Yes
Time and a Word - Atlantic 1970
Tracks: 1. No Opportunity Necessary, No Experience Needed / 2. Then / 3. Everydays / 4. Sweet Dreams / 5. The Prophet / 6. Clear Days / 7. Astral Traveler / 8. Time and a Word
Comments:
"Time and Word" from 1970 was Yes' second album. It was recorded before Steve Howe joined and therefore it’s with original guitarist Peter Banks. As on the debut album released the previous year, the group still included tracks written by other artists. On "Time and Word" it is Richie Havens' "No Opportunity Necessary, No Experience Needed" and Steven Stills' "Everydays". Both tracks have been given a good "Yes treatment" and they actually sound very much like the Yes originals.
"No Opportunity Necessary, No Experience Needed" is arranged funky and dramatically and appears somewhat hectic and restless. I find the group's treatment of "Everydays" far better. Here there is room for both the good melody and the instrumental experimentation.
The album is overall very ambitious and complex, in several tracks are supplemented with orchestral arrangements - there are many jazzy/funky elements.
As most often, singer Jon Anderson is the most diligent contributor to the songwriting, where fine tracks like ”Sweet Dreams”, ”Time and Word”, ”The Prophet” and ”Astral Traveler” are fine foreshadowings of the great things that would come on the subsequent classic albums such as "Fragile" and "Close to the Edge" etc.
Both "Sweet Dreams" and "Time and Word" are relatively catchy with fine melodic parts and they both came out as singles; however, without major commercial success.
The album as a whole fared better, peaking at number 45 in the U.K.
It’s a good album showcasing a band close to having found their sound.
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