DRAMA

Actually, I logged on to PA today to review Chris Squire's Fish Out Of Water. That's going to have to take a back seat though, as I read Evandro Martini's review of Drama on the front page, and I found that I have something to say about this album.

First, a little historical perspective. If you can remember back to when this was released, you will remember two things notable about it. The first was the shock of having the Buggles replacing Jon and Rick. Mr. Martini's review gives a good perspective about how Yes fans received this. They were dissappointed and felt it was a poor mix, but they still hoped against hope for the best. There was a lot of fear that the Buggles would have Yes churining out pop like "Video Killed The Radio Star." Oddly enough, when this was realized on 90125, Yes fans were far more accepting of it.

The other thing you should remember is that songs from this album received significant airplay. Yes was finally getting something besides Roundabout played on stations that weren't album oriented. This album did not break out like 90125, but it did lay the groundwork.

Nowadays, Yes fans give Drama more credibility as a Yes album, after suffering through the YesWest years and things like Union and OYE.

Machine Messiah: An energetic mini-epic where the Steve, Chris, and Alan show their chops and the high point of the album. This is the old Yes that we know and love cranked up on caffeine. The only weird thing here is the lyrics. I can't imagine Jon ever penning anything like this. This is one of the very few songs that I hope Yes plays live again before they dissolve into history.

White Car: This is Downes' feature piece, a bland, slow tempoed keyboard number. Few fans lament Downes' leaving Yes. This piece shows why.

Does It Happen?: A rocker that shows off some great work by White and Squire. Yes usually gets it wrong when they drop into straightforward arena rock, but here they are just dipping their toes in the water and the song works. Not memorable, but not something you'd skip over, either.

Into The Lens: A Horn song given a Yes workover, which in this case means adding a lot of DRAMA. Another good one, with plenty of nifty riffs by Steve and Chris.

Run Through The Light: The album's low point. I usually skip over this song. It's a song that sounds like it doesn't know what it wants to be and ends up being bland, along the lines of It Can Happen on 90125.

Tempus Fugit: As with the opener, Yes puts on another up tempo performance of technical wizardry. Downes' finest moment is here. You won't mistake him for Wakeman, but you might mistake him for Kaye. The difference between this song and the opener is that the vocals and the lyrics are on par with what you would expect from Yes.

I'll give this one three stars. It's good and you'll be happy you heard it, but it's only a must hear for fans of Yes.