Yes to Re-Release ‘Fly From Here’ LP With New Vocals
Yes fans will gather together to celebrate the band's 50th anniversary next month, and among the goodies the group has planned for the convention will be Fly From Here - Return Trip, a limited-edition version of their 2011 album with new lead vocals performed by producer Trevor Horn, who also remixed the record.
Horn, who also founded the Buggles (the group that recorded "Video Killed the Radio Star"), had previously sung lead for Yes on their 1980 album, Drama. Horn produced the original Fly From Here LP, which included songs he had written for an abandoned Buggles record.
The 2011 album was the only Yes studio album to feature lead vocals by Benoit David, who took over for Jon Anderson in 2008 after the band's longtime singer had to bow out of a tour due to respiratory issues. David had previously sung in a Yes tribute band called Close to the Edge. He also appeared on In the Present – Live From Lyon.
David remained with the group for another year, but then had respiratory issues of his own and was replaced by Jon Davison, who remains the band's singer.
The Yes U.K. Fan Convention will take place at the London Palladium on March 24-25, the same days the band will be playing the venue to close out their British tour. In addition to being able to purchase Fly From Here - Return Trip, fans will be able to take a bus tour of London that visits sites crucial to the band's history, see displays of Yes memorabilia and Roger Dean's artwork and take part in question-and-answer sessions with special guests, including Dean.
A portion of the money taken in by the convention will be donated to the Christie Hospital in Manchester and Kangaroos, a charity for special needs and disabled children. You can learn more about the weekend and shows at Yes' official website.
2/27 UPDATE: Yes revealed plans to release Fly From Here - Return Trip to the general public after the convention. They're accepting pre-orders at PledgeMusic, with CDs shipping after the convention and vinyl shipping in June. Blabbermouth has additional details on the project. In addition to new vocals by Horn, other members made new contributions, and there are two new songs. The first, "Don't Take No for an Answer," was recorded in 2011 and features lead vocals from Steve Howe, and the second, a full-length version of "Hour of Need," has previously only been available on the Japanese version of the album.
"I really enjoyed listening to Alan [White] and Chris [Squire] playing together again," Horn said in a statement. "Finishing off the album was a labor of love."
"It's quite amazing what Trevor has done with the album and the way it has turned out," keyboardist Geoff Downes enthused. "It is most refreshing and adds a whole new dimension to the original recordings from 2011. I think the fans will appreciate it as a genuine sequel to the Drama album, and embrace it as a valuable part of our YES50 celebrations."
"It is great to have the original Drama lineup playing Fly From Here plus several other songs Trevor had a big part in writing," Howe added.
Yes, 'Fly From Here - Return Trip' Track Listing
1. "Fly From Here - Overture"
2. "Fly From Here Pt 1 - We Can Fly"
3. "Fly From Here Pt 2 - Sad Night at the Airfield"
4. "Fly From Here Pt 3 - Madman at the Screens"
5. "Fly From Here Pt 4 - Bumpy Ride"
6. "Fly From Here Pt 5 - We Can Fly (Reprise)"
7. "The Man You Always Wanted Me to Be"
8. "Life on a Film Set"
9. "Hour of Need"
10. "Solitaire"
11. "Don't Take No for An Answer"
12. "Into the Storm"