Fly From Here attempts to offer, amongst all this, an image of Yes that isn't hampered by the past, with five tracks smuggled onto the end of the record but having no narrative relation to the 'epic' that sells it.
Unfortunately, the band gets drowned out by weak vocals and synth goop – Steve Howe takes only a few disappointingly brief guitar solos, beyond his acoustic "Solitaire."
The first half's schmaltzy flight-themed concept and the cliche-stewn acoustic second half mean that take-off, to labour an already laboured concept, proves indefinitely delayed. [Sep 2011, p.105]
Fly from Here the new album by Yes is a masterpiece! The album itself has a timeless quality about it, and is a pleasure to listen to. TrevorFly from Here the new album by Yes is a masterpiece! The album itself has a timeless quality about it, and is a pleasure to listen to. Trevor Horn ex-lead singer for Yes is once again with the band as strictly a producer/cowriter, and the product is brilliant. Note: (Trevor Horn replaced Jon Anderson as lead vocalists in the band for the Drama album exclusively, as well as the tour in support of the album). This release also marks the debut of Benoît David the new lead singer for Yes, and I have to say I am extremely impressed with his vocals. David appears to sometimes sound a bit like Anderson, but more like Horn, so much so that at times one might think they were listening to something from Drama that was never released. That in fact is not far from the truth, as the title track "Fly from Here" an epic six part piece is based on a demo from 1980 entitled "We Can Fly from Here". Having expanded the demo track into the epic it now is was a fantastic idea, and it works mainly due to Benoît David's vocal similarity to Trevor Horn. The other five tracks are primarily stand-alone tunes and are beautifully written and performed by the band as a whole. Rejoining Yes for Fly from Here is yet another member of the band from the Drama album, on keyboards completely outdoing himself is Geoff Downes, and Geoff is at the top of his game, and is refreshing to hear performing at his progressive rock peak. Longtime Yes members Chris Squire , Alan White, and Steve Howe are also in rare form, especially throughout the six part "Fly from Here". This album signifies a new beginning for Yes, and brings us some closure from the days of Drama (one of my favorite albums), as well as opening the future for the band building on the Drama sound and taking it to an entirely new level. Fly from Here in many ways is the follow-up to Drama ,that we as Yes fans never got, and although many fans may refuse to accept any other singer then Jon Anderson, get over it! Change can be a good thing, and in the case of Fly from Here an exceptional musical experience!…Expand
Like many others, I wasn't expecting much from this release, but it's very good. With Trevor Horn producing and Geoff Downes on keyboards,Like many others, I wasn't expecting much from this release, but it's very good. With Trevor Horn producing and Geoff Downes on keyboards, you might expect it to sound a lot like Drama from 1980, but it doesn't. I think the main reason is Steve Howe. On Drama it seemed like they were trying to be a metal group at times, but there's a lot of acoustic guitar on Fly From Here and a different style of playing entirely.
The title track should appeal to you if you liked Close To The Edge. I like that each section works pretty well on it's own, but it sounds like a complete suite when they are played together. The Man You Always Wanted Me To Be is a beautiful ballad from Chris Squire. Hour of Need is almost a folk song and features a great acoustic performance from Howe, along with the instrumental Solitaire. Into The Storm is the hardest rocker.
There are a couple of missteps - Bumpy Ride is cheesy and Life On A Film Set sounds like a mediocre ELP song, with lots of overly dramatic flourishes and pauses. I do miss Jon Anderson's vocals, but Benoit David does a good job making this his own and sounds nicer than Trevor.…Expand
As their 1980 bomb "Drama" proved, Yes without John Anderson is a sturdy ship without a sail. Don't get me wrong, the songwriting is prettyAs their 1980 bomb "Drama" proved, Yes without John Anderson is a sturdy ship without a sail. Don't get me wrong, the songwriting is pretty good, and the Squire/Howe duo deliver as usual, there are also a few catchy songs on this album, but Benoit's unenthusiastic delivery leaves even the good stuff falling flat.…Expand
