Your Gold Box Popular Music - Artist Name - Album Title - Song Title Used Music Classical Music Music Downloads All Products Classical Power Search Explore this album buying info listen to samples editorial reviews customer reviews I dislike it I love it! 1 2 3 4 5 Edit your ratings Favorite Magazines! Explore our new Magazine Subscriptions store . Visit the DVD Store Yes - Symphonic Live DVD Bissell $25 Offer Spend $125 on Bissell and save $25 on your next Amazon purchase. So You'd Like to... know more about the accurate ... : A guide by wedgeworld, Yes collector and musician. Create your guide Sign in to turn on 1-Click ordering. Used & new from $7.99 Have one to sell? Don't have one? We'll set one up for you. The Ladder Yes see larger picture List Price: $16.98 Price: $16.98 & eligible for FREE Super Saver Shipping on orders over $25. See details . Availability: Please note that labels occasionally run out of stock. We will notify you within 2 to 4 weeks if we have trouble obtaining this title. Used & new from $7.99 See more product details Great Buy Buy this album with Magnification ~ Yes today! Buy Together Today: $ 31.97 Customers who bought this title also bought: Relayer [ORIGINAL RECORDING REMASTERED] ~ Yes Going for the One [ORIGINAL RECORDING REMASTERED] ~ Yes Keystudio [IMPORT] ~ Yes Tales from Topographic Oceans [ORIGINAL RECORDING REMASTERED] ~ Yes Tormato [ORIGINAL RECORDING REMASTERED] ~ Yes Vapor Trails ~ Rush Union ~ Yes Anderson Bruford Wakeman Howe ~ Anderson/Bruford/Wakeman/Howe Explore similar items Product Details Essential recordings: Yes Audio CD (September 28, 1999) Original Release Date : September 28, 1999 Number of Discs: 1 Label: Beyond Records ASIN: B00001O2V8 Other Editions: Audio Cassette Average Customer Review: Based on 238 reviews. Write a review . Amazon.com Sales Rank: 29,119 What's Your Advice? Is there an item you'd recommend instead of or in addition to this one? Let the world know! Enter the item's ASIN ( what's an ASIN? ) in the box below, select advice type, then click Submit. I recommend: in addition to this product instead of this product Listen to Samples To hear a song sample, click on the "Listen ." Visit our audio help page for more information. 1. Homeworld (The Ladder) 2. It Will Be A Good Day (The River) 3. Lightning Strikes 4. Can I? 5. Face To Face 6. If Only I Knew 7. To Be Alive (He Yadda) 8. Finally 9. The Messenger 10. New Language 11. Nine Voices (Longwalker) Editorial Reviews Amazon.com Thirty years and a dozen-plus personnel changes after it helped launch the English progressive rock movement, Yes bills The Ladder as a "return to form." The question is: Which form? Though opening with a sound wash and rhythmic sleight-of-hand that suggests Close to the Edge and Tales from Topographic Oceans , it soon becomes apparent that the reunited core of the band's early 70's prime (vocalist Jon Anderson , bassist Chris Squire , guitarist Steve Howe , drummer Alan White, augmented by Billy Sherwood and Igor Khoroshev on guitar and keyboard, respectively) has remembered a thing or two from Yes's metamorphosis into a pop hit-maker ("Owner of a Lonely Heart") in the 1980s without sacrificing their willingness to occasionally take their music effortlessly off the wall. (Economic adventure, if you will.) The band takes playful, virtuosic swipes at Afro-Cuban percussion, as well as jazz, funk, and classical, and even concocts an unlikely tribute to Bob Marley that sounds about as reggae-fied as, well, Yes. And if their utopian-counterculture lyrical bent remains unbowed, it now seems like a spit in the face of the overarching cynicism of the age. --Jerry McCulley Spotlight Reviews (what's this) Write an online review and share your thoughts with other customers. 18 of 20 people found the following review helpful: Brilliant! , January 24, 2000 Reviewer: A music fan from USA It is very telling that 95% of the reviews for "The Ladder" are ecstatic. This is a thrilling album & a return to form. For those confused by the last 4 Yes releases prior to "The Ladder" you MUST read Chris Welch's outstanding book on Yes "Close To The Edge", which explains it all, from 90125 to Union, the confusion-inducing Yes era. "The Ladder" is truly brilliant. Billy Sherwood & Igor Khoroshev make this a fresh new sounding recording, although Sherwood has been with the band for a while now. The harmonies are really fantastic, Chris's bass playing is finally freed up & can actually be HEARD - so much like the Yes-Album/Fragile era, Steve Howe is all over every song with creative fills & inspiring solos & gobs of incrdible slide work - some breathtaking acoustic work also, reminding me of his acoustic work on the GTR album. Jon is in TOP form, singing soft & tough with heart & soul. Yes is working hard to get their audience back and get back to doing what they do best - melodic exspansive music with technical flourishes i.e. "prog-rock". Even the short songs have multiple tempo and key changes. So far faves are: Homeworld [10 mins long & for a Sci-Fi video game - how Prog can you possibly GET?] Can I?/Face To Face If Only You Knew [this is NOT AOR!] Finally [WOW! TFTO synths & guitars] The Messenger [shades of "And You & I!] New Language - best since "Mind Drive"! If you love Yes run out & get this album. Was this review helpful to you? 2 of 3 people found the following review helpful: Going for the Ladder , November 7, 1999 Reviewer: John from Colorado, USA Since 1973, I've been amazed and delighted by Yes music. I love the heights the band reached with CTTE, Tales and Relayer, I love the joy that came back into the music with Wakeman's return on Going for the One. I love what the band did with Trevor Rabin. The live stuff: Yessongs, Yesshows, and on K2A continues to blow me away. Talk and OYE seemed a lessening of their power. In OYE especially they seem to be rebuilding that cohesiveness which marks their earlier albums. All of this has led up to the Ladder, which I think is their best studio album since Going for the One. They have found what they were looking for. I've seen them ten times in concert since the Relayer tour. The last two times were with Igor on keyboards- he can stand with the best. They've always been strong- the best concert experiences I have had- and that's why I keep going back. The Ladder is clear and clean. Allen's drumming is perfect, and with Chris's bass, wow, hep yadda. When Steve plays- well, no one else I've ever heard can play like Steve. Igor is a wonderful addition- and I love Wakeman when I say that. Billy is cool, but I haven't been able to relate to his playing yet as I can with the others. Jon is the soul, the mind, and the heart of Yes. He's my musical idol. The best I know. The singer I love the most. Hearing The Ladder has taken me back to the days when I was hearing Relayer and Going for the One as new releases. It generates the same kind of excitement they did; it has the same kind of beauty. Is there a Soon or an Awaken on this album? Maybe not. But it will be listened to as a classic for as long as Yes music continues to live. I value it. It brings great joy to this soundchaser's heart. Isn't that what Yes has always done? The boy's are back. Buy the CD- the odds are about four in five that, like me, you will fall in love with it. Was this review helpful to you? All Customer Reviews Avg. Customer Review: Write an online review and share your thoughts with other customers. 1 of 1 people found the following review helpful: Some classic Yes, but with a strong pop influence , December 2, 2002 Reviewer: Lonnie E. Holder (see more about me) from Sullivan, Illinois United States The very first time I heard this CD I didn't care for it. Same for the second time. However, the third time I listened to this CD I suddenly found some of its charm. The fourth time... The point is that if you need to listen to a Yes CD several times before it begins to grow on you, then Yes did exactly what they were supposed to do. A Yes composition is never what you expect. That is the nature of Yes' brand of progressive rock. There is always the temptation to compare the works of a long-established group against itself. Those who think that a group hit a particular formula that they should have kept and didn't will be disappointed. Those who think a group should continually evolve and instead seem to repeat the same formula over and over are disappointed. Thus we have the quandary of art and music. Fortunately, Yes has the ability to do what they want to do, and if their current incarnation matches your taste, then great; if not, then that's also great. "The Ladder" is one of those releases that is guaranteed to polarize Yes fans. The nine selections on this CD have a wide range of variation. The songs that are more along the lines of classic Yes are "Homeworld (The Ladder)", "Finally", "It Will Be a Good Day (The River)", "The Messenger", "New Language" and "Nine Voices (Longwalker)". Each of these songs is worthy of being a Yes progressive rock song. There are clearly some pop influences, but each is recognizably Yes. "It Will Be a Good Day (The River)" sounds similar to some of the music from "Union". "The Messenger" starts with a very blues-sounding bass guitar. The lyrics are Jon Anderson's typical new age mysticism (what would a Yes album be without such songs!). The song reminds me of "Talk" and "Union", and perhaps "90125". A classic Yes-style composition. "New Language" starts as a rocking composition, fast-paced, a throwback to early Yes. While there are periodic pop influences, the progressive shows through in multiple locations. Very heavy reliance on guitars throughout, punctuated by a firm drum beat, and add keyboards for spice. A very solid Yes song. "Nine Voices" is another Yes song in the tradition of Yes songs. This song can remind one of "Your Move" and, perhaps, just a touch, of "Wondrous Stories". The harmonies are classic Yes, as are the beautifully orchestrated instruments. One of the better songs on this CD. The other selections are a varied brew. "Lightning Strikes" starts strangely, but the song then turns into a pop song (I'm not kidding). While the song is not the strongly progressive for which we love Yes so much, as pop songs go, it is good. Remember that "90125" also had pop songs as well, which also worked just as well. "Can I?" I love. If you remember Eddie Murphy singing on the train in "Trading Places", you'll get a flavor of this song. It's got a bit of African or perhaps reggae flavor to it. "Face to Face" starts sounding like typical Yes progressive rock, and then changes to a pop love song. Again, a good song, just not what you would expect from Yes. "To Be Alive (Hep Yadda)" again reminds me a bit of Union, perhaps with more pop than Eastern influences. However, as the song progresses, it become pure repetitive pop. I must admit that while I'm a big fan of Yes, this song stretches my liking of Yes to the limit. This song may appeal to fans of modern pop or bubble gum, but is likely to annoy long-time Yes fans. This album, which brings together so many of the classic members of Yes, is good, but uneven in spots. If I could take an electronic knife and excise some of the cuts, I think the album would have been more coherent and more in the tradition of classic progressive Yes. However, Yes gets to choose their own music, and this is what they chose. A worthy addition to any Yes collection, but with the exception of a few cuts, not among their best. Was this review helpful to you? 2 of 2 people found the following review helpful: Easily the strongest Yes album in many years! , November 4, 2002 Reviewer: Daniel Grillo (see more about me) from Rochester, NY USA The music group called Yes means different things to different people. Some will always picture Yes circa 1972 during the Close To The Edge days, clothed in the kingly robes of progressive art rock, and anything that falls short of that mark will simply not do for them. Others picture the mid-80s Yes with Trevor Rabin in the fold, playing smart rhythmic rock music with just a hint of their progressive past. The Ladder is probably their most recent album that can put a foot in both of those camps. Some tracks rock in a 90125 vein, others shimmer and lilt like And You And I or Soon. Most Yes fans, new style or old, can find something here to enjoy. I immensely enjoyed all but one of the tracks from this album (To Be Alive(Hep Yadda) was just too repetitive for me). The opener, "Homeworld," should really appeal to fans of the Classic Yes music. The song clocks in at around nine minutes, just enough time to take the listener on a grand musical adventure. It has great chord and key changes, and features some incredible vocal harmonies and bass work from Chris Squire after the guitar solo at around the seven minute mark. The opening palm-muted electric guitar part is played by Billy Sherwood, for those that wonder about his presence in the band. After seeing them live on The Ladder Tour, I better understood his role in the band. He also plays lead electric guitar on the third track. I also heard or read that many of the vocal harmonies were devised by Sherwood, and that he has a real gift for them. Another highlight on the album is "Lightning Strikes," which is what Yes would sound like playing hip-hop. The song has an infectious groove, is in 7/4 time and features some great interplay between bass, guitar, and keyboards. Also, it works well live. "If Only You Knew" is a powerful love song. "Finally" showcases Jon Anderson's voice in an uncharacteristic dirty, more edgy tone that I enjoyed. The end of this song is very much like the Soon section of The Gates Of Delirium in style. "The Messenger," Yes' tribute to Bob Marley and reggae music, opens with an awesome bass lick, followed quickly by some sweet acoustic lead from Steve Howe. The chorus of the tune is fantastic, with Alan White playing in a triple feel against the band's continued duple meter. "New Language" once again plunges us into the progressive days of yore. Another song that clocks in at over nine minutes, the opening organ riffs, quickly joined by guitar, then full band, truly signal some old-school prog rock. Igor Khoroshev is a very talented keyboard man. Once the song finally settles into the verse, we are back to the 80s. Later in the tune, we again return to the 70s, with Steve H. giving us some meaty retro tones from his guitar during the solo. The final song features some jaw-dropping acoustic work from Steve H. The entire album is worth having, as any Yes fan can find some exciting moments on it. Older Yes fans should stick to the opening track and "New Language" while newer recruits will enjoy "The Messenger" and "If Only You Knew." I love this album a great deal and highly recommend it. Was this review helpful to you? 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