Cadillac has a new commercial in which a group of young men in a Caddy discuss the great progressive rock group Yes. One of the guys is playing "Wonderous Stories" in the car through his Ipod, and the others express their doubts that this is cool: "Who listens to Yes?" one asks.
The Yes fan replies, "Lots of people listen to Yes." A bearded guy wearing sunglasses in the back seat says, "Everybody listens to Yes, huh?", oozing skepticism.
They decide to ask two attractive young women whom they see near the road. The young ladies reply, "Yeah, it’s classic rock," and look at the young men as if the question were entirely stupid.
So there you have it. Everybody listens to Yes.
It’s an interesting commercial in showing how people use pop culture to create their own little societies. Some things, however, transcend fashion, and I would agree with the implication that Yes is one of them. Find our more about Yes here and here.
See the commercial here.
Hunter, have you tried Close to the Edge and Relayer? Those are classics. Use the link to amazon.com above to hear sound samples–and let us know what you think, if you get a hold of copies of these. In addition, I think Going for the One is a top Yes album and a great intro to the band because it has a strong rock base while still doing the great, immensely creative things the band is known for, especially in the album’s lone epic song, “Awaken.” Plus, “Wonderous Stories” is on that one. And the guitar work on the song “Going for the One” is superb. You probably already have that album, of course….
I adored Yes when I was in high school. Big Generator was a great album for those years.
S.T.: Disc 3, Track 8, go for it! Even better, drop a hint to Santa. I’m sure you’ve been good this year.
Not a problem, Joe! As you say, we’re in the realm of taste, here, choosing among items of very fine quality.
I’m sure I’ve heard “Crawdaddy Simone” because I borrowed Nuggets II from the library, but I don’t remember anything about it, probably because I didn’t pay much attention because I didn’t realize Steve How played on it. I’ll get a hold of the disk and give it a closer listen. Thanks for the lead!
S.T., first off, my apologies for calling you S.N.. One of those Frank Drebin moments, I’m afraid. Secondly, I hope I didn’t come across as putting you down. I just was expressing my personal opinion, like saying I prefer chocolate chip ice cream over vanilla. I do respect your opinion and you have said kind things about my fave rave band the Kinks. By the way have you heard “Crawdaddy Simone” by Steve Howe’s first band, the Syndacats, which is on the Nuggets II box set?….
Joe–I like Tomorrow, too, and probably have the same disc you have. “My White Bicycle” is a classic psychedelic song, and Steve Howe plays some impressive guitar on several of the songs. However, Yes is just so great, if you like that sort of thing, as I do….
SN, with all due respect, I do prefer Tomorrow, the band that Steve Howe was in before Yes. I picked up a copy of the CD reissue of their first & only album, which I’ve enjoyed very much. I’m especially impressed with their cover version of Strawberry Fields Forever. Also, I did enjoy your recent post on Roy Wood, who had a lot of great songs.