Yes - The Golden Age (1979)

Following the completion of their tour to promote 'Tormato', Yes decamped to Paris to record some material with producer Roy Thomas Baker. Jon Anderson and Rick Wakeman had decided together that they wanted the band to move in a more New Age or pop direction, in keeping with the musical trends of the time, but the rest of the band were not so keen, and wanted to keep their classic, recognisable progressive rock sound. These tensions were evident in the music that was recorded in Paris, and it seemed like fate was intervening when Alan White broke his foot in a roller-skating accident, forcing the recording sessions to be abandoned. Howe, Squire and White returned to London, leaving Anderson and Wakeman to carry on working on their new ideas in Paris. When White's foot had healed and the band got back together, they set about recording what would become the 'Drama' album, and the Paris sessions were consigned to the vaults. What we have here, then, is an album that could have slotted in between 'Tormato' and 'Drama', if Anderson and Wakeman had got their way with a new direction for the group. Some of the songs were reworked later for member's solo albums, but most of these recordings have only ever been heard on bootlegs, and more recently on remastered re-issues of 'Tormato' and 'Drama'. 

Track listing

01 Golden Age
02 Tango
03 Everybody Loves You
04 In The Tower
05 Friend Of A Friend
06 Richard
07 Dancing Through The Night
08 Some Are Born
09 Picasso
10 You Can Be Saved
11 Countryside