Yes-Drama (1980)

For reasons that were Anderson and Wakeman they were excluded in the early 80s of Yes and the dynamics of the group. The remaining power trio (White, Howe and Squire) went to work recording a series of models, part of which we know from unofficial recordings and two of them appear here in Drama as bonus tracks.

But let's go in parts: The Buggles and Yes shared manager. The story as it has been told is that the former had written a song ("We Can Fly From Here") thinking about the latter, they went to take it to the group and suddenly found themselves being part of it. Well, I repeat that the manager was common and that Yes had commitments to fulfill (record and tour - this is like the antithesis of art, create by commitment -) and I believe that this meeting was propitiated, if not directed. There is unofficial material that documents what The Buggles contributed to the trio's models, superimposing keyboards and vocal lines. Finally they composed and recorded the album, with the help of Eddie Offord and cover - beautiful - of Roger Dean.

Drama opens with "Machine Messiah", its longest piece to exceed ten minutes and perhaps the most complex of all to have three parts. After a fairly strong start the voice appears after the minute and a half in a way that will be characteristic of this era, with Horn very wrapped by others, especially Chris Squire. The whole piece, with its variety of environments, is dominated by Howe as a soloist, since Downess seems more busy filling in details and drawings than trying to compete as a soloist. Long and dynamic, there is no better way to start an album composed of these six songs.

Follow "White Car", the shortest theme of Drama since it does not reach two minutes, but that is like a little miracle. Divided into two phases, an instrumental passage precedes a small vocal section. All done with pleasure. In my opinion, I would have liked to continue along that line of work, since the piece was used live as an introduction to the Downess keyboard solo. The album has a role like "The Clap" in The Yes Album, serving as a link between the main themes of the album. If a record looks like Drama it is The Yes Album, its structure is very similar.

The face A of the album ended with another of his greatest songs from the album, "Does it Really Happen?", A song that became the opening piece of the recitals, the successor of "Siberian Khatru", "Sound Chaser" or "Parallels " It does not lack virtues for it, it has a dynamism, a terrible “drive” with some riffs from the bass, which are pure essence Yes. The final coda, on which Squire builds a bass solo is something memorable. It is one of the things that one does not want to never end.

The second side of the vinyl began with another of his memorable and longer pieces, "Into the Lens." Its beginning is very elaborate and it is another recital of typical forms of Yes - after all, Howe and Squire had proposed to make an album that recapitulated Yes's music - but it is the theme where I see more Buggles aroma in everything Drama. No wonder that a "deconstructed" version of the track was recorded by The Buggles, later.

It is followed by the most peculiar theme of the album and the only one that, it seems, was not played live in any Drama Tour, "Run Through the Light." It is a piece with history, since it goes back the least to the sessions of the lost album of 1979, as the bonus track “Dancing Through the Light” attests. It is one of the few songs of Yes in which Chris Squire is present, another musician plays bass. After a first vocal part the group gets into a small instrumental development.

The album ends with another of his major pieces, "Tempus Fugit", again a dynamic and attractive song, which is from the little Drama that has been cited by later versions of the group live, as part of "Whitefish" in the 9012-Live, for example. A good way to close a somewhat short disk, since it does not reach 40 minutes.