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For the last year, I have been trying to hear what others have heard in Yes but failed with the exception of a few songs here and there. I don't seriously hate them as I respect their talent, but maybe their approach is too friendly for what I look for in Prog. For me, the major hurdle is Jon Anderson's vocals and lyrics and sometimes the occasional flight of fancy in their keyboardists through their classic era. I intend to stop at 90201/"Owner of a Lonely Heart" in my research, and I don't mind that time all.

Still, and I know fans are going to call me evil when I say this, but Drama still has what it takes to keep me listening without cringing much, although it is mainly a Yes album in name only as it really is The Buggles meeting three members of the band in an effort to keep moving, especially after the disaster that was Tormato (one good song, but not a classic). To me, it sounded like the work of seasoned talented musicians trying to adapt to The then-New Era of music which in the end turned into a challenge that sharpened their well-traveled sound that was turning into a self parody by then. It actually let the Yes sound grow balls through Trevor Horn's vocals not reaching the annoying level of Anderson, the lyrics not going into hippie flights of fancy (much), the keyboards not going into King Arthur's court or Topographic Oceans too many times on an album, and the whole sounding sharp - one of the better Rock albums of a year when the new breed were aiming to take over for the better. It did not work completely, but it sounded ready for the fight but losing out in the end although I still find myself liking it maybe for the meeting of Faux-New Wave with the classic Yes sound. To me, "Tempus Fugit" sounded like they were listening to a lot of the most talented of the Faux-New Wavers, The Police, while a lot of the album sounds a bit influenced by Genesis' classic The Lamb Lies Down on Broadway as the style on it had some of the coldness of that epic. It may be the Yes album for those who say No to Yes, but still have time for technically well played Rock.

It's not a classic, and certainly does not represent the real Yes sound, but it actually moves good...although that silly inner gatefold cover showing the band trying to hold up something kind of kills some of the effect. Still, it was one of the better Old Guard Keeping Up With the New Ways albums of 1980.

Isbjørn

Justin Bieber - Believe.













Kidding, I hated it

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dca

^ but you actually listened to it...so that obviously means you luv him...and stuff.

I have a similar problem with Yes , but have not heard the album 'Drama' (or even heard of it). so there's another one for me to check out.

Screen13

Yeah, Drama was the one that fell out very quick, but (as these things go usually) it has been getting a bit of a reassessment recently. "Machine Messiah" is possibly the closest to the classic Yes sound, although it was a wise move to have it be the opener just to let the fans know that they were still holding onto their world even with new members. Still, even if Trevor Horn can do a passable slightly lower register Jon Anderson, in my opinion he still does not go into that level of being annoying especially with slightly darker lyrics taking the stage. You might want to dive into the second half first to get into what I think is where the album worked best.

Actually, getting more notes and links to support them. it's interesting to note that classic era Co-Producer Eddy Offord helped out on this as well.

I'm trying to find where I heard it (it may have been the Classic Artists Documentary), but I think that I heard somewhere that Horn had some trouble trying to get the higher registers of Anderson by the end of the tour supporting Drama.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Drama_%28Yes_album%29

The interesting thing - Yes reformed and recorded "Owner of a Lonely Heart" and 90125 with Horn as the Producer just before his ZTT label started to go gangbusters in '84 with Frankie Goes to Hollywood and Art of Noise - he already made a name for himself Producing ABC's Lexicon of Love released in 1982. At least the album where I end my interest was at least a passable one.

Neapolitan

As mentioned the line-up for Yes at the time included members of The Buggles, who were a New Wave band in their own right. They didn't have to rely on another "faux New Wave" band.

Please... no way could Andy even touch Steve Howe....ever, even Sting couldn't touch what Chris Squire did on that album.

OK Alan White was behind the drum kit on that song, so he plays a little bit/a lot of bit like Stewart Copeland, doesn't mean anything. Stew was a great drummer who influenced a lot of other drummers. And besides you have no clue whether Alan White was imitating Stewart Copeland or Alan White was imitating Neil Peart imitating Stewart Copeland.

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I fully understand where you're coming from, but to me it just sounded like that they were getting inspiration to try and beef up their sound on that album and if it was the case there was certainly no better way for an untested lineup of a well known band than to actually get inspiration from a band who were seriously great musicians who knew how to blend their talents with what was happening. In a way, it was a compliment to the band surviving a very difficult situation and following up on a very weak album, you could sense a Do or Die situation which meant adapt or fizzle out. In this case, they adapted very well when most others would have fell right on their face!

I may have been harsh in my description/personal opinion on The Police, but to me they were a trio of great musicians who knew how to market themselves for the time although looking back on what I said I think a less critical word should have been used - maybe Wave Riders, which may be a term to describe New Wave era musicians that may not have been really part of the scene but who actually blended well with their surroundings. To my ears they were a good Rock band with seasoned musicians with strong diverse influences who were marketed as something else and something new to a mass who did not know nor care where they came from originally (To me, if there was any one band who REALLY deserved the term Faux, it would have to be The Knack - skinny ties on the outside, all well seasoned simplistic AOR on the inside but in shorter doses...although their third album was good. Or more accurately The Korgies...but I digress). In the long list of bands who rode on the wave, they were one of the very few who actually had a lot of good songs. You can hear where they can influenced a lot of Rockers who were trying to play catch up, some well and others not so...although thankfully that was in the music department as the bit about the bleaching the hair would not have worked on many. If anything, The Buggles themselves needed to really play catch up after sensing their one-hit-wonder status more than anything else - they were somewhere in the middle by being half Synth Pop (Horn) and half well taught musician riding on the wave looking for his place on the map (Downes)...Wave Riders - Starter Division.

With Drama, I feel that despite the first-impressions, it actually was a valuable chapter to all - putting the jumper cables to the musicians careers, especially that of Horn and Downes as the Yes musicians were still in good standing although in increasingly troubled waters. In fact, even if Horn was already an experienced Producer, he learned a lot more, and Downes had the Seasoned Musicians in New Clothes style right as he went onto Asia, who succeeded in that department. As for Yes, they finally found a way to fit in with The 80's, especially thanks to Horn's production on 90125. It could be called a cynical move by calling it a Yes album, but sometimes these things have to happen, although very rarely they actually create interesting albums like this.

Isbjørn

Listen first, judge afterward.

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dca

agreed. oh and I wouldn't ever accuse someone of being a bieber fan really

I just had a listen to 'Drama', seeing as it's on the 'tube. I have to be honest and say that it was still a bit too Yes-y for me... there's just something too celebratory and fist-pumping about it, which I kind of get from their other stuff. Half the time I can imagine clips of Superman flying along. I definitely prefer the darker more twisted prog stuff like Gentle Giant and King Crimson up to about mid 70s.

That said I did like a few bits, e.g. the Black Sabbth-y intro to the first track. Also noticed the Police influence in the 2nd half, also maybe a bit of Supertramp and 10cc influence chucked in at times... Overall 6/10 for me but glad I checked it out anyway

RoxyRollah

yea I am with you here...It holds your attention because it's amazeballs... Honestly because it is a raw record, and very low fi, and because of this record I can see why ppl might like, the boss... would seem to me after this album, that he took all his creativity, and amazingness and put it in a trunk somewhere stuffed away in an attic or something... I have been underwhelmed by Bruce's since that record....

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Neapolitan

Drama was a Yes album just as much as GTFO.

I think it a cynical move not calling it a Yes album. I like the first 10 Yes albums, I know Drama had fewer notable players that were on previous albums, but it had Steve Howe who (with so much personnel changes) basically defined the Yes sound in the 70s. You said you weren't Yes fan so I don't know how much those musicians mean to you or know the continuity between the older material and Drama. I thought Drama was more of a Yes album than 90120. I despise that album, on that album Chris Squire hand over the reins over to Trevor Rabin, and it was nothing but insipid 80s junk Pop.

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