DRAMA

This is a good album. It's a good album because it HAD to be a good album. With their two most famous members gone, and replaced by Geoff Downes and Trevor Horn from the much different musical world of The Buggles, the critics were preparing to give the band a mauling. Yes's backs were against the wall, but they came out fighting and it brought out the best in them. Chris Squire is on particularly good form, especially on "Tempus Fugit", and Geoff Downes shines on the metallic "Machine Messiah", whilst the closing section of "Does It Really Happen" is one of the best pieces of music Yes ever made. "White Car" however sounds like a bit of a filler, and Horn is simply not Anderson. Incidentally, the new re-release shows how the band fascinatingly carved the Prog epic "Into The Lens" into a credible pop single. It still went nowhere in the charts, though!