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5 Yes songs that Rush’s Geddy Lee said are some of his favorites
The Rush frontman Geddy Lee was a crucial part of the band’s sound, not only for his incredible vocals but also for his bass playing and keyboard parts. He was deeply influenced especially by Progressive Rock bands when growing up and one of his favorite ones was Yes.
He had the chance to see the British Progressive Rock group playing live in Canada when he was a teenager and they were crucial for his development as a musician. To show more about his love for Yes, Rock and Roll Garage selected four songs from the band that Geddy Lee mentioned as favorites.
The 4 Yes songs that Rush’s Geddy Lee said are some of his favorites
“Roundabout”
The Rush frontman mentioned and praised this Yes song in an interview with Rolling Stone, when he listed his favorite “bass songs”. “Another hit song driven by an outrageously complex and rockin’ bass line. I could have chosen any one of a dozen Yes songs that shows off the melodic and rhythmic genius that was Chris Squire. It was a pure privilege to play this song with Yes in 2017 at their (long overdue) induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.”
As Geddy said, he played this song with Yes during their induction in 2017. Lee and Alex Lifeson were the ones who inducted the British Progressive Rock band. They were heavily influenced by Yes and Lee said many times that they were the only band that he waited in line a whole night to get tickets for a show.
Written by Jon Anderson and Steve Howe, “Roundabout” was part of the band’s fourth studio album “Fragile”, released in 1972. It was also released as a single and peaked at number 13 on the Billboard Hot 100.
“Time and a Word”
“Time and a Word” is another song by Yes that Geddy Lee loves as he told Guitar World. He mentioned the track when he listed some of his favorite of all time.
“I didn’t know who Yes were until a friend loaned me this record. I was totally amazed. I’d never heard a band like this, and I’d never heard a bass player placed so upfront in the mix. Chris Squire had such a driving, aggressive sound, and it made this such a pivotal, influential song for me. Squire’s melodies were brilliant, and they were definitely out there.”
“But they were always essential to the skeletal forms of those songs; he never wandered off out of context. His lines help hold the songs together,” Geddy Lee said. “Time and a Word” is the title-track of Yes’ second studio album, which was released in 1970.
“No Opportunity Necessary, No Experience Needed”
Another song from the album “Time and a Word” that the Rush frontman also praised and picked as a favorite was “No Opportunity Necessary, No Experience Needed”. He mentioned the track in a list he made for Amazon Music, of the songs that inspired his bass playing consciously or subconsciously.
“I chose these songs because I’m such a ‘bass-centric dude’. That’s all I’ve been thinking about for the last few years. Is the role of bass in popular music. What I tried to do with my book (The Beautiful Book of Bass) was provide an alternate history of popular music through the point of view of the bass player. From the murky bottom end to the twangy top end.”
“John Entwistle, Chris Squire, they were playing the kind of music I wanted to play. So they were a direct influence on the kind of player I wanted to become. But there are others that were subconscious influences. I think we all have those when we listen to various music. So I mean, there is a couple of Beatles songs on here and people remember The Beatles for their tune fullness and for the great vocals.”
“But also Paul McCartney was quite an influential bass player. If you listen to ‘Come Together’, that’s a bold bass part in that song. If you listened to “Taxman”, that’s Heavy Metal before there was Heavy Metal,” Geddy Lee said.
“Heart Of The Sunrise”
Another Yes song mentioned by Geddy Lee in the list he made for Amazon Music was “Heart of The Sunrise”. It’s the final track of Yes’ fourth album “Fragile” (1971) and was written by Jon Anderson, Chris Squire, Bill Bruford and Rick Wakeman.
At the time the band was formed by the artists mentioned and the guitarist Steve Howe.
“And You and I”
The song was released by Yes on their fifth studio album “Close to the Edge” (1972), is another one Geddy Lee mentioned as one of his favorites.
“‘And You And I’ by Yes is so beautiful, especially when I listen to it now. The combination of nostalgia and pure sonic beauty is pretty moving,” he told Prog.
The song is over ten minutes in length and consists of four movements. The first and second parts were released as a single and peaked at number 42 on the Billboard Hot 100.
