DRAMA

I once despised this album, so much so that I went nearly two decades without even listening to it. Then last year I bought the Rhino remaster, just to add it to my collection, and listened to it again. It hadn't changed in 25 years, but I sure had. Years of maturity on my part, and putting "Drama" in a historical context, completely changed my opinion of it. It sounded FRESH. It was as if Yes had put out a new album. I couldn't stop playing it.

I like this better than "90125." I like the heavy sound (thank you, Chris and Alan). The aborted Paris session tracks from the Anderson/Wakeman Yes, available on the Rhino release, really show a band that was exhausted and out of ideas. Anderson and Wakeman were right to split, but Squire/White/Howe were right to take the band in a different direction. The "Drama" tracks are infused with the creativity and energy that was missing in Paris. I'm like Wakeman on the "Yesyears" video, when he said that he once was highly critical of Chris for doing "Drama" and thought it was a mistake, but that he has since changed his opinion 180 degrees and has apologized to Squire.