Yes: Drama

Drama

Best song: Tempus Fugit

Worst song: White Car

Overall grade: 5

(author’s note: I’m so sorry I’ve been away for a while! I had to send off my university applications on Wednesday so I was working really hard to get those finished, and then I went to Switzerland for a couple of days, and then I had a pretty disastrous Friday night and felt too ill to do anything Saturday. But I promise to try to catch up a little over the next few weeks.)

‘Tormato’ was widely ridiculed – by the fans, by the music press, and somewhat by me, although I doubt my review had any influence on what happened in 1980. What happened was that both Jon Anderson and Rick Wakeman quit the band. Not the first time for Wakeman, who was already making a habit of this leaving and rejoining thing, but certainly the first time for Anderson. His departure shocked fans the world over, but not as much as the announcement of the new members: Trevor Horn and Geoff Downes from the Buggles. Yes, the Buggles, who had one song of any note, and that’s just because it was the first video to be played on MTV, and other than that were completely forgettable.

So, two crucial members gone and two new members who came from a plasticky synth-pop group – this album must be terrible, right? Well, actually no. This album is damn good. Quite a few of the songs had pretty much already been written by Howe, Squire and White, and it feels like with just three of them, they were all putting a lot more effort into the songwriting process.

From the opening bars of ‘Machine Messiah’ it’s pretty clear that Yes don’t really fit into the symphonic rock box anymore. They’ve predated King Crimson by a year in mixing New Wave into a hard-edged prog sound and it’s totally awesome. Howe’s guitar is the highlight for me on this sprawling and messy 10 minute epic, and although Downes is no Wakeman, his part is still plenty complicated enough to keep me interested, and he does some good Moog soloing. And it doesn’t feel too far removed from “classic Yes” so as to be a completely different band, still including a lot of their trademarks, like some great vocal harmonies.

‘White Car’ is basically unnecessary, and at only 1 minute 21 seconds, it doesn’t do anything except fill up 1 minute and 21 seconds of vinyl. I guess Downes and Horn wrote it to be an introduction to ‘Does It Really Happen?’, but that song stands up just fine on its own. I’ve heard people say it sounds like a 90125 song, but I don’t get that. Sure, it’s got the arena-sized sound to it, but it’s so much more unique than anything from that album, more inspired, quirkier. In fact, with the slight funk influence that goes into the riffs, it reminds me more of something like ‘Siberian Khatru’ from earlier.

‘Into the Lens’ is my least favourite actual song, and the one that Downes and Horn had the most influence on (it would appear in an alternate version on a later Buggles album). Specifically, I find Horn’s vocal part kind of ugly, and so it’s the one moment when I really miss Jon Anderson’s presence. The melody is simple and accessible, and comparable to what bands like Asia and Kansas were writing, but classier. It’s very listenable, but too safe in places and I don’t really consider it Yes.

‘Run Through The Light’ again has more of a pop influence, but it still works well because there’s so much going on. Yes always include a ballad, and here, this is the one. If it was a Buggles song, it would probably be sickeningly dull, but as a Yes song the pretty melody and soulful mandolin are counterbalanced by White’s awesome drumming and Howe’s purposeful guitar. Horn plays bass instead of Squire, which I’m not too fond of, but it means we get to hear Squire on electric piano (I wish that was a little more prominent.)

The finishing track is ‘Tempus Fugit’, and what a finish it is! It could easily have been extended a bit (this album’s really short). Squire’s bass is just outstanding, and the title’s apt because the time really does just fly by when you’re listening to it, as it picks you up and runs away with you in a whirl of conflicting instrumentation. It’s heavy and intense and really uplifting at the same time. It’s always moving, and it’s got a lot of interesting parts that you can pay close attention to, or you can just let yourself get swept up in the feel of the song, depending on your mood. I’ve no shame in saying that this is one of my favourite Yes songs.

Part of me thinks that Squire, Howe and White would have worked quite well as a trio, just getting session musicians to play on their songs, as they’re clearly the stronger writers. Still, even the Buggles songs have something going for them, and this album is a necessity for any serious Yes fan.

Oh, Trevor Horn produced this album as well as singing, by the way. He did a good job, which is not surprising considering how hard he worked on it… he spent his wedding night in the studio. And most of his honeymoon. Although he originally planned to spend two weeks in Miami with his new wife, this time ended up getting shorter and shorter as he kept working on the album, until they decided not to bother with Miami and go to Bournemouth instead. For three days. And Steve Howe joined them.

Amazingly, they’re still married.