The Yes Album the follow-up album in mid-1971, to be replaced by Rick Wakeman. Yes had started their career as a covers band, performing radical re-arrangements of hit songs, and their first two albums included covers in this vein. "The Yes Album" was the first to feature group-written material in its entirety. Some familiar elements remained: Anderson, Howe and Squire sang three-part vocal harmony throughout the record, while Squire's melodic bass and Bill Bruford's spacious drumming made up their unique rhythm section. "Yours Is No Disgrace" originated from some lyrics written by Anderson with his friend David Foster. This was combined with other
The Six Wives of Henry VIII (album) dedicated for Henry himself, but Wakeman had recorded the tracks on the wives first and used up the available space on a vinyl record. He decided to leave the Henry track and rename the album accordingly. When the album was finished, its final production cost had reached around £25,000. Wakeman described working on it as "difficult and cumbersome", but said the project was eventually a rewarding one. He was excited when it came to presenting the album to A&M management at their London office, which included a lawyer who represented the label's US division. After the album was played in