Yes’ long, slow fade from pop stardom had less to do with their music than music’s changing landscape. The Trevor Rabin era of the band came to a halt after 3 1/3 albums. Given a majority of creative control with 1994’s Talk, Rabin produced a progressive album which, partly due to poor business decisions and record company shenanigans, was all but unknown by the pop/rock community. While the subsequent tour introduced Billy Sherwood to fans, it also marked the end of Rabin’s initial involvement with Yes.
In 1995, Yes returned with what YESterdays contributor Kevin Mulryne calls the main-sequence line up. Steve Howe stepped away from Asia and his solo efforts to reenlist, as did Rick Wakeman who once again replaced Tony Kaye. The resulting Yes album, 1996’s Keys to Ascension, included Yes classics and a few deep cuts recorded live by engineer Tom Fletcher at the Fremont Theater in California. The live tracks also were heavily overdubbed in post production.
The band also moved forward with new music, the first of which is the three-part epic “Be the One.” Jon Anderson and Chris Squire wrote the initial sections, titled “The One” and “Humankind,” while Steve Howe contributed the “Skates” portion of the suite. The results are in many ways a return to form for Yes.
The drums by Alan White are warm and inviting. Steve Howe’s multitrack we guitar parts are melodic and modern sounding. The warmth of “Be the One” is further enhanced by Anderson’s lead vocal and Squire’s delicate harmony. Squire’s bass sound is the strongest since 1980’s Drama, with its full, slightly trebly feel.
Almost four minutes into suite, Wakeman makes a brief but identifiable run which supports Anderson’s positive and uplifting theme in the “The One.” “Humankind” sees a tempo shift, and a more aggressive Steve Howe lead line which chases Anderson’s more urgent vocal. The song ascends with power before the recapitulation of “The One” theme. Finally, the tempo moves to a more straight-forward pace as Howe’s “Skates” portion ties the themes together with a satisfying musical bow.
“Be the One” was a strong start to what should have been the opening song for a new Yes studio album.
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