Yes ( B6 )

Their first date in North America followed on 24 June in Edmonton, Canada supporting Jethro Tull. Kaye performed his final show with Yes at the Crystal Palace Bowl that August and was fired shortly thereafter. The decision was made after friction arising between Howe and himself on tour, and his reported reluctance to play the Mellotron and the Minimoog synthesizer, preferring to stick exclusively to piano and Hammond organ. Anderson recalled in a 2019 interview: "Steve and Chris came over and said, 'Look, Tony Kaye... great guy.' But, you know, we’d just seen Rick Wakeman about a month earlier. And I said, 'There’s that Rick Wakeman guy,' and we’ve got to get on with life and move on, you know, rather than keep going on, set in the same circle. And that’s what happens with a band."

Fragile, Close to the Edge and Tales from Topographic Oceans (1971–1974)

At the time of Kaye's departure, Yes had already found their new keyboardist – Rick Wakeman, a classically trained player who had left the folk rock group Strawbs earlier in the year. He was already a noted studio musician, with credits including T. Rex, David Bowie, Cat Stevens and Elton John. Squire commented that he could play "a grand piano for three bars, a Mellotron for two bars and a Moog for the next one absolutely spot on", which gave Yes the orchestral and choral textures that befitted their new material.

Released on 26 November 1971, the band's fourth album Fragile showcased their growing interest in the structures of classical music, with an excerpt of The Firebird by Igor Stravinsky being played at the start of their concerts since the album's 1971–1972 tour. Each member performed a solo track on the album, and it marked the start of their long collaboration with artist Roger Dean, who designed the group's logo, album art, and stage sets. 

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