Album title: Time and a Word
Artist: Yes
Nationality: English
Label: Atlantic
Chronology: Second
Grade: A
Previous Experience of this Artist:
The Trollheart Factor:
Landmark value: It’s not as if it set the world on fire, but I expect as it a) was the catalyst to introduce Steve Howe to the band, and thus create the classic lineup that would prevail through the seventies and b) was the first (and only) time they used an orchestra, it must be fairly significant.
Tracklisting: No Opportunity Necessary, No Experience Needed/Then/ Everydays/Sweet Dreams/The Prophet/Clear Days/Astral Traveller/Time and a Word
Comments: Tony Kaye’s growling Hammond leaves you in no doubt that you’re in prog territory, then a reworking of the theme from the western movie
The Big Country gives way to Anderson’s voice, and it’s an upbeat beginning, though I would say Anderson is not as strong here as he perhaps should be. That might be down to the documented problems with producer Tony Colson, whom it seems some of the band thought was not up to the task. Strangely enough, and it’s probably just me, but I hear strains of Genesis’s “Illegal Alien” here. Wonder if they ripped it off, thirteen years later?
The usage of the theme is clever, but I’d question why it needs to be there at all? I mean, it’s not like this is a song about cowboys is it? Anyway, I can hear why Banks was pissed off. The second track seems to feature no guitar at all, or at least none I can hear. Oh there’s some now. Yeah but it’s definitely relegated to bursts here and there, the song mostly driven by Kaye. Oh and that bass run! Graham Gouldman must definitely have had that in mind when 10cc were writing “Rubber Bullets”! But you know, here again, this early, my old problem with early Yes surfaces. I’m losing interest in the songs. There seems to be nothing I can hang a hook on and hold onto. Man, the vocal on this in the latter stages is almost inaudible! Is that intentional or just crappy production?
“Everydays” is a cover of a Stephen Stills song, nice little ballad, well it kicks up near the end, which I kind of don’t like, but as it’s not their song I guess I can’t blame them. “Sweet Dreams” is much better, more uptempo and gives me a sense of later ELO in the harmonies, some guitar here for sure. Little repetitive though I must say. “The Prophet” is pretty good, quite bombastic in places and Anderson’s voice is definitely stronger here, while “Clear Days” really benefits from the use of the orchestra, nice violin-driven ballad which also showcases the softer side of Anderson’s voice. Very short though. The track, not Anderson. Well, then again...
Banks has I guess his final blowout on the intro to “Astral Traveller” though Kaye soon takes over with a “Watcher of the Skies” style Hammond attack, also throwing in arpeggios that would surface a couple of years later on “Can-Utility and the Coastliners” on Genesis’s fourth album
Foxtrot. The title track then brings it all home with what I would have to say sounds very like a Moody Blues rip-off track, not anything terribly special but not a bad closer.
Favourite track(s): No Opportunity Necessary, No Experience Needed, Sweet Dreams, The Prophet, Clear Days,
Least favourite track(s): Everydays
Overall impression: Despite this being their second album, this is no revelation. I don’t hear anything here that tells me these guys are going to be emperors of the prog rock movement, have millions of fans and still be recording today, fifty years later. It’s a good album, and of course with the benefit of hindsight you can see where they are going, but if I was hearing this in 1970 (I’d only have been seven though) I think I would pick out Procol Harum or the Moody Blues to be the big thing. Just shows you I guess. Of course, 1972 would see the release of
Close to the Edge and that would be it, for them, as they basically rewrote the rules on progressive rock and scored a hit that would, even today, almost always top any list of greatest prog albums. That’s still three years away though, and on the strength of this, perhaps they were lucky to get that far.
Personal Rating: 
Legacy Rating: 
Final Rating: 