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marquee_dsounde Store

Marquee D'Sounde

Rare and Collectible Records and Books

Providing the finest available since 1974 !

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Yes

The Yes Album

First Pressing

First Pressing with the incorrect song title for "Clap", credited as "The Clap", which was corrected in later issues.

A / A Stampers

Mastered by Geiorge Piros

Gatefold Cover

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Record Information

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Official Release Information

Label: Atl SD 8283

Released: 1971

Format: 12" vinyl LP (album), 33 1/3 RPM

Disc Condition

Near Mint

Visual Inspection

No notable exceptions

Cover Condition

Near Mint

Visual Inspection

no notable exceptions

Dead Wax Information

(A) ST-A 71 2139 A AT| GP (George Piros) PR

(B) ST-A 71 2140 A AT-GP (George Piros) PR

Why Pressing/Dead wax information is important?

Like a knife, the more times the master cuts into vinyl  the duller it gets. Each subsequent pressing gets duller, rolling out the crisp cut of the original pressing. This results in less sonic resonance. The first pressings are the truest duplication of what the master engineer intended.

The mastering also matter. The Mastering engineer critically listens to the tape recording, making critical adjustment to them as he goes. This can create very different listening experiences from disc to disc. This is why you see Re-Mastered so often, to improve (or sometime the opposite) the original sound.

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Artist Information

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The Yes Album is the third studio album from the English progressive rock band Yes, released in February 1971 on Atlantic Records. It is their first album with guitarist Steve Howe who replaced Peter Banks in 1970, and their last in the 1970s to feature keyboardist Tony Kaye.

The album was the first by the group not to feature any cover versions, which had been a staple of their material until that point. The band spent mid-1970 writing and rehearsing new material at a farmhouse in South Molton, Devon, and the new songs were recorded at Advision Studios in the autumn. While the album retained close harmony singing, Kaye's Hammond organ and Chris Squire's melodic bass, as heard on earlier releases, the new material also covered further styles including jazz piano, funk and acoustic music, with all band members contributing ideas, and tracks were extended in length to allow music to develop. Howe contributed a variety of guitar styles, including a Portuguese guitar, and recorded a solo acoustic guitar piece, "Clap", live at the Lyceum Theatre, London.

The album was a critical success and was a major commercial breakthrough for Yes, who had been at risk of being dropped by the record label. It reached number 4 in the UK and number 40 in the US, and is certified Platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America for selling over one million copies.

Yes had already recorded two albums for Atlantic by mid-1970, but neither had been commercially successful and the label was considering dropping them. They had replaced founding member Banks with Howe, who enjoyed playing a wider variety of styles, including folk and country music, and played a mix of electric and acoustic guitars. Singer Jon Anderson later said that Howe could "jump from one thing to the other, very fast, very talented." After some warm-up gigs with Howe, the band moved to a farm in South Molton, Devon, to write and rehearse new material. Howe in particular enjoyed working on the farm, and eventually bought it. Following rehearsals, the band booked Advision Studios in London with producer Eddie Offord and spent the autumn recording. The band enjoyed the sessions, and soon had enough material ready for an album.

In November 1970, the group were involved in a car accident returning from a gig in Basingstoke. The band all suffered shock, and Kaye broke a foot. He had to do the next few gigs, and the album cover's photo shoot, with it in plaster.

Howe mostly used a Gibson ES-175 semi-acoustic guitar and a Martin OO-18 acoustic for recording, though he did attempt to play a variety of styles with the two instruments. Kaye's main instruments were the Hammond organ and piano, including a solo on "A Venture". Kaye had previously played the Hammond M-100, but for this album used the B-3, a move which he saw as "a turning point". He was otherwise disinterested, however, in the variety of electronic keyboards that were becoming available. This proved to be a problem with the other members of the band, and Kaye thought his style conflicted too much with Howe's. He left the group during rehearsals for the follow-up album in mid-1971, to be replaced by Rick Wakeman.

Steve Howe played a Portuguese guitar, credited as a "vachalia", on "Your Move".

Yes had started their career being a covers band, performing radical re-arrangements of hit songs, and their first two albums included covers in this vein. However, The Yes Album was the first to feature group-written material in its entirety. Some familiar elements remained; Anderson, Howe and Squire sang three-part vocal harmony throughout the record, while Squire's melodic bass and Bill Bruford's spacious drumming made up their unique rhythm section.

"Yours Is No Disgrace" originated from some lyrics written by Anderson with his friend David Foster. This was combined with other short segments of music written by the band in rehearsals. Howe worked out the opening guitar riff on his own while the rest of the band took a day's holiday. The backing track was recorded by the group in sections, then edited together to make up the final piece.

Howe's solo acoustic tune, "Clap" (wrongly written as "The Clap" in original album pressings), was influenced by Chet Atkins and Mason Williams' "Classical Gas". The piece was written to celebrate the birth of Howe's son Dylan on 4 August 1969. The version that appears on the album was recorded live at the Lyceum Theatre in London on 17 July 1970.

The spacey, electronic-sounding effect in "Starship Trooper" was achieved by running the guitar backing track through a flanger. Anderson wrote the bulk of the song, while Squire wrote the "Disillusion" section in the middle. The closing section, "Würm" is a continuous cadenza of chords (G-E?-C) played ad lib. It evolved from a song called "Nether Street" by Howe's earlier group, Bodast.

"I've Seen All Good People" is a suite of two tunes. Anderson wanted the piece to start quietly and develop, leading into a large church organ sound, before moving into the funky second movement. The band had difficulty recording the initial "Your Move" section, which was resolved by making a tape loop of bass and drums, over which Howe overdubbed a Portuguese 12-string guitar, mis-crediting it as a "vachalia" on the album's credits. Gnidrolog's Colin Goldring played recorder on the track.

Anderson wrote "A Venture" in the studio, which was arranged by the rest of the band. Kaye played piano on the track, contributing a jazzy solo towards the end. Howe played a guitar solo on the original recording, but it was left off the final mix, which faded out just as it started. The song was never played live by the original group, but an arrangement was worked out when Yes decided to play the whole album live in 2013.

The lyrics for "Perpetual Change" were inspired by the view of the countryside from the farm in South Molton. The middle of the track features a polyrhythmic structure, where two pieces of music in different time signatures[c] are playing simultaneously.

The front cover was shot by Phil Franks the day after the Basingstoke gig accident. Franks had already taken some photos from the Lyceum gig, but felt he needed something more for the front cover. The band showed up late having been in hospital earlier that day, and only 30 minutes were available for a shoot. Unable to get a satisfactory photo in the studio, Franks took the band around to his flat, grabbed a polystyrene mannequin head from a bin, put a 1000 watt bulb in the kitchen light fitting, and improvised the shot. Franks credited the sleeve designer, Rolling Stone art director Jon Goodchild, for making the cover a success. When Yes performed a live version of "Yours is No Disgrace" for the German television series Beat-Club in April 1971, footage of the band was combined with that of another mannequin head, mimicking the cover's concept.

The inside of the album's gatefold sleeve shows Kaye playing a Hammond organ, while the front cover showed his leg in plaster, following the accident. Anderson is credited as "John Anderson" on the album[20] but he had dropped the "h" from his first name by the next album, Fragile.

The Yes Album was released in the UK on 19 February 1971. It was a commercial success and was the band's breakthrough album, reaching No. 4 in the UK.  and number 40 in the US.  It has been certified Platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America for selling over one million copies.

Squire later said a key reason for the success was that there was a postal strike which prevented chart returns being sent, and reducing the available ones to a few retailers in London. Yes had the largest fan base in these stores, and that allowed a good chart position. By the time the strike had ended, the album had started to sell well due to its initial apparent success.

The 1971 Italian issue of the album differs from the original UK issue in two respects. The title on the front cover is "The Yes" instead of "The Yes Album", although the spine bears the correct title; and the track "The Clap" appears as the third track on the second side.

The album had a positive reception from critics. John Koegel, writing for Rolling Stone, praised the instrumental unity between Squire, Howe and Kaye, but missed the cover versions present in earlier releases. The album is the only one by Yes to appear in 1,000 Recordings to Hear Before You Die. Author Tom Moon preferred the group unity that he felt was missing on later releases and gave a positive impression of Anderson's vocals, saying the melodies in "I've Seen All Good People" were "instantly singable and still somehow deep."

Anderson was worried about the initial response to the album, but after about a month noticed that fans started singing along at concerts, and concluded that this musical style could be developed and still remain popular. Kaye concluded that overall it was "quite a simple album, considering where Yes went onto from there." Rush singer and bassist Geddy Lee included The Yes Album among his favorite albums.

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International Buyers Welcome

Please Note:

Import duties, taxes, and charges are not included in the item price or shipping cost. These charges are the buyer's responsibility.

Please check with your country's customs office to determine what these additional costs will be prior to bidding or buying.

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All records are shipped in Heavy duty record shipping boxes with inner cardboad support, record removed from cover to prevent splitting seams during shipping.

No charge for shipping on all records after the first purchase. 1-50 all ship for the one shipping charge!

And as always, if you are not satisfied with our description of the condition of your purchase - we offer a full refund and pay shipping to return the item !

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A little about me and the items I sell

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I started collecting records and music memorabilia in about 1968. While traipsing around Southeast Asia for Uncle Sam, music was that lifeline to home and the world we came from. When I returned home to New Jersey, I became involved in the music industry and music became a passion. Needless to say I am not a kid anymore and I want to find good homes for these treasures and not see them end up at the Yard Sale of my life! What you see at my store is a collection of these treasures. Over the past 30 years I have sold off many very rare and hard to find items and have many, many more to offer. My passion for the rarest of rare and the finest quality available is still reflected in what you are offered here! Enjoy!!

Marquee D'Sounde ?

The Marquee D'Sounde was a music promotion company that I formed in the 70's. An obvious play on words, with the Marquis' De Sade and Marquee of Sound. It promoted a variety of music related venues, hence the Marquee for displaying our offerings. At record trade shows in the late 70's and early 80's as well as in Goldmine magazine the name Marquee D'Sounde became synonymous with the best quality available in collectibles! As you can see from the Feedback, I provide Quality Items and fast reliable service with secure packaging. Many buyers are repeat buyers!

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A Brief Discussion On Condition

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Historically sealed albums have been selling for huge prices simply because they are sealed. Sealed albums are in many cases a later pressing bought in some bargain bin or reissues that have since gone out of print. Prime examples are the ones with the “Nice Price” stickers. You can be assured these are later pressings off of old masters. Not always but quite frequently. Rarely did the first pressing of any record make it to the bargain bin unless the record was a flop. That’s not to say that a flop back then isn’t a treasure today. We find that frequently and in those cases a sealed album is a treasure.

Back in the day every record distributor had a sealing machine and would reseal albums. These would end up in the bargain bins. That is why you see the stretching on the corners of many of them offered on eBay. Original sealed albums will usually be squared on the cover and not have signs of stretching around the corners. Unless you plan on leaving the album sealed and reselling it, you are better off with a true Near Mint to Mint pressing from a reputable record dealer. You know what you get.

All of these claims regarding complicated record cleaning systems mean you are getting records that have not had the care they should have had. If the record was cared for properly it won't need these complicated cleanings! A quick spin on the VPI will remove any soiling not caused by abuse.

A properly cared for album (NM or M) should look as close as possible to the record that came out when it was first opened.

Most records come from my personal collection accumulated during my years in the music industry. When purchased new or received as a promotional copy, the album or single was placed in a plastic outer sleeve and sometimes a plastic inner sleeve. When possible the records will include these plastic sleeves.

Many were never played!

I rate rather conservatively but work closely with Goldmine standards. My Near Mint ratings are generally what everybody else rates as Mint or Brand New.

I try very hard to give accurate descriptions of the records and check them prior to shipment to ensure that the condition advertised is indeed what I ship. If there is something that I missed I will notify you prior to shipment. In turn, if you receive your record and the condition is not what you expected, let me know and we will arrange to return the record with a full refund.

Shipment Information

All records are carefully packaged and shipped in heavy duty commercial grade #200 corrugated Record shipping boxes!

Buyer Instructions

Payments:

All payments are expected within 10 days. All payments must be received in US funds. Preferred payment method is Paypal.

Feedback:

I will leave feedback for you once I have received confirmation that you have received your item and that the item met your expectations. Our transaction is not over until you are satisfied. Once you leave feedback, I will leave positive feedback for you.

Contact me if there are any problems or questions.

Thank you for stopping by!!

Be sure to add me to your favorites because I have thousands more rare and wonderful albums, singles and memorabilia coming!

Looking for that special album, CD or single? Email me and I'll let you know if it is available!!