Why Jon Anderson thought 1972’s breakthrough Yes single never worked: “Totally wrong”
Yes frontman Jon Anderson has long been critical of the heavily edited US radio version of "Roundabout," the band's breakthrough 1972 single, calling the cut "totally wrong" musically. The original track ran for eight-and-a-half minutes as the sprawling opener to the band's 1971 album Fragile, but Atlantic Records shortened it drastically for American radio without first consulting the band, since disc jockeys at the time were reluctant to play lengthy songs.
The full-length "Roundabout" featured elaborate sections including a reversed-tape intro, Steve Howe's classical guitar work, Chris Squire's distinctive basslines and three-part vocal harmonies, and marked the studio debut of new keyboardist Rick Wakeman. Atlantic's edit stripped this down to just three minutes and 28 seconds, removing much of the atmosphere and mood changes. Anderson said the band only discovered the edit had been released after hearing it on the radio while on tour, though he later acknowledged that the shortened version proved commercially successful, helping to establish the song's popularity in the US.
- Jon Anderson called the US radio edit of "Roundabout" "totally wrong"
- Atlantic Records cut the 8.5-minute song to 3:28 without band's input
- Yes only learned of the edit after hearing it broadcast on tour
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Yes's "Roundabout" first appeared as the eight-and-a-half-minute opening track on the band's 1971 album Fragile, packed with intricate instrumental sections and marking keyboardist Rick Wakeman's studio debut with the group. When Atlantic Records released it as a single in America the following year, the label cut it down to under three and a half minutes so radio stations would play it, as DJs at the time generally avoided lengthy songs.
Jon Anderson is Yes's frontman and lead singer, and one of the band's founding members. He has spoken repeatedly over the years about how the band was not consulted before the edit was made and only learned of its existence when they heard it played on the radio while touring.
The edited single became a commercial breakthrough for Yes in the US, helping to build the band's popularity there even though Anderson felt it undermined the song musically. The episode is a well-known example of the tension between artists' original creative work and the commercial pressures of radio formatting in the 1970s.