well, im sure this will go in the same pile as the previous god knows how many yes cds...listen once on youtube, laugh/cry about how terrible it is, never listen to it again. 

It's gonna suck. Why does anybody get excited about dinosaurs making mammalian music?

Yes, of course is one of the best bands in the world regarding their classic era but why does anybody care now?

It's a brand name! I love Steve How but he's not relevant by modern progressive standards

If i'm wrong i'd be VERY HAPPY but my realistic expectations are that this WILL SUCK!

My advice: retire the YES brand and create YES derivative like Soft Machine did

Let's see

YES REVISITED

YES AFTER

YES MACHINE

YES NOT NO

YES (but not what you want!)

LOL

Uh, i think he has done more than Yes albums! Is he this desperate?

I can only hope that the music is as good as the album cover!

Like everyone else, i really WANT something good!

May it be so!

There can never be enough of his works, is what I was implying. Also, money's money, and he probably knows that people will appreciate his drawings whether it adorns a stinker of an album or not. There's no downside to it.

I've never been a huge Steve Howe fan, he's too trebly for me but he fits with Yes always has.

I can't say for sure this album will suck, there is a decent chance it will but these are accomplished musicians so I need to give them a chance. Could be labels are trying to send them a message too, no more Atlantic, ATCO but InsideOut is giving them a shot.

Yeah I have started doing this, but I don't think I managed to get though the first 2 tracks of Heaven and Earth, it felt like my life force was being sucked out of me!

At least the press release implies that they will attempt to do Prog this time, as it will have extended instrumental breaks and keep the traditional Yes tropes. That being said I think Heaven and Earth had both those things as well...but I want to be positive!

I'm still hopeful they have another Magnification in them, which was a mostly solid set of songs plus 2-3 tracks that get close to the quality of their classic era.

If I remmeber currectly, few years ago Allan White could'nt play drums. So its quite a suprise to see him on this new album. 

Catcher10 wrote: I've never been a huge Steve Howe fan, he's too trebly for me but he fits with Yes always has.

I love Steve Howe... as a guitar player. He has a unique sound and technique. But as composer....... He has never been good at that (looking at his solo albums).

This is great news! I will definitely pre-order this.

Some people will always complain no matter what the band does. Personally, I think that a studio albums is exactly what is needed after all of these live albums. A band that exclusively plays live and don’t create any new material is basically just a tribute band to themselves. It is only by creating new music that a band stays relevant.

We shall see. And hear. (And cry. Probably.)

Jon Anderson is the Voice of Yes, always will be. With Squire gone now it makes Jon even more important if they wanted to continue as Yes....I just have a hard time calling this lineup Yes.

Roger Dean did not die. You must be thinking of Storm Thorgerson who was born the same year as Roger but died in 2013.

And yes, Jon Anderson is the voice of Yes, but he is also the soul of this band.

I think with the covid lockdown they had more time to works the songs. I would be surprised that it's as bad as Heaven and Earth

So he must have done The Quest album cover a few years before it was recorded then? Fortunately he is very much alive.

Considering Sherwood collaborated with William Shatner doesn't exactly give him the best prog creds in the world!

The Quest will only be the fourth new, full-length Yes studio album from the last 20 years; it's been seven years since the previous one. Yes studio albums don't exactly grow on trees these days. And now that they are finally breaking the silence, all people do is complain. I for one am happy that they still making new music, a new studio record is soo much more interesting to me than endless touring and live albums with subpar renditions of the classics.

Catcher10 wrote: The more I think about Billy Sherwood, the more I think this is a mistake....

Chris Squire is sadly no longer with us, so making another album with him is obviously impossible. Squire wanted the band to continue, and before his death he appointed Sherwood to play the bass in his stead. I cannot think of anybody else that would have been a more obvious choice, not only because of Squire's wish, but also because he already had history with the band. Nobody else ticks those boxes.

This . . .

I hear you.....but honoring someone's wish does not mean this is the best for music creation going forward. I could think of several bass players that could contribute more from a performance level than Sherwood.

The more I think about this the more it really should have been a solo Howe album or call it something else than Yes.....Making a case for Sherwood is sad, the effort should be to make a case for Jon Anderson and Rick Wakeman to return. And if Howe is really, really totally against Jon and Rick coming back then Yes is over.

As for the  Jon and Rick comment well I guess in your opinion Yes should have called it quits after Heaven and Earth (if not sooner). 

Geddy I highly doubt would agree to assume Squire's role, sure he played with them at the RRHoF but that's not the same. I was not thinking Geddy Lee.......but I don't think Sherwood again, from a musical view, is that great, he's fine. Tony Levin would be able reproduce those monster bass licks. Logical only in that supposedly Chris wanted him in the band, they were friends.

We will see, maybe his playing will be better suited to the Yes sound today as I am sure Sherwood feels the pressure to perform like Squire.....See the issue is that Squire's sound was a huge, huge part of the Yes sound, it's what everyone talks about, it's the meat and bones of Yes. 

I don't care who you are, after 40+ years people want the classic Yes sound again, not Howe's sound which is much too trebly.

I'm hoping for a good record, but it won't be a Yes record.

I take it you haven't seen Yes with Sherwood in the band? His sound is similar to Squire's but he's not a copycat. Apparently many fans would be upset with Billy if he deliberately tried to sound like Squire. 

Howe has been with the band on and off since 1971. Would you rather have Trevor Rabin on guitar? 

As for the name, I don't care much about that. If people don't want to call it a Yes record that's fine with me. I think of ABWH as a Yes album but many disagree with that sometimes because of semantics. Over on the rush fans website there's a poll and so far I don't think anyone on there thinks of this new one as being "the real Yes." I personally think they have a right to call themselves Yes since this band is descended from the Squire band but I seem to be in the minority these days. Of course I would prefer if Jon was in the band(and Rick too for that matter) but we all know that's probably not going to happen (especially not with Rick).

Dellinger wrote: About Sherwood, I'm more concerned about his contributions to writing and producing music, than his ability to play the bass.

Look at the credits for Heaven & Earth and it should be clear that they needed another writer in the band. Of course nobody wants the new Yes material to sound like a Billy Sherwood solo album, so let's hope that they've taken a democratic approach when composing the new songs.

ARW failed to deliver a new studio album, so bringing Anderson and Wakeman back together with Howe would probably not have helped to make new music anyway.

how did they fail? They have not even tried... 

I hope they make a new record, just to annoy Howe... 

Well, they did two tours, and then it went quiet, and it's been a few years already now. I think it is safe to say that ARW is a thing of the past now, and no studio album resulted from that. Rabin has stated that they had three or four songs they were working on, but nobody was commited enough to do a full album.

But sure, me too I think that they should make a new record, but I'm not holding my breath.

This ^

I have not seen the band with Sherwood, don't think I would want to anymore. I've heard the studio music with Sherwood, and blame it on the mix or his playing but it's not beefy enough. The thick bass lines don't exist..........Last night I was spinning Fragile, Squire's playing is so amazing, clearly nobody can replace him but for sure, but there are bass players who have that thick, in your face bass licks.

I think Yes are turning into a cover band of themselves, I would not go see them unless Jon and Rick were apart of the live show.

I'm not that familiar with modern Styx but I know what you mean and I agree. Imo Yes started to drop the ball after Jon Anderson left in 2008 or whenever it was due to health issues. The album fly from here was pretty good but live I think there was much to be desired. So yes, some bands are able to hold it together longer than others and Yes aren't really one of those bands unfortunately. I think even Rush had some trouble with this(mostly with maintaining high quality albums later on and not so much live shows which were always great when I saw them) but at least they more or less went out with a bang. 

It's ok. I addressed that already though and said you probably got him mixed up with Storm Thorgerson (who did PF album covers among others). 

I'm pumped to see Styx in September, will be my first time seeing them. The new album is rather good, both Tommy Shaw and JY have done a great job at keeping the music fresh and full of life as well they have brought on musicians who have filled the sound well, especially on drums. Hoping Chuck Panozzo makes it for this one....

Why is it so hard for old horses to go out to the pasture and die? Everything has an expiration date.

I'm with those who consider Magnification their last great effort.

Perhaps they need an album called Nursing Home Nightmares.

It might be more appropriate.

 Great commentary! 

Some old horses are doing fine - King Crimson continues to amaze IMHO.  I've seen them twice in their recent incarnation (Jakko on backing guitar & lead vocals), they were superb both times.  

This is Howe's band, and I don't think he's proven himself to be a great bandleader - GTR blew up, Asia teetered and fell, his own solo projects don't impress etc.  

At least Sherwood has some cred from being a former band member - I just don't think he's all that good. There are many talented bassists who could do at least as well, although Squire was a unique genius for his playing and signing.  

We'll see, I'm not expecting much.  

KC has displayed a longevity that's quite impressive for sure.

I'm not saying horses need to go die because of chronological age.

I'm talking about a complete collapse of creativity which makes them irrelevant.

Even David Bowie cranked out one of his best albums before he went bye bye.

Nothing against the Yes members but indeed Howe has been stale for quite some time now :(

This pretty much hits the nail on the head. There are plenty of bands who are still making good music despite how long they've been around; hell, one of Rush's most acclaimed albums was their final one! The issue lies more in how stale the songwriting is, and a band can go stale after their 2nd record or their 20th record. Just depends on what band you're talking about, and unfortunately Yes has been putting out duds for a few decades now. I'm really not excited for this new album, seeing as Steve How and Alan White are the only members left from the band's heyday (Geoff Downes doesn't count since the only classic Yes album he was on is Drama) 

SO against this.  Get a new band name at least.  This smacks of desperation.  Not having it.

You might be right but there's no need to kill it off before it's even released. I will give it a few listens and see.

I had to look this up: according to the album's wikipedia page, Sherwood did some of the mixing and also engineering of the backing vocals (not the lead vocals, as I understand it).

 

Anyway, if you don't like The Ladder or other 90's Yes albums, then you're probably not going to like the upcoming one either. Personally, I do like 90's Yes, and I hope that The Quest will be a bit like The Ladder

I agree...

This is what I have been saying all along about Sherwood. But yet we have fans who are trying to defend him simply because he played with them already and it was Squire's wish for him to be in the band. If Sherwood helped write previous songs then the proof is in the pudding, it was not very good. Why would this new album be any different?

His playing is not that great, again maybe a better mix will help, maybe the engineer can push his volume up and put him more out front like Squire, we will see. 

Catcher10 wrote: If Sherwood helped write previous songs then the proof is in the pudding, it was not very good. Why would this new album be any different?

He did help write songs for the albums he was involved in, and if you don't like any of those albums, then you're probably not going to like The Quest. It all boils down to expectations, the best we can hope for I think is that the new album will be as good as the band's 90's albums. If that is not good enough, then don't bother. Personally, I like 90's Yes, and I "defend" Sherwood as the rightful heir to Squire, and the band's best bet to make new music. Yet, as I've said before, I hope that Sherwood's influence on the new songs will not be too big, and that they've taken a band approach to composing, because I want a Yes album, and not something that sounds like a Sherwood solo album.

I think this will be something close to Fly From Here. No idea why so many people here expect another Heaven & Earth, I’d say that ‘masterpiece’ from 2014 was just an occasional shameful episode in the band’s biography, just a hackwork. I agree with those who call Jon Anderson the spirit of Yes. I even consider him the ESSENCE of Yes. But even Jon Anderson was involved in such a shameful affair as Big Generator. The most important moment IMHO is always WHO WROTE THE MUSIC. No matter if Steve Howe is a producer, the main composer for The Quest is (according to recent gossips) Geoff Downes. If so, I’d say it’s more or less optimistic news. Do you remember how he worked on Fly From Here? It was the main author of Drama doing his best to make something as close (musically) to The Yes Album or Fragile as he could. Was he successful? In my terms, yes he was. Even despite the absence of Jon Anderson, the band musically led by Downes created a quite listenable album quite in the vein of genuine Yes. Why should we now expect a worse result? Some participants of our discussion decisively declared that they are not ready to pre-order The Quest. I did not make a decision yet (I collect vinyl and strongly prefer limited versions, so my decision to pre-order will mean a decision to spend a decent amount...), but anyway I see no reason for pessimistic prognosis.

I guess that settles it then....discussion over! 

The first track, The Ice Bridge, just dropped on YouTube:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D_tNZUv1L-c

First few seconds sounds like Fanfare For the Common Man

I don't hear Howe and Sherwood in the vocal harmonies. Wonder if that will be so on the other tracks as well...

New video just out

Not as bad as i feared but doesn't sound like Yes either

But first and foremost, Geoff Downes in the foreground  Listen to that upfront call to arms....

I like it (like most YES, but, hey, I'm a fanboy)

Does not sound like Yes because it is a cover band now. Again, no need to pre-order anything it will be available in bunches.

It's highly forgettable, Lord of the Rings type stuff or possibly Hackett fantasy running thru the forest with wolves.

You don't think there can be other reasons to pre-order something other than the fear that the thing in question will sell out and leave you without a copy? I will pre-order this album just so I get the album as soon as I can, that's it.

Pretty much that's the only reason to pre-order something, that it will sell out. I highly doubt this sells out, unless they only press like 50 of them.

I got through about 6 minutes (but only because I was in another room doing something else). I would say it is boring and derivative. Musically, it sounds nothing like Yes. Thanks for sharing, I don't have to waste any money.

Yeah It's OK, not so bad as we thought. But the problem I have with this song is that the playing sounded perfect, too perfect. The singer was loaded with auto tune.

I think this is a fair assessment and I'm in agreement. 

^^ Yes, so am I (except for the fact that expectations can never be wrong: they can be high or low, they can be met or not, but they can never be wrong or right...they're just expectations).

What I hear in this song is a Steve Howe dominated track, and also a very present Geoff Downes... The others just follow. It is not forgettable pop because it's not pop, but to me it is very forgettable: Steve Howe does what he is doing since more than 40 years, Geoff Downes is stuck in the 80s... To me it sounds a bit if Howe teamed up with the Buggles, but it is very far from Adventourous things in Modern Recording. I will definitely listen to the rest of the album when it comes out, but if the rest is like this I won't buy it.

My take is that Yes is not innovating any more. They were, from one album to the next, always trying out new things, experimenting, both in their songwriting as in their playing. In my opinion they maintained this "progressive" stance (in the sense of continuing to experiment and innovate) up till the Talk album (with the exception, maybe, of Big Generator). I very much like the Maginification album, but I think they were already harking back more to what Yes was instead of going forward to what Yes could become next (and this harking back actually already happened with the ABWH-album, imho).

This sounds better than anything on the H&E album, which was a splendid proof of the possibility that really great musicians can put out mediocre music, but it is not original, creative and innovative enough for me to be convinced by it. I'll wait for the rest and see (hear)...

Yeah, that is hard to defend.

Source:  https://twitter.com/asiageoff" rel="nofollow - https://twitter.com/asiageoff

I think we need more details.

How long before someone makes a poll about which version of the song is preferred?

Well, I suppose that Downes very well knows what he has done when and that he also knows what others have done in the same period (or in other periods), so I tend to believe what he says. Maybe naively, but why would he lie? He knows that in our digital age everything gets uncovered by a click...

That said, it still doesn't sound original, which is actually explained by the fact that it dates from 1977 (!). Did I say something before about "harking back"...?

Trying to make a bag full of elephant dung smell like roses... 

First track released on YouTube.

Does anyone else hear a nod to Emerson in the opening synth line here?

Over all I am a little underwhelmed by this tune. It's not terrible or anything, just a little bland, as some Yes songs are. I need to hear more of the album. But from just this track a definite step up from Heaven and Earth.

And now listen to this ???

No need to reply, I was speaking rhetorically.