DRAMA

Is Yes the same without Rick Wakeman ? Almost ! Yes is better with him, but without him it is also great. But... Is Yes the same without Jon Anderson ? No, unfortunately. Anderson is the head of the group. Without him, Yes is lost. So, why did I give 4 stars ? Because Steve Howe, Chris Squire and Alan White managed to do a good work. Let's see it:

White Car: cool, well played, but nothing special. It's a simple Buggles song that was left out of their album and came to this one. 3,6 stars.

Run Through the Light: this song proves how Trevor's voice is similar to Jon's, at least for me. Good song, it has a good rhythm. The guitar appears in it with a good solo, 'cause on the others we hardly hear it. 4,15 stars.

Tempus Fugit: the intro is very good, exciting. In it, we hear a fast and melodic bass. The part from 1:49 to 2:00 is exciting also. But the rest is very repetitive, it just keeps this rhythm... 4,35 stars.

Does It Really Happen ?: very cool song. It has nice drumming, great bass, melodic keyboards and a good rhythm. Contagious. 4,5 stars.

Into the Lens: one more great intro. Through the song, we hear great melodies, rhythms and vocals. A very well planned song. Mr. Alan White shows us his great abilities with the drumsticks once again. 4,5 stars.

Machine Messiah: the epic of the album. Great riffs and melodies. It reminds me of Jon Anderson, mainly by the similar vocals. The band played really well in it and was very inspired. It contains a good solo by Downes, reminds me of Wakeman. Well... a really progressive song, although it was made in 1980. 5 stars.

So... is it a great album ? Yes, surely ! But is it a masterpiece ? No, it doesn't deserve 5 stars. But 4 it surely deserves. Congratulations to Trevor Horn and Geoff Downes and the veterans of the band !