The Quest (Yes album)

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The Quest
Yes - The Quest cover.jpg
Studio album by
Yes
Released1 October 2021
Recorded2020–2021
StudioVarious locations, including Uncle Rehearsal Studios, Van Nuys, California and Curtis Schwartz Studio, Ardingly, West Sussex
GenreProgressive rock
Length61:33
Label
ProducerSteve Howe
Yes chronology
The Royal Affair Tour: Live in Las Vegas
(2020) 		The Quest
(2021)
Singles from The Quest
  1. "The Ice Bridge"
    Released: 23 July 2021

The Quest is the upcoming twenty-second studio album by English progressive rock band Yes, scheduled to be released as a double album on 1 October 2021 by InsideOut Music and Sony Music.

The Quest is Yes' first studio album featuring Billy Sherwood since The Ladder (1999), and the first since the death of Chris Squire in 2015, making it the first Yes studio album without any original members.

In 2019, Yes began to collaborate on material for a new studio album. After postponing all tours in March 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic, work picked up on it during lockdown. The group shared ideas online, before Howe, Downes and Davison met in England to record the album with engineer Curtis Schwartz.[1] The album was produced by guitarist Steve Howe, marking the first Yes album produced by one member since 1994's Talk by Trevor Rabin.

Background and recording[]

In July 2019, the Yes line-up of Steve Howe, Alan White, Geoff Downes, Jon Davison, and Billy Sherwood finished their Royal Affair Tour which saw the group headline a package tour across the U.S. with a line-up featuring Asia, John Lodge, and Carl Palmer's ELP Legacy with Arthur Brown.[2] They had planned to resume touring from March 2020, continuing their Album Series Tour with Relayer (1974) performed in its entirety, but it was rescheduled for 2021, and later to 2022, due to the COVID-19 pandemic.[3][4] In mid-2020, Howe said that the lockdown amid the pandemic presented the opportunity for the group to make progress on a new studio album, their first since Heaven & Earth (2014).[5][6]

Howe stated, "much of the music was written in late 2019 with the rest in 2020."[7] Howe said there was "a lot of creativity" in the musical ideas that the band had presented to each other.[8] A typical scenario involved one member contributing an instrumental section for a track, which Davison would then take and develop vocal lines and lyrical ideas. Davison preferred writing in this way as it allowed him to work at his own studio and his own pace, as opposed to the pressure of working "on the clock" in a professional facility.[9] Howe recalled his tendency to halt progress while making Fly from Here (2011) and Heaven & Earth, in order to have song arrangements fully worked out and to every members' satisfaction prior to recording.[10]

The album features orchestral arrangements written by English composer, conductor, and arranger Paul Joyce, a longtime fan of the band who had produced orchestrations for Howe's solo album Time (2012). Joyce arranged a full score for a 47-piece orchestra which was performed by the FAMES Orchestra in Skopje, North Macedonia with conductor Oleg Kondratenko.[11]

Songs[]

The opening track, "The Ice Bridge", was first announced to have been written by Downes and Davison. Split into three sections: "Eyes East", "Race Against Time", and "Interaction", the song originated from an idea Downes had, from which Davison developed lyrical and melody lines. The track begins in the key of C minor, which Howe said brings a "dark and moody" feel, and features sounds of ice breaking. The lyrics address the issue of climate change.[12] On the following day of its release as a digital single, Downes addressed rumours that the song's riff was similar to "The Dawn of an Era" by English composer Francis Monkman. Downes originally clarified that "The Ice Bridge" originated from a 1977 showreel of his while composing jingles and library music for a West End music production company, and that he thought the song was worthy for further development by Yes. However, Downes mistakenly believed the composition was his own, as Monkman's track was put on the same tape. After the two got in contact, Monkman received a writing credit.[13]

Release[]

The Quest was announced on the band's official website, YesWorld, on 7 July 2021, revealing the track listing, artwork, and scheduled release date.[7] The Quest is scheduled for release in five different versions: a 2CD digipak, a limited edition deluxe box set containing 2LPs, 2CDs, and a Blu-ray Disc, a limited edition 2CD and Blu-ray Disc artbook, a gatefold sleeve LP and 2-CD set with a booklet, and on various digital platforms.

"The Ice Bridge" was released as a digital single on 23 July 2021.[12]

Track listing[]

The Quest – CD 1
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."The Ice Bridge"
  • a) "Eyes East"
  • b) "Race Against Time"
  • c) "Interaction"
Jon Davison, Francis Monkman, Geoff Downes7:01
2."Dare to Know"Steve Howe6:00
3."Minus the Man"Davison, Billy Sherwood5:35
4."Leave Well Alone"Howe8:06
5."The Western Edge"Davison, Sherwood4:26
6."Future Memories"Davison5:08
7."Music to My Ears"Howe4:41
8."A Living Island"Davison, Downes6:52
Total length:47:49
The Quest – CD 2
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
9."Sister Sleeping Soul" 4:51
10."Mystery Tour"Howe3:33
11."Damaged World" 5:20
Total length:13:44

Personnel[]

Yes

Additional musicians

Production

  • Steve Howe – producer
  • Curtis Schwartz – engineer, mixing
  • Roger Dean – cover art, logo

References[]

  1. ^ "Curtis Schwartz Studio-Photo Gallery". Curtis Schwartz Studio.
  2. ^ Greene, Andy (2 April 2019). "Yes Announce 'Royal Affair Tour' With Asia, John Lodge, Carl Palmer (Giants of Seventies and Eighties prog are joining forces this summer, and they're bringing along former Guns N' Roses guitarist Ron "Bumblefoot" Thal)". www.rollingstone.com. Retrieved 3 April 2019.
  3. ^ "YES Cancel Forthcoming U.S. Dates And Will Not Be Performing On This Year's "Cruise To The Edge"". Yesworld.com. 11 March 2020.
  4. ^ "YES Postpone UK & European Album Series 2020 Tour Dates". Yesworld.com. 20 March 2020.
  5. ^ "The guitarguitar Interview: Steve Howe". www.guitarguitar.co.uk.
  6. ^ Jul 2020 issue (#222) of Eclipsed magazine
  7. ^ Jump up to: a b Ewing, Jerry (7 July 2021). "Yes announce brand new studio album The Quest". Loudersound. Retrieved 8 July 2021.
  8. ^ Nov 2019 issue of Prog magazine
  9. ^ Development, PodBean. "E6: Jon Davison - Interview Sessions With The Singer For Legendary Prog/Rock Band - Yes". www.podbean.com.
  10. ^ "Mixcloud". Mixcloud.
  11. ^ Joyce, Paul (17 February 2021). "Dreams can come true". PKJ Music. Retrieved 28 July 2021.
  12. ^ Jump up to: a b "YesWorld - The Ice Bridge". YesWorld. 23 July 2021. Retrieved 24 July 2021.
  13. ^ DeRiso, Nick (28 July 2021). "Yes update songwriting credits after Geoff Downes' tape mix-up". Ultimate Classic Rock. Retrieved 28 July 2021.
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