TORMATO

Tormato is not quite as bad as some people make it out to be. There is some excellent material on this record, for example Future Times/Rejoice, On the Silent Wings of Freedom and Circus of Heaven. But the album has poor production and the synth and bass sounds are below Yes' previous standards. This really lets the album down, particularly when it is compared to the fluffy textures of Yes's previous, and even their later efforts. However, the production of the album makes it charming and unique among other Yes releases.

Tormato clearly was a confused period for Yes, as the songs seem to belong to about four different albums, all of them pieced together into a slightly disjointed work. We have some funky tracks and some light Jon Anderson tracks, but unlike most other Yes albums, the songs don't quite fit together. It is a bit like one of those puzzles with pieces that almost fit together, but not quite. But none of the album is cringe-worthy; most of the material is well written and played rather well.

I conclude by saying that Tormato is a good album, even though it falls short in comparison to many of Yes's other releases. The sound of this album is particularly flat on vinyl, so I recommend that you buy it on CD. A copy of Tormato on CD can be found cheap, and it is a nice album to keep in your car or bedroom for those times when you are in need of a light fix of Yes.

3 stars.

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