Tormato was a good album

[ComputerForce]

Tormato is probably not the best, but in my opinion it was good album.

Tormato has it's fantastic moments, every song has it's incredible part, few songs "were not completely finished" - I mean their surface is not so clean.

It is not easy to make sympho. But, at the other hand, sometimes we forget that hits for top lists are also difficult to make - cause of their "must have simplicity". Here - sympho needs everything but symplicity. Almost every song at Tormato has its few (two, three even more) parts. Divided, and different. Means - Tormato has maybe 25 - 30 songs, not just those mentioned at it's cover.

[JL]

Welcome to YesFans ComputerForce.

Tormato was the current album when I discovered Yes and I have always loved it. Future Times/Rejoice is one of my favorite Steve performances.

[Faceintheplace]

It defenitley has it's moments. "Release, Release" and "On the Silent Wings of Freedom" are defenitley standouts and the Rhino remaster brought to light some great outtakes. And there's those great prophetic lyrics in "Release Release";

Lost and wondering, maybe, how it is
Seems to me, it's as simple as this
No matter, where you go, you're going to find
You won't see me in front, but you can't leave me behind.

[gitsy]

No Tormato would mean no Onward which is unthinkable!

[Earl Grey]

Tormato disappointed me when it came out, I was expecting audio salvation from the wiles of disco and punk. Tormato, while interesting, wasn't the savior of modern music...

It's all under the bridge now (where's that confounded bridge?).

In retrospect, Tormato aged quite well. Better than most stuff from that period.

Tormato is now one of my favorites, but it took some years to warm to. Silent Wings Of Freedom is particularly brilliant...

Welcome to Yesfans Computerforce! Great thread.

uRlIe:yesbird:

[Joe]

I really dig both, Tormato and Going For The One.
To me, they make one long album.
I always listen to them together!

[RABARKS]

Yes, I'm also one of those goofy Tormato lovers...
I think it's just as good as GFTO. There's lots of different ideas and themes and things going on. But maybe most of all I love the sparkly, bubbly, spacey, baroque production, full of detail, superior to the boxy, hissy, transistor radio sound of GFTO. On that album especially Steve sounds like he's playing in the bathroom!

Mind you, I borrowed the Live In Philadelphia DVD recently and I think I now know why Circus Of Heaven is so disliked by many fans. In the live version, it just doesn't work. It's cacaphony. It just wasn't meant to be done live, but on the record it's great. Even the tacky (is that the way you spell that?) Damion line! So, I wouldn't recommend bying the Philadelphia DVD even though it's my favourite line up and even though I love Tormato...
:headset:

[RABARKS]

I really dig both, Tormato and Going For The One.
To me, they make one long album.
I always listen to them together!

Good point. Maybe that's why I chose to put Picasso on my own extended GFTO cd, even though it's supposed to be from the Tormato period.
With its steel guitar, piano and dreamy atmosphere I associate it more with GFTO (Wonderous Stories!) than Tormato. :headset:

[Max Webster]

Tormato disappointed me when it came out, I was expecting audio salvation from the wiles of disco and punk. Tormato, while interesting, wasn't the savior of modern music...

It's all under the bridge now (where's that confounded bridge?).

In retrospect, Tormato aged quite well. Better than most stuff from that period.

Tormato is now one of my favorites, but it took some years to warm to. Silent Wings Of Freedom is particularly brilliant...
I agree completely.

At the time of its release, Tormato was widely dismissed as the worst Yes album since Steve Howe had joined the band.
Sometimes I wonder if many fans who were following the band since the '70s or early '80s have conditioned themselves to an automatic response to this album.

Twenty-five years later, and with a renewed perspective from the albums that have since followed, I tend to rank Tormato among the top half of all Yes releases.
And that's not a bad spot for an album that was considered a disappointment in 1978.

As an aside...
I've always loved "Onward," and it continues to be my favourite track from that album.

[Mostly Harmless]

As an aside...
I've always loved "Onward," and it continues to be my favourite track from that album.


Onward is such a beautiful love song, love it.

I think the album is pretty darn good. I couldn't make up my mind about it when it first came out but, like others here, it's grown on me over the years. Future Times/Rejoice is an awesome track and Release Release is a real rocker!!!!

[Albedo]

I have never heard the Tormato album. Now I may have to go buy it.

[rgfudd99]

Onward is such a beautiful love song, love it.

I think the album is pretty darn good. I couldn't make up my mind about it when it first came out but, like others here, it's grown on me over the years. Future Times/Rejoice is an awesome track and Release Release is a real rocker!!!!

I feel the same way. OTSWOF is another one that makes the album worth getting. With the exception of Arriving UFO and Circus of Heaven, I think the rest of Tormato is very good. Some of the bonus stuff on the expanded edition is very interesting, especially Everybody's Song!

[Mostly Harmless]

I'm not a big fan of OTSWoF; too many la la la la la lyrics for me. It's ok, just not one of my faves.

[neilius]

It starts off good; Future times/rejoice, dktw, Madrigal and then, possibly my least favorite yessong: release release.
The reason I dont like this song is because of Jon's lyric regarding ANARCHY. The arch-rivals (at the time) of prog rock, The Sex pistols, had a hit in 1976 called Anarchy in the U.K and I always felt like Jon was trying to paraphrase the anarchist ideology. OK Im mad as a hatter! Just my opinion.

[Timmo]

Mind you, I borrowed the Live In Philadelphia DVD recently and I think I now know why Circus Of Heaven is so disliked by many fans. In the live version, it just doesn't work. It's cacaphony. It just wasn't meant to be done live, but on the record it's great. Even the tacky (is that the way you spell that?) Damion line! So, I wouldn't recommend bying the Philadelphia DVD even though it's my favourite line up and even though I love Tormato...
:headset:I was at that show, and I cringed when they did "Circus of Heaven."

Most of the rest of the Tormato tunes worked really well live. They toured it twice, first the official Tormato tour, and about 6 months later the "10th Anniversary tour." I saw both at the Spectrum, and they both RAWKED.

It's a shame the DVD production is so poor, it was a GREAT show.

[webbcity]

Tormato has some incredible moments..."On the Silent Wings of Freedom," "Rejoice," "Release, Release," "Onward"...I think it's a great album as it is, but I've also always thought there was potential for it to be even better.

Why did they drop songs like "Richard," "Picasso," and "You Can Be Saved?" While I think "Arriving UFO" is fun, I'm stunned that one of the first three I mentioned wasn't picked over that one to make it to the album. There was some stunningly beautiful music that never got past the demo stages.

I think some songs like "Release, Release" and "Future Times" sound a bit dated now because of the production and Rick's keyboard sounds. And "Release, Release" is one of my favorites from the album, but I think if they did a modern version of it now it would sound 110% better.

[RABARKS]

Why did they drop songs like "Richard," "Picasso," and "You Can Be Saved?" While I think "Arriving UFO" is fun, I'm stunned that one of the first three I mentioned wasn't picked over that one to make it to the album. There was some stunningly beautiful music that never got past the demo stages.


The reason these songs weren't included on Tormato is that they were recorded later during the Paris sessions in '79. At least that's what I think I know...
But, I agree, those are some very good tracks! For my part, I would like to add Golden Age, In The Tower and Money to that list.

What they could have done is wait with the release of Tormato and make it a double album. I think that Rick once said this would have been better.
But they probably didn't have the patience, plus the fact that their last double album wasn't very satisfying...!

Thinking some more about Tormato, could we Tormato-lovers have a name?
Like you've got the Troopers, Panthers, etc. Maybe we could call ourselves the Dantalions!
No, this is getting silly.
:headset:

[overlook]

I hate the production and again the choice of keyboard textures is really disapponting.
all peices except for COH are great songs , however, and i can only imagine what it would have sounded like with the production Drama (in my opinion the best pre 90125 album sound they had).
pity about the cover as well!!

[sunburstbasser]

I haven't really gotten into it yet. Maybe someday.

[ThePatman]

I like the record... and I wonder why I'm the only one that likes Circle of Heaven? Some of Jons vocal notes on Silent Wings of Freedom raise a question or two with me... other than that I have no complaints. :headset:

[fovman]

I like Tormato and listened to it repetatively when it came out.
I can only guess that most of the criticism comes because of 2 "goofy songs" that did not seem to be yes-like subjects: 1.) a circus 2.) UFO encounter.
I understand but I like those too. I rocked many times to "Release, Release" turned up louder than sh*t! I like all the songs. "Madrigal" is a jewel!

Who knows what the album opening UFO sounds are: At first I thought it was synthesizer.......but I think it might be Squire's bass with a ring modulator and some flanging......those sound designs entrigued me! I have not listened to it in years. Maybe if I pulled it out now ....it would be obvious?

[Scooty]

Tormato is a good album that could have been great..

It is merely good..after many years of retrospection and insight into what was happening with Yes in '78...it's about all we were gonna get.

It has tracks, to me, that are classic.."OSTWOF", "Future Times/Rejoice", "Don't Kill The Whale", "Release, Release", "Madrigal", "Onward"....especially after purchasing the Rhinhole remaster...I truly believe there were better tracks available..even thematicall, than the ones chosen for final release...

I love Countryside, You Can Be Saved, Abeline, Money...etc...

who knows....

[Vic W.]

I've tried, I've really tried, to love this album. But it just doesn't hit my ears right... it's screechy. The vocals are screechy...the guitar sound is screechy...the keyboards are overdone and, well, screechy...

[ThePatman]

I've tried, I've really tried, to love this album. But it just doesn't hit my ears right... it's screechy. The vocals are screechy...the guitar sound is screechy...the keyboards are overdone and, well, screechy...


... yes I understand... but do you think it's screechy? lol

[Hugh Shiebler]

I liked it a lot when it came out, my Junior year of High School. Strangely, albums that I listened to the most in 78/79: Tormato, Danger Money by UK, Studio Tan by Frank Zappa (the one with "Greggary Peccary") and Exposure by Robert Fripp.

Tormato is far from perfect but maybe that is part of its charm. It is a uniquely strange album, but one that has held up remarkably well over the years. A freind recently reminded me that sometimes, in those days, we would play the "four corners" of Tormato: the first and last song from each side.

Try it some time!

[Vic W.]

... yes I understand... but do you think it's screechy? lol

Come to think of, I think it is. Good point!

[ChrisBoylan]

I feel the same way. OTSWOF is another one that makes the album worth getting. With the exception of Arriving UFO and Circus of Heaven, I think the rest of Tormato is very good. Some of the bonus stuff on the expanded edition is very interesting, especially Everybody's Song!

Do me a favor, as a YES fan (this means unsurpassed open-mindedness, mind you) and really listen to UFO. The band is having an absolute BLAST! Jon plays with the lyrics doing crazy things like leading you into a single word filling the rhyme with a bunch of rapidly squashed in words: "I looked out.... in the night - strange... and startling..." SIGHT - right??? No. "once this... yada yada yada, can't remember the exact lyrics. But my point is, he's playing with you! When I saw them do this song live, Rick was having so much fun with his "lead" - he was pretending to beat the crap of his synth as he was playing it - and he did it without missing a note! The progression Rick and Chris use during Steve's guitar solo (which in itself is humorous - playing around with a style and notes that remind us of cliche 1950's space movies) really ROCKS!! Then the climactic explosion at the end - coming to another buildup and fade out (insinuating, "end?") Listen to this one again, but with levity. It one of YES's rare and deliberate planting of humor into one of their albums.

The same can be said of Circus of Heaven, which is Jon once again coming up with some of his wonderfully mythological, mystical lyrics and Rick working his genious applying the most appropriate mood he could come up with, which just reeks of Pure Rick Wakeman style. And, again another insertion of humor here - listen to the lyrics! Here you have a father taking his son to a "Circus" the kind of which nobody has EVER seen! I mean, listen the the things they were both seeing!!! Wonders beyond man's wildest dreams! Only when asked what he thought of this Amazing, wonderful, extraordinarily beautiful circus, his son's reply is anti-climactic! He says, "It was OK, but there were no this and that, no clowns." Jon obviously though his spacy fans would see where he was coming from. They all knew full well these songs would never hit mains stream. They are 100% directed at YOU - the die hard, love to rock but want something different, open minded YES FAN.

I truely believe that these are the kind of YES songs that will be looked at as pure bold genius a hundred years from now. YES knew that these songs were certainly off the wall when the put them on the album, but thought their VERY SPECIAL AUDIENCE would appreciate them for what they are. I think what I'm saying here is try to take the songs in the spirit that they were presented - to us as a gift - the very special YES fan.

Just give 'em another listen - for me. They just might turn out to be your favorite!
Chris

[Hugh Shiebler]

Wow, very good points, Chris. I think that you are really onto something. And not just about UFO, but about the whole Tormato experience. That is, people - - fans and critics alike - - were simply not able to "get" or deal with a Yes that was relaxed, goofing around, even (gasp!) poking fun at itself occasionally.

By 1979 the popular image of Yes as bunch of pompous Artistes had become so entrenched that even direct evidence to the contrary could not dislodge these notions.

The answer to Zappa's eternal question. Does humor belong in Music?" was, in the case of Yes, answered with a resounding "No!".

Obviously the cover of Tormato itself was intended to be humorous - - almost self mocking. Did people get it? Of course not. "Arriving UFO", among other things, was kind of a spoof; but did anyone laugh? One could say the same thing for that faux applause in the middle of "Release. Release". Lightly spoofing their own over-earnest image.

[wurm]

I heard they did not like the photos of themselves on Yes tor and decided to throw tomatoes at them, "that looks better" said Rick.

[gingerbaker]

This album gets better with age

[Hugh Shiebler]

I heard they did not like the photos of themselves on Yes tor and decided to throw tomatoes at them, "that looks better" said Rick.

Ok, but it's the fact that they decided to go with it as the actual cover that showed a sense of humor that many did not seem to think they were capabale of.

Can you imagine the cover "Tales" being released with tomatoes dripping off it? "Close to the Edge" with Chee-tohs sticking off of it?

[Ktrek]

When this album first came out I was so excited that a new YES album was released and was a little disappointed by it. I didn't really care for any of the songs except Onward. However, after years of listening to the studio album and lots of bootleg live versions of various songs from the album it has grown on me. Onward, IMHO is still the best song on there and it never fails to move me. All of us have had dark nights in our lives and a song like Onward can help you get through them. I could still do without Circus Of Heaven but the rest of the cuts I can really get into.

Has anyone else noticed that Silent Wings OF Freedom seems to make a good transition to the Drama album? I hear similar ideas especially in Steve's playing.

Kevin

[Hugh Shiebler]

I have noticed that. On the "Yesyears" boxed set, "On the Silent Wings" goes right into "Does it really Happen". I became so accustomer to hearing that particular sequence, that when I bought the new re-mastered "Tormato" I was still expecting to hear it that way!

Kind of the reverse of what usually happens: mostly, the boxed sets upset our sense of song sequence!

Once I get over my irritation had having shelled out good money for the same old songs for the third or fourth time, I find that this mixing up of songs can lead to interesting re-evaluations.

Of course it would be a lot cheaper just to put the old CD's on "shuffle" but whatever.

[Timmo]

A freind recently reminded me that sometimes, in those days, we would play the "four corners" of Tormato: the first and last song from each side.

Try it some time!"Sides" are kind of a meaningless concept in the CD age!

If memory serves, that would be "Future Times/Rejoice," "Release, Release," "Arriving UFO" and "On the Silent Wings of Freedom."

Those are pretty much my favorite four.

[Hugh Shiebler]

Once upon a time, when dinosaurs still roamed the earth, music was still recorde onto black vinyl discs. These were called "records" and it was seen that they were good. And lo, it was discovered that the cardboard covers of these "records" could be used "to separate the wheat from the chaff".

Eans passed, and even as the black lights shone through the smoky haze of poster-pasted bedrooms, a phenomenon emerged, and it was called "skips". And thereafter the wrath of the record consumers rained down upon the record companies, and there was much wailing and gnashing of teeth.

[Timmo]

And lo, it was discovered that the cardboard covers of these "records" could be used "to separate the wheat from the chaff".Even years later, my vinyl copy of "Close to the Edge" smelled like pot.

[Steve St Thomas]

When this album first came out I was so excited that a new YES album was released and was a little disappointed by it. I didn't really care for any of the songs except Onward. However, after years of listening to the studio album and lots of bootleg live versions of various songs from the album it has grown on me. Onward, IMHO is still the best song on there and it never fails to move me. All of us have had dark nights in our lives and a song like Onward can help you get through them. I could still do without Circus Of Heaven but the rest of the cuts I can really get into.

Has anyone else noticed that Silent Wings OF Freedom seems to make a good transition to the Drama album? I hear similar ideas especially in Steve's playing.

Kevin

Yea, Release,Release and Silent Wings Of Freedom have always said to me DRAMA. It's why (apart from Onward) they're really the only songs I truly love from Tormato.

[Hugh Shiebler]

Even years later, my vinyl copy of "Close to the Edge" smelled like pot.

Oh, sorry; I just meant the what from the chaff. I used to use them to separate out wheat germ for my organic macrobiotic yogurt.

[fovman]

I've tried, I've really tried, to love this album. But it just doesn't hit my ears right... it's screechy. The vocals are screechy...the guitar sound is screechy...the keyboards are overdone and, well, screechy...

Screeching========>Bad mastering...........high frequency overload.

[barrettman]

the back cover photo was quite nice......

[Hugh Shiebler]

the back cover photo was quite nice......

Yes it was, and the fact that all five of them were looking off in directions has been said to well represent ther general state of affairs while putting the album together.

And I loved the fact that they were all wearing sunglasses - - just five years or so after recording the immortal words "Nous sommes du soleil"...

[rgfudd99]

Yes it was, and the fact that all five of them were looking off in directions has been said to well represent ther general state of affairs while putting the album together.

And I loved the fact that they were all wearing sunglasses - - just five years or so after recording the immortal words "Nous sommes du soleil"...

Hugh, I remember when the album came out my friends and I got a kick out of that back cover photo of the band. Sunglasses are one thing-(very much like a rock star) but did these guys really need to have their jackets monogrammed too!?!

[Hugh Shiebler]

That's my point: there was an element of self-sendup with Tormato, one might almost say self-mocking that went completely by most people, even lots of Yes fans at the time, I'm afraid.

It was almost as if, to both their supporters and their detractors, the band was just seen as so supremely "serious" that people could just not quite get their heads around the fact that "Yes" had "lightened up" and were actually having a bit of fun with all of us.

[Olorin]

I've always liked Tormato, tho it's certainly not in my top 5 Yes albums. The songs are good, tho it often lacks polish (as has already been discussed). I think the album would have been much better received by fans and critics alike if they'd stuck with the "Tor" artwork concept. I realize what they eventually went with was meant to be a joke, and indicative of them letting their oh-so-serious hair down for a change, but that tomato splattered cover was just an invitation to take pot shots at the album.

[Scooty]

The title of this thread should be "Tormato IS a good album"....:lmao:

was that smarmy????
I kid cause I love.

[allpurechance]

The title of this thread should be "Tormato IS a good album"....:lmao:

was that smarmy????
I kid cause I love.

It's really remarkable,Scoot.Et.al.

Nothing and noone from the rock era weathers the tests of time quite so well as Yesmusic.Of course,you and I,and many of the members of the site are,well,not impartial...not a strictly objective group!Well,mostly everyone but Smatt...lmao.He maintains his objectivity quite well!lol

...but I digress...

Again.AND--I'll do it again!

The Rhino Remasters have greatly assisted in the realization of this process,though.We,I...knew that Yesmusic was defying time rather well as the years have passed,we,I,you Scoot...lol...could sort of sense this.But did we realize the impact,the full import of what the passing of the years has brought us in relationship to this music?In particular,this music.Other music gets to us in this way,occasionally.Sure.

But,tears of joy?I really have to be careful,at times!People think I'm nuts!-(ok,they're right...!)-Man,if the conditions are right...I just bawl...glorious and wonderful and,gawd I needed this so bad righteous tears of joy!

...but I digress(and I'll do it again...)...

Tormato is one of the albums that seems to have benefited the most from the remastering process(also Tales,stupendously so.Relayer...well,all of the remasters.They are magnificent.).It glitters and shimmers now in places where we always wished it had before.A recurring debate here is whether Tormato fits into what is referred to as "The Classic Sequence"(I paraphrase here,more or less for my own benefit,for I cannot express myself with the eloquence exhibited by the vast majority of this wonderful group of people).At last now,there can be no doubt,no doubt.Certainly Tormato is a Yes classic.It just took a little buffing up with present day audio technology(kind of like their live shows,too!How wonderful it has been to hear the technology catch up-a little!- to Yes' so-far-ahead-of-it's-time repertoire) and the passage of time to bring it on home to us,we who...listen.

The passage of time.A few other bands' works have demonstrated some of the quality that Yesmusic has...the(in Yes' case astounding) increase in it's value to us over time(and I loved them from the start!Man,am I a Yesfreak.).And,of course it's all subjective.To some,Judas Priest must surely sound better now than it did to them,then when it was released.Right?Motley Crue.Right?The Sex Pistols.Right?The Clash(of course,these are NOT the bands to which I refer,specifically...!Anyone who has read my posts knows who I like and love.It's really a rather limited bunch.I continue to ponder my obsession with all things British.My favorite bands,by and large.My favorite fiction authors-Tolkien,LeCarre[Cornwall].).These bands,many of whom are "enshrined" in Cleveland's,what do they call it again?Yeah,that place...I'm sure their fans feel that their music just gets better over time,too.To me,nothing sounds better,nothing shows that ever continuing upward curve in quality than Yes.Better now than ever.Better when my time comes than they are(to me)now.When I'm sent off to the next stop,the next place,the next realm,send me out with a little Yesmusic.Awaken would work.A side or two of Tales.To Be Over,maybe.Yeah.
And,no crying!lmao.Want everyone to party their little a**es off.

But,I digress.

...and...I'll do it again...

lmao

Frank

:O)

[Scooty]

Look..
Tormato, when I was a kid back in the 80's was the "forbidden fruit" of Yes albums. It was out of print, impossible to find, and a goal to seek out.

I found it, on LP at a record store in the cutout bin at a "Record Factory" (anyone remeber the Record Factory??)

And I bought it for 1.99 on LP...and enjoyed it Immensley...
Then I had a British relative locate it for me on Casette..and he did so..at a yard sale for nothing..and mailed it all the way here so I coud have Tormato on the medium that was hip at the time..

I also paid bookoo bucks for Tormato on CD, from Japan until it was finally released on CD here in the States..and THEN bought the Rhinohole version.
Lets count this up.

1) LP
2) European cassette
3) CD..
4) remastered Rhinhole CD

4 TIMES I have paid for Tormato...and it holds a very very special place in my heart, it really does.

I love the album, and it's very sentimental to me.
Future Times, Don't Kill The Whale, Madrigal, Release Release, Arriving UFO, Circus of Crap..I mean..Circus of Heaven, Onward (which if I ever get married..I hope to be my song some day.....) And OTSWOF!!!!!!!

it's not bad, it's not a masterpiece..but Gawd damn it was it interesting...

[Scooty]

WAIT!!
5 Times!!
LP
Cassette
Japanese CD
Original CD
Rhinhole CD (which, in my opinion is the best of the Rhino remsaters..the bonus tracks reveal that Yes had enough material for a double album.,...Yes' White Album.)

And that's the way I look at Tormato now..Yes' White Album..
Maybe I should start a thread on that!

[allpurechance]

Ahhhhh,Scoot.lol-

Circus Of Heaven is one of those.One of those that now,now it hits me deep down.Now it goes right to my heart,right through my ears,my brain and out my eyes with salinity...

I used to despise the song.When I saw the Tormato tour(this is the only one of ten Yesshows I have witnessed that just didn't pass muster.Maybe it was the sound.Maybe it was the nosebleed seats we were in.Maybe it was the dysfunction the band was experiencing at the time.Maybe it was all of the above),they had these little signs with the merry go round horseys on them during Circus Of Heaven...I found it all rather cheesey,and just plain not good.

Now I have sons.They're getting a little older now.But they were young once.Not so long ago.As were we all.As was Yes.How wonderful it is too hear Yes as youngsters again on The Word Is Live.

But,I digress.Again.

Circus Of Heaven now hits me right in the proverbial emotional breadbasket(the version on TWIL is almost unspeakably poignant!).I see my sons growing up in the song.As I hear,I watch them mentally in memory's time lapse photography,and I cry,Scoot!Tears of wonderful joy.And sorrow,too-for my sons will face in life what we have all faced.Then yet more joy,because I know that they'll deal with these things at least as well as I have,and probably better than I(certainly hopefully better!).I hear and see and feel all of these things in just this one selection,from an album entitled Tormato,by a wonderful band called Yes.No band in my memory has ever polarized the listening community more than this band.I'm personally thinking this is a good thing,it means they've challenged their listeners,and every listener.Some are not up to the challenge.Some of these appear on this site.We know them when we read them,lol.

But,I digress.Again.

I never before realized what a delicate and beautiful thing Madrigal was.I can go song for song.You,Scoot loved Tormato immediately.For me it was a process of years,and decades(know that I love this process...it is one of Yes' most valuable attributes that this thing happens,it increases my adoration of them and for them...I'm trying to undestand it!).Yet we have arrived in almost the same place relative to the music.

We both love it!

We're both saying the same thing.Scoot.Just from our own differing perspectives.We both love this work.It's how we arrived at the love that differs.

Your brother in all things Yes,
Frank

[MrPhil]

Tormato is probably not the best, but in my opinion it was good album.

Tormato has it's fantastic moments, every song has it's incredible part, few songs "were not completely finished" - I mean their surface is not so clean.

TOrmato is a quite poor album, with a few good songs, and a bad sound.
It sounds thin and flat.

[moorglademovers]

My first ever YES purchase,holds a special place in my heart! Ill never forget the moment i first heard the 'sound' of YES, I was hooked. A school friend introduced them to me and the very nxt day got money off my mother (i was 13 at the time),and marched down to the store and got a copy.A good album,especially side 1, with the possible exception of 'Dont Kill.....',for many years i didnt listen to side 2. Dont know why it didnt 'work' for me then but i now listen to and enjoy it!
Tormato was the start, i then went out and got the rest in time, although my mom wasnt buying them for me.

[Earl Grey]

It's funny how much I listen to Tormato, and how much I despised it when it first came out.

Tormato is YES's 'White Album'.

My favorite Beatles album is the white album.

[Yescelt]

I ignored it for a number of years, then "re-discovered" it in 1998, on a solo road trip to Liverpool.

LOVE IT. Release, Release...On the Silent wings...
I'm just going to put it on again right.....NOW!!!!

Regards, Brian

[QUOTE=Earl Grey]It's funny how much I listen to Tormato, and how much I despised it when it first came out.
QUOTE]

[pedro skychaser]

re-tormato backcover-groupshot done in london park,monogrammes added later-shoulda been a double with abilene,countryside,you can be saved,richard;ufo was meant to go on close encounter's end credits,chris welch's favourite track and one rick wants to do next tour-my last year of high school-before the 80's,drugs,perms and conservative politics...

'loki stood on the hill...aagh, you know the rest"

[Earl Grey]

On The Silent Wings Of Freedom.

Why wont they play that?

I've seen furrowed brows at the mention, how come?

One of the finest Yessongs.

[Yescelt]

It's on Now.

BTW - I loved Eddie Jerlin's "Why I love Release, Release", so I have re-posted below - from NFTE210

>>
Why I Love "Release Release"

1. There is no other piece of Yes music where all 5 musicians are
going at 100mph like this one -- out & out wailing by all involved.
I realize some of Yes' best moments are the subtle ones, but
this is one time where they get IN YOUR FACE. They don't "get
up, & get down."
They get up & STAY UP!

2. Please listen to this 5 times with the following perspectives:

A. Listen to *just* Squire & White. This is the tightest they've
ever been at any time. Telepathic. The highlight of the tune.
This level of playing/interaction sets the tone for what was
to come in DRAMA. Too bad the rhythm section hasn't quite
reached these heights since.
B. Listen to *just* Howe. LOADS of stuff going on that is easily
missed among everything else that's going on. This might be
the best example of his *rhythm* guitar playing anywhere.
C. Easier to spot: Listen to just Wakeman's noodling. Yes, some of
it is intrusive, but all of it is fun. What a romp! His organ
parts at the very end of the tune is some of his most sublime
work. What the heck is he doing there?!
(And what the heck is Squire doing there? OUTRAGEOUS!)
D. Listen to the vocals - the lyrics & the incredibly tight harmonies.
"Rock is the medium of our generation"
"Further the right of all of creation"
This is Jon/Chris/Steve at their tightest.
Listen to when Chris takes over the singing. How he plays & sings
this at the same time, I'll never know. (I know, they overdubbed,
but [they performed this live] & they had to have
rehearsed this tune.) And what is Wakeman doing during this?
And Howe? AND HOW!
E. Now listen to the whole thing: how all the *very* different parts
are juxtaposed against one another. Except for Chris & Alan,
it sounds like nobody is listening to each other. Yet, all the
parts fit together like a jigsaw puzzle. (And that jigsaw ends up
with the intensity of a buzzsaw!)

One of most fan's biggest complaints about TORMATO (& the same
complaints came from the band itself) is that Rick & Steve kept
getting in each other's way & fought for musical space. This is
to nearly every song's detriment except this one.
For some reason, this one works for me.

3. The very beginning of the tune grabs me.
No messing around. Just hit us right from the beginning.
Steve is in 4/4, Chris & Alan are in 6.
Every 12 bars they come together. So cool.
This occurs 4 times throughout the tune to great effect.
And each time it occurs, something totally different is going on
over it. It's almost like Alan came in with the riff,
& asked each member to add his 2 cents to the mix:

A. 1st Steve: At the very beginning, Steve is playing an incredibly
cool riff over it while Rick hangs out with a couple of organ chords.

B. Then Chris: The next time we hear this motif is when Chris takes
over the lead singing. Interestingly, what Chris sings here bears
absolutely no resemblance to what Steve played in the intro, yet
Rick is still playing those same chords underneath. Also note
that while this is going on, Steve is all OVER the place!

C. Then Rick gets his 2 cents in: The next time we hear this motif
is just after "Further the right, further the right, further the
light of all of creation!" Rick only has half as long as the
others to get it done, but what he does here is just terrific,
& also bears no resemblance to the 1st two occurrences of this!
Also, it's hard for me to tell whether Rick is playing in 2 or
in 3 here. You could actually make a case for either, or both!

D. Finally, Jon pipes in: The last time this occurs, we get in full
harmony, in full UNISON, over the top "RELEASE RELEASE", coming in
every 6 beats. It's just after this that the entire band totally
lets rip INCLUDING the vocals with total mayhem. ALL have now
been RELEASED with full force upon the listener!

E. Given all this, it wouldn't surprise me if their original idea
was for Chris to keep playing this 6/4 bass riff underneath Alan's
drum solo in the middle. Wouldn't THAT be cool?

4. I love the diabolical variation on a minor scale played by
Wakey & Chris in the 2nd half of the verse leading up to
"lack of concentration."

5. The accents that Chris & Alan hit at the end of the 1st verse
after "lack of concentration" are just beyond excellent.
Then Alan's fill leading into the verse...
Makes me pump my fist every time. OOOMPH!!
\ /
0 0
L
\_/ YEAH!
(Heck the whole darn song does that to me.)

6. The chorus, if you can call it that, keeps skipping a beat,
creating tension before the song continues to drive forward.
Stop/go/stop/go/stop/go...

7. The way the guitar solo in the middle builds up & up & up to
this *frenzy*... AND, doesn't it sound as if it's, like, 2 bars too
long? Just a little MORE tension, a little more, a little more, wait,
okay, NOW... then *R*E*L*E*A*S*E*, aaah... [don't even think it,
I'm talking about MUSIC okay? But the best music does this well, yes?]

But then, he KEEPS wailing away, right on up to when Jon comes back in.
"gonna get it get it get it get it get it riiiight!"
Yeah, they get it RIGHT.
Then you get Alan's fill just after Jon sings this.

*I cannot listen to this without pumping my fist.*

I've heard some say that the drum solo/guitar solo in the middle seems
out of place. But listen to what they're singing about. Then it
becomes kind of a "spoof" on rock concerts & makes perfect sense.
"Rock is the medium of our generation."
Rock can be a liberating thing, I guess.

8. The last verse: "Straight jacket..."
My absolute all-time favorite Squire moment (among many):
He *stops*.
That's right, he STOPS.
He just totally stops playing for half a bar.
By doing this, he enhances greatly the sense of urgency here.
He creates this *tension* that is immediately RELEASED when he
comes back in. It makes me want to hold my breath & then exhale
when he comes back in. By doing *nothing*, he has done
something. And it is seemingly the only moment in the entire thing
where someone has actually left some space!

9. Now after the "straight jacket" verse you've got
"further the right,
further the right,
further the light, of all of creation."
I'm glad they emphasize that.
This is the strongest statement Jon (assuming Jon wrote the words)
makes in this song, among MANY strong statements!

Now, just after this you've got Wakey wailing away.
Are you with me?
Try to do this: Ignore Wakeman here. Focus on Squire & White.
Listen to that amazing ascending line Squire plays which mirrors
the end of Wakey's ramblings & is matched note for note by White.
I'd swear White even tuned his drums for this tune, they're absolutely
perfect. This is just before Anderson comes back in.
Freakin' incredible.
Time to pump the fist again!

10. I like the way the very end of the song is a restatement of
"further the light of all of creation!" in instrumental form.
And the Squire single bass note ending is absolutely sublime.

One more thought:
Throughout the tune, every vocal line sounds nothing like what's
going on behind it. Try to imagine the vocals not being there.
What would YOU be singing over the instrumental track?
Or turn it around. Suppose Jon had come to you with the melodies &
lyrics. Would you have played THAT underneath it?

Where the heck do they get this stuff from?
How do they even conceive of this?!
I would LOVE to have been a fly on the wall during these sessions.

This song is the greatest example of this Yes-phenomenon IMO.
This phenomenon just may be yet another secret to why Yes music
is so interesting, so mystifying, so completely satisfying,
yet beyond description.
There are songs within songs, different things all going on at once.
You're literally listening to a 5-piece orchestra.
I love the tightness of bands like the Dregs & Kansas, but they're
running in parallel, while Yes's arrangements defy description.

In conclusion,

WHERE ELSE IN THE HISTORY OF YES MUSIC DOES YES
JUST COME IN & KICK YOUR BUTT & THEN LEAVE?

Maybe "Tempus Fugit"? "Our Song"? But not like this!

I love this song (can you tell?).
I seriously rank it below only CTTEdge & Gates among Yes songs.
(I can hear some groaning now, but I AM serious!)

Ramble, ramble, ramble, ramble...
Sorry this is so long, but "Release Release" gets me excited.
Put it on. Listen to it. Immerse yourself in it.

Float your climb.

<<


[QUOTE=Yescelt]
LOVE IT. Release, Release...On the Silent wings...
I'm just going to put it on again right.....NOW!!!!

[pedro skychaser]

now that's music appreciation!!!thanks yescelt for that jerlinian insight-i remember that post-classic stuff-rr lurches,gyrates,is one helluva ride-wish it+ufo+otswof were on twil-panther reunion great but big3 from tormato played live even better!will print eddie's thoughts out and keep them snug in my tomato splattered cd!contribute to twil vol2's booklet please old man!

[Earl Grey]

It's on Now.

BTW - I loved Eddie Jerlin's "Why I love Release, Release", so I have re-posted below - from NFTE210

>>
Why I Love "Release Release"

1. There is no other piece of Yes music where all 5 musicians are
going at 100mph like this one -- out & out wailing by all involved.
I realize some of Yes' best moments are the subtle ones, but
this is one time where they get IN YOUR FACE. They don't "get
up, & get down."
They get up & STAY UP!

2. Please listen to this 5 times with the following perspectives:

A. Listen to *just* Squire & White. This is the tightest they've
ever been at any time. Telepathic. The highlight of the tune.
This level of playing/interaction sets the tone for what was
to come in DRAMA. Too bad the rhythm section hasn't quite
reached these heights since.
B. Listen to *just* Howe. LOADS of stuff going on that is easily
missed among everything else that's going on. This might be
the best example of his *rhythm* guitar playing anywhere.
C. Easier to spot: Listen to just Wakeman's noodling. Yes, some of
it is intrusive, but all of it is fun. What a romp! His organ
parts at the very end of the tune is some of his most sublime
work. What the heck is he doing there?!
(And what the heck is Squire doing there? OUTRAGEOUS!)
D. Listen to the vocals - the lyrics & the incredibly tight harmonies.
"Rock is the medium of our generation"
"Further the right of all of creation"
This is Jon/Chris/Steve at their tightest.
Listen to when Chris takes over the singing. How he plays & sings
this at the same time, I'll never know. (I know, they overdubbed,
but [they performed this live] & they had to have
rehearsed this tune.) And what is Wakeman doing during this?
And Howe? AND HOW!
E. Now listen to the whole thing: how all the *very* different parts
are juxtaposed against one another. Except for Chris & Alan,
it sounds like nobody is listening to each other. Yet, all the
parts fit together like a jigsaw puzzle. (And that jigsaw ends up
with the intensity of a buzzsaw!)

One of most fan's biggest complaints about TORMATO (& the same
complaints came from the band itself) is that Rick & Steve kept
getting in each other's way & fought for musical space. This is
to nearly every song's detriment except this one.
For some reason, this one works for me.

3. The very beginning of the tune grabs me.
No messing around. Just hit us right from the beginning.
Steve is in 4/4, Chris & Alan are in 6.
Every 12 bars they come together. So cool.
This occurs 4 times throughout the tune to great effect.
And each time it occurs, something totally different is going on
over it. It's almost like Alan came in with the riff,
& asked each member to add his 2 cents to the mix:

A. 1st Steve: At the very beginning, Steve is playing an incredibly
cool riff over it while Rick hangs out with a couple of organ chords.

B. Then Chris: The next time we hear this motif is when Chris takes
over the lead singing. Interestingly, what Chris sings here bears
absolutely no resemblance to what Steve played in the intro, yet
Rick is still playing those same chords underneath. Also note
that while this is going on, Steve is all OVER the place!

C. Then Rick gets his 2 cents in: The next time we hear this motif
is just after "Further the right, further the right, further the
light of all of creation!" Rick only has half as long as the
others to get it done, but what he does here is just terrific,
& also bears no resemblance to the 1st two occurrences of this!
Also, it's hard for me to tell whether Rick is playing in 2 or
in 3 here. You could actually make a case for either, or both!

D. Finally, Jon pipes in: The last time this occurs, we get in full
harmony, in full UNISON, over the top "RELEASE RELEASE", coming in
every 6 beats. It's just after this that the entire band totally
lets rip INCLUDING the vocals with total mayhem. ALL have now
been RELEASED with full force upon the listener!

E. Given all this, it wouldn't surprise me if their original idea
was for Chris to keep playing this 6/4 bass riff underneath Alan's
drum solo in the middle. Wouldn't THAT be cool?

4. I love the diabolical variation on a minor scale played by
Wakey & Chris in the 2nd half of the verse leading up to
"lack of concentration."

5. The accents that Chris & Alan hit at the end of the 1st verse
after "lack of concentration" are just beyond excellent.
Then Alan's fill leading into the verse...
Makes me pump my fist every time. OOOMPH!!
\ /
0 0
L
\_/ YEAH!
(Heck the whole darn song does that to me.)

6. The chorus, if you can call it that, keeps skipping a beat,
creating tension before the song continues to drive forward.
Stop/go/stop/go/stop/go...

7. The way the guitar solo in the middle builds up & up & up to
this *frenzy*... AND, doesn't it sound as if it's, like, 2 bars too
long? Just a little MORE tension, a little more, a little more, wait,
okay, NOW... then *R*E*L*E*A*S*E*, aaah... [don't even think it,
I'm talking about MUSIC okay? But the best music does this well, yes?]

But then, he KEEPS wailing away, right on up to when Jon comes back in.
"gonna get it get it get it get it get it riiiight!"
Yeah, they get it RIGHT.
Then you get Alan's fill just after Jon sings this.

*I cannot listen to this without pumping my fist.*

I've heard some say that the drum solo/guitar solo in the middle seems
out of place. But listen to what they're singing about. Then it
becomes kind of a "spoof" on rock concerts & makes perfect sense.
"Rock is the medium of our generation."
Rock can be a liberating thing, I guess.

8. The last verse: "Straight jacket..."
My absolute all-time favorite Squire moment (among many):
He *stops*.
That's right, he STOPS.
He just totally stops playing for half a bar.
By doing this, he enhances greatly the sense of urgency here.
He creates this *tension* that is immediately RELEASED when he
comes back in. It makes me want to hold my breath & then exhale
when he comes back in. By doing *nothing*, he has done
something. And it is seemingly the only moment in the entire thing
where someone has actually left some space!

9. Now after the "straight jacket" verse you've got
"further the right,
further the right,
further the light, of all of creation."
I'm glad they emphasize that.
This is the strongest statement Jon (assuming Jon wrote the words)
makes in this song, among MANY strong statements!

Now, just after this you've got Wakey wailing away.
Are you with me?
Try to do this: Ignore Wakeman here. Focus on Squire & White.
Listen to that amazing ascending line Squire plays which mirrors
the end of Wakey's ramblings & is matched note for note by White.
I'd swear White even tuned his drums for this tune, they're absolutely
perfect. This is just before Anderson comes back in.
Freakin' incredible.
Time to pump the fist again!

10. I like the way the very end of the song is a restatement of
"further the light of all of creation!" in instrumental form.
And the Squire single bass note ending is absolutely sublime.

One more thought:
Throughout the tune, every vocal line sounds nothing like what's
going on behind it. Try to imagine the vocals not being there.
What would YOU be singing over the instrumental track?
Or turn it around. Suppose Jon had come to you with the melodies &
lyrics. Would you have played THAT underneath it?

Where the heck do they get this stuff from?
How do they even conceive of this?!
I would LOVE to have been a fly on the wall during these sessions.

This song is the greatest example of this Yes-phenomenon IMO.
This phenomenon just may be yet another secret to why Yes music
is so interesting, so mystifying, so completely satisfying,
yet beyond description.
There are songs within songs, different things all going on at once.
You're literally listening to a 5-piece orchestra.
I love the tightness of bands like the Dregs & Kansas, but they're
running in parallel, while Yes's arrangements defy description.

In conclusion,

WHERE ELSE IN THE HISTORY OF YES MUSIC DOES YES
JUST COME IN & KICK YOUR BUTT & THEN LEAVE?

Maybe "Tempus Fugit"? "Our Song"? But not like this!

I love this song (can you tell?).
I seriously rank it below only CTTEdge & Gates among Yes songs.
(I can hear some groaning now, but I AM serious!)

Ramble, ramble, ramble, ramble...
Sorry this is so long, but "Release Release" gets me excited.
Put it on. Listen to it. Immerse yourself in it.

Float your climb.

<<


[QUOTE=Yescelt]
LOVE IT. Release, Release...On the Silent wings...
I'm just going to put it on again right.....NOW!!!!

YES YES YES.

We will never be satisfied until we hear 'On The Silent Wings Of Freedom' live.

Chris... You will have to find that foot-pedal.

Steve-O: 'Echoplexes' are good.

Jon...

Drink organic tea.

We will hear it again.

[Bobby Dread]

It's great to read the passion for Tormato recently in this thread! I guess I can understand even die-hard Yes fans dissing the album. Say what you will about the production (screechy, anyone?), dueling Steve and Rick, high end frequency keyboards etc.... I've never had a hard time getting past all that. Tormato has always held a special place for both my wife and I among Yes albums.

It's got On The Silent Wings Of Freedom - one of the best Yessongs EVER!
Earl, I'm with you, they would totally blow the audience AWAY if they would perform this live again...I can just hear those bass notes shaking the walls of the concert hall again...Dah, dah, dah, dah, dah, dah, dah.... BAAWAAHHHHH!

Release, Release- Thanks Yescelt for reprinting Eddie's post, very eloquent!
What more could I add, what a rocking-on-fire Yessong, with fantastic lyrics that are more relevant than ever- "Power at first to the needs of each other's days/Simple to lose in the void sound of anarchy's calling ways/All unaccounted for in the craziness of power/In the craziness..." (Neilus, I don't think he was paraphrasing as much as reacting to the philosophy that was coming out in the music of the day, IMHO.)

Future Times/Rejoice has such a powerful, majestic feel to me. By the middle of Rejoice I am rejoicing - filled with the emotion that Jon was trying to convey.

Arriving UFO- I don't usually think of it as a great Yessong, but every time I listen to it, as I am right now, I realize it is. A great rock melody that the guys really cut loose on.

Tormato ably runs the gamut of mood and style-from those four songs to the reggaesque Top 40 wannabe Don't Kill The Whale and the mellower sounds of Madrigal (what a poignant song of friendship), Onward and Circus Of Heaven. I've always loved it and as with all Yes albums for me, it sounds even better with the passage of time.

[new_sum_do_solve_ay]

Welcome to YesFans ComputerForce.

Tormato was the current album when I discovered Yes and I have always loved it. Future Times/Rejoice is one of my favorite Steve performances.

That's an awesome way of viewing it. Actually I think the next album to be released after you picked up on Yes has a special place too. . . You've gotten into the groove, and you're eagerly awaiting the fresh material. That's how Big Generator was for me. I was a 90125 kid. But as for Tormato...lets just say Open Your Eyes makes it look better to me now lol.

[Clankbass]

YES YES YES.

We will never be satisfied until we hear 'On The Silent Wings Of Freedom' live.

Chris... You will have to find that foot-pedal.



Please, no--I hope that foot-pedal is resting comfortably at the bottom of the ocean!

So, we have a particular RM1999 bass guitar that has one of the most famous tones of the past 50 years, and let's run it through a cheap effect. Sort of like straining your Chateau Mouton Rothschild through a dirty gym sock before drinking it.

[HaroldLand]

Tormato was the current release of the band when I first became aware of Yes and it was the first Yes album I bought. So it's always held a particular place with me. I recall during that period I enjoyed some tracks a great deal, the ones that clearly rocked, and not so the others. But over time I've developed a taste for the others, such as Onward, Circus of Heaven, and Arriving UFO. I came across comments by Rick Wakeman about Tormato. He cited Arriving UFO as a song that had a lot of potential if the band had been given more time to develop the idea, and it would've been a sensational stage number. When the potential set list ideas were discussed for the 2002 tour with a Tormato track in contention, I was hoping it would be Arriving UFO or Release, Release (Don't Kill the Whale was fine though). Today I rate Tormato higher than other releases that came along later.

[Hugh Shiebler]

Please, no--I hope that foot-pedal is resting comfortably at the bottom of the ocean!

So, we have a particular RM1999 bass guitar that has one of the most famous tones of the past 50 years, and let's run it through a cheap effect. Sort of like straining your Chateau Mouton Rothschild through a dirty gym sock before drinking it.

That "cheap effect" was one of the greatest sounds of the '70's!

[petitgateau]

Hi everbody,
this is my first posting on Yesfans. I love Tormato. It took a while to get into it, but it's excellent. I'm keen to know if there are any Yesfans out there who like the latest albums by Goldfrapp and Mercury Rev, both of which are excellent, MR's being one of the best lps I've heard in me loif! Only Yes music has had a silmilar effect on me.

[fovman]

It's on Now.

BTW - I loved Eddie Jerlin's "Why I love Release, Release", so I have re-posted below - from NFTE210

>>
Why I Love "Release Release"

1. There is no other piece of Yes music where all 5 musicians are
going at 100mph like this one -- out & out wailing by all involved.
I realize some of Yes' best moments are the subtle ones, but
this is one time where they get IN YOUR FACE. They don't "get
up, & get down."
They get up & STAY UP!

2. Please listen to this 5 times with the following perspectives:

A. Listen to *just* Squire & White. This is the tightest they've
ever been at any time. Telepathic. The highlight of the tune.
This level of playing/interaction sets the tone for what was
to come in DRAMA. Too bad the rhythm section hasn't quite
reached these heights since.
B. Listen to *just* Howe. LOADS of stuff going on that is easily
missed among everything else that's going on. This might be
the best example of his *rhythm* guitar playing anywhere.
C. Easier to spot: Listen to just Wakeman's noodling. Yes, some of
it is intrusive, but all of it is fun. What a romp! His organ
parts at the very end of the tune is some of his most sublime
work. What the heck is he doing there?!
(And what the heck is Squire doing there? OUTRAGEOUS!)
D. Listen to the vocals - the lyrics & the incredibly tight harmonies.
"Rock is the medium of our generation"
"Further the right of all of creation"
This is Jon/Chris/Steve at their tightest.
Listen to when Chris takes over the singing. How he plays & sings
this at the same time, I'll never know. (I know, they overdubbed,
but [they performed this live] & they had to have
rehearsed this tune.) And what is Wakeman doing during this?
And Howe? AND HOW!
E. Now listen to the whole thing: how all the *very* different parts
are juxtaposed against one another. Except for Chris & Alan,
it sounds like nobody is listening to each other. Yet, all the
parts fit together like a jigsaw puzzle. (And that jigsaw ends up
with the intensity of a buzzsaw!)

One of most fan's biggest complaints about TORMATO (& the same
complaints came from the band itself) is that Rick & Steve kept
getting in each other's way & fought for musical space. This is
to nearly every song's detriment except this one.
For some reason, this one works for me.

3. The very beginning of the tune grabs me.
No messing around. Just hit us right from the beginning.
Steve is in 4/4, Chris & Alan are in 6.
Every 12 bars they come together. So cool.
This occurs 4 times throughout the tune to great effect.
And each time it occurs, something totally different is going on
over it. It's almost like Alan came in with the riff,
& asked each member to add his 2 cents to the mix:

A. 1st Steve: At the very beginning, Steve is playing an incredibly
cool riff over it while Rick hangs out with a couple of organ chords.

B. Then Chris: The next time we hear this motif is when Chris takes
over the lead singing. Interestingly, what Chris sings here bears
absolutely no resemblance to what Steve played in the intro, yet
Rick is still playing those same chords underneath. Also note
that while this is going on, Steve is all OVER the place!

C. Then Rick gets his 2 cents in: The next time we hear this motif
is just after "Further the right, further the right, further the
light of all of creation!" Rick only has half as long as the
others to get it done, but what he does here is just terrific,
& also bears no resemblance to the 1st two occurrences of this!
Also, it's hard for me to tell whether Rick is playing in 2 or
in 3 here. You could actually make a case for either, or both!

D. Finally, Jon pipes in: The last time this occurs, we get in full
harmony, in full UNISON, over the top "RELEASE RELEASE", coming in
every 6 beats. It's just after this that the entire band totally
lets rip INCLUDING the vocals with total mayhem. ALL have now
been RELEASED with full force upon the listener!

E. Given all this, it wouldn't surprise me if their original idea
was for Chris to keep playing this 6/4 bass riff underneath Alan's
drum solo in the middle. Wouldn't THAT be cool?

4. I love the diabolical variation on a minor scale played by
Wakey & Chris in the 2nd half of the verse leading up to
"lack of concentration."

5. The accents that Chris & Alan hit at the end of the 1st verse
after "lack of concentration" are just beyond excellent.
Then Alan's fill leading into the verse...
Makes me pump my fist every time. OOOMPH!!
\ /
0 0
L
\_/ YEAH!
(Heck the whole darn song does that to me.)

6. The chorus, if you can call it that, keeps skipping a beat,
creating tension before the song continues to drive forward.
Stop/go/stop/go/stop/go...

7. The way the guitar solo in the middle builds up & up & up to
this *frenzy*... AND, doesn't it sound as if it's, like, 2 bars too
long? Just a little MORE tension, a little more, a little more, wait,
okay, NOW... then *R*E*L*E*A*S*E*, aaah... [don't even think it,
I'm talking about MUSIC okay? But the best music does this well, yes?]

But then, he KEEPS wailing away, right on up to when Jon comes back in.
"gonna get it get it get it get it get it riiiight!"
Yeah, they get it RIGHT.
Then you get Alan's fill just after Jon sings this.

*I cannot listen to this without pumping my fist.*

I've heard some say that the drum solo/guitar solo in the middle seems
out of place. But listen to what they're singing about. Then it
becomes kind of a "spoof" on rock concerts & makes perfect sense.
"Rock is the medium of our generation."
Rock can be a liberating thing, I guess.

8. The last verse: "Straight jacket..."
My absolute all-time favorite Squire moment (among many):
He *stops*.
That's right, he STOPS.
He just totally stops playing for half a bar.
By doing this, he enhances greatly the sense of urgency here.
He creates this *tension* that is immediately RELEASED when he
comes back in. It makes me want to hold my breath & then exhale
when he comes back in. By doing *nothing*, he has done
something. And it is seemingly the only moment in the entire thing
where someone has actually left some space!

9. Now after the "straight jacket" verse you've got
"further the right,
further the right,
further the light, of all of creation."
I'm glad they emphasize that.
This is the strongest statement Jon (assuming Jon wrote the words)
makes in this song, among MANY strong statements!

Now, just after this you've got Wakey wailing away.
Are you with me?
Try to do this: Ignore Wakeman here. Focus on Squire & White.
Listen to that amazing ascending line Squire plays which mirrors
the end of Wakey's ramblings & is matched note for note by White.
I'd swear White even tuned his drums for this tune, they're absolutely
perfect. This is just before Anderson comes back in.
Freakin' incredible.
Time to pump the fist again!

10. I like the way the very end of the song is a restatement of
"further the light of all of creation!" in instrumental form.
And the Squire single bass note ending is absolutely sublime.

One more thought:
Throughout the tune, every vocal line sounds nothing like what's
going on behind it. Try to imagine the vocals not being there.
What would YOU be singing over the instrumental track?
Or turn it around. Suppose Jon had come to you with the melodies &
lyrics. Would you have played THAT underneath it?

Where the heck do they get this stuff from?
How do they even conceive of this?!
I would LOVE to have been a fly on the wall during these sessions.

This song is the greatest example of this Yes-phenomenon IMO.
This phenomenon just may be yet another secret to why Yes music
is so interesting, so mystifying, so completely satisfying,
yet beyond description.
There are songs within songs, different things all going on at once.
You're literally listening to a 5-piece orchestra.
I love the tightness of bands like the Dregs & Kansas, but they're
running in parallel, while Yes's arrangements defy description.

In conclusion,

WHERE ELSE IN THE HISTORY OF YES MUSIC DOES YES
JUST COME IN & KICK YOUR BUTT & THEN LEAVE?

Maybe "Tempus Fugit"? "Our Song"? But not like this!

I love this song (can you tell?).
I seriously rank it below only CTTEdge & Gates among Yes songs.
(I can hear some groaning now, but I AM serious!)

Ramble, ramble, ramble, ramble...
Sorry this is so long, but "Release Release" gets me excited.
Put it on. Listen to it. Immerse yourself in it.

Float your climb.

<<


[QUOTE=Yescelt]
LOVE IT. Release, Release...On the Silent wings...
I'm just going to put it on again right.....NOW!!!!

Excellent analysis!..........."Release, Release" ROCKS!... like no other yessong!

[Altres]

I've had this on heavy rotation at on my minidisk and it is actually an amazing snapshot of a band in freefall, still every bit as talented, and all really into it, but all into something seperate. Still produced some classics though. the first two tracks gel with precision and still lift me. Don't Kill the Whale has amazing guitar and On the Silent Wings of Freedom is pretty well the crowning glory.

That isn't to say there isn't any drivel, because there is. It is still vastly amusing drivel however and more than redeems itself. :D

Brian

[Jackaranda]

Hi everbody,
this is my first posting on Yesfans. I love Tormato. It took a while to get into it, but it's excellent. I'm keen to know if there are any Yesfans out there who like the latest albums by Goldfrapp and Mercury Rev, both of which are excellent, MR's being one of the best lps I've heard in me loif! Only Yes music has had a silmilar effect on me.


Welcome!!

[petitgateau]

I have to say that there is no drivel on tormato. The cover's absolute pap, but the music therein is ace. It's enhanced by the fact that it's a very different lp, except TSWF is, like, classic Yes and one of the tracks that got me into this überband.

Mercury Rev, anyone?

Also, how do I get a flag up?

Hi Jackaranda.

[Hill St.]

Its funny I came here today.Tormato has been in heavy rotation.I listened to it on my way to work and on the way back.As a matter of fact I sat in my car until OTSWOF ended.This album gets a bad rap but,not from me .I love it!

[pedro skychaser]

re;mercury rev----mr smallcake-indeed great band-first heard them unannounced simply by walking in a record shop whilst they were being played on pa-had to ask the counterguy who it was-was trully spellbinding music-had a lot of orchestration-found out it was "all is dream"-to paraphrase jon, the americans "have imagination+it is available!"

"the planet once attracted spores,now its bringing something even bigger"