Following ill health, hospitalisation and rejection from his long-term bandmates Yes, Jon Anderson reutned in 2010 – with a little help from a grumpy old pal - with The Living Tree album. This is what Prog made of the album...
The very fact that this recording exists is something we should be grateful for. The incidents of May 13 2008, which rendered this project’s Lancastrian-born singer hospital-bound (he suffers from Reactive Airway Disease, which is similar to asthma) coupled with ongoing liver and pancreas problems almost took Jon Anderson off to the circus of heaven well before his time was due.
However Jon was back on stage within the year, if not totally free of the odd medical setback, but still tending to make a mockery of the decision made by Yes to forge ahead without their much-loved frontman. So enter the fray a long-standing bandmate and, to all intents and purposes, prog’s knight in shining armour, rightly irked by the actions of his colleagues of old. Rick Wakeman to the rescue, as it were.
The Living Tree is the fruit of the first actual studio labour between these two prog troubadours since they worked together on Keys To Ascension 2 back in 1997. And although it most certainly is not Yes, the music contained herein is probably far closer to the spirit of the band than anything we’re likely to hear from the Benoît David-fronted band (no disrespect however, to David, who is a fine singer in his own right).
Of course the first thing that your ears are straining for are Anderson’s vocals. Just how much have his recent trials and tribulations affected that legendary alto? Given that Wakeman himself has come out and stated he feels it unlikely that Anderson could handle the rigours and machinations of a big rock and roll tour, and writing as someone who did not see the pair play live on their recent UK tour (the only place to buy this CD, aside from the record company website – a curious decision given the strength of interest Anderson’s return would undoubtedly have), it really is all about just how the voice is holding up these days.
Well, from the opening title track, it’s clear that while the voice may not entirely the force that it once was, it remains a finely tuned tool which is evocative, harmonic and still full of the emotion that Anderson has always been able to convey through any material he puts his voice to. It is perhaps, a touch more nasal, perhaps a tad lower in register. Yet it is still unmistakable.
Lyrically, of course, he remains as unique and oblique as ever. A guiding celestial light to some, purveyor of new age mumbo jumbo and twaddle to others. The Living Tree, as one might expect, bristles with positivity and hope. Even if you don’t buy half of what Anderson writes and sings about, one still can’t help but be moved by the strength of his convictions.
But the real star of this show is Wakeman. His playing throughout is just perfect. A gentle touch allows the initial fragility of the opening title track to shine through, while the second part of the song which follows later is given some more muscularity. Some songs, such as House Of Freedom and Forever, echo the rich majesty of Yes – no mean feat given this is simply the work of Anderson’s voice and Wakeman’s hands. Others, notably the Afghanistan war-inspired 23/24/11 and the syncretic approach of Just One Man, perhaps more suited to a Jon Anderson solo album.
Throughout Wakeman’s deftness of touch is the perfect foil for Anderson’s re-awakened voice, his playing often rich and luscious, and without a doubt some of the finest on new material these ears have heard from the man in several years.
Will we ever see that full Yes reunion many fans hanker for? Comments from Wakeman suggest not. Anderson, who would surely love to ‘sign-off’ as it were, in his rightful place, has been less obtrusive. What does seem certain, however, is that his health scare probably rules out touring on the grand scale of Yes these days. It might just be that time and tide now render our prog stars best served undertaking live endeavours of the nature of the recent Anderson/Wakeman jaunt. Or perhaps Wakeman’s words in the very first edition of Prog, that one-off special events would be the ideal way forward.
Who knows what the future holds? For now, however, The Living Tree is a significant song of hope.
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