NOIZE

PROG-ROCK BLEW MY young mind in 1971, and it was largely thanks to Yes and a magnum opus called “Roundabout.” I’d been amazed by the Beatles’ dreamlike “A Day in the Life,” thrilled to the Tilt-a-Whirl ride of King Crimson’s “21st Century Schizoid Man” and been dazed by the surreal centerpiece of Led Zeppelin’s “Whole Lotta Love.” Each of those was a mini symphony, with the various movements added on like musical boxcars.

{ From the Editor }

“Roundabout” was different, and in so many ways. For one, everything gelled together, with each new movement evolving harmoniously from the previous one, taking the song further along, sometimes to entirely new stylistic juggernauts, but always reconnecting to the original theme, not just seamlessly but joyously, like a thrilling homecoming. I suspect that congruity has a lot to do with the song’s commercial success. “Roundabout” has many sections and changes, but it’s never hard on the ears or requires harmonic leaps that detract from the music’s enjoyment.