Warner Music Group has announced the acquisition of the recorded-music rights and income streams from the Atlantic Records catalog of progressive-rock icons Yes. The long-running group, which released its first album in 1969, spent a large part of its career with Atlantic, including such classic albums as “Fragile,”“Close to the Edge” and“90125.”
The full acquisition includes 12 studio albums, as well as live recordings and compilations; terms of the deal were not disclosed.
The acquisition follows Warner’s high-profile catalog deals with David Bowie’s estate and Madonna.
In making the announcement, Kevin Gore, Warner’s president of global catalog, said: “My introduction to Yes came while working at a record store in Ohio in 1983. I’ve been a fan ever since and we’re absolutely thrilled and deeply honored that the strong relationship between Yes and Warner Music will continue forever.”
The band added in a joint statement: “The entire Yes family came together and worked enthusiastically with Warner Music Group to secure this historic deal, ensuring that these iconic recordings will continue to be curated in the optimum manner to delight their fans across more than five decades, while also finding and developing new audiences for this timeless music.”
The group’s commercial peak years were the early 1970s, with the platinum “Yes Album,” “Fragile” and “Close to the Edge” albums and unexpected radio hits like “Your Move” and “Roundabout,” and the early ‘80s, when an unexpected comeback in the MTV era was spearheaded by the Trevor Horn-produced “90125” album and the single “Owner of a Lonely Heart.”
Studio albums, live recordings, and compilations included in the deal:
Yes(1969)
Time and a Word(1970)
The Yes Album(1971)
Fragile(1971)
Close to the Edge(1972)
Yessongs(1973)
Tales from Topographic Oceans(1973)
Relayer(1974)
Yesterdays(1975)
Going for the One(1977)
Tormato(1978)
Drama(1980)
Yesshows (1980)
Classic Yes(1981)
90125(1983)
9012Live: The Solos(1985)
Big Generator(1987)
Yesyears(1991)
Yesstory(1992)
Highlights: The Very Best of Yes(1993)
In A Word: Yes(1969-) (2002)
Yes Remixes(2003)
The Ultimate Yes: 35th Anniversary Collection(2003)
The Word Is Live(2005)
High Vibration(2013)
Progeny: Seven Shows from Seventy-Two(2015)
The Steven Wilson Remixes(2018)
Topographic Drama: Live Across America(2017)
Yes 50 Live(2019)
