Yes-Yes (1969)

In 1969, Yes released their debut album, which still displayed a certain stylistic immaturity. However, it was also where they began to lay the foundations for what, several years later, would become one of the most impressive and meteoric careers in the world of progressive rock. The lineup that recorded this debut consisted of Jon Anderson (vocals), Chris Squire (bass and vocals), Bill Bruford (drums), Tony Kaye (keyboards), and Peter Banks (guitars and vocals). Despite the album's overall incoherence, there are some truly noteworthy moments, based primarily on psychedelic sounds, progressive folk, and some passages of energetic rock. Instrumental refinement and complexity are present in tracks like "I See You", "Yesterday and Today", "Harold Land", and "Sweetness", while Kaye's Hammond organ drives the beautiful "Looking Around". Although there is still no unified style, there are echoes of the more psychedelic Pink Floyd, the pop of The Beatles and the American folk of The Byrds, so the musical diversity is quite eclectic and original, forming with all of this a fairly solid and interesting debut.