Re ELP vs Yes - I just can't stand Jon Anderson's voice, while I can swear Keith is one of a maybe dozen people on Earth who understood the substance of the synthesizer. I'd take ELP over Yes anytime.
As for Rush, I discovered them much later... and was specially surprised to see that they have this guy with a funny last name... Živojinović. I wonder whether the rest of the band ever learned to pronounce it :). I've learned to live with Jon Anderson's voice. On some albums it's more tolerable than others. When I listen to Yes I focus more on Wakeman and Steve Howe - IMO, they made Yes the huge success.
Yes, Alex Lifeson's real last name is Živojinović. I'm sure Geddy Lee can pronounce it, he and Alex grew up together.
What is so amazing about Rush is that they've been together for 30 years, without a breakup. (Their original drummer wasn't Neil Peart...Neil showed up for the 2nd album, and they've all been together ever since). Amazing...
Kevin