yesterdays and todays: YESTERDAYS (YES)

mercoledì 19 settembre 2012

YESTERDAYS (YES) - 1975

“Yesterdays” è una compilation - nonché riferimento "tributo" al nome del mio blog – comprendente brani dei primi due album degli Yes ("Yes" e "Time and a word"), all'epoca in cui il glorioso chitarrista Steve Howe e il poliedrico tastierista Rick Wakeman non erano ancora entrati a far parte della formazione (al loro posto militavano, rispettivamente, Peter Banks e Tony Kaye). Due sono i brani inediti, ovvero, mai comparsi prima su un album: "Dear father" (lato "B" del singolo "Sweet dreams", 1970), ma, soprattutto, "America", esuberante rielaborazione (di 10 minuti e mezzo) del classico di Paul Simon.

Ovviamente, compilation del genere raramente raggiungono i livelli di eccellenza dei capolavori assoluti delle band. In ogni caso, si tratta di materiale "storico" interessante, che evidenzia ancor di più la prodigiosa evoluzione verso il genere progressive che questi gruppi - Yes in primis - hanno avuto.

Voto personale: 8 / 10.

“Yesterdays” is a compilation album – as well as a “tribute” call-out to the name of this blog – including songs from the first two albums released by Yes (i.e. "Yes" and "Time and a word"), both of which released at a time when guitarist Steve Howe and keyboardist Rick Wakeman had not yet joined the band (Peter Banks and Tony Kaye were, at that time, the guitarist and keyboardist, respectively). The album features two songs never released before on a LP: "Dear father" (side "B" of the single hit "Sweet dreams", 1970) and, above all, "America", a bright and lengthy remake (approximately ten and a half minutes) of Paul Simon’s evergreen hit.

Of course, such compilation albums will hardly achieve the excellent levels of the masterpieces produced by these bands (I mean, the prog rock bands). In any case, the “legacy” tracks in this album point out how prog rock bands (the Yes among them) managed to make their music to evolve into such elaborate textures and sounds as any one progressive top album can testify.

My personal mark: 8 / 10.

YES (1969/1970):

Jon Anderson: voce solista (lead vocals)

Peter Banks: chitarre, cori (guitars, backing vocals)

Chris Squire: basso, cori (bass, backing vocals)

Tony Kaye: tastiere (keyboards)

Bill Bruford: batteria e percussioni (drums and percussion)

TRACK LIST:

1. America

2. Looking around

3. Time and a word

4. Sweet dreams

5. Then