What was your favorite Yes lineup?

[shoeless]

Was listening to Deep Tracks on Sirius and the DJ mentioned that Yes has had 20 different musicians in the band over the years. I can't think of another band that's had more, although there may well be.

Anyway, do you have a favorite lineup? For me, I think it was the lineup during their prime years of Anderson, Squire, Howe, Wakeman, and Bruford/White. While White is an awesome drummer, I actually like Bruford's syncopated style a bit more.

Whatchya got?

 

[Peen Simmons]

No.

 

[shoeless]

No.

Ya know, I almost added a comment about how negative comments about Yes weren't necessary and try to stay on topic. Yet here we are, one post in...

 

[tiger roach]

To me the "classic" lineup is Anderson-Howe-Squire-Bruford-Wakeman.

 

[Tig]

The obvious choice would be Jon Anderson, Chris Squire, Bill Bruford, Steve Howe, and Rick Wakeman.

 

[shoeless]

The obvious choice would be Jon Anderson, Chris Squire, Bill Bruford, Steve Howe, and Rick Wakeman.

True, but Alan White was the primary drummer for many more years than Bruford. Really from Fragile onward. And Yes' most successful output, as far as sales go, were the Trevor Rabin era. I thought some folks might pick that.

 

[Modern Saint]

I prefer the lineups from Drama and 90125:

Drama

• Trevor Horn: Vocals
• Steve Howe: Guitars, vocals
• Chris Squire: Bass guitars, vocals
• Geoff Downes: Keyboards
• Alan White: Percussion

90125

• Jon Anderson: Vocals
• Trevor Rabin: Guitars, keyboards, vocals
• Chris Squire: Bass guitars, vocals
• Tony Kaye: Hammond organ, electric piano
• Alan White: Percussion

While I like old Yes and love Bruford's drumming, I prefer the more modern era of Yes. Horn and Downes brought the Buggles prog sound to Yes and when Rabin joined, made for a more rock driven prog sound. As for Bruford, love his playing with UK, Solo, Holdsworth, etc.

 

[frunobulax]

I like Alan White Yes.

Yessongs and Relayer era.

 

[shoeless]

I like Alan White Yes.

Yessongs and Relayer era.

I consider Relayer a one-off with Moraz on keys. As such, it has a unique sound. I'd put Drama in the same category. Relayer got a lot of plays on my old 8-track car deck back in the day.

 

[jrockbridge]

I like most of the Yes albums and lineups, but the early lineup of Jon Anderson, Bill Bruford, Steve Howe, Chris Squire and Rick Wakeman, is classic. Still, I never got to see that lineup live in concert. My first Yes concert was the tour for the 90125 album with Trevor Rabin instead of Howe, Tony Kaye instead of Wakeman and Alan White instead of Bruford.

The very first Yes album lineup was Anderson, Squire, Peter Banks, Bruford and Tony Kaye. Yet, none of them are in the current Yes band lineup.

I got to see the Yes Union tour live. The lineup for the tour was Jon Anderson, Steve Howe, Tony Kaye, Trevor Rabin, Chris Squire and Alan White. The lineup for the Union album would have been an epic band, if not for the fact that it was actually two band's recordings, cobbled together into a single album.

Yes Union album lineup:

Jon Anderson
Bill Bruford
Steve Howe
Tony Kaye
Trevor Rabin
Chris Squire
Rick Wakeman
Alan White

 

[jp_nyc]

The one that stopped performing and recording.

 

[Motorik]

 

[shoeless]

First time hearing that cover, thanks for posting it. They stayed surprisingly close to the original arrangement. So much so, that it could almost pass for a backing track...for the All Good People part anyway.

 

[Motorik]

First time hearing that cover, thanks for posting it. They stayed surprisingly close to the original arrangement. So much so, that it could almost pass for a backing track...for the All Good People part anyway.

And Steve Howe is playing guitar on it!

 

[shoeless]

And Steve Howe is playing guitar on it!

No wonder it sounds almost like a backing track!

 

[B Valley]

Anderson, Squire, Howe, Wakeman, and Bruford.
Love Steve Howe's guitar playing.
Saw Rick Wakeman a couple months ago and he was incredible.

 

[baimun]

I prefer the lineups from Drama and 90125:

Drama

• Trevor Horn: Vocals
• Steve Howe: Guitars, vocals
• Chris Squire: Bass guitars, vocals
• Geoff Downes: Keyboards
• Alan White: Percussion

90125

• Jon Anderson: Vocals
• Trevor Rabin: Guitars, keyboards, vocals
• Chris Squire: Bass guitars, vocals
• Tony Kaye: Hammond organ, electric piano
• Alan White: Percussion

While I like old Yes and love Bruford's drumming, I prefer the more modern era of Yes. Horn and Downes brought the Buggles prog sound to Yes and when Rabin joined, made for a more rock driven prog sound. As for Bruford, love his playing with UK, Solo, Holdsworth, etc.

Those are the two classic lineups in my mind... Different but both excellent.

 

[Honkridge]

I liked Fragile thru Relayer...I lost interest after that.

 

[frunobulax]

I saw them on the Relayer tour. Alan White's drumming was some of the most muscular drumming I ever heard. He was using those curved North drums at the time. Immense. Thundering. Driving. I saw Yes a few more times and it was never the same. (But he wasn't playing the Relayer material - it was Going for the One with Wakeman back. Good shows but nothing like that first one.)

I've seen Bruford a couple of times. Awesome drummer.

Apples and oranges comparison.