When did perceptions of Drama change?

[soundchaser09]

We all know that the transition from Anderson-Wakeman to Horn-Downes was far from smooth sailing. The album at the time was not regarded particularly well as far as I'm aware. (It certainly did not sell like its precursors) The touring was certainly a struggle.

Nowadays people seem to generally really dig this one a lot, myself included. It was a much stronger effort than Tormato as far as i'm concerned. So when and why did that happen in your opinion?

[Gilly Goodness]

Funny to pin down.

But. Imagine if Trevor Horn did not evolve into the leadin' producer in the 80's, arguably the richest and most influential member. Ever.
Prince's Trust. McCartney and Stewart on speed dial. Large property portfolio in London and LA. A return for the successful FFH.

Imagine if Downes did not have the highest sellin' album of 82. A triumphant return to the band with FFH. An astonishin' side project with DBA.

Imagine if The Buggles by fate just vanished. Retired from the music biz. Horn to become a real estate agent. Downes to run a sauna/restaurant in Norway.

----------------------------------------------------

But. In the test of time, the music held up. YES proud enough to play it in concert. Reenergise it. Horn and Downes' reputation only grew.

So. Now seen as a vital chapter in the progression of the band. A full circle with FFH. Still influencin' pulsatin' Pop-Prog with MttS.

Worthwhile to read Kevin Mulryne's Tormato book to understand the culture of the band at the time.

Historical fact : At the time Chris Welch in Melody Maker gave it a glowin' review. On 2 pages Yes and another pop band were reviewed. The sub-editor ran the headlines. "Pop Goes the Cosmos" for the other band, can't remember who. Maybe someone can post the page? And for YES the headline was "The Cosmos Goes Pop".





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ACROSS THE POLAR BLUE TWILIGHT

[luvyesmusic]

When I bought the album sometime later. I was somehow pretty clueless about YES until sometime around 81-82 when I first discovered Tormato. Yes, they were kind of considered a dinosaur group, somewhat like the Moody Blues if you saw the old tv commercials. I know I had heard a couple of their classic songs, but in all honesty, music didn’t hit really big with me until middle school sometime between 76-79 and there was music being made across the board. There was zero mention of YES or anything being played by YES on the Air Force base I was living on at the time in the middle of the Pacific. I was the oldest, my parents really weren’t keen on music, yet they bought a fantastic system of components and speakers when the was something like 333 Yen to the dollar. I had no cool older uncles to hang out with for the majority of my life, and things were really happening then with all kinds of music as some of you now older folks know.

I started picking up YES records and I knew a little about the group that was no more with a few pieces of folks who were replaceable. Give me anything with bass to begin with. I liked funk, r&b, disco, rock, hard rock, Pop always and then in the early 80s I found harder rock. Anything with some great riffs and vocals and keyboards and of course bass and great drums. Drama was something totally different, and right up my alley. Then I saw videos of a happy Steve and a happy Chris, playing joyfully ( can’t forget Alan ) crushing it, and being into Euro -synth stuff far earlier than most yanks hearing the BBC in Jordan and England, and already a fan of The Buggles with Geoff and Trevor and loving the keyboards and bass, and the advent of MTv with Steve and Geoff in ASIA, there was really nothing not to love about Drama. Not only was it great, but it help set me up for all things YES with a group that had a tie tag on them when I first discovered them.

Oh, and Drama was just different enough to be a YES album. :-)

[Frumious B]

In the 90s and for most of the 00s Drama was generally sort of a “dark horse” favorite heavily championed by Yes fans called Panthers. However, post 2008 with Jon Anderson’s ouster from Yes, I would almost think that the entire Yes catalog from Yes through Tormato was nothing but laying groundwork for Yes’ crowning glory, Drama, a masterpiece never equaled before or since to read the glowing praise from some corners.

Of course it makes total sense for folks to do this if the goal is to prop up the idea of an Andersonless Yes. If I had a dollar for every post I read in those days with some variant of “Well since Yes made their BEST record without Jon Anderson he clearly isn’t very important.” then I might have had enough cash to dangle to put the real deal band back together. Too late for that now.

Anyway, my opinion of Drama is that it is a great sounding album carried by stellar playing, arranging and production, but a little thin on the songwriting side. If “We Can Fly From Here” had been on it then that would have made for a stronger record. At one point I did consider it underrated, but the tide of fan opinion has shifted so much that I now consider it overrated.

[Somis Sound]

It has always been one of my favorites along with CTTE, Fragile, TYA, and Relayer. Probably one of the most modern excellent productions, arrangements, and mixes as well. Thin on the song writing? Machine Messiah, Tempus Fugit, Does It Really Happen, Into the Lens, and Run Through the Light are all excellent songs. Heck, I even like White Car!

[Davy]

I don't know when perceptions changed, but up until 2002 I was only familiar with Tempus Fugit and Does It Really Happen. I like it a lot, but for me, none of the songs are quite on the classic level, except maybe Tempus Fugit. It's a better album than Tormato, but there's a couple of songs on that album that I love.

[Grey Wolf]

Mine never changed, I still love it! 😎

[Gtkgasman]

Loved it from when I first peeled the shrink wrap off in ‘80 😊👍.

[Oldie on the Goldie]

I was angered by what seemed a bait and switch when I bought it back when it came out. But now I do enjoy some of it, though not as much as some other Yes albums. For an Andersonless Yes, I think FFH is overall a better album.

[pjt]

Since I bought most Yes albums in retrospect, I've listened to the music and not the politics when I got the album, and it fast became one of my favourites.

As for playing it live, both Anderson and Wakeman had to be out, since with them there was no possibility of playing either Drama or Relayer. Which is a pity.

[bondegezou]

In the 90s and for most of the 00s Drama was generally sort of a “dark horse” favorite heavily championed by Yes fans called Panthers.

This is the correct answer. Online Yes fandom was riven by Trooper vs Generator wars. Other prog fans had gotten so fed up with it that they created alt.music.yes to keep the rows off alt.music.progressive. Soon after, myself and Daphne Lawless on alt.music.yes founded the Panthers and led a holy crusade. We battered everyone else into submission, until they saw the Truth of Drama's greatness.

[luvyesmusic]

This is the correct answer. Online Yes fandom was riven by Trooper vs Generator wars. Other prog fans had gotten so fed up with it that they created alt.music.yes to keep the rows off alt.music.progressive. Soon after, myself and Daphne Lawless on alt.music.yes founded the Panthers and led a holy crusade. We battered everyone else into submission, until they saw the Truth of Drama's greatness.

What a bunch of geeks back then to be on the computer back then for a music group. Sounds almost DOS like. ;-)

I have never been on the computer more than because of yesfans.com and the rest of you good people.

Panther? Whatever the other self-classified fans are, I am just a YES-fan.

[Ceasar’s Palace]

My perceptions changed in the course of just a few weeks after buying it back in 1980. They went from being slightly sceptical to loving it as much as its predecessors.

[Susanne]

My perceptions changed in the course of just a few weeks after buying it back in 1980. They went from being slightly sceptical to loving it as much as its predecessors.

It was very much the same for me. (Except my starting point was a little beyond "slightly skeptical". "Somewhat horrified", perhaps.)

[Ceasar’s Palace]

It was very much the same for me. (Except my starting point was a little beyond "slightly skeptical". "Somewhat horrified", perhaps.)

Yes. I sometimes think I was that easy going because I had only just become a fan prior to Drama.