MIRROR TO THE SKY

Here's a review that I did not think I could arrive upon until very recently. About a month ago, I went onto Apple Music and downloaded the most recent Yes album, Mirror to the Sky. I must say that I've been pleasantly surprised by this offering from Howe, Downes, Davison, Sherwood, and Schellen. Previously, I've studiously avoided any Yes albums released since Fly from Here. In fact, on one level, I feel that I'm a "traitor" to Jon Anderson. The very regrettable fashion in which Howe, Squire, and White used the 2008 occasion of Jon Anderson's respiratory illness to jettison him from the band remains, to me, suspect. In 1980, I grew to like Drama not only based on the quality of the music, but also because Anderson and Wakeman voluntarily "recused" themselves from the band.

In March of 2013, Squire, Howe, White, Downes, and Davison performed at the Hard Rock Live venue in Biloxi, MS. At the last minute, I resolved that, although I strongly disagreed with the less than "gentlemanly" fashion in which Squire, Howe, and White parted ways with Anderson, my daughter and I would drive from New Orleans to attend the show. Especially in the wake of Squire and White's deaths, I'm glad we did. We arrived at the juncture in which the band began the vocal section of "Close to the Edge," continuing through the balance of the album. Then, Squire and "company" played "The Yes Album" in its entirety. Although I found Geoff Downes keyboards, overall, low in the mix, Downes emerged in the forefront as he "nailed" Tony Kaye's piano parts from a "Venture." Due to time constraints imposed by the Hard Rock live venue, we were denied the third section of this album tour, "Going for the One." Fortunately, I was later able to watch a performance of "Going for the One" from this tour on YouTube.".

"Fast forward" to 2016 . . . . We now have another incarnation of Yes: Anderson, Rabin, and Wakeman (with bassist Lee Pomeroy and drummer Louis Molino III). Courtesy of my oldest son, he and I attended the ARW concert in November of 2016 at the Saenger Theater in New Orleans. Simply put, these five gentlemen delivered a truly poignant Yes concert. (Also noteworthy in my recollections ? this concert occurred in the wake of the election of a certain, dubious personage to the American Presidency). 2Mercifully, 2017 brought with it the extremely, long overdue induction of Yes into the Rock 'n' Roll Hall of Fame. Part of me, in the spirit of Marlon Brando's refusal of the Oscar for Best Actor for the Godfather, has held the notion that the eight members of the band inducted that night would have been justified in refusing this honor . . . ! Regardless, Anderson, Howe, Rabin, Wakeman & White with Geddy Lee as bassist delivered the obligatory, but largely welcome rendition of "Roundabout." Perhaps even more welcome was the performance of "Owner of a Lonely Heart" by Anderson, Rabin, Wakeman & White with Howe supplying the bass line on a Rickenbacker. Ah, yes, "Stand on the Hills of Long Forgotten Yesterdays."

As of this present time, I have yet to listen to any of The Quest; no matter, the strength of Mirror to the Sky will lead me back to The Quest. Mirror to the Sky exemplifies many of the qualities one would expect "worthy" of a Yes album . . . . Previously, I referred to Jon Davison as "pseudo" Jon Anderson. The weight of the band's performance on this, their latest album has helped me remove the designation of "pseudo." I believe I can speak for all "Yes freaks" in my ever present grief regarding the losses of Chris Squire and Alan White. Through their performances, Billy Sherwood and Jay Schellen help us deal with this sadness with their evocative presence of their mentors . . . . Geoff Downes is dominant in Uncommon Place, One Second is Enough, the ending of Cut from the Stars and the opening of Luminosity. Otherwise, the keyboardist adopts a more "supportive" role throughout, deferring to crisp orchestrations of Paul K. Joyce and the performance of the FAMES Orchestra in Skopje, North Macedonia.

As producer and master "of all things with strings," Steve Howe guarantees continuity with the fifty-five year tradition of Yes.

So, perhaps in the future, this Mirror to the Sky incarnation of Yes might just pay the Crescent City a visit.