This is what cover songs should always be about: taking the original and doing something unique to the cover artist. It succeeds brilliantly on every level. Why cover a song if you're not going to change it? The original will always be there, after all.
Totally agree with you, that covers should move into new ground, otherwise why bother? Which is why the Goo Goo Dolls' cover of "Give a Little Bit" was so disappointing, or the Counting Crows' "Big Yellow Taxi". Just too close to the original.
They completely "Yesified" the song - and it is awesome. When the classic lineup reformed in the early 2000s, they put this in their setlist and it was awesome. It is certainly a fan favorite.
I think the Yes cover is more about being an homage to the USA than a tribute to Paul Simon, who they had a lot of respect for.. They had only been over here a few times by 1972, yet they were finding huge support and a giant new fanbase of people who loved what they were doing, and they were grateful and appreciative of this country.. The fact that Chris Squire inserts that "America" motif from West Side Story in there just reinforces that their song is more about the country and their American friends and fans than anything. . . .in my opinion.
I agree I think by the end you feel like part of this busy throng of people going somewhere. Like the new jersey turn pike or a airport or a busy street. Everyone going somewhere trying to look for America.
Agreed. Paul Simon is from Queens, NY which puts more meaning in the disillusionment by the time reaches the New Jersey Turnpike. Being a natural born citizen living through the 1960s, he had a certain view of America (Where have you gone Joe DiMaggio?) . At this time Yes were all from the UK that was still scarred by WWII, and they may have viewed America as the legendary "land of opportunity", so they produced a more up beat and optimistic song. Even New Jersey is exotic. I think I heard Jon Anderson express this kind of optimistic view of the song and Yes looking for America in interviews over the years. Keeping in mind the positive interpretation of the song and Chris Squire inserting West Side Story, I think Steve Howe throws in Blues riffs and it sounds like maybe Rockabilly and Country riffs to represent American sounds that were his influences.
Paul Simon did spend a fair amount of 1965 in England playing folk clubs and meeting and hanging out with English folkies and fans. Maybe they covered America because it is such a great tune!?
That’s a good one. Peter Banks on guitar and Bill Bruford on drums gave this much jazzier feel to their sound. It seems they were finding their way. I still have the vinyl of ‘Yes’, would have been wonderful to have seen them at the Marquee in London back then.
That one I actually like better than the Beatles version - I know, sacrilege! But they took a very minor Beatles song and turned it into a glorious anthem to love.
Paul Simon loves this version and even told Steve Howe that the lengthy guitar section belongs to him and Howe has released it on one of his Homebrew albums.
Absolutely right. The long guitar solo is an essential part of this version and I love it, too. It really paints the journey. I got to know the Yes version first, years before hearing the original, and to me they are great successes both of them, each on its own terms artistically.
Yes covered "America" in a very general sense. Not only in the Simon and Garfunkel song, but I also hear a strong country influence - Steve Howe is a big Chet Atkins fan. The jam in the middle reminds me of Aaron Copeland's Hoe-Down. Granted, they threw everything but the kitchen sink at this one, but I'm hearing a young Yes playing at the height of their ability and energy. I can think of no drummer who sounds like Bill Bruford. Pay attention to the interplay between Bill and Chris Squire.
Bill and Chris were often at odds with one other in regards what the role of kick and drum were supposed to be doing half the time (with Bill going off on all his tangents). I prefered the interplay between Alan and Chris, which placed more emphasis on providing low end 'weight' overall rather than just showcasing Bill's agility on the top kit.
@@robinwatson4282 I've always liked the live version of "America" on Keys to Ascension (with Alan White) better than the studio version. The tempo is a bit quicker, the middle section rocks more, it's more cohesive. Wakeman contributes much more as well. But I think White is the reason why the later version is more successful. Bruford is a drumming God to most people, but he's not perfect.
Agree! Howe's solo really shows off his American and country guitar influences - it was the most American-sounding, swaggering solo he had recorded with Yes so far (except possibly the jam with Bruford and Squire towards the end of the live Perpetual Change, taped in New York around six months earlier).
While you were talking about “listening for quotes” during the 6/8 section of the intro, Steve Howe was quoting the chorus of the song on his guitar. This happens just before Squire quotes Bernstein on his bass.
He was negative with this right off the bat. Didn't seem open to enjoying the song or even objectively analyzing it. Maybe I don't put as much value in defining it as a cover.
Yes is riffing off of Bernstein’s America throughout their intro and during the lyrical interludes. The Yes version is seemingly a cover of Bernstein’s and Simon & Garfunkel’s Americas.
The difference in the two songs can be summed up in this way: Simon and Garfunkel's versions is as Americans, looking at America and wanting to find the greatness they've heard about, but the emptiness in their own hearts and the disappointment in America's failings keeps them from seeing it.... The Yes version is like British tourists coming to see America and seeing America with the excitement of foreign eyes. Any emptiness they have is from being an outsider who will one day return home... I think the perspective difference is felt in the tone of the music and the way they sing different lines. It would be the same as me, an outsider, visiting the UK and not understanding what it is like to grow up there.
Great observation. I've always thought it ironic that Yes, a British band, covered the song America. But this interpretation makes total sense of the arrangement.
I agree with just about everyone here. This is Yes's homage to all the musical styles and players that influenced their playing. Bernstein, Simon, Chet Atkins, Dick Dale, Aaron Copeland, jazz, blues, funk., etc, etc, etc. They too were looking for (and to) America. Simply brilliant! Doug, please re-listen using this POV.
You can be a purist and hate the treatment that Yes gave to this classic but you can only admire the musicality, inventiveness and sheer virtuosity of the band. These guys were and are some of the greatest individual musicians ever and at their best few bands could match their playing ability.
As a "classic period" Yes-head, this particular Yes offering has been a favourite of mine since I first heard it in around 1974. I understand your discomfort, however I think this version is best enjoyed for its sonic and exhilarating instrumental prowess, rather than as a "song". Steve Howe, especially, seems to have been given the keys to the Ferrari. And we still have Paul Simon's wonderful original masterpiece to enjoy. I'm glad to have both!
This is one of the greatest examples of Chris Squire's unique bass tone. Listen to the quarter notes in the two measures leading up to the start of the vocal on the first verse. Perfect!
His tone is impeccable. Those quarter notes are chunky ear candy. His bass work throughout is one melodic hook after another. Such a stellar artist in so many ways. He used to prowl that stage like a cat. Show stealer. He is the reason I started playing bass. I miss him.
Jimi Hendrix took a singer/songwriter song, "All Along the Watch Tower" and made it in his style but made you think about the song differently. In fact, Dylan later started doing it in that style and acknowledged what Jimi did for his creation. Yes does the same thing here to America. Listen to the guitar solos. Listen to the bass lines. (You got the Bernstein reference. Good.) They are literally a journey across America. This interpretation is brilliant and I urge you to re-listen to it. I like your Yes reactions generally, but you really did not understand this masterpiece.
I honestly think it's a mindset/perspective thing. I don't know if Doug could ever appreciate this version. And that would be okay because, like Doug said, art reaches us all in different ways.
Although the original is well written this version is infinitely more interesting whether you "like" it or not. You really have to let go of your expectations to really enjoy it.
Like it or not, the entire band is on fire here. Bruford and Squire locked in tight. Like some have mentioned, I also take it from the point of view of the protagonists not being from America.
Just sit back and enjoy Steve Howe's mastery of American-style guitar picking! I'm sure Chet Atkins did! It requires multiple listens and gets better every time. IMO it's in the top 5 Yes songs of all time.
I think this is the main point of their reinterpretation...a play on the title itself. Lots of American style guitar playing going on: country, blues, etc.
This isn't a cover it's a rendtion. You *need* to listen to Yes' version of "Something's Coming" just f'n epic. Edit: there is a shorter version of this recording that was on Yesyears ~4 min long makes much more sense and probably more of what you might have been expecting.
When Steve does this solo live it's absolutely insane, always changes it up and keeps it interesting for minutes on end. This is exactly what a cover "should" be it should be the bands taken on the song, the executed that perfectly here.
Steve Howe met Paul Simon in the 80s. Paul told Steve that not only did he really like Yes's cover, but that he should have taken a writing credit for his amazing solo! Talk about praise!
I was hoping that someone would mention that Simon told Howe that he should have taken a writing credit. Having heard Doug’s thoughts on Yes’s version, I’m wondering now if Simon did not want to be solely responsible for this version. I know that Jon and Chris wanted to do “covers” like Vanilla Fudge. And, I know that they liked the vocal harmonies of S&G. But, I wonder how much Wakeman contributed to this showpiece of their instrumental talent. He had just come out of the Royal College of Music where he learned to perform anyone’s music in the style of any classical composer.
I don't think Paul Simon would have been worried about anyone confusing the Yes bits for his writing. I think he was just genuinely wanting Yes to take credit for their own writing in this version. As for Wakeman, this was definitely a pull from the Tony Kaye vaults for the band, and Wakeman is so good that he undoubtedly came up with something to add very quickly.
Could they be riffing on different styles of American music? I've heard blues, southern, Cuban? you mentioned Bernstein. It seems like it would fit into looking for America.
I have to say as much as I love the original version, I love this version that much more. I have heard this before so I knew what you were in for. I'm happy you enjoyed it for what it was. You should listen to it again out of the S & G mind set. I really enjoy your reactions to the music I grew up listening to and getting your take on them. Keep up the good work.
Watch the video from the “Keys to Ascension” tour where they include the missing verse. I don’t think of what Yes did to this song as corrupting the spirit of the original song so much as viewing it as an homage to the idea of America. Yes creates complex and intricate music; they all were phenomenally talented. They took the original composition and exploded it and then put its pieces back together with winks and nods to things that were quintessentially American: Jazz, Blues, Bernstein and a fore-shadowing of American pop/dance music that was emerging. As outsiders, they saw the energy of America and celebrated it with ebullience.
Remember, YES is an English group. Expecting them to understand how we feel about this piece of America is unrealistic. What may be sacred to us, is not necessarily felt by other musicians. YES just took a number that they liked and made it their own without worrying about stepping on our patriotic toes. It is an incredible rendition and should be enjoyed for how they performed it, not as Simon meant it. Think Joe Cocker covering "With a Little Help From My Friends". If you believe that the original should not be stepped on, you'll miss the point. I bought the "Yesterdays" LP when it first came out and, immediately, found this cut to be my favorite on that album. Bruford and Wakeman together? Don't hear THAT everyday.
Having grown up with Yes in the 70s I made my first visit to the USA in the early 80s. To me the Yes rendition was the soundtrack of my trip to Oregon and California to visit Brit friends who had moved there. Nowadays there is so much of the USA shown on TV that it has become familiar to anyone with a TV or internet connection..back then it was wondrous to a European visiting for the first time, the vast open spaces, seemingly endless forests and the almost naive openness of Americans and their famous hospitality to strangers. I think Yes were similarly struck by their first visit in 1971 and IMO their interpretation of the Simon and Garfunkel classic shows that in its expansiveness and optimism
@@Swindonboy56 I'm sure that you are correct. The USA was a place, at that time, that still offered a wondrous experience that many in the rest of the world had not been exposed to. I, along with millions of Americans, went to Europe during this period to see what was going on in that part of the world. Glad I did, because it has all changed so drastically, and not necessarily for the better. What I was trying to convey to Doug was that I believe that he missed the point of the Yes version. Their point, if there was one, was simply to take a beautiful song and build their own masterpiece around it which, I believe, they did incredibly. I'm not sure, however, that they were trying to stay with the theme of the lyrics that Simon had, so wonderfully, penned. This was a time in the band's life where they were about to take off, and, with the addition of Wakeman, they really jumped at that opportunity.
@@Swindonboy56 Yes! The Simon & Garfunkel piece, in its lyrics and in its musical timbre, is very much about a one-time insider disillusioned, without clear meaning and purpose, searching for that meaning. It's an existential crisis. The Yes cover is about an outsider visiting, bewildered, excited at the novelty. Any emptiness is born of a profound lack of familiarity and ready ease in a strange setting, displaced, but only for a bit. It's a safe risk, at worst presenting brief homesickness or mild anxiety. They're having a blast, but every now and then they're profoundly aware they're not at home despite the fun. The music in any Yes piece informs the meaning of the lyrics profoundly. So it is here, even though they've borrowed the lyrics.
They are also playing some classic American riffs and styles which aren't Yes either. From a UK It's a musical tour of Americana, it uses the S&G track as framework for a musical tour of American styles.
The guys were in their peak form just jamming ideas along the song. One of the things I most love about this version is the rawness of the production, with the actual tones/timbres of the instruments, and also the calculated freedom with they play. Something very different from the production and arrangements they create in a regular recording environment, where everything is overproduced, overdubbed and minusciously crafted to it's ideal perfection. Maybe this is why they decided to release this song in an collection album focused in their first two albums, when the formation presented a rawer overall sound compared to the post-Howe incarnations of prog extravaganza.
19:41 worthy note in my opinion: This song is an acquired taste. I love both versions and the strange disconnect from the juxtaposition of genres was certainly a sensation I experienced when I listened for the first time. However, as you listen to the Yes cover more you will grow to enjoy it more, especially once you begin see it as it’s own separate entity from the original.
I have always LOVED this cover by Yes! Amazing......this is what a great cover should be.....they totally stayed true to their sound while honoring the beauty of the original......FANTASTIC!
Steve Howe generally avoided playing anything that other rock players would play, particularly the blues. He took this song as an opportunity to play all his “American” licks - country and blues - as a thematic tie-in to the lyrics. Oh, and I believe this missing verse is in the earlier 14-18 minute live versions. Steve later met Paul Simon: “Paul Simon walked out the door with his son, and I looked at him, and a big smile came on my face and said, "Paul, it's Steve Howe from Yes." He says, "Oh really, nice to meet you," and he was very, very calm, very nice, we were just standing there talking. So I really built up some confidence and I said, "Have you ever heard our version of 'America'?" and he said, "Yeah! That's a great version, really is a great version." So I said to him, "I'll tell the guys; we're really happy you liked it, because obviously we did it to make you happy, but because it's a great song." So he said, "So what about that guitar solo in the middle? ," I said, "You know, um... " and he said to me, "That guitar solo's great. Why don't you just use it on its own? You don't have to credit me, if that's not me." Steve has since named it “Southern Solo.” A band called Clouds (known at the time as 1-2-3) did an extended version of the song. Some say Yes stole the arrangement, but other than being a longer song with different sections, etc. it doesn’t sound that similar. The most interesting thing is that 1-2-3 performed America and Sounds of Silence live prior to the Simon and Garfunkel release. They had heard demo tapes of the songs.
This has always been a great song y’all. People here are analyzing it too much especially Doug.Who cares how close it is to S and G.It stands alone as another superb Yes song.Period.
You’re right.I get it.My only point is the Yes version can be a million miles away from S and G and still be a great composition in its own right.It’s impact and musicality should not be mitigated as a result of it’s differences.
It is brilliant. I remember hearing it for the first time, and my shock at hearing a 4/4 instead of a 3/4. I read Paul SImon appreciated Steve Howes amazing guitar work in this version. Indeed, they made it a different song, I like both this one and the original.
So happy to have stumbled upon this! I love your channel and I especially love this analysis! (“Variations on ‘America’,” indeed.) Thank you for your hard work! Very generous!
Not so much a cover as a reimagining. It captures some of the essence of the S&G track yet goes to a different place. In the end it becomes a very Yes song. So glad you reviewed it. When I first played it for my parents and older sister who were huge S&G fans, they hated it. You are right, you can’t hear it as a cover but a reworking. When you do so, it can grab you. It’s one of my favourite Yes tunes to this day.
The song was recorded before Fragile, as a jam. Rick Wakeman had just joined. Steve Howe used it as a tribute to Nashville guitar playing, Jerry Reed and Chet Atkins etc.... the last verse still means the same, except by 1971 the attitude was "get over the dissolution and make some good inside yourselves. "
This song is definitely an artifact of Yes’s roots. Their *Yesterdays* if you will (they did). I have another Yes deep cut for you, if you liked that little “Squire does Bernstein” moment! The deluxe edition of their debut album “Yes” includes two versions of “Something’s Coming” from West Side Story. Evidently, before they were famous for beautiful 20-minute prog epics, they were known locally for doing wild and funky re-arrangements of other popular songs. They released quite a few of them on both “Yes” and “Time and A Word.” Some highlights: I See You - The Byrds Every Little Thing - The Beatles No Opportunity Necessary; No Experience Needed - Ritchie Havens Their cover of the latter also includes a bafflingly dangerous promotional video wherein Yes takes turns driving a convertible down a highway and goofing off by doing stuff like… sitting on the hood of the moving car… terrifying but quite funny.
That video you mention was part of Yes' appearance on a half-hour weekly Dutch program at the time that featured one band per show. They always had carte blanche to fill the time, and Yes did several 'videos' as well as some goofy, Monkees-ish interviews. Check the 'video' for 'Astral Traveller" which is a straight performance, but with everyone on the wrong instruments. Except Jon, of course. Also the 'video' for "Everydays" with the band alternating between punting on the Tyne and being chased through a village by a nun. So totally not making this up. And the nun was Chris' then-current wife, Nikki. I picked up a bootleg VHS of the show at YesCon 1987.
Also, Yes doesn't put a lot of stock into lyrics. They probably just liked the song and wanted to do their own version with whatever musicality sounded good, not necessarily matching the music to the lyrics.
You should do TEMPUS FUGIT from the DRAMA release by YES. I personally really like the DRAMA release but it seemed to be overlooked by many. Or maybe the song DOES IT REALLY HAPPEN.
Yes, sadly overlooked … And Beautiful Solid Album! Very tight playing like Yes, because Steve, Chris, Alan are there and Geoff Downes is terrific! Trevor horn is very good Signer, but can never replace our beloved Jon Anderson…Period!!!
I had already been a Yes fan for years when I first heard this. I bought "The New Age Of Atlantic" because someone told me there was a Yes B-side on it, with Bill Bruford playing drums. As a huge Bruford fan and a Yes fan to boot, I was blown away when I first heard their reinterpretation. It's one of the best things the band has ever done. I think one of the reasons I liked it so much out of the gate was because, at the time, I wasn't a Simon & Garfunkel fan - or at least I hadn't heard their original version prior to hearing this version. I finally learned the song on drums a couple of years ago, and man, was it difficult to do in one take! Brilliant music from brilliant musicians.
When Anderson and Squire met, one asked the other if he was a fan of Simon and Garfunkel. The answer was “Yes”. At least that’s the story. As a big fan of Yes, this is a favorite. They give it what Bruford has called “the Yes treatment”. Steve Howe says he tried to incorporate the sound of some his favorite American guitar influences, especially Chet Atkins. I heard and knew this version before I appreciated the original. So to your take on it, Doug, there’s definitely an interesting influence of how one came to know the tune in terms of our expectations and enjoyment in hearing it. With respect for your musical preferences regarding this composition, comparing the S&G version to the rearrangement by Yes is like comparing a cocker spaniel and a coyote. 😂
C'mon Doug, you can't expect a band like Yes to do the song as the original, In their early years they covered a host of other people's material in their own unique way. Please accept it for what it is. ie their own interpretation of someone else's song. It is what it is and I for one love it PS I think it was recorded 1969 or 1970.
@@paulmouradjian6045 Yes. The band had recorded it after Rick Wakeman joined. However, Yes were playing it (an earlier version of the song) on the Yes album tour in 71, while original keyboardist Tony Kaye was still with them.
There is actually a live version of this cover available on TH-cam featuring Tony (Hammond Organ) Kaye on keyboards. th-cam.com/video/3Wk-rnYla3M/w-d-xo.html&ab_channel=YesSource So the band was playing this cover in various manifestations in concert before Rick Wakeman came on board, so the "arrangement" evolved for a while in that 1 1/2 yrs after Steve Howe joined the group & before Wakeman joined. As far as I know, it was the _last_ cover they recorded as a band. In my opinion, it's _stupendous._ Probably the best single presentation of the Squire/Bruford magic they gave us for a few albums. Probably the most amazing thing is Bruford didn't share the opinion of most YES fans like me that those two playing together in YES formed the Best "Rhythm Section" in Progressive Rock...
Fascinating to hear the evolution of this song, thanks! Love the way Kaye harmonizes some of opening - Much richer than Wakeman (surprisingly). I think you hear the missing verse of Simon's original (that Doug laments) at the 7:00 mark. Understandably, it was cut - It doesn't work. Overall, I find this version interesting, but too diffuse and rambling. Howe's solo goes on too long, and the ending is weird - You can hear in the audience's reaction. As I said elsewhere in the comments, I think the best version of "America" is on Keys to Ascension - It totally rocks, and is cohesive. But, to each his own!
Geez man! Just listen! Yes did to America what CSNY did to Joni Mitchell's Woodstock. This is an awesome cover. Go back and listen to some of the early Yes albums. They are full of covers all done in Yes style.
Great selection Doug!! This has always been one of my favorite YES compositions. And I’ve always considered this one of the greatest covers in all of rock music. Incredible.
I know you’re approaching these reactions as a classical composer and music theorist. And I appreciate and understand what you were saying… Except I didn’t know what a German five wise However, as a guitar player, I noticed that you were concentrating more on the structure of the song and how it relates to the Simon and Garfunkel version, during what I consider to be one of the finest electric guitar solos and rock ‘n’ roll. It is brilliantly crafted and built upon and I recommend that you listen to it again paying close attention to the guitar work. Thank you very much for choosing this selection
This cover blew my mind when I first heard it after buying the “Yesterdays” album in 1975. I adore both versions, the original and this cover. I don’t believe you can really compare them as they are so completely different.
The key to this song is to understand that it is a tribute to "American styles of music" and, thereby, a tribute to America as a concept. Steve Howe's parts all the way through are a tour de force of all American styles of music. Different guitars used, different styles - country, funk, jazz, blues, rock. Chris working in Bernstein, etc. Yes is all about "the music." So Yes used this American song, by a popular American duo, about America, as a springboard to offer their take on "their America": The music styles themselves. I love this song. Listen to it a few more times through that lens, maybe it will grow on you too.
So glad you've heard this, an amazing reinterpretation and so inventive that Paul Simon approved of favourably. The Age of Atlantic album has other gems like 'Sam Stone' by John Prine, 'Hey, Hey What Can I Do' Led Zep and 'Motel Blues' Loudon Wainwright III. All for 99p!
Doug, glad you finally got around to exposing yourself to this version. IMO, an absolute masterpiece. Howe's solo is one of my favorite guitar solos of all time.
You may not be a fan but.. I sure am! Best cover ever.. But every cover YES does is better then the originals. Check out the Beatles song "Every little thing" off their first album. They throw "Paperback Writer" into it. "I see you" is a cover on that album too. They Masterpiece that song. It's so much better too. They've covered "Somewhere" from West Side Story too. Their versions are always outrageous. They turn a good song into a great song. "America" would be considered an extra. Genesis has many of them. They're songs that don't fit timewise on albums.
Yes also did a great cover of Richie Haven's obscure "No Opportunity Necessary, No Experience Needed" for their second album and turned it into something completely different.
I must say that I am a huge fan of Yes' cover of America and have been since I first heard it back in the late 70s. I am also a huge fan of Simon and Garfunkel, Paul Simon as a solo artist, Paul Simon as a songwriter AND, in particular, S&G's original, and classic, version of America. But I will also add, Doug, that this is my favorite reaction video of yours to date. Your objective and insightful take on the original lyric and how, in your view, Jon Anderson may have missed the mark on his vocal interpretation was, to say the least, extremely interesting to me. I have a whole new perspective on, and appreciation of, this song. Well done.
Hi Doug. I can understand your reaction to this when you feel someone has walked all over a tune that sits so sacred in your heart. It hurts. I would hate to think that someone would ever attempt to replace Awaken by YES. Listen to it again but through the eyes and ears of Yes music and not what Paul Simon so beautifully conveyed all those many years ago. This was never meant to be a replacement to the original but a celebration and appreciation of the craft of Simon and Garfunkel. A similarity is Disturbed’s version of The Sound of Silence. We love them both for what they are. Sacred ground Doug, sacred ground……. From a big fan.
Having been at several Yes concerts back in the days and I loved the way they played it then and you reminded of how great Yes is. I will probably be listening to their old stuff tomorrow. I wonder if you'd ever heard of Mark and Clark Band with their song Worn Down Piano, going back to seventies.
When they sing "I don't know why" it didn't sound happy and funky. The pitch goes up and the voice fades off. It sounds almost desperate fitting well with the lyric.
When I first bought this album and played this tune I was unaware of Simon and Garfunkel's version because at that time I was not into pop or folk music so when I finally branched out into more genres I finally heard the original which I had to get used to. It didn't take long and I fell in love with it.
This should have on Fragile. It works beautifully live and Yes have really made it their own. Wakeman always said that what he liked about Yes was the way they orchestrated the music and made it so distinctive.
Howe was definitely inserting his favorite American guitarist influences and I am talking famous old guitarists that came before us all and who inspired Steve when he was growing up. Given the song was America he used this song as a sketch pad to throw out a collage of licks based on the works of old school Guitar greats from the early days of rock and roll.
I think you are way off the mark here. What’s the point of doing a cover if it sounds like the original? YES did a great job of putting their own spin to this. I love it. Very creative.
Hi Doug! My neighbor rolled me a joint today so I can calm my anxiety and then watch your video . I also like when Yes covered "Something's Coming" from West Side Story. I remember when I heard the Simon & Garfunkel version of "America" a couple of years after getting really into the Yes version. I felt the same as you. So much more poignant and touching. Yes' is quite the jam, though! Cheers!
Here's a guy who very effectively brought classical pieces into jazz: the Jacques Loussier Trio. Most known for his albums of Bach, but they did one called "Beyond Bach", on which they do Mozart, as well as Chopin, Vivaldi, Handel, etc. Would love to hear your take on it, Doug!
I was going to post about the Jacques Loussier trio and then I read your comment. While he was saying that, I started listening to The Four Seasons Jazz rendition in my head by Jacques' Trio, and I was like "sorry, Doug, but that's been done already... And it's really good stuff"
That's ok Doug. I guess they said the same about "Hey Joe" until Hendrix got a hold of it. This is one of my favorite Yes songs. And not is it only Chris Squire inserting the West Side Story motif but also Steve Howe in the intro and through out. For some back then, this was the first version of the song that they have ever heard, because we were rockers. Simon and Garfunkel had so many hits in the late 60s that "America" was probably not as popular on the radio as the others. And that is how some music was heard, on AM radio stations on transistor radios.
Chris Squire, from an interview in 2010: "? Yeah, well back in the early days of 1968 when Jon and I first met and we first started talking about music one of the topics was that we both enjoyed Simon & Garfunkel." Steve Howe met Paul Simon and said that Paul was very approving of our version of "America"." Many were taken aback by the musical departures here. Those who never heard the Simon and Garfunkel original nonetheless still got the message of the original lyrics. Which is a good thing. While folk liked this or didn't, it was never industry drama of any kind at the time. Apparently S+G were fine with this. Likely honored that Anderson and Squire were inspired by them and their harmonies. Blessings.
I have always loved both versions. I learnt to play guitar with the Simon & Garfunkel Greatest Hits songbook, and Yes were my favourite band in the 70's. I'm surprised you missed that the second theme of Yes's long intro and the main theme of the coda are based on the hummed introduction to the original version. Listen to them back to back.
Maybe you should get away from the term "cover" and just call it a song based on an idea of Simon & Garfunkel and then listen to it again. I know the song doesn't have much to do with the original, but it's great. Yes, incidentally, did something similar with "Something's Coming" from the West Side Story. This "cover" is definitely worth listening too.
Doug, you totally missed the point of Yes’s masterpiece. Perhaps if the title was “A Fantasy on America” it would have resonated with your classical upbringing, but you viewed this work in the wrong light. Being a classical composer, I’ll give you a better example to put this in context. This was not a mere “cover” of a song, but rather a fantasia in the vein of the ultimate innovator who broke more classical rules than all his peers, namely Franz Liszt. Liszt coined the terms “Paraphrase” and “Reminiscences” to describe works which took snippets of music from other composer’s opera’s to create wholly unique works in their own right, or fantasies where his freedom was unbridled and allowed to explore new and uncharted territories. Such as Liszt’s “Reminiscences de Robert le Diable” or his “Paraphrase on Verdi’s Rigoletto” And YES did the same, taking the seeds laid down by Simon & Garfunkel to create a musically sophisticated fantasia, one that’s been a regular feature on my playlist since its very release many decades ago. It’s a brilliant composition that echoes the very reason why the band called themselves “Yes”; namely because they view the world in a positive light. So, if they ended this piece on a high note, rather than Paul Simon’s somber one, that’s typical Yes, as even their very few works about war or tragedy (ie. Gates of Delirium) ended with a ray of light… or “Soon, oh soon the light.” So sad you missed the beauty in this work, for as a composition its an uplifting dynamo, and one that always made me feel proud to be an American… something sorely missing in today’s world.
DOUG!!! This is an homage to US music. When you are off the video, listen again and again. Several others have had similar comments. It's not about the song America! However, Steve Howe has always had a rockabilly edge and the band went right along with his bend on this, added the blues, and a few other things from that age. Prog rock is what it is. They took this theme, reworked it in their own way, and well, it's an amazing piece of music.
Well I have to disagree, this is great song. That said, I think it's great to hear you state that you don't like it that much, shows honesty, too many of these TH-cam analysts seem like yes men to me,. Hmm no pun intended
Absolutley Killer. Its YES at its finest, top lineup. I boarded a bus in CT went to TX ended up in the Navy in 82. It was my walk off to look for America. Great time.
Really worth watching the video of Swedish sisters who comprise the core of First Aid Kit plus orchestra performing America at Polar Awards with Paul Simon in audience and then Red Dirt Girl another year in front of Emily Lou Harris!
This is how Yes started - doing extended jams on popular tunes of the day, In The Midnight Hours, Beatles, The Byrds, Bernstein.. the first two albums have a few tunes that hark at that. Note - the percussion in the play out.. that Bruford playing congas through a wah pedal :-)
Yes's version is, musically, superior. I dont care it steps on someone's toes of hardened pre-conception. U can love your original for better locking music with the lyrics, but that's just a song and this version is far more interesting overall.
This is what cover songs should always be about: taking the original and doing something unique to the cover artist. It succeeds brilliantly on every level. Why cover a song if you're not going to change it? The original will always be there, after all.
Like DEVO’s Satisfaction.
Irons with Women In Uniform was another huge one
Exactly.
Totally agree with you, that covers should move into new ground, otherwise why bother? Which is why the Goo Goo Dolls' cover of "Give a Little Bit" was so disappointing, or the Counting Crows' "Big Yellow Taxi". Just too close to the original.
I agree, Nick Cave did a great Leonard Cohen cover ‘Tower of Song’
They completely "Yesified" the song - and it is awesome. When the classic lineup reformed in the early 2000s, they put this in their setlist and it was awesome. It is certainly a fan favorite.
It's also on Keys to Ascension.
Bloody Brilliant
I think the Yes cover is more about being an homage to the USA than a tribute to Paul Simon, who they had a lot of respect for.. They had only been over here a few times by 1972, yet they were finding huge support and a giant new fanbase of people who loved what they were doing, and they were grateful and appreciative of this country.. The fact that Chris Squire inserts that "America" motif from West Side Story in there just reinforces that their song is more about the country and their American friends and fans than anything. . . .in my opinion.
Yep I definitely hear references to Jazz,Blues,Disco and Country.
I agree I think by the end you feel like part of this busy throng of people going somewhere. Like the new jersey turn pike or a airport or a busy street. Everyone going somewhere trying to look for America.
@@jbassguy571 we need to make America happen everywhere!
Agreed. Paul Simon is from Queens, NY which puts more meaning in the disillusionment by the time reaches the New Jersey Turnpike. Being a natural born citizen living through the 1960s, he had a certain view of America (Where have you gone Joe DiMaggio?) . At this time Yes were all from the UK that was still scarred by WWII, and they may have viewed America as the legendary "land of opportunity", so they produced a more up beat and optimistic song. Even New Jersey is exotic. I think I heard Jon Anderson express this kind of optimistic view of the song and Yes looking for America in interviews over the years.
Keeping in mind the positive interpretation of the song and Chris Squire inserting West Side Story, I think Steve Howe throws in Blues riffs and it sounds like maybe Rockabilly and Country riffs to represent American sounds that were his influences.
Paul Simon did spend a fair amount of 1965 in England playing folk clubs and meeting and hanging out with English folkies and fans. Maybe they covered America because it is such a great tune!?
If you think Yes re-arranged "America", you should hear their re-arrangement of The Beatles' "Every Little Thing", from their 1st album.
That’s a good one. Peter Banks on guitar and Bill Bruford on drums gave this much jazzier feel to their sound. It seems they were finding their way. I still have the vinyl of ‘Yes’, would have been wonderful to have seen them at the Marquee in London back then.
They did it as encores years later as well.
That one I actually like better than the Beatles version - I know, sacrilege! But they took a very minor Beatles song and turned it into a glorious anthem to love.
Exactly what i was thinking. I had to listen to it.
And they are big Beatles fans--so there ya go! (They were Simon and Garfunkel fans too.)
Paul Simon loves this version and even told Steve Howe that the lengthy guitar section belongs to him and Howe has released it on one of his Homebrew albums.
Absolutely right. The long guitar solo is an essential part of this version and I love it, too. It really paints the journey.
I got to know the Yes version first, years before hearing the original, and to me they are great successes both of them, each on its own terms artistically.
I was wondering if they, Simon and Garfunkel, liked this version of their song. I love it!!😊
Yes covered "America" in a very general sense. Not only in the Simon and Garfunkel song, but I also hear a strong country influence - Steve Howe is a big Chet Atkins fan. The jam in the middle reminds me of Aaron Copeland's Hoe-Down. Granted, they threw everything but the kitchen sink at this one, but I'm hearing a young Yes playing at the height of their ability and energy. I can think of no drummer who sounds like Bill Bruford. Pay attention to the interplay between Bill and Chris Squire.
Yes, there were several American music styles strewn about the song
Bill and Chris were often at odds with one other in regards what the role of kick and drum were supposed to be doing half the time (with Bill going off on all his tangents). I prefered the interplay between Alan and Chris, which placed more emphasis on providing low end 'weight' overall rather than just showcasing Bill's agility on the top kit.
@@robinwatson4282 I've always liked the live version of "America" on Keys to Ascension (with Alan White) better than the studio version. The tempo is a bit quicker, the middle section rocks more, it's more cohesive. Wakeman contributes much more as well. But I think White is the reason why the later version is more successful. Bruford is a drumming God to most people, but he's not perfect.
@@scotttisdel138 cool
Agree! Howe's solo really shows off his American and country guitar influences - it was the most American-sounding, swaggering solo he had recorded with Yes so far (except possibly the jam with Bruford and Squire towards the end of the live Perpetual Change, taped in New York around six months earlier).
While you were talking about “listening for quotes” during the 6/8 section of the intro, Steve Howe was quoting the chorus of the song on his guitar. This happens just before Squire quotes Bernstein on his bass.
yes. I was surprised Doug missed that.
He was negative with this right off the bat. Didn't seem open to enjoying the song or even objectively analyzing it.
Maybe I don't put as much value in defining it as a cover.
Well the humming into, but yeah I thought he'd catch that.
Yes is riffing off of Bernstein’s America throughout their intro and during the lyrical interludes. The Yes version is seemingly a cover of Bernstein’s and Simon & Garfunkel’s Americas.
I did kind of laugh at that. It's so obvious I can't believe he missed it.
The difference in the two songs can be summed up in this way:
Simon and Garfunkel's versions is as Americans, looking at America and wanting to find the greatness they've heard about, but the emptiness in their own hearts and the disappointment in America's failings keeps them from seeing it....
The Yes version is like British tourists coming to see America and seeing America with the excitement of foreign eyes. Any emptiness they have is from being an outsider who will one day return home...
I think the perspective difference is felt in the tone of the music and the way they sing different lines. It would be the same as me, an outsider, visiting the UK and not understanding what it is like to grow up there.
I think you’ve nailed it. My thoughts as an Englishman visiting the USA for the first time....see my reply above to jroberthadden
Great observation. I've always thought it ironic that Yes, a British band, covered the song America. But this interpretation makes total sense of the arrangement.
Brilliantly sussed. Bravo.
I agree with just about everyone here. This is Yes's homage to all the musical styles and players that influenced their playing. Bernstein, Simon, Chet Atkins, Dick Dale, Aaron Copeland, jazz, blues, funk., etc, etc, etc. They too were looking for (and to) America. Simply brilliant!
Doug, please re-listen using this POV.
You can be a purist and hate the treatment that Yes gave to this classic but you can only admire the musicality, inventiveness and sheer virtuosity of the band. These guys were and are some of the greatest individual musicians ever and at their best few bands could match their playing ability.
Right. And collectively Yes is (was ?) much more than the addition of brilliant individuals, each one pushing the others beyond his limits
As a "classic period" Yes-head, this particular Yes offering has been a favourite of mine since I first heard it in around 1974.
I understand your discomfort, however I think this version is best enjoyed for its sonic and exhilarating instrumental prowess, rather than as a "song". Steve Howe, especially, seems to have been given the keys to the Ferrari. And we still have Paul Simon's wonderful original masterpiece to enjoy. I'm glad to have both!
This is one of the greatest examples of Chris Squire's unique bass tone. Listen to the quarter notes in the two measures leading up to the start of the vocal on the first verse. Perfect!
Thunderous bass tone I love it.
His tone is impeccable. Those quarter notes are chunky ear candy. His bass work throughout is one melodic hook after another. Such a stellar artist in so many ways. He used to prowl that stage like a cat. Show stealer. He is the reason I started playing bass. I miss him.
Absolutely ...that treble was cranked to the max. 😁
I think this is a showcase for Howe, Squire, & Bruford. Their playing here is otherworldly.
@@sanddab Brufford and Squire is my favourite rhythm section of all time.
Jimi Hendrix took a singer/songwriter song, "All Along the Watch Tower" and made it in his style but made you think about the song differently. In fact, Dylan later started doing it in that style and acknowledged what Jimi did for his creation. Yes does the same thing here to America. Listen to the guitar solos. Listen to the bass lines. (You got the Bernstein reference. Good.) They are literally a journey across America. This interpretation is brilliant and I urge you to re-listen to it. I like your Yes reactions generally, but you really did not understand this masterpiece.
I honestly think it's a mindset/perspective thing. I don't know if Doug could ever appreciate this version. And that would be okay because, like Doug said, art reaches us all in different ways.
@@SyphroPlays Why couldn't he appreciate this version? He starts out by saying how much he loves Yes; then in the end, where's the love?
@@billyh4068 folky Simon & Garfunkel devotees tend to recoil from the Yes version the first time they hear it IME.
Well, on the bright side, it's 5 of the greatest musicians ever to stand on a rock stage absolutely smokin'! BILL BRUFORD SNARE DRUM POPS!!
I think this is awesome! They made it their own. They turned it into a Yes song.
Although the original is well written this version is infinitely more interesting whether you "like" it or not. You really have to let go of your expectations to really enjoy it.
Like it or not, the entire band is on fire here. Bruford and Squire locked in tight. Like some have mentioned, I also take it from the point of view of the protagonists not being from America.
I actually prefer this one to the original. Being a teen when this came out it resonated more with me. One of my favorite "Yes" songs :)
I agree!
I respectfully disagree ; )
I felt like that for a long time but came to aquire a taste for the S&G version, now it's about equal
Just sit back and enjoy Steve Howe's mastery of American-style guitar picking! I'm sure Chet Atkins did! It requires multiple listens and gets better every time. IMO it's in the top 5 Yes songs of all time.
I think this is the main point of their reinterpretation...a play on the title itself. Lots of American style guitar playing going on: country, blues, etc.
100% agree. It's one of my favorites. Incredible, legendary guitar work.
This isn't a cover it's a rendtion. You *need* to listen to Yes' version of "Something's Coming" just f'n epic.
Edit: there is a shorter version of this recording that was on Yesyears ~4 min long makes much more sense and probably more of what you might have been expecting.
I like how Steve Howe tears it up here into a funky cavalcade throughout. He livens it up and never lets up on the energy.
At 6:56 - It always cracked me up that they say Mitch-i-gan. After all, they are a bunch of English guys with a lyrics sheet.
When Steve does this solo live it's absolutely insane, always changes it up and keeps it interesting for minutes on end.
This is exactly what a cover "should" be it should be the bands taken on the song, the executed that perfectly here.
Correct but I would substitute insane for genius.
Steve Howe met Paul Simon in the 80s. Paul told Steve that not only did he really like Yes's cover, but that he should have taken a writing credit for his amazing solo! Talk about praise!
I was hoping that someone would mention that Simon told Howe that he should have taken a writing credit. Having heard Doug’s thoughts on Yes’s version, I’m wondering now if Simon did not want to be solely responsible for this version.
I know that Jon and Chris wanted to do “covers” like Vanilla Fudge. And, I know that they liked the vocal harmonies of S&G. But, I wonder how much Wakeman contributed to this showpiece of their instrumental talent. He had just come out of the Royal College of Music where he learned to perform anyone’s music in the style of any classical composer.
I don't think Paul Simon would have been worried about anyone confusing the Yes bits for his writing. I think he was just genuinely wanting Yes to take credit for their own writing in this version.
As for Wakeman, this was definitely a pull from the Tony Kaye vaults for the band, and Wakeman is so good that he undoubtedly came up with something to add very quickly.
OMG this is a masterpiece!! :D SO HAPPY YOU DID IT, DOUG!
Could they be riffing on different styles of American music? I've heard blues, southern, Cuban? you mentioned Bernstein.
It seems like it would fit into looking for America.
That was my thought, too. I always believed it was more of an all COME to look for America, than all GONE to look for it.
I hear a lot of guitar sounds like chicken clucking
This is more “fantasy on themes from ‘America’” than a straight rendition of the original -- and I love it. And the search… never ends…
I have to say as much as I love the original version, I love this version that much more. I have heard this before so I knew what you were in for. I'm happy you enjoyed it for what it was. You should listen to it again out of the S & G mind set. I really enjoy your reactions to the music I grew up listening to and getting your take on them. Keep up the good work.
Watch the video from the “Keys to Ascension” tour where they include the missing verse. I don’t think of what Yes did to this song as corrupting the spirit of the original song so much as viewing it as an homage to the idea of America. Yes creates complex and intricate music; they all were phenomenally talented. They took the original composition and exploded it and then put its pieces back together with winks and nods to things that were quintessentially American: Jazz, Blues, Bernstein and a fore-shadowing of American pop/dance music that was emerging. As outsiders, they saw the energy of America and celebrated it with ebullience.
I absolutely loved the Live KTA recording. Nice video to go along with it
Remember, YES is an English group. Expecting them to understand how we feel about this piece of America is unrealistic. What may be sacred to us, is not necessarily felt by other musicians. YES just took a number that they liked and made it their own without worrying about stepping on our patriotic toes. It is an incredible rendition and should be enjoyed for how they performed it, not as Simon meant it. Think Joe Cocker covering "With a Little Help From My Friends". If you believe that the original should not be stepped on, you'll miss the point. I bought the "Yesterdays" LP when it first came out and, immediately, found this cut to be my favorite on that album. Bruford and Wakeman together? Don't hear THAT everyday.
Having grown up with Yes in the 70s I made my first visit to the USA in the early 80s. To me the Yes rendition was the soundtrack of my trip to Oregon and California to visit Brit friends who had moved there. Nowadays there is so much of the USA shown on TV that it has become familiar to anyone with a TV or internet connection..back then it was wondrous to a European visiting for the first time, the vast open spaces, seemingly endless forests and the almost naive openness of Americans and their famous hospitality to strangers. I think Yes were similarly struck by their first visit in 1971 and IMO their interpretation of the Simon and Garfunkel classic shows that in its expansiveness and optimism
@@Swindonboy56 I'm sure that you are correct. The USA was a place, at that time, that still offered a wondrous experience that many in the rest of the world had not been exposed to. I, along with millions of Americans, went to Europe during this period to see what was going on in that part of the world. Glad I did, because it has all changed so drastically, and not necessarily for the better. What I was trying to convey to Doug was that I believe that he missed the point of the Yes version. Their point, if there was one, was simply to take a beautiful song and build their own masterpiece around it which, I believe, they did incredibly. I'm not sure, however, that they were trying to stay with the theme of the lyrics that Simon had, so wonderfully, penned. This was a time in the band's life where they were about to take off, and, with the addition of Wakeman, they really jumped at that opportunity.
@@Swindonboy56 Yes!
The Simon & Garfunkel piece, in its lyrics and in its musical timbre, is very much about a one-time insider disillusioned, without clear meaning and purpose, searching for that meaning. It's an existential crisis.
The Yes cover is about an outsider visiting, bewildered, excited at the novelty. Any emptiness is born of a profound lack of familiarity and ready ease in a strange setting, displaced, but only for a bit. It's a safe risk, at worst presenting brief homesickness or mild anxiety. They're having a blast, but every now and then they're profoundly aware they're not at home despite the fun.
The music in any Yes piece informs the meaning of the lyrics profoundly. So it is here, even though they've borrowed the lyrics.
They are also playing some classic American riffs and styles which aren't Yes either. From a UK It's a musical tour of Americana, it uses the S&G track as framework for a musical tour of American styles.
Yes's version of Every Little Thing is a masterpiece that takes a good Beatles track and turns it into a symphony. They had Form pre Steve Howe.
The guys were in their peak form just jamming ideas along the song. One of the things I most love about this version is the rawness of the production, with the actual tones/timbres of the instruments, and also the calculated freedom with they play. Something very different from the production and arrangements they create in a regular recording environment, where everything is overproduced, overdubbed and minusciously crafted to it's ideal perfection. Maybe this is why they decided to release this song in an collection album focused in their first two albums, when the formation presented a rawer overall sound compared to the post-Howe incarnations of prog extravaganza.
19:41 worthy note in my opinion:
This song is an acquired taste. I love both versions and the strange disconnect from the juxtaposition of genres was certainly a sensation I experienced when I listened for the first time. However, as you listen to the Yes cover more you will grow to enjoy it more, especially once you begin see it as it’s own separate entity from the original.
I have always LOVED this cover by Yes! Amazing......this is what a great cover should be.....they totally stayed true to their sound while honoring the beauty of the original......FANTASTIC!
Steve Howe generally avoided playing anything that other rock players would play, particularly the blues. He took this song as an opportunity to play all his “American” licks - country and blues - as a thematic tie-in to the lyrics.
Oh, and I believe this missing verse is in the earlier 14-18 minute live versions. Steve later met Paul Simon:
“Paul Simon walked out the door with his son, and I looked at him, and a big smile came on my face and said, "Paul, it's Steve Howe from Yes." He says, "Oh really, nice to meet you," and he was very, very calm, very nice, we were just standing there talking. So I really built up some confidence and I said, "Have you ever heard our version of 'America'?" and he said, "Yeah! That's a great version, really is a great version." So I said to him, "I'll tell the guys; we're really happy you liked it, because obviously we did it to make you happy, but because it's a great song." So he said, "So what about that guitar solo in the middle? ," I said, "You know, um... " and he said to me, "That guitar solo's great. Why don't you just use it on its own? You don't have to credit me, if that's not me."
Steve has since named it “Southern Solo.”
A band called Clouds (known at the time as 1-2-3) did an extended version of the song. Some say Yes stole the arrangement, but other than being a longer song with different sections, etc. it doesn’t sound that similar. The most interesting thing is that 1-2-3 performed America and Sounds of Silence live prior to the Simon and Garfunkel release. They had heard demo tapes of the songs.
Paul Simon likes this cover and YES fans love it live in concert!
I like the YES version of "America" because it's more "American" than the original "America"!
Nevertheless, the original is also a great song.
This has always been a great song y’all. People here are analyzing it too much especially Doug.Who cares how close it is to S and G.It stands alone as another superb Yes song.Period.
That is literally what this channel is about - deep-dive analysis of music.
You’re right.I get it.My only point is the Yes version can be a million miles away from S and G and still be a great composition in its own right.It’s impact and musicality should not be mitigated as a result of it’s differences.
@@howardtennenhouse7849 You're talking to someone who loves both versions, so you'll hear no argument from me there. :)
5:01 Steve is quoting "All come to look for America" during this section.
It is brilliant. I remember hearing it for the first time, and my shock at hearing a 4/4 instead of a 3/4. I read Paul SImon appreciated Steve Howes amazing guitar work in this version. Indeed, they made it a different song, I like both this one and the original.
So happy to have stumbled upon this! I love your channel and I especially love this analysis! (“Variations on ‘America’,” indeed.) Thank you for your hard work! Very generous!
Not so much a cover as a reimagining. It captures some of the essence of the S&G track yet goes to a different place. In the end it becomes a very Yes song. So glad you reviewed it. When I first played it for my parents and older sister who were huge S&G fans, they hated it. You are right, you can’t hear it as a cover but a reworking. When you do so, it can grab you. It’s one of my favourite Yes tunes to this day.
Seeing YES or Jon in NJ everybody cheers like crazy when he sings the line about the NJ turnpike.
The bass support (Chris Squire) in this song is fantastic...
The song was recorded before Fragile, as a jam. Rick Wakeman had just joined. Steve Howe used it as a tribute to Nashville guitar playing, Jerry Reed and Chet Atkins etc.... the last verse still means the same, except by 1971 the attitude was "get over the dissolution and make some good inside yourselves. "
This song is definitely an artifact of Yes’s roots. Their *Yesterdays* if you will (they did). I have another Yes deep cut for you, if you liked that little “Squire does Bernstein” moment! The deluxe edition of their debut album “Yes” includes two versions of “Something’s Coming” from West Side Story. Evidently, before they were famous for beautiful 20-minute prog epics, they were known locally for doing wild and funky re-arrangements of other popular songs. They released quite a few of them on both “Yes” and “Time and A Word.”
Some highlights:
I See You - The Byrds
Every Little Thing - The Beatles
No Opportunity Necessary; No Experience Needed - Ritchie Havens
Their cover of the latter also includes a bafflingly dangerous promotional video wherein Yes takes turns driving a convertible down a highway and goofing off by doing stuff like… sitting on the hood of the moving car… terrifying but quite funny.
That video you mention was part of Yes' appearance on a half-hour weekly Dutch program at the time that featured one band per show. They always had carte blanche to fill the time, and Yes did several 'videos' as well as some goofy, Monkees-ish interviews. Check the 'video' for 'Astral Traveller" which is a straight performance, but with everyone on the wrong instruments. Except Jon, of course. Also the 'video' for "Everydays" with the band alternating between punting on the Tyne and being chased through a village by a nun. So totally not making this up. And the nun was Chris' then-current wife, Nikki. I picked up a bootleg VHS of the show at YesCon 1987.
@@soggytom That’s awesome, lol. They seem like they had a lot of fun as a band!
@@singerofsongss Clearly, at least at the start. They didn't take themselves nearly as seriously as Genesis, for example.
Correction- the instrument-switch video was for "Then". My bad.
Literally as he was saying he doesnt recognize a motif they were playing the "walked off to look for america" melody repeatedly
Also, Yes doesn't put a lot of stock into lyrics. They probably just liked the song and wanted to do their own version with whatever musicality sounded good, not necessarily matching the music to the lyrics.
You should do TEMPUS FUGIT from the DRAMA release by YES. I personally really like the DRAMA release but it seemed to be overlooked by many. Or maybe the song DOES IT REALLY HAPPEN.
Yes, sadly overlooked …
And Beautiful Solid Album! Very tight playing like Yes, because Steve, Chris, Alan are there and Geoff Downes is terrific! Trevor horn is very good Signer, but can never replace our beloved Jon Anderson…Period!!!
It's nice to know that I'm not the only person who likes Yes in general but does not at all like what they did to a classic song here.
I had already been a Yes fan for years when I first heard this. I bought "The New Age Of Atlantic" because someone told me there was a Yes B-side on it, with Bill Bruford playing drums. As a huge Bruford fan and a Yes fan to boot, I was blown away when I first heard their reinterpretation. It's one of the best things the band has ever done. I think one of the reasons I liked it so much out of the gate was because, at the time, I wasn't a Simon & Garfunkel fan - or at least I hadn't heard their original version prior to hearing this version. I finally learned the song on drums a couple of years ago, and man, was it difficult to do in one take! Brilliant music from brilliant musicians.
When Anderson and Squire met, one asked the other if he was a fan of Simon and Garfunkel. The answer was “Yes”. At least that’s the story.
As a big fan of Yes, this is a favorite. They give it what Bruford has called “the Yes treatment”. Steve Howe says he tried to incorporate the sound of some his favorite American guitar influences, especially Chet Atkins.
I heard and knew this version before I appreciated the original. So to your take on it, Doug, there’s definitely an interesting influence of how one came to know the tune in terms of our expectations and enjoyment in hearing it. With respect for your musical preferences regarding this composition, comparing the S&G version to the rearrangement by Yes is like comparing a cocker spaniel and a coyote. 😂
It's not a cover; it's a remake, and it's remarkable.
C'mon Doug, you can't expect a band like Yes to do the song as the original, In their early years they covered a host of other people's material in their own unique way. Please accept it for what it is. ie their own interpretation of someone else's song.
It is what it is and I for one love it
PS I think it was recorded 1969 or 1970.
@@paulmouradjian6045 Yes. The band had recorded it after Rick Wakeman joined. However, Yes were playing it (an earlier version of the song) on the Yes album tour in 71, while original keyboardist Tony Kaye was still with them.
Steve Howe channeling his inner Chet Atkins
There is actually a live version of this cover available on TH-cam featuring Tony (Hammond Organ) Kaye on keyboards.
th-cam.com/video/3Wk-rnYla3M/w-d-xo.html&ab_channel=YesSource
So the band was playing this cover in various manifestations in concert before Rick Wakeman came on board, so the "arrangement" evolved for a while in that 1 1/2 yrs after Steve Howe joined the group & before Wakeman joined. As far as I know, it was the _last_ cover they recorded as a band. In my opinion, it's _stupendous._ Probably the best single presentation of the Squire/Bruford magic they gave us for a few albums. Probably the most amazing thing is Bruford didn't share the opinion of most YES fans like me that those two playing together in YES formed the Best "Rhythm Section" in Progressive Rock...
Thanks for the link, what's better than a 10-minute prog classic... a 16-minute version with more Hammond organ
Fascinating to hear the evolution of this song, thanks! Love the way Kaye harmonizes some of opening - Much richer than Wakeman (surprisingly). I think you hear the missing verse of Simon's original (that Doug laments) at the 7:00 mark. Understandably, it was cut - It doesn't work. Overall, I find this version interesting, but too diffuse and rambling. Howe's solo goes on too long, and the ending is weird - You can hear in the audience's reaction. As I said elsewhere in the comments, I think the best version of "America" is on Keys to Ascension - It totally rocks, and is cohesive. But, to each his own!
And there's a live version on Keys to Ascension with Rick Wakeman.
Oh Doug...absolutely glorious. The look on your face @ 7:53 is priceless!
Geez man! Just listen! Yes did to America what CSNY did to Joni Mitchell's Woodstock. This is an awesome cover. Go back and listen to some of the early Yes albums. They are full of covers all done in Yes style.
Great selection Doug!! This has always been one of my favorite YES compositions. And I’ve always considered this one of the greatest covers in all of rock music. Incredible.
I never caught Squire quoting from Bernstein until you mentioned it. Great catch, Doug!
I know you’re approaching these reactions as a classical composer and music theorist. And I appreciate and understand what you were saying… Except I didn’t know what a German five wise
However, as a guitar player, I noticed that you were concentrating more on the structure of the song and how it relates to the Simon and Garfunkel version, during what I consider to be one of the finest electric guitar solos and rock ‘n’ roll. It is brilliantly crafted and built upon and I recommend that you listen to it again paying close attention to the guitar work. Thank you very much for choosing this selection
This cover blew my mind when I first heard it after buying the “Yesterdays” album in 1975. I adore both versions, the original and this cover. I don’t believe you can really compare them as they are so completely different.
The key to this song is to understand that it is a tribute to "American styles of music" and, thereby, a tribute to America as a concept. Steve Howe's parts all the way through are a tour de force of all American styles of music. Different guitars used, different styles - country, funk, jazz, blues, rock. Chris working in Bernstein, etc. Yes is all about "the music." So Yes used this American song, by a popular American duo, about America, as a springboard to offer their take on "their America": The music styles themselves. I love this song. Listen to it a few more times through that lens, maybe it will grow on you too.
So glad you've heard this, an amazing reinterpretation and so inventive that Paul Simon approved of favourably. The Age of Atlantic album has other gems like 'Sam Stone' by John Prine, 'Hey, Hey What Can I Do' Led Zep and 'Motel Blues' Loudon Wainwright III. All for 99p!
I like them both
Me too Renee.
This is probably how Quakers reacted to Appalachian Spring.
This is a real inside baseball joke. Glad someone had a laugh!
Doug, glad you finally got around to exposing yourself to this version. IMO, an absolute masterpiece. Howe's solo is one of my favorite guitar solos of all time.
You may not be a fan but.. I sure am! Best cover ever.. But every cover YES does is better then the originals. Check out the Beatles song "Every little thing" off their first album. They throw "Paperback Writer" into it. "I see you" is a cover on that album too. They Masterpiece that song. It's so much better too. They've covered "Somewhere" from West Side Story too. Their versions are always outrageous. They turn a good song into a great song. "America" would be considered an extra. Genesis has many of them. They're songs that don't fit timewise on albums.
Second Every Little Thing
Yes also did a great cover of Richie Haven's obscure "No Opportunity Necessary, No Experience Needed" for their second album and turned it into something completely different.
@@RushTrader Another great one!
@@RushTrader I loved their first 2 albums. "Looking Around" is one of my favorite Yes songs.
@@stevemd6488 Yeah, the first two albums tend to get overlooked but there's some truly great material there!
I must say that I am a huge fan of Yes' cover of America and have been since I first heard it back in the late 70s. I am also a huge fan of Simon and Garfunkel, Paul Simon as a solo artist, Paul Simon as a songwriter AND, in particular, S&G's original, and classic, version of America. But I will also add, Doug, that this is my favorite reaction video of yours to date. Your objective and insightful take on the original lyric and how, in your view, Jon Anderson may have missed the mark on his vocal interpretation was, to say the least, extremely interesting to me. I have a whole new perspective on, and appreciation of, this song. Well done.
steve howe is on fire on this track
Wow, Yes, redid this tune completely. Intro STEVE HOWE!
Hi Doug. I can understand your reaction to this when you feel someone has walked all over a tune that sits so sacred in your heart. It hurts. I would hate to think that someone would ever attempt to replace Awaken by YES. Listen to it again but through the eyes and ears of Yes music and not what Paul Simon so beautifully conveyed all those many years ago. This was never meant to be a replacement to the original but a celebration and appreciation of the craft of Simon and Garfunkel. A similarity is Disturbed’s version of The Sound of Silence. We love them both for what they are. Sacred ground Doug, sacred ground……. From a big fan.
Having been at several Yes concerts back in the days and I loved the way they played it then and you reminded of how great Yes is.
I will probably be listening to their old stuff tomorrow.
I wonder if you'd ever heard of Mark and Clark Band with their song Worn Down Piano, going back to seventies.
It's official. Doug's a Classical guy. If we didn't know that already.
When they sing "I don't know why" it didn't sound happy and funky. The pitch goes up and the voice fades off. It sounds almost desperate fitting well with the lyric.
When I first bought this album and played this tune I was unaware of Simon and Garfunkel's version because at that time I was not into pop or folk music so when I finally branched out into more genres I finally heard the original which I had to get used to. It didn't take long and I fell in love with it.
Wrong, it was recorded between The Yes Album and Fragile. First time with Rick. Kind of like an ice breaker. Man you blew it dude.
IMO this is some of Steve Howe's best guitar work ever. I just love this version of this song.
This should have on Fragile. It works beautifully live and Yes have really made it their own. Wakeman always said that what he liked about Yes was the way they orchestrated the music and made it so distinctive.
This is a medley of America by Simon as well as snippets from other american songs as well as encapsulating various styles of american music.
Howe was definitely inserting his favorite American guitarist influences and I am talking famous old guitarists that came before us all and who inspired Steve when he was growing up. Given the song was America he used this song as a sketch pad to throw out a collage of licks based on the works of old school Guitar greats from the early days of rock and roll.
Doug - what would be the point of Yes sounding like Simon and Garfunkel?
I think you are way off the mark here. What’s the point of doing a cover if it sounds like the original? YES did a great job of putting their own spin to this. I love it. Very creative.
Hi Doug! My neighbor rolled me a joint today so I can calm my anxiety and then watch your video . I also like when Yes covered "Something's Coming" from West Side Story. I remember when I heard the Simon & Garfunkel version of "America" a couple of years after getting really into the Yes version. I felt the same as you. So much more poignant and touching. Yes' is quite the jam, though! Cheers!
Here's a guy who very effectively brought classical pieces into jazz: the Jacques Loussier Trio. Most known for his albums of Bach, but they did one called "Beyond Bach", on which they do Mozart, as well as Chopin, Vivaldi, Handel, etc. Would love to hear your take on it, Doug!
I've been lucky enough to have seen him twice, truly amazing
I was going to post about the Jacques Loussier trio and then I read your comment. While he was saying that, I started listening to The Four Seasons Jazz rendition in my head by Jacques' Trio, and I was like "sorry, Doug, but that's been done already... And it's really good stuff"
Best description I ever heard of Yes was “five guys going eight different directions down the same path.”
That's ok Doug. I guess they said the same about "Hey Joe" until Hendrix got a hold of it. This is one of my favorite Yes songs. And not is it only Chris Squire inserting the West Side Story motif but also Steve Howe in the intro and through out. For some back then, this was the first version of the song that they have ever heard, because we were rockers. Simon and Garfunkel had so many hits in the late 60s that "America" was probably not as popular on the radio as the others. And that is how some music was heard, on AM radio stations on transistor radios.
Covers, sampling, borrowing......early rock....60s and 70s was about sharing and making a joyful noise....all were blessed to be participants.
You should check out their cover of Something’s Coming from West Side Story. Pre-Steve Howe/Rick Wakeman.
Chris Squire, from an interview in 2010:
"?
Yeah, well back in the early days of 1968 when Jon and I first met and
we first started talking about music one of the topics was that we both
enjoyed Simon & Garfunkel."
Steve Howe met Paul Simon and said that Paul was very approving of our version of "America"."
Many were taken aback by the musical departures here. Those who never heard the Simon and Garfunkel original nonetheless still got the message of the original lyrics. Which is a good thing.
While folk liked this or didn't, it was never industry drama of any kind at the time. Apparently S+G were fine with this. Likely honored that Anderson and Squire were inspired by them and their harmonies.
Blessings.
I have always loved both versions. I learnt to play guitar with the Simon & Garfunkel Greatest Hits songbook, and Yes were my favourite band in the 70's. I'm surprised you missed that the second theme of Yes's long intro and the main theme of the coda are based on the hummed introduction to the original version. Listen to them back to back.
what's more - the opening bars of the Yes version comprises the same intervals as the first sung line of the original, but with a distorted timing
My brother got a Master degree in music composition and now he's regional product manager at HVAC company.
Maybe you should get away from the term "cover" and just call it a song based on an idea of Simon & Garfunkel and then listen to it again. I know the song doesn't have much to do with the original, but it's great. Yes, incidentally, did something similar with "Something's Coming" from the West Side Story. This "cover" is definitely worth listening too.
At 4:45 in your video Howe starts quoting the vocal melody "all gone to look for America" several times before you spotted the bass quote.
Doug, you totally missed the point of Yes’s masterpiece.
Perhaps if the title was “A Fantasy on America” it would have resonated with your classical upbringing, but you viewed this work in the wrong light.
Being a classical composer, I’ll give you a better example to put this in context. This was not a mere “cover” of a song, but rather a fantasia in the vein of the ultimate innovator who broke more classical rules than all his peers, namely Franz Liszt.
Liszt coined the terms “Paraphrase” and “Reminiscences” to describe works which took snippets of music from other composer’s opera’s to create wholly unique works in their own right, or fantasies where his freedom was unbridled and allowed to explore new and uncharted territories.
Such as Liszt’s “Reminiscences de Robert le Diable” or his “Paraphrase on Verdi’s Rigoletto”
And YES did the same, taking the seeds laid down by Simon & Garfunkel to create a musically sophisticated fantasia, one that’s been a regular feature on my playlist since its very release many decades ago. It’s a brilliant composition that echoes the very reason why the band called themselves “Yes”; namely because they view the world in a positive light.
So, if they ended this piece on a high note, rather than Paul Simon’s somber one, that’s typical Yes, as even their very few works about war or tragedy (ie. Gates of Delirium) ended with a ray of light… or “Soon, oh soon the light.”
So sad you missed the beauty in this work, for as a composition its an uplifting dynamo, and one that always made me feel proud to be an American… something sorely missing in today’s world.
Well put!
DOUG!!! This is an homage to US music. When you are off the video, listen again and again. Several others have had similar comments. It's not about the song America! However, Steve Howe has always had a rockabilly edge and the band went right along with his bend on this, added the blues, and a few other things from that age. Prog rock is what it is. They took this theme, reworked it in their own way, and well, it's an amazing piece of music.
Well I have to disagree, this is great song. That said, I think it's great to hear you state that you don't like it that much, shows honesty, too many of these TH-cam analysts seem like yes men to me,. Hmm no pun intended
Absolutley Killer. Its YES at its finest, top lineup. I boarded a bus in CT went to TX ended up in the Navy in 82. It was my walk off to look for America. Great time.
Really worth watching the video of Swedish sisters who comprise the core of First Aid Kit plus orchestra performing America at Polar Awards with Paul Simon in audience and then Red Dirt Girl another year in front of Emily Lou Harris!
This is how Yes started - doing extended jams on popular tunes of the day, In The Midnight Hours, Beatles, The Byrds, Bernstein.. the first two albums have a few tunes that hark at that.
Note - the percussion in the play out.. that Bruford playing congas through a wah pedal :-)
Yes's version is, musically, superior. I dont care it steps on someone's toes of hardened pre-conception. U can love your original for better locking music with the lyrics, but that's just a song and this version is far more interesting overall.
It's Prog...It's the musicianship that matters.