Yes: The Ladder (1999)

 After the 1997 Squire/Sherwood-helmed Open Your Eyes, Yes’ next course of action was to take up residence in Vancouver and write the next album as a band. Working with veteran producer Bruce Fairbairn (on what turned out to be his final project) the resulting album is one of Yes’ most stylistically diverse, and one where each individual player had their say. 

The prog returned in full force on epics such as “Homeworld (the ladder)” and “New Language”. The former was written for a video game while the latter features a particularly impressive performance from keyboardist Igor Koroshev. 

There is also a fair bit of pop on this album, including the uplifting “It Will Be A Good Day (the river)” and the energetic “Finally”.  “If Only You Knew” is extremely cheesy but also very well-written; a perfect love song that could have been a massive hit if it had been marketed as such. 

The afrobeat-inspired “Lightning Strikes” is very well done if perhaps something that would have been better suited for a solo Jon Anderson release. “Can I?” is a bizarre reboot of “We Have Heaven”, with a tribal vibe. This would be a wtf moment it it didn’t lead so brilliantly into the propulsive “Face To Face”. One of the great underrated Yes songs (and one that features a bit that sounds like “Rebubula” by moe.), this is one of several from this album to be played live by the band on the accompanying tour. 

While there are many highlights on this record, perhaps the best is “To Be Alive (hep yadda)”, one of the most perfect Yes songs ever. All of this album’s various styles and influences all come together on this super positive affirmation of life that could only come from a band called YES. 

The album-closing “Nine Voices (longwalker)” is another campfire gem, in the vein of “Holy Lamb” and “Wonderous Stories”, and is one that has been performed by more than one school choir (and never fails to bring the goosebumps). 

Really this album’s only misstep (aside from that one super cheesy song) is “The Messenger”, a reggae-tinged tribute to Bob Marley that, while well-intentioned, comes across a bit like a book report and was not terribly necessary. 

Sadly, Fairbairn died before the sessions were completed, but the band soldiered on and dedicated the album to him. The Ladder was no smash but it was popular with fans (especially in hindsight) and the ensuing tour featured a heavy dose of this album on stage. 

The following year, Yes would undergo their first real “thematic” outing: the Masterworks Tour, where they played nothing but the epics. By the time that tour ended, the band was reduced to a quartet (with the loss of Koroshev) and they were plotting their next move, which would be among their boldest.…