Yesyears

Yesyears
Box set by
Yes
Released6 August 1991
Recorded1969–1991
GenreProgressive rock
Length291:23
LabelAtco
ProducerYes, Paul Clay,
Tony Colton, Eddy Offord, Trevor Horn, Trevor Rabin and Paul De Villiers
Yes chronology
Union
(1991) 		Yesyears
(1991) 		Yesstory
(1992)
Singles from Yesyears
  1. "Make It Easy"
    Released: 31 July 1991 (US)[1]
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[2]
The Rolling Stone Album Guide[3]

Yesyears is the first box set by English progressive rock band Yes, released in August 1991 on Atco Records. After the group left Atco for Arista Records when they became an eight-man formation in 1990, the deal gave Atco the right to the band's back catalogue, thus allowing them to release a career-spanning box set. Yesyears contains studio and live tracks from 1969 to 1991 with previously unreleased mixes and songs, digitally remastered by Joe Gastwirt.

One of the major attractions of Yesyears was its inclusion of rare material, including many previously unreleased songs, and a full-colour booklet detailing Yes's history. A condensed version of this package, entitled Yesstory, would be released in 1992 on two discs. Yesyears was discontinued in the late 1990s, preceding the release of Rhino Records' (five-disc) box set In a Word: Yes (1969–) in 2002. Most of the rare material found on Yesyears but not on In a Word would surface on Rhino's reissues of Yes albums in 2003 and 2004.

An official home video documentary on the band's history, also titled Yesyears, was released as a companion to the box set.

Track listing

[edit]
Disc one
No.TitleWriter(s)SourceLength
1."Something's Coming"Leonard Bernstein, Stephen SondheimSingle B-side to "Sweetness", July 1969; while the Yes album reissue (2003) includes the mono mix from the UK single, this is the stereo mix, released as an A-side in the Netherlands in 1970.7:06
2."Survival"Jon AndersonYes (1969)6:18
3."Every Little Thing"John Lennon, Paul McCartneyYes (1969)5:41
4."Then"AndersonBBC recording on 19 January 19704:18
5."Everydays"Stephen StillsBBC recording on 4 August 19694:08
6."Sweet Dreams"Anderson, David FosterTime and a Word (1970)3:49
7."No Opportunity Necessary, No Experience Needed"Richie HavensTime and a Word (1970)4:48
8."Time and a Word"Anderson, FosterTime and a Word (1970)4:31
9."Starship Trooper
  • a. "Life Seeker"
  • b. "Disillusion"
  • c. "Würm""
Anderson, Chris Squire, Steve HoweThe Yes Album (1971)9:25
10."Yours Is No Disgrace"Anderson, Squire, Howe, Tony Kaye, Bill BrufordThe Yes Album (1971)9:41
11."I've Seen All Good People
  • a. "Your Move"
  • b. "All Good People""
    		• Anderson, SquireThe Yes Album (1971)6:53
    12."Long Distance Runaround"AndersonFragile (1971)3:31
    13."The Fish (Schindleria Praematurus)"SquireFragile (1971)2:37
    Total length:72:45
    Disc two
    No.TitleWriter(s)SourceLength
    1."Roundabout"Anderson, HoweFragile (1971)8:31
    2."Heart of the Sunrise"Anderson, Squire, BrufordFragile (1971)10:35
    3."America" (Single edit)Paul SimonSingle A-side, July 1972; full version included on The New Age of Atlantic compilation (1972), and on Yesterdays (1975)4:04
    4."Close to the Edge
    • I. "The Solid Time of Change"
    • II. "Total Mass Retain"
    • III. "I Get Up I Get Down"
    • IV. "Seasons of Man""
    		Anderson, HoweClose to the Edge (1972)18:34
    5."Ritual (Nous Sommes du Soleil)"Anderson, Howe, Squire, Rick Wakeman, Alan WhiteTales from Topographic Oceans (1973)21:33
    6."Sound Chaser"Anderson, Squire, Howe, White, Patrick MorazRelayer (1974)9:22
    Total length:72:39
    Disc three
    No.TitleWriter(s)SourceLength
    1."Soon" (Single edit)AndersonSingle A-side, January 1975; excerpt from "The Gates of Delirium" from Relayer (1974)4:06
    2."Amazing Grace"Trad. arr. SquirePreviously unreleased, recorded 4 November 1976 in London; included on the Going for the One reissue (2003)2:31
    3."Vevey, Part One"Anderson, WakemanPreviously unreleased, recorded 23 February 1977 in Vevey; Different recording/version to one found on the Going for the One reissue (2003)1:07
    4."Wonderous Stories"AndersonGoing for the One (1977)3:49
    5."Awaken"Anderson, HoweGoing for the One (1977)15:35
    6."Montreux's Theme"Howe, Squire, Anderson, WhitePreviously unreleased, recorded during the Going for the One sessions late 1976/early 1977 and included on its reissue (2003)2:26
    7."Vevey, Part Two"Anderson, WakemanPreviously unreleased, recorded 23 February 1977 in Vevey; Different recording/version to one found on the Going for the One reissue (2003)0:56
    8."Going for the One"AndersonGoing for the One (1977)5:32
    9."Money"Squire, Anderson, White, WakemanPreviously unreleased, recorded 31 March 1978 in London during the Tormato sessions and included on its reissue (2004); with a spoken overdub by Rick Wakeman3:12
    10."Abilene"HoweB-side of "Don't Kill the Whale" single (UK), August 1978; included on the Tormato reissue (2004)3:55
    11."Don't Kill the Whale"Anderson, SquireTormato (1978)3:54
    12."On the Silent Wings of Freedom"Anderson, SquireTormato (1978)7:46
    13."Does It Really Happen?"Geoff Downes, Trevor Horn, Howe, Squire, WhiteDrama (1980)6:30
    14."Tempus Fugit"Downes, Horn, Howe, Squire, WhiteDrama (1980)5:14
    15."Run with the Fox"Squire, White, Peter SinfieldSingle A-side, December 1981, by Chris Squire and Alan White4:09
    16."I'm Down"Lennon, McCartneyPreviously unreleased, live at Roosevelt Stadium, Jersey City, NJ, 17 June 19762:31
    Total length:73:13
    Disc four
    No.TitleWriter(s)SourceLength
    1."Make It Easy"Trevor RabinPreviously unreleased, recorded January 1982 by Cinema; included on the 90125 reissue (2004)6:08
    2."It Can Happen"Anderson, Rabin, SquirePreviously unreleased, recorded January 1982 by Cinema; early version of 90125 song, included on its reissue (2004)6:01
    3."Owner of a Lonely Heart"Rabin, Anderson, Squire, Horn90125 (1983)4:27
    4."Hold On"Rabin, Anderson, Squire90125 (1983)5:15
    5."Shoot High, Aim Low"Anderson, Kaye, Rabin, Squire, WhiteBig Generator (1987)7:00
    6."Rhythm of Love"Anderson, Kaye, Rabin, SquireBig Generator (1987)4:46
    7."Love Will Find a Way"RabinBig Generator (1987)4:49
    8."Changes"Rabin, Anderson, WhitePreviously unreleased, live at The Summit, Houston, TX, 19 February 1988; studio version on 901257:34
    9."And You and I
    • I. "Cord of Life"
    • II. "Eclipse"
    • III. "The Preacher the Teacher"
    • IV. "Apocalypse""
    		Anderson, Bruford, Howe, SquirePreviously unreleased, live at The Summit, Houston, TX, 19 February 1988; studio version on Close to the Edge10:49
    10."Heart of the Sunrise"Anderson, Squire, BrufordPreviously unreleased, live at The Summit, Houston, TX, 19 February 1988; studio version on Fragile10:50
    11."Love Conquers All"Squire, Billy SherwoodPreviously unreleased, recorded in early 19914:58
    Total length:72:37

    Yesyears (Atco 791 644) failed to chart in the UK or United States

    Personnel

    [edit]

    Yes

    [edit]
    • Jon Anderson – lead vocals (1.1 – 1.13, 2.1 – 2.6, 3.1, 3.4 – 3.5, 3.8 – 3.12, 3.16, 4.3 – 4.10), harp (3.3, 3.7), guitar (3.6)
    • Peter Banks – guitar, backing vocals (1.1 – 1.8)
    • Bill Bruford – drums (1.1 – 1.13, 2.1 – 2.4)
    • Tony Kaye – keyboards (1.1 – 1.11, 4.1 – 4.11)
    • Chris Squire – bass, backing vocals (all); lead vocals (3.15, 4.2)
    • Steve Howe – guitar, backing vocals (1.9 – 1.13, 2.1 – 2.6, 3.1, 3.4 – 3.6, 3.8 – 3.14, 3.16)
    • Rick Wakeman – keyboards (1.12 – 1.13, 2.1 – 2.5, 3.3 – 3.12)
    • Alan White – drums (2.5 – 2.6, 3.1, 3.4 – 3.6, 3.8 – 3.16, 4.1 – 4.11)
    • Patrick Moraz – keyboards (2.6, 3.1, 3.16)
    • Geoff Downes – keyboards (3.13 – 3.14)
    • Trevor Horn – lead vocals (3.13 – 3.14)
    • Trevor Rabin – guitar (4.1 – 4.11), lead vocals (4.1, 4.11)

    Additional musicians

    [edit]
    • David Foster – backing vocals (1.6), acoustic guitar (1.8)
    • Billy Sherwood – additional background vocals, acoustic guitar, keyboards (4.11)

    References

    [edit]
    1. ^ "Yes singles discography".
    2. ^ Hill, Gary. "Yesyears - Yes". AllMusic. Retrieved 20 December 2021.
    3. ^ Cross, Charles R. (2004). "Yes". In Brackett, Nathan; Hoard, Christian (eds.). The New Rolling Stone Album Guide (4th ed.). Simon & Schuster. pp. 895. ISBN 0-7432-0169-8.
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