Sunday, May 29, 2011

Yes


Yes released the album Tormato in 1978, right after the success of Going for the One (1977), which saw the return of Rick Wakeman on the keyboards. This would be the final album with Anderson, Howe, Squire, and Wakeman playing together. The album suffered a bit from the musical climate of the day as punk music began to congeal in Britain. Progressive rock was becoming an old horse; people were tiring of endless, lofty instrumentation and over-your-head lyricism, both classic trademarks of Yes's early days, and prog rock in general. The songs on Tormato are much shorter and radio friendly, and despite landing on the top 10, the album was reviled amongst the formerly dedicated Yes audience and hardcore prog fans alike. With the less-than-stellar public reception, Jon Anderson (lead singer, lyricist, and composer) took the opportunity to bow out, with Wakeman quickly following suit. Still, the album does have plenty of classic Yes moments, namely the closing track (posted earlier) "On the Silent Wings of Freedom," which could stand right alongside the most raucous and inspired moments of Fragile (1971).
"Madrigal":

and the chart-topping "Don't Kill the Whale":

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