Hulton Archive, Getty ImagesRick Wakeman’s first — and, by far, most successful — stint with Yes was marked by dizzying commercial heights followed by a series of head-scratching creative choices. As much as he revelled in the first, he ultimately could not abide the second, and he officially announced his departure in June 1974.
The cape-wearing keyboard whiz’s 1971 arrival, after all, had coincided with Yes’ initial chart ascendency. They’d score a first-ever Top 15 hit with ‘Roundabout,’ and earn their first — and then second — Top Five Billboard album ever with ‘Fragile’ followed by ‘Close to the Edge.’ The latter’s title track, however, took up the entire length of a side, and the idea of continuing to expand the scope of their songwriting began to consume the group. Well, seemingly everyone except Wakeman, that is.
By 1973, Yes had released the deeply esoteric ‘Tales from Topographic Oceans,’ which consisted of one single four-sided composition based on Paramahansa Yogananda’s Shastric scriptures, and then hit the road to play the project in its entirety. An obviously disenchanted Wakeman scarcely contributed to the sessions. He was also, quite literally, out to lunch during the resulting concerts.
“Our plan for American success was extremely well calculated — to a point,” Wakeman told Rolling Stone‘s Cameron Crowe just after leaving Yes. “To play music, you have to understand it. I didn’t understand ‘Topographic Oceans.’ That’s why I hardly played on it. It frustrated me no end — and playing the whole thing on tour, I got farther and farther away from it.”
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