Yes - Heaven and Earth (2014)

I was going to say...

well, GFTO came after a 3-year layoff which was rather significant at the time. compare to say ELP's Works, Vol. 1 - Yes definitely seemed to still have it going for them, hell GFTO even hit #1 for a brief period. but that's besides the point...

I d/led the leak out of curiosity, it's almost hilariously trite - there are moments where you think "oh yeah that's Squire" or "that definitely sounds like Steve Howe" but man, this is so fluffed up and amounts to so little. there were some parts I dug at first listen because they were kinda catchy but it sounds like this takes the sort of anthemic AOR of "Walls" from Talk and neuters it even further. even though Anil Prasad tends to be quite opinionated sometimes I think he's on the money with this one...the critics are going to savage this.

boring boring boring boring. deadly dull. maybe their most boring record, it doesn't even fail in spectacularly bad ways like Talk or Tormato, it just sit there. completely unnecessary and irrelevant; makes FFH sound like Fragile.

"If somebody could enlighten a yank on this I'm curious."

Bruford, Howe, and Wakeman all from old money around London and went to fancy schools, Squire came from no money but went to fancy schools because of his boy sopranism, Anderson a milkman's boy from the North. Bruford and Anderson have both gone on record as saying that accent and education have played a large role in the tension in the Yes formations throughout the years ("These three-way fights with Chris and Jon where none of us could understand each other"), with Bruford (the fanciest of them all in terms of background) having over the years come more and more around to Anderson's way of seeing things.

to be positive, I do like "Step Beyond" - it's maybe the dinkiest song they've ever come up with, with those doodly-diddly-doodly-doo keyboards and all, but the vocals are nice

this really does sound like Jon Davison and four corpses. cripes.

at the same time the melodies are so agreeable that it's hard to actively dislike. hell if the tempos had been kicked up a few notches and had Squire/Howe bothered to show up this may actually be alright. though any goodwill I may have runs out right when "In a World Of Our Own" shows up - Chris Squire wrote this????

I tried to give it a second listen but just couldn't. Doing that would just turn me off from listening to any Yes for a long time. This is why I avoid "Tormato" - which I now have to rank high above this beige, lifeless lump of sad haha.
Have never listened to "The Ladder" or "Talk" ( don't ever plan to) but I can't imagine they're as goofy as this.

Thanks for the explanation TWU, i never realized that.

xp - you at least need to hear "Homeworld" off The Ladder - IMO one of their greatest songs and one of the few post-Drama tunes that matches up with their classics. To be honest I never minded Tormato much - it's goofy as hell, but the band clearly still had their chops, and there's still some energy (albeit misguided in places). It's not great but sadly it's better than a lot of what came after.

I fucking LOVE Tormato! Never understood the dislike. It's a really fun album.

"homeworld" is awesome and so is "new languages"

first impression with this new one is it sounds like squire white downes and howe. the tempos are sloooooooooww. hard to hear this yet as yes (more like starcastle rehearsals) until "to ascend"

like i wish there was as much proggy intricacy and intensity in this as there is in like owen pallet's "riverbed"

but it picks up a little in the second half for sure after that sloooooooooow beginning

After my immensely fruitful return to Topographic Oceans, I returned to Going For The One.
I had always thought it was very overrated but the consistent praise of "Awaken" by fans made me think I was probably missing something; since I love the Yes epics so much, I couldn't resist going back.

I had indeed underestimated GFTO. There is a lot of detail going on in the album that I never picked up before.
"Awaken" is easily the best thing on it, those "master of images" parts where it sounds like you are rising into heaven are incredible; the watery ending is gorgeous too.
The other tracks have a number of atmospheric and powerful moments, appealingly odd touches in some of the lyrics too.

I still feel some of the songs aren't quite all they could have been. Maybe the warm-up section of "Awaken" is too long.
I think the chorus of "Wonderous Stories" is the weakest part, it breaks up the hypnotic mystery of the rest of the song.
Probably a few other bits could have been different too but the examples above are the only things that really stuck out.

But still, wow, I can't believe I missed so much of the great stuff on the album first time around.

I just found out the other day that Anderson guested on a Glass Hammer album.

Doubt I'll ever get Heaven And Earth. I've still to get 13 Yes albums and piles of solo albums I'd prefer.

Glad to read you've come around to GFTO! I don't understand why some hear bad production on this. I think it's one of their most majestic and -except maybe for the title track which can border on the claustrophobic (though I love it!) - expansive sounding productions. "Tormato", for me, is pretty much ruined by its tinny mix and cluttered production.

GFTO always sounds like it needs a touch more treble to my ears.

Tormato has some good songs on it, it's an admirable Failure. So, for that matter, is Union. I rank both of them above this, because at least they aren't this dull.

Davidson is the least of the problems on the record. And since Downes wrote one of the only half-good songs here, I think the problem must be with squire and howe now; they soundlike they just phoned these compositions in, and no-one seems to have put much thought into arranging anything. get trevor horn back and let him and downes write the next album, if you must make another one.

After my immensely fruitful return to Topographic Oceans, I returned to Going For The One.
I had always thought it was very overrated but the consistent praise of "Awaken" by fans made me think I was probably missing something; since I love the Yes epics so much, I couldn't resist going back.

I had indeed underestimated GFTO. There is a lot of detail going on in the album that I never picked up before.
"Awaken" is easily the best thing on it, those "master of images" parts where it sounds like you are rising into heaven are incredible; the watery ending is gorgeous too.
The other tracks have a number of atmospheric and powerful moments, appealingly odd touches in some of the lyrics too.

I still feel some of the songs aren't quite all they could have been. Maybe the warm-up section of "Awaken" is too long.
I think the chorus of "Wonderous Stories" is the weakest part, it breaks up the hypnotic mystery of the rest of the song.
Probably a few other bits could have been different too but the examples above are the only things that really stuck out.

But still, wow, I can't believe I missed so much of the great stuff on the album first time around.

akm otm -- there's nothing here a fraction as dynamic as say "life on a film set," not on first listen at least

The above clip where Squire is using a Jazz Bass should be required watching for any weenie who does not understand that "Squire's new thing" was alays just Motown licks with new roundwound strings on a Rickenbacker. With the Jazz, he just sounds like a very good, somewhat aggressive player, not the mythical lead bassist people talk about when they don't know what they're talking about.

I misjudged Fly From Here- I'm listening to it again more or less for the first time since it came out. It's pretty decent, with alot more life and a more punchy production job than I originally gave it credit for.

That said, I've not spun the new one yet.

I fucking LOVE Tormato! Never understood the dislike. It's a really fun album.

Tormato is a frustrating record. For every moment that is potentially classic about it—the opening section to "Future Times," the blistering riff in "Release Release," the whole of "On the Silent Wings of Freedom"—there are two or three other things that drag it down – the blech "Rejoice" conclusion to "Future Times," the WTF of the drum solo and audience applause(!!!) in the middle of "Release Release," the straight-up oddness of things like "Circus of Heaven" and "Arriving UFO" (the sequence of which pretty much tanks side 2). Topped off by a production/mix which sounds like it was done in a dingy broom closet.

Which again, just makes me think that, for all their collective talent and abilities, these guys have a hard time holding things together for very long.

A lot of people hate "Circus Of Heaven" And find it sickeningly sentimental, I love it, actually I adore it. I used to sing it when I went walking in the fields, haha.

I don't remember most of the songs by name, a lot of the bonus tracks were amazing, some of which are demos of songs that got fleshed out on Anderson's solo album Song Of Seven.

In the Classic Artists:Yes documentary, they said that the "concept" is of the members not trying to make a focused whole. The image on the back cover of them all looking in a different direction is intentional.

I think they just wanted to bang out an album, and while I don't think that approach is the best thing for them, I can understand why they'd do that after all those intensely focused albums.
But I think the energy and fun shows, it's an album I feel good about putting on.

The weird thing about the lousy sound on Tormato is that I think the individual instruments (except for Wakeman's angry clarinet wasps) sound really good, but the whole of it is lousy. In a sense, Future Times/Rejoice is the album in a nutshell -- the amazing opening, some of the best Chris Squire playing, ever gets followed by a weird (but not bad) Anderson New Age number which Squire completely sabotages with his shit overplaying.

Also the drum solo and applause of Release Release is, I think, in some way related to the lyrics which seem to be about how prog needs to borrow punk's intensity and power but leave off that nasty nihilism.

At Fopp today I bought Yes, Time And A Word, Yessongs, Drama and 90125.

Was surprised to see there was a Yes album collection with Going For The One, Tormato, Drama, 90125 and Big Generator.
I'm really delighted by these super cheap album collections, I bought a Mahavishnu Orchestra one recently and today I splashed out on Judas Priest, Sisters Of Mercy and Incredible String Band collections. The only thing that stopped me buying the two Tangerine Dream Virgin collections is that the albums are crammed across different discs instead of each album getting its own disc, that really bugs me when that happens.
Wish there was more of these for prog bands, so many prolific bands would really benefit from them.

fuck me if some of this album hasn't turned into kind of an earworm. . . the game, believe again, and it was all we knew, in particular. it was all we knew chugs around a bit like some late period REM song. It doesn't sound anything like Yes but I kind of like it.

The only thing that stopped me buying the two Tangerine Dream Virgin collections is that the albums are crammed across different discs instead of each album getting its own disc, that really bugs me when that happens.

I bought a Robin Trower set like that - 5 albums on 3 CDs, but some of them were split up: Side One on Disc 2, Side Two on Disc 3. I didn't mind because I was just gonna put them all in my iPod, but yeah, weird.

It was my Bongwater collection that had that quality. I'm so glad I already had Power Of Pussy; it might sound minor but somehow searching for the track to start the album and changing discs in middle of it spoils it a bit (unlike a vinyl, it isn't in the actual middle of the album but a bit close to the beginning or end).
I understand why a record company would rather use up less discs though.

I don't know if that Yes collection had the bonus tracks because sometimes these things don't. The Tangerine Dream collections seemed to have all the bonus tracks.

best thing i've read all morning -- "this album does well what love beach did badly"

hey, Love Beach was alright! I mean, this certainly isn't good, but....

fuck me if some of this album hasn't turned into kind of an earworm. . . the game, believe again, and it was all we knew, in particular. it was all we knew chugs around a bit like some late period REM song. It doesn't sound anything like Yes but I kind of like it.

i kinda agree with this - the songs do get stuck in your head. they're shockingly lethargic but the melodies do work. it's definitely very different.

You guys are true fans that you can actually listen to this more than a couple of times.

don't worry i'm going to stop pretty soon

hahaha!

Hate to derail the thread again with "Tormato" bits but I was digging around and found this : http://ultimateclassicrock.com/yes-tormato/

One of the interesting reasons why that album doesn't sound as good as it could have. I still think Wakeman's Polymoogs helped kill it, though - and I love Wakeman.

well I'm doing the Quietus review, so I might as well search for the good

maybe this is damning with faint praise but i'm enjoying this when songs randomly pop up on a playlist with other new stuff (dead rider, black bananas, mastodon, bear in heaven, new eno/hyde, mike cooper, and comet control). the tempos i can handle in doses and the straight-edgy commitment to optimism is refreshing when i'm not expecting it. but the album in proper order straight through is still something i haven't been able to manage more than once, and i'm a sucker for this shit

Nothing I like about Yes appears to be evident on this album.

great review, frogbs! totally agree. really curious that they managed to deliver the goods on 'fly from here' without that experience seeming to impact this lethargic performance one bit

an interview with the new guy, how he got involved, what his role was in writing/recording, etc

http://music.allaccess.com/yes-singer-jon-juano-davison-jon-d-interview-talks-about-heaven-earth/

hah, didnt know it was up already! I have no clue when this thing actually releases. I've heard 3 different dates. I think that's the first real negative review I've posted up there, but I hope I got the point across that the songwriting is mostly fine; it's the incredibly slow tempos and lifeless performances that tank it. Sadly they edited a few bits out of it, my conclusion was supposed to be "buy a Glass Hammer album instead"

An incisive review, Nick. Shame about your being edited as it was good advice. Certainly the Glass Hammer comparison is inescapable with Jon Davison fronting this album. To that end, GH's 2010 album, IF, readily walks all over this one. I was less smitten by the other Glass Hammer releases with JD... or otherwise, I suppose.

Re. the speed, I'd heard it was Howe slowing the pace, rather than White. Their live sets have apparently improved somewhat but Heaven and Earth still falls victim to arthritic tempos.

'it was all we knew' is out and out unbearable. Subway walls is the only one with any life in it. Bummer

yeah I can pretty much recommend any Glass Hammer album from Lex Rex on (I like Chronometree a lot too, but I feel like you need to be really familiar with ELP's work to really get it), plus the two Druckfarben albums. there's really a lot of good prog still being released, it's kind of a shame that none of it gets even a quarter of the press that this lukewarm Yes album does.

hell the new morrissey album has better proggy moments on it than the new yes. besides glass hammer, motorpsycho has been on fire lately. having the dungen guy in the band hasn't hurt. 'the death defying unicorn' is better than most "classic" 70s symph prog i've heard, and is on par with the best yes, crimson, rush, camel, tull, etc. it is too bad not more people pay attention but i'm glad enough do to keep this stuff coming

I need to check out some more recent prog offerings, but this year's Gazpacho record is a good one. https://soundcloud.com/kscopemusic/sets/gazpacho-demon

I like the concept behind it a lot:

Demon is inspired by a conversation Thomas had with his father a few years ago where he spoke of a dark force moving through history. During the conversation his father recalled a business visit to Prague in the seventies where he visited the family of some of his hosts.

The family lived in an old apartment, recently renovated after a fire. In the debris, an old manuscript was found. The manuscript was written by a previous resident, for which no records existed other than that his rent had been pre-paid for many years.

Written over two years, the band have described Demon as the ‘most complicated and strange album Gazpacho has ever made’ and whether the manuscript is truly the work of an obsessed madman or an urban legend it has certainly provided the basis for an interesting twist on a concept album.

The manuscript contained various ramblings and diagrams which formed the basis of a diary, of sorts, of the man. He claimed to have discovered the source of what he called an evil presence in the world. This presence, ‘The Demon’, was an actual intelligent will, with no mercy and a desire for bad things to happen. The author wrote as if he had lived for thousands of years stalking this presence and the manuscript contains references to outdated branches of mathematics, pagan religions unknown to the present world and an eyewitness account of the bubonic plague. So crazed were the writings that the document was donated to the Strahov Library in Prague, where it was thought it would be of interest to students of psychiatry.

The thought of this mysterious figure that had lived through the ages, hunting the ‘Demon’, seemed like too good an idea not to write about. Thomas presented the idea to the band who were just as inspired by the story, and with Jan Henrik, he started writing the lyrics based on what they thought the manuscript would reveal, drawing inspiration from previously ‘discovered’ diaries and manifests.

The story is told in four parts, ending with ‘Death Room’ which are the last words of the unfinished manuscript written just before the disappearance of the unknown writer.

xp - you should link some good Motorpsycho here, that definitely sounds intriguing

'the death defying unicorn' is better than most "classic" 70s symph prog i've heard

This is something I've found myself more and more in agreement with, not so much this album (which I haven't heard) but that newer bands could pump out material of that quality. It sucks that this kind of music doesn't really have any money behind it anymore; I don't know how many groups could do something on the level of Close to the Edge, which apparently took hundreds of hours worth of takes and edits and rewrites to get as you hear it on the album (which I believe is what motivated Bruford to jump ship), but the talent is there. That said I've been shocked at how intricate and well-made a lot of post-80's prog is even though such bands are basically unknown.

not saying this is the best song on the album, but to keep this kind of relevant to the thread, around four minutes into this they bite "changes" from '90125'

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vXydZtoHq0E

(wobbler is another recent band that does this all pretty well, by the way. and again to stick to the thread -- 'sound mirror,' the latest album by syd arthur, the band opening for yes this tour, has some great stuff on it)