Yessongs (Live)

1972 was a banner year for Yes. The band embarked on two separate tours: one for 1971's Fragile and one for the follow-up album, Close to the Edge. Those records happen to be two of the most iconic prog rock releases ever, and Yes's 1972 shows were appropriately momentous. Fortunately, the period's performances are chronicled on what's become an equally classic live album. The more uptempo tunes ("Siberian Khatru," "Roundabout") are delivered with even greater intensity than the studio recordings, and shape-shifting art-rock epics like "Close to the Edge" and "Heart of the Sunrise" are extended even further for maximum atmospheric impact. We also hear the Yes men strut their stuff on solo turns, including Steve Howe's pastoral acoustic guitar piece "Mood for a Day" and Rick Wakeman's dizzying, multi-keyboard extravaganza featuring excerpts from his own Six Wives of Henry VIII album. And you'll hear the band evolve before your ears with the significant shift from original drummer Bill Bruford on the first tour to his successor, Alan White, on the second.