Disc #5: Yes (The Ultimate Yes: Disc 2)

Artist: Yes
Album: The Ultimate Yes:
35th Anniversary Collection (Disc 2)
Released by Warner Strategic Marketing in 2004

I find Disc #2 of this compilation very different from the first. The lead track is from an early 70s album, followed by a few more tracks from albums later in the 70s. These are followed by some big hits from the early 80s, and then some select tracks from albums spanning the next 20 years. You can hear that distinct Yes sound throughout, but as a group of songs, it's pretty scattered.

The first disc is spread out over a 3 year period, so you really get a sense of where the band was at musically in that time. I find it a lot more difficult to get into disc #2 because it is so spread out.

This album has a lot of decent tunes on it, but there is one song that stands head and shoulders above the rest. This is of course the biggest hit in Yes' entire career: 1980's "Owner of a Lonely Heart" from the album 90125. I heard this song on the radio today at work, and it's so much fun to listen to. I am often surprised when I think about that, because the instrumentation and technology used in the song are so very specific to that era of music (of which I'm am not typically a big fan). However, this song always puts me in a good mood. In my opinion, some songs are so good that it does not matter what the instrumentation is.

My wife and I have an ongoing debate regarding whether art is objectively beautiful, meaning there are specific universal markers that make art good or bad, or whether its beauty is subjective (left to the eye of the beholder). I've typically been on the objective side of the argument, and although I'm positive she will disagree with me here, I think "Owner" helps my case. This is in the sense that I typically don't like the sounds used in the song, but love this song, which would suggest that there are elements of music that are universally "good", and they are present in this song. Nora hates this song. So it doesn't really matter how I argue here; she will be on the subjectivity side.

If you grew up in the 80s, you will probably like this disc. I think it's OK, but I usually opt for the 1st disc. If I put it in the player, I most likely just want to hear "Owner" again. Therefore, on THE MIKE JONES SCALE OF DISC AWESOMENESS, this disc receives a score of:

6

Join me again as the experiment continues and we tackle the third installment of this compilation with Disc #6.