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Yes - Heaven & Earth CD (album) cover

HEAVEN & EARTH

Yes

 

Symphonic Prog

2.31 | 754 ratings

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lucas
Special Collaborator
Honorary Collaborator
3 stars With an artwork by Roger Dean and the hire of Jon Davison, from Glass Hammer, people had great expectations about the last Yes album, entitled 'Heaven & Earth'. However, Yes evolved with time, and the time they played progressive rock is long gone. After listening to the whole album, I quite understood people's disappointment as the elements earlier mentioned let predict a return to form that finally never come. However, I was pleasantly surprised by the quality of the material. In fact, melodies are well crafted, Jon's voice is very convincing and as moving as the original Jon's voice, with trademark Yes vocal harmonies and the support of Chris Squire in backing vocals, and Geoff and Steve adding some soothing colors to the whole. Geoff even proposes a broad range of sounds with piano, rhodes and Hammond besides synths. I read many critics on Alan White's drumming, it's true that they are not very creative on the album, but they fit quite well to the format of the music proposed, which leans more towards mainstream pop than progressive rock. Some highlights include the onomatopeic vocals on "The Game", the mischievous swirling keyboards on "Step Beyond", the marching rhythm rising from verse to chorus on the very Roger Glover's Butterfly Ball-esque "In A World Of Our Own" and its humble guitar, the dubious bass on "Light Of The Ages" and the Enid-like orchestral overture to "Subway Walls" and its further dancing drums. The sunny "It Was All We Know" is more forgettable than the other tracks and spoils a bit the whole. Overall, an album quite pleasant to listen to, on the softer side of Yes (think "Wonderous stories").
lucas | 3/5 |

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