Like an old ex-heavy weight
boxing champion brought out of retirement
for one last fight, “Yes” have dusted
down the lumbering body with it’s flabby
limbs for one more go.
Don’t get me wrong, “Yes” used to be one
of the greats with a sharp jab that could
keep all opposition away over a double
album (“Tales From Topographic Oceans”)
or a thundering left hook that could floor
anything and redeem even some of their
more mundane albums (“Roundabout” from
“Fragile”). However, all you “Yes” fans
that were disappointed with “Yes’s” last
two albums, “Open Your Eyes” and “The
Ladder”, will be tearing your hearts out
at this feeble display.
How this group of musicians can still
carry themselves under the moniker of
“Yes” is beyond this mutt anyway. Chris
Squire, the bass player, has been with
the band since their transition from “Mabel
Greers Toy Shop” in 1968, but he is the
only continuous original member. Jon Anderson
was an original member but left due to
musical differences in 1980, scuttling
back after several years when solo success
never followed. Drummer Alan White only
joined the band after their initial success,
and is in constant danger of being kicked
out if original drummer Bill Bruford ever
wishes to rejoin. Steve Howe joined the
band in 1970 replacing original guitarist
Peter Banks, and has been copying his
licks ever since. He, too, was not in
the band during the eighties as he went
on to form “Asia” with John Wetton and
Carl Palmer.
As for the keyboard position, here we
really delve into Spinal Tap territory.
The keyboard position has been held by
a roll call of Ivory twinkles that reads
like a who’s who of the rock world’s classical
inclined keyboardists; Tony Kaye, (twice)
Rick Wakeman, (three times and still waiting
in the wings) Patrick Moraz, Billy Sherwood,
Geoff Downes, (he of “Bugles” fame and
also in “Asia”), and Igor Khorosev. To
solve this problem “Yes” have not bothered
with a keyboard player this time out,
but employed a whole orchestra to fill
the role and employed the services of
Emmy-Awarding-Winning television and movie
score composer Larry Groupe (apparently
his real name).
Hereby lies the most obvious problem with
these songs, Groupe’s cinematic orchestrations,
dancing flutes, rubbing cellos, James
Bond style theme brass, tsunami-like strings
lend the whole thing the sound of a very
boring Russian movie score.
Not one song stands out and they range
from the ho-hum “Dreamtime”, an over long
attempt at a prog-rock epic, to the plainly
awful “Don’t Go”, “We Agree”, and “In
The Presence Of”. They go on for over
10 minutes each, aimlessly plodding away
without even a guitar solo or obviously
a keyboard solo to lighten up the monotony.
Such is Howe’s small contribution to this
album, one wonders how many of the recording
sessions he actually turned up to. I could
only find one ten second solo on the whole
collection.
Being a dutiful little reviewer I did
make myself listen to this album from
start to finish, but kept on having to
check that I hadn’t accidentally pushed
the repeat button by accident. The tracks
sound pretty much the same, making it
difficult to tell one from the other,
and it seems to go on for ever.
Like
the over the hill boxer, “Yes” should
now be put out to pasture and live out
their twilight years basking in reflected
glories of former years. Not having to
be paraded round to their own embarrassment
and everyone else’s amusement.
If you want to hear “Yes” at their heavy
weight best, get yourself a copy of “Yes”
from 1969 or “Close To The Edge” from
1972, or go the whole hog and get the
triple live album “Yes Songs” from 1973.
The cover of magnification does not deserve
to shine the boots of the aforementioned
albums. Avoid at all costs.
Pawed by Mott The Dog
Remastered by Ella Crew
E-mail: review@mott-the-dog.com
