It was a little over two months ago that my best friend and I took an ill advised trip to Sin City (my bank account still hates me for it). As we walked into Chicago’s O’Hare airport to board our flight, I said to my friend, “Wouldn’t it be a trip if we bumped into a celebrity here?” Within minutes after uttering that sentiment, I found myself face to face with one of my favorite singers of all time, Jon Anderson. It was a brief interaction that resulted in a handshake and a selfie, but I’m forever grateful to Mr. Anderson for this moment as I’ve been an avid fan of his output, from Yes and beyond, for the better part of 20 years now (remember, I’m only 25).
And what was Anderson doing at the airport, you may be wondering? Well, he was catching a connecting flight to *insert city here* to play the next date of a sold out run alongside his latest group of collaborators, The Band Geeks. Consisting of some of the east coast’s finest musical talents (among them being Blue Öyster Cult’s secret weapon, Richie Castellano), The Band Geeks has served as Anderson’s backing band for the past couple years, bringing to life some of Yes’ greatest epics to legions of rabid fans (or at least as rabid as the prog crowd can get). This collaboration has now extended beyond the live stage and into the studio, where they’ve united to craft arguably the greatest Yes album never made, True.
Before I get into the content of the music itself, I have to start this review by addressing the elephant in the room: Holy “Roundabout”, Batman. Jon Anderson is nearing his 80th journey around the sun and sounds the EXACT same as he did on those Yes classics of half a century ago. Anderson has always boasted one of the most iconic voices in rock history to begin with, his angelic delivery and superhuman range helping propel Yes to the stratosphere of prog-dom. On True, his vocal heroics excel yet again, all the while sounding barely touched by the modern evils of auto-tune.
On The Band Geeks’ side of the collaboration, the collective has concocted an anthology of songs that sound extracted straight from the Going for the One era. For those who may not be the most versed in the Yes mythos, I’m talking about that brief window of time when Yes started fusing the grandiosity of their prog roots with more accessible elements, like radio-friendly hooks and earworm melodies (think early progressive pop rock). This formula can be heard on cuts like “True Messenger”, “Counties and Countries”, and “Still a Friend”, all of these moments basking in a retro prog limelight. Acoustic prog ballads like “Build Me an Ocean” and “Make It Right” showcase the emotional power of Anderson’s ageless vocals, while the nearly 20 minute “Once Upon a Dream” reminds us how much we love it when said vocals are paired with sonic explorations into the musical unknown.
Despite being out of the band that made him a household name (or vice versa, depending on how you look at it) for over 15 years, Anderson and his new geeky friends have released an album more compelling than anything the band currently known as Yes has released since his unceremonious and unfair departure. I’m not trying to use this review as an opportunity to drag Steve Howe through the mud, as there’s already a million other outlets content on doing so. However, I’d be remiss not to address the difference in quality between the modern day “Yes” and this. I guess one can say Anderson’s latest musical offering embodies the True spirit of Yes.
8 out of 10
Label: Frontiers Records
Genre: Progressive Rock
For fans of: Yes, King Crimson, Wobbler