FLY FROM HERE

I've always loved Yes. Grew up in the 70s idolizing the band, especially Steve Howe, and even enjoyed the later Drama phase, minus Anderson, in its own way. In fact, I've bought every Yes album released and still enjoy many of them from time to time. The period from 'The Yes Album' to 'Going for the One' remains my favorite, but I've found something to like on every album since. Listening to a new Yes album was often both exhilarating and challenging, with repeated listens necessary for the beautifully complex musical forms to fully blossom and engage. That was the hidden joy of progressive music and half the fun.

But times change. If I'd never heard of the current band, I'd say that the music's certainly more interesting and accomplished than most contemporary rock hitting the waves. And there's some solid musicianship here, too, especially Steve's acoustic work.

Unfortunately, when compared to some of the other progressive (symphonic) rock coming out these days, especially from northern Europe, this release sounds surprisingly simplistic and tame to me. A few listens and time to move on. In contrast, the Flower Kings' most recent ('Sum of No Evil') is just one example of current prog-rock that both maintains and expands the genre in fresh, inspiring, even challenging ways. For me, sadly, 'Fly From Here' doesn't even come close.

I wish the guys well, though, and expect that they'll find an audience to connect with their current offering. After all, with 40-odd years of Yes in all its varieties, Yes fans differ greatly. 'Fly From Here' is a recording that seems sure to highlight those differences. The good news for fans like me is that other contemporary groups, like the Kings, are stepping up to fill the void. Head over to the 'progarchives' site and such to check out some great options that, IMO, far exceed 'FFH's' ability to tug at the beautiful memories of Yes' golden progressive era.

But we're all Yes fans here, aren't we? I guess in the end it's just a matter of discovering what Yes means to each of us and choosing Yes music accordingly. Not a bad legacy at all for a band that has given so many of us such great joy through the years.

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