DRAMA

Yes

Symphonic Prog

3.78 | 2006 ratings

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Finnforest
Special Collaborator
Honorary Collaborator

Yes remembers how to rock.

Machine Messiah! The heavy opening sounds like the Star Wars Imperial Walkers heading towards you from the horizon! This song is an example of where Yes could have headed instead of the Rabin schlock albums of the 1980s.

Is Yes without Jon really Yes? Who cares? If they can pull off an album like Drama without him it was a worthy avenue to head down for at least a spell.

I don't know the band inner dynamics, but if I were guessing I'd say that Chris, Steve, and Alan saw the chance to have some fun with Anderson and Wakeman out of the picture. And they decided to ROCK out for a change. Drama rocks and you can hear the evidence most directly in Chris Squire. The bass comes right outta your speaker and takes a swing at you. I sense a collective sigh of relief by these guys at the chance to make a less "Cosmic Jon" and "Ego Rick" kind of record.

All of the songs work well for me. While "Machine Messiah" and "Into the Lens" are my favorites there isn't a bad song here. Even the much maligned "White Car" is fine for what it is, just a brief musical daydream. Not every idea must be taken to the standard rock length or the standard prog epic length.

And the new guys? I'm not saying they are better than those they replaced but for the kind of record Drama is they worked perfectly. They are musicians who were capable of balancing the equally important needs of bringing in freshness and spontaneity while respecting the Yes sound and audience. That's a damn tall order when you think about it and they did an admirable job in my opinion.

The Dean cover art is back thankfully and while this line-up could not last it was an awfully fun one-off. Thus, 3.5 affectionate stars for the last good Yes album.

Finnforest | 3/5 | 2007-6-3

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