Path: utzoo!utgpu!jarvis.csri.toronto.edu!cs.utexas.edu!swrinde!emory!tut.cis.ohio-state.edu!brachiosaur.cis.ohio-state.edu!davew From: davew@brachiosaur.cis.ohio-state.edu (The Master) Newsgroups: alt.rock-n-roll Subject: Re: Yes' "Drama" Keywords: Good but flawed Message-ID: <75819@tut.cis.ohio-state.edu> Date: 17 Jan 90 21:49:35 GMT Sender: news@tut.cis.ohio-state.edu Reply-To: The Master Distribution: alt Organization: The MATRIX on Gallifrey Lines: 48 >I recall someone talking last year about the album _Drama_ by YES; some >people liking it, others hating it. > >Having recently bought and heard it, I give it an enthusiastic thumbs up! >I find it better than _Fragile_ and _Close_To_The_Edge_ (Bleck!) Ugh, I like it too, but to say it's better than "Close to the Edge" is...oh well, each to his/her own tastes... >Howe's guitar is some of his best, and while Trevor Horn's vocals aren't >as good as Jon Anderson's in sheer tonal quality, he brings a lot of energy >to the music that is lacking in Anderson's voice (except on _90125_). On this I tend to agree. Howe is excellent, and the production is the cleanest since 1974's "Relayer", and that's probably due to the unsung member of Yes, Eddie Offord. Horn does bring energy to the songs; at that time the band were having conflicts with Anderson because they were writing hard-rocking tunes, but when Jon came in it would sound "airy fairy" and the arguments would begin. This is not to say that Jon can't be aggressive. Just listen to him belt it out on "Order of the Universe" where he almost yells "You can't imagine it - how hard it is to grow!". Jon sounds pretty aggressive on "Going For the One", "Parallels", and "Release Release" too. >Excellent use is made of synthesizers, especially on "Machine Messiah", >though it's not particularly better or worse than Rick Wakeman's, just >different. Alot of people dislike Downes, though I haven't found a good reason why other than the fact that his stage setup is more there to visually im- press the audience by having every keyboard in the book stacked up. >The album works because of the feel of mystery it presents, rather than the >overblown fantasy compositions spearheaded (apparently) by Anderson. A >sense of restraint is apparent, and the album has more coherence to it, >better unity of sound. I don't know about "feel of mystery". It is an abandonment of the fantasy stuff, but Yes confused their audience by using yet another Roger Dean cover on an album with no fantasy element. I love all the songs on the album, but as Chris Squire says, it was definitely rushed. "Into the Lens" tends to slow down, speed up too much, and then stop suddenly; it's disjointed although it's very good. "White Car" is a bit piece which really shouldn't have been included, and "Run Through the Light" tends to drag. The other three songs are the best on the album, especially Chris cranking it out on "Does It Really Happen?" Dave White