Yes The Quest released

The Quest Yes

Released: October 1, 2021 Peak: -- US, -- 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. The Ice Bridge (Davison, Downes, Francis Monkman) [7:01] (7/23/21, --) a. Eyes East b. Race Against Time c. Interaction Dare to Know (Howe) [6:00] (9/1/21, --) Minus the Man (Davison, Sherwood) [5:35] Leave Well Alone (Howe) [8:06] The Western Edge (Davison, Sherwood) [4:26] Future Memories (Davison) [5:08] (10/15/21, --) Music to My Ears (Howe) [4:41] A Living Island (Davison, Downes) [6:52] (2/10/22, --) Total Running Time: 47:49 The Players: Jon Davison (vocals) Steve Howe (guitar, backing vocals) Geoff Downes (keyboards, synths) Billy Sherwood (bass, backing vocals) Alan White (drums, percussion)

Rating: 2.503 out of 5.00 (average of 12 ratings)

About the Album: Since Yes formed in 1968, the only member who appeared on every studio album had been bassist Chris Squire. Sadly, he died in 2015 making The Quest the first album without him. Billy Sherwood, who’d worked with the band off and on for more than 20 years, stepped in as his official replacement. None of the other members of the 2021 lineup were with the band at its debut either, although guitarist Steve Howe first came on board in 1970 and drummer Alan White in 1972. Geoff Downes made his first appearance with the band in 1980 for the Drama and returned to the fold in 2011. Singer Jon Davison joined in 2012, replacing Jon Anderson. The Quest marks his second studio album with Yes. Most of the music for The Quest was written in 2019 and then the band worked on it during the pandemic in 2020. Howe explained that the process was generally one of the members presenting an instrumental section for a track and then Davison adding vocal and lyric ideas. WK The group then commissioned orchestral augmentations to, as Howe says, “enhance the overall sound…hoping that our emphasis on melody, coupled with some expansive instrumental solo breaks, keeps up the momentum for our listeners.” LS Album opener and lead single The Ice Bridge grew out of an idea presented by Downes. He said it originated in 1977 when he was composing jingles and library music for a West End music production company. It was on a showreel along with a track by Francis Monkman. Downes initially thought the song was his own, but gave Monkman a songwriting credit after realizing the original was by him. WK The lyrics, by Davison, address climate change. The second single, Dare to Know, “presents a guitar theme played within many different arrangements, with different chord structures, and altered textures,” says Howe. LS He says the song is about “an awakening to the subtle goings on within our bodies and minds, all geared to nature’s scheme of things, all fluctuating wand rearranging according to the principles of life, as we know it.” LS Notes: A bonus disc adds the songs “Sister Sleeping Soul,” “Mystery Tour,” and “Damaged World.”

Resources and Related Links: DMDB encyclopedia entry for Yes LS LouderSound.com (9/1/2021). “Yes release video for new single ‘Dare to Know’” by Jeremy Ewing WK Wikipedia Other Related DMDB Pages: First posted 10/1/2021; last updated 2/22/2022.