Yes - Heaven & Earth

Yes
Heaven & Earth
16 July 2014
Frontiers

2.5 stars out of 5

 

Singer Jon Davison was born a year and a half after Yes released their debut LP in 1969. Now twenty-one albums into their career, the only remaining member of the original Yes line-up is bassist Chris Squire, and only Squire and guitarist Steve Howe remain from the version of the band that recorded 1972’s Close to the Edge, one of the very best records to emerge from the progressive rock scene of the 1970s. Be warned: if you plan to derive any sort of pleasure from Heaven & Earth, do not make any attempt to compare it to that earlier classic album, as it will only lead to deep depression.

While Yes haven’t exhibited any sort of musical forward thinking in some three and a half decades, it’s still a shock to hear just how far the band has fallen from its peak. With the exception of the almost interesting “Light of the Ages” and the slightly more interesting “Subway Walls,” most of Heaven & Earth is an entire thesaurus of adjectives which are synonyms for “dull,” “uninspired,” and “characterless.” The majority of the tracks here are almost offensive in their cheesiness. One is prompted to wonder why the band even bothered to replace the ailing Jon Anderson with anyone at all if that the remaining members were just going to create edgeless elevator music anyway. Should have gone straight for the instrumental dentist’s waiting room music, I say.

If the band had decided to simply cut and paste “Subway Walls” six or seven times and call that the album, it would have warranted three stars (the song’s inclusion here is the only reason the record had more than two stars). It’s a song that recalls the band’s glory days of dynamic arrangements, odd time signatures, and a general sense of inventiveness. On its own it gives hope, but buried in the boring muck that comprises the rest of Heaven & Earth it serves more to depress the listener as an indication of missed opportunities. If you do have the opportunity to miss this record, jump on it.

reviewed by Richard Krueger