Yes has been at it since 1968, so they have a couple of albums under their belt. The Yes Album is their third album, released in 1971. From my perspective, it’s their best. I think I bought this album in the late 1970’s when my musical taste had broadened enough so that I wasn’t so pigheadedly guitar centric. I had heard Yes songs on the radio (Roundabout, Your Move) and The Yes Album and Fragile had been played at house parties.
Most of the songs are over six minutes in length, and feel like extended jam sessions. This is a very well produced album, with crystal clear instrumentation and is full of sound. The excellent guitar work is equalled by excellent keyboards and both are supported by a very strong rhythm section.
The production switches sides from left to right on several tracks to further enhance the stereo sound, which was bang on fantastic for me back then. The less structured nature of the songs, allowing the band to explore with their instruments, was new to me on a studio album. Jamming was certainly not new to me as it was prevalent on live albums I’d had, but in the context of a studio album, it made each track a bit of an adventure.
It’s a fun album; I hope you enjoy it.