TORMATO

Line-up / Musicians: - Jon Anderson / lead vocals, 10 string guitar (1,5,8) - Steve Howe / Spanish (3), electric & acoustic guitars, electric & acoustic mandolins (6), backing vocals - Rick Wakeman / Hammond (1,4), harpsichord (3), piano (5), RMI Electra-Piano (8), Birotron & Polymoog synths, strings arrangements (3) - Chris Squire / basses, bass pedals (1,3,5), piano (2), backing vocals - Alan White / drums, military snare (1), glockenspiel (1), bells tree & cymbal (3), percussion (4), gong (5), drum synth (5), vibes (7), crotales, vocals (4) With: - Andrew Pryce Jackman / orchestrations & arrangements (3,7) - Damion Anderson / child vocals (6)

1. "Future Times / Rejoice" (6:45) military snare!? The Yes sounds and formats are getting old. (13/15)

2. "Don't Kill the Whale" (3:56) feels like either an imitation of concurrent MIKE OLDFIELD or a preview of 1980s Yes (90125, Big Generator)--or perhaps a nostalgic look back to the blues-rock roots of rock 'n' roll. (8.75/10)

3. "Madrigal" (2:23) harpsichord and Spanish guitar give this a Baroque sound not unlike that of the previous album's "Turn of the Century" only without the domination of the Mellotron. Me likes. (4.5/5)

4. "Release, Release" (5:47) sounds almost like an attempt to make a jazz-rock fusion song. The problem is that I don't think the band members were in touch with enough J-R F to "get it" (though Chris and Rick aren't too far off: it's New Age/metaphysical Jon, Country-Western Steve, and stadium-rocker Alan that aren't even close). Or perhaps I'm way off: maybe they're just expressing a new pseudo-punk fusion with the new synth rock sounds. Great instrumental performances of one terrible composition. (I suspect that even without the vocals this would be a totally unlikable song.) (8.75/10)

5. "Arriving UFO" (6:03) more of Jon's musings about the significance/relationship of extra-terrestrial phenomena. The first 90 seconds of the music seems to match Jon's lyrics well, but then the circus-instrument version/variation on Bernstein's "America" takes over. Nice synth and guitar interplay in the instrumental part of the third and fourth minutes over some awesome rhythm interplay from White and Squire. At 4:18 the sound of an explosion (literally) ushers in a weird carousel/merry-go-round theme park motif which takes us to the very end. Good parts but overall nothing special. (8.75/10)

6. "Circus of Heaven" (4:30) elf-like faerie music with prog's ultimate faerie, Jon Anderson, singing over the top. The main problem with this is that Jon's vocal feels like something that we've heard before? too many times. It's interesting until the fourth minute when he reverts into a previously-used melody line from the Going for the One album--and then the children's voices take over. (8.75/10)

7. "Onward" (4:02) plodding "classical" bass and orchestra-feeling synth and guitar work back Jon's less-insistent, more laid back "lower" register vocal. Harmony b vox join in for the second verse and chorus. Nice. "French Horn" solos in the pretty instrumental passage before Jon & company return for the final chorus. Another top three song. (8.875/10)

8. "On the Silent Wings of Freedom" (7:47) maybe this is the band's attempt at a Jazz-Rock Fusion song! If so, they're much more successful with this one than on "Release, Release" (until Steve goes off into his Country-Western playing again). Treated bass, great synth palette, better fitting drum play, and occasionally awesome guitar play (with some great tones--especially for the rhythm parts), the instrumental passages (which occupy about 70% of the song--the entire first half) all work in kind of a NOVA/BRAND X/BE-BOP DELUXE/GANG OF FOUR/BUGGLES way. My third top three song. (13.375/15)

Total Time 41:13

Not a horrible representation of Yes, just a little too much of Jon Anderson's cryptic lyrics delivered in a now-typical and fully-expected form and format.

B/four stars; they're still Yes: they're still magnificent musicians. I think we're getting a little tired of Jon Anderson's cryptic lyrics and repetitive singing style (as well as, for me, Steve Howe's Country&Western lead guitar sound). Also, with the death nell of prog rock tolling resoundingly around them, the band seem to be clearly grasping for stylistic influences outside of the "bombastic" and "overly-cerebral" music of their peak years--and it's not only painful to we listeners but it would seem to them as well. Resulting in the exit Rick Wakeman and Jon Anderson.

Share this YES review

Social review comments () BETA

---

---

Review related links

• Send comments to BrufordFreak
• Report this review (#330916)
• Buy YES music online with PA partners
• Show all YES MP3/Stream
• Go to YES page for videos, full discography with ratings, reviews and much more
• Go to Tormato page for more details, where to buy and ratings/reviews
• Search the Forum for YES related discussions