It can be hard to keep track of who was in Yes and when. Rock critic Andy Greene narrates this helpful video.
First, for the uninitiated, he explains what prog rock is:
"Prog is a very British thing," Greene says in his intro. "It was basically art school students, who liked psychedelia -- they loved Abbey Road Side 2 and Sgt. Pepper's, but they wanted to do more with it."
Then we get into the cast of characters with the original lineup: frontman Jon Anderson, bassist Chris Squire (RIP), guitarist Peter Banks, keyboardist Tony Kaye and drummer Bill Bruford.
Yes began in 1968, and while it didn't name an album Drama until 1980, the drama started almost immediately. Yes is rather like Game of Thrones in the amount of behind-the-scenes alliances, backstabbing and general destruction that occurred.
Two albums into their career, Yes fired Banks and replaced him with longtime guitarist and current de facto leader Steve Howe.
Howe's first record, The Yes Album, saw the band enjoy more commercial success than ever before. But there was always work to do. To maintain the momentum, Yes fire Kaye and brought in keyboard wizard Rick Wakeman.
With Wakeman, Yes got even bigger with their Fragile and Close to the Edge albums.
After King Crimson lured Bruford away, the band brought Alan White to the fold. It only got crazier as time went on.
Watch Rolling Stone writer Andy Greene's video below for the whole story. And Happy Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Induction, Yes!
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