TS: Yes Vs. Genesis

Genesis, but just because Gabriel chose to write about something halfway interesting on their greatest song, "The Battle of Epping Forest." And "Selling England by the Pound" is the greatest of all prog-rock albums, I think. But you know, do I ever want to hear "Watcher of the Skies" or "Supper's Ready" ever again? No. Or any of their other early stuff. There are few things on "Lamb Lies Down" that are cool. I don't mind "Trick of the Tail" or "Wind and Wuthering" all that much, they're nice AOR prog and not terrible, listenable.

But Yes did more good stuff on balance, I'd say. "America," a couple-three things from those first two albums, "Starship Troopers," "Yours Is No Disgrace" and "Your Move"/"All Good People" from "Yes Album." "Roundabout" and Heart of the Sunrise" from "Fragile." "Sibertian Khatru" from "Close to the Edge." "Owner of a Lonely Heart." That'd make a decent one-disc best-of padded out with some stuff from that first 3-disc live album, which has its moments for sure. So, more good songs Yes, more actual "content" and "fairly coherent worldview" and "edge" Genesis.

On the whole, I like Yes' '70's records better. I think they were a better-sounbding band, up till "the lamb.." anyway. I listen to old Yes records more than I listen to old Genesis records. But, I really really like "Nursery Cryme", I think it's one of the best of all records, so perhaps I'll pick Genesis.

I never listened to Genesis; do Genesis like wizards as much as Yes does? I love Yes.

I don't recall Yes ever going on about wizards! Jon Anderson's lyrics = inpenetrable gibberish - he picked words b/c they sounded good w/the music rather than b/c they meant anything IIRC. Check out "Nursery Cryme" and "Selling England by the Pound" and that'll give you an idea of what the peter gabriel fronted genesis lineup sounded like - "Nursery Cryme" = thin-sounding, band overreaching their abilities, "Selling England..." = what they sounded like when their abilities caught up w/their ideas.

Rick Wakeman Vs. Phil Collins: Who's the bigger twat? (both are Tories, by the way)

That thin sound on Nursery Cryme and Foxtrot is part of their charm tho. It's got a lot to do with the Mellotron, which always sounds to me like an old 78rpm recording of a violin section playing on a hand-cranked gramophone that's constantly winding down. Coupled with the Victoriana of songs like "Musical Box" and "Hogweed" it helps to create the sensation of a sunlit and dusty attic full of decaying toys - twee but somehow creepy or melancholy or scary.

Collins was a better drummer, at his best than wakeman has ever been as a keyboard player. Twattishness or toryism (collins i know about, wakeman's i have seen no evidence of) is kind of irrelevant to me TBH. I want to listen to the records, not socialise w/the fux0rz.

(x-post, yeah, that's a big part of why I like them.)

Genesis didn't do much wizardwise after the second album; from there on out it was mostly abstract sub-Modernist poetry. The best non-Gabriel thing any of them ever did (besides Phil drumming for Eno, Mike + The Mechanics, Project X, and the first two Phil pop albums (there, I said it)) is the extremely wizardhappy first solo album by Steve Hackett--Voyage of the Acolyte. That's one worth hearing.

"A Trick Of The Tail", even without Peter Gabriel, is up there with the best of what they did with Gabriel singing. And "Wind And Wuthering" is not far behind.

It wasn't until Phil Collins was allowed to become the main songwriter that they lost it.

noodle vague, I love your description of Nursery Cryme and its atmosphere/sound.

As for the question, I'd go with Yes, which surprises me, since in my mind Yes are the slightly colder/more rarefied band emotionally, and given a choice, I generally go for the warmer/more melancholy/twee.

But it's a tough call, given many of the songs already cited, and I really don't like either band much after approx. 1980.