KEYSTUDIO

Keystudio is a mere compilation made up from the studio tracks off the 2 sets of KTA albums. I must admit that this is better putting them on a seperate album such as Keystudio, and in reality they made a big mistake in putting them on KTA in the first place. Because there certainly is nothing here that fits into the same class as them live songs off that album. After reading a good few reviews I'm flabbergasted by how one can compare this material to the bands earlier stuff. Especially with reviews that Mind Drive is like or better than Awaken. These people must be living on another planet, because they ain't even Close To The Edge of this one. That's for sure.

Keystudio as some good tracks amongst it, like Foot Prints, SIgn Language and Children of the Light. Mind Drive for me totally fails as an epic, because it sounds like tracks have been mixed together to make it, rather than one piece of music. And there is nothing special going on in it musically to make it sound any good. I have been a Yes Fan since The Yes Album back in 1971. To me the last good album the band ever made was Relayer. Going For The One was the first step into comercialism, and drawing away from the norm. Awaken is a very good prog track without a doubt, and to me the only real Yes track on the whole of the album. The rest of it you can sling in the bin, because it's not prog music-what-so-ever. As for comparing Mind Drive to Awakening I would like to know where the class piano opening is and the church organ and about another 38 chords into making the composition. There is nothing on Mind Drive from Wakeman to even say hello, he's that quiet on it, its like they mixed him out the track. But in reality the writing is that poor and mixed up into different songs, that thre is nothing there for one to fly off to so to speak.

Over all Keystudio is a modern sounding Yes, and one of those albums one goes out and buys in shear desperation, and belief that one day the band will return to there heyday and make another classic album. Keystudio is nowhere near as good as The Ladder in my opnion. well the track Homeworld at least from that album blows Mind Drive into the dust and does have msucial moments in it, unlike Mind Drive, without a doubt. Magnification is by far the bands best output of new written material since the album Relayer. But I supoose to new fans this album may very well appeal to them. But to the older fan like myself, there is nothing here on this album to make me give it more than a couple of spins. its far to basic in comparison to the bands earlier output. Though I will perhaps say its at at least better than the crap they did with Trevor Rabin. That stuff really does take the biscuit. I suggest you give the album Time and a Word a spin, because there is more prog on that album than what we hear on this. And Time and a Word is a very good album without a doubt.