Rank these 4 Yes albums..

[Somis Sound]

1. Drama- I love it from start to finish
2. FFH- I can listen to the whole album and absolutely love the FFH suite
3. Tormato- Some Yes classics and a few songs I always skip
4. The Quest- Don't love any of it

[Yesed]

OTSWOF is a strange song, in that for me it both shows what makes/made Yes great, as well as why Yes was falling apart at the time. The intro from Chris and Alan is brilliant, some great vocals as well and good melody, as the best Yes music. But also, certainly towards the end, a manifestation of ego's with Steve and Rick seemingly trying to outplay each other speed wise, with the rhythm section also trying to get on top, resulting in a cacophony of sound, almost as if the imploding that was about to happen was put to music.

Drama to me feels like real team work, an effort where everyone gives each other room to shine and bring his best. It's tight, and in contrast to OTSWOF, there's not a note too much, every note counts.

Well, Rick does seem to have to get his last licks in there on Silent Wings, ahead of Steve's, doesnt he. lol. Ill say its a nice segue going into The Lens. It could have happened, it seems, with Jon, as evidenced.

[Yesed]

Tormato - first side pretty good
FFH - couple of good songs





Drama - Machine Messiah pretty OK




The Quest - no thanks

Clever, ...though I would adjust the order a bit.

[A Venture]

Tormato - for me, a strong album at the end of the classic period , production is 'busy' , but it is Yes and it always reminds me of wonderful Wembley '78. If Roger had designed the cover, the fans would give it more love !
Drama - clean, strong album, well produced, punchy and , boy, what drama when it came out ! Real determination to stay relevant and be Yes. Touring with Trevor and Geoff just the week before Jon's solo tour - a very weird time for us fans, but wonderful looking back
FFH - strong suite and other songs /ideas from the Drama period - great production , always liked Benoit's vocals
The Quest - patchy - a step up from H&E, but a step down from FFH

[Oldie on the Goldie]

I find FFH to be the best overall album of these, however there are songs such as OTSWOF on Tormato and MM on Drama that I enjoy far more than anything on FFH, so I find it very hard to rank them in any meaningful way. I can't get into TQ so it would be ranked last in any case.

[Yesed]

Tormato - for me, a strong album at the end of the classic period , production is 'busy' , but it is Yes and it always reminds me of wonderful Wembley '78. If Roger had designed the cover, the fans would give it more love !
Drama - clean, strong album, well produced, punchy and , boy, what drama when it came out ! Real determination to stay relevant and be Yes. Touring with Trevor and Geoff just the week before Jon's solo tour - a very weird time for us fans, but wonderful looking back
FFH - strong suite and other songs /ideas from the Drama period - great production , always liked Benoit's vocals
The Quest - patchy - a step up from H&E, but a step down from FFH

Thats my order as well, pretty much my reasoning. I think Tormato and Drama were taken for granted for a long time and are much more appreciated now. Imagine getting albums of that quality now?
If I were to rank them with Sam I Am's type of illustration, I think..

Tormato
Drama

FFH



The Quest

[Soundchaser413]

The op had it right imo:

Tormato
Drama
FFH
The Quest

Tormato because I like the vibe and it has Jon Anderson on it. Drama is great because of the musicianship and rhythm section. Also, Geoff and Trevor H. add something fresh to the Yes sound. FFH is very good and I enjoy the FFH suite in particular. The Quest has yet to grow on me (I've only heard it a few times so far though).

[Chrisklenox]

1- Drama - perfect
2- The Quest - fresh, nice production. Feels good
3- Fly From Here - brilliant, but side b lacks focus
4- Tormato - Circus of Heaven sank this one to 4 for me even though I love the rest