Highlights (The Very Best of Yes)
Yes
1993: Atlantic 7 82517-2
I’m not a Yes fan, but I did want to have the songs of theirs I really do like, and those are “Long Distance Runaround” (here unfortunately truncated to the song itself and not including “Fish (Schindleria Praematurus)” which follows it on the original album and completes the song so much better), “Roundabout,” “Owner of a Lonely Heart,” “Leave It,” and “Rhythm of Love.” I know that doesn’t show much sophistication on my part, but I don’t care…the *sound* of “Rhythm of Love” in particular exhilarates me.
But it’s significant that several songs on any “Best Of” compilation are ones I would unhesitatingly put on a “Worst Ever” list. I have in mind above all “Starship Trooper,” which I still can’t listen to all the way through without sedation (and even then…), but really half of this album falls into that category. Truly, painfully bad tracks, and of such self-indulgent aggrandizement that they nearly bring tears of agony to my eyes.
Comments © 2010 Mark Ellis Walker, except as noted, and no claim is made to the images and quoted lyrics.