Keyboard Rich

Enter the rich and exciting world of jazz harmony. This fascinating piano lesson from one of the greats in contemporary jazz is packed with musical insights, invaluable advice and detailed keyboard technique for players who are starting out in this idiom. All you need is a basic knowledge of the keyboard, and before long you’ll be comping evocative jazz chords and creating lush improvisations.

Who'd have thought it? Magnification is the strongest, freshest set of new Yes material in a long time. Having thoroughly exhausted the world's supply of classically inclined rock keyboard players, the four remaining members of Yes have dispensed with that perennially bothersome ivory-tickling slot altogether. And so Messrs Jon Anderson, Alan White, Chris Squire, and Steve Howe have enlisted the temporary services of soundtrack composer Larry Groupe, whose cinematic orchestrations lend a thoroughly modern aura to the band's sonic palette…

Yes' debut album is surprisingly strong, given the inexperience of all those involved at the time. In an era when psychedelic meanderings were the order of the day, Yes delivered a surprisingly focused and exciting record that covered lots of bases (perhaps too many) in presenting their sound. The album opens boldly, with the fervor of a metal band of the era playing full tilt on "Beyond and Before," but it is with the second number, a cover of the Byrds' "I See You," that they show some of their real range. The song is highlighted by an extraordinary jazz workout from lead guitarist Peter Banks and drummer Bill Bruford that runs circles around the original by Roger McGuinn and company…

Yes' second (and least successful) album was a transitional effort; the group trying for a more produced and sophisticated sound through the use of an orchestra. Even so, the results weren't conventional, because the group didn't tone down or turn down its sound. Much of Time and a Word relies on bold, highly animated performances by Bill Bruford, Chris Squire, and Tony Kaye. Additionally, by this time the group was developing a much tauter ensemble than was evident on their first LP, so there's no lack of visceral excitement. "No Opportunity Necessary, No Experience Needed" was a bold opening, a highly amplified, frenzied adaptation of the Richie Havens song, melded with Jerome Moross' title music from the movie The Big Country…

The album that first gave shape to the established Yes sound, build around science-fiction concepts, folk melodies, and soaring organ, guitar, and vocal showpieces. "Your Move" actually made the U.S. charts as a single, and "Starship Trooper," "Perpetual Change," and "Yours Is No Disgrace" became much-loved parts of the band's concert repertory for many tours to come. ~ Bruce Eder

With the release of Fragile, Yes established themselves as one of the most progressive rock bands on the scene. With the recent addition of towering, silver-caped Rick Wakeman on keyboards, they raised their innovative brand of music to even dizzier heights. "Roundabout," which is still a standard on classic rock playlists, is an unusual track, coming in under four minutes, while "Heart of the Sunrise"–with its varied constituents molded together perfectly–goes on for as long as it needs. ~ Paul Clark

Relayer is the seventh studio album by the progressive rock band Yes. Recorded and released in 1974, it is the only Yes studio album to feature Patrick Moraz, who replaced keyboardist Rick Wakeman earlier in the year.

In 1977, with England still in the throes of the punk explosion, and art-rock becoming a decidedly unfashionable commodity, the longstanding progressive-rock institution Yes was making some of the most inventive and energetic music of its career on Going for the One. The album–which marked the return of star keyboardist Rick Wakeman to the band–features the FM hit "Wondrous Stories," one of frontman Jon Anderson's most limpid acoustic ballads. Elsewhere, the propulsive title track and the hyperactive "Parallels" find the band flirting with dissonance, belying Yes's image as a hidebound dinosaur. Elsewhere, the 16-minute "Awaken" ranks with the band's most ambitious long-form extravaganzas. ~ Scott Schinder

Either the finest record or the most overblown album in Yes' output. When it was released, critics called it one of the worst examples of progressive rock's overindulgent nature. Jon Anderson's fascination with Eastern religions never manifested itself more clearly or broadly, but one needn't understand any of that to appreciate the many sublimely beautiful moments on this album, some of the most gorgeous passages ever recorded by the band. ~ Bruce Eder

Yes singer Jon Anderson has a voice so high it makes Minnie Mouse seem the epitome of machismo and the band's fascination with pompous and dull intergalactic fantasy make it a prime target for Saturday Night Live parody. But there's no arguing with the players' proficiency. Bassist Chris Squire, guitarist Steve Howe, keyboardist Rick Wakeman, and drummer Alan White are all tops in their game. Tormato is far from the best Yes album, but the indisputable power of "Release, Release" where the band goofingly state "Rock is the medium of our generation" is worth the price of admission alone. Besides, just figuring out what exactly they mean with song titles such as "Arriving UFO" and "Don't Kill the Whale" is probably almost as cool as staring at the Hipgnosis designed cover. A period piece without question. ~ Rob O'Connor