HEAVEN & EARTH

I was sitting in bed the other morning idly browsing the progarchives site and I find myself staring at the 'Heaven and Earth' page with a banner add for some investment company titled '15 minute retirement plan'.

That really does say it all - a hastily cobbled together product to boost the pensions of a once great band.

Not sure why I'm even writing this as by now we all know what a disappointment 'Heaven and Earth' is. I don't think anyone was expecting another 'Gates of Delirium' or CTTE, and I agree with other reviewers that we should take this album on its own merits, its just unfortunate that H&E is devoid of any real spark or emotion. Its an album of fillers, any one of which would be the track you skipped over on another Yes album to get to the good parts.

I can just about forgive the 'twee' ness, after all Yes are no strangers to a bit of cheese now and then, and oddly enough its the pleasant, sing-along material that stays with you afterwards which I suppose is a good thing. 'Believe Again' and 'The Game' do have a nice, pleasant chorus, but it quickly merges into one big MOR mush after a while. Its just, I don't know, all so safe and inoffensive. Its heartbreaking, but not in the good way.

I've gone for three stars because, after all, it is Yes, and its really not a 'bad' album as such - its too bland for that.

it occurs to me that with 'Heaven and Earth' Yes have invented a new sub-genre: 'Retirement- home Prog'.

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