The album originated from a conversation between producer Trevor Horn and YES bassist Chris Squire, who re-discovered the song ‘Fly From Here’ from the ‘Drama’ sessions and realized that it had never been recorded in a studio. “Chris and I were talking one evening about the song ‘Fly From Here’ that we never recorded,” explained Horn. “I said I was prepared to spend two weeks with YES recording that song. When I arrived in America to record it, I was taken prisoner by the band and only allowed my freedom again in return for producing the whole album. It was an offer I couldn’t refuse!”
The first recording sessions took place between October 3 – November 12, 2010 at SARM West Coast Studios in Los Angeles, before resuming in the first week of January 2011.
Artist Roger Dean, whose dreamy, other-worldly scenes have adorned many YES album covers, linked up with the band again for ‘Fly From Here’. His design for the cover was a painting he started in 1970 that had remained uncompleted.
In 2018, YES will release a new alternate version, ‘Fly From Here – Return Flight’ completely remixed and remastered by Trevor Horn, with vocals by Trevor throughout.
Personnel
Bass, Vocals
Guitar, Vocals
Percussion
Keyboards
Vocals
Review
by Ryan Reed, Paste Magazine, 11 July 2011
The long version: longtime Yes vocalist/songwriter/figurehead Jon Anderson falls ill with respiratory issues, is unable to participate in a 2008 tour, is replaced by Canadian Benoît David, former vocalist for a Yes tribute band named Close to the Edge. Legendary producer Trevor Horn (formerly of The Buggles and Yes’ 1980 album, Drama) is recruited for a new Yes project: Fly From Here, set to revive the epic title track which was written (but never recorded) in the days of Drama. Anderson, who was kept blind from the personnel changes, gets wind, gets pissed, writes a disappointed letter on his website, moves on with his life. The short version: Despite an absolute mountain of bullshit and the nearly certain prospect that Fly From Here, their 20th studio album, would be a laughable disaster, Yes have released their best work since the ‘70s.
First, let’s talk about the new guy. David’s voice is naturally deeper than Anderson’s, but when he chooses to skyrocket into his upper register, like he does in the tender initial moments of “Fly From Here: pt. 1 (We Can Fly),” his history as a Jon Anderson tribute singer is unmistakable. Remarkably, David actually manages to kinda do his own thing with the material. While it’s never quite far from your mind that, at least sentimentally, you’re listening to the next best thing, he avoids the pratfalls of sheer mimicry by letting the material dictate his style. Plus, the dude has an excellent voice all on his own merits, a fact which is evident from those first angelic sighs on “We Can Fly.” Yes diehards who cried foul over Anderson’s less than cordial replacement drama may have a right to gripe, but they should pipe down with the tribute band jokes until they’ve heard what David has to offer in the studio.
As for the musical content on Fly From Here, it’s an undeniable return to form. Horn’s influence turns out to be the band’s saving grace—not only is he credited with co-writing a bulk of the album’s material (including a large chunk of the 25-minute title track), but his silky presence behind the boards is an undeniable glue that holds the album together. Horn’s cohort Geoff Downes (a former bandmate in both The Buggles and Yes) is back in the fold on keyboards, replacing sometimes member/virtuoso Rick Wakeman (and Wakemen’s son, Oliver). Downes’ parts favor moody synth ambience and texture over flights of fancy—which is actually a welcome relief in the expanses of these already busy tracks. As for the rest of the gang, it’s business as usual—unbelievable musicianship, tight band interaction—only this time, the songs and production values are way higher than they’ve been in ages. Chris Squire’s bass still pulses with his trademark pick-assisted effects; Alan White’s drums punch and stutter consistently; meanwhile, guitarist Steve Howe, the album’s MVP, reclaims his throne as the world’s greatest prog-rock guitarist. Throughout, Howe’s guitars are spectacular, utilizing fluid effects, avoiding dated ‘80s tones in favor of the blistering psychedelic fills he perfected in the band’s early days.
“Every day that you waste is one more that you’ve lost,” David sings—a sentiment dutifully heeded by the players. The brilliant title track alone is worth the price of admission. The gorgeous piano overture starts classical in nature and then gets all ‘80s on our asses with chugging distortion and sweeping synth pads. Working its way from the majestic main theme to the futuristic math-funk of “Fly From Here pt. IV (Bumpy Ride),” it somehow all hangs together as one piece.
Honestly, who knows how long the whole Benoit thing will last? With Yes’ constant member shifting and hot/cold dynamics, their liner notes basically read like a prog-rock tabloid. I’m sure a hearty apology from Squire and company, kick-started by an old-fashioned jam session, would be enough to entice Anderson into joining his old pals once more. But if those days are in the past, if this is truly the new face of Yes, the rebirth present on Fly from Here suggests that music will outlive the gossip.
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Lyrics
FLY FROM HERE – OVERTURE
[Instrumental]PERFORMED BY
Benoît David: vocals
Steve Howe: guitars, vocals
Chris Squire: bass, vocals
Geoff Downes: keyboards
Alan White: Drums
FLY FROM HERE – PART I
Along the edge of this airfield
The old prop-shaft airliners stand
Altimeters reading zero
Formless memories lingering
Nights are cold on this airfield
I sit alone and watch the radar
Locked on the wavelength, caught in the beam
Falling slowly into the screen
Every day that you wait
Is one more that you’ve lost
When you wake up
I see you there
On display
Lights the final point of no return
Taking us there from here
And we can fly from here (we can fly)
And we can fly from here (we can fly)
And we can fly from here (we can fly)
Into a sky that’s clearing
Look back we’ll dry the tears
For those once held so nearly
And love will never disappear
Along the edge of this airfield
The old prop-shaft airliners stand
Altimeters reading zero
Formless memories lingering
Lingering, lingering, lingering
And we can fly from here
Into a sky so clearly
Look back, we’ll dry the tears
For those once held so nearly
And we can fly from here (we can fly)
And we can fly from here (we can fly)
And we can fly from here (we can fly)
And we can fly from here (we can fly)
And we can fly from here
On the understanding that we can fly
Everyday that you waste
Is one more that you’ve lost
On display
That’s a final point of no return
Everyday that you waste
Is one more that you’ve lost
On display
That’s a final point of no return
PERFORMED BY
Benoît David: vocals
Steve Howe: guitars, vocals
Chris Squire: bass, vocals
Geoff Downes: keyboards
Alan White: Drums
FLY FROM HERE – PART II
There are no ground staff in the empty corridors
Is no one sleeping?
No one awake?
I’d start an engine in the night
If only just to break the silence
That last intake of…
Air…
The clouds in the night as we breed
Too late for even the night breathes to me
We can wait for dawn
To carry on
Then we can fly from here
I want to be the one
Who always gives you shelter
Finds you waitin’
Keep you warm
I want to be the one
Who’s always there beside you
But we both must
Face the dawn…
Alone…
So cruel like the world that we leave
Too late for even the night breathes to me
We can wait for dawn
To carry on
Then we can fly from here
Only ghosts are in the empty corridors
They’re all strangers
Never cared
I know that from some other life
When things were different
And we both were in the end
Turn yourself around (turn yourself around)
Turn your life around (turn your life around)
Turn your world around (turn your world around)
Turn this ship around (turn this ship around)
So turn your wheel around
I watch the sky
All defenses down
I watch the sky
I watch the sky
PERFORMED BY
Benoît David: vocals
Steve Howe: guitars, vocals
Chris Squire: bass, vocals
Geoff Downes: keyboards
Alan White: Drums
FLY FROM HERE – PART III
Take a table
In the evening
By the waterside
Lonely eyes watch
As the moon shines
Down a silver tine
Looking out from this position
Are things what they seem?
It’s been spreading out from
One decision
Into this bad dream
Out on the shoreline (shoreline)
Someone is waiting (waiting)
Wind that was falling is rising again
I hear the voices (voices)
I hear them calling (calling)
Every song was singing in the rain
Sailor, sailor beware
There are storm clouds
You must take care
Easy bring her around
Or the night will
Run you aground
I know…
In the ceiling
Over our heads
Fans and moving air
Spinning out the
Hours of darkness
Warning sound somewhere
Out on the shoreline (shoreline)
Someone is waiting (waiting)
The wind that was falling is rising again
I hear the voices (voices)
I hear them calling (calling)
Every song was singing in the rain
Sailor, sailor beware
There are storm clouds
You must take care
Easy bring her around
Or the night will
Run you aground
Morning
Here in the air
When you feel it
Know that you’re there
Laying dark
Behind the scenes a
Madman at the screens
Laying dark
Behind the scenes a
Madman at the screens
Laying dark
Behind the scenes a
Madman at the screens
Dreaming…
Feeling the air…
Dreaming…
Seeing you there…
PERFORMED BY
Benoît David: vocals
Steve Howe: guitars, vocals
Chris Squire: bass, vocals
Geoff Downes: keyboards
Alan White: Drums
FLY FROM HERE PART – IV
Dreaming
Seeing you there
See you sometime somewhere
PERFORMED BY
Benoît David: vocals
Steve Howe: guitars, vocals
Chris Squire: bass, vocals
Geoff Downes: keyboards
Alan White: Drums
FLY FROM HERE – PART V
We can fly (we can fly)
We can fly (we can fly)
And we can fly from here
Into the sky that’s clearing
Look back we’ll dry the tears
For those once held so nearly
And we can fly from here (we can fly)
And we can fly from here (we can fly)
And we can fly from here (we can fly)
And we can fly from here (we can fly)
And we can fly from here
On the understanding that we can fly
PERFORMED BY
Benoît David: vocals
Steve Howe: guitars, vocals
Chris Squire: bass, vocals
Geoff Downes: keyboards
Alan White: Drums
THE MAN YOU ALWAYS WANTED ME TO BE
What have I become?
What am I runnin’ away from?
I used to see
Things in a very different way
What am I to do?
I have changed my point of view
I was lost
Now I’ve found myself in you
From some other part of me
I’ll summon the strength to see me through
From deep in the heart of me
To be anything you want me to
And that’s when I start to be
The man you’ve always seen in me
The man you always wanted me to be
What have we become?
What are we running away from?
We need to see
Life in a very different way
Learning what to do
After all that we’ve been through
No longer lost
We have found ourselves anew
From some other part of me
I’ll summon the strength to see me through
From deep in the heart of me
To be anything you want me to
And that’s when I start to be
The man you’ve always seen in me
The man you always wanted me to be
Ee-yeah, ee-yeah, ee-yeah, ee-yeah, ee-yeah
Ee-yeah, ee-yeah, ee-yeah, ee-yeah, ee-yeah
Ee-yeah, ee-yeah, ee-yeah, ee-yeah, ee-yeah
The man you always wanted me to be
The man you always wanted me to be
Ee-yeah, ee-yeah, ee-yeah, ee-yeah, ee-yeah
Ee-yeah, ee-yeah, ee-yeah, ee-yeah, ee-yeah
Ee-yeah, ee-yeah, ee-yeah, ee-yeah, ee-yeah
PERFORMED BY
Benoît David: vocals
Steve Howe: guitars, vocals
Chris Squire: bass, vocals
Geoff Downes: keyboards
Alan White: Drums
LIFE ON A FILM SET
All the poems of my neighbors
That drift across the sand
Are just the tendrils of a vast
But gentle pluck which they command
The headdress of a goddess
You wore the night we came
Is only one small symptom
And really not to blame
You’re riding a tiger
Riding a tiger
Heaven sent immortals
Waged upon the wall
And likewise all the missiles
Shot to make them fall
Everlasting movie
Picture into frame
Riding a tiger
Riding a tiger
Riding a tiger
All of the beaches
Into the sky
Into the beach of sun-glass goodbye
Key grip was crying
This boy was made
Here in the shelter
Whole unafraid
We were there
Follow the road that leads to the sun
Who formed our leader he is the one
Who will offer the silence
You must beware
Using the page that no one can share
Riding a tiger
Riding a tiger
Riding a tiger
Riding a tiger
Out of the morning
Into the day
Onto the evening
Nowhere to stay
We were always together
Always the same
Into the future
No one to blame
Riding a tiger
PERFORMED BY
Benoît David: vocals
Steve Howe: guitars, vocals
Chris Squire: bass, vocals
Geoff Downes: keyboards
Alan White: Drums
HOUR OF NEED
In the dark while the obvious isn’t clear
Can’t believe just what can interfere
Remember what has been achieved
Keep tryin’ it’s the hour of need
What’s the cost?
Can the end justify the means?
There’s a need so many mouths to feed
Remember what has been achieved
Keep tryin’ it’s the hour of need
Still hoping we can succeed
In this hour of need
Words unwritten
Mistrust suspicion
Stuck in this wilderness
For everyone water to drink
Either we sink or swim
PERFORMED BY
Benoît David: vocals
Steve Howe: guitars, vocals
Chris Squire: bass, vocals
Geoff Downes: keyboards
Alan White: Drums
SOLITAIRE
[Instrumental]PERFORMED BY
Steve Howe: guitar
INTO THE STORM
Something not so superficial
Like something I can really do without
Need a hand to hold onto
Help me understand
What’s the point of reparation now?
You’ve just got to make that beat somehow
Into the storm
All the stories you’ve been telling
You must know someday they’ll find you out
Through this life you’ve been propelling
Now you’re spinning out
Time to make your reparations now
You’ve just got to make that leap somehow
Come on and make it now
Into the storm
Armies of angels are starting to fall
Bathed in the light at the break of the dawn
Armies of angels are leading me on
Take me away from the heart of the storm
Take me away
Take me away
One thing learned from all these years
As stupid now as we were at first
Maybe that’s the way it goes
When you try to change the world
Sending pointless invitations out
You always knew what this was all about
Somewhere a fire is breaking out
Into the storm
Armies of angels are starting to fall
Bathed in the light at the break of the dawn
Armies of angels are leading me on
Take me away from the heart of the storm
Take me away
Take me away
And we can fly from here
And we can fly from here
And we can fly from here
And we can fly from here
PERFORMED BY
Benoît David: vocals
Steve Howe: guitars, vocals
Chris Squire: bass, vocals
Geoff Downes: keyboards
Alan White: Drums