FLY FROM HERE

Well, I've listened to this new offering from Yes about 2 dozen times now, so I guess I can offer a seasoned review. Yes is one of my favourite bands, having personally survived high school in the 70's with a Yes album on my turntable at least once a day and some worn Yes concert ticket stubs in a drawer to commemorate the decade that gave birth to Prog Rock. Time traveling to this century, 'Fly From Here' was immediately likeable, fresh, with catchy hooks and slick production values so I gave it a lot of listening time right away. But many listens later, I find myself unexpectedly tired of the Disk. Maybe the slickness of the whole thing works against its longevity... One thing that has become apparent to me is that it sounds more like a Buggles album than a Yes album. Don't misunderstand me: I like the Horn/ Downes collaborations on their own disks and while Drama isn't one of my favourite Yes albums, it certainly isn't their worst either. No, the overall feel to my ears is that Steve, Alan & Chris are playing Buggles tunes while adding their own personality to the songs. Everyone's individual contributions are fine, although Alan seems to be quite flat and one-dimensional in the mix and I've quite warmed up to Benoit David's voice when he's channeling himself and not Jon. It's also nice to see Roger Dean back in the fold with his creative contribution to the packaging. Although, if it wasn't for the birds - I'd have a hard time relating the cover to the theme of the music inside. Some thoughts on the music: The title track (suite) is engaging enough overall and takes the listener on a journey that explores upbeat melody and atmospheric moodiness. The parts are really strung together thematically more than musically but themes are repeated enough throughout to tie it all together. However, part 5, 'Bumpy Ride' is a huge misstep. My teenage niece came into the room while it was playing and started to do a mocking, goofy dance, ending up falling on the floor in a fit of giggles... That pretty much sums it up for that tune. The last track, 'Into the Storm' starts off promising, with more of a vintage Yes feel but fizzles out at the end. My imagination had the song building to a more dramatic conclusion than the one presented here. The other songs are OK - Not classics, but OK. Maybe the production slickness has taken the edge off the subtle ques and over-the-top majesty in the music that gave Yes its uniqueness to my ears... I don't know... Anyway, I've given 'Fly From Here' an honest rating of 3 PA stars - Good, but non-essential.