IN THE CITY OF ANGELS

A very commercially orientated, and largely disappointing album by the Yes man. Released in 1988 (between "Big Generator" and "Union" in Yes terms) the album features many of the now dated electronic sounds of the period.

It's interesting that the album bears more than passing similarities to the solo work of Phil Collins, including some funky rhythms and brass backing. While Collins made the mistake of imposing those influences on Genesis, Anderson retained his credibility by hiding such sounds away on his relatively unsuccessful solo works.

There really is little to recommend this album. The songs are basic, and unimaginative. They are dominated by Anderson's vocals to the extent that any instrumental sections are brief and lifeless. "Betcha" is a good example of all that is wrong. It's an upbeat pop number, with inane lyrics. Anderson is a fine vocalist in the Yes environment, but his vocals sound completely out of place on this sort of track.

There are some pleasant, softer tracks, such "Hurry home", although even these sound a bit cheesy.

No prog here, and a million miles from the far more worthy early solo works of Anderson. Even the sleeve is tacky.

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