The second half of the career of this legendary progressive rock band

Yes ended their eight-man Union tour at the beginning of 1992, and the question on everyone’s lips was – what next? The answer came via long-time Yes collaborator Phil Carson and his new Victory label, which financed the Talk album, one of the first albums to be recorded to hard disc, which saw the band slim down to the 90125 line-up. However, the 1990s and early 2000s saw Yes continue to change personnel with Steve Howe and Rick Wakeman rejoining, although the quality of the new music remained high, even if live performance gradually replaced album sales as the band’s chief source of income. Three huge tours between 2001 and 2004 led to another hiatus, culminating in a serious illness to Jon Anderson, which saw him replaced by Canadian Benoit David and then by Californian Jon Davison. However, the band ploughed on into its sixth decade, and despite the untimely deaths of both Chris Squire and Alan White, continues to this day. A flurry of activity post-COVID saw three new albums released up to 2026, not to mention a late-career, Yes-inspired renaissance for former vocalist Jon Anderson. Stephen Lambe picks apart the last 30 years or so, when the band gradually freed themselves from the rigours of record label pressure and embraced their glorious heritage while still, astonishingly, creating some superb new music.