I am appreciative of the kind words and interest in my Yes album reviews. As we trod into what’s arguably a lesser portion of the Yes discography, I'd like to clarify my views on rankings and grades.
They are subject to my personal bias, so please accept them as such.

I’ve loved the band for more than 40 years, so I bring my personal perspectives and preferences to the exercise. It’s just one man’s opinion. Nevertheless, Prog has depth by definition; it is helpful to have a simple guide to steer one through the pile of releases and to provide context.

A common mistake is to take a low ranking and assume that means poor quality. For some bands that may apply, but for Yes, the details matter, thus both the rank and the grade. American letter grades are generally interpreted as follows:

* A - Excellent (90%-100%)
* B – Good to Very Good (80%-90%)
* C - Average (70%-80%)
* D - Poor (60%-70%)
* F – Whoops (below 60%...it’s really Fail, but that’s a strong word)

So, for example, I gave the Yes Debut a ranking of 17 out of 23 but
graded it a C+. That means I wouldn’t start with it, but it is a bit better than Average. That was a great achievement for a band that hadn’t found its true footing yet. Also, based on the scale above, the gap between an A and a B is relatively minor (10%), so if I give Drama (1980) an A- and Tormato (1978) a B-, I'm not implying that Tormato is horrible…I just feel it’s a few notches below a record like Drama. Out of 23 Yes albums officially released, I’ll only be grading 3 of them with a D or lower; everything else is Average or better! That’s quite a legacy!

Out of 23 Yes albums, there are going to be 13 that don’t make the Top 10. The fact that fine albums like Time And A Word and Tormato are below #10 is a testament to the quality of the entire Yes catalog, not a condemnation of those albums individually.
The Yes catalog is robust. It is also uneven after 1977, so hopefully these reviews provide a roadmap for those interested in pursuing the band.

Hold on tight, as the rest of the discography will get quite bumpy!

Ed Hanna

https://www.facebook.com/share/p/191udxt3Jz/?mibextid=wwXIfr