By 2014, the Squire/Howe/White/Downes/Davison lineup of Yes had put in some serious time on the road, both promoting their album, Fly From Here, and performing classic Yes albums in their entirety. All of this playing made the band incredibly tight, and so naturally, it was time to put that tightness to use on an album of new songs. Jon Davison asserted his role in the band, writing or co-writing all but one of the songs on the album, and his voice brought a softer tone to the music. Unfortunately, for reasons not entirely unrelated, this has turned out to be the most divisive, maligned album of the band's entire career. There are entire Facebook groups dedicated to bashing this album, it's really astounding. The thing is, yes, this album has issues, but none of them are the thing that everyone is so mad about.
Yes fans, like fans of most bands, tend to be very proprietary, often clutching on to some particular era or iteration of the band, and they shit on everything that sounds or looks different. And there is that whole "no Anderson - no Yes" thing going and they shouted it from the rooftops when Drama came out in 1980, even though that is one of the most brilliant statements of purpose any band has ever delivered, and people moaned when 90125 came out, but that record is a stroke of genius too. Neither sound like Close To The Edge, but that's the point. Why re-recreate a pinnacle? Bands need to stretch, morph, and adapt to new ideas. If I liked what they did then, it means that I've put my faith in them, and I will hang on through it all. And if it doesn't grab me, I will listen to it over and over again until it does. And, when it does, you better watch out.
So it was that I went into Heaven And Earth, in 2014. I was living in St. Johns, Newfoundland, and I have very fond memories of walking those jellybean streets, listening and familiarizing myself with the album. Some of it grabbed me instantly and some of it took a few listens, but by the end of the day I loved this record. I was a fair bit off the grid at the time so I was shocked when I got online and saw all the horrible things people were saying about this album, and the band. Some truly hurtful comments, which is sad coming from fans of a band as perpetually positive as YES (it's in their fucking name). Granted, most of those were (and are) written by people who are intent on hating the album, for some fucking stupid principle that has nothing to do with them anyway. Or, even worse, they are written by people who haven't even heard the album but want to hate on it because it's not their lineup. But guess what? Yes became a brand the moment they kicked out Peter Banks out in 1970. From that point forward, the music's message became more important than the personnel.
If you want a reason to hate on this album, you can point to the producer. Roy Thomas Baker was a hitmaker in the 70s and 80s and he worked with everyone, but he never quite gelled with Yes. His flat, slick style just doesn't quite jibe with a band as dynamic as Yes. It's just too clean and not deep enough. They attempted to work together in 1979 and those sessions ground to a halt, leading to Jon Anderson and Rick Wakeman leaving the band. Why they chose to try it again, I'll never know. The recordings that survive from 1979 are some of the worst in the band's history. There was no vibe. Fortunately Heaven And Earth has vibe, but that is courtesy of the band, who plays phenomenally, and totally in spite of the production.
The set kicks off with "Believe Again", which reveals a softer side of the band, but it is still clearly Yes. This is a band that is not trying to sound like any other version of itself - this is just Yesmusic. Davison sounds fantastic, just so full of positive energy, and the blend between he and Chris Squire is spine tingling. The middle section of the song is pure Steve Howe and is reminiscent to the middle of "Terrapin Station" by the Grateful Dead. I could imagine a jammier band stretching this out and really having fun with it. The chorus is one of those classic Yes moments and it is so wonderful to hear Squire sound so strong, on what turned out to be his final album.
"The Game", courtesy of Davison and Squire, is a great little single, one of those songs that sounds like nothing in the Yes catalogue, but is one that continues to get under my skin. It could have a bit more punch but the way it sort of glides is beautiful. This is one song that all the haters love to bash but, fuck 'em, I love this song. I just might cover it one day.
Next up is "Step Beyond", which has a really weird little keyboard motif that runs through the song, and a very bouncy groove that gets a bit dark in places. In its simplicity, this goes in several different directions and has some very cool sections, and some amazing backing vocals. Not that they ever played this live but I could hear a crowd singing along with this chorus.
Co-written by Davison and Alan White, "To Ascend" is one of the most beautiful songs to ever appear on a Yes album. There is no rational reason why someone could hate a song like this. Every note and every lyric of this song resonates to the core of my soul.
That is not necessarily the case for "In A World Of Our Own", which was co-written by Davison and Squire, but this is a cool song that has a slippery swagger of a groove. There is a bit that reminds me of Pepper-era Beatles, a little Beach Boys, a little bit of a late-night swing. There is an awkward middle section that I'm not sure works. This song goes all over the place and, for that, I like it. This one has a good bit of shit talking in it, which is not common for a Yes song - "'bout time you hail a taxi for that ego" is a fun one.
Next up is what convinced me, once and for all, that Jon Davison is the man for the job. Written solely by him, "Light Of The Ages" has a bit of a Beatles feel at times, a beautiful lyric, and a very airy vibe. I would be curious to hear this played with a more dense arrangement. There are bits that are begging to be giant, but I also appreciate the restraint. That is what makes this so fantastic.
"It Was All We Knew" is the only song not to feature a Davison writing credit, instead being courtesy of Steve Howe. It's a pretty decent tune, sung in tandem by Davison and Howe. I really like the chorus and the middle section is pretty cool. Not the best song on the album but it does serve as a great lead-in to what is the best song on the album.
"Subway Walls", written by Davison and Geoff Downes, is a proper little epic, with several contrasting sections that touch on about every Yes feel, including some wicked Squire playing on the verses, a soaring chorus, and a good bit of math-rock. Even haters of this album call this song out as a highlight. This album's proggiest moment, and one of the most impressive things to appear on a Yes album.
And so we reach the end of Heaven And Earth. The first album to feature Jon Davison, and the last album to feature Chris Squire (at least until the surprise archival release of From A Page). Listening through the album, I find that I genuinely like every one of the songs, and absolutely adore a handful of them. Every now and then I can pinpoint the things that make the haters hate, but I don't really get hung up on those sorts of things. My number one rule when listening to a new album by a favorite band is to never ever ever ever ever ever ever ever EVER judge it against their past work, at least until it has been properly and thoroughly digested. When you just look at it as just an album by some band, it is fucking magnificent.
Or it would be, if Trevor Horn had produced it. But instead Roy Thomas Baker created what is essentially a felt version of Yes.
Also, it's a particular sore spot that they never properly promoted this album on the road. Instead they played only two songs, in between performances of Close To The Edge and Fragile. It's like they were begging people to hate it. They should have played a normal set, with at least four or five of these songs, and then maybe come back and do an album set. But instead they buried it, just like so many veteran bands do, and that shit drives me nuts. Don't make an album if you don't believe in it enough to perform it for your fans.
See? Those are the things that irritate me about this album. Not the songs or the personnel. The songs are outstanding, and every member of the band did their job perfectly. This album just deserved to be better treated. This could be enormous. Hell, they ret-conned Fly From Here. Why not do the same with Heaven And Earth? I think people would be shocked at what they were missing.
But not until they promote the shit out of The Quest.
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