The Ladder (Yes album)
| The Ladder | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
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| Studio album by Yes | ||||
| Released | 20 September 1999 | |||
| Recorded | February – May 1999 | |||
| Studio | Armoury Studios, Kitsilano, Vancouver, British Columbia | |||
| Genre | Progressive rock | |||
| Length | 60:19 | |||
| Label |
Eagle Records (UK) Beyond Music (US) | |||
| Producer | Bruce Fairbairn | |||
| Yes chronology | ||||
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| Singles from The Ladder | ||||
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| Professional ratings | |
|---|---|
| Review scores | |
| Source | Rating |
| Allmusic |   [1] |
| The Daily Vault | B−[2] |
| Progressiveworld | (favorable)[3] |
The Ladder is the eighteenth studio album by progressive rock band Yes and was released in 1999.
The follow-up to 1997's tepidly-received Open Your Eyes, The Ladder was seen as a conscious return to the classic Yes sound, while maintaining a contemporary edge. It is the only Yes album with keyboardist Igor Khoroshev as a full time member, the last with guitarist Billy Sherwood (also the only one in which he did not play keyboards), and the only album of the band as a sextet.
History
Following guitarist/keyboardist Billy Sherwood's guidance of the last project, Yes decided to bring in an outside producer, Bruce Fairbairn, to give the music the benefit of objective ears. By the time the band had decamped to Vancouver, Canada to record The Ladder, Igor Khoroshev had become the group's official keyboardist, with Sherwood relegated to guitar duties along with Steve Howe.
Although the sessions went off successfully, with all concerned very pleased with the end results, the project ended with Fairbairn's sudden death in May 1999. Fairbairn died, according to Chris Squire, just before the completion of final vocals and mixing on The Ladder. Yes subsequently dedicated the album to their late producer upon its September release.
Release
Concurrently with the release of the album, Yes licensed the use of "Homeworld (The Ladder)" for use as the ending credits theme for the Sierra Studios PC game Homeworld, of which a digital preview was included with The Ladder. The re-issue included in the 2006 box set Essentially Yes also includes this preview.
Reception
Hyped as a "return to form", The Ladder (Eagle EAGCD088) generally pleased most of its listeners and longtime Yes fans, performing slightly better than Open Your Eyes by reaching No. 36 in the UK and No. 99 in the US.
Song info
"Homeworld (The Ladder)" references the working title for Talk, History of the Future.
The track "Lightning Strikes" borrows the opening flute solo from The Kinks' song "Phenomenal Cat" from the album The Kinks Are the Village Green Preservation Society. The song also references "The Revealing Science of God (Dance of the Dawn)" from Tales from Topographic Oceans and "Endless Dream" from Talk.
"Can I?" quotes Anderson's 1971 composition "We Have Heaven" from Fragile.
"Face to Face" references "Lift Me Up" from Union.
"The Messenger" is a tribute to Bob Marley.
"New Language" is based on a jam from the Open Your Eyes album sessions. The backing track from the guitar solo also references the bass line to "Roundabout" from Fragile.
"Nine Voices (Longwalker)" references "Your Move" from The Yes Album.
Track listing
All music Jon Anderson, Steve Howe, Billy Sherwood, Chris Squire, Alan White and Igor Khoroshev. All lyrics by Anderson.
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Homeworld (The Ladder)" | 9:32 |
| 2. | "It Will Be a Good Day (The River)" | 4:54 |
| 3. | "Lightning Strikes" | 4:35 |
| 4. | "Can I?" | 1:32 |
| 5. | "Face to Face" | 5:02 |
| 6. | "If Only You Knew" | 5:43 |
| 7. | "To Be Alive (Hep Yadda)" | 5:07 |
| 8. | "Finally" | 6:02 |
| 9. | "The Messenger" | 5:13 |
| 10. | "New Language" | 9:19 |
| 11. | "Nine Voices (Longwalker)" | 3:21 |
| Japan Bonus Tracks | ||
|---|---|---|
| No. | Title | Length |
| 12. | "I've Seen All Good People" (Live in Los Angeles 1997) | |
| 13. | "And You and I" (Live in Los Angeles 1997) | |
Personnel
- Band members
- Jon Anderson – lead vocals
- Steve Howe – lead and acoustic guitars, steel, mandolin, backing vocals
- Billy Sherwood – guitars, backing vocals
- Chris Squire – bass, backing vocals
- Alan White – drums, percussion, backing vocals
- Igor Khoroshev – keyboards, backing vocals
- Additional musicians
- Randy Raine-Reusch – world instruments
- Rhys Fulber – dance loops
- The Marguerita Horns - horns on "Lightning Strikes"
- Tom Keenlyside – piccolo, tenor saxophone
- Derry Burns – trumpet
- Rod Murray – trombone
- Tom Colclough – alto saxophone
- Neil Nicholson – tuba
- Production
- Bruce Fairbairn – producer
- Mike Plotnikoff – engineer, mixing
- Paul Silveira – second engineer
- George Marino – mastering
- Steve Hennessy – guitars and keyboards tech
- Chris Crippen – drums tech
- Drew Arnott & Chin Injeti – keyboard tech support
References
- ↑ Adams, Brat (2011). "The Ladder – Yes | AllMusic". allmusic.com. Retrieved 25 July 2011.
- ↑ Warburg, Jason (2011). "The Daily Vault Music Reviews : The Ladder". dailyvault.com. Retrieved 25 July 2011.
- ↑ Sollow, S. (2011). "PROGRESSIVEWORLD.NET: REVIEWS BY STEPHANIE SOLLOW". web.archive.org. Retrieved 25 July 2011.
Sources
- "Top Pop Albums 1955–2001", Joel Whitburn, c. 2002
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