| Album |
| Artist/Composer |
Yes |
| Length |
70:13 |
| Format |
CD |
| Genre |
Rock |
| Index |
10 |
| Collection Status |
In Collection |
| Packaging |
Jewel Case |
|
| Track List |
|
| 01 |
Homeworld (The Ladder) |
09:34 |
| 02 |
It Will Be A Good Day (The River) |
04:53 |
| 03 |
Lightning Strikes |
04:35 |
| 04 |
Can I? |
01:32 |
| 05 |
Face to Face |
05:03 |
| 06 |
If Only You Knew |
05:43 |
| 07 |
To Be Alive (Hep Yadda) |
05:07 |
| 08 |
Finally |
06:01 |
| 09 |
The Messenger |
05:13 |
| 10 |
New Language |
09:19 |
| 11 |
Nine Voices (Longwalker) |
05:52 |
| 12 |
DATA |
07:21 |
|
|
| Details |
| Spars |
DDD |
| Rare |
No |
| Sound |
Stereo |
|
| Notes |
| Originally Released September 28, 1999\n\nAMG EXPERT REVIEW: You'd probably need a mainframe computer to keep track of all the personnel changes in Yes over the years, and the quality of the prog rock giant's music has fluctuated nearly as much as the lineups. The Ladder is a synthesis of the best traits of the experimental Fragile era and the pop-oriented 90125 era. Producer Bruce Fairbairn completed The Ladder shortly before his death in 1999, and unlike some of his work with Bon Jovi, Aerosmith, Kiss, and others, he didn't overproduce it. Vocalist Jon Anderson, lead guitarist Steve Howe, and bass guitarist Chris Squire all have fine moments, and drummer Alan White is consistent. The roles of keyboardist Igor Khoroshev and, in particular, guitarist Billy Sherwood are less clear. It occasionally seems the purpose of Khoroshev's keyboards is providing a variety of sonic textures instead of functioning as a lead instrument. Sherwood's second guitar tends to flesh out the sound. "Homeworld (The Ladder)" is a tight band performance, but the supple vocals/acoustic guitar/piano coda is the best part. Howe's bouncy acoustic guitar drives "Lightning Strikes," yet the biggest surprise is the addition of a horn section. The energetic "Face to Face" is the strongest track, and Squire lets loose with a sputtering bassline. "If Only You Knew" is a sweet, straightforward love song Anderson wrote for his wife. "The Messenger" has a smooth, funky feel -- a remarkable feat considering prog rock is usually considered the "whitest" rock genre. "New Language" is the best long song on The Ladder, thanks to a clever arrangement giving all six members an opportunity to demonstrate their talents. -- Bret Adams\n\nAmazon.com Editorial Review\nThirty years and a dozen-plus personnel changes after it helped launch the English progressive rock movement, Yes bills The Ladder as a "return to form." The question is: Which form? Though opening with a sound wash and rhythmic sleight-of-hand that suggests Close to the Edge and Tales from Topographic Oceans, it soon becomes apparent that the reunited core of the band's early 70's prime (vocalist Jon Anderson, bassist Chris Squire, guitarist Steve Howe, drummer Alan White, augmented by Billy Sherwood and Igor Khoroshev on guitar and keyboard, respectively) has remembered a thing or two from Yes's metamorphosis into a pop hit-maker ("Owner of a Lonely Heart") in the 1980s without sacrificing their willingness to occasionally take their music effortlessly off the wall. (Economic adventure, if you will.) The band takes playful, virtuosic swipes at Afro-Cuban percussion, as well as jazz, funk, and classical, and even concocts an unlikely tribute to Bob Marley that sounds about as reggae-fied as, well, Yes. And if their utopian-counterculture lyrical bent remains unbowed, it now seems like a spit in the face of the overarching cynicism of the age. --Jerry McCulley\n\nAmazon.com Customer Review\never wondered how Fairburn-produced Yes would sound? Yeah, me neither... , August 29, 2005\nReviewer: Vandelay Industries (Augusta, GA USA)\nThe thing about The Ladder is, there's a slew of brilliant moments on this album. However, these moments often quickly get tossed aside in favor of simple formulatic pop rhythms. For example, there's 3 or 4 potentially explosive musical ideas on "New Language" that, if any or all were actually expanded on, could've had people shouting from the rooftops "monumental Yes epic". Instead, these ideas ultimately come & go in a flash, taking a back seat to a bland, vanilla pop structure. That happens more than a few times on The Ladder...right when something catches your ear & ropes you in, something else will snap you right out of it.\n\nI'd love to have heard the results of this album with someone other than Bruce Fairburn at the helm, 'cuz Fairburn seemed TOO much an influence on the end result. Most tracks are ultimately stuck in an air-tight pop vacuum, and the one who suffers most is drummer Alan White...his snare sound is reminiscient of, well, every single album Fairburn has ever produced.\n\nActually, I don't really dislike any of the songs per se (except the sappy, predictable "If Only You Knew"...sounds like a ballad even Night Ranger wouldn't touch), but at the same time I mostly only like "parts" of songs. I do like "Homeworld" and I'm a sucker for the upbeat "Face To Face", but the majority of The Ladder is littered with inspired but undeveloped ideas...if the album had the same running time, but with 2 or 3 fewer songs, perhaps the band could've built the proper musical landscape some of those ideas deserved.\n\nAmazon.com Customer Review\nGreat Late-Period Yes Album, November 4, 2004\nReviewer: Kirk Lott "a strange and unusual person" (adrift on the seas of life)\nWith the Ladder, Yes' 30th anniversary album, the band released one of its two best albums since the 1970s.\n\nThe highlight is the title track, a fantastic, 10-minute excursion in progressive rock featuring sharp guitar and keyboard twists and turns, intriguing lyrics, and perhaps the most passionate delivery ever by singer Jon Anderson. It reminds the listener of, and is perhaps better than, "South Side of the Sky" from Fragile.\n\n"Face to Face" is sunny prog-pop with powerful drums and front and center guitar, sort of a cousin of "Going For the One." "Nine Voices" is a short but dreamy acoustic guitar piece perfect for contemplating God on a South Pacific beach. "New Language" is 9-minute prog tour de force, opening with dueling guitar and organ.\n\nThere are a few missteps. "It Will be a Good Day" is overly simplistic; "If Only You Knew" is a syrupy country tune. Nonetheless, "The Ladder" is nearly as good as Yes' late period masterpiece, "Keystudio." It's a solid comeback from the weak albums of the late 80s and early 90s.\n\nThis Ladder goes up. \n\nAmazon.com Customer Review\nFalse advertising, September 6, 2004\nReviewer: kireviewer (Sunnyvale, Ca United States) \nThis CD has come in several different options. There is the basic CD, and then there are different limited editions with different extras. I got the "Limited Tour Edition". Mine has 2 CD's. The first CD is the complete album with some enhanced features: Demo of Homeworld PC game and a Yes screensaver plus an interview. The second CD contains 2 audio tracks from the 1999 concert tour (Homeworld and The Messanger) and video (parts of All Good People).\n\nI am so mad that I bought this CD. I believed the advertising that this was the return to the "classic" Yes of Fragile and Close to the Edge. I wouldn't have minded if it was even a return to 90125, as long as it had good songs on it. Most most of the songs are boring and bad.\n\nThis is from 1999. Yes consists of Anderson, Squire, Howe, White, Billy Sherwood, and Igor Khoroshev on keyboards. The original, basic CD has 10 songs and is 60 minutes long.\n\nMany people think that Homeworld is a great track. It does resemble some of Yes's classic, rambling epics, like Close to the Edge. But I don't think it is that good. It is a choppy mess with poor transitions. It probably would have been better if it was stretched out a little more. The live version on the second CD is much better than the original studio version. I think that since the group has to play it all at once in the live version, without having any studio edits, makes the whole thing flow better.\n\nThe Messanger is a tribute to Bob Marley. Yes taking on Raggae, what a joke. Again, the live version is a little better than the studio version.\n\nTo Be Alive might be a good song if it weren't for that horrible chorus (Hep Yadda). It Will Be A Good Day, If Only You Knew and Nine Voices are all boring ballads with Anderson just droning on. There are some instances where his voice can be great, and others where it grates.\n\nWhat is good on this CD are tracks 3, 4 and 5. They feature some interesting percussion, similar to the Patrick Moraz days.\n\nThe video of All Good People is downright funny. The video of the band is not very flattering. They look like an over the hill Las Vegas lounge act. The video is not very well filmed. The camera concentrates on Howe during Squire's bass guitar solo (maybe because Squire didn't want the camera focusing on him in his white suit).\n\nAmazon.com Customer Review\nGood but not great, August 19, 2004\nReviewer: deathbird6 "deathbird6" (a galaxy far far away...)\nAs the liner notes describe it, the late great producer Bruce Fairburn (who unfortunatly passed away while this album was being recorded) told the band during the recording of The Ladder "make the best Yes album you can, and the rest will follow". The thing is that this is a band that has always done its best work when they're not deliberatly trying to create a masterpiece. Fragile was recorded hastily to pay for Rick Wakeman's keyboard equipment, and it's one of the crown jewels of Yes' catalogue\n\nThe opening track, "Homeworld" is an excellent epic done in the classic Yes style that is worthy of being mentioned in the same breath as "Awaken" or "The Gates Of Delerium". Alas, the rest of the album isn't as good as "Homeworld". The other epic track, "New Language", has a singsong quality to it that, when I listened to it for the first time, reminded me of Def Leppard for some strange reason. "It Will Be A Good Day" is a mellow tune that strangely seems to be a nod to Union, even though it doesn't sound nearly as bad as anything off that album. The reggae-flavoured "Lightning Strikes" is a catchy and interesting tune in its own right, but one has to wonder how it ended up on a Yes album. It sounds like a rejected song from one of Jon Anderson's solo albums. It does feature a killer bass break from Chris Squire though. "Can I" has often been criticized(or praised?) as a modern reworking of "We Have Heaven" from Fragile, and I happen to agree. It is, however, a nice lead-in to the next track, "Face To Face", one of the better songs on the album in my opinion, a stadium-style rocker which features some great guitar work from Steve Howe. Unfortunalty, this album loses a star for the next track, the syrupy "If Only You Knew", a love song that Jon wrote for his wife. It sounds like it would feel right at home on adult-contemporary radio, and it's completely far removed from the Yes I know and love\n\n"Finally" sounds like another rejected song from the Union sessions, but it's listenable, so don't fret. "The Messenger" isn't very memorable as a song, but its redeeming factor is the great bass work from Chris Squire. The album closer, "Nine Voices", expands on the modern-rehashing-of-an-old-Yes-tune theme touched on by "Can I", it sounds eerily reminiscent of "Holy Lamb" from Big Generator. At least the vocal hamonies are good\n\nAll in all, this album is good but not great. The musicianship is first-rate as always, and Jon's voice hasn't deteriorated one iota since the band's heydey in the early 70s. But it's going in too many musical directions at once to make for an enjoyable listen from start to finish, and it is definately NOT the next Close To The Edge as the sticker on the cellophane the CD is wrapped in would have you believe\n\nAmazon.com Customer Review\nShould Have Been An LP, August 6, 2004\nReviewer: Steve Jackson "stevejackson100atyahoocom" (New England) \nIn 1997, Yes came out with what is widely considered their weakest effort, OPEN YOUR EYES. In 1999, they more than made up for it with THE LADDER. Although not exactly a disc in the "Classic Yes" tradition as was claimed at the time, it is (all things considered) a solid effort.\n\nThe lineup for this incarnation of Yes was Jon Anderson, Steve Howe, Alan White, Billy Sherwood (guitars) and Igor Khoroshev (keyboards). It would last through the follow-up disc LIVE AT THE HOUSE OF BLUES.\n\nTHE LADDER starts out strongly with the epic "Homeworld", reminiscent of the "Classic Yes" phase. It continues strongly with "It Will be a Good Day", an optimistic song. The LADDER starts its downard trend with "Lighnting Strikes," particulary with its "She ay . . . Do wa bap" chorus. The next song, "Can I" is a pointless 1:32 minute chant. Things get back on track with "Face to Face," another optimistic song. "If Only You Knew" is one of my favorites, a nice love song somewhat out of character for the band. "To be Alive" is a middling effort that could have been dropped. "Finally" definitely should have been dropped. Were the lyrics "Finally we put it to the test . . .dedicated to the true believer in you" meant for a sneaker commercial? The disc ends strongly with "The Messenger," "New Language" and "Nine Voices." "New Language" is another epic, almost as long as "Homeworld." The lyrics aren't great, but Khoroshev's playing is excellent.\n\nThe big problem with this disc is an excess quantity of music. As someone wrote recently, the LP -- with its length of 40 minutes or so -- forced artists to put out only their best music. The CD, with the capacity to hold much more, at times has the effect of encouraging artists to include material that is better left un-released. THE LADDER is 60 minutes long and 20 minutes worth of songs could easily have been chopped off. Had Yes done this, I think the disc would have been appreciated a little more.\n\nAmazon.com Customer Review\nTheir first truly poor album, April 26, 2004\nReviewer: Karl Meischen (San Francisco) \nReturn to form?? You're kidding, right?? It will continue to confuse the hell out of me that anyone would choose this bland, glorified Jon solo album over the FAR superior Open Your Eyes. Homeworld is the only engaging track, and even on this so called "highlight" they sound just plain tired! What a complete bore this album is. The first Yes album I ever sold. Happy go lucky, wishy washy, world-music-influenced adult contemporary pop songs from the greatest band ever, who on this album made it clear that it was time to STOP RECORDING and only play live. Even the embarrassing ABWH is RELAYER compared to this one!! "The Messenger"?!?! As bad as "Saving My Heart" or any number of the many, many skippers on Union, but even that record had at least four really good songs. "It Will Be A Good Day"?!?! Hopelessly plodding attempt at modern prozac music. "Nine Voices"?!?! A waste of nine minutes of my time. And don't even get me started on the power ballad "If Only You Knew." If only I DIDN'T!!! Although slightly better than Magnification (which, by the way, is the anti-Topographic, THE worst album of all time), it's still not worth your money. Apparently Chris has forever given up on keeping Jon in line, the position he so gloriously upheld in Yes for so long (besides being their very soul, which is why Drama and his solo album Fish Out Of Water are jaw-dropping masterpieces!). A shame.\n\nAmazon.com Customer Review\nToo true to be good...., August 13, 2000\nReviewer: A music fan\nI'll just say it flat out: I did not enjoy this CD as much as I would have liked to. After hearing all of their other great disks over the years, i've expected only the best of them, which for the most part I got. "Talk" from 1994 has got to be one of, if not THE, best Yes cd's ever. (This album really needs to be back in print!). There's just something about the songs and the playing that doesn't feel right with me. "Homeworld" is an okay song I guess, but it doesn't rub me the right way at all. The overall sound of the album is too average-sounding for Yes. Steve Howe doesn't play as well as he used to: his solos are mainly legato slide guitar kinda stuff. I must say, though, that his best playing on the CD is acoustic. The last few minutes of "Homeworld" with Steve and Jon are really good, and I wish they'd expanded more on that solo acoustic section than with the generic ZZ Top jamming. Song two is okay, but not up to par, IMO. "Lightning Strikes" or whatever it's called is kinda cool with the sca riff, but the rest of the song is so corny, with the programmed drums and everything, that it kinda ruins it for me. Then "Face to Face", again, too corny, but I do respect how they kinda contemporize their sound. "If only you knew" is good, although probably one of their most mainstream tunes ever. The second half of the CD is just more of the first side, except with worse songs. "Nine Voices" is great, though. I don't recommend this to a true Yes fan (but i guess most of them have already bought this!). Go buy Dream Theater's "Scenes from a Memory" that came out the same time as this: it's more like Yes than Yes! Sorry, guys!\n\nAmazon.com Customer Review\nDon't believe all of the hype., March 24, 2000\nReviewer: A music fan\nThis album has some nice moments. Unfortunately, none of these moments actually develops into compelling compositions. Most cuts show promise but ultimately fall short in some way or the other. It is unfortunate as the studio records for Keys to Ascension I&II brought the promise of hope. Where Wakeman is, once again, absent they have survived his fickle commitment to the band before and are capable of doing so here. Igor Khorosev, his replacement, if not exceptional is a capable new hand. The problems here lie not with the keyboards but with a variety of other concerns. Perhaps the ultimate flaw lies in the decision to add a second guitarist to the band in Billy Sherwood. It is is difficult to determine exactly what the purpose of this addition is calling for. Sherwood's playing is not particularly compelling, original or inspired. In fact his presence only serves to detract from the voice of Steve Howe's brilliant guitar. As K.T.A.I&II revealed, Howe is still quite capable of making extrordinary contributions. Unfortunately, one has to work in being able to focus on Howe's contributions here as the sound is too busy and loses all sense of musical space, (something the original musicians were always quite adept in taking full advantage of, evident yet again on K.T.A.I&II). Chris Squire has some moments but never truly loosens up. At times, Alan White is reduced to providing straight rock beats devoid of his normally creative fills and changes. Jon Andersons sense of melody can still be impressive but he is also vulnerable to losing it lyrically or going to soft on the ballads. In their glory days of the 70's what made Yes standout was their commitment to exploring new sounds and directions (thus the moniker progressive rock). It is difficult to ascertain as to why this value isn't still embraced by them. It is still a credible value in jazz, why not here? Stick with the 70's classics and the two Key To Ascension albums and hope they will once again come to their senses...Simon\n\nAmazon.com Customer Review\nBe Warned -- This Album May Bring Out All Your Viciousness, March 5, 2000\nReviewer: Carlo Matthews "carlo" (La Paz Bolivia) \nUpon opening the information fold-out inside the case, one reads that Bruce Fairbairn, the late album's producer, instructed the band to "make the best Yes album you can." You'd think that would go without saying. Still, it raises the question: What, then, have Yes been doing these past years? Are we to believe that they weren't trying their best? Judging by the results, you'd think not. Furthermore, if this is "the best Yes album" they can make, why is it so similar to their dreadful output of the last decade? The problem with not trying is that when you're called upon to do it, you find out you've lost your chops. Alternatively, Yes may simply have run out of ideas long ago and are desperate to get a foot in the door. Both these answers are likely to hold the truth, which brings us to another puzzle. The sticker on the case states, "the best Yes album since Fragile and Close to the Edge," no less. Indeed, a mere attempt to replicate the standards of those albums would be most welcome. Nothing could be further from the truth, however, since The Ladder is a clear continuation of the bland Trevor Rabin legacy. From Anderson's choppy and (and ofter embarrasing) multi-ethnic signing/lyrics to the facile songwriting tailored for the even blander 90's (a spineless pot-pourri of New Age, reggae, pomp rock, all delivered with the right touch of political correctness), The Ladder is an excercise in compromise over credibility. It seems more likely than not that the reference to those classic 70's albums has become Yes' selling ploy, given that not much they do these days sells at all. Points such as these make one realize just how abysmal this album really is. Is it not disillusionment enough that the music itself should be so uninspired without dragging in (and cheapening) past glories in an underhanded attempt to promote this disc? If stooping went any lower the band members would be inserting their heads in dark orifices. The one star rating is solely for the fact that they were once men of idealism and unbridled artistic ambition. How times change.\n\nAmazon.com Customer Review\nLeave It!, December 30, 1999\nReviewer: Richard Hendriks (USA) \nForget all of the hype etc. It may be the best Yes CD in ten years, but it still falls pretty short of anything decent by this band. Dont get me wrong, I love this band. But imagine a Yes album where all members timidly hold back, and that pretty much sums this baby up. Only two decent tracks: 1st and last. And Yes - I did see them on their Ladder tour. Dont waste your money here, folks.\n\nAmazon.com Customer Review\nAttention "Steve Howe" era YES fans...., November 22, 1999\nReviewer: A music fan\n....you'e going to be disappointed with The Ladder. The positive reviews you see are from 90125'ers (who- to be fair- really don't know any better,) and old fans in denial. While only Homeworld shows flashes of promise, the rest of the CD is more of the same mish-mash from Jon's new lyrical inspiration: the "get-well" section at his local Hallmark Greeting Card store; and the greatest guitarist on earth is once again providing filler. (And no- I'm not referring to Billy Surewould) Rest assured, there are no Siberian's, Starship Troopers or South Sides to be found anywhere on The Ladder. The only nod to the past is the chorus from Jon's We Have Heaven used on Can I? Still, the uninitiated rave about the "brave new direction" the band is taking with The Ladder. If you believe YES playing ska, pop, big band music or neo-prog is a brave new direction, then by all means- buy The Ladder. But don't kid yourself- The Ladder is not the heir to Going For The One: it is YES once again taking the easy way out: enter Jon with all these sappy ballads (It Will Be a Good Day?) and pseudo rockers (Finally) and have the band pile on frills and runs. YES is turning their backs on their fans, and they know it. I'd trade everything they've ever recorded after Tormato for just one album that returns to the days of Close To The Edge. The Ladder is further proof that the magic is gone.\n\nAmazon.com Customer Review\nMedium Shock Value! But Where is Steve Howe in the MIX?, October 20, 1999\nReviewer: David Carlin (Philadelphia, PA USA) \nThe reason to buy a Yes album pertains to shock-value. On the first listen of a YES album, one needs to listen carefully and be transported to different playing fields. 80% of this new album unfortunately is predictable but it does have it's moments. Homeworld is suprisingly good, especially the middle section with IGOR's hammond leads. It should lend itself well at a live performance. Steve Howe's sounds as if he took a back seat at these recordings, he was mixed too low and not very prominent up front which I think is sad. Steve's spontanaity is incredibly important since he usually bounces off of the music, almost circling around themes of such, then hits you hard, very well thought out. Remember that 90% of YES albums were produced by themselves, pieced together by Eddie Offord. The 30 or so minutes of arguing over a simple chord was very noticable in the final product. This recording has the feel of a production line rather than strong riffs, and spontanaity, but does have it's moments and still worth an addition to your YES collection.\n\nAmazon.com Customer Review\nBogusly tagged as a return to Fragile and Close to the Edge!, October 6, 1999\nReviewer: Vini DiLiddo (Woburn, MA USA) \nThis release sucks! I have loved this band forever, there is simply no better band in the world as far as talent and progressive roots. UNTIL NOW! I hate to say it. I still believe Steve Howe and Chris Squire are the best there is, but they are wasting thier time with this crap. Ever since 'pop metal hungry' Trevor Rabin joined this band they lost thier edge, and thier musical souls are even now still in limbo. Although Trevor is gone, they still cannot find thier way back to what made them the musical geniuses they became. YES has always been a Keyboard and guitar centric band. Although Steve has his moments in this release, it is a forced effort and not nearly up to his standards or potential. Lipstick on a pig, if you will. The Keyboards are ridiculous and so substandard for this band that I think it contributes to a release that is barely worth the flush. The moron who wrote the claim on the 'front cover sticker' of this release should be shot. "a Return to close to the Edge and Fragile", yeah right! This is not only NOT a retun, but insults the band and the listeners who are so desperate for such a return. That statement is an outright lie. There is NOTHING in this release that is reminiscent of these great works. This guy probably never even 'listened' to Fragile or Close to the Edge, and should return to writing reviews for mentally challenged children listening to ABBA. Do I sound a bit angy?....I AM! YES is obviously struggling to reach airplay and maintain some musical respect of musicians and older fans, but this effort hardly moves into the latter's direction. I never thought I would ever live to see the day I became critical of anything YES does, but this release is a pure and simple piece of *** on a YES scale. I would expect something like this from bands just starting out looking for AOR potential. My Suggestions? --Lose Igor (this horribly lame keyboard player), and find someone with Wakeman, Moraz, or even Downes potential, and return to your roots to win back the fan favor that has got to be in a state of exodus worse than the titantic. I know the potential is there, I simply cannot understand why they would want to release this crap! DONT BOTHER WASTING YOUR MONEY! -----------------A Disenchanted Boston Musician\n\nTower.com Product Notes\nThis is an Enhanced audio CD which contains regular audio tracks and multimedia computer files.\n\nYes: Steve Howe (vocals, acoustic, electric & steel guitars, mandolin); Billy Sherwood (vocals, guitar); Igor Khoroshek (vocals, keyboards) Chris Squire (vocals, bass); Alan White (vocals, drums, percussion); Jon Anderson (vocals).\n\nAdditional personnel: Randy Raine-Reusch (various instruments); Rhys Fulber (loops).\n\nThe Marguerita Horns: Tom Colclough (alto saxophone); Tom Keenlyside (tenor saxophone, piccolo); Derry Burns (trumpet); Rod Murray (trombone); Neil Nicholson (tuba).\n\nRecorded at Armoury Studios, Vancouver, Canada from February-May 1999.\n\nYes return to classic form on THE LADDER, an album that features the kinds of chord changes, technical virtuosity, and vocal harmonies that brought the band to prominence. Bruce Fairbairn (Aerosmith, Bon Jovi, Cranberries), who passed away in May, 1999, made his last production job a memorable one.\n\nBilly Sherwood and Igor Khoroshev join the classic lineup of Jon Anderson, Steve Howe, Chris Squire, and Alan White. "Homeworld (The Ladder)" is a 9-minute opus that changes from straight-ahead rock to a piano melody, and is reminiscent of the band's early-'70s progressive work. "Lightning Strikes" has a ska feel to it, while "Can I?" is a world music reworking of the band's own "We Have Heaven." "Face To Face" is a fantastic classic rock tune, and "If You Only Knew" is a wonderfully commercial ballad. Like the title track, "New Language" is another epic track featuring the keyboard talents of Mr. Khoroshev. Yes is a band that recently celebrated its 30th anniversary and has never stopped experimenting. THE LADDER is proof of this, with the group sounding as fresh as ever. © Muze/MTS Inc.\n\nEditorial Reviews:\nMojo (10/99, p.99) - "...here again are Chris Squire's elastic bass, Steve Howe's skittering rock-jazz guitar and Jon Anderson's high-altitude vocals....generally the results sound pretty good....younger prog pretenders could still learn a lot from the old masters." |
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