Monday, December 2, 2013

Music Monday: Yes/Drama (Side 1)


Drama is the tenth studio album by Yes. It is the first Yes album without vocalist Jon Anderson. In early 1980, after rehearsing music for the follow-up to the tepidly-received Tormato, both Anderson and keyboardist Rick Wakeman (RW!) departed the band over creative and financial differences.


The remaining members, Chris Squire, Steve Howe and Alan White carried on. Trevor Horn and Geoff Downes of The Buggles (who had recently had a No. 1 hit in the UK with "Video Killed the Radio Star") were working in an adjacent studio, and, being Yes fans, introduced themselves. As it happened, Squire owned and enjoyed the Buggles' first album, and the pair were invited to sit in during rehearsals. They were soon asked to join the band.

Recorded that spring and released in August, Drama featured a harder-edged Yes with a distinct new wave flavor. Roger Dean (!) was commissioned to design his first Yes cover in six years. Some have speculated that the three black panthers represent the band members who stayed and the two white birds being chased are JA and RW flying away from the band. As band membership changed through the years, Yes fans argued over which lineups were the best. Fans of this album became known as "panthers".


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The Music




1) Machine Messiah - What an awesome song. The production and sounds here are light years ahead of what Tormato sounded like. It's weird not hearing JA on vocals though.

[Part I]

Run down a street where the glass shows that summer has gone
Age, in the doorways resenting the pace of the dawn.
All of them standing in line
All of them waiting for time.
From time, the great healer, the machine-Messiah is born.

Cables that carry the life to the cities we build
Threads that link diamonds of life to the satanic mills
Ah, to see in every way
That we feel it every day, and know that
Maybe we'll change
Offered the chance
To finally unlearn our lessons and alter our stance.

[Part II]

Friends make their way into systems of chance
[reply - friends make their way of escape into systems of chance]
Escape to freedom I need to be there
Waiting and watching, the tables are turning
I'm waiting and watching
I need to be there.

I care to see them walk away
And, to be there when they say
They will return.

Machine, Machine Messiah
The mindless search for a higher controller
Take me to the fire and hold me
Show me the strength of your singular eye.

[Part III]

History dictating symptoms of ruling romance
Claws at the shores of the water upon which we dance
All of us standing in line
All of us waiting for time
To feel it, all the way and to be there when they
Say they know that
Maybe we'll change
Offered the chance
To finally unlearn our lessons and alter our stance.

Machine, machine Messiah.
Take me into the fire
Hold me, machine Messiah
And show me the strength of your singular eye.


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2) White Car - This is a short (1:21) little "buffer" song between two longer songs. I'm not even sure what the point of this song is. When played live it was longer and had more lyrics.

I see a man in a white car
Move like a ghost on the skyline
Take all your dreams
And you throw them away
Man in a white car.


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3) Does It Really Happen? - Another great classic song. The bass really jumps out in this one.

That's what you say
Does it really happen to you
Does that explain
This is the season for this display.
To take a look in time to move together

Time is the measure before it's begun
Slips away like running water
Live for the pleasure, live by the gun
Heritage for sun and daughter
Down to the slaughter up for the fun
Up for anything.

Could this be true
Does it ever happen to you
And can you prove that wheels go 'round in reason
You take a step in time to move together

Time is the measure before it's begun
Slips away like running water
Live for the pleasure, live by the gun
Heritage for sun and daughter
Down to the slaughter up for the fun
Up for anything.

You walk, the way
You take, the path
To be, assured
You draw, a graph
The scale, you use
Is all, on black
Be brave, the weight
Will make, the heat
There is, no way
To take-it back.

Time is the measure before it's begun
Slips away like running water
Live for the pleasure, live by the gun
Heritage for sun and daughter
Down to the slaughter up for the fun
Up for anything.

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Bonus Tracks

The bonus tracks on the re-issue of this album contains "Dancing Through The Light", "Golden Age", "In The Tower" and "Friend of a Friend" which were actually from the Tormato, or so called "Paris Sessions". JA and RW appear on all of them. I always thought this was a weird placement for them since they should have been placed on the Tormato re-issue instead. I was also hoping to here more demos from the Horn/Downes lineup, specifically the "We Can Fly From Here" demo which was expanded as a whole album 31 years later!


Instead, there is "Have We Really Got to Go Through This?" which was played live, and has lyrics, but the re-mastered version is all instrumental.


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