Liverpool Sound and Vision Rating 8.5/10

The search for what was lost on the way can often provide a sense of solace that cannot be found by simply soldiering on almost aimlessly, carrying on out of the force of habit and the indoctrination of tradition.

When we consider that the undertaking at hand is more than a mere journey, and instead that the purpose is to assume that there is indeed an acceptance of fate at stake, then what is revealed to those around you is the reflection of The Quest to come; and as with all self-sacrificing missions, the physical and the abandonment of ego, it becomes clear that rebirth, a renaissance of return can be found waiting to be played for the audience.

There is no quarter given except sympathy when a band struggles on immediately after the passing of a pivotal member, the temptation to disappear plunges the soul into a place which should be discounted, but also the result of prolonging the once and former body can be seen as tearing at the fabric of what made them endearing and positive to the crowds that supported them.

Whilst much will have been made of the passing of Chris Squire, the only member in the long running cycle of members of the pioneering Progressive group Yes, it will have not escaped the fan and the casual observer that the last couple of albums to have been released did not stand up to scrutiny, indeed there was something less than elegant about them which may have drawn the conclusion that Time, and maybe a word, had finally caught up with the band.

Time though is not only fickle, in the hands of the passionate and the believers, it can help heal wounds, it can add layers of therapeutic restoration to those caught between the sound of the tick and tock, and for Yes, the grand group of the Progressive Rock banner, Time has brought The Quest to the stage, and with the enigmatic smile of the ghost in the wings looking on and nodding his approval, the album is something of a beauty, it is a performance born out the dedication of Steve Howe stepping into the production shoes and with Jon Davison finding his feet at the helm with the vocals.

Moving on from Heaven & Earth to a higher plane is what the band have achieved, and the recording itself is one of soothing organisation, not burdened by what has gone before, the subtly of tracks such as Minus The Man, Future Memories, A Living Island and the three part dramas of The Ice Bridge and Leave Well Alone all combine to leave the listener dreaming once more of worlds that once were the preserve of the group in various incarnations, and have as any quest provides, a chance of revisiting haunts in a new guise.

It is though heartening that as Steve Howe, Alan White, Geoff Downes, Jon Davison, Billy Sherwood, and Jay Schellen progress through the album, that the listener understands that there is no disguise, no masks or concealment of feeling, all there is a continuation of a period that some may have believed was not just lost but had been allowed to fade away.

Time was, and will be again, as Yes return with an album of deep grounding and positive outpouring. Time heals many wounds and can bring a sign of collected joy, even in the midst of remorse and grief.

Ian D. Hall