The Quest (Yes album)
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''The Quest'' is the twenty-second studio album by English
progressive rock Progressive rock (shortened as prog rock or simply prog; sometimes conflated with art rock) is a broad genre of rock music that developed in the United Kingdom and United States through the mid- to late 1960s, peaking in the early 1970s. In ...
band Yes, released on 1 October 2021 by
InsideOut Music Inside Out Music is a German independent record label originally based in Kleve, North Rhine-Westphalia, and dedicated to the publication of progressive rock, progressive metal and related styles. In 2009, it formed a partnership with Century Med ...
and
Sony Music Sony Music Entertainment (SME), also known as simply Sony Music, is an American multinational music company. Being owned by the parent conglomerate Sony Group Corporation, it is part of the Sony Music Group, which is owned by Sony Entertainme ...
. It is their first studio album featuring Billy Sherwood since '' The Ladder'' (1999), replacing bassist
Chris Squire Christopher Russell Edward Squire (4March 1948 – 27June 2015) was an English musician, singer and songwriter best known as the bassist and backing vocalist of the progressive rock band Yes. He was the longest-serving original member, having r ...
following his death in 2015, and their first album without any original members. It is also their first album since ''
Talk Talk may refer to: Communication * Communication, the encoding and decoding of exchanged messages between people * Conversation, interactive communication between two or more people * Lecture, an oral presentation intended to inform or instruct ...
'' (1994) to be produced by only one member, namely guitarist
Steve Howe Stephen James Howe (born 8 April 1947) is an English musician, best known as the guitarist in the progressive rock band Yes across three stints since 1970. Born in Holloway, North London, Howe developed an interest in the guitar and began to le ...
, and their last studio album to be released before the death of drummer Alan White in 2022. After completing touring commitments in July 2019, Yes began to collaborate on new material by exchanging ideas for songs online. The
COVID-19 pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic, also known as the coronavirus pandemic, is an ongoing global pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The novel virus was first identi ...
caused all touring to be cancelled in March 2020, which presented the opportunity for them to focus on the album during lockdown. When the songs had been arranged, the album was recorded in California and England and orchestral arrangements by
Paul K. Joyce Paul Kevin Joyce (born July 1957) is a British composer, producer, orchestrator, arranger and conductor. He is known for his music for theatre and television, including the 2005 BBC TV film ''The Snow Queen'' and the 2008 British TV film ''Cla ...
were performed by the FAMES Orchestra in
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. Frontman
Jon Davison Jon Davison (born January 16, 1971) is an American singer, musician and songwriter who has been the lead vocalist of progressive rock band Yes since 2012. He is also known as the former lead singer of progressive rock band Glass Hammer from 2 ...
was the main lyricist, who wrote about various themes including hope, optimism, and environmental issues. ''The Quest'' was released in various formats, including CD, LP, Blu-ray Disc, and on streaming platforms, and reached number 20 on the
UK Albums Chart The Official Albums Chart is a list of albums ranked by physical and digital sales and (from March 2015) audio streaming in the United Kingdom. It was published for the first time on 22 July 1956 and is compiled every week by the Official Charts ...
. It received generally positive reviews for Howe's production and being considered an overall improvement over Yes' previous album '' Heaven & Earth'' (2014), though it received criticism for lacking unique or distinct songs.


Background

In July 2019, the Yes line-up of
Steve Howe Stephen James Howe (born 8 April 1947) is an English musician, best known as the guitarist in the progressive rock band Yes across three stints since 1970. Born in Holloway, North London, Howe developed an interest in the guitar and began to le ...
, Alan White, Geoff Downes,
Jon Davison Jon Davison (born January 16, 1971) is an American singer, musician and songwriter who has been the lead vocalist of progressive rock band Yes since 2012. He is also known as the former lead singer of progressive rock band Glass Hammer from 2 ...
, and Billy Sherwood, with second guest drummer
Jay Schellen Jay Schellen (born May 20, 1960) is an American drummer who is best known as a member of the hard rock band Hurricane. Schellen has also worked and currently working with a number of other heavy rock and progressive rock bands, including with A ...
, finished their 28-date Royal Affair Tour, which saw the group headline a package tour across the U.S. that included performances from
Asia Asia (, ) is one of the world's most notable geographical regions, which is either considered a continent in its own right or a subcontinent of Eurasia, which shares the continental landmass of Afro-Eurasia with Africa. Asia covers an are ...
, John Lodge, and
Carl Palmer Carl Frederick Kendall Palmer (born 20 March 1950) is an English drummer best known as founding member and the last surviving member of the progressive rock supergroup Emerson, Lake & Palmer. He was also a founding member of progressive rock s ...
's ELP Legacy with
Arthur Brown Arthur Brown may refer to: Entertainment * Arthur William Brown (1881–1966), Canadian commercial artist * H. Arthur Brown (1906–1992), American orchestral conductor * Arthur Brown (musician) (born 1942), English rock singer * Arthur Brown, ak ...
. Around this time,
InsideOut Music Inside Out Music is a German independent record label originally based in Kleve, North Rhine-Westphalia, and dedicated to the publication of progressive rock, progressive metal and related styles. In 2009, it formed a partnership with Century Med ...
co-founder Thomas Waber asked the band if they were ready to make a new studio album. Yes had planned to resume touring from March 2020, continuing their Album Series Tour with '' Relayer'' (1974) performed in its entirety, but it was rescheduled for 2021, and later to 2022, due to the
COVID-19 pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic, also known as the coronavirus pandemic, is an ongoing global pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The novel virus was first identi ...
and lockdown. The situation presented the opportunity for the band to work on a new album, their first since '' Heaven & Earth'' (2014). This marks the first Yes album to involve Sherwood since '' The Ladder'' (1999), who replaced original bassist
Chris Squire Christopher Russell Edward Squire (4March 1948 – 27June 2015) was an English musician, singer and songwriter best known as the bassist and backing vocalist of the progressive rock band Yes. He was the longest-serving original member, having r ...
following his death in 2015, and the first without any founding members. It would also be the last Yes album released before drummer Alan White's death seven months after the album's release.


Writing and recording

Yes began writing for the album in November 2019, one month before the outbreak of COVID-19, with the rest put together in the following year. Howe had become increasingly dissatisfied in recording with external producers who at times "didn't fully know what this band was", and put himself forward to produce the album, which was agreed upon. As the band were unable to get together, they developed songs by exchanging ideas online which were managed and stored at Curtis Schwartz Studio in
Ardingly Ardingly ( ) is an English village and civil parish in the Mid Sussex district of West Sussex, England. The village is in the High Weald Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty about south of London and east-north-east of the county town of Chich ...
, West Sussex, owned by Curtis Schwartz, the album's engineer and mixer. Howe said there was "a lot of creativity" in the ideas that the band had presented, and wanted the album to be different from what Yes had done before. Davison wanted to support Howe in particular while making the album and "really let him shine". A typical scenario involved one member contributing an instrumental section for a track, which Davison would then take and develop vocal lines and lyrical ideas. Davison preferred writing in this way as it allowed him to work in his own studio at his own pace, as opposed to the pressure of working "on the clock" in a professional facility. Howe then sifted through what had been put down, suggesting parts that were to be developed or scrapped. Davison had no predetermined agenda with his lyrics, but he was inspired to write about life, one's destiny, and environmentalism, and noticed Howe had presented lyrical ideas on similar topics. Howe approached the writing process with caution, which he had also done for ''
Fly from Here ''Fly from Here'' is the twentieth studio album by the English progressive rock band Yes. It was released on 22 June 2011 by Frontiers Records, and is their only album featuring lead vocalist Benoît David and keyboardist Oliver Wakeman. Yes r ...
'' (2011) and ''Heaven & Earth'', to ensure the songs were fully arranged and to every members' satisfaction prior to recording. "Dare to Know" was recorded during the period between 2019 and 2020, where members of Yes exchanged ideas remotely during the COVID-19 pandemic.Listen to New Yes Song ‘Dare to Know’
- ''Ultimate Classic Rock''. Retrieved 9 October 2021.
Yes release video for new single Dare To Know
- ''Loudersound.com''. 1 September 2020. Retrieved 8 October 2021.
By the end of 2019, Yes had put together "Damaged World" and "Future Memories". The album was recorded in two main locations in 2020 and 2021; White and Sherwood put down their respective drum and bass parts first at Uncle Rehearsal Studios in Van Nuys, California, and Schellen contributed percussion. After sharing the recording files to the group online, and once COVID-19 restrictions began to ease, Davison travelled to England to join Downes and Howe at Curtis Schwartz Studio, where the album was completed. ''The Quest'' features orchestral arrangements that Howe said were to "augment and enhance the overall sound", after the idea of using one appealed to him. Downes felt the orchestra complemented his keyboard parts as opposed to being a "me versus them" situation. Yes had previously used an orchestra on two other studio albums, ''
Time and a Word ''Time and a Word'' is the second studio album by English rock band Yes, released on 24 July 1970 by Atlantic Records. It was put together several months after the release of the band's 1969 eponymous debut, during which they continued to tour ...
'' (1970) and '' Magnification'' (2001). The parts were written by English composer and arranger Paul Joyce, a longtime fan of the band who had produced orchestrations for Howe's solo album, ''
Time Time is the continued sequence of existence and events that occurs in an apparently irreversible succession from the past, through the present, into the future. It is a component quantity of various measurements used to sequence events, ...
'' (2012). Joyce arranged a full score for a 47-piece orchestra which was performed by the FAMES Studio Orchestra in
Skopje Skopje ( , , ; mk, Скопје ; sq, Shkup) is the capital and List of cities in North Macedonia by population, largest city of North Macedonia. It is the country's political, cultural, economic, and academic centre. The territory of Sk ...
,
North Macedonia North Macedonia, ; sq, Maqedonia e Veriut, (Macedonia before February 2019), officially the Republic of North Macedonia,, is a country in Southeast Europe. It gained independence in 1991 as one of the successor states of Yugoslavia. It ...
, with conductor Oleg Kondratenko. Schwartz and Howe mixed the album in March 2021. InsideOut Music suggested that the album should not go over 45, 50 minutes, and the band selected eight tracks in the final running order. The label went on to suggest that a second disc of additional tracks recorded during the sessions be added, so Yes chose three songs that Howe said were "high-quality reserve tracks" and were not necessarily ones that they would have scrapped. He added that the two-disc configuration of ''The Quest'' "is not so much a double album", as the three tracks are "more like ..a second part of the story."


Songs

"The Ice Bridge" was first announced to have been written by Downes and Davison, and is formed of three sections. It originated from an idea Downes had, from which Davison developed lyrical and melody lines. The track begins in the key of C minor, which Howe said brings a "dark and moody" feel, and features sounds of ice breaking. Downes said the opening keyboard fanfare is one of his "signature bits" and was played as a homage to the band. The lyrics address the issue of climate change. On the following day of its release as a digital single, Downes addressed rumours that the song's riff was similar to "The Dawn of an Era" by English composer
Francis Monkman Francis Monkman (born 9 June 1949, in Hampstead, North London, England) is an English rock, classical and film score composer, and a founding member of both the progressive rock band Curved Air and the classical/rock fusion band Sky. He is ...
. Downes originally clarified that "The Ice Bridge" originated from a 1977 showreel of his while composing jingles and library music for a West End music production company, and that he thought the song was worthy for further development by Yes. However, Downes mistakenly believed the composition was his own, as Monkman's track was put on the same tape. After the two got in contact, Monkman received a writing credit. The opening keyboard riff has been compared to "
Fanfare for the Common Man ''Fanfare for the Common Man'' is a musical work by the American composer Aaron Copland. It was written in 1942 for the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra under conductor Eugene Goossens and was inspired in part by a speech made earlier that year ...
" by
Aaron Copland Aaron Copland (, ; November 14, 1900December 2, 1990) was an American composer, composition teacher, writer, and later a conductor of his own and other American music. Copland was referred to by his peers and critics as "the Dean of American Com ...
and adapted and played by
Emerson, Lake & Palmer Emerson, Lake & Palmer (informally known as ELP) were an English progressive rock supergroup formed in London in 1970. The band consisted of Keith Emerson (keyboards), Greg Lake (vocals, bass, guitar, producer) and Carl Palmer (drums, percus ...
. "Dare to Know" was recorded during the period between 2019 and 2020, where members of Yes exchanged ideas remotely during the COVID-19 pandemic. It features co-lead and harmonised vocals between Howe and
Jon Davison Jon Davison (born January 16, 1971) is an American singer, musician and songwriter who has been the lead vocalist of progressive rock band Yes since 2012. He is also known as the former lead singer of progressive rock band Glass Hammer from 2 ...
. The song features an orchestral arrangement featuring an ascending brass refrain performed by Fame's Studio Orchestra, conducted by Oleg Kondratenko. At the time of the song's release, Howe said: "The centrepiece leaves the orchestra alone to elaborate and develop the way the theme is heard, then augments the closing minutes of the song as it rests, with an acoustic guitar cadenza." "Minus the Man" concerns the search "for eternal consciousness through technology". "Leave Well Alone" features Howe playing a Japanese
koto Koto may refer to: * Koto (band), an Italian synth pop group * Koto (instrument), a Japanese musical instrument * Koto (kana), a ligature of two Japanese katakana * Koto (traditional clothing), a traditional dress made by Afro-Surinamese women * K ...
. "The Western Edge" features Davison sharing lead vocals with Sherwood, after he suggested they each devise a vocal part and combine the two tracks in the studio. Davison said this "accidental collaboration" produced a more unique result. Sherwood produced a demo of the track, after which Davison developed the melodies and lyrics. "A Living Island" was inspired while Davison spent time during lockdown in
Barbados Barbados is an island country in the Lesser Antilles of the West Indies, in the Caribbean region of the Americas, and the most easterly of the Caribbean Islands. It occupies an area of and has a population of about 287,000 (2019 estimate) ...
, where he "really did some soul searching" on its lyrical message: "I felt the need to express in words all those intense thoughts and feelings and my personal perception of it all." Howe said the track is the only one about COVID-19 on the album, and said it concerns "two people grappling with the restrictions and the fears and dangers of the time." As the song progresses, the lyrics change from a personal standpoint to a wish for global wellbeing. Davison's vocals were recorded at his home set-up in Barbados, as the group felt the original takes were too strong and emotional to be re-recorded. The closing theme was something that Downes had worked on for some time before, and used a snippet of it on ''Halcyon Hymns'' (2021), an album by his side project, Downes Braide Association. He called it a "grandiose theme" that has "big major chords" in a similar style to Yes tracks "
And You and I "And You and I" is the second track from the album ''Close to the Edge'' by the English progressive rock band Yes. The song is just over ten minutes in length and consists of four movements. The first and second parts of the song were released as ...
" and "Awaken", and thought it was a good way to close the album. "Mystery Tour" pays homage to
The Beatles The Beatles were an English rock band, formed in Liverpool in 1960, that comprised John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr. They are regarded as the most influential band of all time and were integral to the developmen ...
and their influence on music and culture. "Damaged World" was the first song Yes collaborated on for the album in November 2019.


Release

''The Quest'' was announced on the band's official website, YesWorld, on 7 July 2021, revealing the track listing, artwork, and scheduled release date. ''The Quest'' is scheduled for release in five different versions: a 2CD digipak, a limited edition deluxe box set containing 2LPs, 2CDs, and a Blu-ray Disc, a limited edition 2CD and Blu-ray Disc artbook, a gatefold sleeve LP and 2-CD set with a booklet, and on various digital platforms. "The Ice Bridge" was released as a digital single on 23 July 2021, including a YouTube video with lyrics and Dean's artwork. A similar-styled video accompanied the release of " Dare to Know" on 1 September 2021. The album peaked at number 20 on its debut week on the
UK Albums Chart The Official Albums Chart is a list of albums ranked by physical and digital sales and (from March 2015) audio streaming in the United Kingdom. It was published for the first time on 22 July 1956 and is compiled every week by the Official Charts ...
.


Reception

Daniel Willis of ''RIFF'' magazine rated the album 6-out-of-10. He thought that while the album is a "master class in prog rock, it maintains the same sound across not just within itself but since the band's best-known hits" from the 1970s. He picked "The Ice Bridge", "Dare to Know", and "Mystery Tour" as distinct songs that stand out from the rest, which is "synth-heavy and cinematic, light on hooks and riffs, without choruses that will linger in your head". Geoff Bailie of The Prog Report said that the album "sounds like the work of a new lineup, with a new approach" and praised Howe's "beautifully rich guitar textures" throughout. He thought the three bonus tracks were songs that "don't really fit", but noted the sequencing made the album flow. Sonic Perspectives gave ''The Quest'' a rating of 8.4-out-of-10 which classified it as "Great". In his mixed review, Scott Medina ranked its production and musicianship as the strongest metrics, but lower scores for the songwriting and originality. He praised the decision to assign Howe as producer, though he said "more fire" in the writing would "catapult this from a decent effort to a great one". Despite this, Medina considered the album an improvement to ''Heaven & Earth''. Ultimate Classic Rock reviewer Michael Gallucci wrote that with ''The Quest'', the band "dips into the nostalgia pool once again" and "goes through some familiar motions." Though he said the album "starts in the right place" with "The Ice Bridge" and "Dare to Know" sounding like "classic Yes", it begins to get "even more self-serious and metaphysical in its musings" with "Minus the Man" and "Future Memories". Gallucci summarised that the album is "backward-looking" and follows "a well-worn path", but praised the solos and in particular, "A Living Island". In a review for ''
Classic Rock Classic rock is a US radio format which developed from the album-oriented rock (AOR) format in the early 1980s. In the United States, the classic rock format comprises rock music ranging generally from the mid-1960s through the mid 1990s, prima ...
'', Geoff Barton gave ''The Quest'' three stars out of five. He wrote that despite opening strong, the album "goes awry" as several tracks are suddenly punctuated by the orchestra before "just as soon fizzle out." The rest of the album "becomes ever more twee and unchallenging", with a lack of drama in the songs. Barton summarised the album as "a mixed bag". ''Glide'' magazine posted a mixed review by Andrew Kenney. He argued that Sherwood had proven to be a proficient replacement for Squire on stage, and his "running basslines and trebly undertones" provide a good basis for Howe and Downes to riff off each other. He praised White's "crisp, sharp" drumming and the vocal harmonies on "Minus the Man" despite the track being "a bit of a momentum killer". Kenney hailed "Leave Well Alone" as "a true Yes classic in the making" and "The Western Edge" a high point on the album, though despite "A Living Island" the least "Yes sounding" track it is also a strong moment. He thought the second disc lacked the "punch and quality" of the main set, but half of the album "deserve regular live rotation".


Track listing


Personnel

Credits adapted from the albums' liner notes.


Yes

*
Jon Davison Jon Davison (born January 16, 1971) is an American singer, musician and songwriter who has been the lead vocalist of progressive rock band Yes since 2012. He is also known as the former lead singer of progressive rock band Glass Hammer from 2 ...
– lead vocals , vocal duet , Fender F-310-12 guitar *
Steve Howe Stephen James Howe (born 8 April 1947) is an English musician, best known as the guitarist in the progressive rock band Yes across three stints since 1970. Born in Holloway, North London, Howe developed an interest in the guitar and began to le ...
– guitars
Gibson Gibson may refer to: People * Gibson (surname) Businesses * Gibson Brands, Inc., an American manufacturer of guitars, other musical instruments, and audio equipment * Gibson Technology, and English automotive and motorsport company based * Gi ...
15 acoustic , Gibson Les Paul Roland Corporation, Roland , Gibson Les Paul Junior and Gibson ES-157D Gibson ES-175D , Gibson ES-335#ES-345, Gibson ES-345 , Variax Electric sitar, Sitar Guitar , C. F. Martin & Company, Martin MC-28 acoustic , Twelve-string acoustic , Martin MC-38 SH acoustic , Martin 0018 ' Nashville tuning (high strung), Nashville Tuning' acoustic ,
Fender Stratocaster The Fender Stratocaster, colloquially known as the Strat, is a model of electric guitar designed from 1952 into 1954 by Leo Fender, Bill Carson, George Fullerton, and Freddie Tavares. The Fender Musical Instruments Corporation has continuousl ...
,
Fender Telecaster The Fender Telecaster, colloquially known as the Tele , is an electric guitar produced by Fender. Together with its sister model the Esquire, it is the world's first mass-produced, commercially successful Les Paul had built a prototype solid bo ...
, Telecaster volume and tone pedal rhythm guitar , Stringmaster steel , Portuguese 12 string guitar , Martin D-28 rhythm guitar , Steinberger GM4T , Sho Bud Pedal Steel guitars ], mandolin ender Electric mandolin , F4 mandolin
koto Koto may refer to: * Koto (band), an Italian synth pop group * Koto (instrument), a Japanese musical instrument * Koto (kana), a ligature of two Japanese katakana * Koto (traditional clothing), a traditional dress made by Afro-Surinamese women * K ...
and autoharp , vocal duet , vocals * Geoff Downes – piano , Hammond organ , synthesizers , organ , Mellotron , Fender Rhodes piano * Billy Sherwood – bass guitar
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, Spector Fretless bass">fretless A fretless guitar is a guitar with a fingerboard without frets, typically a standard instrument that has had the frets removed, though some custom-built and commercial fretless guitars are occasionally made. The classic fretless guitar was first ...
, Rickenbacker 4001 ], vocals , Fender Rhodes piano , keyboards and acoustic guitar * Alan White – drums


Additional musicians

*
Jay Schellen Jay Schellen (born May 20, 1960) is an American drummer who is best known as a member of the hard rock band Hurricane. Schellen has also worked and currently working with a number of other heavy rock and progressive rock bands, including with A ...
– percussion *FAMES Studio Orchestra *
Paul K. Joyce Paul Kevin Joyce (born July 1957) is a British composer, producer, orchestrator, arranger and conductor. He is known for his music for theatre and television, including the 2005 BBC TV film ''The Snow Queen'' and the 2008 British TV film ''Cla ...
– orchestra arrangements *Oleg Kondratenko – conductor


Production

*Steve Howe – producer, preparatory engineering, guitar recording *Curtis Schwartz – engineering, mixing, recording sessions photographies * Simon Heyworth – mastering *Geoff Downes – preparatory engineering, keyboards recording *Jon Davison – preparatory engineering, vocals recording *Billy Sherwood – preparatory engineering, basses recording, drums and percussion recording *Alen Hadzi Stefanov – orchestra sound recordist *Teodora Arsovska – orchestra
Pro tools Pro Tools is a digital audio workstation (DAW) developed and released by Avid Technology (formerly Digidesign) for Microsoft Windows and macOS. It is used for music creation and production, sound for picture ( sound design, audio post-produ ...
operator * Roger Dean – cover art,
logo A logo (abbreviation of logotype; ) is a graphic mark, emblem, or symbol used to aid and promote public identification and recognition. It may be of an abstract or figurative design or include the text of the name it represents as in a wo ...
*Doug Gottlieb, Glenn Gottlieb (The Gottlieb Brothers) – package design, Yes portraits *Gigi White – recording sessions photographies


Charts


References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Quest, The Yes (band) albums 2021 albums Albums impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic Albums with cover art by Roger Dean (artist) Inside Out Music albums