FLY FROM HERE

Ten years is a long time. Still i have been following this band since i was 11, that is since 1980...the year they released "Drama". So this, to me personally, seems like full circle, in a odd way..a very odd way. The thing is i am a HUGE fan of YES. They are my favourite band and "Relayer" and "Close To The Edge" are my favourite albums ever..the greatest masterpieces of Rock, period! But having said,that i must say that i have always been capable of judging their input free of preconceptions and fanaticism. So, on to the review and let´s make this fairly quick and painless. It is not a masterpiece but it´s definitely a strong effort. It is, to me, their best studio offering since, erm, "Drama" (it´s on par with that work), with the exception of the studio pieces of "Keys To Ascencion" (or "Keysstudio" if you which) that i adore! The epic is quite consistent, although i find "bumpy Ride" doesn´t fit well, despite being too Horn-Downes sounding. Howe and Squire excell on this song and throughout the album, as does musicianship all around. Benoit David is a good singer and although i would love to have Anderson back i find him a worthy addition. The other songs are all good, particularly the excellent "Into The Storm" (my favourite track) and "Life On a Film Set" (again a Horn-Downes sounding piece). All in all, quite a good work, but ocasionally patchy and hurried. Not a brave effort, as i would love to see again from the band that released the 70s classics but by no means anything to regret.