My case, M'lud:

Workings of man, crying out from the fires set aflame
By his blindness to see that the warmth of his being
Is promised for his seeing, his reaching so clearly

From Awaken by Yes

There is definitely a place for gibberish in rock n' roll, but when gibberish is supposed to read as tablets of wisdom passed down from on high then it deserves to be exposed as such. Jon Anderson is a master of the nonsensical.

Pink Floyd, on the other hand, had in Roger Waters a lyricist capable of writing genuinely great lines. "Hanging on in quiet desperation is the English way", "Now you're lost in a haze of alcohol soft middle age"...

Yes wrote some great, extravagant music. They can be hugely enjoyable but they don't move me. Pink Floyd do. Shine On You Crazy Diamond is so beautiful. Beauty wins over bombast.

Yes leave the Floyd standing. In terms of the ‘classic’ line-up Bill Bruford is, quite possibly, the most dextrous, joyful and sesnitive drummers in modern music and Chris Squire ( together with Macca-the other great bass God ) helped re-define the role of the bass guitar in rawk. Steve Howe could probably play a concerto or something on an egg-slicer if he chose whilst we all know about Rick and his various wives. So, on that level, the Floyd ( with the possible exception of Dave ‘Bend It’ Gilmour ) come across as a Dumpy’s Rusty Nuts tribute band.
But it’s not all about technique. Whilst Yes certainly wrote some fine pieces ( and, in addition to their recognized classics such as ‘Roundabout’ and ‘Yours Is No Disgrace’ I would lump together comparative obscurities such as ‘Survival’ and ‘Sweetness’ from their much-overlooked debut ) it’s fair to say, I think, that they can’t compete with massive, dark, brooding sonic cathedrals such as ‘Dark Side Of The Moon’ or ‘The Wall’. Then, of course, there’s the inescapable fact that, in Syd, the Floyd had a bona fide ‘genius’. I personally reckon that ‘The Piper At The Gates Of Dawn’ is Floyd’s finest moment ( but I appreciate that all the ‘Rog’ fans will disagree) . Yes, on the other hand, had Jon Anderson. The plaintive chimings of the only Hobbit in Accrington.
I’ve loved both bands and still do- even though there are blind spots for me in both their back catalogues. I’m not very interested in Yes post ‘Close to the Edge’ for instance or in Floyd post ‘Meddle’. If a Martian arrived tomorrow and asked me for a classic example of a ‘prog’ outfit from the early seventies I would point the green fellow in the direction of the Affirmatives. If, on the other hand, this exotic visitor was interested in learning how a band shaped three or four chords and chucked in some pseudo-profound lyrics to lend at least the vaguest impression of ‘depth’ to rock music…I would choose the Floyd.

But for rather diverse reasons. I'm not sure the comparison is totally fair - Yes v. ELP would probably be more fruitful, given that they were both given to bursts of intractable musicality. Both awful in their own way, but equally capable of flights of wonder and beauty.

But seeing as you asked, I'd go with the Floyd. If we were to compare and contract Close To The Edge and The Dark Side Of The Moon - roughly contemporaneous - I would suggest that TDSOTM wins it every time on the grounds of simplicity and effectiveness.

But for rather diverse reasons. I'm not sure the comparison is totally fair - Yes v. ELP would probably be more fruitful, given that they were both given to bursts of intractable musicality. Both awful in their own way, but equally capable of flights of wonder and beauty.

But seeing as you asked, I'd go with the Floyd. If we were to compare and contract Close To The Edge and The Dark Side Of The Moon - roughly contemporaneous - I would suggest that TDSOTM wins it every time on the grounds of simplicity and effectiveness.

but Genesis are better than either of them

In my younger years I loved Yes and Genesis, both brilliant at their best (CTTE and Selling England) but although they kept recording Yes didn't do anything particulary good after Going For the One (and indeed made stinkers such as Open Your Eyes and Talk - both so bad that I sold them) and Genesis' fall from prog grace after Duke has been well documented. Pink Floyd on the other hand made the interesting Meddle, the stunning DSOTM and more than decent WYWH and Animals, but they made The Wall, a decent 45rpm single (Comfortably Numb / Run Like Hell) masquerading as a dismal plodding double album. Then they made The Final Cut; sadly it wasn't and they carried on. I'm rambling now.

However, Close To The Edge is the greatest progressive rock album of all time, and so Yes win.

Can't stand prog but Owner of a lonely Heart is a sensational smash.

says Pink Floyd, but when I look at my Last FM stats it is obviously Yes. From the Yes Album to CTTE they just made glorious noise. Actually, being a complete heathen, I also Really like Drama. I reckon something like Tempus Fugit is up there with stuff like Siberian Khatru

Its got to be Pink Floyd for they are basically a much more significant 20th century cultural and artistic phenomenon compared to Yes who, although an incredibly talented progressive band, never really scaled the same commercial heights as the Floyd. DSOTM and The Wall are basically the holy scriptures for me when it comes to spacious sounding, technically progressive rock music.

But I agree with others who argue that its the wrong comparison. Yes v ELP would be more appropriate. And, although its a fine balance I lean towards Yes simply because of the Fragile album and Chris Squire's bass playing.

but its an interesting debate.

No contest. To me they seem more grounded in reality and not all this faery and goblin bullshit that Yes perpetuated.

..nothing from Yes can come close. Teenage self thought the "shine on..' guitar bit was the most magical music ever heard.

I've tried with Yes but they are nowhere near the Floyd in my affections.

It's like asking me to choose who I like best out of Goering and Himmler.

virtuoso musicianship Yes win hands down - and Bargepole was always of the view that the sound of Anderson's lyrics was more impotant than the literal meaning of them.
However as an overall package it's got to be the Floyd.
Both produced some of the best prog rock ever though, which has stood the test of time over the past forty years.

...it's more of Yes that I go back to more often.

Certainly Jon-boy's lyrics are a load of mystical mumbo jumbo a lot of the time. However, there's something rather joyous and transcendent about them - even if they are tosh a lot of the time...

I recall seeing interviews with him where he'll happily admit that with his lyrics sometimes/often it's as much about how they sound poetically and phonetically as what they mean (even when they are derived from the Tibetan "Book of the Dead" or the Inuit "Book of the A Bit Parky Today, Isn't It?"

Musicianship? Inventiveness? Quality of live performance? Longevity? Commercial success? Variety of material? Influence? Star factor?

Both bands have all of this and have had periods of excellence and of mediocrity. To me, Yes are the best musicians collectively. Floyd have always been experimental, but Yes in their period from 'The Yes Album' through to 'Relayer' really did push the envelope.

Floyd at their best are more influential because they enjoyed greater commercial success. Their early stuff is not to everyone's taste, but from 'Meddle' through to 'The Wall' was an exceptionally creative time. 'Dark Side of the Moon' was groundbreaking, but so was 'Close To The Edge'. Yes at their best did not enjoy the level of Floyd's success with 'Dark Side of the Moon' (hardly anyone else did either).

'The Wall' is a brilliant album and was different, but it was safe music - it didn't take risks. Yes have taken more risks than Floyd and sometimes these have not paid off. People bang on about 'Tales From Topographic Oceans' (a big risk) but that album was a success, going gold before its release and reaching No 1 in UK and No 6 in the US. 'Relayer' was another big risk but despite criticism from the music press, it was a commercial success (No 4 in the UK; No 5 in the US). Success has come easier to Floyd, not because the music was better, but because their global reputation was sealed so completely with 'Dark Side Of The Moon' which sold millions and hung around the album charts for years. More people were willing to take a chance on Floyd because their music was deemed to be more accessible and because the critics preferred them. Yes had their greatest commercial success when they became a more middle of the road rock band with '90125'. But their influential music is mainly found in 'The Yes Album', 'Fragile', and 'Close To The Edge'. All successful albums, but not in Floyd's league of success.

Both bands put on great live shows, with Floyd's later shows being more spectacular. Both bands have used superb artwork to sell their product; I reckon Yes have slightly the upper hand here with Roger Dean's stuff, over Storm Thorgerson for Floyd. Dean helped sell a lot of Yes albums.

I would say Yes have more musical talent. Jon Anderson is an exceptionally gifted vocalist and that's something Floyd have never had. Steve Howe is one of the greatest rock guitarists around. Gilmour is good, but he's not as good as Howe, who has a broader guitar technique. Roger Waters can't touch Chris Squire on bass. Bruford and/or Alan White are superb percussionists; Rick Wakeman is unique on keyboards and all of them are streets ahead of Mason/Wright.

I love both bands. They have both scaled the heights. I'm glad to have been around to listen. I've been putting myself through the 'Desert Islands Discs' test to help me decide if I have a real preference between the two. If I could have only one album on my desert island, it would have to be 'Close To The Edge'.

As in, "no, I don't know their stuff, or at least hardly anything." What I've heard hasn't made me want to investigate further, but that is mainly because of Jon Anderson's voice: it's simply a dealbreaker for me. Shame, because I remember liking the odd song of theirs when I was at school, like Parallels - especially the bits when Anderson wasn't singing.

But I will always have a soft spot For Pink Floyd, up to DSOTM; and after that there are still riches, like Shine On You Crazy Diamond, their masterpiece; Wish You Were Here; Dogs; Comfortably Numb; and a few others. Gilmour's voice and guitar playing seal the deal.

first time i,ve listened to a complete Yes album ...and it,ll probably be the last. Another one for the Floyd please Stephen.

The most over-rated virtue in pop music is longevity.
Madonna's been treading the boards since 1752 and is no nearer making anything worth listening to or viewing than her ex-husband.

The (note use of crucial 'The' there) Pink Floyd are better than Yes for their 'shortgevity'.
i.e. Syd, beautiful clothes and hairstyles, singles group, mono recordings, quirky English underground act.....all over a concerted, colourful, glorious two years.

Tempted to start calling them The Pink Floyd Sound just to nail their golden age credentials actually, and to distance them from the prog/1980s production mire they descended into.

In terms of whole albums that I love, that's my personal scoreline.
Yes score with "Fragile" and "Close To The Edge". "The Yes Album" was a patchy effort and "Tales Of Topographic Oceans" was them entering their own fundament and forging ahead vigorously, nothing else of interest to report.
Floyd score with "Piper At The Gates Of Dawn", "Meddle", "Dark Side Of The Moon" and "Wish You Were Here". "A Saucerful Of Secrets" has not aged well, only See-Saw and Jugband Blues still excite. "Ummagumma", "Atom Heart Mother" and "More" are just marking time and could have made a couple of excellent single albums between them. "Animals" left me completely cold at the time and has never piqued my interest since. I am of the school that thinks "The Wall" is too damn long and should have been a single album, and nothing of theirs beyond that album seems worthy of my scrutiny.

Pink Floyd, but I only own two Yes albums; Close To The Edge and the one with the silver cover with Owner Of A Crazy Heart on it. I also own the album when they couldn't use the name Yes and came out as Anderson, Howe etc.
I'm not sure where I should head after this, any suggestions?

I'd have thought a more appropriate comparison was between Yes and ELP. Of these two I'd prefer the latter but probably only because I loved them when I was 15 and didn't really listen to Yes until quite recently.

Floyd to me occupy a quite different space in the musical spectrum.

but I'll say Floyd because they made a couple of good singles in their early, non-pompous days.

... for the Barrett era - everything else, without exception, is dull as ditchwater.

Yes, though, were brilliant at the outset; as one writer put it recently: like a "turbocharged sunshine pop group". This is a Good Thing:

So it has to be The Floyd.

Floyd have done at least 4 superb (and I mean superb) albums - Dark Side \ Animals \ WYWH \ Wall. And even the Gilmour ones are ok.

Yes have done, what, one pretty good LP - Fragile. And the Trevor Horn's backing band 45 of Owner.

...you would be treated like a leper if you admitted to liking either Pink Floyd or Yes. So I don't!

However, I have actually put a little bit of effort into liking both, but it hasn't yielded any results. For Floyd I like Piper At Gates, as well and Us & Them and Comfortably Numb. I found the concept of Wall to be pretty interesting but awfully executed.

I like Roundabout by Yes but that's all really, although like I said, I haven't put a great deal of effort into making myself like them. After all, my dad likes both bands.

Actually, he doesn't. He's not that bad!

Say no more

I can't choose! It's like asking me to choose my favourite child!

We seem to have encountered a disproof of Godwin's Law. Comparison to the Nazis has not led to the total flaming collapse of good judgement and reasonable discourse. (Except for those people championing the cause of later period Yes.)

Yes had the disadvantage of having bought wholly into the fantasy lyrical approach that got prog rock a bad name in the late 70s. At least some of Floyd's lyrics were a bit more grounded in real life. It must therefore be the Floyd.

Except that it's the Yes stuff that I love. So it must be Yes.

Yes, Yes, it must be Yes. Or Floyd? No, Yes.

Jeepers, too many replies to count! So I'll just declare Pink Floyd the winner unless anyone actually wants to take the time to tally it all up.

Of course, the big news is that in the "Yes vs Pink Floyd" vs "Led Zeppelin vs Deep Purple" battle of the threads, "Yes vs Pink Floyd" is the clear winner! Yippee!

So does that mean Pink Floyd are better than Yes, Led Zeppelin and Deep Purple? Roll on the "Pink Floyd vs Led Zeppelin" thread!

Wait! Come back! You haven't even heard about my "David Bowie vs Neil Young" thread idea! ...

who needs to be playing in Yes for them to be Yes for you? (if that makes sense)

Yes - No
Pink Floyd - Yes

Yes have provided more jobs for musicians than Floyd. People have drifted in and out for years, particularly Rick Wakeman. Now Rick's son has keyboard duties within the band. Might we see further offspring entering the distinguished halls of Yes to keep the logo going for another few decades?

I don't think Floyd have the requisite number of offspring. Maybe enough to form a small jazz combo, possibly called The Cenotaph Swingers.

Yes: I quite enjoy "Close to the Edge" or "Yessongs" if I'm in the mood. The rest of the early stuff I'm not so keen on. And any Yes after "Going for the One" is an abomination.

The Floyd: couldn't get on with "Piper", I'm afraid. Quite liked "Dark Side", "Wish You Were Here" and "Animals" when I was a teenager a very long time ago. Then I sort of grew out of them...

So, given the choice between Yes and the Floyd, I'd probably take Yes, but given the choice between either of them and my top 500 favourite jazz bands, I've take the latter in an instant.

... Trevor Horn is currently working with Yes

like to cast my vote for Yes, purely on the basis of one album - Going for the One - which I still listen to and love. Nothing Pink Floyd have done has the same resonance for me. They were also the first group I went to see, back in '77 at Wembley Arena. I came out thinking I had lost my hearing.

Their new album 'The Living Tree' is not bad. Jon's voice has changed a little, but the songs are still good. Wakeman is magnificent.

Yes are more shite though. And I don't recall Floyd doing Tolkein style shite. Plus only one double? No triples?

All about degrees.

I love 'em both but this is brilliant from Yes

NB - no lengthy solos, stereotypers, but it is long and complex and some can't cope with that, I accept.

is almost as long and tedious as Tales of Topographic Oceans.

No-score draw, every time.

It's a good point. Latter day Floyd seemed to get caught up in too much Watersian post-war angst. Yes, however, continued to plunder the joys of Eastern mysticism for your everlasting enjoyment. On a spiritual level (or is that spirit level), Yes are probably better for your general well-being. Floyd seem a bit down all the time. Just listen to 'Seamus' from 'Meddle'. Beautifully played and sung, but it sure drags you down.

and wondered whether I should keep it running. So to recap then. Yes are a very talented prog band but Floyd just eclipsed them in terms of global commercial success. Both bands released classic albums and a few duds. Ok thanks.

a touch of 2010 Yes - he does sound remarkably like Anderson, which is presumably why they chose him, but the proof of the pudding will be this year's new album which will show if they have anything new to offer creatively or if they're just going to be virtually a covers band. But there again , are people interested in hearing new material or would they rather just have the old classics trotted out?

by a country mile.

I know - it's tricky, but let's have a go:

Yes

1. Roundabout
2. Starship Trooper
3. And You And I
4. Close To The Edge
5. Awaken

Pink Floyd

1. Time
2. Money
3. Comfortably Numb
4. Wish You Were Here
5. One Of These Days

quite good, innit?

As balance I offer

Floyd, Yes, who's best, who cares? Just enjoy the noise.
P.S. VdGG: another guilty, like VV, despoiler of the dream.I tried in the 70s and I tried again in this 2011. Sorry, claptrap then, claptrap now.

I saw the excellent Australian Pink Floyd tribute show recently.

Is there a Yes tribute band that could pack in Hammersmith Apollo? I doubt it.

They have once again taken on board the Buggles (Geoff Downes & Trevor Horn) to complete their new studio album 'Fly From Here' due out later this year.

Rick Wakeman v Roger Waters?

iconic ex members of said bands, still touring, putting on spectaculars, in Roger's case rebuilding old bricks and walls to sellout audiences. Old Rick did too a few years ago with all that Henry VIII and six wives tosh.

So who gets your vote, grumpy old rock star Rick or glumpuss Roger?

The new album from Yes. I've listened to it 3-4 times. I've read the reviews. I've read the punters' reviews on Amazon. Is it me, or is it really mediocre? I live in hope that it's a grower, rather than the fertiliser I suspect it is.

of the glory years alas!

Having just read "Pigs Might Fly" the acclaimed biography of Pink Floyd published a few years ago (and praised by The Word at the time) it occurred to that when it comes to rancour, bitter rows, business shenanigans and general huffiness, the Floyd come out on top.

Unless of course Rick Wakeman, Jon Anderson or any other rotating members of Yes have ever described their bandmates as "The Muffins" or one of the records as "a pretty fair forgery" or deliberately invited ex wives of former band members to watch them on tour instead of the latter.

way to go Roger!

Having just read "Pigs Might Fly" the acclaimed biography of Pink Floyd published a few years ago (and praised by The Word at the time) it occurred to that when it comes to rancour, bitter rows, business shenanigans and general huffiness, the Floyd come out on top.

Unless of course Rick Wakeman, Jon Anderson or any other rotating members of Yes have ever described their bandmates as "The Muffins" or one of the records as "a pretty fair forgery" or deliberately invited ex wives of former band members to watch them on tour instead of the latter.

way to go Roger!

I think Floyd probably beat Yes for the quality of their remastered packages. The current crop of releases certainly blaze a few trails, especially DSOTM and Wish You Were Here.

I have a couple of good classic Yes remasters but its just that Floyd give you so much more for your money in terms of quality.

because I don't really enjoy "prog".

Neither Floyd (Syd and Post-Syd) have ever felt like "prog" to me. I realise that won't make sense to a lot of people, all I can say is "well, there it is".

I suppose it's the simple stark choice isn't it - "Owner of a lonely heart" or "Echoes". I'm Echoes every time.

this thread keeps resurfacing again every few months. I feel quite proud.

We should play 'Echoes' followed by 'The Gates Of Delirium' in celebration.

I was a complete Floyd fan from the early singles up until Dark Side, where they lost me by going "commercial" (as we thought at the time) and getting raves from people who'd never heard Interstellar Overdrive. Yes, it was snobbism/elitism, but Dark Side remains the cut-off point for me - the later albums becoming less interesting, the earlier albums becoming more marvellous.

I was never into Yes until last year - all the gnomes/pompousness/twiddlywiddle and *those vocals* put me right off. Music for school prefects. But for some reason it all suddenly opened up for me, a bit late in the day perhaps, and I can listen to most of Yes's output and get a real charge from it - at their best, they're insanely uplifting (Going For The One - was ever anything so full-on UP as that?), a quality you can't really level at Floyd. Comparisons are obnoxious, as Ernie Isley so memorably put it, and the two bands are oil and water, chalk and cheese, metaphor and simile, but I'd choose Floyd just because the music is hardwired into me. Luckily I don't have to choose!

No.

I bought the 2011 Wish You Were Here remaster, partly because my old copy was per-2004 and the new one does sound quite nice. More importantly, I bought it for disc2. The live stuff from Wembley is vaguely interesting but the highlight is the version of the title track featuring Stephane Grappelli. I can understand why it didn't make the final album cut but it is a thing of beauty; really rather beautiful and almost worth the price of the album on its own for me.

lets face it, you wouldn't get Jon, Chris, Rick etc making daft statements about the Falklands not being British, like wot Roger did -the silly twat.

has resurrected again. It is like Dawn of the Living Dead.

Bring back Jon Anderson say I.

Now, come along chaps, we've got this far and are starting to go round in circles a little (thinks: could that be the title of a hybrid Yes/PF album track?) -- no, seriously, though, what I mean is, how come we've got this far, beating about the bush for a year now, and no one has brought up the topic of the album sleeves. Both bands have been lauded for their design, and influence: Hipgnosis vs Roger Dean, and some of those later covers. (I'm still convinced Roger Dean ought to be collecting royalties for the design of whatever that planet is called in Avatar.) Back in the day which was better, the iconic simplicity and sheer impact from a distance of Dark Side of the Moon tucked under one's arm walking across the playground to the sixthform common room, or the puzzling lose-yourself-in-it-in-the-privacy-of-your-bedroom world of Tales From Topographic Oceans -- though Relayer and Close to the Edge vie for top place for me. More latterly a candidate for worst sleeve ever, even worse than Tormato, is the horrible non-event of Magnification. Wish You Were Here also plenty of room for puzzling over in one's adolescent yore. We've talked about the lyrics as well as the music, but surely one aspect of the whole prog thing was that the artwork was integral to the experience. Feel free to disagree.

And investment advisers made the most money out of the credulous naifs whose moolah they were supposed to protect?

Th enumber of different incarnations of Yes there have been must have put tens of thousands of lawyers kids through college...

I would say so.

I went to the same school as Rick Wright out of the Floyd and Chris Squire out of Yes. Although I believe that Squire was expelled from the school for soing something rather naughty.