I'm not a fan of Yes. Not really. I’ve owned quite a few of their albums and have given nearly all of them away. However, one track sticks out – and I love it. Love it for probably all the ‘wrong’ reasons. It’s the 9.41 minute epic ‘Yours Is No Disgrace’
Frankly, bl**dy amazing. The musicianship, production, musical dynamics, and so on are terrific. The lyrics are totally daft to me (more on this in a moment) and yet it’s been on my Apple i-pod in WAV format on my gym play-list for weeks now.
Apparently the lyrics do have a meaning, and the comments can re viewed HERE. Personally I'm sceptical. How can one know for sure – unless the lyricist said so and even then, who knows if thy are telling the truth? But then again, does it matter? Stupid question really because of course it doesn’t.
This tour de force needs to be heard uninterrupted and without prejudice – and without over-analysis. Just let it wash over you. Then let yourself be drawn in. Most open minded listeners will I guess be as amazed and impressed as I am. Possibly even more so. You’ll be humming the bass line before you are aware of even doing so.
As a deeply novice bass player, then naturally I tend to listen first to the bass line. It’s an ‘exposed’ line in that it is up-front in the mix and can be easily identified. Playing it is of course another matter entirely. It is one of the first examples of lead (as in, out front) bass as distinct from lead (as in the poisonous metal usually on church roofs) and it’s terrific. Not quite John Entwistle, but not far off.
In fact to coin a phrase from Noel Gallagher describing the original Who, they‘re ALL playing lead. That cogent comment can be equally applied to this Yes track. Even on the i-pod through cheap Sennheiser earspeakers off a non-audiophile CD, the mix is crystal clear. Every musician’s effort is perfect balanced and totally supports (without dominating nor detracting from) the vocals. Given the age of the track and the comparatively primitive studio equipment, the quality is outstanding. Somebody was really paying attention the engineering and production on this one. Really paying attention.
As for the rest of the CD, it’s okay, and nothing more. Perhaps that’s being uncharitable because this first track, the one that’s the subject of this story is soooooooo far ahead of the pack.
Curious about the band? Click HERE
Curious about the album? Click HERE
Want to buy the album cheap? Click HERE
