Yes – Fly From Here (Return Trip)

Upon its initial release in 2011, Fly From Here, the first of the new millennium Yes albums not to feature vocalist Jon Anderson, received a critical reception that was, shall we say, less than stellar. The only studio album to feature vocalist Benoit David and keyboardist Oliver Wakeman (the latter on only three tracks), the music was not a radical departure from previous albums. And yet it seemed some magic spark was missing. The album reflected their transition into an uncharted, Anderson-less future, but was not without its own strengths. What was odd was that former Drama-era members Trevor Horn and Geoff Downes were responsible for writing much of the album. As a result, Downes was brought back into the fold to help shape the sound and Horn returned as producer. In hindsight, my own opinion is that the album was not as bad as initially imagined, and I sort of warmed up to it. Then in 2018, the band decided to take another bite of the apple, replacing David’s vocals with those of Horn. While I personally prefer David’s voice, Horn has noted that his “harder” vocals cut through the songs better. The 2018 version was remixed to put the accent on Chris Squire’s bass and vocals as well as some additional parts from guitarist Steve Howe and keysman Geoff Downes and included a Howe outtake and one expanded tune. A third bite of the apple gives us the 2018 version on Blue-ray with new 5.1 and stereo mixes along with instrumental versions of the Fly From Here suite as a bonus. The review copy contained the stereo mixes, so I will stick to addressing those.

The Fly From Here – Overture hits hard and has much more bass and keys presence. The mix is superb and holds a lot of promise for what is to come. We Can Fly falls short of that promise, the vocals feeling timid and tentative. With Squire’s voice pushed higher in the mix, it seems to undermine Horn’s own singing. Even Howe’s parts, crystal clear and biting, sound recycled and bereft of passion. His acoustic guitar parts on Sad Night At The Airfield, in contrast, feel warmer and more natural, as do the vocals. When the bass and drum kick in, you feel the kick. However, as the song moves on, the bass becomes so prominent as to be distracting. Downes’ dreamy keys on the other hand appear to float above the harshness and leave space for the sonic details.

Moments of guitar and bass ferocity add dynamism to Madman At The Screens, but the accentuation of Squire’s vocals subtracts from the overall tonality of the voices. Howe’s Bumpy Ride is all quirky angularity, but the clarity enhances the “where have I had this before?” vibe. The We Can Fly Reprise finally takes note of Alan White’s drumming, but it feels like he’s fighting the bass for supremacy. The mix would have benefitted from a softer instrumental approach during the vocal sections. Instead, if feels like a sonic fight to the finish.

Squire’s The Man You Always Wanted Me To Be is a pop song attempting to escape its progressive veneer. His vocals feel pedestrian and Horn’s contributions do nothing to help. On the other hand, Howe’s guitar parts come through clear and gloriously. Life On A Film Set initially feels a bit too much like Al Stewart’s Roads To Moscow, but with a less captivating melody. There is precious little of the cinematic scope you might expect based on the song’s title. The full version of Hour Of Need is more than double the original take and one of the two songs that sound closest to vintage Yes. White’s drums introduce the song with a veritable thunder storm of percussion, Howe’s guitar harkens back to Your Move, and his closing electric solo is simply magnificent. It’s Squire’s bass that once more ruins the atmosphere by being mixed to distracting levels. Solitaire is a solo acoustic guitar piece that never quite flows; it gives the impression of a bunch of random ideas assembled into one song. As if that were not bad enough, Howe’s vocal solo on Hour Of Need is one of those things that leaves you shaking your head in bewilderment. Howe is many things, but a lead vocalist is not one of them. Unfortunately, not enough goes on in the song to distract you from that fact. Luckily, the band regroups with Into The Storm. The choral vocals and engaging melody lift the song, but the in-your-face bass is once again a bit too much. Still, if the conviction the band gave to this song were evident throughout the album, it could have been a latter day masterpiece.

If you’re into karaoke, I suppose you’ll love the instrumental versions of the Fly From Here suite. Personally, this is a trend I find bewildering, but I’m sure someone will enjoy it. For me it just makes nitpicking the mix even easier. If you are a completist with advanced stereo equipment, you might just want this in your collection for the Atmos mix. As I said earlier, I prefer Benoit David’s vocals, so Trevor Horn singing over a less than ideal mix just doesn’t float my boat. I really wanted to like this album for real this time, but alas. Maybe fourth time around?

TRACK LISTING
01. Fly From Here Overture (1:52)
02. Fly From Here Part I – We Can Fly (5:04)
03. Fly From Here Part II – Sad Night At The Airfield (5:25)
04. Fly From Here Part III – Madman At The Screens (4:35)
05. Fly From Here Part IV – Bumpy Ride (2:16)
06. Fly From Here Part V – We Can Fly Reprise (2:16)
07. The Man You Always Wanted Me To Be (5:19)
08. Life On A Film Set (5:04)
09. Hour Of Need (6:44)
10. Solitaire (3:28)
11. Don’t Take No For An Answer (4:20)
12. Into The Storm (6:54)
~ Bonus Tracks (Instrumental)
13. Fly From Here – Overture (1:52)
14. Fly From Here Part I – We Can Fly (5:04)
15. Fly From Here Part II – Sad Night At The Airfield (5:25)
16. Fly From Here Part III – Madman At The Screens (4:35)
17. Fly From Here Part IV – Bumpy Ride (2:16)
18. Fly From Here Part V – We Can Fly Reprise (2:16)

Total Time – 74:45

MUSICIANS
Trevor Horn – Lead & Background Vocals, Keyboards
Chris Squire – Bass, Vocals
Alan White – Drums, Percussion, Backing Vocals
Steve Howe – Guitar, Vocals
Geoff Downes – Keyboards
~ With:
Oliver Wakeman – Additional Keyboards (2,6 & 9)
Luis Jardim – Percussion
Gerard Johnson – Piano (7)

ADDITIONAL INFO
Record Label: Cherry Red Records
Country of Origin: UK
Date of Release: 28^th November 2025

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