Boy, this is tough. I kept coming up with 15, so here's my most severe edit, not in any order:

Beatles...Yesterday and Today
Beach Boys...Surf's Up
Bowie...Ziggie
XTC...Nonesuch
Queen...Sheer Heart Attack
Steely Dan...Aja
Yes...Topogaphic Oceans
Elton...Honky Chateau
Michael Penn...March
The Who...Sellout

There are so many "late model" ones that I truly love, but they just can't supplant any of these.

Topographic Oceans? Does Patrick Moraz have the goods on you or something?

Tom, I had to look this up, given the many changes to the Yes lineup over time, but Moraz replaced Rick Wakeman on keyboards on Relayer, the album just after Tales from Topographic Oceans.

The notable change on Tales from Topographic Oceans was Alan White replacing Bill Bruford on drums.

Oh.

My joke doesn't really work, then.

I just lump "Relayer" and "Oceans" together into that impossibly self-indulgent era.

Plus, trying to listen to them now just gives me hella massive flashbacks.

Nice info, JP. I should have remembered that. As long as it was Howe, Anderson and Squire, I was never disappointed by their choices of keyboards and drums. But I really did like Trevor Horn when Howe wasn't around.

D'ja ever hear the one w/o Squire? It's very not good.

Haven't heard the Squire-less Yes. I'm a somewhat casual Yes fan. I have The Yes Album, Fragile, Yessongs, 90125, Big Generator, & Union. Saw them (all 8 of them) on the Union tour in 1991.

I do have a copy of the Refugee album (aka The Nice with Pat Moraz instead of Keith Emerson, but with a different musical style) but to the best of my knowledge I was neither coerced nor blackmailed into buying it.

Actually, now that I finally found my Discwasher I can dig out the album and start to play it again.

I had that, too, as well as all of "The Nice" LP's. I don't think that they hold-up very well, but I'll be intersted to hear your take on Refugee--- after 40 years (ouch).

YES w/o Squire is: (Duh) "Anderson, Bruford, Wakeman, Howe (unoriginal)."

Nice cover, though. Now there's a long marriage, YES and Roger Dean.

I actually kind of liked ABWH. Tony Levin played bass.

I think the Trevor you're thinking of for when Howe wasn't around was Rabin, not Horn. Yes, I know Trevor Horn was the singer on Drama and a longtime producer. But Howe and Horn were both on Drama.

Progressive rock is a rabbit hole.

I saw Patrick Moraz play in Seattle some years ago. Great musician. Weird guy.

Yes, Rabin. Thanks. Didn't Trevor Horn shoot his wife?
Tony Levin can play on anything and I'd listen. I'll bet he's taller than JP!