild duet between Howe and Yes' genius bass player, Chris Squire, in the middle of "Yours Is No Disgrace".

The rhythms of Yes' songs are often very complex, and way beyond the capacity of most rock bands. This stuff is light-years beyond the old 'three-chord' rock and roll.

When it was originally released in 1973, Yessongs was a sprawling three record set that typified the classic 70's excess that many bands partook in. Despite the excess, Yessongs is a tremendous live album that captures the essence of the band. Yes has always been influenced by classical music and they show it by opening up the album with a piece from Stravinsky. The album has the arena staples of the drum, guitar and keyboard solos, but the band reels them in a bit and they don't become plodding and boring. The first disk's highlights include a stirring version of "And You & I", "Heart Of The Sunrise" and Rick Wakeman's work on his solo effort "Six Wives Of Henry VIII" is compelling. Disk two is tremendous from beginning to end and the band sounds as tight as they even have especially on "Close To The Edge" and "Yours Is No Disgrace". The cd also contains some of Roger Dean's coolest work, but unfortunately it doesn't translate as well into the cd booklet.

This 1973 live recording shows a few technical signs of its age, and yet it is a gem of Yes's early years. There are some places where the sound quality is less than stellar, and yet 1973 was when Yes was young and energetic and had a bold artistic vision that sometimes met with the approval and critics and fans, and just as often did not. What remains is that Yes had sufficient success to be experimental in their music and the talent to frequently turn their experiments into interesting music.

The opening of the first CD is a portion of Stravinsky's "Firebird Suite." Opening live albums with an instrumental portion has been done by other artists with varying success, and this introduction seems a bit underpowered, though well performed. The opening leads to "Siberian Khatru," which is similarly well performed. The weakness of this track is that the bass seems too subdued and the high notes a bit strong, even with my speakers biased towards the lower notes.

The album continues with "Heart of the Sunrise," again well performed, sounding a lot like the original album, with the exception that Jon Anderson's voice in live performances often sounds much less polished than his studio performances. "Perpetual Change" follows with fourteen plus minutes of rock. Again, the instruments are the power as Jon's voice often fades to a much lower volume or into the background.

"And You and I" has a strong opening that is easily heard. The live version offers some variation from the studio version. Jon's vocal is a little strange as it appears his voice was varying in volume, particularly during the opening, though his singing on this song is otherwise well done, stronger and smoother than on the earlier tracks. Indeed, the vocals in general are stronger on this track than on the previous tracks, though Jon fails to hold a long note at about five minutes into the track. This song is classic Yes and includes everything that was ever good about progressive rock.

A change of pace is provided by the acoustic guitar instrumental "Mood for a Day." Surprisingly, this song sounds better than the studio version. The combination of the crowd sounds with the slight echo from performing in a large area and the variation in playing all make this instrumental a gem.

Rick Wakeman, who established himself as an experimental solo artist, plays excerpts from "The Six Wives of Henry VIII." As those who have heard "Journey to the Center of the Earth" can attest, Rick Wakeman's music translates well when played live. While I am unsure why, the result is nearly always impressive, and this instrumental impresses me even now. Crank up the volume on this one, just make sure that everything loose is tied down, particularly if you have a sub-woofer and you've got the bass cranked all the way up to maximum and most especially in the last minute of the music.

"Roundabout," one of Yes's numerous signature songs, takes up the last eight and a half minutes of the first CD. The transition from the previous track to this one is seamless, and you hardly know you are into the next song until the guitars start, and of course "Roundabout" is instantly recognizable. Once again, the music is good, the vocals are only fair.

The second CD starts with yet another signature Yes song, "I've Seen All Good People." This seven minute track is the shortest song on this CD, and features good vocals, both by Jon Anderson and the backing vocals. This track is one of the best on this CD and offers a worthwhile variation from the studio album.

The next track combines "Long Distance Runaround" with "The Fish (Schindleria Praematurus)." This thirteen minute track starts as you would expect it to, but about two-thirds way through the track this song diverts substantially from the studio track and explodes into a rousing rock explosion before returning once again to the music of "The Fish." The end of this track is a lot of fun also.

"Close to the Edge" consists of more than eighteen minutes of rock explorations that follow the original studio version. The sound on this song is generally good and enjoyable to hear. The vocals are surprisingly good as well. As good an eighteen minutes of live progressive rock as you'll hear anywhere. "Yours Is No Disgrace" follows with yet another fourteen plus minutes of enjoyable progressive rock. It seems the further into the second disk you go the better the music gets. The guitar work on this song is well done and interesting and enjoyable to listen to.

The last song is yet another signature Yes song. "Starship Troopers" was loosely inspired by the Robert A. Heinlein novel by the same name. This last song, clocking in at more than 10 minutes, is an excellent way to end this CD. The music is well performed and the vocals, while a bit weak in a couple of places, are generally good. The ending of this song shows Yes at their playful best.

I am rarely fond of live albums. Often the production values are much less than studio albums, and there are sufficient flaws to render the music grating. While this live album suffers from some flaws, most particularly in the vocals, the music itself is good, and the music on the second CD is very good. I count this live CD as one of the better live CDs I have heard and own. Hardcore fans of Yes will likely want to have this one as well as those who have attended a Yes concert and want to recall the memorable experience.