Yes released The Yes Album

The Yes Album Yes

Released: March 19, 1971 Peak: 40 US, 7 UK, 46 CN, 20 AU, 13 DF Click for codes to charts. Sales (in millions): 1.0 US, 0.06 UK, 1.06 world (includes US and UK) Genre: progressive rock

Tracks: Click on a song title for more details. Yours Is No Disgrace [9:41] The Clap [3:17] Starship Trooper [9:29] a. Life Seeker b. Disillusion c. Würm I’ve Seen All Good People [6:55] a. Your Move b. All Good People A Venture [3:20] Perpetual Change [8:57] Total Running Time: 40:56 The Players: Jon Anderson (vocals, percussion) Chris Squire (bass, vocals) Steve Howe (guitar) Tony Kaye (keyboards) Bill Bruford (drums, percussion)

Rating: 4.249 out of 5.00 (average of 17 ratings) Awards: (Click on award to learn more).

About the Album This is “the album that first gave shape to the established Yes sound, build around science-fiction concepts, folk melodies, and soaring organ, guitar, and vocal showpieces.” AM Lead singer Jon Anderson said of the making of the album, “Three-quarters of the way through we realized that fo the first time we were making something that might possibly last.” TC This was “not quite the classic lineup (even Rick Wakeman would not join until Fragile), but thanks to new recruit Steve Howe here for the first time is the mature Yes sound in all its sonic glory.” AZ The guitarist came on board to replace founding member Peter Banks. No matter what the keening, skyscraping vocalist Jon Anderson sings, the band pounds out music that’s heavy and celestial, rhythmically agile and exultant.” TM His “elliptical lyrics had yet to flower into the truly bizarre realms of Close to the Edge and Tales from Topographic Oceans, but he was already using words more for their sound value than sense (‘Yesterday a morning came, a smile upon your face / Caesar’s Palace, morning glory, silly human race’).” AZ “Though its lyrics talk cosmic gibberish about glimpsing heaven and the goodness of human soles and the role of Starship Troopers in the galaxy, the music underneath is a model of discipline. The Yes rhythm section, anchored by drummer Bill Bruford, hops between different time signatures as casually as most people cross the street.” TM Yes “decamped to Devon, England” RD and “spent two months at a farm near Ilfracombe developing a fresh sound.” RD “Assisted by engineer Eddie Offord, the band refined their sound at London’s Advision.” RD Yes Dives into Prog Rock “In a desire to emulate classical music Yes began to forsake songs for suites.” TC The band, however, hadn’t taken it too far yet. This is “an album with a much sharper edge than their later bloated extravaganzas.” AZ It also “marked Yes’ move from pscyh to prog and stands as a genre benchmark.” RD “Rock historians point to Fragile, the album that followed this one, as the definitive Yes…[but] it splinters into tracks showing off the prodigious talents of each individual musician. The Yes Album is, by contrast, all about the group – here are five confident musicians journeying through extended suites (‘Starship Trooper’), executing dramatic shifts of tempo with enviable precision.” TM Reissues A 2003 reissue added single versions of “Your Move” and “Life Seeker” as well as a studio version of “Clap.” In 2014, a reissue added an alternate version of the album as well as singe versions of “Your Move” and “Clap” and live versions of “America” and “It’s Love.” The Songs Here’s a breakdown of each of the individual songs.

Yours Is No Disgrace Yes

Writer(s): Jon Anderson, Chris Squire, Steve, Howe, Tony Kaye, Bill Bruford Released: single (June 1971), The Yes Album (1971) B-side: “The Clap” Peak: 9 CL, 5 DF Click for codes to charts. Sales (in millions): -- Airplay/Streaming (in millions): -- radio, -- video, 7.32 streaming About the Song: “Yours Is No Disgrace” was released as a single. Although it didn’t chart it became a classic rock staple and one of the “much-loved parts of the band’s concert repertory for many tours to come.” AM “Howe’s attacking soloing [was] a response to Vietnam.” RD

The Clap Yes

Writer(s): Steve Howe Released: B-side of “Your Move” (3/5/1971), B-side of “Yours Is No Disgrace” (June 1971), The Yes Album (1971) Peak: 21 DF Click for codes to charts. Sales (in millions): -- Airplay/Streaming (in millions): -- radio, -- video, 2.66 streaming About the Song: Guitarist Steve Howe may seem like a mainstay in Yes but he wasn’t a member until their third album, The Yes Album. He makes major contributions not just with his guitar work but songwriting. He creates “a landmark in acoustic guitar literature with his Chet Atkins-inspired solo [on] ‘The Clap,’” AZ an instrumental on which he receives the sole songwriting credit.

Starship Trooper Yes

Writer(s): Jon Anderson, Steve Howe, Chris Squire Released: The Yes Album (1971) Peak: 8 CL, 7 DF Click for codes to charts. Sales (in millions): -- Airplay/Streaming (in millions): -- radio, -- video, 13.20 streaming About the Song: The “monumental ‘Starship Trooper’” RD was a “barnstorming showpiece” AZ “boasting multiple changes of pace, mood, and style.” RD Tony Kaye provides “earth-shaking Hammond crescendos;” RD “Chris Squire’s monstrous bass looms large in the mix, Bill Bruford’s jazz drumming skates edgily around the beat, and layered on top are those remarkably long-limbed solos from Howe – one of the very few guitarists to fuse the best of jazz with rock.” AZ This song is broken into three parts: a) Life Seeker, b) Disillusion, and c) Würm.

I’ve Seen All Good People Yes

Writer(s): John Anderson, Chris Squire Released: single (3/5/1971), The Yes Album (1971) Peak: 40 BB, 29 CB, 30 HR, 1 CL, 32 AU, 3 DF Click for codes to charts. Sales (in millions): -- Airplay/Streaming (in millions): -- radio, -- video, 37.85 streaming

Awards: (Click on award to learn more).

About the Song: “The sunny a cappella reverie of ‘I’ve Seen All Good People’” RD offers “a feast of hooks, instantly singable and somehow still deep.” TM It “sparkles with the light from Anderson’s voice.” TC The song – or an excerpt from it – gave Yes their first taste of chart success. The song was in two parts: a) “Your Move” and b) “All Good People.” The first part was released as a single.

A Venture Yes

Writer(s): John Anderson Released: The Yes Album (1971) Peak: -- Click for codes to charts. Sales (in millions): -- Airplay/Streaming (in millions): -- radio, -- video, 3.01 streaming About the Song: “The chord sequence that defines ‘A Venture’” TM offers a hint of what was to come with the next album’s “Roundabout,” “the biggest prog-rock hit of all time.” TM

Perpetual Change Yes

Writer(s): John Anderson, Chris Squire Released: The Yes Album (1971) Peak: -- Click for codes to charts. Sales (in millions): -- Airplay/Streaming (in millions): -- radio, -- video, 2.66 streaming About the Song: “The clipped piano of ‘Perpetual Change’” RD with its “Zen philosophy” TM “and the intense ‘Wurm’ diversify the tone” RD of the album.

Resources/References: AM AllMusic.com review by Bruce Eder AZ Amazon.com review by Mark Walker TC Toby Creswell (2005). 1001 Songs: The Great Songs of All Time. Thunder’s Mouth Press: New York, NY. Pages 328-9. RD Robert Dimery (2006). 1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die. Quintet Publishing Limited: New York, NY. Page 226. TM Tom Moon (2008). 1,000 Recordings to Hear Before You Die. Workman Publishing Company, Inc.: New York, NY. Pages 881-2. DT Dave Thompson (2011). 1000 Songs That Rock Your World. Krause Publications: Iola, WI. Page 154. Related DMDB Pages: First posted 4/28/2008; last updated 9/17/2025.