In a Word: Yes (2002)

(Rhino) For a band that filled more arenas than any other prog-rockers of the 1970s, Yes were curiously fey. Jon Anderson sang in a chirpy soprano like an eager choirboy, and the British quintet often dressed in loose frocks that made them look like a mime troupe. But as the first three discs in this five-volume retrospective demonstrate, bassist Chris Squire and guitarist Steve Howe never failed to make the baroque sci-fi epics rock hard. Even their early MTV hits hold up, but nostalgists will prefer dusting off the old bong and settling in with the early material.