New YES CD "Heaven & Earth" due July 8 / U.S. Summer tour

[Jacob Holm-Lupo]

Wow, I can't believe the love for this tune. In my ears it's some of the worst drivel I have ever heard from Yes, and let's face it, the last 20 years haven't been stellar for them.

Let me state for the record that I liked FFH. The Horn/Downes material was strong and the production was excellent. Even though the playing lacked some fire, Horn also managed to coax the best from each instrumentalist.

This however, is a COMPLETELY different story. Keeping in mind that this is a rip and may be lo-fi compared to the actual song, it still sounds very poorly produced. The sound is anaemic and unengaging, no dynamics, no textural contrast, very little development.

And musically, give me a break! The melody sounds like it was improvised by Davison on the spot, over a a chord progression so formulaic it borders on comical. Davison's singing does not convince either - there are places in the first couple of verses that he doesn't even hit the notes quite right. There is nothing of interest going on in the drum/bass department, and although Downes gives a few flourishes that are the most exciting moments in the song, the keyboards are generally too static and omnipresent. And then there's Howe's guitar. He really needs to hang it up. That little scale exercize that passes for a riff in the middle instrumental section… wtf - is it a joke?

If this is - as some here suggested - one of the "stronger" songs on the album, I wish some responsible party in or around Yes would have pulled the plug on this album so that Yes could have gone out on a relatively high note with FFH. My two cents. Sorry to be so harsh, but it seems to me that people here forget that we are talking about Yes - one of the greatest bands in rock history. We should expect so much more from them. This would have been passable as some new age ballad on some neo-prog low budget debut album.

[ThomasKDye]

I wish some responsible party in or around Yes would have pulled the plug on this album so that Yes could have gone out on a relatively high note with FFH.

Well, I'm glad they don't listen to you.

[JJ88]

It's OK, certainly there's a clear tune there. Somewhat repetitive and rhythmically 'plodding', I think. But it's nice to hear them playing a little in the middle, something that was missing from much of FFH.

[profusion]

It's interesting that this song is drawing such diverse reactions. That speaks to how differently people perceive Yes and how they could never hope to satisfy everyone.

After several listens, it has grown on me a lot. I'm not sure I would have led off the album with it, but it's a respectable Yes piece. It feels like the belated follow-up to Tormato. Of course, the rest of the album could be entirely different.

Being critical, I do think the back end of the song needed "something more and bigger" to justify it being eight-minutes long. Howe could have turned up the crunch on his guitar in a few more places, too. That said, it feels like a much more polished piece of writing than anything on The Ladder or Magnification.

[Wil]

It sounds very much like something from The Ladder to me but that's no bad thing as I quite like The Ladder. I don't think it has the ideas to warrant the full 8 mins but I can't imagine getting anything radically different or better if JA and RW were involved. Still looking forward to the album.

[yeselpkrimson]

"Believe Again"
https://soundcloud.com/thecheezmusic...gain-radio-rip

The first thing I thought of when I listened: in its chord progressions and vocal moods, it sounds to me like "Give Love Each Day" from Magnification, but without the orchestra of course. I'll have to hear it with better audio to give it a fair shot.

[Adrian]

Comparisons to "It Will Be a Good Day" and "Give Love Each Day" encourage me that this will be a nice album. Those are two of my favorite Yes songs since Rabin left. Uplifting, emotional major-key songs, with inspiring lyrical messages. And it looks as if that so-called "hippie vibe" is indeed back with the lyrics, if the lines Henry provided are any indication. I'm not going to listen to any of the music until I have the CD in my hands, but as someone who was disappointed with Fly From Here, this is good news so far.

Unfortunately, though, I do have to agree with those who say Howe is the weak link in this band. He has been for a long time now. I know Rabin won't come back, but what I wouldn't give to hear Yes with Roine Stolt on guitar.

[rickm]

Sounds like a tune for the Soccer World Cup... On the first 4 minutes cheese keyboards then better ones and then return to the cheese ones. If this is the best song...hmmm. Anyway I prefer this to nothing, I celebrate they decided to record again.

[calyx]

I do have to agree with those who say Howe is the weak link in this band.

I don't agree. To me, Alan White is by far the weakest link in the current band. A younger drummer, even better with some writing abilities, would be a real deal-changer, and not just for performing the older material. A couple of nights ago I went to see a Yes cover band perform a set which included, among other 1970s classics (not 1980s & beyond stuff), "The Gates Of Delirium", and they pulled it off in a way that would be beyond the current Yes rhythm section.

As for Howe, he probably can't play as far as he used to, but he's a unique, irreplaceable guitarist. I guess the issue, and this was also true in Asia, is that his style works much better in a 1970s context, both in terms of sound and style. There needs to be an intrinsic jazz element to the music for it to work, I think - that's why I never thought he was the right guitarist for Asia, regardless of that band's musical worth, and latter-day Yes is also problematic for that reason. With a more extrovert rhythm section and a more advanced vocabulary in the composition work, he could still be a wonderful asset for the band.

In actual fact though, and as Jacob rather frankly and crudely put it in his post above, those aspects are conspicuous in their absence in the current line-up. Perhaps it's just old age, I don't know. As I said, "Subway Walls" is the only track on the new album that is, not just "epic" but also "progressive" in its musical vocabulary, i.e. not just 4-to-the-bar drumming and relatively pedestrian chord sequences. It's been that way with Yes since at least "Magnification", and both diminishing musicianship and the lack of old-style collective composition process are probably to blame. The "Fly From Here" suite was a rare exception, but we all know it came from another place and time.

[Supersonic Scientist]

I don't agree. To me, Alan White is by far the weakest link in the current band. .

WORD !!!....well documented that many fans have stated White's simplistic drumming with virtually no drum-fills have ruled the rhythm-section for many years now, AND, more importantly, his simplistic drumming IS lessening the quality of the YES canon.

[BravadoNJ]

sounds like a Jon Anderson solo track.

[Garden Dreamer]

I hear some good moments, especially in the final minute, but overall it's been like most Yes for me over the past 35 years - nothing absolutely essential or compelling like 70's Yes.

An ingredient of great Yes music is that all five members are contributing something that draws your attention intensely. And with modern Yes, there is no such contribution from White. The drumming is just "there". I don't hear any reason to focus in on the drumming as I do with so many other bands. And to a lesser extent, Howe. His tone and style is just so "pleasant" now, but not compelling that I have to focus on it.

[elliottnow]

sounds like a Jon Anderson solo track.

I agree. A good JA track but hopefully not the best track on H&E.

[Progatron]

That main keyboard melody reminds me of the vocal melody from "Madrigal".

[NorthNY Mark]

Hmmm...I was hoping to disagree with Jacob about this, but after two listens to the track, I have to echo pretty much every word. Well, I would not be so hard on Steve's arpeggios in the middle section, which start off a bit simplistic sounding, but end up blending nicely with the keyboard flourishes (IMHO). However, I found the main melodies overly trite, and agree that Davison's vocal performance is surprisingly underwhelming. I can definitely hear the overall resemblance to "It Will Be a Good Day" and The Ladder in general, which to me is very, very disappointing.

I think responses to this song so far have been predictable--those who were unhappy with FFH (and would have preferred the tepid "hippie vibe" of the Ladder) will love this, while those (like me) who really enjoyed FFH, in part due to its abandonment of that "Ladder"-sound, will be terribly disappointed.

[Scott Bails]

Listening to it now, and I can only echo what several others have said. Davison's vocals (and Squire's) are superb. The main keyboard motif is rather lame. White's drums suck. And yes, it really does sound like an Anderson solo track, until the middle instrumental section.

Downes' keyboards during this section - the little "Moog-like" flourishes - are surprisingly Wakeman-like. Shame that he didn't do more of that, as it was very interesting.

It's pleasant. It's not bad. It just doesn't grab you. At least, not immediately.

[Don Arnold]

Okay, had a listen the same as many of you. Why not?! After the initial hearing, my quick off-the-cuff impressions are....I like it. It's a tad more than pleasant. Really enjoyed the instrumental break mid-song. Boy, Davison really sounds like Anderson. And that's not a bad thing at all. Certainly nothing on par with their 70's classic material, but imo the piece holds it's own just fine.

[julioscissors]

Downes' keyboards during this section - the little "Moog-like" flourishes - are surprisingly Wakeman-like. Shame that he didn't do more of that, as it was very interesting.

Yeah man, I got that feeling as well. There were little bits where Downes stood out, but his overall keyboard sounds is a little dated. Some nice organ work I suppose. Not that I was expected anything groundbreaking from him.

I really like Squire and Davison on this tune. White has some good bits in the middle as well. Steve Howe... I love the guy - he's one of the most unique rock guitarists - but I'm just not feeling it from him on this track. I'm just kind of tired of his tone and refusal to try out different sounds and feels. I know it's bad form to say "I wish Rabin would've rejoined the band", but... well...

Of course, it's only one tune. And I'm only nitpicking because I'm excited about new Yes music and this is the only track out there!

[Guess Who]

sounds like a Jon Anderson solo track.

I think that those people who like Jon & Vangelis albums, should be impressed with 'Heaven And Earth' as well.

[JJ88]

I agree RE; the drumming. Listening to this song, they may as well have programmed a drum machine for the main body of the song, the same plodding rhythm right the way through. I didn't find Howe and Downes objectionable on this track.

I can't make any claims about whether this goes for the whole album though, obviously!

The "Fly From Here" suite was a rare exception, but we all know it came from another place and time.

You're not allowed to mention that- expect a deluge of '*why* does this matter?' replies! I had no issue with the songs themselves, which were good, though not classic by any means. That's the thing with the negative criticisms about 'The Ladder' compared with FFH; for me something like 'Homeworld' was closer to real greatness than most anything on FFH was. The overall sound of 'The Ladder' is in-your-face-happy, which is unfortunate, because 75% of the material is strong. No, not 1971-2 Yes 'strong', but certainly strong for a latter-day album.

[Guess Who]

for me something like 'Homeworld' was closer to real greatness than most anything on FFH was.

In case of a new album this can be said for the final track (Subway Walls). Have to say, 'H & E' is better than 'FFH'. Imo, of course...

[Sean]

This opening cut is neither fish nor fowl. On repeated listens it has some lasting hooks. JD is really the star of this one. Curious to hear the rest.

[arj]

FYI - Copied from Yesfans - http://www.yesfans.com/showthread.ph...-Earth-!/page9

"It is interesting to note that the first released track from the new album has caused such an array of comments and diverstity of opinion. And in particular, the keyboard areas have garnered some interesting observations. Whilst for the most part the ‘expert’ analysis has been highly positive which is encouraging for me, I do find however that the general loose label critique of ‘dated’ or ‘cheesy’ from some quarters is somehow misguided. Pray tell what keyboard sounds you would refer to as ‘modern’ or ‘revolutionary’? And let’s have a list of albums from recent times where you consider the keyboard sounds demonstrate this, most importantly in a band context. Those out-of-the-box Japanese manufactured workstations that have been the norm in various guises since the Korg M1 was introduced? Because I can tell you, that these instruments do not ‘cut it’ within the mantra of Yes’s music, or any other ensemble for that matter. Sure, if you put a pair of headphones on and listen to these sounds in isolation with all the complex soundscapes, they sound great on their own. But when you try to incorporate these into a band situation with other instruments, they disappear. That is unless you have them so high in the mix that you can hear all the subtler details, but then of course that obliterates the band. It’s a no-win situation. So let me tell you something….The only keyboard instruments that really ‘work’ for me in a band context are: Hammond Organ, Acoustic Piano, Mellotron, Electric Piano, Analogue Synth, Orchestral patches and textures. You’ll find these all over Heaven and Earth. Nothing has changed. You’ll also find these on every Yes album ever made. So what a few of you are saying is, that the Yes keyboard sounds have always been ‘cheesy’ right? I disagree. These are vintage instruments that have been the fabric of Yes’s music since day one. Sometimes you ‘experts’ get it all wrong! Anyways, hope you all enjoy the rest of the album when it comes out next month. Ciao for now. Geoff D"

[JJ88]

I don't have a problem with the keyboards on here personally, but as with his responses to criticism of their tour with Styx, it's very defensive. I mean, fair play to him explaining his keyboard choices in some way but it's all just opinions really- is the stuff about 'experts' in inverted commas really necessary? One man's meat and all that.

[Frumious B]

Thing is it isn't so much the patches chosen that are the source of the "cheese" as it is having the synths carry the main rhythm part during the verses. There are really only a few classic Yes songs where keys are the main rhythm instrument. Usually it's guitar, bass and drums with the keys in a more supportive role except for the solos. If Davison wrote the song then he wrote on acoustic guitar most likely. However, to do that three chord rhythm on acoustic would sound very much like "And You And I" so I assume a creative choice was made to do it on keyboards to try and sidestep that. Hence my "early 80s threw up on 'And You And I'" comment. It might have been better to go with acoustic guitars there despite the very obvious point of Classic Yes comparison.