Fly From Here (2011)
1. Fly From Here: Overture
2. Fly From Here, Part 1:We Can Fly
3. Fly From Here, Part 2:Sad Night at
the Airfield
4. Fly From Here, Part 3:Madman at
the Screens
5. Fly From Here, Part 4:Bumpy Ride
6. Fly From Here, Part 5:We Can Fly Reprise
7. The Man You Always Wanted Me To Be
8. Life on a Film Set
9. Hour of Need
10.Solitaire
11.Into the Storm
It probably surprised more than a few people when Yes decided to put out another studio album this late in the game. After all, it had been a full decade since 2001’s Magnification, and with the band’s track record of lineup volatility, no one was sure if another studio project was even in the cards. Then again, no one should have been too shocked that when they did finally return, it was after—what else?—another lineup shuffle.
In many ways, this shake-up felt like a sequel to 1980’s Drama. Once again, both the keyboard slot and the vocalist’s chair changed hands. Geoff Downes was back in as a full member, while Trevor Horn returned, this time behind the production console instead of the mic. For lead vocals, they tapped Benoit David, who’d fronted a Yes tribute act and been discovered—naturally—on YouTube. David’s voice was a lot closer to classic Jon Anderson than Horn’s ever was, which made him a better stylistic fit, even if Anderson himself didn’t see it that way. (Let’s just say Jon wasn’t exactly thrilled about being pushed aside, but that’s a "drama" for another time.)
What’s striking about Fly From Here is how refreshing it feels. Sure, there are plenty of classic Yes hallmarks here, but with 40% of the band being “new,” there’s no question it feels different. It’s still progressive rock, but it breathes more easily. Instead of cramming every song with jarring time signature changes and dense instrumental battles, the band focuses more on melody and accessibility. And maybe thanks to the absence of Anderson’s lyrical tendencies, we’re spared the cosmic mysticism about suns and Eastern philosophy. Nothing wrong with that in small doses, but after decades of it, the break feels overdue.
The crown jewel of the album is the six-part, 24-minute title suite. Now, Yes epics of this length can easily turn into endurance tests. But here, they avoid that trap. The piece is thoughtfully structured, almost with a pop sensibility in places, and there’s a clear influence of Asia (the band, not the continent) in the way some of the melodies and arrangements unfold. That’s not a coincidence—it turns out the suite’s origins date back to demo sessions around the time of Drama itself. Honestly, I’m glad they held off releasing it until now. Say what you will about Trevor Horn, but if you’re forced to replace your iconic singer, picking someone who actually sounds the part is a smarter move than trying to shoehorn in a radical shift.
Once the title suite ends, though, the rest of the album is a bit more of a mixed bag. It leans more contemporary than classic, sometimes feeling like it’s straining for radio-friendliness in a world that doesn’t really care about radio-friendliness anymore. Steve Howe remains the MVP throughout, delivering consistently beautiful guitar work (including his solo spotlight on the lovely Solitaire). But Chris Squire’s trademark bass sound feels dialed back, and even his own lead vocal turn on The Man You Always Wanted Me To Be lacks the punch it might have had. Honestly, it took me a couple of spins to even recognize it was Squire singing. And let’s be real—Trevor Horn’s production stamp is everywhere. Depending on your perspective, that’s either a feature or a bug.
Still, give credit where it’s due. The title suite alone is worth the price of admission, and the album overall shows a band willing to stretch themselves again—even if the results are uneven. It’s not a grand “return to form” (for that, you’d have to revisit 1999’s The Ladder—a superior album that sadly didn’t make much commercial noise at the time). But for where they were in their career, this was a respectable, ambitious swing that most fans were happy to see them take.
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