Tormato

by

Yes

Edit

Let's now do justice to one of the most undervalued albums in Yes' catalog, "Tormato." Why this album continues to get a bad rap is a mystery to me. I like this album very much, and consider it to be one of Yes' best, certainly somewhere in their Top 10 best. Honestly, what's so bad about "Tormato"? Absolutely nothing! Say what you want about the splattered tomato on the album cover, but the "Tormato" album itself is excellent. After several albums of lengthy, complex prog-rock (albeit great prog-rock), "Tormato" showed Yes loosening up a bit. The hallmark Yes sound is still there, but for "Tormato," the band channeled their sound into shorter, simpler, more-direct kinds of songs. There's eight songs (which, for an early Yes album, is a wide variety!), Jon Anderson finally wrote some lyrics that you could actually *understand*, and there was certainly a more radio-friendly feel to this album than previous ones. This decision by the band to streamline their sound was partially inspired by the punk movement happening at the time, but I truly believe that it was to Yes' benefit. They couldn't do "Fragile Part II" or "Close To The Edge Part II"---they'd done those albums already. I'm certainly not going to knock the classic early Yes stuff, which I love, but when I play "Tormato," I hear the band doing something fresh & different from their previous records. It's GOOD.The band's songwriting, playing, and Jon Anderson's majestic singing on "Tormato" are all in peak performance. "Don't Kill The Whale" is a great, catchy number that could've easily been a hit for the band. "Madrigal" is a lovely tune with Rick Wakeman playing some truly beautiful harpsichord. "Future Times/Rejoice," "Release Release" & "Arriving UFO" show Yes rocking on all cylinders. "Circus Of Heaven" (featuring a spoken word outro by Anderson's young son Damion) is quite charming. "Onward" is one of bassist Chris Squire's finest moments with the group. And "On The Silent Wings Of Freedom" is a terrific album closer, a great jam with soaring vocals from Anderson. Whatever stresses & strains the band were reportedly under at the time they recorded "Tormato," you'd never guess it from the way they sound on this album---this is a very upbeat, happy-sounding Yes record that's always a pleasure for me to listen to. Honestly, I don't know what the heck anybody is talking about when they give "Tormato" a bad review. In my opinion, there's NOTHING bad about "Tormato." It's one of the group's finest works, whether anybody realises it or not! It's a great Yes album, splattered tomato and all.

Tormato has a reputation as one of the worst Yes albums, but if you ask individual Yes fans their opinion of it, they're likely to say it's not that bad.

And it's not. "Don't Kill The Whale," "Release, Release," and "Onward" are all very good songs. And "On The Silent Wings Of Freedom" is pretty much the epitome of "classic Yes."

But unfortunately, there's also some really bad stuff here. The ear-grating "Madrigal" is Yes self-parody that is mercifully short, "Arriving UFO" is just plain weird (and not in a good way), and of course, there's the infamous "Circus Of Heaven," heavyweight contender for the title of "Worst Yes Song Ever."

Another weak point is Rick Wakeman's shrill keyboards. Why on earth he went for this sound is beyond me- it sounds like a combination of a string section and Alvin and the Chipmunks.

But the good far outweighs the bad on Tormato. "Don't Kill The Whale" has some pretty cheesy lyrics, but it rocks hard and is enjoyable. "Release, Release" is a tongue-in-cheek rocker with some great vocal performances, along with an Alan White drum solo (!) and an Asia-ready solo from guitarist Steve Howe. "Onward" is a simple, mellow love ballad that sounds oddly out of place here. "On The Silent Wings Of Freedom," however, is the reason to purchase Tormato if you don't have it. Squire and White are an incredible rhythm section, and no song better exemplifies that than "Freedom." Jon Anderson gives a great vocal on the song as well.

And the bonus tracks? Well, there's not much to get excited about, unlike some of the Rhino Yes remasters. "Abilene" is as good as it gets, although it would sound much better as an instrumental. "Picasso" is a forgettable sequel to "Turn Of The Century," and "Money" will give you a chuckle but not much else. The a capella Jon Anderson demo "Days" is noteworthy, though, as is "Everybody's Song," an early version of "Does It Really Happen?" (it sounds very weird to hear Anderson sing lines from that song). There is also an unlisted, "hidden" 18th track, a beautiful orchestral rendition of "Onward."

In the context of the masterpieces it comes between (1977's Going For The One and 1980's Drama), Tormato is indeed a disappointment, but taken on its own it's pretty good. Definitely worth a purchase for those on the fence about it.