Yes Heaven & Earth released

Heaven & Earth Yes

Released: July 16, 2014 Peak: 26 US, 20 UK, -- CN, -- AU Sales (in millions): -- Genre: progressive rock

Tracks: Song Title (Writers) [time] (date of single release, chart peaks) Click for codes to singles charts. Believe Again (Davison, Howe) [8:01] (6/13/14, --) The Game (Squire, Davison, Gerard Johnson) [6:49] (6/23/14, --) Step Beyond (Howe, Davison) [5:34] (6/25/14, --) To Ascend (Davison, White) [4:40] (7/2/14, --) In a World of Our Own (Davison, Squire) [5:19] (7/16/14, --) Light of the Ages (Davison) [7:37] (7/3/14, --) It Was All We Knew (Howe) [4:11] Subway Walls (Davison, Downes) [9:02] Total Running Time: 51:29 The Players: Jon Davison (vocals) Chris Squire (bass, backing vocals) Steve Howe (guitar, backing vocals) Geoff Downes (keyboards, synths) Alan White (drums, percussion)

Rating: 2.415 out of 5.00 (average of 12 ratings)

About the Album: The 21st studio album by Yes was their first to feature Jon Davison as the lead singer, a role which had been occupied by Jon Anderson on every other studio album except 1980’s Drama and 2011’s Fly from Here. Benoit David had stepped into the role in 2011, but left after a respiratory illness caused the group to cancel shows in 2012. Davison was recommended to Squire by their mutual friend, Taylor Hawkins, the drummer of Foo Fighters. WK The Quietus called Davison “absolutely the right choice for the band.” WK Davison initially filled in on the tour, but then took a strong role in shaping the Heaven & Earth studio album by writing or co-writing 7 of the 8 cuts. He traveled to each of the band members’ homes to work on ideas with them. He credited that time with improving his relationships with the band. WK Guitarist Steve Howe, who was reluctant to record another studio album, said the resulting album had “a freshness and different stance” from previous Yes albums. WK The Financial Times said of the album: “Here come prog rock relics Yes to show the youth what proper boredom is, the kind of boredom that comes with bland guitar solos, chugging drums, lumbering time changes and otiose lyrics.” WK By contrast, The Guardian said the album had “a rich, 70s sound, and the material is solid enough, flavoured with Steve Howe’s distinctive, rippling guitar and Geoff Downes’ retro keyboard.” WK However, that review also noted, “What’s missing is the ambitious scope of their heyday, and the vitality of the younger generation of progressive rock bands.” WK The album was produced by Roy Thomas Baker, who has worked with David Bowie, The Cars, Cheap Trick, Foreigner, Journey, Queen, The Rolling Stones, The Who. AZ Among the most notable albums he has produced are Queen’s A Night at the Opera (1975), The Cars’ The Cars (1978), Journey’s Infinity (1978), Foreigner’s Head Games, and Cheap Trick’s One on One. Notes: The Japanese version of the album added an acoustic version of “To Ascend.”

Resources and Related Links: DMDB encyclopedia entry for Yes AZ Amazon WK Wikipedia Other Related DMDB Pages: First posted 7/24/2021; last updated 10/5/2021.