New Album by Yes: "Fly From Here"

Thanks for the heads up. I had no idea. I'll let you know once I get it. 

 

I am really digging it.  It's a very fine record.  The "Fly From here" suite is especially impressive. Really, really good stuff IMHO.  Best Yes record since 90125 (assuming you don;t count ABWH as a Yes album).

So I haven't decided how I feel about the fact that the Fly From Here suite was written 31 years ago. On the one hand, for me it is an enchanting piece of music. But somehow I'm a little disappointed in having learned that it was penned back in the Drama era, only for this reason: it seems to me that most artists the "vintage" of Yes struggle with writing compelling new material. For a few hours, I believed that this current Yes lineup had somehow broken through that. I was incredibly impressed at how good the song craft was. Having then discovered that Fly From Here is really just a remake of a 30 year old work, well, that sadly reduces the chances IMO that we will continue to see enticing new music from this Yes lineup.

That said, I have been playing Fly From Here repeatedly, and I like it more with each playing.

Ive listented to the new Yes album on three different high end audio systems.

On my Audio Technica w1000 system with a musical fidelity tube buffer system with

high current power supply and custom Chronosound silver usb cable into a Wavelength

silver wired Usb Brick DAC, the sound is fabulous, detailed and the voices especially

lyrically and pure.  The more complex layered songs are a bit muddy and get annoying

and the actual lyrics are about B plus, not up to the best of their work, but tolerable.

 

On my Apogee Diva system with referenfe Krell HA=1 pre computer controlled, no current

limit amplifiers wired directly to the telephone pole power lines, with high current Krell

preamp and solid silver audioquest interconnects, the music rains like a storm from the speakers and leaves guest with their mouths open.  great symphonic qualitiy and effect.

Lots of detail and lots of power.  superb presentation, and sounds more like the live Yes shows.

 

On a B and W 805 system the Yes album is entertaining but neither detailed nor powerful.

Listenable and pleasant, but not remarkable.

 

have not tried it yet on my new Zu Audio  Soul Suplerly with Jolida 503BC tube amp system.

but should be remarkable on that state of the art system.  the Zu s bring out the best in almost every disc!

 

So in summary, Fly with Me by Yes sounds different on different systems to a remarkable degree.  the Yes concert experience is probably best repoduced on big concert level systems

such as the Apogee Divas which have both detail and power.  The headphones are delightful

ways to hear it but reveal the sonic shortcomings of trying to mix too much in at times but

the voice clarity is spectacular.  An "ordinary" system doesnt cut it for this album.

 

all in all:  highly recommended album worth listening over and over to on your best systems.

Also, its meaningful music that tells a story and is worth groking the meaning of their efforts.

Buy it, listen to it and listen again..  Thanks Yes for coming back with more.

 

best wishes, drbluenew mexico.

I've been playing it mostly on my very powerful and full range vintage system, via speakers. Sounds incredible in that context.

Still waiting on my copy to be delivered.

I think you will be pleased. I absolutely LOVE it. Can't stop playing it - played it several times a day since it got here.

You may indeed be right about it being the main part only that was written before. I'm not sure. But I AM sure that, like you, I can't stop listening to it either - the version they recorded, whatever it's genesis, is absolutely fantastic

Actually some other buddies have said basically the same thing - that it was just the basic "single" that was around back then.  So it makes the whole new record even that much more impressive.  Which it sure is.

Is it really a Yes album without Jon Anderson though? I have not heard Benoit David sing, so I don't know what to expect. I haven't heard anything Yes more recent than ABWH, Union, and Talk, to be honest.

Edited by Achmedisdead - 7/18/11 at 12:17pm

I think this album is WAY better than either "Union" or "Talk".  Much better.  Do you like "Drama"?  If so, then for SURE you will like "Fly From Here", IMO.