FLY FROM HERE

It it was not for the "B Side", the album would have received a 4.5 stars. Firstly I do not agree with many critics, including Anderson, that the album is dated. It is not dated. Good songs are good songs. I mean in prog rock trends of today, you get to see a lot of simulation of 70's music and you still like it if it is good. Why? The problem with Yes after Talk was its inability to produce an "inspired" album despite having some of the world's most talented musicians. Inspiration is not talent. Its the spirit. I suspect the band lost its inspiration because its members did not have anything new to prove to its audience or did not have any new statements to make musically. May be this is why, the band (with Horn and Downess-- who had long declared themselves as top Yes fans even before doing Drama) revisited its old unreleased music to find the long lost inspiration. and that is not a bad thing to do. They have talents and they needed a music that was heart-felt. The Fly from Here suite is that music. Now the next questions: did they perform well with the Fly from here? is it worthy a progressive rock 20 plus minutes song as a whole? Did it have the yes signature? Is it yet another Yes masterpiece? The answer: its a four-star song. It just falls short of being a masterpiece because overall it did not offer the masterpiece signature. For instance the "bumpy ride" section was a disappointment coming from Steve Howe. Plus there are too many repetitive parts. Nevertheless the suite has enough melodies, beautiful vocals and some great background guitar works that makes you listen to it again and again (well for some time). While I liked the title track, despite its shortcomings, my feelings about the remaining tracks are mixed. The remaining songs are pleasant in general-- none of them are bad. Then again none of them are really great. The closing track Into the Storm had great potentials-- but under-explored. Overall the album's best side is vocals. David is a wonderful vocalist with a lot of natural melody who pumps life into even the most mediocre composition (Hour of Need). But the album is not unputdownable. Still I highly recommend people to hear this album-- its the best after ABHW; and slightly above Talk.