DRAMA by Yes: Lost Classic or Justified Dud?

I saw Yes in 2003 and it was fantastic - classic lineup, sounded great. I'm happy I caught them then. FFH is an ok album, especially because of Horn's tasteful production, but they're pretty much coasting on fumes at this point.

I did see them in 2004 or 2005 and they were very good; it was kind of drained of any real inspiration, but they could still play (especially Howe)

xp yeah, recycling 30yo material is the giveaway. also that squackett album isn't terrific.

that's almost worse than saying it's bad

it's just there

like skirting boards, in that they do their job, and occasionally someone might notice that there's a skirting board and go 'oh that's nice'

People actually NOTICE skirting boards?

somebody did once

o_O

I'd only ever notice a skirting board if it was filthy, or someone had decorated it with glitter or something...

or if it were releasing a load of rehashed classics in order to recover funds from an expensive divorce

new Yes singer is actually quite good. he sings for neo-Yes imitators Glass Hammer so it makes sense that Yes would snap him up. actually Glass Hammer is a pretty sweet band in their own right. but you gotta go pretty far down the prog hole to wanna dig them up.

damn lots would be different if yes fans hadn't booed trevor horn on the drama tour

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IBWY8oAnnww

this or 90125 is my favorite yes record, can never decide

i love them both. always wondered how much of a hand horn had in replacing himself with rabin, before jon anderson joined back up

Been listening to Drama and it's way better than I expected.
"Machine Messiah" has some really great bits, love the excitement with Squire and Horn singing together. I'm grateful Horn didn't try too hard to mimic Jon.
"Does It Really Happen?" and "Tempus Fugit" are fantastic too.

I think "Into The Lens" and "Run Through The Light" let the album down a bit. They aren't without good qualities but you could have had a stunning EP without them.

Many of the bonus tracks are great. "Song No. 4 (Satellite)" is a really great instrumental.

The Paris sessions with Anderson and Wakeman are pretty good, especially "Dancing Through the Light"; but "Golden Age", despite fun parts has Anderson going into self-parody with his singing about a bright future (and that sort of optimistic vision thing is one of my favourite things about him, so he must have been doing it badly here).
But I'm not surprised they didn't use these songs, they needed some work.

Been listening to this XYZ demo with Jimmy Page (I could have swore there were more Zeppelin members in XYZ) and it has a version of "Golden Age" and "Can You Imagine" (which ended up on Magnification). There is an hour's worth of demos elsewhere on youtube but I cant be bothered right now
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ek6smE65LlI

I meant to say XYZ has a version of "Song No. 4 (Satellite)", NOT "Golden Age".

Listening to more Squire singing, sometimes one of the Ween guys really do sing like him.

welcome to the light -- now everything is okay

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6SB2vqwNARo

yesssss

gettin' all yessed out rn

Yo. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iCyX139-mCw

Apparently, there is a new version of Fly from Here and Trevor Horn re-did the vocals on it!

There were rumours going around about this for a couple of years, but yeah it turns out this is exactly what they've done!

I'll look forward to getting to revisit the album. There are some new overdubs apparently, also.

already ordered it. Fly From Here was a late-period masterpiece from this band, their best album since 90125 IMO. Should have been their last. I guess now it kind of will be.

in the north sky times flies fast to the morning

be brave the wake the way the east

I fucking love Fly From Here and will be all over this.

i just read a trevor horn interview from this week where they asked how he benoit david took the news he was being removed from the album and horn was like "i dunno, we didn't talk to him" and said the problem with david's performance on the record was because he was 'french canadian' and had a hard time with the english words. hilarious. I feel bad for the guy; but I'm still totally into a full Horn sung version of this album and eagerly awaiting it.

Yah was thinking about while listening to a recording of We Can Fly From Here from the original Drama tour. It's kind of fascinating that Horn has the drive to complete this creative vision all these years later and the others are on board. Pretty remarkable.

A review! Of sorts - doesn't say much. But, yeah, amd waiting for this though will buy a download. Not paying the crazy PledgeMusic prices for a cd.

https://progreport.com/yes-fly-from-here-return-trip-album-review/

well this sounds good "A bit more decay on the drum reverb here, somewhat deader strings but punchier tone on the bass over there, and myriad small instrumental additions, subtractions, and adjusted backing vocals levels give Fly From Here-Return Trip a darker tone and intriguing change to the sonic space; on the whole, Horn’s remixing makes it sound as though the band have all moved in closer together to play, but in a larger, stiller room."

Drama was always the darkest Yes album to me

Go to 30 minutes in. Sounds like Drama!!

https://marlowfm.co.uk/listenagain/index.php?programmeID=79&episodeID=29704

Well... not really but it's very good.

Steve Howe...I love you, man but why'd you have to sing lead on that one tune? Awful.

I've always dug the chorus harmonies on "The Man You've Always Wanted Me To Be". Really 90125-sounding with the particular reverb Horn used there. Sound even more like '83 now :)

much love to benoit but this return trip is dope in a way the original isn't, worthy of buggles / drama legacy; even "bumpy ride" is listenable. trevor made so many better production choices to complement his singing. and it's tearjerking to hear squire's vocals higher up in the mix

has it leaked or did you get a copy already? because pledgemusic has been mum to me.

i bought it on pledgemusic this weekend and got an email link a few hours ago

the files are a bit fucked up though, and the songs cut off early. people have been complaining, and i suspect they caught it before they were about to send out more

really looking forward to a non-fucked up version. what i've listened to so far rules, despite how irritating the early cut-offs are

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

that new one is ill! og one is more raw (of course)

I'm pretty sure that Brix Smith talks, in her book, about fucking Geoff Downes on one of her early trips to London pre-Fall.

It's only alluded to but she talks about a prog rock keyboardist who also had a separate Number 1 chart hit at the time.

apparently those who bought downloads only now have access to non busted files; people who bought other versions still out of luck.

it sounds beautiful. i thought CDs and vinyl weren't available yet? even on random it makes more sonic sense than the original version. the data kerfuffle these past few days kinda enhances the 'wizardly futzing with beloved mixes (RIP Chris Squire!) over years' vibe. extended "hour of need" has more energy than all of heaven & earth. even more dying to know now what anderson-rabin-wakeman are recording with horn throwing this out there

extended "hour of need" has more energy than all of heaven & earth.

yea but so does a dead dog

"i thought CDs and vinyl weren't available yet?" they aren't but I assumed buying those meant access to the downloads. If someone would like to YSI to me that would be awesome as I can't wait to hear this.

ARW are recording with Horn? I didn't realize that; that's great news. Looking forward to that. it's too bad these guys can't get their shit together.

two competing YES camps -- steve howe, chris white, geoff downes, jon davison; anderson, wakeman, and rabin -- just like in the hyper-competitive ABWH pre-union days. don't think they're recording with horn, though, but who knows

*alan white

it's too bad these guys can't get their shit together.

― akm, Wednesday, March 28, 2018 5:56 PM (seventeen minutes ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

It's fucking comical at this stage!

just announced their 50th anniversary tour today. so dumb and depressing.

been listening to this show though and it's the best concert of all time.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Iu2TJAchJiU