THE LADDER

Yes usually has often produced its own albums, but for The Ladder veteran producer Bruce Fairbairn (Bon Jovi, Kiss (?!)) was put at the controls to create streamlined Yessongs for radio airplay. In the process, Yes created music straying from its ideals that disappointed some of its most loyal fans.

The only classic Yessong on the album is the title track, a fantastic, 10-minute excursion in progressive rock featuring sharp guitar and keyboard twists and turns, intriguing lyrics, and perhaps the most passionate delivery ever by singer Jon Anderson.

There are other good songs on the album. "Face to Face" is sunny prog-pop with powerful drums and front and center guitar, sort of a cousin of "Going For the One." "Nine Voices" is a short but dreamy acoustic guitar piece perfect for getting high and contemplating God on a South Pacific beach. "New Language" is 9-minute prog tour de force, opening with dueling guitar and organ. Unfortunately, it's marred by a crazy, shrill chorus that sounds like a Split Enz/Crowded House song reworked for a kid's TV show.

However, the rest of the tracks are formula soft rock excursions - after 30 seconds, you pretty much know where the rest of the song is going. "Finally" is payola for classic rock radio. "The Messenger" and "To Be Alive" are hewn for adult contemporary radio; "It Will be a Good Day" is a numbingly simplistic tune possibly created for religious radio. The syrupy "If Only You Knew" is a slide guitar ballad aimed at country stations! And the craziest track of all is "Lighting Strikes," a calypso (?!) ditty that somehow was supposed to draw the nation to shopping malls and set cash registers ablaze with a hit single. Didn't happen.

If you're a long time Yes fan, or new to the band's complex yet sunny extreme musicianship, "The Ladder" should not be a high priority. Check out 1997's far superior "Keys to Ascension 2," which featured their best studio work since 1972's "Close the Edge."