Drama

Drama is the tenth studio album by British progressive rock group Yes. It is unique for being the first Yes album release without vocalist Jon Anderson. In early 1980, after rehearsing music for the follow-up to the tepidly-received Tormato, both Anderson and Rick Wakeman departed the band over creative and financial differences.

Reportedly Anderson and Wakeman were the most enthusiastic about creating a new album, and the rest of the band was lukewarm over the idea, given the relative failure of the last album.[1] This in turn discouraged both Anderson and Wakeman, with the latter at times refusing to leave his room, and both men dejectedly spending time at a local bar. They quit the band soon afterwards.

Undeterred, the remaining members, Chris Squire, Steve Howe and Alan White, carried on. Trevor Horn and Geoff Downes of The Buggles (who had recently had a number one hit in the UK with "Video Killed the Radio Star") were working in an adjacent studio, and being Yes fans, introduced themselves. The pair were invited to sit in during rehearsals, and were soon asked to join the band.

Recorded that spring and released in August, Drama featured a much harder-edged Yes with a distinct new wave flavour (in no small part due to the two new recruits). Perhaps to ensure that some of the old glory was there, Roger Dean was commissioned to design his first Yes cover in five years, and Eddie Offord, who had co-produced the band in their 1971-1974 heyday, returned to the studio for assistance. Drama fared very well in the UK charts, reaching #2 there, but American audiences were not so sure, with Drama becoming Yes's first album there in years to not reach the Top 10 or go gold. However, the supporting tour in the US was another big success. It met with criticism on its UK leg, with some fans angry over Anderson's replacement and Horn's voice suffering from his first experience of major touring, as well as his efforts to match Anderson's higher register.

Horn subsequently quit the band, the others deciding to end the group and begin new projects. Yes officially ended in early 1981, only to reform two years on. Howe and Downes would be in Asia by then.

Yes did not perform any of the songs from Drama live after the 1980 tour until 2008, due to Jon Anderson's refusal to sing them. In 2008 Yes got back together without Anderson and new vocalist Benoit David sang "Machine Messiah" and "Tempus Fugit" with them. They also performed the instrumental beginning to "Tempus Fugit" on the 90125 tour. It has been rumoured that Anderson was prepared to rehearse certain songs from the album in preparation for their 35th Anniversary Tour, but it was the rest of the band that were not prepared, under the assumption that Anderson was still uninterested.