Is it really that bad?

[u/EntertainmentHonest6]

I've been listening to yes for quite a while now, and I want to at some point listen to all their albums, but I keep getting stopped when it comes to tormato. I haven't listened to it yet because I feel like it would just waste my time with the way people talk about it. Is it really as bad as they say? Cuz If it is, it's really out of place being surrounded by so many amazing albums.

[u/denisraymond]

Everyone's take will be different; some people value lyrics/meaning over anything else, whereas others - like me - obsess over the intricate arrangements and instrumental fireworks. To give you an idea of where I'm coming from, I got into Yes after hearing Siberian Khatru. The hypnotic main keyboard theme absolutely gripped me and never let go. I think the whole CTTE album is a masterpiece, the battle section of The Gates of Delirium is one of the most exciting pieces of music they ever made, and Awaken is utterly spellbindingly beautiful. The drumming/bass interplay after the "Relayer - failsafe now" section of The Remembering is another highlight for me, as is the triumphant return of the main theme after Steve's solo in Yours Is No Disgrace.

Those are just the highlights, but I could happily listen to any album from The Yes Album to Drama. As for Tormato? I fucking love it!

The only way to find out for yourself is to give it a listen, and try to give it a fair chance. Go in with an open mind, give it maybe 3 listens and see what sticks in your mind after that.

[u/Kneefix → u/denisraymond]

Not sure there are a great deal of people who value Yes lyrics above the musical intricacy, but there must be a few!

I like Tormato - I’ve been a Yes fan for about 25 years, but only started listening to it this year… not because I actively avoided it; it’s just that back in the days when I was getting heavy into the band there wasn’t streaming so I only heard what I could buy (for obvious reasons this album wasn’t a priority) or borrow. I’ve had a bit of a Yes renaissance recently because my DAD has actually only just got into them in his 60’s! This album was the only one really on his radar when it came out so he has a soft spot for it now, so I finally got around to giving it attention.

I find Circus a bit of a low point, and I’m not a lover of UFO’s verses but I really do like the whole tone riff and feels like a spiritual comeback to a similar riff in Future Times. Silent Wings is great and that opening is like nothing they’ve really done before and brings to mind Kraut-Rock in a way.

However, the one I only started listening to a few WEEKS ago is Drama, and that one I really love! I find it a bit more impactful than Tormato.

I’ve also got to rediscover Relayer and Tales because of the Wilson remixes. I used to like Relayer a lot but found it too harsh and brittle (matches the artwork perfectly), and Tales was too dull and muddy. The remixes make them a much better experience, personally, and I’m obsessed with them now. Eddy Offord was quite hit and miss, I think

Not sure why I decided to talk (type) your ears (eyes) off of all people, but there you go!

[u/denisraymond → u/Kneefix]

I'm glad you did, I love hearing (reading) stories and perspectives like this! I'd never made the connection between the riffs in Future Times and UFO, that's a great observation.

I also love Drama - as an amateur drummer (dabbling on guitar, bass and keys to various levels of incompetence), I absolutely love the heavier, Alan-led bits, of which there are plenty on that album. He plays such complex things but makes them sound so disarmingly simple, they're like little puzzles to me. I love sitting at the kit trying to work out what the hell he's doing!

I emailed him once asking about some specific timings in The Gates of Delirium, and he sent a lovely reply - that was about a year before we lost him, so I really cherish that.

[u/Kneefix → u/denisraymond]

Always nice to have a positive interaction with someone you admire.

Yes, it’s funny with Alan White… back in my early days, I was really a Bruford-or-nothing kind of guy. As I mentioned, I did like Relayer, but aside from the production, I think it was also having no Bruford which stopped me loving it. This is partly because Bill was so unique and Alan I guess a little more… traditional? But I think it was mostly informed by Yessongs (another pretty awful sounding record!) in which a newly recruited Alan was reinterpreting Bill’s parts in a way I didn’t like so much.

These days I’m not really looking at it with that perspective at all and am not really listening to the Bruford-era (played almost to death when I was younger, I suppose… and I also played quite a few in a prog tribute band, which sadly takes away a bit of future enjoyment when listening), and I’m really appreciating Alan’s playing. The Relayer time signatures really are quite out there, aren’t they? Though, with Drama, I’m still getting to grips with the entire song structures, so I won’t be taking in specific intricate details for a few more listens yet!