DRAMA

After the disappointment of "Tormato", it seemed that Yes was headed in the same direction as their contemporaries, Emerson Lake & Palmer and Genesis (to name the most prominent of the proggers who watered down their sound in a grasp for relevance in an industry that had suddenly turned against artistry). Then came the news that Jon Anderson and Rick Wakeman had left, and Yes had filled their posts with The Buggles, a new wave duo with one successful album. I feared for the worst.

But my loyalty to Yes outweighed my horror, and I purchased "Drama" shortly after it's release. What a surprise! It wasn't bad. It was actually much more proggy than new wavy. How did the record company executives allow this?

Chris Squire and Steve Howe sounded rejuvenated. They both played their axes on this album with power and joy. And while Geoff Downes is no Rick Wakeman by any means, he does a fine job of keeping up in some energetic and complex arrangements. Trevor Horn, while having a high pitched enough voice to still make the songs sound like Yes, seems to strain at times. But his voice has a tone more like Squire and Howe's voices, and makes the harmonies blend better than on any previous Yes album.

The only really down point (but not really terrible) is Run Through The Light, where Squire moves to piano, and allows Horn to play fretless bass. While Horn is okay as a bass player, his style is much more mundane than Squire's.

It would have been interesting to hear this group continue, but it wasn't to be.