It was 30 years ago today...

[just_bassics]

...that Yes released the DRAMA LP. This is one of those records that was a bit of a shocker for me, as it was for a lot of Yes fans, but it quickly grew into and remains one of my all time favorite records.

I'm interested to hear from long time fans: What was your first impression on hearing DRAMA, including the major lineup change which accompanied it and what your feelings are about it today. The current Yes lineup seem to like it, as Machine Messiah and Tempus Fugit have been performed at almost every show since 2008.

[ram]

I was blown away!… As with most Yes albums, I expect there to be some departure from the previous – always evolving… and man I don’t think we were disappointed with Drama in that vein. I liked it when it came out and it still is one of my favorite Yes efforts to date. They kicked the old gluteus max with Machine Messiah and Tempus Fugit here in DC back in February. And they seemed to enjoy playing it!

[YesFan63]

I think that Chris' bass tone is excellent on this album. I love the low bass note he hits (E) when Machine Massiah picks up speed in part 3 just before the lyrics "History dictating symptoms of ruling romance. Claws at the shores of the water upon which we dance" (Awesome ricky trebley tone!)

[BAD RONBO, KiLLeR DWaRfS]

yesssss ! great bass tone. fast , powerful pop songs. a genius of an album. one of my favorites as well. too bad trevor blew his voice out on rehearsals before the tour. quite similar to tormato in construction of fast pop tunes. again, squire at his best inventing cool moving riffs.

[Billsbro]

I agree with you folks.
It knocked my socks off because of the quality of the songs, the unique nature of the sound, and the fresh blood from the newest members. What helped was that it seemed so "Yes-like" in many ways. In a similar way to how TALES felt logical (and then how logical RELAYER felt after that), DRAMA felt like the logical next step, writing wise. I feel that it is because of the presence of Squire and White that it had so much "Yes-ness." I think there is more Squire-influence on DRAMA than almost anyone else, despite the fact that the new guys clearly brought alot to the table. I too love his bass lines on the album. Vintage Squire. And his backing vocals are superb. Yes has never been about a formula (well, Bruford saw it that way but he has such high standards) so the "aware" fans always expected the unexpected. I clearly remember the first day I played it in my duplex. Massive sound, easily accessible, clever hooks, great lyrics. Sure, I was sad that Wakeman and Anderson weren't around but it was clearly YES to me and it was new music. We needed new music in those years because there was so much music that was, well, not very good, IMHO.

And yes, it was VERY cool to hear the two DRAMA songs when I saw the boys last year. What a thrill!

[BAD RONBO, KiLLeR DWaRfS]

the yes perfection used to drive bruford crazy, especially squire trying to get that special tone, and after 4 hours only altering the tone half a gnat ! (brufords words on the close to the edge sessions.)

billsbro wrote: And yes, it was VERY cool to hear the two DRAMA songs when I saw the boys last year. What a thrill!

that came about by touring with dream theatre, and when they would play some drama tunes, white would come out and play drums with them. standing ovations ! saw a show in syracuse years ago and it was great to finally hear some drama for once !

[johnallg]

My experience and reasons are the same. When I first heard Drama, it was different (no Jon or Rick but it was Yes. Liked it right off, but loved it after a couple listens. It continues to be one of my favorites. I always wished it had been longer, and that they had explored Man In A White Car further. The bass part of MM is so powerful. RTTL reminds me of Only A Northern Song in the context of the droning effect.

[windchimp]

I remember that I had mixed feelings at first with the new line-up (btw, it was Jon and Rick that went on hiatus, replaced by Horn and Downes) but after a spin or two the hooks sank in deep. To this day one of my favs is "Does It Really Happen"...that bass line drives the train, with a cool solo at the end.

[woodyng]

i was used to the personnel changes,since i had been into the band since the very first album with peter banks and tony kaye,but my very first impression,upon hearing the opening chords of machine messiah was...omigod yes has turned into black sabbath! i never would have expected steve howe to play like that (then he did it again for "heat of the moment") ....of course,in true yes fashion,the song changed gears completely a minute later! drama along with relayer remains as some of my favorite yes music,and i was thrilled to hear them play the drama cuts in concert in 2009. i really like the yes version of "i am a camera",too.

[just_bassics]

In August of 1980 I was in South America. Our destroyer had just come up the west coast and did another Panama Canal transit to head back into the Atlantic. Of course, Panama has a Navy Base, so we stocked up on supplies and mail! Our ships store received all the latest music as well, including one lonely copy of the new Yes album, Drama.

I had only heard about two days before of Anderson & Wakeman's departure and didn't know if it was before or after the tracks had been cut, so I decided to give it a listen without looking at the liner notes.

Bear in mind, I was stationed on a destroyer. My job at that time was "Oil King", I was responsible for the refueling, transfer & storage of the 200,00 gallons of fuel oil that the ship held in some forty tanks, as well as all chemical testing and treatment of the ship's boiler feedwater systems. Best job I ever had in the Navy, the shifts were only 12 hours long! My lab was located over Fireroom #2, very noisy and I only had a little stereo boom box to play tapes on... not only were subtle nuances hard to pick up, solos were also sometimes outright lost - I sure hope ships are quieter these days now that the boiler powered ships are all but gone!

Anyway, on my first listen, it was not easy to tell if I was listening to Horn or Anderson, because Chris Squire's voice was so strong in the mix that it just sounded like Yes to me. I knew something was different in the keyboard section as I thought I was hearing Tony Kaye at times! Certain things did obviously tell me that Jon's voice was missing, but in that noisy environment, all I could really tell is that I was hearing some fantastic new Yes music.

When the tape finished, I picked it up and read: "All tracks composed by Horn, Downes, Howe, Squire & White". Strange moment. But I had listened with a complete open mind and liked everything I heard.

It made me wonder what Tormato would have sounded like if there had been a clearer plan for production. Don't get me wrong, I like a lot of what Tormato had to offer, but it was clear that the record lacked a certain production quality that had been restored with Drama. Steve and Chris were unleashed on this record and it was clear that they knew what they wanted. I still think it's a shame that the tour which followed would be so hard on the band.

Yes have always had strong musicians and songwriters, so in addition to "Yes Fans" each band member seemed to have their own core following as well. The loss of Anderson and Wakeman proved to be too hard on the fan base and Yes hung it up after Drama, with Chris & Alan going into semi-retirement and Steve and Geoff forming ASIA. Of course we all know what happened with Yes after that and we discussed that in another thread.

Musically, I think Drama is very strong with production values that almost equaled Fragile. The artwork was a return of Roger Dean's vision and it left no doubt - Three panthers chasing two large birds into flight... The analogy suited the times, both creatures of beauty, grace and power, but so different in nature.

All in all, it was the songs that did it for me. Well written with powerful arrangements and lots of great solos and riffs from my two favorite musicians. This one for me was just as much a Yes album as any other, proving that they can always move on past personnel issues and be creative. It also made me realize how much influence Chris had on the band and it's sound. After Drama, I really started paying attention to Chris' work on the previous albums, not just bass playing, now it seemed like I could hear his voice so much clearer in the mixes.

Not that I put much stock in these things, but I rank Drama in my top 5 favorite Yes albums. Hopefully the current lineup will give us something just as fresh in the coming months. We'll have to wait and see...

[Billsbro]

Great thoughts, JB. What a fascinating perspective to hear it for the first times onboard a noisy ship!
I especially agree with your feelings about Squire's vocals. I don't think I can overestimate how much I like Squire's vocals...on DRAMA as well as all music he is involved with. His choices of harmonies are a big part of why his voice always seems to be essential and noteworthy.
(And forgive the typo in my post, above Steve not being in the band...I meant Wakey, of course...)

(Note: Both posts corrected)

[bluewhale]

That went by quickly.

I liked Drama right away. The opener, Machine Messiah, felt to me like Howe/Squire/White were trying to blast Tormato out of their systems. I was sad to see Anderson missing - made me conclude it would be the last Yes album.

More and more I admire Geoff Downes's playing on that album.

[BAD RONBO, KiLLeR DWaRfS]

i loved tormato. that was my first yes concert sept.1, 1978 in providence. it was 4 shows into the tour, anderson did not yet have the solid mike stand hanging from the light rig, only the hanging sm58 by the cord like the wrestling announcer would have in rocky.

[Billsbro]

That was such a good tour. I saw them in Tempe, AZ. I thought the hanging mike was a neat thing. Their clothes on that tour were so groovy. The lights were excellent, and the unique views afforded by the rotating circular stage were wonderful. They were all on fire that tour.

Ah, memories!

[BAD RONBO, KiLLeR DWaRfS]

speaking of being on fire...a fire broke out at the providence civic center during the afternoon while we were waiting outside to get into the show. we were in the parking lot looking at some smoke on the roof... maybe air conditioner problems, i don't know. thank god it was put under control and the gig got on without a hitch. loved squire's diagonal black/white wrap, and of course the 4001/8. never get to see a good close up shot of squire using the 8 string showing the entire bass. the photo guys keep cutting off the potato head !