YES - 'Clap' written & performed by Steve Howe

Live at the Rainbow Theatre, London, December 1972
Steve Howe: "It's the first song I ever wrote, and I think it's really a good piece. I wrote it on the 4th of August in 1969, when my oldest son, Dylan, was born. The very night that he was born, I finished the song. Originally, it was a dedication to Chet Atkins, but then it became a dedication to Dylan. It combined a lot of things I'd learned or imagined. I always wanted to write music, and when I decided to write solo guitar music, it was earth-shattering inside, because suddenly I was an independent person. I could stand up on stage and play Clap. That meant as much to me as it did to be in Yes."

[SugarFreeBarry]

This song is very high on the list of things I will miss when I die

[GeorgeFreda]

To do that finger work on an acoustic is mind boggling! Definitely one of the best guitarists there ever was.

[florez]

I watched him perform this in Toronto this past weekend and he has not aged a day on stage and we were all excited when he played this for us! Keep rocking on!!!

[MST-xhqe]

THE most organic guitar tone and technique in the world. Its right there. An absolute true master of the instrument. And when there were far fewer guitarists of this calibre to boot. Here we are decades later, and how many people do you see pulling this one off? Exactly, he was and is that good.

[AndreySokolovRu]

2:21 never noticed before what Steve's left hand's muscles look like while he performing this song. It takes enormous effort to make a steel strings guitar sound like this, yet he doesn't smear any single note.

[Siticmon]

It amazes me what some people can do to a guitar

[donbishop]

Seriously, who is having more fun - Steve playing or us listening? I think it's a toss-up! :)

[jababorg]

One of the most technical guitar players ever. Wonderful . The most amazing to me is that he was always so humble

[johnnyfoosball]

Most underrated guitarist of the 70's, I could listen to Howe for hours on end. better than Page on his best day

[ManInTheBigHat]

I like how he so frequently introduces classical music themes to his pieces.

[TheTelo]

I don't get tired of listening to him. Once he had moved to Asia and I didn't know he he made it and I was just passing by a record store and I heard a guitar solo. I immediately stopped and said to myself: Steve Howe? He had just finished recording with his new band, Asia. There are many guitarists, but his virtuosity and eclecticism are second to none. His solos, melodies, compositions and the way he plays...Wow!
THE BEST OF THE BEST.

[RyneMurray]

Steve Howe is in my top 5 favorite guitar players of all time. He could go from classical style to country to rock to pop all in the same song without skipping a beat

[donutkav]

8 years recovering from a hand injury after trying that, its nearly better now

[DatingTV]

This right here is a perfect showcasing of how musicians ALWAYS should enjoy playing music and always have a great time. Steve Howe is the perfect example. Long live.

[TheScotthutch]

One month earlier than this recording, in November 1972, I hitchhiked to Notre Dame in my hometown of South Bend IN to see YES at the brand new Athletic and Convocation Center.
I was 15YO & I could sing every word of every song from both Close to the Edge and the YES Album. . (For that matter, I could also sing Jethro Tull's Thick as a Brick which is actually one long song on both sides of an album all the way through.) HA!
Thank you Steve, this song and your performance of it are just astounding.

[real_skye]

For all the people saying he was underrated this is true but it wasn't true in the 1970s. The only magazine on guitars that mattered was called Guitar Player Magazine where five years in a row he won best overall guitarist and was retired into the Hall of Fame. People did recognize his talent It just seems they forgotten.

[vanillagorilla]

He never ever (EVER) make a mistake wile playing live. I have seen them too many times and he is flawless always.

[daryllawrick]

Forgot how much I loved Steve Howe. Always argued he was the best guitarist

[disillusionST]

I can’t keep my mouth closed when I play guitar either so seeing Steve clown and move his mouth a lot like I do sure does make me feel better

[kimberlyblood]

It makes no matter what kind of mood I'm in, the moment I turn on YES this world and all it's troubles completely vanish . Beethoven once said it's great art if it has the ability to reach into another's soul and make the them feel what your feeling. YES does that without question, YES music is Iconic and maybe one day will be appreciated as the greatest thing that ever happened in music for in my opinion it is. YES ?