“I think we came up with that title because it felt like the first real Yes album” 
Jon Anderson (interviewed for the sleeve-notes to this release.)
THE YES ALBUM Personnel: Jon Anderson: Vocals, Bill Bruford: Percussion, Steve Howe: Guitars, Vocals, Chris Squire: Bass & Vocals, Tony Kaye: Keyboards.
With a series of songs now regarded as band classics & frequently performed in concert, it takes some imagination to think of The Yes Album as a ‘difficult third album’. Yet, as the interviews conducted for the sleeve-notes for this edition make clear, the recording took place against a backdrop that was far from ideal. Despite a fine live reputation & two well-received albums, Yes had not made the commercial breakthrough to a wider audience that some of the band’s British label mates on Atlantic had achieved.
However, with the arrival of Steve Howe as guitarist, a better concept of what the band was trying to achieve in the studio with engineer/co-producer Eddie Offord & a focus on material that could be played live with the same punch as the studio recordings, The Yes Album proved to be that vital step to a much wider audience in Europe & America.