noooo my favorite is fragile but this made me think of what happen to the record... my Brother droped and it took a chunk out of it. I am still pissed today

and you sure as hell should be!!

I've listened to CTTE a couple of times this week, and I am realizing that every time I put this album on, it's a fresh new experience, and I can never quite get all that's there. Different sonic delights demand my attention each new time I hear it. There's truly very few albums I can say that about...especially albums that come from that far back (1972) and that I've been a fan of since the year of release.

I think that really says something about a group when they can make music that sounds fresh and original more than 30 years after it came out, even after many listens. To me, that's what separates great music from everything else. Some descendant of mine will be sifting through my stuff long after I'm dead and come across CttE and the rest of the "holy trinity" and be utterly blown away by it.

Also, to me Yes are the only "prog" band that truly transcended the genre. In fact, if that were not the case, I wouldn't be such a fan, because I'm not actually a huge "prog" fan at all. What I love about Yes is that they are a true extension of the psychedelic era (which I am a huge fan of)...a maturing of it. Their music retains the mysticism and optimism of that era (not to mention its "trippy" aspect), while greatly expanding on the structural and musical possibilities of it all...and they have been doing that throughout their career.

The reason that a lot of Yes' later work is not respected by more than a small cult of fans (of which I am one) is, I think, because they have never considered themselves "boxed in" to the "prog" formula of long-form virtuoso works (and yeah, it is a formula at this point). They're just as likely to do an album that is song-driven or even "pop". But this also is true to their roots in the psychedelic era. It was considered no "artistic compromise" for bands to be both artisticly daring and capable of a commercial pop hit such as "Owner of a Lonely Heart" in the 60s.

I think the real Holy Trinity of Progressive Rock would consist of King Crimson's In the court of the Crimson King, Pink Floyd's Dark side of the moon and Yes' CTTE. I don't think the entire trinity would consist of one band.

And I think Pink Floyd is also a band who transcends the box of Progressive. They went from Space rock (Syd Barrett-era) to Progressive and Psychedelia.

My Holy Trinity wouldn't actually have any Yes albums...

But then, I think everyone knew that I'd take most Gabriel-era Genesis and at least three Renaissance albums over these three Yes.

As far as "Owner Of A lonely Heart", it's not a perception thing that stigmatizes it, partially because commercial music was probably the best these guys could have done by the time the 80's rolled around. "Owner" is simply a bad song, but 90125 is more a symptom than a disease. The proverbial well was dry by then; and they were hardly alone (see: Asia, Genesis, ELP). The 80's may well be recorded in a time capsule as the worst decade for progressive-style music. Too bad, because Marillion's early stuff was really good...

I'd say close to the edge, the first time i listened all the way throgh it, it was amazing, great instumentals