Drama (Yes album)

Occupation

Trevor Horn - vocals, bass (track 5)
Steve Howe - guitar, vocals
Chris Squire - bass, vocals, Piano ( Track 5 )
Geoff Downes - keyboards & vocoder
Alan White - drums, vocals

Drama is an album by the band Yes, released in 1980. It has always had commissioned an almost continuous Yes line-up changes, but with Jon Anderson ( vocals) and Rick Wakeman two of the main band members in this case were (keyboards) left the group. This, however, had a lesser impact on the music and so on " drama", as many would have expected. Anderson and Wakeman were replaced by the Buggles, Geoff Downes and Trevor Horn, which can only be heard on this album Yes. " Drama " is the first of two albums on the Jon Anderson does not sing. It is the twelfth album and the tenth studio release.

Formation

After the failure of the Paris sessions in late 1979 Steve Howe, Chris Squire and Alan White returned to the studio to work on new material. The manager of the band, Brian Lane, had already booked a tour in America, which was also completely sold out. Howe, Squire and White concentrated on the harder, rockier material that had previously been rejected in Paris by Anderson and Wakeman. This material was the basis for the next album, " Drama ", including " Run Through the Light", " Does It Really Happen? " And " Tempus fugit ", "( Have We Really Got To) Go Through This ", which later was only played live on " drama" but did not appear and was first heard on the Rhino release of the album, " Crossfire " (on " In a Word: Yes (1969 -)" ), on bootlegs under the title "Untitled I " and another unnamed song that appeared on the Rhino release of the album as" song No.. 4 (Satellite ) "was released, but was ultimately not used on the album. Later and was " 90125 " played 1981 XYZ entitled "Telephone secrets ' (or " Telephone Read ') and itself in the session immediately before Cinema.

As a last attempt, but yet to get Anderson and Wakeman on board, failed in early 1980, because Anderson could not make friends with the songs and also financial disputes made an artistic collaboration impossible. Wakeman, who held Anderson's voice is essential, then saw no future for Yes and left the band as well. Howe, Squire and White were working then continued to write songs.

The departure of Anderson and Wakeman was not publicly announced, given the sold-out tour of caution. Except for a few persons in the vicinity of the band no one knew about it.

Initially it was planned as a bridge before other activities, a live album, Chris Squire put together. As " Yesshows " the planned title was almost finished (there were already first test pressings ), new developments started at the time Squire Yes to complete. The Buggles, Trevor Horn and Geoff Downes, who had just been with her pop song "Video Killed The Radio Star " from their album "The Age of Plastic" a worldwide hit, also attended Brian Lane under contract, and worked in the same randomly Studio, such as Howe, Squire and White. As a big Yes fans watched Rumpfyes at work. Your questions to Anderson and Wakeman were answered evasively. Horn then tried them a song called "We Can Fly from Here " to sell. Squire was interested, and as Steve Howe and Alan White in the short term were not available, a session with Squire, Horn, Downes and Bill Bruford was quickly organized, during which you "We Can Fly from Here " rehearsed. Later, it was also played by the " drama" cast, but did not find the way on the album ( it was played regularly on the tour live). A studio recording of the piece was intended for publication, the Rhino edition of " drama", but in whose possession it is due to communication difficulties between Trevor Horn, and Warner / Rhino, it did not happen. Only in 2011 it was released as part of the suite Fly from here on the eponymous studio album.

Only after some time you opened Downes and Horn, that Anderson and Wakeman were no longer to be joining Yes. Presumably you had want to keep open as long as possible the possibility of a reconciliation. It was not until the time until the tour was short, towards the end of the sessions, Downes and Horn were asked if they would not be Yes - members. Both told, and " drama" was completed in record time by the combination of Yes material with some songs from the Buggles. The publication of the planned live album has now been delayed.

It was only during the tour and only reluctantly and very reluctant to reshuffle was announced.

Cover

The fantasy artist Roger Dean had not worked during the previous albums Tormato and Going for the One for Yes. Only for Drama Dean could be committed again.

The Faltcover of drama shows on the front three black panther, which fro a slope in a plane behind two white birds. The plain is bordered in the background by a sea. In the sea, small islands and on the right a ship wreck find side half out of the water excellent. The final backward form huge icebergs. In the upper center we find the curving Yes logo in new plastic metallic style. Among them in sharp, pointed writing the album title. The picture continues on the back with red, coral-like high tree structures. Again, in the background an iceberg.

On the inside of a almost the entire width endearing image of the new line. To the right of the edge, once the new logo, including the album title, the song title and the other album information. Below the picture again quite symbolically, the three Panter, which observe the two white birds.

Title list

On the original album:

Comments

Only for financial reasons stand with every song the names of all participating musicians, of course, but each book has its own history:

Machine Messiah is based on a Buggles idea, but is of all the pieces on the drama, which is most likely made in cooperation of all members. On White an instrumental passage goes in odd clock back in the middle part.
White Car is a tribute to Gary Numan and comes from Downes and Horn.
Into the Lens also comes from Downes and Horn. It takes place in 1981 as I Am a Camera on the second Buggles album Adventures In Modern Recording.
The basic versions of Does It Really Happen? , Run Through the Light and Tempus Fugit come from original Yes - side. • A bonus track on the Rhino re-release of the previous album Tormato, Everybody 's Song, is an early version of Does It Really Happen, dates from the period between Relayer and Going for the One, and was probably taken with the former keyboardist Patrick Moraz
Two titles were rehearsed by the band, but are not appeared on the final album: Go Through This and We Can Fly From Here. The former is 2004 appeared as Have We Really Got To Go Through This in a studio version on Expanded & Remastered version of Drama (see below ), the latter as part of the suite Fly from here on the eponymous studio album from 2011. Both live versions were for 2005 on The Word Is Live.

The album was remastered in 2004 by Rhino Records and re-released. This edition includes the following 10 bonus tracks:

Comments

9-16 The title had previously never released.
The title track No. 4 (Satellite ) was picked up by Squire and White along with Jimmy Page and Robert Plant during the sessions XYZ again. The song was also played in the cinema sessions, but did not land on 90125th
The title 13-16 come from the failed Paris Sessions ( November 1979) and were recorded by Jon Anderson, Steve Howe, Chris Squire, Rick Wakeman and Alan White and produced by Roy Thomas Baker.

Important 12-inch Media

Into the Lens ( 12 " Remix) (Promo)

Live

Live recordings of drama can be heard on The Word Is Live.

Review

The reviews in the English press were converted by the music scene (Punk, New Romantic, New Wave) and marked accordingly catastrophic. The New Musical Express took nearly together: " 'Yes': No Thanks ". Not only Yes as a band had previously struggled in the British press with image problems, the Buggles had not been very popular despite their single hits before. For the fans, the album received with mixed feelings, less because of the music, but mainly because of the exit of Jon Anderson and Rick Wakeman, both of which were extremely popular. But even Wakeman, who initially rejected the album vehemently seen later in the important intermediate step for later very successful album 90125th After all, the song Into the Lens was often very successful and played in the nightclubs three years before Owner of a Lonely Heart. The weak point of the band is indeed high, and Anderson is similar, but weak voice of Trevor Horn. Squire was convinced that Horn was the song material, old and new, grown, in the studio he also achieved a convincing performance, but live he could not confirm this.

Concerts

When the tour in England was followed by the fan base exactly who had more viewers, Yes, or at the same time on tour located Jon Anderson. Both did well, but Anderson had with his well-chosen and well-balanced between Yes and solo tracks program the hearts of fans on his side. Yes played on this tour in addition to the new tracks yet "Go Through This " and "We Can Fly From Here". The two live versions have been published in 2005 on "The Word Is Live ".

The vocal problems of horn, especially in the old Yes titles, and a confrontation with White loaded horn and beyond the climate in the band. At the end of Yes for ratios quite short tour in the U.S. and in England it was clear that Yes stood before the final corner.

Thus the way was clear for the live album Yesshows, the almost - predecessor was on 24 November 1980 on the successor of drama. The few copies of the test pressing, which were weighed on the market with gold, are now to be seen only by the imprint of the different year on the label.

Yes finally fell apart after the end of the tour. Shortly thereafter, Steve Howe did at the suggestion of the then already former Yes manager Brian Lane with former King Crimson, Uriah Heep - and UK member John Wetton, Carl Palmer later of Emerson, Lake and Palmer and Geoff Downes together, and the four formed the band Asia. He describes the situation at the time as: "When Geoff and I was left Yes in fact no one else there." However, Chris Squire and Alan White worked together still, and looked for new musicians to take on new projects. Including Jimmy Page and Robert Plant with which in 1981 the project called XYZ of the resolution also just Led Zeppelin, to life.

Alan White's White band played after the turn of the millennium some live concerts, a bigger tour, however, came not materialize until today. This is particularly regretted by the fans who like " drama " White have always played material from this album. As well as the planned 2005 The More Drama Tour of the bands The Syn ( with Chris Squire ), White and Steve Howe was canceled, decreased chances of ever again "drama " material to listen live on. Only in 2008, after Yes frontman Jon Anderson had in 2008 sidelined due to a severe asthma disease and one had with Benoit David ( Mystery ), later with Jon Davison ( Glass Hammer ) each found a replacement vocalist, they took the title Tempus Fugit and Machine Messiah back in to live repertoire.

Sources and links

Reviews to drama on the Baby Blue Pages
English website with explanations on Yes' album covers ( version of 25 November 2005 at the Internet Archive )

Album ( Progressive Rock )
Album 1980
Yes album

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