It is no surprise that by rock's third generation classically trained musicians would start to form bands and infuse rock and roll with what they considered loftier musical standards. Some desired to improve rock music, some wanted to prove to the "musical establishment" that rock and roll could be a vehicle for artistic expression, and others just wanted to find an environment in which they could combine the types of music they loved. The term "progressive rock" emerged to define bands with ambitious musical goals and superlative, even virtuosic, technique.
Yes was among the first generation "prog" rock bands to emerge in England, at a time when psychedelic pop was being transformed by infusions of Delta blues, Stax soul, English folk, and avant-garde classical music. All of its initial members, save drummer Bill Bruford, had been part of the "beat boom" sparked by the Beatles; their pop bands had stalled, and they were looking for something different. Anderson and bassist Chris Squire wanted to approach rock music with greater precision and care than most acts; the fashion in London was for long, blues-based jams that were sometimes transcendent but often sloppy and uninteresting. Their eponymous first album was interpreted as an exploration of the intersection between folk music and pop in the spirit of contemporary bands like Pentangle and the Incredible String Band. Their next album, which introduced guitarist Steve Howe, was radically different; some tracks used a symphony orchestra, the songs were longer, and their themes were more mystical.
With the exception of Anderson and Squires (who have played on every Yes album since 1968) the membership of the band has fluctuated, and each new combination of musicians yielded a slightly different sound. The "classic" lineup, which produced most of the hits of the 1970s, included keyboardist Rick Wakeman, one of the most flamboyant performers in rock and roll. After he joined the band in 1971 their "signature" sound emerged; long, multisectional compositions that allowed for extended improvisations, virtuoso musicianship, and lyrics dealing with space or Eastern spirituality. They found audiences receptive and became one of the most popular bands of the early 1970s. They not only weathered the transition to the 1980s, but their 1983 album 90125 sold six million copies and placed three singles in the Top Ten. It was a radical departure in style and fractured the "classic" lineup for a time, though Anderson, Squires, Howe, and Wakeman reunited in 1994 and have more or less remained together since.
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The Beatles, the Fifth Dimension, the Moody Blues, Procol Harum
Must Haves:
 "Leave It"
"I've Seen All Good People"
"Close to the Edge"
"Parallels"
"And You and I"
Renaissance, Rush, Styx, Emerson, Lake, and Palmer, Utopia, Asia
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