Yessongs04
Yes: Yessongs, 1973, Artwork by Roger Dean
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Yessongs, the first live album by Yes, was released on May 18, 1973. The band selected live recordings from its “Fragile” and “Close to the Edge” tours between February and December 1972 filling out an elaborately packaged triple album. Three tracks feature founding Yes drummer Bill Bruford while the remaining tracks feature his replacement, Alan White.
.
The original album consisted of three LPs in an elaborately designed and illustrated gatefold cover featuring Roger Dean’s Yes-defining artwork. The large space allowed Dean to continue a graphic concept he had introduced in the artwork on the band’s fourth album, Fragile. The first illustration Dean presented to the band, "Pathways," was well received and, encouraged by the band’s reaction, he continued the narrative visually linking Yessongs’ four paintings: 1) “Escape,” 2) “Arrival,” 3) “Awakenings,” 4) “Pathways.”
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There was a period during the history of pop music sometimes referred to as the “Time of the Album.” From the early 1960s through the next decade until about 1986, cover art and the accompanying liner notes were at least as important as the vinyl long play record inside. Album art drew us in and held us rapt as we searched the images and words for added meaning to our favorite recording artists.
The double album, with its gatefold cover, occupied a special niche. The album art gave visual meaning to the music, amplifying the audio experience. Album art also branded the artist in a way that bands like the Rolling Stones (tongue), Yes (floating islands), and Little Feat (ducks with lips) were imprinted on our impressionable minds. For fans like myself, knowing where and when the recording took place, the producer, the guest artists, and the instruments gave a depth and meaning to the music, apart from the recorded melodies. And what a pleasure it was to peruse the lyrics and images over and over, looking for new details, just as we listened for new textures and chords in the warmth of the spinning vinyl record.
Of course, with the advent of CDs the art was lost, becoming smaller and less relevant. And now, as music is increasingly downloaded and/or streamed album art is an artifact of a bygone era, The Time of the Album. I’ve photographed a few of the albums in my collection as a way to revisit that time, to relive my experience and to share with a new generation of audiophiles. Consider this an occasional series or an exercise in nostalgia. Either way, enjoy the memories.
Yessongs04
Yes: Yessongs, 1973, Artwork by Roger Dean
.
Yessongs, the first live album by Yes, was released on May 18, 1973. The band selected live recordings from its “Fragile” and “Close to the Edge” tours between February and December 1972 filling out an elaborately packaged triple album. Three tracks feature founding Yes drummer Bill Bruford while the remaining tracks feature his replacement, Alan White.
.
The original album consisted of three LPs in an elaborately designed and illustrated gatefold cover featuring Roger Dean’s Yes-defining artwork. The large space allowed Dean to continue a graphic concept he had introduced in the artwork on the band’s fourth album, Fragile. The first illustration Dean presented to the band, "Pathways," was well received and, encouraged by the band’s reaction, he continued the narrative visually linking Yessongs’ four paintings: 1) “Escape,” 2) “Arrival,” 3) “Awakenings,” 4) “Pathways.”
.
There was a period during the history of pop music sometimes referred to as the “Time of the Album.” From the early 1960s through the next decade until about 1986, cover art and the accompanying liner notes were at least as important as the vinyl long play record inside. Album art drew us in and held us rapt as we searched the images and words for added meaning to our favorite recording artists.
The double album, with its gatefold cover, occupied a special niche. The album art gave visual meaning to the music, amplifying the audio experience. Album art also branded the artist in a way that bands like the Rolling Stones (tongue), Yes (floating islands), and Little Feat (ducks with lips) were imprinted on our impressionable minds. For fans like myself, knowing where and when the recording took place, the producer, the guest artists, and the instruments gave a depth and meaning to the music, apart from the recorded melodies. And what a pleasure it was to peruse the lyrics and images over and over, looking for new details, just as we listened for new textures and chords in the warmth of the spinning vinyl record.
Of course, with the advent of CDs the art was lost, becoming smaller and less relevant. And now, as music is increasingly downloaded and/or streamed album art is an artifact of a bygone era, The Time of the Album. I’ve photographed a few of the albums in my collection as a way to revisit that time, to relive my experience and to share with a new generation of audiophiles. Consider this an occasional series or an exercise in nostalgia. Either way, enjoy the memories.