FISH OUT OF WATER

Squire was my favorite Yes member, but as others have noted, you really just don't appreciate how essential he is to their overall sound. He has a very solid voice--he can hit the high notes and while his enunciation and texture are not spectacular, his harmonizing is part of the reason why Anderson sounds so good. At any rate, this is no lost Yes album. You'll hear many moments that where you can close your eyes and imagine Yes playing along, until you listen for Howe's itchy guitar and Anderson's angelic tone and goofy lyrics. This album has all the bounciness and happiness of a Yes album, but the bass is cranked up and the orchestra is ever present, leading to a fairly unique sound to my ears.

Hold Out Your Hand, You By My Side. These are essentially one song with two melodies. Plenty of playful bass/church organ interplay on the former, and a majestic series of vocal harmonies and beautiful orchestral chords in the latter. So full and lush, you can't help but smile at the end.

Silently Falling. A nice transition leads to a nice melodic build, and then Moraz, Squire and Bruford REALLY cut it loose. This was back when Moraz was still tasteful and somewhat restrained, and Squire rips out some awesome grooves. The track then slowly finishes with a melancholy refrain. A brilliant contrast to the beginning the largely works for me.

Lucky Seven. I'm always a sucker for changing things up and adding diversity to an album, so this jazzy groove in 7/4 is very welcome. It's definitely the weak point, and almost 7 minutes is too long, but some of Squire's basslines are worth waiting for.

Safe (Canon Song). This is one of my top 25 epics--lots of originality and energy. An orchestral opening leads to a huge chorus, and then it's bass time: at least three going at once, by my count. Absolutely awesome bass mayhem. Then the song leads into an extremely extended, quirky 11/4 section. Not many could pull this off, but dynamics and instrumentation change just enough to really keep things interesting throughout. An absolutely MASSIVE finale and Awaken-like die down close this gem in a great way.

I really don't know how you could go wrong with this if you are into full, symphonic prog. I think some people let their expectations influence what they hear, because Squire and friends have really done something special here in my opinion.