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Track Listings
| Disc: 1 | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. Yours Is No Disgrace | |||
| 2. Survival | |||
| 3. Roundabout | |||
| 4. Then | |||
| 5. "I've Seen All Good People: a. Your Move, b. All Good People" | |||
| 6. Heart Of The Sunrise | |||
| 7. Starship Trooper (A. Life Seeker; B. Disillusion; C. Wurm) | |||
| 8. Ritual / Nous Sommes Du Soleil | |||
| Disc: 2 | |||
| 1. Siberian Khatru | |||
| 2. Long Distance Runaround | |||
| 3. Wonderous Stories | |||
| 4. "And You And I (I. Cord Of Life, II. Eclipse, III. The Preacher The Teacher, IV. Apocalypse)" | |||
| 5. Soon | |||
| 6. Going For The One | |||
| 7. Don't Kill The Whale | |||
| 8. Owner Of A Lonely Heart | |||
| 9. Leave It | |||
| 10. Big Generator | |||
See all 13 tracks on this disc
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Product Description
Amazon.co.uk Review
Despite incessant criticism to the contrary, Yes (at least when they were at their pre-Tales from Topographic Oceans best) were always more interested in the artistic ends than the means. While the music of leviathan contemporaries Emerson, Lake and Palmer was sometimes nothing more than a bucking bronco on which to ride and show off their rodeo skills, Yes were an ego-crushing tour de force (which may explain the manifold personnel changes) whose creative peaks ("Starship Trooper", the seismic violence meets heavenly grace of "Heart of the Sunrise", the Trevor Horn produced pop perfection of "Owner of a Lonely Heart") could only have been scaled by communal map reading. Of course, they had their troughs; "Nous Sommes Du Soleil" (taken from Tales from Topographic Oceans, the longest suicide note in history) is grandiloquent poppycock and 1987's "Big Generator" is disgracefully gluttonous fat funk in the mould of Duran Duran offshoot The Power Station. Shame about the inadvertent inclusion of a work-in-progress version of "And You and I" (a blessing for completists but a curse for those seeking the definitive Yes overview) but other than that The Ultimate Yes exceeds expectations. There may well never be a smaller, better Yes collection. --Kevin Maidment
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Customer Reviews
The other problem is that there are too many excerpts, perhaps inevitable considering the length of many of their songs, but it gives the collection a fragmented feel.
The worst crime though is the inclusion of the 'alternative' version of 'And You And I', perhaps the bands greatest moment is representated by what can only have been an outtake in rehearsal. Guitars drop out of the mix, Anderson sings flat and without any studio treatment such as reverb - it's horrible. Wakeman still seems to be writing his part and there are no overdubs. It's shocking frankly and should never have seen the light of day.
So, a star lost for that alone. Overall, it's a fair primer but the band deserve so much more.
The Trevor Rabin years are poorly treated with "Owner of A Lonely Heart", "Leave It", a new mix of "Big Generator" and a short edit of "The Calling". The most glaring ommission from this period is the wonderful "Love Will Find A Way".
Praise the invention of C.D. so you can miss out on the extended noodling of "Ritual" and just rejoice in "Starship Trooper" Siberian Khatru" "Heart of The Sunrise" and "Roundabout".
If you have all these tracks on other albums buy this anyway. It's a reasonably priced double and as we all know, Yes music can take you to places other music can't.
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Disc 1 consists entirely of music recorded between 1969's eponymous debut and their sprawling 1974 masterpiece, "Tales from Topographic Oceans". All except "Then" are often cited as Yes classics (I never rated the 'Time and a Word' album) and rightly so. The classic Yes sound first came to fruition during this era: Anderson's light vocals, Squire's floor-shaking Rickenbacker bass, Bruford's infallably precise drumming (no wonder King Crimson snapped him up!) and introducing the virtuoso talends of Howe and Wakeman.
Disc 2 picks up from where Disc 1 left off - with a few more classics. Not only do you get half of 1972's must-have "Close to the Edge" album ("Siberian Khatru" and "And You and I") but also two of Anderson's most respected songs: "Long Distance Runaround" and "Soon" (note to newbies: you'll find "Soon" at the very end of "Gates of Delirium" on the "Relayer" album). 1977's chart-topping "Going for the One" is presented almost in its entirety with the title track, the top 10 "Wonderous Stories" and the epic "Awaken" closing the album. The 80's were a bit of a transition period for the band as they took on South African rock guitarist Trevor Rabin: "90125", "Big Generator" and "Talk" are represented by their signature tunes and little else. Yes' return to form at the close of the 20th century comes in the form of "Homeworld", however the only glaring omission is "In the Presence of" from 2001's "Magnification" which remains true to the early Yes sound.
Overall, "The Ultimate Yes" may not be totally ultimate (if that's what you seek, go for the "In A Word" box set) but as a digestable intro to Yes, this is ideal. It's also great to see the boys back in the UK Top 10 - a testament to the respect they've earned over the last 35 years. From here, I recommend any newcomer to try their studio albums. Start with "Fragile" and "Close to the Edge" then take your pick!
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