# Yes discography
The discography of the English progressive rock band **Yes** comprises 24 studio albums released between 1969 and 2026, together with live albums, compilations and extensive reissue editions. The band was formed in London in 1968 by vocalist [Jon Anderson](https://www.edgepedia.org/jon-anderson) and bassist [Chris Squire](https://www.edgepedia.org/chris-squire) with guitarist Peter Banks, keyboardist Tony Kaye, and drummer [Bill Bruford](https://www.edgepedia.org/bill-bruford), the last recruited from an advertisement in Melody Maker.[1](https://www.yesworld.com/discography/yes/)
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Studio albums | 24, from *Yes* (1969) to *Aurora* (2026)[1](https://www.yesworld.com/discography/yes/) • [2](https://www.en.yesworld.com/discography/aurora/) |
| Debut | *Yes*, released 25 July 1969, considered one of the first progressive rock albums[1](https://www.yesworld.com/discography/yes/) |
| Classic run | *The Yes Album* (1971), *Fragile* (1971), *Close to the Edge* (1972), *Tales from Topographic Oceans* (1973), *Relayer* (1974), *Going for the One* (1977)[3](https://en.yesworld.com/discography/yes-the-studio-albums-1969-1987/) |
| Biggest hit | *90125* (1983) produced "Owner of a Lonely Heart", the band's first American number one hit[4](https://www.allmusic.com/artist/p5891) |
| Longest gap | Seven years between *Magnification* (2001) and *Fly from Here* (2011); shortest gap, 19 months between *The Quest* and *Mirror to the Sky*[5](https://www.loudersound.com/music/albums/yes-mirror-to-the-sky) |
| Landmark live album | *Yessongs* (1973), a double-live album that peaked at number seven in the UK and 12 in the US[4](https://www.allmusic.com/artist/p5891) |
| Cover art | Roger Dean illustrated many of the band's iconic album covers, including *Relayer* and *Aurora*[6](https://en.yesworld.com/discography/relayer/) • [7](https://www.loudersound.com/music/albums/making-this-record-was-joyful-yes-share-first-music-from-brand-new-studio-album-aurora) |
## The early albums, 1969 to 1971
The self-titled debut *Yes*, released on 25 July 1969, presented the early development of the sound that characterized later records: high harmonies, clearly defined emphatic playing, and an approach drawn from folk and classical music rather than the R&B behind most contemporary rock, in a pop context that included covers of Beatles and Byrds songs. A hint of the space rock sound the band would later specialize in appears on "Beyond and Before", a song inherited from Mabel Greer's Toy Shop.[1](https://www.yesworld.com/discography/yes/) The band's first single, "Sweetness" backed with "Something's Coming", came out in June 1969.[8](https://yesworld.com/discography/word-yes-1969/)
*Time and a Word* followed in 1970, and *The Yes Album* in 1971. [Steve Howe](https://www.edgepedia.org/steve-howe) had replaced Peter Banks in 1970 as work began on the third album, which first defined the band as a force in progressive rock and contained the concert favorites "Yours Is No Disgrace" and "Starship Trooper"; it also featured a live recording of Howe's solo piece "Clap".[9](https://yesworld.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/YES-Full-Biography-July-2021.pdf) The new material, written at a farmhouse in South Molton, Devon and recorded at Advision Studios, extended track lengths to let the music develop and covered jazz piano, funk and acoustic styles.[10](https://yesworld.com/discography/the-yes-album/)
## The classic era, 1971 to 1978
**The 1970s run.** Yes' dynamic sound resonated with fans worldwide during the 1970s, when the group enjoyed critical and commercial success with a string of now-classic albums: *The Yes Album* (1971), *Fragile* (1971), *Close to the Edge* (1972), the double album *Tales from Topographic Oceans* (1973), *Relayer* (1974) and *Going for the One* (1977).[3](https://en.yesworld.com/discography/yes-the-studio-albums-1969-1987/) AllMusic's discography timeline dates *Fragile* to 1972,[11](https://www.allmusic.com/album/yesyears-r78747) while the band's own pages and Apple Music place it in 1971.[3](https://en.yesworld.com/discography/yes-the-studio-albums-1969-1987/) • [12](https://music.apple.com/us/artist/yes/154011)
*Tales from Topographic Oceans*, released as a double album in December 1973, is a concept album of four interlocking pieces ranging between 18 and 22 minutes, and was drummer Alan White's first release with the band.[13](https://yesworld.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/01/2016-04-11-YES-announces-2016-Summer-Tour.pdf) After Rick Wakeman left following that album's tour, Swiss keyboardist Patrick Moraz joined, and *Relayer* was recorded between August and October 1974 at New Pipers, Squire's home in Virginia Water, Surrey, the first time Yes had recorded a studio album outside London; Eddy Offord moved his recording equipment into the garage as a temporary studio, and the album was mixed at Advision Studios in London.[6](https://en.yesworld.com/discography/relayer/)
The band regrouped at the end of 1976 with Wakeman returning, and *Going for the One*, released in July 1977, became their second number one album in the UK.[14](https://yesworld.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/05/YES-Biography-2019.pdf) The final album of the decade, *[Tormato](https://www.edgepedia.org/tormato)* (September 1978), continued a move toward shorter songs.[14](https://yesworld.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/05/YES-Biography-2019.pdf) A 1979 Paris collaboration with producer [Roy Thomas Baker](https://www.edgepedia.org/roy-thomas-baker) was abandoned, and the recordings never saw the light of day, although many tracks later appeared on solo records, expanded reissues, or the 2002 *In a Word* box set.[15](https://www.loudersound.com/music/albums/yes-abandoned-album-1979)
## Lineup changes and the 1980s
Anderson and Wakeman left as the band worked on a new album, and the Buggles pair [Trevor Horn](https://www.edgepedia.org/trevor-horn) and [Geoff Downes](https://www.edgepedia.org/geoff-downes) came in for *[Drama](https://www.edgepedia.org/drama-yes-album)* (August 1980), the band's tenth studio album, which marked a new, more aggressive direction with modern keyboards and a vocoder.[14](https://yesworld.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/05/YES-Biography-2019.pdf) • [13](https://yesworld.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/01/2016-04-11-YES-announces-2016-Summer-Tour.pdf) Yes announced a breakup a few months after the January 1981 live compilation *Yesshows*, and Howe and Downes formed Asia.[4](https://www.allmusic.com/artist/p5891)
The 1983 album *90125*, recorded by a lineup built around Squire and White with guitarist [Trevor Rabin](https://www.edgepedia.org/trevor-rabin), keyboardist Tony Kaye and producer Trevor Horn, produced "Owner of a Lonely Heart", the band's first American number one hit, along with the radio hits "It Can Happen", "Changes" and "Leave It".[4](https://www.allmusic.com/artist/p5891) • [3](https://en.yesworld.com/discography/yes-the-studio-albums-1969-1987/) *Big Generator* followed in 1987, and the multi-lineup *[Union](https://www.edgepedia.org/union-yes-album)* album of 1991 brought together eight members who toured on a revolving stage.[12](https://music.apple.com/us/artist/yes/154011) • [14](https://yesworld.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/05/YES-Biography-2019.pdf)
## Later studio albums, 1994 to 2026
The studio sequence after *Union* runs *Talk* (1994), *Keys to Ascension* (1996) and *Keys to Ascension 2* (1997), both combining new studio material with a live concert, *Open Your Eyes* (1997), *The Ladder* (1999), *Magnification* (2001), *Fly from Here* (2011), *[Heaven & Earth](https://www.edgepedia.org/heaven-and-earth-yes-album)* (2014), *The Quest* (2021), *Mirror to the Sky* (2023) and *[Aurora](https://www.edgepedia.org/aurora-yes-album)* (2026).[11](https://www.allmusic.com/album/yesyears-r78747) • [16](https://www.yesworld.com/) *Mirror to the Sky* arrived 19 months after *The Quest*, the quickest turnaround between studio projects since the nine months between *The Yes Album* and *Fragile* in 1971.[5](https://www.loudersound.com/music/albums/yes-mirror-to-the-sky)
**Aurora.** The band's twenty-fourth studio album was released on 12 June 2026 on InsideOut Music, with new artwork from long-standing cover artist Roger Dean and Freya Dean. It features eight tracks with two bonus tracks, including the thirteen-minute-plus "Countermovement", and was issued in deluxe 180g vinyl, CD and Blu-ray editions with [Dolby Atmos](https://www.edgepedia.org/dolby-atmos) and 5.1 surround mixes by Curtis Schwartz.[2](https://www.en.yesworld.com/discography/aurora/) • [7](https://www.loudersound.com/music/albums/making-this-record-was-joyful-yes-share-first-music-from-brand-new-studio-album-aurora) The band view *The Quest*, *Mirror to the Sky* and *Aurora* as a trilogy.[17](https://www.loudersound.com/music/albums/yes-making-of-aurora)
## Live albums, compilations and reissues
Live releases form a substantial part of the catalog. *[Yessongs](https://www.edgepedia.org/yessongs)* (1973), a double-live album featuring recordings with both Bruford and White, peaked at number seven in the UK and 12 in the US.[4](https://www.allmusic.com/artist/p5891) Later live and live-studio releases include *Symphonic Live* (2003), the *Like It Is* albums (2014 and 2015), *50th Anniversary: Live at the Apollo* (2018), and *Union 30 Live* (2021).[11](https://www.allmusic.com/album/yesyears-r78747) A 5-CD box set, *In a Word: Yes (1969– )*, collects selected songs from the band's career from 1969 to 2001, including material from the 1989 Anderson Bruford Wakeman Howe album.[8](https://yesworld.com/discography/word-yes-1969/)
Reissues are extensive. *The Studio Albums 1969–1987* is a 13-CD boxed set of remastered and expanded versions of the Atlantic-years studio albums, with clamshell artwork by Roger Dean.[18](https://yesworld.com/discography/yes-the-studio-albums-1969-1987/) Japanese editions include Super Deluxe CD+Blu-ray versions of *The Yes Album*, *Close to the Edge*, *Fragile* and *Going for the One*, and a 2026 release of *Live at Roosevelt Stadium 1976*.[19](https://wmg.jp/yes/discography) In 2026 the band announced *Keys To Ascension: The Studio Recordings*, a collection bringing together every studio recording from the two original *Keys To Ascension* albums, released on 29 January 2027 as gatefold and limited vinyl editions and on CD.[16](https://www.yesworld.com/)
## References
1. [YES – Yes (debut album page), Yesworld](https://www.yesworld.com/discography/yes/)
2. [AURORA – Yesworld discography](https://www.en.yesworld.com/discography/aurora/)
3. [YES – The Studio Albums 1969–1987, Yesworld](https://en.yesworld.com/discography/yes-the-studio-albums-1969-1987/)
4. [Yes – Biography, Discography, Albums & Expert Reviews, AllMusic](https://www.allmusic.com/artist/p5891)
5. [The story of Yes' 23rd album Mirror To The Sky, Louder/Prog](https://www.loudersound.com/music/albums/yes-mirror-to-the-sky)
6. [RELAYER – Yesworld discography](https://en.yesworld.com/discography/relayer/)
7. ["Making this record was joyful." Yes share first music from brand new studio album, Aurora, Louder](https://www.loudersound.com/music/albums/making-this-record-was-joyful-yes-share-first-music-from-brand-new-studio-album-aurora)
8. [IN A WORD: YES (1969– ) – Yesworld](https://yesworld.com/discography/word-yes-1969/)
9. [YES Full Biography July 2021, Yesworld](https://yesworld.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/YES-Full-Biography-July-2021.pdf)
10. [The Yes Album – Yesworld discography](https://yesworld.com/discography/the-yes-album/)
11. [Yesyears – discography timeline, AllMusic](https://www.allmusic.com/album/yesyears-r78747)
12. [Yes – Apple Music artist page](https://music.apple.com/us/artist/yes/154011)
13. [YES announces 2016 Summer Tour press release, Yesworld](https://yesworld.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/01/2016-04-11-YES-announces-2016-Summer-Tour.pdf)
14. [YES Biography 2019, Yesworld](https://yesworld.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/05/YES-Biography-2019.pdf)
15. [Yes and the abandoned 1979 album, Louder](https://www.loudersound.com/music/albums/yes-abandoned-album-1979)
16. [Official website for the progressive rock band YES](https://www.yesworld.com/)
17. [Yes and the endless inspiration that led to Aurora, Louder/Prog](https://www.loudersound.com/music/albums/yes-making-of-aurora)
18. [YES – The Studio Albums 1969–1987, Yesworld](https://yesworld.com/discography/yes-the-studio-albums-1969-1987/)
19. [イエス / Yes ディスコグラフィー, Warner Music Japan](https://wmg.jp/yes/discography)
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*Topic: Encyclopedia › Arts and culture › Music › Musical works and recordings › Albums and recorded releases › Artist discographies and song lists*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Oct 25, 2026 · Edited: Oct 15, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Last review: Oct 25, 2026*
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License: Edgepedia Community License 1.0, https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license