DRAMA

Oh man, Yes witout Jon Anderson!?!?! How can this be of any worth? That's what virtually everybody that hasn't heard this album thinks. "Drama" is a fine effort by Yes, and Trevor Horn adds a bit of a darker twist on the band with darker lyrics and voice, while Chris Squire (the only REAL Yes member) stays as sturdy as ever.

The album starts with the longest track on the album, "Machine Messiah". Excellent vocals and rhytmic interlays make this song one of the broadest songs Yes has released in a while, generally speaking. "White Car" is or is around one of the shortest songs Yes has ever released, and although there is barely any substance in the song (only one verse), you just simply cannot hate it because there is nothing to hate here. Nice touch, but nothing of stand-out value. "Does It Really Happen?" is a fast, loud, upbeat song and one of my favorites. Very nice vocal work again.

The second side is kicked off by "Into The Lens". This is the spot where you can finally start to hear the Buggles influence, and this is carried all the way through this side. The whole "I am a camera" lyric gets a tad annoying after a while, but Steve keeps the song fresh by playing better than he's played in in the last ten years. "Run Through The Light" has one of the WORST intros in Yes's history, what with the keyboard popping and the horrible lyrics, but I must say it really does pick up when Steve kicks it into gear. Seems to be a theme here huh? Well anyways, "Tempus Fugit" is the final song, and this could have easily been performed by the 1971 Yes line-up with it's heavy bass lines and powerful lyrics. One of the top Yes songs in my book.

So all in all, you can obviously tell through this album that Jon Anderson is clearly not the heart and soul of Yes. Chris Squire is and Steve Howe is his wingman, with Squire's powerhouse bass lines on this albums and Howe's metallic riffs. One of Yes's finest releases on their career, and the best studio album from 1980-present.

4 stars, worth your time and money!