For the moment, Heaven and Earth remains the last full-length LP from Yes. The most recently released studio material from the world’s greatest progressive-rock band, however, is actually found on 2019’s From a Page.
Originally included with the reissue of 2011’s In the Present: Live at Lyon, the material on From a Page includes previously unheard studio collaborations from Oliver Wakeman’s tenure in the band with now-departed frontman Benoit David and Yes holdovers Chris Squire, Steve Howe, and Alan White.
Wakeman produced these demo sessions, which were recorded primarily in 2010 in Phoenix, Ariz., and also handled a majority of the engineering. The songs were intended for the next Yes project, their first with singer David, but were scrapped when the band reunited with Trevor Horn. Yes then decided to expand on the leftover song “Fly From Here,” fashioning it into a larger concept for the album of the same name.
The finished studio project, however, only included four credited contributions from Wakeman. There was always more to be heard, as Wakeman makes clear on “To the Moment.” He returned to their earlier collaborations, adding keyboards and additional production to the basic track for the first of four previously unreleased tracks on From a Page.
“To the Moment,” available in two mixes via Burning Shed Records, jumps out of the speakers with Steve Howe’s aggressively distorted guitar and Oliver Wakeman’s Hammond-like keyboards. Unlike on Heaven and Earth, the bass and drum sound is outstanding. It’s not just the engineering and mixing, though: Wakeman wrote more interesting instrumental parts than were written on Heaven and Earth.
In fact, “To the Moment” is not just a testament to Oliver Wakeman’s songcraft and musicianship, but also his production. Howe uses touches of acoustic guitar which meld perfectly with Wakeman’s oscillating keyboard textures. The instrumental break melds Wakeman’s organ, Alan White’s snare, and Howe’s electric guitar in a progressive-rock foundation which elevates the song to a new level.
Benoit David handles his lead vocal with power and economy. He makes no effort to sound like his predecessors, owning the song with his style. The Yes choir sing in a lower register than what we’ve come to expect, but that deftly supports David’s vocal, adding to the song’s texture.
The results on “To the Moment” represent a gratifying opening to an intriguing chapter in Yes history. As the last Yes studio release featuring Chris Squire, these songs also represent a touching tribute to the bass maestro.
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