Drama [LP] in Bloomington, MN

For this one album, ex-
Buggles
Geoffrey Downes
and
Trevor Horn
were drafted in to replace
Jon Anderson
Rick Wakeman
. It rocks harder than other
Yes
albums, and for classically inclined fans, it was a jarring departure; but it was a harbinger of
Asia
albums to come. A newly emboldened
Chris Squire
lays down aggressive rhythms with
Alan White
, and
Steve Howe
eschews his usual acoustic rags and
flamenco
licks for a more metallic approach, opting for sheets of electric sound. Prime cuts include the doom-laden
"Machine Messiah"
and the manic
ska
inflections of
"Tempus Fugit."
Despite the promise of this new material, the band soon fell apart;
Horn
went into production,
Howe
Downes
joined
Squire
White
toyed and then gave up on a pair-up with
Robert Plant
Jimmy Page
, which was to be titled XYZ (i.e., Ex-
Zeppelin
). ~ Paul Collins