Last night, driving home from visiting a friend in Anapolis, MD, we dropped a CD in the player that had been at the bottom of the collection for some time. It was Yes's Drama. The early eighties album where the Buggles replaced Jon Anderson (Trevor Horn) and Rick Wakeman (Geoff Downes). Poppier than previous Yes efforts, the album begins with the epic track Machine Messiah. Steve Howe's echoey guitar emerges from the opening quiet. Quickly, the guitar and bass riff out on something that sounds like Black Sabbath should have written it. It's arguably the heaviest metal sound Yes had had. Then the song goes somewhat progessive in standard Yes format until suddenly it sounds like something the Archies would play, but with deeper lyrics. The song bounces between heavy metal riff, Yes formula progressiveness, the Archies, and then slips into Pink Floydesque acoustic guitar and harmony vocals. To me the song has a very autumnal feel. It's not my favorite Yes song, but it's my favorite obscure Yes song.
So, what's your favorite obscure Yes, or other Prog Rock song?
So, what's your favorite obscure Yes, or other Prog Rock song?
