On The Road Again: Yes "The Quest"

jueves, 23 de diciembre de 2021

Yes "The Quest"

The Quest is the twenty-second studio album by English progressive rock band Yes, released on 1 October 2021 by InsideOut Music and Sony Music. It is their first studio album featuring Billy Sherwood since The Ladder (1999), having replaced founding bassist Chris Squire following his death in 2015, and their first without any original members. It was produced by guitarist Steve Howe.

After completing touring commitments in July 2019, Yes began to collaborate on new material by exchanging ideas for songs online. The subsequent COVID-19 pandemic caused all touring to be cancelled in March 2020, which presented the opportunity for them to focus on the album during lockdown. When the songs had been arranged, the album was recorded in California and England and orchestral arrangements by Paul K. Joyce were performed by the FAMES Orchestra in North Macedonia. Frontman Jon Davison was the main lyricist, who wrote about various themes including hope, optimism, and environmental issues.

The Quest was released in various formats, including CD, LP, Blu-ray Disc, and on digital platforms, and debuted on the UK Albums Chart at number 20. It received generally positive reviews for Howe's production and as an overall improvement over Yes' previous album Heaven & Earth (2014), although some negative responses cited the album as lacking unique or distinct songs.

In July 2019, the Yes line-up of Steve Howe, Alan White, Geoff Downes, Jon Davison, and Billy Sherwood, with second guest drummer Jay Schellen, finished their 28-date Royal Affair Tour, which saw the group headline a package tour across the U.S. that included performances from Asia, John Lodge, and Carl Palmer's ELP Legacy with Arthur Brown. Around this time, InsideOut Music co-founder Thomas Waber asked the band if they were ready to make a new studio album. Yes had planned to resume touring from March 2020, continuing their Album Series Tour with Relayer (1974) performed in its entirety, but it was rescheduled for 2021, and later to 2022, due to the subsequent COVID-19 pandemic and lockdown. The situation presented the opportunity for the band to work on a new album, their first since Heaven & Earth (2014). This marks the first Yes album to involve Sherwood since The Ladder (1999), who replaced original bassist Chris Squire following his death in 2015, and the first without any founding members.

Yes began writing for the album in November 2019, one month before the outbreak of COVID-19, with the rest put together in the following year. Howe had become increasingly dissatisfied in recording with external producers who at times "didn't fully know what this band was", and put himself forward to produce the album, which was agreed upon. As the band were unable to get together, they developed songs by exchanging ideas online which were managed and stored at Curtis Schwartz Studio in Ardingly, West Sussex, owned by Curtis Schwartz, the album's engineer and mixer. Howe said there was "a lot of creativity" in the ideas that the band had presented, and wanted the album to be different from what Yes had done before. Davison wanted to support Howe in particular while making the album and "really let him shine". A typical scenario involved one member contributing an instrumental section for a track, which Davison would then take and develop vocal lines and lyrical ideas. Davison preferred writing in this way as it allowed him to work in his own studio at his own pace, as opposed to the pressure of working "on the clock" in a professional facility. Howe then sifted through what had been put down, suggesting parts that were to be developed or scrapped. Davison had no predetermined agenda with his lyrics, but he was inspired to write about life, one's destiny, and environmentalism, and noticed Howe had presented lyrical ideas on similar topics. Howe approached the writing process with caution, which he had also done for Fly from Here (2011) and Heaven & Earth, to ensure the songs were fully arranged and to every members' satisfaction prior to recording. By the end of 2019, Yes had put together "Damaged World" and "Future Memories".

The album was recorded in two main locations in 2020 and 2021; White and Sherwood put down their respective drum and bass parts first at Uncle Rehearsal Studios in Van Nuys, California, and Schellen contributed percussion. After sharing the recording files to the group online, and once COVID-19 restrictions began to ease, Davison travelled to England to join Downes and Howe at Curtis Schwartz Studio, where the album was completed. The Quest features orchestral arrangements that Howe said were to "augment and enhance the overall sound", after the idea of using one appealed to him. Downes felt the orchestra complemented his keyboard parts as opposed to being a "me versus them" situation. Yes had previously used an orchestra on two other studio albums, Time and a Word (1970) and Magnification (2001). The parts were written by English composer and arranger Paul Joyce, a longtime fan of the band who had produced orchestrations for Howe's solo album, Time (2012). Joyce arranged a full score for a 47-piece orchestra which was performed by the FAMES Studio Orchestra in Skopje, North Macedonia, with conductor Oleg Kondratenko. Schwartz and Howe mixed the album in March 2021.

InsideOut Music suggested that the album should be under 50 minutes, and the band selected eight tracks in the final running order. The label went on to suggest that a second disc of additional tracks recorded during the sessions be added, so Yes chose three songs that Howe said were "high-quality reserve tracks" and were not necessarily ones that they would have scrapped. He added that the two-disc configuration of The Quest is not strictly a full double album, but "a second part to the story."

The Quest was announced on the band's official website, YesWorld, on 7 July 2021, revealing the track listing, artwork, and scheduled release date. The Quest is scheduled for release in five different versions: a 2CD digipak, a limited edition deluxe box set containing 2LPs, 2CDs, and a Blu-ray Disc, a limited edition 2CD and Blu-ray Disc artbook, a gatefold sleeve LP and 2-CD set with a booklet, and on various digital platforms. "The Ice Bridge" was released as a digital single on 23 July 2021, including a YouTube video with lyrics and Dean's artwork. A similar-styled video accompanied the release of "Dare to Know" on 1 September 2021.

The album reached No. 20 on its debut week on the UK Albums Chart.

Track listing

The Quest – CD 1

1. "The Ice Bridge" Jon Davison, Francis Monkman, Geoff Downes 7:01

a) "Eyes East"

b) "Race Against Time"

c) "Interaction"

2. "Dare to Know" Steve Howe 6:00

3. "Minus the Man" Davison, Billy Sherwood 5:35

4. "Leave Well Alone" Howe 8:06

a) "Across the Border"

b) "Not for Nothing"