The Yes catalog is to prog rock what the Sinatra discography is to the Great American Songbook: the genre's defining, dominating body of work. So it's only right that the group's legacy should be writ large via the grand treatment of this collection, which offers remastered, expanded versions of every studio album from Yes's self-titled 1969 debut to 1987's Big Generator, 12 in all. It charts the band's evolution from folk-rockish post-psychedelia to structurally sophisticated, technically dazzling fusions of rock and classical that inspired legions of prog purveyors, and then an '80s rebirth as arena-ready art-poppers. Plus, there are tons of bonus tracks further illuminating the adventure. As big a kick as it is to have sonically state-of-the-art versions of the band's classic cuts all in one place, hardcore fans will be fascinated by the ample extras, which include everything from properly progged-up covers of Simon & Garfunkel's "America" and the West Side Story showtune "Something's Coming" to studio rehearsals of the complex Close to the Edge–era material. It's the ultimate compendium of the classic Yes years.
Disc 1
Disc 2
Disc 3
Disc 4
Disc 5
Disc 6
Disc 7
Disc 8
Disc 9
Disc 10
Disc 11
Disc 12
- Anderson Bruford Wakeman Howe
- Jon Anderson