DRAMA

Yes had suffered personnel losses before (Banks, Bruford, Kaye, Wakeman) but this time, not only did Wakeman leave again, but original singer and one of the main creative forces behind Yes's music and sound left- Jon Anderson. The remaining band members then hired the pop-duo Buggles, Trevor Horn and Geoff Downes, to fill the remaining positions. Even though the album sported Roger Dean cover art, a 10 minute opening song and Eddie Offord back producing, would things collapse under too much change?

Surprisingly, no, they wouldn't. Things would actually get worse later as the lineup stabilized throughout the 80s, but that's a different story. The album isn't as commercial as you might think and things actually stay very Yes-like, even now into the 1980s. "Machine Messiah" opens the album, a classic progressive tour-de-force. Easily the best song on the album, it features the dynamics, melodies and Horn even sounds almost exactly like Anderson (I wouldn't have detected a difference if I didn't know Anderson left). The only thing that might be a letdown for some listeners is that the rest of the album isn't actually in the same vein as the opening song. Oh well.

The rest of the album is overall very upbeat, almost pop-like at times. "Does It Really Happen?" has an interesting groove considering this is Yes and "Into The Lens" (despite how annoying the lyrics are), have some nice atmospheric parts and great vocal harmonies. "Run Through The Light" sounds like something leftover from "Tormato", but overall isn't terribly interesting. Closing the album, "Tempus Fugit" is a very driven and rocking song. Whereas "Machine Messiah" looked to the past for inspiration, "Tempus Fugit" has a much more contemporary feel and structure. It's still a great song, though.

So overall, "Drama" is really an underrated Yes album. It's not one of their best, but certainly better than albums they put out in the 80s and 90s. "Drama" sees Yes incorporating a more commercial and accessible elements to their music, but at this point, it hasn't completely taken over. If you are already a Yes fan, you might want to get this one. If you are a newer fan, become more familiar with their earlier works before checking this one out.

On the 2004 remaster edition, some tracks from the 1979 Paris Sessions (with Anderson and Wakeman) are included here. There are some who hate this album and blame Horn and Downes for screwing with Yes's sound, but from the likes of these songs, it sounds like the band was headed in that direction anyway.

Standout songs: "Machine Messiah", "Tempus Fugit"