YES 'YESSONGS' ORIG UK PROG '73 TRIPLE LIVE ALBUM NR ARCHIVE COPY

£ 35

$ 46

£ 35 Sold For

Mar 4, 2017 Sold Date

Feb 25, 2017 Start Date

£ 28 Start price

2 Number Of Bids

Great Britain Country Of Seller

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Description

>Archive Unplayed Copy<

Yes

'Yessongs'

Atlantic, UK, 1973

K 60045

BY MID 1972, the evolution of Yes had reached a point of near perfection. At this time, keyboard wizard Rick Wakeman had integrated himself into the unit to such a degree that it would be fair to proffer the opinion that he had become the dominating musical force. Much of his instrumental mastery, although not spontaneous, was designed to enrage and cajole other members of the band, resulting in massive solo extravaganzas. Bassist Chris Squire was always particularly quick to table a response. Normally a subdued instrument, Squire’s bass - loud and trebly - was elevated to the forefront of the group’s sound, giving guitarist Steve Howe a tough job to gain the upper hand.

Despite the instrumental dog-fights, the band’s colossal compositions were always underpinned by fiercely accurate, and difficult, tempos, vocalist Jon Anderson acting as a sort of human superglue, bringing together seemingly incompatible sections and multi-part epics. His falsetto floats like a hummingbird, in and out of the incorrigible and convoluted arrangements, with microscopic precision. The lyrical content may be, at times, overly complex, but the delivery is so earnest and pure that it is difficult not to accept his vocal effusion as a form of coded enlightenment.

With six-sides to digest, this is not a creation that can be easily appreciated in one sitting. It might be more prudent to steadfastly work through the compositions on an individual basis, but admittedly such an approach might not reveal the overwhelming magnitude of the performance as a whole. For shorter, snappier, bite-size morsels, head straight for the hand-to-hand combat of, ‘I’ve Seen All Good People’ and, the aforementioned, ‘Roundabout’, with its almost punk-like ferocity. If it’s instrumental dexterity you crave, then immediately investigate the primal majesty of ‘Long Distance Runaround’, which boasts a brutal Chris Squire versus Steve Howe wrestling match, whilst Wakeman is adequately compensated with an opportunity, grabbed, incidentally, by both hands, to provide excerpts from his classically-flavoured rock opera, ‘The Six Wives Of Henry VIII’.

These days it's so hard to find these albums in decent shape as the quadruple fold out cover was extremely prone to damage. This one is in tremendous condition. The records themselves are MINT unplayed!

Pressing: Atlantic, UK, 1973

Vinyl: Super nice clean and shiny condition - unplayed. All six sides grade as top shop fresh archive MINT!

Cover: Again, practically no signs of use. Issued in a beautifully illustrated and lavish quadruple foldout cover (designed by Roger Dean) printed in the UK. Sharp corners (no rubbing), no dings, no bends, no split seams, faint ring wear to rear panel and no creases. Tiny price sticker mark top right - note, not a tear. Solid thick and wide spine - straight and stiff. Grades as top Ex+

Inserts: Custom 12 page colour booklet

Matrix:

1st Pressing

Side One: K 60045 A1

Side Two: K 60045 B1

Side Three: K 60045 C1

Side Four: K 60045 D1

Side Five: K 60045 E1

Side Six: K 60045 F1

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