Music / Time and a Word

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^{North American cover, click for the original (NSFW)}

"There's a time, and the time is now and it's right for me
It's right for me, and the time is now
There's a word, and the word is love and it's right for me
It's right for me, and the word is love"

—"Time and a Word"

Time and a Word is the second album by English Progressive Rock band Yes, released on 24 July 1970 through Atlantic Records. Given the lackluster sales of the debut album in spite of some promising reviews, Yes went to work on recording their next album between shows when they went on an extensive tour throughout Britain. While continuing on the direction they were headed, they decided to incorporate a small orchestra commissioned from the Royal College of Music. This approach was so ardently opposed by guitarist Peter Banks that when they toured after recording, the friction led to Banks getting fired and replaced by Steve Howe in April 1970. Although it appeared in British charts, the album wasn't any more successful saleswise than their first attempt, which led Atlantic to consider dropping them if they failed again. Howe introduced a new sound which changed the direction of the band and led to their next album The Yes Album changing their fortunes. Yes wouldn't revisit accompaniment from an orchestral backing until 2001's Magnification.

Tracklist

Side one

1. "No Opportunity Necessary, No Experience Needed" (4:45)
2. "Then" (5:39)
3. "Everydays" (6:04)
4. "Sweet Dreams" (3:47)

Side two

1. "The Prophet" (6:30)
2. "Clear Days" (2:06)
3. "Astral Traveller" (5:51)
4. "Time and a Word" (4:30)

Principal members

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

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Sweet tropes can solve the future:

• Alternate Album Cover: Once again, the North American album cover is different from the international cover, albeit because the latter featured a nude woman. Of note is that the member in the photo on the immediate right is Steve Howe, who replaced Peter Banks the time the shot was taken.
• Cover Version: Richie Havens' "No Opportunity Necessary, No Experience Needed" and Buffalo Springfield's "Everydays".
• Covers Always Lie: The band picture on the front of the US version of Time and a Word has Steve Howe in it, despite the fact that he just joined and didn't play on the album at all.
• Early-Installment Weirdness: Like the album before, it isn't as expansive and sprawling as the Epic Rocking that Yes would be known for down the line.
• Epic Rocking: Like the album before, subdued compared to what Yes would perform down the line, but "The Prophet" and their cover of "Everydays" are both above the six minute mark, and "Astral Traveler" was off by a mere nine seconds.

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