YES “Open Your Eyes” /A5 Cardboard CD/

The first re-release of the seventeenth full-length studio album by legendary British Progressive Rock band.
The band's first “full” studio album after the twin projects "Keys To Ascension" and "Keys To Ascension 2", which were both live and studio albums. It is also the first album with former session member Billy Sherwood on guitar, and the only one on which he also plays keyboards.
Following the 1996 revival of the 1970s "classic" line-up of Yes, the band's relationship with management had broken down and keyboardist Rick Wakeman had once again left the band. While various other members dispersed, guitarist, keyboardist, and producer Billy Sherwood (a long-time Yes associate and contributor) began developing new songs with band bassist and de facto leader Chris Squire to prevent the band from losing momentum and fully splitting. Yes' new management company suggested adding a couple of songs originally written for Squire and Sherwood's other band, Conspiracy, to help build up material for a new Yes studio album. With the writing and production sessions dominated by Squire and Sherwood, and with singer Jon Anderson, guitarist Steve Howe and drummer Alan White only involved later in the process, the writing and creative input of the latter three members was limited.
"Open Your Eyes" received mixed reviews from music critics and became one of the band's lowest selling albums, reaching number 151 on the US Billboard 200 and failing to enter the UK Albums Chart. Its lead Single, "Open Your Eyes", reached number 33 on the Billboard Hot Mainstream Rock Tracks chart, which was followed by a second, "New State of Mind". A limited edition with a surround sound mix was also released (the first album ever released in that format), containing a surround mix developed by Seattle Audio Imaging Labs, Inc. with an encoding system more suitable for home theatre audio systems. This version had the ambient section of "The Solution" omitted.
Yes supported the album with a 12-month world tour from October 1997 that coincided with their thirtieth anniversary. The band were joined by russian keyboardist Igor Khoroshev, who had played on the album as a guest musician and who became a full-time member at the tour's conclusion. The tour saw the band perform in smaller venues such as theatres and amphitheatres. The Alan Parsons Live Project was the opening act on select dates. The show at the Universal Amphitheatre in Los Angeles saw the band joined on stage with a school choir for a performance of "No Way We Can Lose".
Many Yes fans really dislike this album. However, it is a disc, as much of the classics in the band's catalogue are, that is not fully appreciated on the first few listenings. You really need to give this one the time to sink in. The faithful in Yes' fandom had very high hopes for this release, as it was the first full studio album after Steve Howe re-joined the band. Many were anticipating another "Close To The Edge". The album certainly does not live up to that standard. It actually works better, serving as a bridge between the classic Yes sound of the '70s and the more Pop-oriented Trevor Rabin-era material. It also seems at times to carry on in the direction begun with such albums as "Tormato" and "Drama". There are at least a couple of standout tracks here that would, having been released on a different album, probably have become Yes classics and fan favourites.
Beyond Music/Eagle Records, a division of Eagle Rock Entertainment Plc./Sony Music Entertainment Czech Republic s.r.o., 1997/2010 (8869745570249). Made in Czech.


Tracklist:
1. New State Of Mind 6:00
2. Open Your Eyes 5:14
3. Universal Garden 6:16
4. No Way We Can Lose 4:56
5. Fortune Seller 5:00
6. Man In The Moon 4:41
7. Wonderlove 6:06
8. From The Balcony 2:43
9. Love Shine 4:37
10. Somehow.....Someday 4:47
11. The Solution 5:25
12. The Source (Hidden Track) 16:22
Total playing time: 74:10 min.