Listening to Yes: Time and A Word (vinyl) Side 1

[@JJ8KK]

Fun Fact: *No Opportunity Necessary, No Experience Needed* was the first YES song *Geddy Lee* said he ever heard and it completely blew him away, making him a die-hard YES fan & inspiring him to go out and buy his Rickenbacker Bass tout suite.

[@lesblatnyak5947]

So true! Use to run into Geddy and Alex alot in Toronto, great gentlemen.

[@jeffschielka7845]

I remember that story. Didn't Geddy talk about it at the RRHOF?

[@cmichaelanthonyimages2197]

@@jeffschielka7845 Rush did did mention Yes as their influence and also the first time they had seen them play. You have to thank Yes for Rush.

[@janetacquilano1912]

Thank You 😊 This album was the Beginning of my YES Journey decades ago 💝

[@IllumeEltanin]

Not Bonanza. The western theme is from the 1958 movie The Big Country.

[@luisvaldes1568]

Which was only 12 years since its release in 1970.

[@markusantonio4866]

Tony Kaye on keys, and late great Peter Banks on guitar

[@anthonyblakely399]

YES are among the gods of Rock n' Roll!!!!

[@mattleppard1964]

When I saw ABWH in 89 (?), they opened with Time and a Word and Jon emerged in white from the audience 🎉

[@ronjm945]

Early Yes was fantastic and innovative even in it’s embryonic stage…

[@melvinwomack3717]

THEN! And everyday Is so slept on

[@kelpkelp5252]

I'm basically discovering the music of Yes through watching your reaction videos :D

[@PetersPianoShoppe]

Jim…. I’ve really been enjoying revisiting all my beloved Yes albums through your videos. Also love that you listen to them on wax.

[@JimNewstead]

Thanks for listening!

[@Jack-D-Ripper]

The tune is from "The Big Country", a Western Movie. I love the quiet part at the end of "Then". Pete Banks' guitar is sublime. But my favourite track on the album is Every Days, the third track. It's marvellous. So English and so much of its time. Reminds me of my early teenage years at the time of this album. The orchestration is perfect for this sound, which is why Jon probably signed Rick Wakeman. On Sweet Dreams you get a riff from the future "Revealing Science of God", from Tales from Topographic Oceans.

[@mike-zf9bx]

Bit of the Beatles in there, Brilliant Album it Rocks Big time !!!!!!!!!!!!

[@randyhammill9021]

The first two albums hinted at where Yes was to go. They only hint at the energy they had live in this period, though. Particularly Bruford, Squire, and Banks. Their arrangements were fresh, but it was really their live performances at the time track made it clear there was something coming…

[@Frankincensedjb123]

Howe joined for the Yes album, Wakeman for Fragile. These two determined "where Yes would go."

[@WooBino.]

Love Then..

[@markjacobsen8335]

Most Yes fans love the first two albums with Peter Banks on guitar. Along with Drama they have aged extremely well and are much more appreciated now than back when first released. In fact, the first two albums are somewhat of a hit on US college radio in recent years. Well, a few songs anyway. Looking forward to side two and seeing what you think of "The Prophet", which is a Tony Kaye showcase and probably my favorite song from the Peter Banks era.

[@gabiesiren]

Bonjour Jim, could you believe that is the second time in my life that I listen to this album. The lyrics are still relevant today " Love is the only answer, hate is the root of cancer then"

[@jeffschielka7845]

Hey Jim! This is a great album. YES started to find their path. Enjoy!

[@lesblatnyak5947]

Sir I bow to your 214 Chris Squire viewings. Yes were better live, it always took days to come down. God bless!

[@jeffschielka7845]

@@lesblatnyak5947 The last 6 years not so great without Chris. Definitely missing Jon and Rick also. Wanted to see Jon with Paul Green's School of Rock. Two shows around Chicago last week very close to where I grew up. Bad timing, lost my sister on 7-11. Everything has been a nightmare. Might try for Rick soon when his tour starts.

[@Rowenband]

Lucky you to discover all these great songs for the first time. When I started llistening to Yes in 1974 I fell in love with the classic yes records (Fragile, Tales, Close to the Edge, Relayer). I didn't like the first two so much. But since a few years I think they were maybe stronger and more timeless then the ones that followed (although Relayer and tales remain my favorites).

[@TigerMtnKing]

Your reaction during 'Everydays' was priceless Jim! I hope you've had a chance to listen to the whole album again. It's genius!

[@JimNewstead]

Oh, I’ve heard this a few times now. All of the records I’ve reacted to I’ve listened to again and again!

[@retiredengineer2017]

The western bit in No Opportunity is from the movie soundtrack of "The Big Country" (starring Gregory Peck), written by Jerome Moross.

[@IllumeEltanin]

I'm so glad you like this! The first two Yes albums, i.e., Yes and Time and a Word, are very much more jazz influenced; they hadn't really found their prog sound yet. But, I don't think I know of anyone who pans the third album, i.e., The Yes Album. Even though Kaye is still the keyboardist on it, and he wasn't yet a fan of synthesizers, his musicianship is still spectacular, along with the rest of the band. And Yes' prog sound was definitely in place by then. And I totally agree about the condition of this particular vinyl side; you honestly can't get more pristine than that!

[@IllumeEltanin]

Speaking of Tony Kaye, he apparently released an album last month in tribute (?) to the events of 09/11 (11/09 across the pond). I haven't heard it yet, but it's apparently getting decent reviews. I'll gladly listen along should you decide to acquire it and feature it on the channel.

[@DUBEE43]

One of my all time faves!!!!! 👍 Love to sing to it 😮

[@waynecox3958]

Released July 1970. With strings.

[@LetsDoEntertainment]

Jim... I am just loving your reactions to Yes. As a self-proclaimed YES-FREAK, I also have a discerning ear that won't allow me to suggest that everything they did was magnificent. I have a special love for their first two albums because of their jazz-influenced sound and the fact that if you listen carefully, you can hear them experimenting with themes and ideas that would become their trademark "progressive" sound. Losing Bill Bruford was the worst thing that happened to them. Original guitar player Peter Banks was certainly underappreciated by the band and I think did fine work on these albums. I would have preferred they keep Banks and add Howe whose later contributions cannot be ignored in the least! I am tickled that you never seem to have heard of Richie Havens. (Have you not seen or listened to "Woodstock"?) Keep digging! There's gold in them thar hills.

[@mellotronin54]

Ditto all my previous comments a die hard YES fan. This maybe the second one I bought after Going For The One as it was there and reasonably priced. Took me a bit by surprise but prepared me for the journey that was to come , that do not expect the albums to be similar.

[@palantir135]

Don’t know this album either. I stepped into Yes with the next album: The Yes album. Sounds like they’re still searching which way to go with Yes and that direction becomes clear with The Yes Album. It’s not symphonic rock yet but it’s rock with filling sounds from a symphonic orchestra and some jazz influences. It’s still very very good music.

[@Frankincensedjb123]

Howe came on for the Yes Album and Wakeman for the next one, Fragile. Of course, these two completed the band and they were off for greatness.

[@tonygrinney7115]

Jon Anderson had said that he didn't like the first two albums because they didn't know what they were doing. I think the songs are clear enough some pop /soul style (similar to Jon's previous band The Warriors), a bit of jazz, some prog and on this album an orchestra thrown in. By "The Yes Album" they had worked oit a consistant sound they wanted.

[@tonygrinney7115]

Pete Banks (RIP) was a very underated Yes guitarist, very different to Steve Howe but he laid down the Yes guitar sound.Banks had the idea to go on tour playing the first two Yes albums with a band called "Ambrosia". Sadly, he wasn't well enough to go on tour and perform it. It was a wish of his that never came to fruitation.

[@dan1216]

Peter Banks also thought of the name Yes, thinking that (rightfully so) that the smaller the name, the larger on the marquee they could make it. Same with the Who, the Nice, etc.

[@brianjacob9084]

When I was 15 I worked and saved and worked and saved and bought a Rickenbacher bass and a big 300 watt tube amp with 2 stacks with 8 ten inch speakers in each. Using round wound bass strings completed my mission to get the sound of my favorite bass player.

[@progperljungman8218]

You're right! Early Yes were fantastic as well! Took me a couple of decades to fully realise though.

[@sethrichardson9974]

Steve Howe joined for The Yes Album, Rick for Fragile.

[@fernandotor3266]

Great Jim.. whsy s band.. bill and Chris...so great

[@jackiestanley5656]

Sublime….

[@paultrouskie1825]

Thing i like most about Yes, that seems to be different from most bands, is that their music for the most parts is just uplifting music that makes you feel happy. Uplifting themes throughout their history. When they hit it, they really hit it.

[@Frankincensedjb123]

For early work, this is a very nice album. But it's interesting to see how much the band grew when Howe joined for The Yes Album, and then Wakeman on Fragile helped the band soar to amazing heights. Howe and Wakeman brought unmatched playing and writing skills to the band. Singular and superlative.

[@anthonyblakely399]

Time and a Word is the second studio album by English rock band Yes, released on 24 July 1970 by Atlantic Records

[@Johnnywr]

Hi Jim. I'm new to your music reviews but I'm hooked. Love your facial expressions while you're listening. Good stuff.

[@simonal1989]

Terrific video! Wait until you take a dip in Topographic Oceans... That's unchartered waters!

[@lesblatnyak5947]

Jim your bang on about the Bonanza quip. Bruford said za same.

[@jeffschielka7845]

Burford also said it on the Union Tour about Yours Is No Disgrace.

[@wicky4473]

I love Yes but I’m not that familiar with this particular album, so will listen intently!

[@jeffschielka7845]

Great album!

[@martinreed5964]

first 2 albums mediocre compared to what was to come

[@LetsDoEntertainment]

@@martinreed5964 Can't agree that the first 2 discs are "mediocre," they're simply not quite the YES we would come to know. Bill Bruford has said that he believed he was in a jazz band with some rock leanings while the rest of the band was seeing it the other way around. The Beatles had recently added a bit of orchestral support to their music and YES seems to have followed suit. (I'm unclear on if this was pressure from Atlantic Records.) Either way, the band was tight, inventive, and behaving as one would expect toddlers to behave, testing their boundaries.

[@martinreed5964]

@@LetsDoEntertainment the addition of Steve Howe to the line up improved the composition and technical side of the band, not to mention his amazing playing. Without him they would more than likely disappeared into obscurity as a talented, but insignificant jazz band, or they may have fragmented and been diluted into other bands as tastes developed...which would have been a shame....unless you like jazz that is...which I dont, If the first two albums were my introduction to YES rather than the Yes Album, I would not have bothered to keep listening to them, as at the time they were no where near the likes of Led Zep , cream or deep purple with their music

[@LetsDoEntertainment]

@@martinreed5964 I don't disagree with Howe's contribution to the band. Note, I said keep Banks and ADD Steve Howe, TWO guitars in YES... whatta concept (see the Union Tour).

[@mattleppard1964]

Such a good record. Really enjoying revisiting these with you Jim. Of course Tony Kaye would rejoin them in the Trevor Rabin lineup:

[@allanmartin1005]

You will love side two, I always look on the first two albums as laying the ground work for what came later, but they are good solid pieces of work in there own right. Great show Jim

[@eos2174]

First album ever I heard from Yes, way back when, and honestly, I prefer this early approach to (most of) their overblown prog epics.

[@n5cbi]

Thanks for sharing this from there earlier incarnation. The first YES album I heard was "The Yes Album" and when I heard their earlier stuff, I admit to being a little disappointed. However, it's good to hear where they started and how much they'd grown by The Yes Album. The addition of Wakeman was a quantum leap in their sophistication and by the time of Close to the Edge, their output was stunning. Their learning curve from TYA and CTTE was like a Saturn V rocket that put us on the moon. Their staffing decisions were ruthless and if you couldn't keep up with everybody else, you were replaced.

[@rcpsammy7186]

Ahhh...back to Yes! 😀

[@robertjantzen6545]

With "Yes" and "Time and a Word" you can see an evolution taking place but I always wondered if there was an unreleased "3rd album" before Jon had an epiphany, scrapped it, and made the quantum leap to "The Yes Album".

[@daneng3641]

I'm one of those Yes fans that's never been crazy about the first two albums. The musicianship's certainly there. It's mostly the composition that's lacking. Sounds dated, whereas the next album is timeless. I mean, it's good, but the next two albums are about my favorite albums of all time. I can't help but compare. This one's certainly more "proto-Yes" than the first. However, I appreciate being brought back to this album. It's certainly worth more listens.

[@your_local_dummy4137]

My time with Yes started from "The Yes Album" like many others. But this earlier Yes album is really good too. Thanks for doing this review. It is interesting to plot their path toward the amazing progressive band they became within a few short years. Although the music is a bit dated its good and I like it and will listen to it again. Really glad you are following their musical career from the start.

[@tonydunbar6251]

Sitting having a pint in the Mail Coach Northampton laughing out loud to the bemusement of the other punters...its the " wow" you make...everydays is a fantastic track.....or the " fuck me" at the end of Big Generator......very funny..

[@ChromeDestiny]

I've never heard him confirm it but I would imagine it might have been Jon's idea to do a cover of Richie Havens' No Opportunity Necessary No Experience Needed. Nina Simone was doing a cover version during her late 60's shows and Jon was a Nina Simone fan.

[@rodneygriffin7666]

@ Gary Mitchell My older brothers and sisters were listening to this stuff too. They had Albums too. I don't want to trash you because You're not American. I was alive and listened to this for the first time when I was a child and became a professional musician because of this music. I still play and write. Do you play any instruments or write any of your own music?

[@joelliebler5690]

I think from the movieBig Country is what that western part was. I was too young to really know though the songs are good just not full developed into their style yet!

[@MJ-yp3hr]

Hey Jim, I am an old frak and do not know how to comment directly to you, but you have shot back likes to a few of my comments to SW/PT. First...I check you out frequently as our taste in prog, both old and young overlap. Anyway, pulled out some old live PT in Rome...Waiting parts 1 and 2. Now this is pre Inabsentia so no Gavin, but the foundation of the SW you are currently enjoying...whether or not you film it you'll enjoy it. And to this track...Wakeman is the best.

[@JimNewstead]

Oooo, I’ve got that album in CD, and listen to it from time to time even running. Such a different sounds but still absolutely stellar!!!

[@docsketchy]

I'm just watching this now, many months after you made it. Just a quick note: the first track, No Opportunity etc., is actually a Richie Havens song, getting the classic Yessification treatment here. In their first years, Yes were a wonderful cover band, taking songs from other artists and making them completely their own -- Something's Coming (from West Side Story), Everydays, I See You, America (just to name a few) -- in every case (IMHO) they either dramatically improved on the originals, or (particularly in the case of America) just made them into something different entirely. Also, those first two Yes albums tend to get short shrift, even from fans, but (as you have discovered) Time and a Word is a stone-cold classic album (that sold very poorly at the time). Tony Kaye's organ playing is some of the best ever, even though he is overshadowed by the likes of John Lord and Rod Argent. However, the one who really got the shaft on this record is Peter Banks, who was unceremoniously dismissed from the band just days after this record was in the can. Steve Howe shows up on the American cover (which is a band portrait cuz they couldn't put an image of a nude woman on the cover in the ever-puritanical USA), and is in all the videos from this record.

[@donaldshulenburg1553]

I love your reactions to yes, but one thing you miss is the lyrical content. The music is uplifting but the messages and hope conveyed consistently throughout their catalog are just as important to young minds, mine being one of them, being impacted since their beginning. I believe these are more profound to an idealistic young one than just musical mastery. There are many musicians and bands that are technically amazing that convey gloom and despair. In my mind the music was supportive of the message rather than the other way around and increased with each new release. Hope and introspection and sheer joy and emotionally reacting to sounds that bolster their message delivered with that pristine voice and conviction are what truly separate them. Integrity with virtuosity is the real brilliance of YES

[@JimNewstead]

I do listen to the lyrics and hear bits of them, but probably don’t really get into them properly until the second or third listening.

[@StarCitizenSpeakeasy]

Been waiting for this album 🙂 also i have the pleasure of listening to it on Cape Cod atm

[@sethrichardson9974]

Tony Kaye left Yes because the rest of the band was pressuring him to expand from organ to electronic keyboards. He left, Wakeman took over and later Tony got into a group called Badger in which he played synthesizer, etc anyway. Talk about a bungled career move...

[@JimNewstead]

It’s a proper “doh!” moment!!!!

[@sethrichardson9974]

I'd say so. Wakeman got to know Yes and appreciate their music when the Strawbs opened for them. Sometime later, he was awakened in the wee hours of the morning by a call from Chris Squire, apparently "Do you know what bloody time it is!?" "Yes, but I was wondering if you'd like to come to the studio and jam with us." "DO you know what bloody time it is!?" Wakeman was later contacted by Yes' management and invited to jam with them. At the time they were working on Heart of the Sunrise, and the piece was one of the things that made Wakeman decide to join the band. And the rest, as they say...

[@lsbill27]

Great stuff right? They just came on the scene fully formed and excellent from the start. They went 'commercial' later, as some prog bands did, but their first 10 yrs were awesome even with big personnel changes.

[@richardm6985]

Okay. Full disclosure, I haven't listened to Yes, or really any of your videos that weren't about music that I already knew and wanted your opinion on. But you just keep knocking on this Yes door (instead of Warren Zevon!) and they've earned their props, so I figure there must be a reason. Let's give this a listen. (...) Intro to track one sounds like it inspired Gorillaz' "Plastic Beach" intro... I love their, well, chorus, though the rest of the song just feels too up-tempo for me to really penetrate it on first listen... very rich mix, lush... I think a lot of Yes dilettantes must struggle to stop thinking that they're highly derivative of Le Beatles, but I know that's a well documented fallacy... dig your specs... second track, the mixing really comes to bare... Remembering that is was recorded from '69 reinforces the feeling... It's like Jethro Tull meets, I dunno, Magical Mystery Tour... the outro... i appreciate their nod to progressive music... third track starts off very nicely, i like this a lot - bluesy and husky lyrics, like a smoky stage performance in the deep south.. but i guess it'll kick into the same uptempo gear as the previous tracks... Well it seems have done so, but it took them a fair while... ahhh but here it is, i'm sorry to say i'm getting a bit tired of the zaney keyboarding, i know that was a big deal back then but i find it pretty hard to swallow, this whole midpoint to track 3 reminds me of frank zappa... I just want to know what they thought they were doing with that angular, zippy and gluggy guitar sound and chugging rhythm... it reminds me of the intro track to Jacques Tati's Trafic.. Pretty heavily actually... all this said, the song came off well and I enjoyed it :P the quiet parts were of high quality, which is probably why I dig it... Fourth track, Sweet Dreams, it's started off so well, I hope they don't break out that casino starship chugging stuff from all the other songs... I love the start, I love how they change it up, the keyboard hasn't started bugging me yet, the choral singing is on point.. loving chiming guitar solo.. layered vocals are ecstatic... This is feeling like my favorite track... Please don't turn it into a manic fairground stomp... nah it looks like they've gone through the whole song without doing what the did in the previous tracks and, yes, i love this song! Didn't plan for this comment to be this long :P

[@JimNewstead]

I’ve bought a Warren Zevon record for future listening!

[@richardm6985]

@@JimNewstead legend! His debut record, per chance?

[@JimNewstead]

@@richardm6985 not sure, I think it’s just called Warren Zevon, but has at least one of the tunes you were talking about on it.

[@richardm6985]

@@JimNewstead happy day! Sounds like the one! Wouldn't want to spoil anything, but i think it's okay to say that he got help from a few of The Eagles on his debut album - you might hear it. There's some nice instrumentation but his lyrics and the tone thereof are what set him apart i reckon.. the songs i highlight are "French Inhaler" and "Desperados Under the Eaves".. thanks Jim! Sure you've got heaps to listen to, appreciate your efforts!

[@pianocovers4227]

... at 11:40, the same arpege than in Heart of the sunrise and in Revealing Science ...

[@pianocovers4227]

Due to use an orchestra for this session, Peter will leave the band ! he wants no synthes, no orchestras ! You're right, Jim, the bass sound reminds JJ Burnel !

[@mauriceforget7869]

I noticed that the turn table is very close to the speaker, it coud generate feedbacks at high volume, carefull.

[@JimNewstead]

Yeah, not ideal, but still a work in progress. Need floor speaker stands!

[@robertjantzen6545]

It's "Big Country"...

[@yes_head]

The orchestra was mainly concocted by Jon Anderson and his buddy Tony Colton (who produced the album). But take away the orchestra and the album is a close sibling to the debut with a similar mix of heady prog, imaginative covers, and a couple more laid back numbers for variety. I generally prefer the debut but Time and a Word isn't a bad album, even if it put Yes on a knife's edge with Atlantic Records. They did perform the album live with an orchestra on one occasion. Shame that wasn't recorded (although apparently the results were less than positive and it partially led to Peter Banks' ouster.)

[@murdockreviews]

"Sweet Dreams" is a fantastic early track by Yes. Will this channel see "Salisbury" by Uriah Heep?

[@JimNewstead]

Er…. I dunno! Will it? Maybe! 🤔

[@murdockreviews]

@@JimNewstead 😄 I'll stay tuned. Heep or no Heep - just came to mind hearing the early 70s sound with orchestra...

[@jamessherburn]

I can't find/remember where you said it but you said 'I can hear that they're real instruments but it sounds like it's written on a computer/piano roll' ... something like that. You'll find this interesting, it backs up your observation. Interview with Jon Anderson: kzbin.info/www/bejne/o4jMk2Norr-ggcU

[@lesblatnyak5947]

Its ok Jim better late then never. Just so you know I saw Chris Squire and Yes the greatest show on earth 36 times. Wait till you hear Tormato, Anderson writes a beautiful song "Circus of Heaven" for his son and a save the whales song.

[@jeffschielka7845]

"Oh! It was ok!! But there were no clowns, or lions, or tigers, no bears, candy-floss, toffee apples, no clowns." I love Circus of Heaven. I've seen YES 214 times.

[@mortenstra]

Hi Jim, I don’t know If this is the place to ask, but have you checked out Pineapple Thief? Great band with such a fantastic sound and good musicians, with Gavin Harrisson behind the drums. Please check them out 👍😊

[@robertjantzen6545]

Crap man... can't imagine why there isn't a "1" in front of that 21.6k followers ....just sayin.

[@edmclennan7069]

Listening to long segments of great musical productions, sadly seems to be slowly becoming a thing of the past in western society. It’s now practically the same as listening to classical Indian ragas; nearly extinct.

[@Lightmane]

Just a wonderful album. Love that they chose to use an orchestra. Don't understand why Banks hated it.

[@markjacobsen8335]

He hated it because he was being pushed out at the time. So, he said he didn't have fond memories of that time.

[@Lightmane]

@@markjacobsen8335 he disagreed with using an orchestra. Why?

[@jeffschielka7845]

@@Lightmane Hey now! My opinion. Howe also didn't like working with an orchestra or another guitarist for that matter. The strings take away sounds that would usually be played on the guitar. Steve always wanted the spotlight on him. Very hard to blend a band with an orchestra. Usually one drowns out the other. Now, as far as Symphonic Yes, this tour and DVD really worked well. Steve was given his solos and the conductor did a phenomenal job with the orchestra. Also, it didn't hurt that the majority of the orchestra were YES fans and very familiar with their music. Back to Banks, at the time Jon wanted to take YES in a different direction. Peter didn't agree and thus there's someone at the door. Enter Steve Howe. I have read so many books about YES and after awhile stories are told in the same way. Sometimes you just have to believe them.

[@Lightmane]

@@jeffschielka7845 thanks for that info. I believe Steve was also considering joining ELP. HELP would've been HILARIOUS! LOL 😛

[@jeffschielka7845]

@@Lightmane Lol! 🤪🤪🤪

[@genestippell1833]

Squire and his Rick... Ground breaking... There's videos on KZbin with the bass isolated. In any given song Squire might get 5-10 different sounds from that rick.