After Yes broke up following the Drama tour, Chris Squire and Alan White (first trying to put together a group with Led Zep's Jimmy Page) hooked up with South African Trevor Rabin to begin putting together a band. They recruited original Yes keyboardist Tony Kaye, and started working on material for the debut album of this new band, Cinema. As the recording process began, at the suggestion of Trevor Horn (producer and former Yes-man) the group brought in Jon Anderson to sing on the material. It was decided during this period that they should change the name to Yes. Personally, I would have liked the music better if they had left it as Cinema.

It may seem ridiculous, but by picking up the Yes name, the group were putting the material here in the context of the rich progressive rock history of one of the giants of the genre, and it really does not live up to that scrutiny. While, I do find that there is good music here, it certainly pales in comparison to the rich textures and complex song construction that Yes had been known for throughout their history. Granted this lineup with Rabin (a man whom one of my writers likes to call The Anti-Yes) achieved levels of mainstream success that went far beyond any that the band had previously achieved, that fame didn't last, and they had alienated many of their long-time fans. Fortunately for those of us who fall into that category, the classic Yes lineup and musical philosophy is the rule of the day now, and the damage to the fan base was not irrepairable.

This review is available in book format (hardcover and paperback) in Music Street Journal: 2004 Year Book Volume 1 at https://garyhillauthor.com/Music-Street-Journal-2003-and-2004/.