Fly From Here: Return Trip WTF??

I rather liked Benoit's performance on the FFH suite on the album. I remain to be convinced how this will add to anything, aside from adding to the Squire widow pension pot......

However it may be, I guess the best for anyone interested enough is to at least listen to it. I did hear it on YouTube and it didn't convince me to buy it... because I liked better Benoit's vocals and because I agree with most that it is disrespectful. But I did read many comments on the FB news about this album being already available from people who really liked the remix and feel it is an improvement over the original, so it might just as well be worth checking it out before discarding it.

I haven't heard the new version yet, so I cannot comment on how its sounds, but I like the idea. Indeed, recording this album with the original Drama-line up seems like the most natural thing to do, and what they should have done in the first place. Why even hire a new vocalist, when Trevor Horn was already there in the studio with them as a producer? It would have made a lot more sense to have Horn sing on the original version of the album when it was first recorded.

The only reason they hired Benoit David, I believe, was so that they could go on tour, which is outside of Horn's comfort zone, and that it made more sense to them to record the album with the same singer that they would be touring with. That reason is now irrelevant, so it makes sense to redo the album they way it should have been all along, as a true follow-up to Drama.

SouthSideoftheSky wrote: Why even hire a new vocalist, when Trevor Horn was already there in the studio with them as a producer? It would have made a lot more sense to have Horn sing on the original version of the album when it was first recorded.

Both Benoit and Trevor are good singers, but this was an unnecessary move. FFH was alright.

chopper wrote: SouthSideoftheSky wrote: Why even hire a new vocalist, when Trevor Horn was already there in the studio with them as a producer? It would have made a lot more sense to have Horn sing on the original version of the album when it was first recorded. I don't think Horn has the range to sing it properly tbh. I saw Yes on the original Drama tour and Horn looked like he was going to burst a blood vessel trying to sing the pre-Drama Yes numbers.

Like I said above, performing live was outside of Horn's comfort zone, but he was more than capable in the studio. No disrespect to Benoit David, but the band didn't need him in the studio. Live is another matter.







Edited by SouthSideoftheSky - April 05 2018 at 11:30

SouthSideoftheSky wrote: chopper wrote: SouthSideoftheSky wrote: Why even hire a new vocalist, when Trevor Horn was already there in the studio with them as a producer? It would have made a lot more sense to have Horn sing on the original version of the album when it was first recorded. I don't think Horn has the range to sing it properly tbh. I saw Yes on the original Drama tour and Horn looked like he was going to burst a blood vessel trying to sing the pre-Drama Yes numbers. Like I said above, performing live was outside of Horn's comfort zone, but he was more than capable in the studio. No disrespect to Benoit David, but the band didn't need him in the studio. Live is another matter.

Benoit David had already been in the band for two years when they did Fly From Here; I'm assuming the reason they had him sing on the album was that they considered him a member of the band, rather than just a hired gun. They even gave him the same treatment as Jon... by replacing him when he got sick instead of waiting for him to get better.

SouthSideoftheSky wrote: chopper wrote: SouthSideoftheSky wrote: Why even hire a new vocalist, when Trevor Horn was already there in the studio with them as a producer? It would have made a lot more sense to have Horn sing on the original version of the album when it was first recorded. I don't think Horn has the range to sing it properly tbh. I saw Yes on the original Drama tour and Horn looked like he was going to burst a blood vessel trying to sing the pre-Drama Yes numbers. Like I said above, performing live was outside of Horn's comfort zone, but he was more than capable in the studio. No disrespect to Benoit David, but the band didn't need him in the studio. Live is another matter.

Actually, singing Anderson's parts was also out of the comfort zone of Benoit. I have only seen Yes twice... sadly neither one was with Anderson (once with Benoit, and once with Davidson), and I could see Benoit struggling with the high notes too. That's why I was so pleased with Fly from Here... I wasn't so sure about him as a singer, but once he sang on something that could be withing his comfort zone he did so much more beautifully... as far as I'm concerned, better than Horn. Davidson didn't seem to struggle as much as Benoit... but mostly because he doesn't even seem to try, and his performance sounds flatter than it should.

^ I believe it was Horn's idea (since he was already the producer when they chose to bring those old Drama era songs back) to bring Geoff Downes into the band... why he (or they, the whole band) didn't choose to sing them at the time is a puzzle, specially now that we have this Return Trip thing done. However, it might have been a thought to be considered, but in the end I believe the band was diminished by the decision.