“Looking Around” represents a landmark for the world’s greatest progressive rock band, if only because it’s the first Jon Anderson/Chris Squire composition to appear on a Yes album. They collaborated, elsewhere, with Bill Bruford and Clive Bailey, but “Looking Around” stands apart.
The track features a swirling Tony Kaye organ opening, deftly supported by an aggressive Bill Bruford beat. Chris Squire and guitarist Peter Banks provide powerful backing vocals to the track, and their support there is far different than the Yes choir we have come to know and love. Banks’ sense of harmony is very much similar to that of Squire’s — giving the song a folky/pop sheen.
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Banks’ guitar, on the other hand, is more psychedelic than current Yes fans are used to. Jon Anderson sings lower in his register than we are used to hearing, as well, and it fits the song perfectly.
The entire band shines in their individual contributions, as “Looking Around” is propelled forward by Kaye’s jaunty organ stabs. The song would have easily been a stand-out track on a Mabel Greer’s Toyshop album, and makes a fascinating footnote in Yes’ catalog. It’s an early stand-out moment for the then-fledgling band.
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