I was watching this video and thinking - damn, there will never be a better collection of musicians than what I'm seeing here....then I scrolled down read your comment. 😎
Not to detract a thing from Yes, with America and Close to the Edge being favorite tracks, but if you like Yes, you should give Gentle Giant a spin. Each member is a multi-instrumentalist, and the band is quite Proggy.
Anderson, Squire, Howe, Wakeman, Bruford...talk about the stars aligning just right! Never, ever, a better, more artistic 5some than the group assembled here.
+mike c I don't think there was ever a group of musicians better than Hows, Bru, Wakeman and Squire together in rock at any time. My vote for the most talented assemblage in the history of rock music.
The Beatles cover "Every Little Thing" from the first album YES that came out when I was 8 years old in 1969 is what drew my attention to this band, My entire family were Beatles fans in the 1960s and we still are today.
This cover was inspired by , and loosely based on the band "1-2-3" version of America,. They were pioneers of prog rock, and Ian Anderson used to watch them at the Marquee club in London. You can hear a rough recording on TH-cam..."1-2-3 Live at the Marquee. America"
So true. With that crunchy, trebly high-end sound of his bass, there are times when it sounds almost like a second electric guitar, with his lines and Howe's lines intertwining in the most inexplicably cool way. And the older I get (and having played in bands where the bassist is overly busy or showboaty) the more I appreciate how Squire could come up with those amazingly complex, odd-time-signature bass lines, but somehow they don't seem needlessly busy or self-consciously "prog" - they just seem like well-orchestrated bass parts by a guy who understood song arrangements and was just a complete MASTER of his instrument. How he was able to play with so much dexterity, sing complex harmonies -- and still look like he was having a blast and loving life when he was onstage - is just beyond me.
Squire and Bufford were great However. You left out Entwisltle and Moon. Did I also mention John Paul Jones and Bonzo? Now honestly there was no Greatest. Just the greats! One can not compete Steve Howe and his Guinness to jimmy Hendrix cab we agree on that? Different styles. They both are Gold medal winners!
Read this just now on wiki, “Guitarist Steve Howe considers Yes's version to be "a kind of lost recording" among the band's work, since it has rarely been included on their compilations, and when it is it is usually a shortened version. When he had the chance to meet Simon in person at a disaster-relief concert in 1992, Howe asked him if he liked Yes's version, and Simon said he did.”
Total agreement here :-) It was at a time when Steve still needed to 'prove himself' as the band's new guitarist. I think that sentiment also lead to one of his greatest contributions to YES, the fabulous "Yours is No Disgrace" with that soaring, vibrant, ultrarhythmic guitar solo by which Steve introduced himself to the fans. See how Jon asks the camera man at 3:09 to point his camera to Steve, apparently knowing which guitar goodies are about to follow.
This is no cover tune. It's the culmination of the song itself. YES absolutely owned it from the first organ run to the last decay of the bass note! This is what the song wanted to be all along. What a guitar solo! Everthing from chicken pickin to jazz to 70's flutey distortion. A masterclass in composition and performance. So, yeah. I like the song a little.
As much as I like it (I had the single at the time), it's not a patch on S&G's sublime original - rather it's a worthy variation for those who prize technical prowess over atmosphere and reflection (which is a technical feat in itself) - never a culmination. It's main strength is when they stick close to, or emphasise, Simon's incomparable melody. Simon's America is the perfect song! Give it another listen and notice how free-form it is with no rhymes. It was First Aid Kit's (faithful) live rendition that brought Simon to tears and caused him to stand and applaud - a break in protocol in the presence of the monarch, you don't stand while the monarch sits. The rest of the audience remained seated
They made it their own. I see it as being no different than say George Harrison writing a song for Eric Clapton. We don't call that a cover song. I don't feel this deserves the label of "cover song" either.
I love Steve's "hoe-down" lead guitar style on this song! Everyone performed at their peak, and Chris Sqiure's bass-guitar is EPIC. RIP Chris. We miss you and love you!
@@markhunter8554 Yes, "Perpetual Change" is most definitely one of Steve Howe's defining moments into his amazing guitar style. I can see how you relate these two.
I'm very much inclined to agree with you. I actually like YES' version of this song better than Simon and Garfunkel's. Although America is my favorite, I love all the YES cover songs, such as No Opportunity Necessary No Experience Needed, Something's Coming (my second favorite YES cover) and Every Little Thing. I think YES could cover almost any song out there and mostly likely do it better than the original.
I'd give that title to Manford Mann's cover of Blinded by the Light. It exposes Bruce Springsteen's version as amateur hour. Most people never even heard the original.
Early iterations of Yes were brilliant in every way. This is indeed an unparalleled cover, but they also did two other covers that no one else could have come close to, The Byrds' "I See You" and Buffalo Springfield's "Everydays", with Tony Kaye on keyboard and Peter Banks on guitar. Rick Wakeman and Steve Howe were/are excellent, but Kaye and Banks deserve equal accolades.
Holy Crap !!! I constantly thumb through TH-cam to watch my old prog friends on footage that simply wasn't available to a young teenager growing up in Alabama back in the 70's. This is a first view for me...never knew video footage existed of them THIS YOUNG, wow ! This just simply made my day...I will definitely be checking out that updated footage. Sweet Jesus, to see these guys so young and so talented. Absolute babies! Laughing and goofing and rocking out SO HARD. This has been a Yes favorite since I purchased the Yesterdays album years and years ago. It really breaks one's heart to know these guys can't get along with each other any better than they do. These group members should be forced to sit together and view this footage and repair friendships that were once this solid. Thank you , thank you, thank you !!!
Well said, very well said it is a shame they don’t all see Eye 2 Eye these days…. But we had, what we had, when we had it, and due to the simple magic of recording tape you get to hear it and still dream on to the heart of the sunrise…..🌞🎼🎸🎹
I was 13 in 1975 when I happened to pick up the album "Yesterdays" and fell in love with this band. This song is still one of my all-time favorites... A lineup of world class musicians. Especially Bill Bruford, I just love him. This is an awesome walk back in time. Thank you so much for sharing.
Ronda Garcia ... Good on you, Ronda, for noticing (at the age of thirteen, no less) the extraordinary talent of Bill Bruford. For it is well to point out that, in addition to being an extraordinary drummer, Bill has always been a consummate musician who is possessed of a unique creative vision. In that respect. it is further well to point out that, though Jon Anderson was undoubtedly the chief visionary and architect of Yes, it is doubtful whether the concept of Yes would ever have evolved without the HUGE creative contribution that Bill Bruford brought to the group. Lastly, one might also observe that the very painful decline of the music of Yes started when Bill Bruford left the band.
+Fallen Angel bill has stated many times that the direction that yes was going no longer interested him. the clash of ego's might had been too much. in kc, its fripp's band but the ability to improv and rework songs had to appeal to his jazz roots. my bet is that after close to the edge, bill said there is all there is and left on his own. there were talks by bill that he thought chris squire was a bit heavy handed running the band to the point of being unprofessional.
Dia Bolique i remember reading somewhere that yes without jon anderson's strong leadership was a shadow of itself. jon might have had the least amount of chops, but he had the vision. i doubt if jon was as autocratic as fripp, but sometimes you can have too much democracy and not enough leadership.
This contains my favorite jam session ever recorded with Howe, Bruford and Squire just going off simultaneously, sounds a lot like southern rock as well.
A fabulous journey. But that took only seven years or so. 'America' seems to have originated in 1971, and 'Going for the One' was released in 1978. It is only a relatively small part of YES history, which encompasses more than half a century. Crossing the Turn of the Century, too 🙂! We must admit that these were extraordinarily talented blokes from various British origins, who jelled like the best strawberry jelly there ever was.
Mr. Simon and Garfunkel your song opening JONES BEACH was SPECTACULAR !!! and that bass note that Chris played that went on seemingly forever that just contoured along such that haven't a clue how or when it ended ...
Thanks! Remember that the idea of a wonderful 'America' was as much a promise to young people in the UK (and other countries) as it was to young people in your country. The idea met with both enthusiasm and disappointment/disillusion. I think the song is about this friction, which transcends a mere 'celebration'. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/America_(Simon_%26_Garfunkel_song)#Composition
I heard Heart of the Sunrise on FM radio in 1972 and bought Fragile the next day. I was 14 and my world went from Iron Butterfly to Yes overnight, and I was launched into English prog rock -- Yes, Floyd, Genesis, Camel, Trower, even some Hawkwind !!!
Squire at his growling, crunchy best. Sweet soulful walking. You can't rock harder on the outro !!!... mic drop, jaw drop speed and clarity. Bless you all Yes...
@@stettan1 He's like the maestro and the orchestra in Yes' compositions, have you noticed it? There's a whole series of layers of orchestration that are only drums. Him and Jon are the entire Mood sections of the songs. One particularly expressive example is the different moods with which the line "All complete in the sight of seeds of life with you" is delivered in _And You And_ I and how the drums are 90% of it. From _cantabile_ to _maestoso_ it goes through each iteration by the hands of the maestro.
@@stvbrsn Pretty sure he got the invite because of the "Magick"-like delivery. It's like some shamanistic s**t. His playing style reminds me of the (very silly) scenes of ritual magic in the (very silly) series Cracow Monsters. It murmurs, then it takes, and spits, and breathes; it sighs, and then it shouts (all the while sounding like it's speaking in tongues). Mr. Crowley would approve, I bet.
@@juliankohler5086 Much like Phil Collins. Really glued Genesis sound together and accented the vocals beautifully. The Battle Of Epping Forest is my favourite.
I’ve always loved this rendition of AMERICA and to see Jon, Steve, Bill, Chris and Rick locked in was chilling. Saw this incarnation of the band at Bryant College in Rhode Island. Some friends and I had gotten there waaaay early ( general admission ) and as we were waiting, I turned around and there was a tall gentleman with flowing blonde hair accompanied by his bandmates and others when Jon asked, “ We’re Yes , is this Bryant ?” and they literally tore the roof off, they were THAT good !
So cool that Chris Squire is wearing a jersey from "The Warehouse New Orleans". That was such a great place that hosted many of the greatest bands and musical artists from the 60s & 70s in particular. My first introduction to YES was at The Warehouse as the back up band to Jethro Tull on July 4, 1971 as a teenager. What an awesome night that was for music. I remember being half-interested in them at the start of the concert (I had not yet heard any of their music) and a big fan by the end of it. Still a big fan.
When I was 17 (in 1981) it was totally UNCOOL to like the music of YES. We had just been through British punk and 'disco' music, American New Wave was on the rise, and old dinosaurs doing weird stuff that lasted longer than four whole minutes was totally frowned upon. And then that name of their music: 'symphonic rock', ugh! Yet i've always supported YES because they are a REAL BAND (not some studio creation depending on 'computers') who displayed creativity, smart musical ideas, a total dexterity on their instruments, somehow lingering lyrics, and they could really really rock if they wanted to. Much more YES music lies in wait for you to discover, Michael. So open your ears, and give it a go. I'd say: start with 'Close To The Edge', 'Fragile' and 'Going for the One'. Enjoy!
I was 18 bact in 1974 and when I heard this song by a pirate made cassette I was left agape. I did not know what to think. Then my fantasy run wild and galloped in the YES world. No better song for summer mood since.
To me, listening to Yes in these early years, I always felt I was listening to " *Chris Squire's Band* " I absolutely loved the way he dominated their early sound, with that growling, thumping bass sound he experimented into history. And even though he dominated their overall sound, he never squeezed out all of the melodies and harmonies that also contributed to their sonic masterpieces. _Yes of course_ all the other guys contributed in their important ways to the overall sound, but I think they all understood that, by letting Chris dominate their sound the way he was inclined to, by "letting Chris be Chris", they were creating something special and wonderful when they used their talent to fill in around it. *_Chris Squire_* . . . the bassist I've praised and admired the most since the day I first heard Starship Trooper on the radio.
as a tweenager.....i heard that BASS on the radio and it hit me like no other musician EVERY had or has since. Not sure why.... but I dare say my fave musician EVER (and I love a zillion!)....is mr. CHRIS SQUIRE. (I play a lot of instruments and bass is not the main one.) HOLY SHIT what a god of bass. I've never heard anyone since who plays lead all the time but with no wank or waste!
If you get the right settings on a Rickenbacker 4003, it has that delightful little "growl" on the 'E' and 'A' strings, and just an overall nice, punchy tone, and that bridge pickup adding some twang and high-end. Rickenbacker makes some great guitars and basses. The Sound of the 60s and 70s.
I have heard it said before that Chris always felt that Yes had two lead guitarists in the band. He and Howe were definitely dynamic in their contributions to Yes.
Hey, Mcouzijn, hope I spelled it correctly. I remarked about enlightening a 17 year old to this incredible band of geniuses. I saw them 4 times with great seats and each experience was astonishing. I'm over 50 years of age. Amazingly I do have a favorite yes peice and it's Turn off the Century. There's 20 or so right on the heels. Just wanted you to know that I was introducing someone to yes and that I'm a long time, astonished admirer.
Yes Chris Squire was my favorite bass player, and I miss him so much. Just as great a loss as Tom Petty, Gregg Allman, David Bowie, and Glenn Frey, my other hero and inspiration of the EAGLES. RIP Chris and Glenn. I miss you guys SO DAMN MUCH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Yes played The Warehouse in New Orleans frequently in the 70's. Saw them a few times! Greatness❤ Squire was wearing a Warehouse T-shirt in this recording😊
@@markhunter8554 I appreciate his genius more and more every day, and I listen to Yes every day. I can only try and approximate the wonder that Chris achieved with the picked-bass-guitar. I have a 1996 Rickenbacker 4003 fireglo Red bass-guitar I bought brand new for $946 in 1996. The varied tones of his incredible instrument and talent sound just as good today as they did over half a century ago. This year, 2021, is the 50th anniversary of their seminal and awesome FRAGILE album. RIP Chris. You ROCK.
Rythmique d'enfer ( Bruford - Squire) , guitare de dingue, des voix incroyables, Wakeman qui s'amuse, un morceau qui m'a scotché quand je l'ai entendu la première fois ( à sa sortie ) et qui continue de me flinguer chaque fois que je l'écoute à presque 50 ans d'intervalles . Yes, sublime...
@ Cliff. I am not certain if you mean this specific video, or THIS as being the band 'Yes'. When it comes upon a first discovery of the band 'Yes' - no matter when, it is like a present from God.
As covers go...this is one of the best! Steve Howe gets overlooked, but what a command of his instrument. I love that it is done in distinct parts which they kind of perfected around this time, well starting with the Yes Album. Great job cleaning this up for public consumption.
Great musicianship and vocals all the way around, especially the studio drum work on this song by Bill Bruford. One of my all time favorites! BRILLIANT! If only there would have been more jam recordings of Brufrod, Howe and Squire. Talent at its best in this song, "America". As usual, Wakeman is the most underrated funny clown...lol. Too bad we don't have a better quality video of this, but I'm just so happy to see this.
First concert ever summer of '77 Going for the One. Seven or so times more, always great, but never saw them do this, south side of the sky or anything from tales
Not a big Yes fan at the time I first heard this cover on a British import Atlantic sampler called 'The New Age of Atlantic' back in 1972. At the time it was not available on any other album. I was blown away and became an avid Yes fan. Perhaps the best cover of any song by anybody. Astounding! What a blessing to see some footage of the recording session. Thank you, thank you, thank you.
I know this was a cover but Yes stretched it out to a masterpiece of instrumentals(a compliment to Simon & Garfunkel). You can see how much fun they were having as they were in a zone.This lineup was total genius! They were so perfect! Yes music is Totally Timeless! RIP Chris
Try again. OK, I hate to single out any one musician here but this is some of the most amazing Howe guitar work I've ever heard. He is arguably the greatest fingerstyle guitarist in rock history.
Cranked this song a few weeks ago traveling down the NJ turnpike heading to Delaware from MA. to pick up a pair of Large Advents. Couldn't think of a better tune traveling at 93 mph and remembering the first time I heard it and about to get the original speakers from that time to hear it on again. Thanks for posting.
It was a total surprise to me too, when I discovered this gem somewhere down the corners and dungeons of a fan website. I took an hour or so to replace the original (badly sounding) music (which wasn't live either, just the studio recording in all its 32 kB/s glory :-) with a proper audio and do some syncing. Now we're 11 years and 335,000 happy viewers later, and I'm still happy to attract new viewers like you. Hey, enjoy!
Thanks for the upload. Fantastic cover. Brilliant musicians in their youthful prime. The sound Squire got from his Rickenbacker was absolutely amazing (thanks in part to his picking technique too). Squire is my bass god.
Yes rocking off their asses on this one. Much as I love Alan White, I have to admit that Chris + Bill + Howe had a hell of a rock groove going. Best line up ever.
Jon and Rick always got along well. But it's sad that around 2008, relationships were poisoned with the other band members, and they kicked out Jon. Rick was never behind that, as he's a loyal guy. Any 'peace and love' that YES may have proclaimed at a certain time in history went right out of the window with Alan and even Chris saying 'no' to Jon. And Alan let that all happen. It is sad. Anyway, we still have that good music!
When Paul Simon, who wrote this song on a grey Tuesday morning, was a mere 24 years old. And with that song, he (and his offspring like this YES song) has inspired millions of people both younger and older than him, all across the globe. This is what good songwriting can do.
THIS is the lineup of Yes that made the band rich and famous. Amazing to have this rare video of them at work - including of course their great producer/engineer Eddie Offord. Bill Bruford is at his best here; clearly he is a major player in the creative force of Yes. His jazz sensibilities, his distaste for BS were a perfect foil to the creative geniuses of the other four musicians. Think of how different their three great albums - The Yes Album, Fragile and Close To The Edge - were from each other, and yet all were an ascending triumph of creativity. Bill thought that after CTTE the band could only do "son of" CTTE. They had achieved the summit; it would no longer be interesting for Bill, so he left. BUT IMAGINE IF BILL HAD STAYED! Try to imagine Tales with Bill on drums! OMG!
Considering how bored and frustrated Bill was with the recording of Close to the Edge (read Yesstories or Chris Welch's Close to the Edge) Tales would've killed him.
I haven't gotten chills in a while by seeing a piece of music, but this did it...Yes fan for 4 decades and this is the first time I saw this great song done "live" by YES...It would have been cool if they recorded every note but, It was still real cool! So nice to see them so young and vibrant...Wakeman, steve and Chris looking like kids..:)...Thanks so much for the upload...
Sure he is the prducer/mixer here. But we hardly ever get to see his face. Only on 7:36 or so. Most people know Eddie's photo only from the back side of the 'Close to the Edge' LP cover.
There will never be a better collective group of musicians, then that of these members of YES😎
😮🎉
Up there with Led Zeppelin, Deep Purple, and The Who.
I was watching this video and thinking - damn, there will never be a better collection of musicians than what I'm seeing here....then I scrolled down read your comment. 😎
You got that so right, l always said that same thing
Not to detract a thing from Yes, with America and Close to the Edge being favorite tracks, but if you like Yes, you should give Gentle Giant a spin. Each member is a multi-instrumentalist, and the band is quite Proggy.
Anderson, Squire, Howe, Wakeman, Bruford...talk about the stars aligning just right! Never, ever, a better, more artistic 5some than the group assembled here.
+mike c I don't think there was ever a group of musicians better than Hows, Bru, Wakeman and Squire together in rock at any time. My vote for the most talented assemblage in the history of rock music.
Amen to that Mike C.
mike c the all-star team of rock!
Funky, Yes at the height of their powers.
AlysounRI Buford ! Great drummer that snare pop
This one of best covers that has ever been done. Never get tired of hearing this .
True that!
All Yes' covers were great. Kinda makes you wish they had done more of them.
My soul dances to this with shivers up my whole body
This cover is what made YES my favorite band exactly 44-years ago in 1974!
The Beatles cover "Every Little Thing" from the first album YES that came out when I was 8 years old in 1969 is what drew my attention to this band, My entire family were Beatles fans in the 1960s and we still are today.
this is probably the greatest cover in history
One of them,yeah.
Best cover in history is Manfred Mann's Blinded By the Light. And I absolutely love Yes and this cover.
This cover was inspired by , and loosely based on the band "1-2-3" version of America,. They were pioneers of prog rock, and Ian Anderson used to watch them at the Marquee club in London. You can hear a rough recording on TH-cam..."1-2-3 Live at the Marquee. America"
+Tetedepoulet Yep.
Yup!
Most incredible Bass sound ever. Bruford and Squire were one of the best rhythm sections in Rock.
So true. With that crunchy, trebly high-end sound of his bass, there are times when it sounds almost like a second electric guitar, with his lines and Howe's lines intertwining in the most inexplicably cool way. And the older I get (and having played in bands where the bassist is overly busy or showboaty) the more I appreciate how Squire could come up with those amazingly complex, odd-time-signature bass lines, but somehow they don't seem needlessly busy or self-consciously "prog" - they just seem like well-orchestrated bass parts by a guy who understood song arrangements and was just a complete MASTER of his instrument. How he was able to play with so much dexterity, sing complex harmonies -- and still look like he was having a blast and loving life when he was onstage - is just beyond me.
those two had perfect time
Wetton-Bruford in KC and the first UK album are pretty strong too.
Squire and Bufford were great However. You left out Entwisltle and Moon. Did I also mention John Paul Jones and Bonzo? Now honestly there was no Greatest. Just the greats! One can not compete Steve Howe and his Guinness to jimmy Hendrix cab we agree on that? Different styles. They both are Gold medal winners!
@peter g Given Jaco's claim to be the world's greatest bass player, "might have something to say" is an understatement.
The greatest cover in the history of covers. I've always wondered what Paul Simon thinks of this.
He surely loves this. He had some elements of progressive rock in his music.
He probably thinks that it sounds like the Nice cover...
Does he even know?
His wallet knows
Read this just now on wiki, “Guitarist Steve Howe considers Yes's version to be "a kind of lost recording" among the band's work, since it has rarely been included on their compilations, and when it is it is usually a shortened version. When he had the chance to meet Simon in person at a disaster-relief concert in 1992, Howe asked him if he liked Yes's version, and Simon said he did.”
God I love this cover. Steve Howe masterclass - he sounds so funky at times.
Total agreement here :-) It was at a time when Steve still needed to 'prove himself' as the band's new guitarist.
I think that sentiment also lead to one of his greatest contributions to YES, the fabulous "Yours is No Disgrace" with that soaring, vibrant, ultrarhythmic guitar solo by which Steve introduced himself to the fans.
See how Jon asks the camera man at 3:09 to point his camera to Steve, apparently knowing which guitar goodies are about to follow.
burgesmate Rick Wakeman's electric piano was spot on too.
+burgesmate My favourite of any cover I have to admit
what is that guitar its not his 175
@@donaldkern9300 Might be a Gibson 335.
This is no cover tune. It's the culmination of the song itself. YES absolutely owned it from the first organ run to the last decay of the bass note! This is what the song wanted to be all along. What a guitar solo! Everthing from chicken pickin to jazz to 70's flutey distortion. A masterclass in composition and performance. So, yeah. I like the song a little.
Exactly that’s a double Bingo my friend 👏👏👏
As much as I like it (I had the single at the time), it's not a patch on S&G's sublime original - rather it's a worthy variation for those who prize technical prowess over atmosphere and reflection (which is a technical feat in itself) - never a culmination. It's main strength is when they stick close to, or emphasise, Simon's incomparable melody.
Simon's America is the perfect song!
Give it another listen and notice how free-form it is with no rhymes.
It was First Aid Kit's (faithful) live rendition that brought Simon to tears and caused him to stand and applaud - a break in protocol in the presence of the monarch, you don't stand while the monarch sits. The rest of the audience remained seated
They made it their own. I see it as being no different than say George Harrison writing a song for Eric Clapton. We don't call that a cover song. I don't feel this deserves the label of "cover song" either.
This is Yes doing American rock n roll. This song alone should have gotten them in the R&R HOF years ago. Steve's guitar work is masterclass !
I love Steve's "hoe-down" lead guitar style on this song! Everyone performed at their peak, and Chris Sqiure's bass-guitar is EPIC. RIP Chris. We miss you and love you!
Amen
Forget about the R&R HOF. It's run by pure merchants who know NOTHING of music.
This and the live Perpetual Change are my fav Howe solos.
@@markhunter8554 Yes, "Perpetual Change" is most definitely one of Steve Howe's defining moments into his amazing guitar style. I can see how you relate these two.
The best ever cover of another’s song!
I'm very much inclined to agree with you. I actually like YES' version of this song better than Simon and Garfunkel's. Although America is my favorite, I love all the YES cover songs, such as No Opportunity Necessary No Experience Needed, Something's Coming (my second favorite YES cover) and Every Little Thing. I think YES could cover almost any song out there and mostly likely do it better than the original.
VH covering you really got me
I'd give that title to Manford Mann's cover of Blinded by the Light. It exposes Bruce Springsteen's version as amateur hour. Most people never even heard the original.
I don’t care what anybody says. I was alive when both were released and this wiped the floor with S&G’s.
They took the original and made it better by at least 1000%
Been listening to this band for 40yrs, they still blow my mind
Every time you watch these guys they genuinely look to be enjoying what they're doing.
Early iterations of Yes were brilliant in every way. This is indeed an unparalleled cover, but they also did two other covers that no one else could have come close to, The Byrds' "I See You" and Buffalo Springfield's "Everydays", with Tony Kaye on keyboard and Peter Banks on guitar. Rick Wakeman and Steve Howe were/are excellent, but Kaye and Banks deserve equal accolades.
Ya , but so does Alan White
The Beatles 'Every Little Thing' on their first album is also excellent - Pete Banks and Tony Kaye offered just as much as Howe and Wakeman
Ok, let’s all just take a moment to appreciate Rick’s hair. And that goofy-ass smile!
Holy Crap !!! I constantly thumb through TH-cam to watch my old prog friends on footage that simply wasn't available to a young teenager growing up in Alabama back in the 70's. This is a first view for me...never knew video footage existed of them THIS YOUNG, wow ! This just simply made my day...I will definitely be checking out that updated footage. Sweet Jesus, to see these guys so young and so talented. Absolute babies! Laughing and goofing and rocking out SO HARD.
This has been a Yes favorite since I purchased the Yesterdays album years and years ago. It really breaks one's heart to know these guys can't get along with each other any better than they do. These group members should be forced to sit together and view this footage and repair friendships that were once this solid.
Thank you , thank you, thank you !!!
Well said, very well said it is a shame they don’t all see Eye 2 Eye these days…. But we had, what we had, when we had it, and due to the simple magic of recording tape you get to hear it and still dream on to the heart of the sunrise…..🌞🎼🎸🎹
@@warrenbutterfield4208 Amen, Amen...Amen !!!
wow. so glad this footage has been shared. thank you.
I was so happy to find it, somewhere deep down a fan web page I can't remember. And I'm happy to pass it round. Enjoy!
I was 13 in 1975 when I happened to pick up the album "Yesterdays" and fell in love with this band. This song is still one of my all-time favorites... A lineup of world class musicians. Especially Bill Bruford, I just love him. This is an awesome walk back in time. Thank you so much for sharing.
Ronda Garcia ... Good on you, Ronda, for noticing (at the age of thirteen, no less) the extraordinary talent of Bill Bruford. For it is well to point out that, in addition to being an extraordinary drummer, Bill has always been a consummate musician who is possessed of a unique creative vision. In that respect. it is further well to point out that, though Jon Anderson was undoubtedly the chief visionary and architect of Yes, it is doubtful whether the concept of Yes would ever have evolved without the HUGE creative contribution that Bill Bruford brought to the group. Lastly, one might also observe that the very painful decline of the music of Yes started when Bill Bruford left the band.
+Fallen Angel bill has stated many times that the direction that yes was going no longer interested him. the clash of ego's might had been too much. in kc, its fripp's band but the ability to improv and rework songs had to appeal to his jazz roots. my bet is that after close to the edge, bill said there is all there is and left on his own. there were talks by bill that he thought chris squire was a bit heavy handed running the band to the point of being unprofessional.
Dia Bolique i remember reading somewhere that yes without jon anderson's strong leadership was a shadow of itself. jon might have had the least amount of chops, but he had the vision. i doubt if jon was as autocratic as fripp, but sometimes you can have too much democracy and not enough leadership.
doug marcus Jon wrote their greatest music. Maybe not alone but he's the heart of that band.
Evan Rice I agree . Tho heart of the sunrise was my Grandmothers poem that he borrowed along with a few others (his Auntie)
A true dream team. Super class musicians in one band.
This contains my favorite jam session ever recorded with Howe, Bruford and Squire just going off simultaneously, sounds a lot like southern rock as well.
The Yes A Team.
From " America " to " Awaken " . It was a lovely journey , wasn't it ?
A fabulous journey. But that took only seven years or so. 'America' seems to have originated in 1971, and 'Going for the One' was released in 1978.
It is only a relatively small part of YES history, which encompasses more than half a century. Crossing the Turn of the Century, too 🙂!
We must admit that these were extraordinarily talented blokes from various British origins, who jelled like the best strawberry jelly there ever was.
Mr. Simon and Garfunkel your song opening JONES BEACH was SPECTACULAR !!! and that bass note that Chris played that went on seemingly forever that just contoured along such that haven't a clue how or when it ended ...
Damn I miss Chris.
Me too :(
Me, three :-(
AlysounRI me four five six seven...........
How can you miss him, when he's been in this room playing for the last ten minutes?! LOL The man's gonna live forever!
So do I. I miss him and Glenn Frey of the EAGLES so DAMN much! RIP CHRIS.
Everything about this is incredible but watching Bruford play drums is absolutely amazing
This Absolutly rocks. Between Brufford and Howe, it is a killer rendition.
Huge YES fan here. As an American, it impresses me that these British Rock Virtuosos selected this song that celebrates America. Bravo!
Thanks! Remember that the idea of a wonderful 'America' was as much a promise to young people in the UK (and other countries) as it was to young people in your country. The idea met with both enthusiasm and disappointment/disillusion. I think the song is about this friction, which transcends a mere 'celebration'.
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/America_(Simon_%26_Garfunkel_song)#Composition
wow! My favorite band of all time doing my current favorite song by Simon and Garfunkel! Never knew this existed. Thank you!! RIP Chris
The first song by Yes I ever did hear... on the Yesterdays album.
If Yes songs aren't emotive enough, they take this cover to whole other level...
What a jam that rickenbacker sure lays it down. Thanks Chris
I heard Heart of the Sunrise on FM radio in 1972 and bought Fragile the next day. I was 14 and my world went from Iron Butterfly to Yes overnight, and I was launched into English prog rock -- Yes, Floyd, Genesis, Camel, Trower, even some Hawkwind !!!
Love how Rick went crazy when Howe was playing
Almost like a grateful jam in the middle
Squire at his growling, crunchy best. Sweet soulful walking.
You can't rock harder on the outro !!!... mic drop, jaw drop speed and clarity. Bless you all Yes...
OMFG they are so young, saw them open for Jethro Tull in 1970, one of the best shows ever, and I've been to many hundreds of shows.
Nice..
Even I listened to it when I was a teenager..................STILL FABULOUS TODAY ! and....................unequaled !
I cannot stop paying attention to Bill Bruford's drums in Yes' songs. There's nothing else in the world that fascinates me more. It's addictive.
Steve Howe plays what (arguably of course) could be the greatest guitar solo in rock history, and somehow Bill still steals the show😄
The work he did with King Crimson is pretty damn good too.
@@stettan1 He's like the maestro and the orchestra in Yes' compositions, have you noticed it? There's a whole series of layers of orchestration that are only drums. Him and Jon are the entire Mood sections of the songs. One particularly expressive example is the different moods with which the line "All complete in the sight of seeds of life with you" is delivered in _And You And_ I and how the drums are 90% of it. From _cantabile_ to _maestoso_ it goes through each iteration by the hands of the maestro.
@@stvbrsn Pretty sure he got the invite because of the "Magick"-like delivery. It's like some shamanistic s**t. His playing style reminds me of the (very silly) scenes of ritual magic in the (very silly) series Cracow Monsters. It murmurs, then it takes, and spits, and breathes; it sighs, and then it shouts (all the while sounding like it's speaking in tongues). Mr. Crowley would approve, I bet.
@@juliankohler5086 Much like Phil Collins. Really glued Genesis sound together and accented the vocals beautifully. The Battle Of Epping Forest is my favourite.
Such brilliant musicians
This is the best cover ever. Just perfect
I’ve always loved this rendition of AMERICA and to see Jon, Steve, Bill, Chris and Rick locked in was chilling. Saw this incarnation of the band at Bryant College in Rhode Island. Some friends and I had gotten there waaaay early ( general admission ) and as we were waiting, I turned around and there was a tall gentleman with flowing blonde hair accompanied by his bandmates and others when Jon asked, “ We’re Yes , is this Bryant ?” and they literally tore the roof off, they were THAT good !
Poor quality footage obviously but seeing one of the greatest bands in history having such a good time is priceless, loved watching this.
Looking forward to seeing all the better quality footage that you have!
So cool that Chris Squire is wearing a jersey from "The Warehouse New Orleans". That was such a great place that hosted many of the greatest bands and musical artists from the 60s & 70s in particular. My first introduction to YES was at The Warehouse as the back up band to Jethro Tull on July 4, 1971 as a teenager. What an awesome night that was for music. I remember being half-interested in them at the start of the concert (I had not yet heard any of their music) and a big fan by the end of it. Still a big fan.
One of my favorite bands. All five musicians were immensely talented and they all blended perfectly with each other.
Certainly in my top 10 favorite guitar solos of all time!
Are you kidding me? Taking it totally to another level!!!
Yes... America
Hendrix... All Along The Watchtower.
Two greatest covers in rock history
Also like Lemonheads cover of Mrs. Robinson!
@@chriscummings3268huge thanks, I'd completely forgotten!
All you young people watching this: enjoy your youth, it doesn't last forever. These guys are only in their early/mid 20s here!
If only they had all remained this happy together. What a fantastic line up.
I got my little brother into Yes with this song in the late 70's.
Just infused a 17 year old Male music searcher and appreiciator with this wonderment. Thank you so.
When I was 17 (in 1981) it was totally UNCOOL to like the music of YES. We had just been through British punk and 'disco' music, American New Wave was on the rise, and old dinosaurs doing weird stuff that lasted longer than four whole minutes was totally frowned upon. And then that name of their music: 'symphonic rock', ugh!
Yet i've always supported YES because they are a REAL BAND (not some studio creation depending on 'computers') who displayed creativity, smart musical ideas, a total dexterity on their instruments, somehow lingering lyrics, and they could really really rock if they wanted to.
Much more YES music lies in wait for you to discover, Michael. So open your ears, and give it a go. I'd say: start with 'Close To The Edge', 'Fragile' and 'Going for the One'. Enjoy!
I was 18 bact in 1974 and when I heard this song by a pirate made cassette I was left agape. I did not know what to think. Then my fantasy run wild and galloped in the YES world. No better song for summer mood since.
Not only is this a great cover….It’s in my top 10 all time greatest foot stomping soul moving songs…I get goosebumps every time I hear this👍✌️
Bonheur !! They are all having fun !! Oh Yeeessssss !
To me, listening to Yes in these early years, I always felt I was listening to " *Chris Squire's Band* " I absolutely loved the way he dominated their early sound, with that growling, thumping bass sound he experimented into history. And even though he dominated their overall sound, he never squeezed out all of the melodies and harmonies that also contributed to their sonic masterpieces.
_Yes of course_ all the other guys contributed in their important ways to the overall sound, but I think they all understood that, by letting Chris dominate their sound the way he was inclined to, by "letting Chris be Chris", they were creating something special and wonderful when they used their talent to fill in around it.
*_Chris Squire_* . . . the bassist I've praised and admired the most since the day I first heard Starship Trooper on the radio.
as a tweenager.....i heard that BASS on the radio and it hit me like no other musician EVERY had or has since. Not sure why.... but I dare say my fave musician EVER (and I love a zillion!)....is mr. CHRIS SQUIRE.
(I play a lot of instruments and bass is not the main one.)
HOLY SHIT what a god of bass. I've never heard anyone since who plays lead all the time but with no wank or waste!
@@professorcranium4792 His bass on the bridge is incredible.
If you get the right settings on a Rickenbacker 4003, it has that delightful little "growl" on the 'E' and 'A' strings, and just an overall nice, punchy tone, and that bridge pickup adding some twang and high-end. Rickenbacker makes some great guitars and basses. The Sound of the 60s and 70s.
don't forget about Jon Anderson voice, his voice is just so good especially in Wonderous Stories
I have heard it said before that Chris always felt that Yes had two lead guitarists in the band. He and Howe were definitely dynamic in their contributions to Yes.
Great song/version. GREAT lineup!
CLASSIC
Hey, Mcouzijn, hope I spelled it correctly. I remarked about enlightening a 17 year old to this incredible band of geniuses. I saw them 4 times with great seats and each experience was astonishing. I'm over 50 years of age. Amazingly I do have a favorite yes peice and it's Turn off the Century. There's 20 or so right on the heels. Just wanted you to know that I was introducing someone to yes and that I'm a long time, astonished admirer.
Prog Rock will never be the same after these guys set the bar… Steve Howe is the greatest rock guitarist EVER!!!!
"I hope it made many music lovers happy." It made me happy today....it always does!
Thank you! Good music never gets boring, does it?
@@mcouzijn If I could bottle this song, I'd drink it all day...
They deserve it all. Words cannot express my love for this band. First time I saw them was 73' in Nashville. I was 16.
Lots of work for the overdub. All appreciated. Great job.
More cow bell! Also one of my favorite Yes songs, all those years ago and still sounds great.
er, excuse me, more cow bell?
@@dianequick3127 my take on Christopher Walken's skit on Saturday night live. Is funny no?
The delicate Bass musings of Chris Squire @1:50, and then the explosion of sound and joy @2:15. Sublime.
on of my all time favorite Yes tunes, cover or not Band at its PEAK
The music here and the look on Rick Wakeman's face just lifts up my spirit so high!
Just the best stuff came from this band, from 71 to 79. RIP Chris, you were the best bass player I ever saw Live.
Yes Chris Squire was my favorite bass player, and I miss him so much. Just as great a loss as Tom Petty, Gregg Allman, David Bowie, and Glenn Frey, my other hero and inspiration of the EAGLES. RIP Chris and Glenn. I miss you guys SO DAMN MUCH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
This is the best cover of the song ever in my mind. Creativity at its best.
Yes played The Warehouse in New Orleans frequently in the 70's. Saw them a few times! Greatness❤ Squire was wearing a Warehouse T-shirt in this recording😊
yes the wharehouse. saw many at 12.00 to 15.00 a pop!
RIP Chris. You are the best bassist EVER, and my personal inspiration. One cannot listen to YES music and not aspire to greatness oneself!
I aspire to it but fail miserable.
@@markhunter8554 I appreciate his genius more and more every day, and I listen to Yes every day. I can only try and approximate the wonder that Chris achieved with the picked-bass-guitar. I have a 1996 Rickenbacker 4003 fireglo Red bass-guitar I bought brand new for $946 in 1996. The varied tones of his incredible instrument and talent sound just as good today as they did over half a century ago. This year, 2021, is the 50th anniversary of their seminal and awesome FRAGILE album. RIP Chris. You ROCK.
The ultimate Yes line up….period
Rythmique d'enfer ( Bruford - Squire) , guitare de dingue, des voix incroyables, Wakeman qui s'amuse, un morceau qui m'a scotché quand je l'ai entendu la première fois ( à sa sortie ) et qui continue de me flinguer chaque fois que je l'écoute à presque 50 ans d'intervalles . Yes, sublime...
Excellent. I've been looking for this for ages and have just found it in 2021!!
@ Cliff. I am not certain if you mean this specific video, or THIS as being the band 'Yes'. When it comes upon a first discovery of the band 'Yes' - no matter when, it is like a present from God.
As covers go...this is one of the best! Steve Howe gets overlooked, but what a command of his instrument. I love that it is done in distinct parts which they kind of perfected around this time, well starting with the Yes Album. Great job cleaning this up for public consumption.
Great musicianship and vocals all the way around, especially the studio drum work on this song by Bill Bruford. One of my all time favorites! BRILLIANT! If only there would have been more jam recordings of Brufrod, Howe and Squire. Talent at its best in this song, "America". As usual, Wakeman is the most underrated funny clown...lol. Too bad we don't have a better quality video of this, but I'm just so happy to see this.
Some of Steve Howe's finest work.
True! But then, let's ask ourselves why.
My first guess: because he had a cunning intuition for combining melody with rhythm.
First concert ever summer of '77 Going for the One. Seven or so times more, always great, but never saw them do this, south side of the sky or anything from tales
Not a big Yes fan at the time I first heard this cover on a British import Atlantic sampler called 'The New Age of Atlantic' back in 1972. At the time it was not available on any other album. I was blown away and became an avid Yes fan. Perhaps the best cover of any song by anybody. Astounding! What a blessing to see some footage of the recording session. Thank you, thank you, thank you.
I know this was a cover but Yes stretched it out to a masterpiece of instrumentals(a compliment to Simon & Garfunkel). You can see how much fun they were having as they were in a zone.This lineup was total genius! They were so perfect! Yes music is Totally Timeless! RIP Chris
I was able to Hear and See "YES" Perform this Song Live Twice. What a Wonderful Song!!
I love this rendition so much! Put on my headphones, crank it up and blast my head off!!! Steve's guitar snarls on this cover...
Try again. OK, I hate to single out any one musician here but this is some of the most amazing Howe guitar work I've ever heard. He is arguably the greatest fingerstyle guitarist in rock history.
I love this song!!! Steve is amazing!!!
You can listen to this masterpiece over and over again. Absolutely stunning bassplaying by Chris. What a cover!
And the Steve Howe guitar Solo is a funky freaky HOE-DOWN. I love it so much!!! Since 1974... !
Oh my gosh! Thank you so very much for uploading this. I agree, this version of "America" is pure dynamite.
Above all, a GREAT ARRANGEMENT. A masterpiece of prog rock, YES is the most representative one.
Perfect music. This is the America I have been longing after.
Try SONG FOR AMERICA, by KANSAS. Similar earth-shaking and soul-quaking music!
Brought to you by British... hmmm
Cranked this song a few weeks ago traveling down the NJ turnpike heading to Delaware from MA. to pick up a pair of Large Advents. Couldn't think of a better tune traveling at 93 mph and remembering the first time I heard it and about to get the original speakers from that time to hear it on again. Thanks for posting.
Holy fckin shit y’all, how did I not know this version existed?!!! This is badass central
It was a total surprise to me too, when I discovered this gem somewhere down the corners and dungeons of a fan website.
I took an hour or so to replace the original (badly sounding) music (which wasn't live either, just the studio recording in all its 32 kB/s glory :-) with a proper audio and do some syncing.
Now we're 11 years and 335,000 happy viewers later, and I'm still happy to attract new viewers like you. Hey, enjoy!
Thanks for the upload. Fantastic cover. Brilliant musicians in their youthful prime. The sound Squire got from his Rickenbacker was absolutely amazing (thanks in part to his picking technique too). Squire is my bass god.
Tremendous cover of an amazingly prolific artist by a tremendous band thank you much...This is the version that is ....
Would love to see a high-quality transfer of the original film
Me too. Who should own a copy of the original video master? I guess it was recorded on video rather than film.
Omg ……. I forgot YES covered this Simon & Garfunkel song! How could I ?
Yes rocking off their asses on this one. Much as I love Alan White, I have to admit that Chris + Bill + Howe had a hell of a rock groove going. Best line up ever.
I've said it many times, but looking back from 61 years of age, this was easily THE BEST iteration of YES.
Jon and Rick always got along well. But it's sad that around 2008, relationships were poisoned with the other band members, and they kicked out Jon. Rick was never behind that, as he's a loyal guy.
Any 'peace and love' that YES may have proclaimed at a certain time in history went right out of the window with Alan and even Chris saying 'no' to Jon.
And Alan let that all happen.
It is sad.
Anyway, we still have that good music!
Absolutely great! thanks for posting. Great job! One of my Yes favorites songs, ever.
+viagensimagens My pleasure :-) And I agree on the 'my YES favorites songs ever'!
Written by Paul Simon in 1965 when I was 4 years old.
When Paul Simon, who wrote this song on a grey Tuesday morning, was a mere 24 years old. And with that song, he (and his offspring like this YES song) has inspired millions of people both younger and older than him, all across the globe. This is what good songwriting can do.
@@mcouzijn Thank you for the information about when the song was written.
Incredible love this
THIS is the lineup of Yes that made the band rich and famous. Amazing to have this rare video of them at work - including of course their great producer/engineer Eddie Offord. Bill Bruford is at his best here; clearly he is a major player in the creative force of Yes. His jazz sensibilities, his distaste for BS were a perfect foil to the creative geniuses of the other four musicians. Think of how different their three great albums - The Yes Album, Fragile and Close To The Edge - were from each other, and yet all were an ascending triumph of creativity. Bill thought that after CTTE the band could only do "son of" CTTE. They had achieved the summit; it would no longer be interesting for Bill, so he left. BUT IMAGINE IF BILL HAD STAYED! Try to imagine Tales with Bill on drums! OMG!
Considering how bored and frustrated Bill was with the recording of Close to the Edge (read Yesstories or Chris Welch's Close to the Edge) Tales would've killed him.
I haven't gotten chills in a while by seeing a piece of music, but this did it...Yes fan for 4 decades and this is the first time I saw this great song done "live" by YES...It would have been cool if they recorded every note but, It was still real cool! So nice to see them so young and vibrant...Wakeman, steve and Chris looking like kids..:)...Thanks so much for the upload...
Thank you so much. This is one of the most enjoyable videos I seen here.
BTW, that is Eddy Offord behind the mixing console. Producer.
Sure he is the prducer/mixer here. But we hardly ever get to see his face. Only on 7:36 or so.
Most people know Eddie's photo only from the back side of the 'Close to the Edge' LP cover.