Original

Album number nine from the fall of ’78. Possibly one of the last records I bought before moving out of my parents house. With another cover by Hipgnosis some critics said the tomato was their response after listening to it. A bit of a different direction for the band with 8 shorter songs (nothing over 8 minutes) and a different sound. Wakeman plays a polymoog and birotron that sounds a little too synthesized to me but Anderson’s singing, alone and in harmony with Squire and Howe sounds good. On “Madrigal” Wakeman plays the harpsichord. “Onward” is another mellow song written by Squire. “Circus Of Heaven” is a fantasy song perhaps aimed at children with Anderson’s son speaking at the end. Doesn’t really seem like a Yes song. The single “Don’t Kill The Whale” is the most straightforward rocking song on the record. The four longer songs “Future Times/Rejoice”, “Release, Release”, “Arriving U.F.O.” and “On The Silent Wings Of Freedom” are all typical sounding Yes songs but again Wakeman’s synthesizers are a little annoying. Always though this was a good record but perhaps not played as much as the others, it doesn’t sound bad.