I heard that the first person that they wanted to replace Wakeman was Vangelis.

Now that would have been odd in the extreme.

When asked in an interview why he'd declined the offer he said:

"I never really admired the band very much. I never felt that compatible with them. Yes used to be very good, but I never felt that their music fit well with the way I think. I don't know. To me, Yes was a little bit of patchwork. They've done great things and had a great career, but I never felt like being a part of the group."

He did, of course, go on to make some great music with Jon Anderson and Pat Moraz did a fine job on "Relayer".