Yes: From A Page (rec. 2008/9)

 Yes went on hiatus following the Full Circle tour and had a planned return scheduled for 2008 when Jon Anderson fell critically ill with a respiratory illness. The rest of the band, tired of being off the road, recruited Benoit David, from the Montreal prog band, Mystery, and set off on their merry way on a tour called In The Present. 

Also absent was Rick Wakeman, who bowed out for health issues of his own. In his place was his son, Oliver, who very ably filled his father’s shoes. This tour produced a live album, also called In The Present. 

Soon, it was time for this lineup to hit the studio, with Wakeman providing a number of songs that the band ended up recording for their next album. 

However….

After bringing in Trevor Horn to produce a resurrected song from his time in the band, it was decided that Geoff Downes should return to the fold as well, since he was just as responsible for that music. 

So then poor Oliver Wakeman, and his songs, were sent packing, and nothing was ever spoken of it again. Until 2019, when the live album was reissued. 

With the band’s blessing, Oliver completed those shelved recordings, which were added as a bonus disc and released as a vinyl EP, to the shock and surprise of their entire fanbase. 

And.….this is fantastic. An entire little hidden chapter in the band’s history, a version of Yes from the point of view of the one member to never appear on an album. There are four songs on this set, the best of which is “To The Moment”, which is one of the finest post-Anderson tracks. Likewise, “Notes On A Page” is stunning, one of the most beautiful choruses I’ve ever heard, while the 10-minute “The Gift Of Love” is cinematic in nature.  The band sounds great on these tracks. This is material that they clearly spent some time and effort on. It is wonderful to see it get its turn to shine. 

“From The Turn Of A Card” is a song that was on the slate for the album, but not recorded then, so is instead featured in a newly recorded version, featuring Oliver and Benoit. It’s a really pretty song. There always has to be one of those and it’s nice for them to get the spotlight they deserved, especially since they both were given a raw deal. 

This set of course piques my curiosity - how many more little detours like this exist in the vault? Surely there must be a lot, the way this band constantly shifts. A few tracks with Eddie Jobson, perhaps? A few with Roger Hodgson, maybe? However, if the answer is none, From A Page is more than sufficient. Thank you to everyone involved in getting this out. 

Above all that, the best part of this EP is, being that it came out four years after Chris Squire died, we are able to hear “new” Yes music featuring his distinctive bass and voice, and that is a friggin’ blessing.