FLY FROM HERE

I've tried to like this album, I really did. I'm not a purist that says Yes without Jon Anderson is not Yes. I love "Drama". But this is a very flawed album. The most striking thing is how lifeless Benoit David's vocals sound throughout. And Geoff Downes is guilty of Conduct Unbecoming a Yes Keyboardist - he does little to bring the keyboards out in front. In fact, Steve Howe is the only band member who sounds like he was enthusiastic about playing on this album.

The album isn't totally bad. It's just... disappointing.

The Fly From Here suite starts out promising. It has that big Yes sound. If only they could sustain this. But then it changes into We Can Fly. David's bland vocals turn into a very mundane chorus. If it wasn't for some nice playing by Howe, we wouldn'y know it was Yes. The best thing I can say about the Sad Night At The Airfield section is that I like it batter than anything on "Talk". Very sad indeed. Madman At The Screens is not too bad. It is a bit reminiscent of I Am A Camera on "Drama". Bumpy Ride is not bumpy at all - but it sounds like Rabin-era Yes. And the finale is just an overblown reprise of We Can Fly.

The Man You Want Me To Be is the low point of the album. This piece of flaccid rock will probably end up as a single getting overplayed on one of those radio station that make office workers insane. You know the ones that I mean. Life On A Film Set begins with a guitar intro that sounds like ELP's C'est La Vie, but builds into something that might have fit on ABWH. A decent song.

Hour Of Need, as others have stated, sounds like Crosby Stills & Nash. This song, too, is saved by Steve Howe's guitar. And speaking of Howe, his solo piece, Solitaire is good, but it doesn't compare to the acoustic solos he's recorded on earlier albums.

Into The Storm is the most Yeslike song on the album. I'll b et it will rock in concert. But here, the vocals are almost buried, and Downes sounds like he doesn't want his keyboards to be noticed.

This album could have been much better. Most of the songwriting is fair. I suspect the producer may be to blame.

2.5 stars.

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