Tormato is the ninth studio album by English progressive rock band Yes. It was released on 22 September 1978 on Atlantic Records, and is their last album with singer Jon Anderson and keyboardist Rick Wakeman before their departure from the group in 1980. After touring their previous album Going for the One (1977), the band entered rehearsals in London to record a follow-up. The album was affected…
Many people say that 'Tormato' is a bad album, a wall in YES career. Obviously this album is not a masterpiece in the YES discography, but an adaptation of the YES sound to the following 80s. Tormato is an irregular and inconsistent album, rather than a conceptual one. But the highlights overshadow the shadows.
With the two main singles "Don't Kill The Whale" and "Release, Release" YES were about to enter their arena rock era and Steve Howe was preparing for his Asia adventure. As usual in the YES discography, the production is terrible and Rick Wakeman's keyboards sound too shrill and circus-orientated ("Future Times/Rejoice" and "Circus of Heaven").
But the album saves the best material for the… More