by YES are one of those germinal bands that has lasted over 40 years in our national, musical, consciousness. YES have a new album that dropped today — Fly From Here — and it is a keen return to that classic YES soundsphere and innovate YES vibe.
While great YES lead singer Jon Anderson isn’t a member of this 2011 version of YES, our beloved Steve Howe is here, right there in the middle, playing his beautiful, instantly recognizable, guitar on cuts like — “Fly From Here, Part II: Sad Night at the Airfield” — and on the unstoppable “Solitaire.”
The major feature of this musical effort is the 20-minute long “Fly From Here” song that the band mercifully breaks up into six different parts on the album:
The LP is produced by Trevor Horn, who worked on the band’s 1983 mega-hit “Owner Of A Lonely Heart.” The track is a part of a much longer suite of music on the new album called “Fly From Here,” which dates back over 30 years. “We played it live on the 1980 tour when it was just five minutes long,” Yes bassist Chris Squire told Rolling Stone in March. “Now it’s an extravaganza!”
It’s a strange sensation listening to a new YES album as if it were made 30 years ago. You sit there and wonder at the harmonies and the instantly identifiable rhythmic patterns, and you begin to realize that having a musical style you can recall and erect in a few bars is an amazing feat that few bands ever recognize or realize.
YES are an eternal band with a sound that belongs to the Ages.
As ever, here is my Apple iTunes Ping proof-of-purchase so you I precisely put my money where my reviews appear.
If you long for a return to that dynamic and effusive YES wall of sound, then I encourage you to give Fly From Here is listen. The music is a fresh experience wrapped in an homage to the old songs.
Happy to hear they are still making music and even selling it on vinyl. I’ve taken a break from most music purchasing however I will see if the library has this! Looks like a winner!
That’s cool the album is available on vinyl, Gordon!