I added TORMATO to my Yes-collection!!!

[The Fish]

Well, as a present for nothing, I've got TORMATO! But whoow, this is another album! Very different to the one before! It's more old style. More Yes-and-Time and a Word-style, but very good!

The songs are of great quality and I really love the last epic ON THE SILENT WINGS OF FREEDOM, what a great piece of work! And thanks Chris for that bass!! :D

Well, ONWARD is the melancholic highlight. What a beautiful song! And of course, I love Steve's playing on DON'T KILL THE WHALE as well...

Yes, TORMATO is back to the old and a reborn group. I think GOING FOR THE ONE will be my next goal.

Well, C ya people!!!

[Dragonfly]

Well, The Fish, it's about time! :D

I've always loved TORMATO. This one gets criticized a lot. "Circus of Heaven", in particular, gets bashed frequently. I happen to love it. It's little magical moments like "Circus of Heaven" that got me into Yes in the first place. The fact that they actually played it on tour was surprising (see the LIVE IN PHILADELPHIA video).

"On the Silent Wings of Freedom" and "Release Release" are two of the most popular and hard-core tunes the band has done. Why the album they appear on isn't favored is confusing.

I've always thought that "Future Times / Rejoice" and "Arriving UFO" were pure Yes. Who else could come up with songs like that?

ENJOY!!!

Dragonfly :yesbird:

[Martin Riley]

This is indeed a much underated album (although I'm not too keen on Circus of Heaven - I think it's Jon's son at the end that really grates).
But if you haven't already got Going for the One then you must rectify it at once.It's pure magic

[mrgone3]

I bought this album when it was RELEASE/RELEASED I got rid of it a few years later. I felt there was not strong enogh material on it. But lately I've been missing it from my collection. It does not seem complete without Tormato! Now I must get it on CD! And if you like this effort. you will LOVE Going For The One!>JOE

[Fantasyes]

Tormato is a very good and fine album, GFTO is even better (listen to the studio version of Awaken)!
No doubt they are among best Yes' albums.

Buon ascolto!

Ciao

[Rogo]

Originally posted by Genevive
It is a unique collection of songs that I always enjoy listening to for something a little different from the other albums

This was the album that I first got into with Yes, and I'll say it till I'm blue in the face: To me this is THE Yes album, and all the others are the ones that are "a little different" from this one, hahaha... (Sorry, Genevive...)

It's perfect, all the songs are great, and it's supposed to sound like that... noisy, sprawling all over the place, uncomfortable.

After Tormato, I was disappointed that Chris didn't ALWAYS harmonize the Rickenbacker, I felt that Rick's keyboards should ALWAYS be screaming, noisy and tinny (I'm serious), Steve should ALWAYS try to be as strange as possible, or it wasn't Yes.

As I moved on to the other albums, I learned to appreciate other sides of Yes (like the totally special atmosphere of GFTO, etc...) but Tormato remains quintessential Yes for me...

... they have never played a single note from it on Norwegian soil... sob...

:crybby:

[therifferoo]

Rogo, I'm with you. Tormato has been one of my favorite Yes albums since it came out. I have SO many good feelings associated with this record...hard to explain, but I think there are many of you here who know what I mean.

There is a subtle little something, too, that I enjoy in the video for Don't Kill The Whale...There is a moment during the "Cetace" section when Chris looks down at Jon, and Jon looks back up into Chris's face as they sing together...Every time I see this I can just feel the love between them. Mutual admiration and respect.
Has anyone else noticed this?

I don't care what the "critics" have to say....I LOVE Tormato...
Always have, and always will!

Hoping to hear Silent Wings Of Freedom this tour!!!

~Riffer.

[jcostello]

I've said it before on here, but when I first got "Tormato" on vinyl from Musicland cheaply, it was always the first choice to pull out and place on the turntable on sunny days ("On the Silent Wings of Freedom" is also a perfect song to play if you're getting on a plane to travel to somewhere).

It's always struck me as strange that Tormato was a good album and the Tormato tour was an excellent tour (as far as I can tell from the bootlegs that I have), but when Yes went into the studio to follow it up, the band fell apart about as totally as a band can. Bands have often had a member leave, but two members at once! I'm just glad that Yes has finally put the pieces back together from that band for a tour, even if we had to wait 23 years for it.

Peace, Love, and I Would Like to See Yes and ELP Join Forces for A Concert Where ELP Plays the Entire "Brain Salad Surgery" album, and Yes Plays All of "Tormato." Brian Wilson of the Beach Boys Could Join the Eight of Them for the Encore, Which Would Be His Song, "Vegetables." Title for the Show: "Eat Your Prog Rock Veggies,"

John C.

[RobAdams]

I love TORMATO when I'm in the mood for it. FUTURE TIMES/REJOICE is very cool. I'm not too keen on DON'T KILL THE WHALE, but when I do listen to it I enjoy it. MADRIGAL is lovely. RELEASE RELEASE has some terrific moments, I especially like the part where you hear the fake audience sounds and Steve plays one of my favorite of his shorter guitar solos. ARRIVING UFO is interesting. I especially like Squire's bass playing on this. CIRCUS OF HEAVEN is a great track, and I'm surprised at how many times I see people expressing a dislike for it. The lyrics are some of Jon's most visual...Dylanesque in a way. ONWARD is a well crafted song of love - good work Mr. Squire. Then the album ends with the brilliant ON THE SILENT WINGS OF FREEDOM. Why this album gets so much negative reaction is beyond me, but it's a matter of personal prefferences. I remember sadly the years when there was NO cd of TORMATO. I was so glad when it was finally available.

[Silent Wing]

I always thought Tormato capped it for Yes. After that they morphed into a new phase. Tormato did nothing in sales at the time and wasn't given good press. I however always liked it as it was one of the first YES albums i got into. Tormato remains a pretty solid mainstay in my music rotation. There are a lot of great jams. Wondourous Stories could have been on Tormato, it has the same feel. But i think Tormato showed a real maturation in trying to write "pop" prog. The tunes are tight, they jam and you can tap your foot to it without having to think about too many timing changes. Too bad when i saw this tour they didn't play a lot off the album.

[RobAdams]

I saw the 1978 & 79 tours. They were wonderful shows. I recall hearing them play FUTURE TIMES/REJOICE, DON'T KILL THE WHALE, CIRCUS OF HEAVEN, and MADRIGAL into SILENT WINGS OF FREEDOM. Just a little more than half the album. I think they played the best ones from it at the time. I must admit that ONWARD didn't strike me as such a great song until I got older. I was only 16 when TORMATO came out.

[Earl Grey]

...even as recently as 5 months ago.
But I gave it another chance (found it for $7.00 used while on vacation). I hadn't heard Tormato all the way through since 1979!

In context, I now LOVE the thing!
But that cover STILL really sucks!
But it was like discovering a new Classic YES album: which it IS for me!

...Looking back at when I first heard it and thought it a disappointment: I wanted YES to put out a 'NEW' Close To The Edge, for them to save popular music from disco, and cure me of a spate of post adolescent pimples all at the same time.

A tall order, and now that disco could very well make a comeback, now that I would rather have pimples than wrinkles (NO!)...

Tormato isn't CTTE. But it IS Tormato, and Release Release/Future Times... Arriving UFO, Madrigal... the whole album sounds great to me.

I was waiting for the messiah in the late 70's and found Tormato instead. It aint' the messiah, but it's a really good YES album!

Earl:yesbird:

[The Fish]

Well, geheh, it's a funny cover, but poor in condisering with DRAMA. The cover of DRAMA is beautiful!!

I think the cover of GOING FOR THE ONE is ugly, too... But the music is fantastic! Well, that's the most important, huh ?

[Earl Grey]

HAHA! I always preferred the UK cover for Time And A Word... With the shapely legs in high-heels and a butterfly, but that's just me!

I say YES should remix/remaster Tormato and comission a new Roger Dean cover for the poor thing!

It always felt to me as if the production values had been rushed or non-existent on Tormato: well, they can do amazing thngs in the studio now-a-days...

With a re-mix job and a really cool Dean cover the album would fly!

I'll keep it 'as is' though, if we don't get the re-do on it!

You say Tormato, I say Tormahto!
Earl:yesbird:

[Martin Riley]

[QUOTE]Originally posted by Earl Grey
[B]HAHA! I always preferred the UK cover for Time And A Word... With the shapely legs in high-heels and a butterfly, but that's just me!

Surely in the land that invented Political Correctness you shouldn't be able to get away with that. Still, I wholeheartedly agree with you, but I'm a sexist pig (or at least our girl is always telling me I am)

At least the UK version got the photos of the correct band members on the back as well

[Rogo]

Originally posted by Earl Grey
You say Tormato, I say Tormahto!

I say Tormato, YOU say Tormayto!!!;)

[Earl Grey]

Poor Good Ol' Peter Banks. Not only did he get screwed out of the fame and $$$ (Though I guess HE quit the band according to YES lore...), he didn't even get a photo in the US on the 2nd album. Sad but true. And no shapley legs in pumps on our copy of the thing...

What was that about political erectness? Sorry, my hearing just aint what it used to be!

:ele:

[Martin Riley]

Earl Grey,
your hearing may have deserted you but I see your rapier sharp wit is still intact. One up (if you'll pardon the expression) for the boys

[ANTIOCH]

I agree with all of you ! "Tormato" is a fine album in it's own right and having seen this material performed 'live' when it was fresh ; was YES at their musical peak.
Like with any band's growth, there are peaks and valleys, and YES are certainly no exception; but if you can't hear the brilliance of the band within this material, then I'd suggest giving it another go 'round. It is there, believe me !

[Earl Grey]

To listen to while driving in my car...
Another YES album joins the ranks of 'my faves'.
I was surprised when DRAMA wound up in my car: now, Tormato.

DRAGONFLY: you were right those many months ago when you asked me to give Tormato another whirl: hats off to you!

Earl:yesbird:

[Plastic Man]

future times/rejoice is easily the best song on that album. classic material.

[The Fish]

Originally posted by Plastic Man
future times/rejoice is easily the best song on that album. classic material. That rocks!!!

[jcostello]

I'd also like to see Tormato remastered and/or remixed, with the Paris sessions (complete, or as complete as they can be) thrown in as an extra CD (or to fill out the 78 minutes on the one CD).

The cover: Hey, sometimes vegetarian artists get carried away with their tomatos.

An experiment: Watch the movie "Attack of the Killer Tomatoes," and play "Tormato" to see if it synchs up with the first 40 minutes of the movie.

Peace, Love, and You Say Tormato, Dan Quayle Can't Spell It, Let's Call the Whole Thing Off,

John C.

[Earl Grey]

Originally posted by jcostello
An experiment: Watch the movie "Attack of the Killer Tomatoes," and play "Tormato" to see if it synchs up with the first 40 minutes of the movie.
Peace, Love, and You Say Tormato, Dan Quayle Can't Spell It, Let's Call the Whole Thing Off,
John C.

"bout busted a nut" when I read this John!
Quayle couldn't spell it, but Bush Sr. still categorized Ketchup as a veggie when considering the nutritional value of kid's school lunches!

Tormato sequenced with Attack of the killer tomatoes! Hyuck Hyuck!

:ele:

[jcostello]

Originally posted by Earl Grey

Quayle couldn't spell it, but Bush Sr. still categorized Ketchup as a veggie when considering the nutritional value of kid's school lunches!

:ele:

I thought Ronald Reagan was the one who thought that ketchup was a veggie (which made about as much sense as believing that all homeless people choose to be homeless).

Peace, Love, and Reagan Should Have Invited Yes to Play at the White House for Fourth of Julys Instead of the Beach Boys,

John C.

[Earl Grey]

Ronnie and Geo were kind-of interchangable: I think it was Bush Sr, but either way... it was a pretty nasty beurocratic way of sweeping the kid's needs under the carpet.

Not the nicest administration we ever had, I think...

Earlieburlyman:ele: