Yes, although more well-known for later and more popular releases, such as Fragile and Close To The Edge, have had many other interesting and valuable releases to this date in the Progressive Rock scene. This album, their second release, is one of them. This is one of their lesser-known and earlier releases. Interestingly enough, it incorporated brass and strings, something that their then guitarist Peter Banks objected to, resulting in him being fired by the band and being replaced by legendary guitarist extraordinaire Steve Howe after the recording of the album. Still, Yes was on a roll at the time and was poised to break through and achieve international success in the music industry. Let’s take a listen to this album, their second album, and hear if it still holds up today.

No Opportunity Necessary, No Experience Needed begins with a swirling organ and sounds very interesting. It has some great string and brass sections enter, sounding triumphant and a bit like a proto-Disco record. Soon enough, the band enters and we are underway. This is an excellent listen, and already from the start, this may not be the best Yes album, but it certainly sounds promising. Chris Squire’s bass and Jon Anderson’s vocals are particularly prominent on this tune, and the whole thing sounds pseudo-Classical music based and very marvellous. This does lack Steve Howe’s majestic guitar leads, but it is still really cool and good for what this is. Jon Anderson’s vocals show promise here, although his singing was better on later Yes records. A wah-wah guitar solo is present in amongst the Classical Music vibe, and this sounds like a reasonable mish-mash of sound. Sounding very 1970s and something that Star Wars soundtrack fans may appreciate as well, this is Yes finding their feet musically. A very good and tuneful piece of music, this is sonically adventurous and different. This tune is a good one. Repeated lyrics are here, followed by some truly awesome drumming before this concludes just before five minutes in length. Decent.

Then seeps in with more organ playing, which sounds rather awful, before launching into a tune that honestly, isn’t that great. Powerful drumming enters, which is definitely amazing, but this tune is not Yes’s best listening experience. It is very hit-and-miss, and you’d be better off exploring later Yes releases that are more beautiful and powerful. “Love is the only answer, hate is the root of cancer,” is sung here. Despite the logical and artistic lyrics, this is not a good piece of music to be fair. Sure, Yes were understandably finding their feet, but this is not the greatest tune that the group ever made. There is an interesting and fast-paced piece of musical soloing in the middle, but this does not sound as good as it should be. It’s a good effort, but the material needs to be worked on better here. In any case, this is very colourful, artistic and interesting, just the songs sound mainly uninspired. The horns and strings aren’t the best, either. There is a breakdown with just some organ and some mellow guitar licks, along with some guitar violining here. This is different sounding. Jon Anderson’s voice rises above it all, and he sounds majestic. A good conclusion to a tune, with some dramatic sounds to conclude. Not a good song overall, however.

Everydays begins with some loose instrumentation, flourishes of strings and gradually launches into quite a beautiful song. Jon Anderson’s voice sounds a little better here, and the music is deep and moody. Soon enough, repeated vocals are present along with some interesting instrumentation, mainly via string sections. This also has some good violining here, and the music is pleasant, even if it isn’t very good. The lyrics are fantastic, deep, artistic and introspective. The string section sounds rather odd here as well. Soon enough, some racing hi-hats enter in the next section, and the band gets grooving along nicely. This still isn’t the best Yes could do, although this is a better song. Thunderous drum rolls follow, and this goes into a more typical Yes tune. The guitar playing is rather shred like and fairly crazy sounding here, which is neat. The group sound powerful and effective musically, and this album is really getting going by this point. Organs and strings act as a counterpoint to the guitar soloing, and this is no doubt a really excellent tune. The second half has more of a breakdown here, with plenty of hi-hats and string parts. Jon Anderson gets singing beautifully here, and this tune approaches its ending with beautiful and high-octave singing from him, along with supporting instrumentation. It wraps up with a swell of organ, string sections and pacing hi-hats, before reaching a fantastically noisy conclusion. Good stuff.

Sweet Dreams begins with some pseudo-Country guitar licks, and pounding drums and launches into an excellent Yes original. It is very catchy, singalong and decent to listen to, just sounding like a million dollars. This is a better example of early Yes and is the sound of the band finding their feet. Some genuinely excellent and poetic lyrics are present in this song, and this whole thing sounds gorgeous and majestic. A very pretty and listenable piece of music, this is an adventure and sonic exploration of music back in the early 1970s. The middle of the song has some neat tape trickery, followed by quite a good guitar solo here. Short, well done and pleasant sounding, the music is indeed classy. Some chanted lyrics are present on this song as well, and towards the end are some really great percussion based sounds. A very euphoric and pleasant listen for such a song is worth your ears. It fades out nicely.

The Prophet begins with some reverberated percussion and some 1970s organ soloing which isn’t the best sounding, but it is still listenable. Sounding like a church organ piece, this sets the mood for the song. This sounds rather creepy in sections, almost like something from a Dracula film. Pacing string sections enter, and this song sounds very Eastern in its use of notes and tonality. Soon enough, a catchy song emerges that sounds really excellent. Drum rolls follow, and we launch into a good listening experience that sounds rocking. This is very surreal sounding and no doubt that these guys were seasoned musicians in their own way. Some great multitracked electric guitar parts are here, quickly followed by some introspective singing by Jon Anderson. A really cool and refreshing listening experience, this breaks down in the middle into an unusual but pleasant string led section with the band. To be fair, the strings and horns on this album sound a little awkward at times, but it does sound really majestic in this song. Nonetheless, this is a good song, although unlikely a great song. A breakdown in the second half occurs, and this tune transforms into a great pseudo-Jazz listening experience that is gold. A really fresh, dynamic and excellent listening experience, the section towards the end is marvellous, with hi-hats galore and other instrumentation that perfectly complements Jon Anderson’s clear and high singing. A really great listen for what it is, this ends early, followed by some organ and guitar playing, with some pummelling drums. It ends after six minutes, good job.

Clear Days begins with a multitude of string sections and a piano part before Jon Anderson gets singing again. This is a very pretty and pleasant listening experience, just sounds really top. A very listenable and short piece at just over two minutes long, this is completely different from the excesses of Tales From Topographic Oceans released just a few years later by Yes. Awesome, pleasant and beautiful, this song is another highlight from this album. A really top tune, this sounds driven and excellent. The strings conclude this song. Nice effort.

Astral Traveller refers to the phenomenon of astral projection, which is interesting to learn about. It begins with some clean guitar that gradually gets overdriven and shifts channels, launching eventually into a more typical Yes tune than before. This sounds grandiose and excellent, with some great drum rolls. Unfortunately, this sounds a little too much like Led Zeppelin for its own good. There are some watery sounding vocals on this tune, which detract from the listening experience in general. The vocal effects aren’t needed here, quite simply. Still, this is a very good song that continues Yes’s musical development as a group. It breaks into an instrumental section that sounds really cool and listenable here, with some neat guitar work and organ playing. There are some great basslines and drumming present as well. This is a good effort and shows that Yes indeed, had promise. A loud and overdriven Black Sabbath styled guitar solo is present here, and this tune sounds quite different. This has some neat guitar hammer-ons, just as the rest of Yes join in to add to the musical frenzy. An entertaining listening experience nonetheless. After the solo section, this returns to the song at hand with more watery vocals. Weird, yet wonderful, this is really top and enjoyable. Good music for those who like Hippie ideals. It ends with harmonies and the guitar playing from the start, with the rest of the band crashing in to conclude.

Time and a Word is the last track here, beginning with clanging (possibly) 12-string acoustic guitar, watery electric guitar playing and Jon Anderson’s pleasant vocals. The lyrics and sounds here are fantastic to hear, and this launches into a very good early Yes hit. This music is inspirational, and the music throughout is also very good. It’s still a band in progress at this point, but the music is satisfying enough to enjoy here. “The time is now,” is sung repeatedly, and it seems that Yes were aware of their own musical destiny as a group. This is not a dissimilar sentiment to the Oasis epic All Around The World many years later in the 1990s, but more like an early 1970s version of such a positive, universal and excellent sentiment. Strings, horn and other luscious instrumentation are present, and Yes do a good job here that is proof that indeed, it was the dawning of the Age Of Aquarius here. It has a lengthy fade out here, and this song and album conclude nicely here.

To be fair, this isn’t the best album Yes ever did. Despite that, this is a good listen that shows a band in development and revealing musical promise to fans and critics alike. The flaws are numerous, and in particular the combination of strings and brass sections on this album do sound awkward. Yes later ditched these extra arrangements on their following albums, for the most part. Is it a yes to listen to? If you like early Progressive Rock, sure. Otherwise, you may find this disappointing.

A good effort overall, even with its flaws.

6/10