j o e

After 25 years, Squire returned with his second solo project, actually a collaborative effort with friend and partner of the previous decade, Billy Sherwood. Only the foolhardy would purchase this album expecting Squire to serve up a second Fish out of Water and most — no, make that pretty much all — of this disc can be found basking in the countryside of standard, modern AOR. That's with all the conventionality and deadly sense of safety this implies: the lyrics are trite, the tempos typically set at a medium pacing, the production overbaked. For curious Yes fans, the album may have some appeal by providing some built-in familiarity, as many of the songs are the original versions of material that later saw release on Yes' albums: "The More We Live," "Love Conquers All," as well as hidden tracks "Open Your Eyes," "Man in the Moon" and "Say Goodbye" (from Sherwood's previous band World Trade). I'll save you the time and trouble by saying that these are basically the same as the Yes versions, except prior to the overdubs lent from Anderson, Rabin, or Howe. And "Love Conquers All" and "Man in the Moon" are just as hideous to listen to here as they ever were before. Of the newly presented tracks, the best is easily "Violet Purple Rose," a more upbeat tune that I think would have made quite a showcase for the YesWest line-up, as it follows a similar style to that of the fast-paced sections of "I'm Running" on Big Generator. With Anderson and Rabin backing this one, I'll bet it would have been pretty strong. Out of the remaining material, some songs I think are merely okay, such as "Days of Wonder," yet hardly anything I would want to play over and over. Most of the others (e.g., "No Rhyme," "You're the Reason") are not really interesting songs to begin with, and tend to plod along with that tedious, 'professional rock musicians making their professional rock music in their professional studios' sound. Even as a Yes fan, this is a disc on which you can securely pass, unless you absolutely have to hear it. review by Joe McGlinchey — 5-15-05 —