In a recent interview, by Blake Maddux, Jon Anderson had this response to what we could expect from his upcoming album True. “You’re going to enjoy it. It’s called True. We had a great tour together; then a couple of months later I suggested that we make the record that everyone is waiting for that Yes hasn’t made yet. And that’s what we’ve done. We’ve created the album that Yes would have made if they were together”.
Of course, Yes are ‘together’, and I imagine I am at risk of losing readers before I have even started using that quote as an intro. However, onward. It is a bold statement, and we all know that Jon is not shy of trading his wares by way of a Yes-offshoot band, so just what has Jon delivered to prog fans and Yes acolytes this time round?
This collaboration with The Band Geeks started when Jon Anderson was sent a video of the group performing Heart of the Sunrise and he was so impressed that they were soon joining up for a mini-tour playing Yes classics. The positive vibes emanating from both the audience and the band was the catalyst for this album, which contains a mix of contemporary Anderson compositions, a couple archived from sessions in Nashville 10 years ago, and also a couple written by The Band Geeks musical director and bassist Richie Castellano.
The Yes maestro is 79 years old now but his voice retains its timeless qualities and he has no problem keeping pace with the energy that drives the song-writing and musical arrangements. The album is full of life and full of uplifting choruses, it is a joyful listen from start to end, the quality is consistently high and the balance between originality and Yes-inspiration is delivered to perfection.
True starts with a track called True Messenger and that is clearly a clue to the theme that runs through the album and binds all of these songs together. This is a setlist seemingly inspired by Jon Anderson’s entire history with Yes, whether indicated through the song titles, the lyrics, or in the musical tropes that are scattered liberally through the songs, and no more so than in this opening track. It’s is a heavy, prog rock song, full of dynamism, punchy rhythms, tempo changes, intricate soloing and very Anderson-like inspirational lyrics. Having in no uncertain fashion laid his cards on the table, next up is the single release Shine On with an introduction that screams ‘Yes’ louder than Tempus Fugit turned up to 11. Toss a coin and you will either decide this is a tribute act covering a best-forgotten discarded album track, or you will revel in the joy of hearing more fantastic Yes-inspired music emanating from the mind, body and soul of Mr. Yes himself. All I can say is that it works for me.
The first of the two epic length tracks is Counties and Countries. The overture is a prog-tastic mix of synth and guitar phrasing building up to the main, anthemic melody. The opening verses are dynamic and a typically Yes-like acoustically-backed vocal passage follows, complete with piano flourishes and vocal chorus harmonies. A splendid guitar solo and some Hammond organ complete the hugely enjoyable extended bridge section before the song is revived, Jon Anderson sounding as excitable and emotional in his delivery as he ever was. A rather obvious nod to the keyboard theme in Würm is featured and the track ends with Jon, accompanied by piano, singing out the coda. In many respects this is classic Yes-by-numbers but it really does sound fresh and exciting.
I remarked in a review of Rick Wakeman’s latest live release earlier in the year how it was always a pleasure to hear Yes music being played with a passion and energy that is, for me, usually lacking from the current Yes line up. This is a similar case in point, it sounds like the whole band is loving what they are doing and it really comes across in the recording.
Build me an Ocean is a short, slower tempo song but produced with less of the subtlety than comparable Yes pieces. It is maybe an indication that Jon no longer has the power and range to fully carry this type of track that the band and chorus are never far away in the mix. It’s a realistic compromise that serves the song well at this time, and it provides the variation in pace in the playlist that is, after all, also a hallmark of the Yes discography.
On the Yes tribute bingo card next is a funk-rock track, Still a Friend that would fit nicely on an album such as The Ladder. It bounces along energetically for the full five minutes and whilst it doesn’t tell us anything we didn’t already know it is huge fun and Jon gives such a strong vocal performance that it is truly a pleasure, and a privilege, to listen to. The Ladder, or to be more precise the track To be Alive, gets a namecheck in the next track Make It Right. The first half has Jon being accompanied by acoustic guitar, and that would have been fine enough, in my eyes, but the band creep in and the song drifts along, eventually incorporating a guitar solo, synth strings, a church chorus, and some fairly uninspiring vocal mantras.
Realization Part Two feels a bit sketchy, especially as there is no sign of a ‘Part One’. At this point the Pentecostal Choir feel of the lyrics and vocal delivery did begin to grate with me. The combination of the lyrical themes that Jon specialises in and the preachy stylings adopted in some of these songs highlights the contrast between the universal joy of the pure rock songs and the rather overdone rapture of the more overtly spiritual songs. Still, if that is what keeps Jon’s mojo impassioned, then so be it.
Anyway, my mood is lifted again by a very strong finish to the album, firstly with the 16 minute truly-Yes epic Once Upon a Dream. From the opening vocal inspired by The Revealing Science of God to the Endless Dream style climax (do you see what he did there?) we are treated to a journey through the Yes catalogue. I do have to emphasise though, that this is a beautifully crafted epic that stands on its own merit. The main theme is wholly original and provides a really strong melody to tie the musical sections together. The acoustic bridge in the middle of the track is exquisite and the multi-tracking of Jon’s voice is inspired. The finale soars with guitar and vocal choruses and as the old saying goes, this one is worth the admission fee on its own. Ok, the Yes-toned instrumentation and the lyrical references can be a bit distracting, but once you get passed that this is just a great long form track executed magnificently by a true legend. In Yesworld this track may well have been topped off with a coda, but instead it is followed by one of Jon’s trademark ‘love’ songs, again, with more than a nod to The Ladder. A passionate and uplifting end to the album.
Jon is in fine form and for that we should be very grateful. He has partnered up with Richie Castellano, who he is so obviously in tune with, and the Band Geek musicians are clearly inspired by the man and the music. This is an-all out prog rock album created by one of the key writers and musicians in one of the most successful prog bands ever, so it is not surprising that it sounds a bit derivative of said band. Do we care? I would say, in this case, absolutely not.
TRACK LISTING
1. True Messenger (5:50)
2. Shine On (4:18)
3. Counties And Countries (9:51)
4. Build Me An Ocean (3:19)
5. Still A Friend (5:01)
6. Make It Right (6:07)
7. Realization Part Two (3:32)
8. Once Upon A Dream (16:31)
9. Thank God (3:48)
Total Time – 58:17
MUSICIANS
Jon Anderson – Vocals
Richie Castellano – Bass, Guitar, Keyboards, Vocals
Andy Graziano – Guitar, Vocals
Robert Kipp – Hammond Organ, Vocals
Andy Ascolese – Drums, Percussion, Keyboards, Vocals
Chris Clark – Keyboards
~ With:
Ann Marie Nacchio – Additional Vocals
ADDITIONAL INFO
Record Label: Frontiers Records Srl
Country of Origin: U.K. / U.S.A.
Date of Release: 23rd August 2024
LINKS
Jon Anderson – Website | Facebook | YouTube | X
Jon Anderson YES Epics and Classics – Website | Facebook | YouTube | X
The Band Geeks – Website | Facebook | YouTube | X