THE LADDER

The Ladder by Yes is supposedly a return to the days of old...but I don't buy it. It is an attempt to recapture the magic of 70s period Yes, and for all that trying...it pales in comparison. It's not like the album is a complete disaster, but it doesn't do anything for me.

That being said, the lead track Homeworld (The Ladder) is one of the best things they did in the 1990s. It comes very close to capturing that 70s Yes karma, but parts are a bit too contrived, to me. I also like the messenger, even though it's probably the least Yes sounding song ever, in my opinion. Still, a good tune is a good tune.

The rest of the album seems to me to be plesant yet uninspired. They just don't resonate. It's not that they're bad like Open Your Eyes, they're just...meh.