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Album Details

• Artist: Yes
• Album: Drama
• Label: Atlantic
• Year of Release: 1980
• ME Rating:
• Reviewed by: gwhill on 2012-11-30

After Jon Anderson and Rick Wakeman left Yes, the group were in uncharted territory. Keyboardist changes were regular in the band, but they had not recorded an album without Yes singer and cofounder Anderson before. They asked their manager if he had any ideas and he suggested they contact another act he was managing, The Buggles. While the hit song “Video Killed the Radio Star” might have made that a questionable reference, both members of the duo (Geoff Downes and Trevor Horn) were Yes fans. They joined Yes and Drama is the only Yes album recorded by that lineup.

For many fans, the loss of Anderson meant that Drama wouldn’t be given a fair shake. In some ways, it’s more Yes-like than its immediate predecessor Tormato. Still, adding The Buggles to the mix did bring a bit of a synthetic, textural edge to the disc. That is probably felt most on the brief “White Car” which really sounds like it would have fit on a Buggles album. The song “Into the Lens” did wind up (in a different arrangement and bearing a different title) on the next Buggles album.

Yet, despite the Buggles influence on the set, there were some exceptional pieces of music. The opening “Machine Messiah” was heavier than anything Yes had done to that point (and it’s arguably true to this day). It was an epic piece with science fiction type lyrics. The bass line along on “Does it Really Happen?” is worth the price of admission. The other highlight of the set was the closing number, “Tempus Fugit.’ It was intriguing despite the changeup of an almost Police like element. Bassist Chris Squire and guitarist Steve Howe both managed to put forward come incendiary performances on the pie

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