JON ANDERSON & THE BAND GEEKS: TRUE

True is the new album by Jon Anderson and the Band Geeks. It has been receiving many accolades, so I am truly looking forward to digging into it. I have heard the first two tracks that were released prior to the full release of the album. I was highly impressed. This will be my first time hearing the rest of the songs/. As I am sure pretty much everyone who is seeing this knows, Jon Anderson is best known as the legendary, classic lead singer, composer and co-founder of prog-rock giants Yes. Unbelievably, it has been 2 decades since his last tour with the official Yes band, notwithstanding a tour a few years ago with Rick Wakeman and Trevor Rabin, that became known as Yes featuring ARW. This happened while the Steve Howe-led current "official" Yes were still (and still are) very much a thing. Anderson felt free to use the name, he said, after Chris Squire passed away in 2015, thus ending the "gentlemen's agreement" that they had made. All that aside, Jon has been touring with the Band Geeks to great reviews, and as I stated the initial reaction to this album has been very positive. Who are the Band Geeks? Let's see:

- Jon Anderson / vocals - Richie Castellano / bass, guitar - Rob Kipp / guitar, keyboards - Chris Clark / keyboards - Andy Graziano / guitar, bass - Andy Ascolese / drums

Honestly, other than Jon, I don't know about any of their resumes. They are building quite a reputation for themselves, however.

Let's get into it, shall we?

Track 1 - True Messenger

The song begins with sparkling 12-string acoustic guitar playing a lively arpeggiated pattern. Jon joins in on the refrain of "You are everyone, You are me, You are everyone, you are free" (very J.A. indeed). I believe that we are in 7-8 time here. At about 20 seconds the guitar becomes a strum and he sings a short verse. Then the rest of the band makes an entrance at around 40 seconds. He returns to the refrain, this time with harmonies. The rhythm is constantly changing in wonderful ways. There have been some delightful synth fills along the way. It's hard to say which player is playing what as there are 3 players credited with playing various instruments. By 1:30 we are at a nice 6-8 groove while the music crescendos. At 1:45 the music completely changes. It's quieter with a different kind of groove. The primary instrument sounds similar to a keyboard percussion instrument, but I suspect it's on a synth. At around 2:10, the groove kicks back in stronger but we have a bridge with a different melody. Then at around 2:30 there are vocal harmonies holding a sustained chord, while Jon sings over the top. Just after that it sounds like percussive instruments again, but with a bit more synth mixed in. At 2:45 the opening refrain returns, bur more rockin'. But, like most good prog, things are constantly changing. By just after 3 minutes, the song has a more half-time feel. I can't keep up with all of the changing grooves. Suffice it to say that it never gets boring. The rhythm around 3:45 is syncopated, with an almost reggae feel in some of the guitar parts. At 4:22 we have an instrumental segment where each of the players take turns being featured, beginning with an organ solo, then guitars. At around 4:43 there are a series of beautifully complex, fast runs played in unison; nice! An excellent piano fill takes us into a half-time section with a big fat guitar solo. The solo ends with a bit of a crashing sound at the end. The lead guitarist at the end didn't sound like Howe or Rabin, but he was more Rabin-like than Howe-like (if that makes sense). This is top-notch prog!

Track 2 - Shine On

We begin with dazzling a Capella harmony vocals with a slight Beach Boys vibe, somewhat similar to 1987's Rhythm of Love from Yes. At 17 seconds in the band plays a fantastic, rapid tempo riff. This leads to a great rhythm section riff especially the groovy bass-line. I love all of the fills between verses. Great bass fill before the chorus. The bass part seems to be a recurring motif. The vocals on this are spectacular, both lead and backing. You'd never know that Jon Anderson was nearly 80. I know some crooners (e.g. Tony Bennett) made comebacks later in life, but those mellow crooner albums are nothing like the energy output on this. I dunno how he does it! The turnaround back into the verse from the band at 1:28 is fabulous! What a positive high-energy track this is! At around 2:30, the rhythm changes and we go into a bridge. The cascading vocals at 2:54 are magnificent, as is the syncopated instrumental section that follows. At 3:11 Jon sings a beautiful, very high part with only minimal accompaniment. I LOVE the chorus here. This is the energy that has been missing on recent Yes albums. The BAND GEEKS are bringing it! The killer playing at 3:50 makes sort of a false ending. Then synth sounds and the vocal harmonies from the song fade out. Fantastic song!

Track 3 - Counties and Countries

We are reaching mini-epic length here at just under 10 minutes. I'm excited to hear what Jon and crew have in store for us. We start with a cool odd metered prog riff that reminds me a bit of Dreamtime from Magnification. We have a big instrumental opening segment with various instruments being featured along the way. At around 1:20 Everyone drops out save for a strumming acoustic guitar. There is a bass riff, similar to what Chris Squire played in the opening verse of And You And I, but on a higher note and a slightly faster tempo, that leads the vocals in. Acoustic guitar is the main accompaniment initially, but in the second half of the verse more layers of instrumentation join in. Like great classic prog, each time a section recurs there is a variation to keep it interesting. NICE Steve Howe style classical guitar flourish at 2:10! Another verse follows with variations as I mentioned. The classical guitar bits become more prominent as we go. By 3:10, a marching style snare drum beat enters the soundscape and slows the tempo down. This takes us into a new section of the song. While Jon sings, the band backs him nicely, and now the guitar flourishes are more electric Steve Howe style. Beautiful piano at around 3:38. These players pull off the classic Yes style beautifully. Call it "derivative" if you like, but if anyone has a right to sound derivative of classic Yes, it's Jon Anderson! At 3:45 a beautiful piano part takes us to a flute style sound. Since no flute players are listed, I will assume it is either a synth or a mellotron. Just after 4 minutes, there is a staccato backing part that reminds me of the I Get Up, I Get Down section of Close to the Edge. Jon sings softly over this part and plays (I assume it's him) a harp flourish at 4:25. More fantastic piano playing, joined by the bass, takes us back out of the quieter section. The repeated line "only for you" keeps reminding me of the James Bond movie theme of "For Your Eyes Only" (I keep trying to block it out, but am unsuccessful in my attempt, lol). The backing vocals are pristine. By 5:07 we are in an odd metered proggy heaven, with some steel guitar, initially, followed by a standard electric guitar solo. Just before 6 minutes there is an ascending walk-up to a brilliant organ solo. Jon returns vocally at 6:13. Nice melody from Jon here. I like the chord changes in the vocal harmonies around 6:55. Classical guitar parts return in this part. We go back to a marching beat around 7:20, then a smoother tempo following. There is a bit of call & response between the guitar and vocals. Excellent Wakeman-style synth solo around 8:15. Things calm down at 9:00 and return to "only for you?" again. That is a FAN-TAB-U-LOUS prog song! Love it!!

Track 4 - Build Me an Ocean

This one begins with a gentle piano part, joined by Jon. A Classical guitar part enters next, then synth strings. I love the backing vocals echo the lead vocal melody just before the full band kicks in at around 1:10. This is a nice ballad with some rhythmic twists. There is an acoustic guitar solo at around 2 minutes. Following the solo, the rhythm section drops out and Jon sings with just keyboard accompaniment. There are a few phrases from a classical guitar in the mix before the song fades out. This is a good song, but it didn't blow me away like the first 3. It is a pleasant, well-arranged ballad.

Track 5 - Still a Friend

This begins with a bouncy, up-beat rhythm on the keys. Tom-toms, then bass enters and the band and vocals enter at 15 seconds. This one has a vaguely reggae feel, somewhat like "The Messenger" on the Ladder album. Of course, on this album, the feel keeps changing. After about 15 seconds, it becomes more of 4-4 with triplets on the organ. By 40 seconds it gets a big open half-time feel. The next verse follows a similar road map. Excellent guitar and keys trading licks at around 2:15. But at 2:24 the sound gets HUGE with the half time feel. I absolutely LOVE the frequent changes in this song, in terms of feel. I believe it's Richie Castellano handling most of the bass duties; he really channels a Chris Squire vibe. Steel guitar enters at around 3:10 (Think: And You And I). A rhythmic acoustic strum accompanied Jon at around the4 minute mark, but then the full band re-enters, and start to build up to a big finish. Great Track!

Track 6 - Make It Right

This one begins with a classical guitar solo. I'm not sure which of the guitarists plays it, but he's outstanding. The playing actually becomes even more impressive when Jon begins to sing. He really sounds like he's had classical guitar training. The tremolo style is fantastic. He then changes to a simpler, yet still effective melody. Bass and keys fill in the sound beginning around 1:30. Piano takes over at 1:50, and the drums enter at 2 minutes in a slow 6-8 ballad style. Tasty organ joins the fray as the verse progresses. I have always been a sucker for 6-8 ballads. But then, outta nowhere at around 3:23, there was a change that literally made my head spin and say "whoa!" Huge harmony vocals and piano flourishes. A guitar solo follows with changing meters underneath. Excellent bass fills. The 6-8 returns. Nice orchestration at 5:25, then a full gospel choir joins in! Jon you're killin' me here!! What a massive sound! He starts bringing it down and by the ending he is accompanied only by acoustic guitar. WOW! That had so many unexpected twists and turns for a 6 minute song! WELL DONE! This one takes us directly into ?.

Track 7 - Realization, Pt. 2

(Which of course, begs the question, "Where is Pt. 1?" What are you up to Jon?) We begin with folky 12 and 6 string acoustic guitars playing a nice upbeat tune. The band enters around 20 seconds in and then Jon begins singing. Nice harmonies on the chorus. This is a very cheerful sounding tune with an almost Caribbean vibe. Amazing acoustic guitar lick during an acoustic solo at 1:42. The basic sentiment of the song is "What you put into something is what you get out of it." I like the a cappella harmony vocals as the song fades out.

Track 8 - Once Upon a Dream

This is the big epic at 16:31 in length. I have a feeling it will not disappoint. It begins with a slow fade in, then Jon starts singing a rhythmic set of lyrics on one note. It is almost like the opening to The Revealing Science of God on Tales From Topographic Oceans. The verses each end with some nonsense syllables that really work in context. The second verse has harmony vocals as well. Things are slowly brewing. The third verse has a subtle drum beat and additional harmony voices join in, and it builds to a crescendo and release (my earlier comparison definitely still stands.) At around 1:35 the full band is in with a moderate tempo and lead guitar over the top. The rhythm changes to an odd meter following the 2 minute mark. Excellent groove. Some of the lyrics remind me of Brother of Mine on ABWH. There is a wonderfully complex instrumental turnaround between verses. At 3:15 we have a dreamy-sounding 6-8. I believe the album's title comes from a line in this part of the song. The rhythm section comes back. Rhythmic acoustic guitar strumming accompanies Jon at 3:30 ish. The instruments build back in and at 4:30 he references Heart of the Sunrise directly by name! Excellent playing throughout. There are Yes lyric references all throughout this part. I'd have to break the lyrics down and analyze it more closely at a later time. Some are from Turn of the Century on Going For the One. This is Yes-fan geek-out time. I like the harmonized guitars at 6:30 This song is a real journey. The sound gets HUGE at 7:10! They bring it way down by 7:30. It gets mystical and quiet like in Close to the Edge as we enter the I Get Up, I Get Down section. There is a female voice singing in a Middle-Eastern style in the background. Classical guitar comes in around 8:35. Wonderful piano follows. Bass enters next. This is an extended quiet section, but there is a LOT happening. Lush harmonies at times, solo voice others. At 11:20, the drums hit a big accent. The band follows suit, hitting sustained accents on the first beat of each measure. A slow crescendo is happening. By 12:13 the music has become more powerful. There is a big prog instrumental segment, with a keyboard solo. I hear some hints of City of Love from 90125 at around 12:50. At 13:25 it feels more like the climax of Mind Drive from Keys to Ascension in the mid 90s. Nice vocal play at around 14:00. At 14:30 one of the band geeks gets a solo line, before Jon joins him. Big musical climax around 14:45. This is a beautiful closing section. I sometimes will try to explain Prog music to people and when I mention some of the song lengths, I think they are expecting it to be a long, meandering jam session, and I have to let them know that it is really a true composition. This was an absolutely BRILLIANT EPIC! I am certain I will catch new things in it every time I listen for some time to come. Jon gave us many Easter Eggs here.

Track 9 - Thank God

On the last few Yes albums that Jon was a part of, He liked to add a short, calming piece after the big penultimate epic track to close out the album. On the Ladder, Nine Voices follows New Languages, and on Magnification, Time is Time follows In the Presence Of? I expect that is the case here with a relatively short song after the big epic. Let's see. We have a gentle piano part with other sounds. Jon sings a peaceful melody. I have a feeling that this is a love song to Jane (eee).Drums kick in at around 1:25. There are some steel guitar countermelodies that almost give it a country feel at times. The phrasing at 2:38 comes straight outta To Be Alive (Hep Yada) on the Ladder. Yep definitely a love song to Jane. There is a big half-time feel near the end, briefly, but it ends with just Jon and piano.

OVERALL IMPRESSIONS:

WOW! Jon really impresses here. But moreso, it's the Band Geeks. This album feels like a true BAND effort, rather than a Jon Anderson Solo album (of which he has many.) I don't think ANYONE in prog fandom could have predicted how great this album is. Yes fans will eat this up! There are so many easter eggs in it. The Band Geeks are FANTASTIC! I have enjoyed this more than anything Yes has put out since Magnification. And no, I'm not a "No Jon Anderson, No Yes" kinda guy. I like some of what they've done but it rarely blows me away like this has. Only track 4 underwhelmed me a bit, but it wasn't bad. I'm going with 4.75 out of 5 stars. This is a nearly perfect masterpiece!

Clicking 5, but really 4.75, 4 is too low.