Yonin Bayashi was a Japanese progressive band in the early 70's. One of its members, Katsutoshi Morizono, went on to become a member of Prism. Um.... there's a lemur on the cover....
Yes is the band that put the Art in Progressive Art Rock. This is the album with Patrick Moraz on keyboards, and it sports another amazing Roger Dean cover art.
Interesting prog matchup. Never heard of Yonin Bayashi before the tourney, but I'm impressed. Appropriately, they're matched against prog rock giants Yes.
Yes is one of those bands that can simultaneously rub me the wrong way with their overindulgence while blowing me away with technical prowess. Relayer's 21 minute opener Gates of Delirium is the perfect example of this.
Every time I think that Yes has gone too far over the top, they find a way to reel it back in and mesmerize me.
Relayer gets my vote for the godlike guitar playing of Steve Howe on "To Be Over"
Yes but for the Japanese prog classic... 👏 _________________ "And can’t you see you’re in on it?
You were born though you need not
And is that not some cause
For worship, being born among these trees?"
Yonin Bayashi is fairly competent. I'd probably like it a lot more if I had any idea what they were singing about. I imagine they're singing something along the lines of "I'm a lemur... smoking a pipe.... hanging from a branch... got big red eyes... there's a turtle over there..."
Isshoku-Sokuhatsu is pretty interesting. Especially, Sora to Kuma which is a mash of smooth jazz fusion and Roxy Music romantic charm. However, the cornerstone of the album, the titular track, is mostly recycled Gilmour guitar licks, In The Court era KIng Crimson style & structure, and Deep Purple muscle. Hmm.. that actually sounds pretty good. Well it ain’t all that! LOL. But it is definitely an interesting listen, and I’d recommend it if you’re really into prog or jazz fusion (which I’m not by a long shot).
Relayer is far less recycled and extremely unique. But it ultimately leaves me cold as so much prog not named King Crimson or Can does.
I’d take The Meters’ Rejuvenation, The Residents’ Meet the Residents, or Gene Clarke’ No Other over either of these two any day of the week. So, in the off chance that Listmeister’s madcap system actually works, which is way over my simpleton’s head, I’m going with neither.
Neither.
ps. As penance, I’m going to spend the rest of the week trying to “get” Yes.
edit: You can listen to too many albums, folks. I completely forgot that I LOVE early Yes. I'm actually one of those who "get" them completely. The Yes Album , Fragile and Close to The Edge are all fricking awesome. Not the first time I've typed something dumb this week I'm afraid.
I hadn't planned for a contingency where there was a tie between an album and "didn't like". So, if someone who hasn't voted could break the tie, that would simplify things for us.
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