TORMATO

Where Yes' previous albums fell on the right side of the Edge, this one stumbles over it in a quite disgraceful way. The songwriting is very mediocre at best. Short songs without much of a hook or melodies worth remembering.

It doesn't start all too bad though. Future Times, Don't Kill the Whale and Madrigal had the potential to be decent tracks. However, Wakeman chose to butcher each one of them with the most pointless drivel he ever got out of his annoying mosquito-moogs. Even in 1978 that moog sound had been dated for ages.

Release Release is interesting for the slight punk vibe it has in the verses, similar to how the Police would sound later. But they kill it again with a terrible bridge and chorus. Arriving UFO is another directionless track with very bad melodies. And don't get me started on that synthesizer again. On Circus of Heaven and Onward, Anderson comes up with a better melodies but it hardly feels like Yes material.

The first 3 minute of Silent Wings sound promising but they spoil it after 3.30 minutes with nasty breaks and modulations that are completely disjointed from the verses.

I'm a bit between 2 and 3 stars. If you could make me a remix with all of Wakeman's parts left out, I might end up with 3. Oh, and spare yourself the extra tracks of the re-issue if you don't want things to get too shameful.