Review: Heaven & Earth- Yes

I would like to preface this review by saying that Yes's output in the early 1970s was amazing. The complexity of their arrangements and virtuosity of its members are things of legends. Fragile and Tales from Topographic Oceans are some of my all time favorite albums, and they are one of the cornerstones of progressive rock.

That being said, what the hell happened? Among countless lineup changes throughout the last 35 or so years, Yes in terms of studio output has been a little hit or miss, but had it's number of solid albums. With news of the release of Heaven & Earth, I can honestly say I was moderately anticipating it. I wasn't expecting Yes circa 1972, but I really wasn't expecting this. Some people may be quick to blame their new vocalist Jon Davidson for the sound of this album, but that is just simply not true. I think his contributions here are some of the best moments on this album, and I think he fits the band well. That being said, this album is pretty far from any incarnation of Yes I've ever heard.

There's the early Yes which is kind of confused as to what it wants to be, then the golden era prog juggernaut Yes, followed by their pop and new wave experimentation, and then back to attempting the prog sound that was their real claim to fame. Notice I didn't list AM soft rock anywhere in there, which is really all I hear when I listen to this. The chops are there, but their sound just seems so watered down, like they were afraid to play over a certain volume or speed. Steve Howe and Chris Squire are terribly underutilized on this album. You're making a record with an amazing guitar player and bassist, respectively, and you don't have them spread their wings even a little?

All in all, this album isn't really as terrible as it is frustrating. I feel like if the members of Yes were feeling more adventurous, and stepped outside their comfort zone like they used to, they would have arrived with an album a little more memorable, and a little less, dare I say it, Peter Cetera-y. I've heard their most recent tour will involve playing Fragile and Close to the Edge in their entirety, along with other hits, and some cuts off of this. I hope they realize when they dive into those albums what this effort was missing. In essence, I hope that Close to the Edge helps them realize that this project was devoid of any edge whatsoever.

Out of a total of five stars, I give this:

"Copyright Disclaimer Under Section 107 of the Copyright Act 1976, allowance is made for "fair use" for purposes such as criticism, comment, news reporting, teaching, scholarship, and research. Fair use is a use permitted by copyright statute that might otherwise be infringing. Non-profit, educational or personal use tips the balance in favor of fair use."