IT'S THE YES EPICS POLL

Damn, I meant to add comedy to the title, oh well.

for some people the idea of a 15-minute prog suite is comical enough even BEFORE you make a whole poll of them!

Awaken or Gates of Delirium... I'm going with the former.

The endings of both are among the two most spine-tingling I can think of in the genre.

See, I played Gates of Delirium again yesterday and I still don't get it.

If there are no epics polls for Genesis, King Crimson etc. we should get cracking in the ensuing months.

It's all about the final C major chord. Like the "Liebestod" of prog rock.

I'm going with GoD! I haven't heard a good three-quarters of these (everything that isn't on TYA, Fragile, CTTE, Relayer and GFTO) but I'm convinced it can't be topped.

Autumn Almanac, I actually once sent a friend instructions on how to listen to GoD in order to get it. They were very complicated, but I think if you listen to that MOMENT 13:43 into the song, where Yes WIN MUSIC, you might be on your way.

Joe's right about the end too btw. Awe-inspiring.

if you listen to that MOMENT 13:43 into the song

The Relayer version or a live one?

for some people the idea of a 15-minute prog suite is comical enough even BEFORE you make a whole poll of them!

-- Just got offed, Monday, November 26, 2007 6:16 PM (7 minutes ago) Bookmark Link

When you get over your sense of embarrassment at liking these is the point at which life begins.

Quite, Hurting. AA, I speak of the Relayer version. Find and gawp. Carry on listening for 20 seconds and the guitar soars a couple of octaves for the ABSOLUTE win.

This is hard, I have it down to 4 and I haven't heard any of the post 1980 ones. I think I'll go either "Starship Trooper" or "Awaken" but "And You and I" and "Gates" are still in there too.

^^^^^^the four that NV has picked are CORRECT (give or take 'Awaken' which I need to hear again).

starship trooper, go sailing on by
Touch my soul, catch the very light

Okay JGO, give me 13 mionutes and 43 seconds.

"Awaken" is a big grower for sure. It regularly used to place as the highest Yes song on the Friday Rock Show birthday polls.

The Part B riff of "Starship Trooper" is some monolithic business, meanwhile.

xxxxxp As good as those others are, Awaken is the only one that knocks me on my arse so I'll probably go with that.

RSOG

Which one inspired Wakeman to eat korma?

jesus i need to get GFTO, i've only heard 'Awaken' ONCE, and it was pretty good, but these things improve with every listen.

Starship Trooper is monolithic all the way through, but THAT ORGAN BUILD-UP, THAT GUITAR SOLO, OMG

Get GTFO. Get Tormato too, because Release Release is sublime for all the wrong reasons.

shall do. tell me when you reach the Bit Of Orgasm btw.

9:31

12:38

13:21

13:37

hmm

okay I feel like I missed something.

DUDE THE GUITAR TEXTURE MAKES A QUANTUM LEAP INTO THE UTTERLY INMAZINGABLE

I got loads more out of the song as a whole this time, but nothing seemed to happen at 13:43. When it finishes I'll go back.

Nothing again. Perhaps it needs time.

took me a few listens.

Looking close at what was included, where are the following? "Yours Is No Disgrace", "Perpetual Change", "South Side of the Sky", "Siberian Khatru", "Sound Chaser", "To Be Over", "Turn of the Century"?

Not sure of their exact times, but surely these in spirit deserve to be on here too (especially since they would give some serious competition, relative to non-entry entrys like "That, That Is").

Also, to be comprehensive the ABWH stuff probably should be on here too (not that any of it would win).

Oh man I was so thinking about doing a Rush epics poll. Maybe I will! Anyway, Starship Trooper. Shouldn't the Tales sides be considered as ONE VAST EPIC? I'm guessing everything post awaken sucks.

Joe, it came down to using length as the arbitrator. The original list I had was enormous, and included most of what you mentioned; someone else said it should only be the seven or eight 15+ minute epics. We had to draw the line somewhere.

I genuinely forgot the ABWH stuff though.

Matt #2: Tales is one big epic in my head too, but a lot of people do like only parts of that album.

Not everything post-Awaken sucks, if you ignore everything between Big Generator and Open Your Eyes (but not Keystudio).

You should all be ritualistically slain for not realizing the eye-socket-felching brilliance that is "Tempus Fugit."

Sigh. Awaken it is for orgasm factor. So bloody hard though.

Alex in NYC should be gently slapped around the chops for suggesting that a 5-minute song belongs on the ILX YES EPICS POLL.

"tempus fugit" is eye-socket-felching brilliant, but at what? 5 minutes? it's no epic. joe totally otm though about "Yours Is No Disgrace", "Perpetual Change", "South Side of the Sky", "Siberian Khatru", "Sound Chaser", "To Be Over", "Turn of the Century." someone should do a best-epic-producing-band poll if it hasn't been done yet. can should be on there, and tangerine dream, and well i guess a lot of others. i chose "close to the edge" by the way. it holds together better than "gates of delirium" -- "soon" could really be its own song

This one seems so much easier than the crimson and genesis epics poll.
I'm picking The Revealing Science of God. -"what happened to this song, we used to know so well...I must have waited all my life for this moment moment MO-MENT!"

OTM- Looking close at what was included, where are the following? "Yours Is No Disgrace", "Perpetual Change", "South Side of the Sky", "Siberian Khatru", "Sound Chaser", "To Be Over", "Turn of the Century"?

good god those are some good songs. Sound Chaser and Siberian Khatru.. how could those 2 be forgotten! and well, turn of the century might not be an epic but it is awesome.

It was all about length, honestly. I mean Release Release is about the most densely complex and srsly fucked-up thing the band ever did (and I would probably have voted for it), but where do you draw the line?

This was destined to be controversial.

well Soung Chaser and Siberian Khatru are long.

I drew the line at nine minutes to avoid this, but I guess it was always going to be unavoidable. We had a massive debate about it here, if you want to see how we arrived at this conclusion.

Khatru's arguably just one long song though, rather than being epic. IMO of course.

I mean Release Release is about the most densely complex and srsly fucked-up thing the band ever did

even more so than CTTE 1:21 - 2:57? i can't imagine it.

I wouldn't call CTTE fucked up though :)

Anything longer than 5 mins and with multiple sections. "South Side of the Sky" size/scope up, probably.

-- Autumn Almanac, Monday, 26 November 2007 12:00 (2 days ago) Bookmark Link

So you'd do "Siberian Khatru", probably, but not "Arriving UFO." For example.

-- Autumn Almanac, Monday, 26 November 2007 12:00 (2 days ago) Bookmark Link

Bahahahaha. You can see how many times the criterion changed.

"Awaken/Gentle Mass/Touch-ing!" --- I voted for this.

Voted "Awaken". "Close To The Edge" is a better album, but "Awaken" is their single most beautiful moment overall. Those harps and church organs: Wonderful!

Yeah, he right.

I voted for "Gates of Delirium". Heavy & intense, great payoff at the end. It was a hard choice though, all of the seventies Yes tracks listed are great to me.

Alex in NYC should be gently slapped around the chops for suggesting that a 5-minute song belongs on the ILX YES EPICS POLL.

Yeah, that was a bit of an oversight. Lashings of apologies.

"And You and I" barely over "Heart of the Sunrise"

This is the hardest of these EPIC polls. I'll go with Gates of Delirium, but am glad I don't have to choose for real.

I love their version of America. I've actually never heard the original, nor do I really care too

Okay, after about 15 listens Gates of Delirium is indeed mental. The 13:43 moment isn't working for me, but the entire battle sequence is jaw-dropping. I can see why people dig on it so much.

The 13:43 moment isn't working for me

play. it. louder.

I don't quite get "Gates Of Delirium" as a whole, but parts of it is great. And the finishing "Soon" section is among their most beautiful moments ever.

I miss those Wakeman keyboards lot there though. Moraz' "bubbling" improvised style just cannot replace it. Geoff Downes IMO is the best Yes keyboardist ever other than Wakeman - he managed to sound like that typical prog synth player even though his background was more new wave/new romantics.

Yeah, no Wakeman hurts, definitely.

Mind Drive has Wakeman's part cut in later, but it still feels right because he's driving the keyboards. It's astounding how much difference his presence makes.

You know, I don't recall any dexterous wizardry on Tales, the likes of which make Relayer and CTTE stand out. I'm going to listen to the whole fraking thing again right now and try to find some.

(by that I mean combined dexterous wizardry, not solo noodling)

The answer would be no.

Automatic thread bump. This poll's results are now in.

Never voted, but a fair result.

what happened.. to this song... we once knew so well?

The Top 6 is all great.

that song you once knew so well, made top 7, which is pretty good I think (hey I voted for it to)

Played Gates of Delirium in the city at lunch hour yesterday. Fair took my head off, it did. Claustrophobia set in at the 8 min mark and from there it was complete mindfuck territory.

That song is a legitimate mind-melting experience

Glad to see you coming round, AA!

One of my favorite moments in "Gates" is Howe's opening guitar note for "Soon", where there's this 'ripples in a pool' echo in the background--very subtle and maybe even an unintended studio effect that snuck in there, but it definitely adds to the mystical quality of the last section.

This morning is officially the first time I've ever had a 21/8 time signature stuck in my head. LOOK WHAT YOU HAS DONE TO ME

Sound Chaser had that wicked guitar solo at the beginning and wacky time signatures at the end that I love.

And Gates has that lyric I love - something like "send your children off to hell"

And then it goes all CHA-CHA-CHA-etc.

no votes but "America" is really good!

This thread sold me on the virtues of Drama when nothing else could.

no votes but "America" is really good!

Agreed.

Mind Drive is a mad assault. So many climaxes it's exhausting.

Wanna rep for "To Be Over". One of the most overlooked songs in their catalogue IMO.

The right answer was still "Awaken". Sheesh.

^

That bit about 6 minutes into Awaken practically invents Cardiacs....I just wish it went on for about 5 mins longer

rest of the song is pretty great mind

This is hard, I have it down to 4 and I haven't heard any of the post 1980 ones. I think I'll go either "Starship Trooper" or "Awaken" but "And You and I" and "Gates" are still in there too.

― Noodle Vague, Monday, 26 November 2007 23:28 (1 year ago) Bookmark Suggest Ban Permalink

^^^^^^the four that NV has picked are CORRECT (give or take 'Awaken' which I need to hear again).

― Just got offed, Monday, 26 November 2007 23:30 (1 year ago) Bookmark

fiiiiixed

I listened to some of fragile today and Heart of The Sunrise really is that good

yeah, that's what i voted for. Chris Squire owns all over that track.

The Revealing Science of God gets my hippie vote. It's such a feel good song

i for one am glad lorax has rehabilitated so smoothly :)

"heart of the sunrise" otm

'Awaken' on headphones, loud. I've not been listening to Yes much in my older age but goddamn.

Song with most amount of ascendancy ever, just keeps piling on, those choir/organ sounds.

it pretty much invents Cardiacs, doesn't it? oh it's by so far their best song

"sound chaser" invents cardiacs, no?

nah, it doesn't have the melodic progressions, the swelling polytonal grandeur

sure it does, toward the end, the lead-in to the final "cha cha cha cha cha cha!" yes conducts a contrapuntal harmonic chiaroscuro that resolves into a holy shit final run that could be a verse on any of the songs for ships and irons

ok full disclosure i need to relisten to sound chaser

No way is 'Awaken' better than 'The Gates of Delirium'

Awaken is so beautiful!

The Gates Of Delirium is so good yes of course but it doesn't quite have Awaken's momentum. It's a song of great bits in a decent military narrative, but Awaken is a sublime clarion from beyond sense or whatever, I have no idea what possessed them to make it

I think Patrick Moraz claims to have written parts of it, before he was out of the band and Wakeman was back in.