Big Generator
by Yes

Big Generator by Yes
Year: 1987
Overall rank: 11,554th   Overall chart history
Average Rating: 
64/100 (from 97 votes)
  Ratings distribution   Average rating history
Accolades:
Award Top albums of 1987 (141st)
Award Top albums of the 1980s (1,592nd)
Award Best albums of all time (11,554th)

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Product Details
Availability

eBay
eBay
YES : BIG GENERATOR (CD) DISC + CVR ART - NO CASE - GOOD
Condition: Good


eBay
eBay
Yes Big Generator CD TARGET ERA! MADE IN USA BY PDO 1987 ATCO A2-90522 RARE!
Condition: Very Good


eBay
eBay
Yes - Big Generator CD 1987 Rock Progressive ATCO Label
Condition: Very Good


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Yes bestography

Big Generator is ranked 17th best out of 69 albums by Yes on BestEverAlbums.com.

The best album by Yes is Close To The Edge which is ranked number 87 in the list of all-time albums with a total rank score of 13,508.

Yes album bestography « Higher ranked (7,872nd)
Talk
This album (11,554th)
Big Generator
Lower ranked (12,599th) »
Yesshows

(N.B. Bestographies include all albums by an artist (and their variations), but do not include albums ranked outside the top 100,000).

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Big Generator track list

  Track ratings The tracks on this album have an average rating of 72 out of 100 (all tracks have been rated).

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Big Generator rankings

Rankings summary
Overall rank: 11,554th | 1980s rank: 1,592nd | 1987 rank: 141st

Big Generator collection

Big Generator ratings

Average Rating: 
64/100 (from 97 votes)
  Ratings distribution Help Average Rating = (n ÷ (n + m)) × av + (m ÷ (n + m)) × AV
where:
av = trimmed mean average rating an item has currently received.
n = number of ratings an item has currently received.
m = minimum number of ratings required for an item to appear in a 'top-rated' chart (currently 10).
AV = the site mean average rating.

Showing latest 5 ratings for this album.  | Show all 97 ratings for this album.

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RatingDate updatedMemberAlbum ratingsAvg. album rating
 
35/100
 
06/10/2026 09:57 JamesMowbray  Ratings distribution  5,50869/100
 
65/100
 
05/10/2026 11:48 Adhura  Ratings distribution  1,67777/100
 
35/100
 
04/23/2026 09:34 Pavloss  Ratings distribution  48850/100
 
55/100
 
01/24/2026 17:24 Bluedog  Ratings distribution  16573/100
 
60/100
 
01/23/2026 16:55 hebbo137  Ratings distribution  19979/100

Rating metrics: Help Outliers can be removed when calculating a mean average to dampen the effects of ratings outside the normal distribution. This figure is provided as the trimmed mean. A high standard deviation can be legitimate, but can sometimes indicate 'gaming' is occurring. Consider a simplified example* of an item receiving ratings of 100, 50, & 0. The mean average rating would be 50. However, ratings of 55, 50 & 45 could also result in the same average. The second average might be more trusted because there is more consensus around a particular rating (a lower deviation).
(*In practice, some albums can have several thousand ratings)

This album has a Bayesian average rating of 63.5/100, a mean average of 61.4/100, and a trimmed mean (excluding outliers) of 62.6/100. The standard deviation for this album is 17.5.

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Big Generator favourites

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Big Generator comments

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Rating:  
75/100
From 08/18/2022 16:00 | #288634
Not nearly as successful as 90125 in the pop Yes transformation era. But there are a couple songs here that are solid.
Helpful?  (Log in to vote) | 0 votes (0 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
Rating:  
80/100
From 07/11/2021 01:07 | #271516
Perhaps the most maligned release in the Yes canon I actually found Big Gen to be a breezy, uplifting listen. It's not the second coming of "Close To The Edge" either but I much prefer sitting through this then 90125
Helpful?  (Log in to vote) | 0 votes (0 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
Rating:  
75/100
From 07/24/2016 03:28 | #171723
This one makes me cringe, but maybe I like it once in a blue moon. It is what it is, and it doesn't even seem embarrassed about it.
Helpful?  (Log in to vote) | 0 votes (0 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
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Best Albums of 1987
1. The Joshua Tree by U2
2. Appetite For Destruction by Guns N' Roses
3. Sign "O" The Times by Prince
4. Strangeways, Here We Come by The Smiths
5. You're Living All Over Me by Dinosaur
6. Document by R.E.M.
7. Bad by Michael Jackson
8. Music For The Masses by Depeche Mode
9. Sister by Sonic Youth
10. Substance by New Order