Why Yes Didn't Make the Rock n Roll Hall of Fame

The Rock n Roll Hall of Fame is about as popular with Yes fans as Ebenezer Scrooge is with Santa’s elves.  By any objective measure – album sales, influence on other artists, cultural impact, longevity, and body of work – Yes meets or exceeds the RHOF’s supposedly objective standards.

Unfortunately, the institution’s bias against progressive rock seems pretty undeniable at this stage.  The Moody Blues, Jethro Tull and King Crimson are routinely ignored.  Yet, the Moody’s The Days of Future Passed and Crimson’s In the Court of the Crimson King are unquestionable milestones in the history of rock, rivaling Sgt. Pepper’s in terms of influence.  Tull’s back catalogue contains multiple seminal works too.

Yes’ instrumental excellence – the classic line-up sported four virtuoso musicians – enduring career (the band continues to tour, albeit without the incomparable Jon Anderson), and sentimental appeal (the band received waves of support from fellow musicians and the music press following bassist Chris Squire’s passing) apparently counted for little.  Neither did the fact that Close to the Edge routinely polls at or near the top of any list of the greatest progressive albums of all time.  Put simply, CttE is to prog music what Citizen Kane is to cinema.

Speaking of which, Orson Welles’s cinematic classic failed to score with critics or audiences when it was first released.  I don’t doubt that Yes’s music will be vindicated by posterity too.  Unfortunately, the judges representing the RHOF are about as qualified to pass judgment on Yes’s as the celebrity panelists on American Idol would be to evaluate the music of Vivaldi.  There’s a reason Yes isn’t in the RHOF.  It has little to do with the band’s musical merits, and everything to do with the fact that mediocrity never acknowledges anything higher than itself.

Vote Yes Into the Rock N Roll Hall of Fame

I’ll never forget the first time I heard Yes.  The melancholic natural harmonics that emerged out of a backward piano chord seemed both antiquated and timeless.  Then there was that hypnotic bass riff that doubled back on itself – what a hook!  The cryptic lyrics delivered with surgical precision only upped the ante.  Then there were those neo-baroque keyboard fills and the exotic multi-layered percussion – these guys could play, they had a wide musical palette.  The music painted pictures, and my mind was a canvas.

I was not alone.  Roundabout was a song that raised the bar in rock music and inspired countless musicians.  The death of Chris Squire this summer was a blow to everyone who appreciated progressive rock, but it also was an occasion for an outpouring of admiration for the band’s immense influence in the musical world.

Yes fan know it.  Classics like Roundabout, Close to the Edge and Awaken will stand the test of time.  This is music with “structure and vision,” to quote the philosopher Bill Martin.  Audiences will probably be playing works like The Gates of Delirium or Ritual for centuries because this is music with artistry and depth.  These pieces speak to the human condition and invite new critical assessment and interpretation.

That is one reason Yes deserves to be inducted into the Rock N Roll Hall of Fame – they have created an enduring body of work with albums that have genuine musical merit.

By any of the other objective measures – record sales, influence, longevity – Yes more than fits the bill to be inducted.  But there’s a final sentimental reason Yes deserves the nod.  Put simply, it would be wonderful to see founding member Jon Anderson – the true voice of Yes – return to the fold, even if it’s just for an induction evening concert.  That’s why Yes fans should care.

Of course, being inducted will call attention to the music, introduce it to new fans and enhance the group’s legacy.  It may not happen, but it does matter.  Vote Yes.