TORMATO

Once again, the band are confused as to their direction, and once again it works against them. It was their first real dog since the muddled TALES, but at least there you could tell what they were trying to go for. Here it's anyone's guess. They seemed to be flying in every direction at once.

They seemed to be trying out a whole bunch of different styles on this album-from AOR-styled arena rock ("Don't Kill The Whale", "Release, Release") to out and out MOR pop balladry ("Onward")-none of which fit well. And Anderson's lyrics border on self-parody at times. "Don't Kill The Whale" is mawkish and sanctimonious, "Arriving U.F.O." is just plain silly, and "Circus Of Heaven" (complete with a treacly walk-on by Anderson's kindergarten-aged son Damion) drowns in an excess of cutesy whimsy. The band are not helped by Wakeman's questionable decision to excise most of his tried-and-true keyboard equipment in favour of the screeching, braying sounds of the Polymoog, rendering even some of the album's better moments unlistenable.

Still, moments of Yes' former greatness manage to shine through. "Future Times"/"Rejoice" is a bit of a humble little couplet, but it grows on you in a big way. And "On The Silent Wings Of Freedom" is classic Yes. I wish Wakeman had chosen to solo on his Minimoog rather than the obnoxiously shrill Polymoog, but musically it's the strongest thing here by far.

In a nutshell: another disappointment that caused Wakeman to bail.