MIRROR TO THE SKY

When Jon Anderson, the voice of Yes, left the band for health reasons (throat problems) after the magnificent Magnification (and its tour) in the early 21st century, fans feared that Yes would never recover from such a loss. But that had already happened at the end of the 70's and the result was a very good album (Drama, 1980) with Trevor Horn taking over the vocals.

And so Yes followed a similar path, bringing a new vocalist (Benoît David) and the duo of the aforementioned Drama album, Trevor Horn (production and composition) and Geoff Downes, (keyboards and composition) to released another good album (Fly From Here, 2011). But The witches are out and Benoît also had health problems (also in the throat) and left the band. Yes then goes 2 years without recording anything new. But the vocalist Jon Davison (ex Glass Hammer and Sky Cries Mary) had already joined the band for tours.

So in 2014 Yes records Heaven & Earth, their first album with Davison on vocals. The album is not well received, there are good compositions but the biggest problem is in the production, mixing and execution without energy. It felt like a farewell album for the band, a melancholy ending with a mediocre album by a band considered to be one of prog rock's greatest.

Shortly after the last original member of Yes dies, the genius bassist Cris Squire, everything indicated that the end of the band was coming. So, does Yes's second longest stretch without recording a new studio album (6 years) plus Alan White pretty sick, fans didn't expect much more from Yes, other than a few tours with their old classics.

But in 2021 comes a beautiful surprise; a very good album, elegant, with new ideas, beautiful harmonies, melodies and arrangements, The Quest is generally well received by the critics. This album is vastly better than Heaven & Earth in every way; compositions, production, arrangement and performance. If the band retired with this album, it would be a dignified end in line with the band's history.

But again fans are taken by surprise when Yes announces, just 2 years later, another new studio album: Mirror to the Sky.

Mirror to the Sky is a tremendous evolution of Heaven & Earth and The Quest. This time we don't have the great Alan White, who past away a few months after the release of The Quest, but Jay Schellen (who had already been with Yes on their tours for some time) comes in playing very well and according to the Yes music. This was a very positive change, as White was already very weak with his health problems and that for a drummer can represent a drop in the physical power to play the instrument. And for a rock band, this drop in income can be very representative. In Mirror to te Sky it is noticeable how the band returns to its excellent form, powerful, dynamic, full of energy, life, and how fresh, modern and young it sounds. (The entry of Billy Sherwood already in the previous album had given something of this new freshness, since in the album Heaven & Earth we also had a Cris Squire already with health problems).

Mirror to the Sky is one of the best Yes albums in decades, I like all the songs, including the ones on disc 2. I still think this division of cds is unnecessary, having cd 1 with the main album and cd 2 as a bonus . It was exactly like this on The Quest album. It's unnecessary because the songs are on the same level and fit well into the album as a whole, their production is the same as the main album (i.e. they are not demos) and the cd would be approximately 70 min long, which is very natural of many albums since the Compact disc came to light.

In Mirror we find an album that is more progressive than the previous ones, with the instrumentalists playing in top form, also better interplay. More confident in everything, in their instruments, production, compositions, lyrics, concepts, arrangements.

Yes has finally found its way, a new path of so many wonderful paths that this unique band has trodden in its rich history.

Addendum 26/05/23:

About the authenticity of the Yes name.

I don't understand the general comments on the internet questioning the authenticity of the new Yes lineup, with the claim that there are no original members. Well, the classic formation of Yes consists of Anderson, Howe, Squire, Wakeman and Bruford (or White). It is with this formation that the world knows Yes. The Yes with Banks is not the true Yes that was consecrated and everyone knows. It was with Howe that the band profoundly changed its sound and created its true identity. So Howe is an essential part of Yes's identity, not Banks. Therefore he has every right to continue with the band legitimately using the name Yes. Furthermore, all the new members joined the band in a natural and gradual way, like children being born into a family. Downes had already recorded the Drama album in 1980 and returned to the band with the 2011 Fly from Here album, and has been with the band ever since. Sherwood has been with the band since the 90's playing, composing and producing in several albums. Schellen has been accompanying Yes on tour for several years, also played percussion on the album The Quest. And Davison has been in the band since 2012. Sherwood and Schellen were "sponsored" by Squire and White who wanted them to replace them. That is, this formation was made gradually and naturally, where each member brings the essence of Yes into their way of playing/composing.

Countless bands go through countless different formations, it's something common and natural in the world of music. Yes has gone through countless formations, more than 15 musicians have already been part of the Yes family tree and no one has ever complained, so why all this questioning now?

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