Tormato [Remaster]

Performer: Yes
Engineer: Geoff Young; Nigel Luby
Producer: Yes; Brian Lane
Distributor: WEA (Distributor)

Notes: Includes nine bonus tracks. Yes: Jon Anderson (vocals, 10-string guitar); Steve Howe (acoustic & electric guitars, background vocals); Rick Wakeman (Hammond B-3 organ, Polymoog synthesizer; keyboards); Chris Squire (bass, background vocals); Alan White (vibraphone, drums, crotales, percussion, background vocals). Recorded at Advision Studios, London, England. Originally released on Atlantic (19202). The '70s model of Yes runs out of gas. Recorded in a morale slump and an impending haze of drink, Tormato's decent tunes are sabotaged by Rick Wakeman's increasing penchant for cheesy textures and the band's thin overall sound. "Don't Kill the Whale" was their last successful single for years; the soaring "Onward" almost but not quite redeems the twee silliness of "Arriving UFO" and "Circus of Heaven." Of special interest is the pounding "On the Silent Wings of Freedom," which pushes Chris Squire and Alan White to the front of the mix, establishing the kind of aggressive and straightforward rhythms that would propel the band through the '80s. Bass freaks, take note: this tune also marks one of the few appearances of the Dipthong pedal, accounting for Squire's distinctive "bow bow bow" sound. ~ Paul Collins Tormato's "Don't Kill the Whale" was their last successful single for years; the soaring "Onward" almost but not quite redeems the twee silliness of "Arriving UFO" and "Circus of Heaven." Of special interest is the pounding "On the Silent Wings of Freedom," which pushes Chris Squire and Alan White to the front of the mix, establishing the kind of aggressive and straightforward rhythms that would propel the band through the '80s. Bass freaks, take note: this tune also marks one of the few appearances of the Dipthong pedal, accounting for Squire's distinctive "bow bow bow" sound. ~ Paul Collins There's no ignoring the fact that TORMATO was Yes' most roundly (and unjustly) ignored recording. For reasons unknown, the album languished in bargain bins for years, despite being substantially less pretentious than some earlier work and much more "progressive" than Yes' later pop crossovers. On many tracks, there seems to be a concerted effort to cut back on the bombast. "Onward" is a simple, piano-based ballad, effectively rendered. "Future Times," "Don't Kill the Whale" and others find Steve Howe delivering some of his most visceral, biting guitar work, interacting nicely with Chris Squire's upper register bass lines. There's lots of carnival-like keyboard work and fanciful imagery (see the striking, harpsichord-driven "Madrigal" and the poignant "Circus of Heaven"), but hell, this is a Yes album. And it all works.

The longest-running prog-rock group in the business, Yes flew on the strength of Jon Anderson's high, angelic voice and the group's instrumental virtuosity. The band began in England, rising from the ashes of pop-psych outfits like Tomorrow, Bodast, and Mabel Greer's Toyshop. Extending the technical facility of psychedelia and downplaying the trippiness, it helped forge the template for progressive rock and reigned as its most popular practitioners in the '70s. Over the years, Yes has weathered personnel changes, lawsuits, and changing public tastes while holding on to its original vision.

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