Starship Trooper by Yes

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We are at the halfway point for The Extra Long Week at The Lost Soul of Rock and Roll. I hope you enjoyed the short week last week due to the Thanksgiving holiday. Maybe this week is going by slowly and it feels as if this week will never end. I'm here to give you some extra long rock jams to survive. Sister bluebird is flying high above the Lost Soul of Rock and Roll this morning. The song of the day for November 28, 2012 is 'Starship Trooper' by Yes. This song is featured on the 1971 album, The Yes Album.

'Starship Trooper' only hits the nine minute mark and this selection might be debated by some readers for being too short for the Extra Long Week. I wanted a Yes song for today and was more interested in selecting something from The Yes Album or Fragile than something from Tales From Topographic Oceans. I've tried to like Tales From Topographic Oceans, but there is something about that album that bores me to tears.

I like 80s corporate rock Yes and I really dig the 70s progressive rock Yes. It's easy to dislike progressive rock because it is so pompous that it makes indie rock look humble. Even the shortened version of progressive rock, "prog rock", sounds obnoxious. I'm of the opinion that Yes is the most digestible progressive rock band for beginners. They are not too arty nor do they have the sound of a god-awful Renaissance fair act. Enjoy.    

Yours Is No Disgrace by Yes

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 On a sailing ship to nowhere 

Leaving any place

If the summer changed to winter

Yours is no disgrace

There was a time where I could go from Yes to Union and tell you every person that played on those albums. I've completely lost that bit of information and I'm almost certain that aspartame is to blame. What I haven't forgotten is that Yes is a great band. I'll admit that I have a love/hate relationship with progressive rock, but Yes is in my list of progressive bands that I love. I should mention that the hate list is much, much longer.

'Yours Is No Disgrace' by Yes is my rock and roll selection for the day which is the opening track to the 1971 release, The Yes Album. 'Yours Is No Disgrace' is a nine minute progressive rock epic journey courtesy of the Yes line-up of Chris Squire, Steve Howe, Tony Kaye, Jon Anderson, and Bill Bruford. I have seen Yes in concert one time and it was the 1991 Union tour. They opened the show with 'Yours Is No Disgrace' and Yes gave us over three hours of incredible music. I hope you enjoy 'Yours Is No Disgrace'.    






I've added a clip of Yes bass player, Chris Squire, talking about the time he met Jimi Hendrix. It's a great story.