Time and a Word

Untitled

Time and a Word is the second studio album by the English progressive rock band Yes, released on 24 July 1970 by Atlantic Records. Following the commercial failure of their first album, Yes, the group continued to follow their early music direction of performing original material with rearranged cover versions of songs by pop, jazz, and funk artists. Time and a Word includes songs with orchestral arrangements.

Time and a Word became the group's first release to enter the UK chart with a peak of No. 45. It failed to chart in the US and received some mixed reviews from critics. During their UK tour in April 1970, guitarist Peter Banks was fired from the group. By the time of the album's release, he was replaced by Steve Howe who is photographed with the group on the North American issue. In 2003, the album was remastered with several previously unreleased tracks.

Background

Jon Anderson's decision to use a live orchestra on most of the album's songs (as he reported in the Yesyears video) put him very much at odds with Peter Banks. Tensions within the band increased, and just after the album's recording was completed in early 1970, Banks was asked to leave. Steve Howe would join the line-up, as a replacement, that March. The album includes two songs written by Anderson with David Foster, a former bandmate in The Warriors.

Time and a Word's use of a studio orchestra seemed intrusive to some critics, and the album's received was lukewarm. The opening track contains an orchestral intro to Richie Havens' song "No Opportunity Necessary, No Experience Needed", featuring a main theme from the 1958 film The Big Country by Jerome Moross.The track "The Prophet" borrows from Gustav Holst's "Jupiter" in the Planets Suite.

The album was recorded at Advision Studios in West London.

Reception

Professional ratings

Review scores
Source	Rating
Allmusic
Robert Christgau	C

Track listing

Side one

No.	Title	Writer(s)	Length
1.	"No Opportunity Necessary, No Experience Needed"	Richie Havens	4:48
2.	"Then"	Jon Anderson	5:44
3.	"Everydays"	Stephen Stills	6:08
4.	"Sweet Dreams"	Anderson, David Foster	3:51

Side two

No.	Title	Writer(s)	Length
5.	"The Prophet"	Anderson, Chris Squire	6:34
6.	"Clear Days"	Anderson	2:06
7.	"Astral Traveller"	Anderson	5:53
8.	"Time and a Word"	Anderson, Foster	4:31

2003 Remaster bonus tracks

No.	Title	Writer(s)	Length
9.	"Dear Father"	Anderson, Squire	4:12
10.	"No Opportunity Necessary, No Experience Needed" (original mix)	Havens	4:42
11.	"Sweet Dreams" (original mix)	Anderson, Foster	4:19
12.	"The Prophet" (single version)	Anderson, Squire	6:33

Tracks 9–11 first appeared on early West German pressings of Time and a Word, Atlantic/Teldec (GE) (24/4/70).

Album cover

The US and UK releases had different album artwork; the UK version used a black-and-white Dada-esque photo-montage of a nude woman with a butterfly, but this was deemed inappropriate in the US, so the cover there used a conventional photograph of the band. Despite appearing on the US cover, Howe does not play on the album. The back cover of both versions features photographs of Anderson, Squire, Kaye, Bruford and Banks.

Personnel

Yes

• Jon Anderson: lead vocals, percussion
• Peter Banks: electric and acoustic guitars, vocals
• Chris Squire: bass guitar, vocals
• Tony Kaye: Hammond organ, piano
• Bill Bruford: drums, percussion

Additional musicians

• David Foster: vocals on "Sweet Dreams", acoustic guitar on "Time and a Word"

Reissues

• 1989 – Atlantic – CD
• 1994 – Atlantic – CD (Remastered)
• 2003 – Rhino – CD (Remastered with bonus tracks)
• 2013 - Rhino - CD as part of The Studio Albums 1969-1987

Sources

• Time and a Word CD booklet essay, Mike Tiano, c. 2003
• AllMusicGuide.com