Steve Howe (musician) combined with Jon Anderson's vocals, Chris Squire's bass, Bill Bruford's drums, and Tony Kaye's keyboards, were seen as an essential part of the band's change in musical direction towards progressive and art rock. The album includes a live recording of Howe's solo guitar piece "Clap", recorded on 17 July at the Lyceum Theatre in London. It was a commercial breakthrough for the group. Kaye left in 1971 and was replaced by Rick Wakeman for the following album, "Fragile". This classic Yes line-up of Anderson–Howe–Squire–Bruford–Wakeman is associated with the peak of the band's early achievements. "Fragile" is one of the most
Classic Tracks (Rick Wakeman album) Classic Tracks (Rick Wakeman album) Despite the good reviews by fans, Wakeman claims this album was finished and released without his authorization. He also claims that he was threatened with violence if he interfered with the release and was told he wouldn't receive any compensation for it. In this album, lyrics were added to the 1975 instrumental song "Merlin the Magician" from "The Myths and Legends of King Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table". Despite Rick's feelings about this album, this new version of "Merlin the Magician" was later played on tour and one of those performances can