Author: Peter Podbrežnik
Artist: Yes
Label: Rhino Records
Release: 2017
Rating: 4/5
»Topographic Drama: Live Across America«, recorded at various American venues during the closing leg of the 2016/2017 tour, is the first live album in Yes history made without the late bassist Chris Squire in the lineup. That also makes it the first live album without a single founding member in the long, turbulent saga of this legendary English prog-rock band, which has now been going for almost fifty years. Squire was replaced after his death by returning member Billy Sherwood (World Trade, Conspiracy, Nektar, Asia), a pretty much ideal substitute, while the band’s two oldest members are now drummer Alan White and guitarist Steve Howe. It was Howe who, after the arrival of new singer Jon Davison (one of two Americans in the current version of the band), came up with the idea of freshening up the live set a bit and giving the crowd something new.
From then on, Yes decided that instead of playing individual classics ‘live’, they’d play entire cult albums front to back and add a few evergreens that can’t be missing from any of their shows. On the 2016 tour, it was the turn of the excellent but often overlooked album »Drama« (1980), which they began performing in full after it had been ‘forgotten’ on stage for a long time, thanks to former singer Jon Anderson. The full run of »Drama« makes up the first six tracks on this recording (»Machine Messiah« is played at a noticeably slower tempo), and they added half of the masterpiece »Tales From Topographic Oceans« (1973), namely »The Revealing Science of God« and »Ritual«, while from »The Ancient (Giants Under the Sun)« they played only the six-minute section »Leaves of Green«, with a Howe solo spot added. Playing songs from that album is an incredibly demanding feat because of their complexity and length, especially when the legendary keyboard wizard Rick Wakeman is no longer in the band, but Geoff Downes handles even the tougher sections pretty well, so things never really start creaking instrumentally.
It has to be said that Davison and Sherwood are excellent imitators of their legendary predecessors, and at times the listener almost forgets they’re dealing with very skilled ‘stand-ins’ instead of the ‘originals’. Davison has also finally offered a fairly good answer to roughly how the songs from »Drama« would have sounded if they’d been sung by his vocal idol Anderson instead of Trevor Horn, who was a member of Yes between 1980 and 1981. White had to sit out a big part of the tour because of back surgery, so on some performances he’s replaced by Sherwood’s friend, American drummer Jay Schellen (ex-Hurricane, Asia, World Trade, Circa, GPS, Unruly Child). Between those cult albums, Yes slipped in a few more fan favorites and evergreens such as »And You And I«, which features some rather superfluous Sherwood harmonica during the »The Preacher The Teacher« section that simply doesn’t belong there, a very good version of »Heart of the Sunrise«, and the obligatory songs of every Yes show: »Roundabout and »Starship Trooper«.
»Topographic Drama« is an interesting live document, packed with strong performances of songs Yes have ‘forgotten’ about far too often over the years, especially those from »Drama«. It’s also nice that they remembered the equally overlooked masterpiece »Tales From Topographic Oceans«, even if they didn’t play it in full. For that, they’d probably need Rick Wakeman in the lineup, and he never worshipped that album anyway. Yes’s decision to carry on at Squire’s wish drew plenty of criticism, including from many of their devoted fans, since there’s currently not a single original member in the band. Still, even this strange, ‘tribute’ version of Yes remains a great live act that’s still worth seeing, though not (anymore) at any price. In April 2017, Yes were finally inducted into the American ‘Rock and Roll Hall of Fame’, and for the occasion they performed with a lineup most fans would have handed over their most prized possession to see: Jon Anderson on vocals, Steve Howe and Trevor Rabin on guitars, Geddy Lee (Rush) on bass, Rick Wakeman on keyboards, and Alan White on drums. Together they played their two best-known songs, namely »Roundabout« and »Owner of a Lonely Heart«. Founding drummer Bill Bruford, who hasn’t performed for a long time now, was in the audience for the ceremony, while of the invited current and former Yes members, only founding keyboardist Tony Kaye didn’t respond to the invitation and preferred to stay home.
Lineup
Jon Davison – vocals, acoustic guitar, percussion
Steve Howe – guitar, backing vocals
Billy Sherwood – bass guitar, backing vocals
Geoff Downes – keyboards
Alan White – drums, percussion
GUEST MUSICIAN:
Jay Schellen – additional drums, percussion
Production
Yes
Track list
CD1:
1. Machine Messiah
2. White Car
3. Does It Really Happen?
4. Into the Lens
5. Run Through the Light
6. Tempus Fugit
7. And You And I
8. Heart of the Sunrise
CD2:
1. The Revealing Science of God
2. Leaves of Green
3. Ritual
4. Roundabout
5. Starship Trooper
