THE QUEST

A surprisingly pleasing release from Yes that I waited before reviewing. I'm glad I did as this album takes a few listens to connect with, where the music makes sense, and I find myself enjoying it a good deal more than I did on first listen. A sign of good song writing.

The opening song, 'The Ice Bridge' I found a bit cheesy on first listen, but in time I caught the mood and the good energy there. I like how Jon Davison sounds and the melodies he chooses here, not typical and quite lovely. Nice keyboard/guitar interplay toward the end. A pretty decent opener.

"Dare To Know' I find gorgeous. I really like Steve Howe's writing style, and the guitar-driven instrumental passages he employs between vocal passages. The sense of wonder, and the beautiful morning sound that Yes has succeeded well with in the past, is all over this one, and it took a beautiful morning in my car to really appreciate this one.

'Minus The Man' is a simpler track, decent enough, though I don't find it on the level of the first 2 tracks. I don't mind it, but I'm glad the majority of the album doesn't sound like this.

"Leave Well Alone' is classic Howe, landing somewhere between older Yes and solo Howe. This is a fairly upbeat track, employing minor chords (in typical Howe fashion) and I really enjoy this one. Possibly my favorite track on the album, and perhaps the most 'progressive' sounding track. Good melodies, exciting instrumental break. One of my favorite things they've done in many years.

'The Western Edge' is enjoyable too, one of the tracks where Jon Davison's writing channels Jon Anderson.

'Future Memories' is the prettiest track here, again sounding Anderson-esque, when he latches on to a lovely melody. Nice supporting guitar work from Steve on this one. In the early years Yes' pretty side was quite lovely, much more so than in later years. This is somewhat closer to the pretty side of earlier Yes.

'Music To My Ears' starts off with a nice guitar melody, but once the vocals are in it is not one of my favorites. The chorus sticks with you as a melody that is hard to get out of one's head, which can be a good or bad thing. I don't find the melody particularly engaging, so this one is probably my least favorite on the album, including the 3-track ep.

'A Living Island' is a beautiful track to conclude this collection. The mood here, has a sense of positive wonder, I didn't catch on first listen. This reminds me a bit of the last track on the Anderson/Stolt album. The interwoven vocals are quite nice. The 2nd half of the song is particularly nice. A nice finale to the main album.

The bonus ep:

'Sister Sleeping Soul' I really like. Mandolin based track, which to me sounds like a beautiful summer day. Not as interesting as 'Long Distance Runaround' or 'Your Move' but a very positive feel and what would have been probably the best track for airplay back in the day.

'Mystery Tour' is a fun track, nothing special at all, but I do like Steve's acoustic guitar play. The lyrics are fun and interesting but I won't give anything away. Another earworm, but the melody is ordinary, to me. So... one to take it for what it is.

''Damaged World' I really have a soft spot for. What can I say, I like Steve Howe as a songwriter when he does something different that is uniquely his style, and though this is nothing brilliant, I find it to have very catchy and pleasing melodies. It is nice when Jon's voice comes in. The guitar melody between lyrics I also find enjoyable.

No 'Close To The Edge' but a nice release, and one of the best Yes has done in the last 3 decades to my ears.