Since then their music has seen me through good times and bad & given me some of the most exhilarating musical experiences of my life. When they're on form there are not many other bands who can touch them. I've seen them live four times, all were really good concerts.
To most Yes fans the classic lineup (Anderson, Howe, Wakeman, Squire and White) is the one that most of us wish was still talking to each other and therefore still touring together. Sadly it appears those days are past, with Anderson touring on his own and Wakeman putting on lavish productions of his previous solo albums. Indeed Anderson & Wakeman will probably work together in the future.
The current live incarnation of Yes incorporates Howe, Squire and White, with Geoff Downes who played in an earlier version of the band (when Anderson and Wakelman left previously- but subsequently returned) and Jon Davidson, who like his predecessor was in a tribute version of the band.
This version has been touring extensively, the last tour incorporating the playing of Close to the Edge, the Yes album and Going for the One in their entirety. As Yes fans will know the key feature of the live performance was Jon Anderson's vocals, he sings in a distinct falsetto. Jon Davidson has a similar voice and the live versions of these albums were to most Yes fans an authentic rendering of the original material.
Now they have gone into the studio to record their new album "Heaven and Earth", this being the first one with Davidson on vocals. Snippets of tracks have been released via Facebook and SoundCloud and in a mixup with iTunes if you preordered the album you got a two tracks free but in fact you seemed to be able to just buy the two tracks without pre-ordering the album! This campaign I think did the band a disservice. I remarked to one of my friends recently that I didn't think I was going to buy the album as what I had heard sounded awful.
In fact that wasn't correct. It's not a great album, but it has its moments (Subway Walls is a good addition to the Yes catalogue) most of it is ok and there is only one track that really makes me cringe. As ever with Yes albums, Steve Howe's guitar playing is exemplary and takes some mediocre tracks into okay status just by his playing alone. Davidson's vocals are again okay though his lower register is a little bit iffy in places. The rest of the band do what the rest of the band do to an acceptable standard although I could have done with a bit more keyboards on some tracks, or at least with what was there being a bit higher in the mix.
The album is produced by Roy Thomas Baker, best known for his work with Queen. To be honest I expected more from the production than is on display here. It doesn't jump out of the speakers at you, which is what you normally get from his productions.
The album was recorded and produced fairly quickly, and I have to say it does sound a bit like that too. It was recorded between gaps in tours and that's never a good basis for a new album.
Am I glad they recorded it, not really! Will I play it again and again… probably not. Should they stop making music? No, they should probably just take more time and pay more attention when they sit down to record the next one. They remain fine musicians, the live tours prove that. It's just a shame that what could've been a really good album ended up just okay and that's being a bit generous!
