To listen to the music of Yes, you'd never know that the members of the band sometimes didn't get along too well.
Vocalist Jon Anderson and bassist Chris Squire formed the band in 1968, signing on drummer Bill Bruford, guitarist Peter Banks and keyboardist Tony Kaye. They were noticed by Atlantic Records founder Ahmet Ertegun almost immediately, and signed their first record deal the following year.
Over the next 40+ years, the band's lineup changed frequently, with various members (including all of the originals except Banks) drifting in and out of the group several times. Other than a two year period (1981-83) during which the band was officially disbanded, Yes have been been active since their formation.
Catching a break:
While many of their contemporaries experimented with other styles before settling on progressive rock, Yes embraced it from the beginning.
Their first two albums, Yes in 1969 and Time and a Word in 1970 were scarcely noticed, neither of them charting in the US. Banks, who strongly opposed Anderson's use of a live orchestra on the second album, left the band as soon as it was recorded. He was replaced by guitarist Steve Howe.
Howe's guitars and Anderson's vocals were a perfect fit, and their next release, The Yes Album in 1971 finally got them noticed in the US. They followed up quickly with Fragile the same year. Between the two release, Kaye dropped out, and was replaced by Rick Wakeman on keyboards. It was this grouping -- Anderson, Squire, Bruford, Wakeman and Howe -- who formed what is considered the classic lineup of the band, releasing six more highly successful albums -- Close to the Edge, Yessongs, Tales from Topographic Oceans, Relayer, Going for the One and Tormato -- over the next 10 years.
The "No Yes" era:
As the '80s approached, there was growing disagreement among Yes members as to the direction their music should be taking, culminating with Anderson leaving the band in 1979. Wakeman soon followed. The remaining members invited the pop duo, The Buggles -- vocalist/bassist Trevor Horn and keyboardist Geoffrey Downes -- to replace Anderson and Wakeman. That lineup lasted long enough to release one album, Drama in 1980 before they decided to shut Yes down and go their separate ways.
Downes and Howe joined the supergroup Asia (with Carl Palmer of Emerson Lake & Palmer and John Wetton of King Crimson) while Squire and White worked with guitarist Jimmy Page after Led Zeppelin broke up in 1980. Anderson released two solo albums.
In 1983, what had started out to be a new band being put together by Squire and White turned into the revival of Yes, with Anderson, Squire, White, original keyboardist Tony Kaye and a new guitarist, Trevor Rabin. Their album, 90125, the band's 11th, turned out to be the band's best-selling release up to that point, peaking at #5 on the Billboard 200.
