The definitive progressive rock outfit, British group Yes specialised in multi-layered harmonies and extended themes. They took rock music almost as far as it was possible for it to go from its basic roots—too far for some, who considered Yes's neoclassical pretensions overblown and irrelevant. Although unwittingly, then, bands like Yes contributed to the birth of the punk rock movement.
Formed in 1968, Yes originally included vocalist Jon Anderson (b. October 1944), guitarist Peter...