Music

Review: Yes From A Page Expanded 2LP Half-Speed Master 180-Gram Vinyl Set Revisits an Overlooked Late-Period Surprise

Does Yes’ From A Page expanded 2LP half speed master 180 gram vinyl set rescue an overlooked late period gem?

Updated

6 hours ago

I didn’t plan on reviewing a new vinyl edition of previously unreleased, orphaned tracks from a short lived lineup of one of my favorite progressive rock bands, Yes. Frankly, I didn’t even buy the original four song From A Page mini album CD when it was released in 2019.

But then a dear friend, the most committed Yes fan I know, and someone whose taste and insight I trust, sent me the new 2026 expanded 2LP vinyl edition and urged me to give it a proper listen.

With some trepidation I put the needle to the groove and in short order I was pleasantly transported into a new lost Yes universe. Culled from a tumultuous humpty-dumpty/helter-skelter period of Yes’ timeline when it seemed the band was falling apart every time it tried to glue itself back together, the back story on From A Page is almost as fascinating as it is harrowing. I won’t spoil producer Oliver Wakeman’s heartfelt liner notes — and yes, this is Rick Wakeman’s son, in case you were wondering — as the story involves some heavy tragedies, hardships, mishaps, a volcano and a passionate, determined commitment to bringing this Yes-worthy music to light. The backstory could be turned into a docudrama.

From A Page began life amidst sessions for the surprisingly terrific 2011 album Fly From Here, the effective sequel to 1980’s Drama LP (the first to not feature Jon Anderson on vocals). These recordings feature then-vocalist Benoit David as well as producer Oliver Wakeman’s original (and sadly shelved) keyboard parts.

Wakeman’s journey producing From A Page is inspiring, resulting in often poignant moments such as his piano duet with singer Benoit David on “From The Turn Of A Card.” “To The Moment” is a fine tune in the vein of Drama-era Yes which leads perfectly into Chris Squire’s beautiful pop gem “The Man You Always Wanted Me To Be.” “Into The Storm” takes on a fascinating character here, largely because of Oliver Wakeman’s organ parts, which feel like a homage to the 1971-72 era of Yes, when his father when his father joined the band (ie. Fragile). I like this take better than either of the previously released Fly From Here versions

I also prefer the version of Steve Howe’s lovely “Hour Of Need” included here. On Fly From Here and Return Trip, the song can feel a bit overproduced in places, with the arrangement occasionally fighting the lead vocal.

Included is a full studio version of a previously unreleased song by the late Chris Squire, “Aliens” (briefly previewed on the 2008 tour) created with some remarkable alchemic studio wizardry. Using a process reminiscent of Frank Zappa’s work in “Xenocrony,” a vocal from one of Squire’s demos was found to line up perfectly with an Alan White drum track (who had by this point had also passed away) from a completely different song. A combination of luck and new technology allowed Wakeman to complete a finished studio track.

From A Page is a strong collection of Yes-aligned (if you will) music. This album feels more Yes-like than most recent music I’ve heard from the current incarnation of the band. But is it really a Yes album? Well, because of the presence of Yes co-founder Chris Squire and two “classic era” members (Steve Howe, Alan White), it feels valid. Much kudos go out to producer Oliver Wakeman for seeing this complex project through.

Where this all works for me is that I can totally imagine original Yes vocalist / songwriter Jon Anderson singing these songs. A remarkable feat, that is perhaps the best complement I can offer about the music of From A Page.

You can get the 2LP half speed mastered edition of From A Page at Amazon for a very reasonable $34.98.

Mark Smotroff is a deep music enthusiast / collector who has also worked in entertainment oriented marketing communications for decades supporting the likes of DTS, Sega and many others. He reviews vinyl for Analog Planet and has written for Audiophile Review, Sound+Vision, Mix, EQ, etc. You can learn more about him at LinkedIn.