Open Your Eyes [Limited Edition]

Yes | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (May 5, 1998)
• Number of Discs: 1
• Format: Limited Edition
• Label: Beyond Records
• ASIN: B000006CD9
• Also Available in: Audio CD  |  Audio Cassette  |  Vinyl
• Average Customer Review: 3.1 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (100 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #211,610 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Track Listings

1. New State of Mind

2. Open Your Eyes

3. Universal Garden

4. No Way We Can Lose

5. Fortune Seller

6. Man in the Moon

7. Wonderlove

8. From the Balcony

9. Love Shine

10. Somehow, Someday

11. The Solution

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com

After some extremely confusing personnel shakeups, the 1997 Yes configuration--including classic members Jon Anderson, Steve Howe, Chris Squire, and Alan White, plus new keyboardist Billy Sherwood--emerged with this surprisingly strong effort that manages to maintain Yes's familiar prog-rock sound without making the band sound like a museum piece. New numbers like "New State of Mind," "Open Your Eyes," and "Fortune Seller" blend the band's progressive inclinations with solidly crafted melodies that place them among the band's catchiest creations. --Scott Schinder

Product Description

Japanese reissue of 1997 album packaged in a miniature LP sleeve. Includes the bonus track 'Open Your Eyes' (Radio Edit). Victor. 2002. --This text refers to an alternate Audio CD edition.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

20 of 21 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars NEW STATE OF MIND, February 27, 2005

By 

Jason M. Carzon (bowie, maryland United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Open Your Eyes (Audio CD)

This 1997 effort by proggo-giants Yes has got to be the most despised album they have released. Could it be the lack of direction, the absence of keyboard virtuoso Rick Wakeman, the stripped-down simpler aproach, the addition of new members Billy Sherwood and Igor Khoroshev, the lack of some mega-epic 20 minute rock symphony ala 'Close To The Edge', Jon's new-age cosmic jive lyrics? The above characteristics only partly define this album.

Here's what happened: Yes were to release 'Keys To Ascension 2' as the next official album back in 1997. Workoholic Wakeman was reluctant to tour due to prior commitments. Since the tour was up in the air, the label decided to postpone the release of 'Keys' as well. Rick then left. Itching to tour, and with new management, Yes decided to wash their hands of the whole 'Keys' debacle and whip out a new album quickly to take on the road with them. And what quicker way than to raid the backlog of solo material Chris Squire was working on with longtime Yes associate Billy Sherwood. So what you have here mimics what happened with the 90125 album- in that it was a Trevor Rabin solo album which morphed into a Yes album. Kudos must be given to Yes for making good of a bad situation, and as lazy and slapped-together easy way out albums go, this isn't as bad as has been made out to be. It was a Squire/Sherwood 'Conspiracy' album and the other members had to wedge their bits in, and it often shows. Problem is, two weeks before OYE was released, the old record company opportunistically released the retro-prog rock 'Keys To Ascension 2' to capitalise on the 1997 tour. The two albums released just weeks apart were like night and day: 'Keys' being a blatant return to epic material of old- a new 'Relayer'- and OYE being something the complete opposite. Fans were confused.

In total contrast to the 6 to 20 minute prog-rock of 'Keys', OYE is a stripped-down affair. The material is simpler, quirkier, and the production is more powerful. Some say this album is 'pop', but unlike albums like 1983's '90125', the songs here aren't really that terribly accesible either as some claim. Too weird, no stand-out 'single' as such. If 'Keys' was using 'Relayer' or 'Going For The One' as a lauching pad, OPEN YOUR EYES draws its plans from not 90125 or any Trevor Rabin era album, but more so like the first album YES(1969) or Time & A Word(1970). There is a Beatles-ish vibe and quirkiness here, and the emphasis here seems to be more on vocal harmonies than instrumental overkill. The addition of Billy Sherwood(keyboards and 2nd guitar) brings an urgency to Yes and a more guitar presence, but still there is a feel of a band in transition, and the album appears to be partly going in a new direction and partly going through the motions. The trax:

NEW STATE OF MIND - a plodding rocker with big choruses. Kinda Yes meets Led Zep in a way. A bit repetitious but drives along.

OPEN YOUR EYES - the title track was supposed to be the 'hit' single from the album but I never once heard it on radio. It's a rocking guitar-based track which could have been a minor hit like GTR or ABWH 'Brother Of Mine'. Steve Howe's solos were probably slopped on without him getting to know the track well, but they fit so you can't tell. A good modern Yes track.

UNIVERSAL GARDEN - is a more traditional Yes-sounding track with plenty of cosmic synths, percussion and harmonies. The opening sounds like Howe and Sherwood trading licks on acoustic guitars which I'm suprised has escaped mention by Yes enthusiasts. In fact the two guitars sound like what Howe and Rabin would have sounded like together in some imaginary post-UNION version of Yes.

NO WAY WE CAN LOSE - is a more simpler and upbeat track similar to 'Saving My Heart' from 1991's UNION album. Again, emphasis on vocal harmonies continues the Beatles comparisons.

FORTUNE SELLER - another rocker track which features Rick's replacement, Russian keyboardist Igor Khoroshev, providing a 'Roundabout'-like organ solo. Don't get the lyrics at the end though(1-800-??).

MAN IN THE MOON - a repetitious Squire/Sherwood Conspiracy track with Jon and Steve half-hearted performances kinda stello-taped on. Most fans hate this track, but it is rather catchy.

WONDERLOVE - this one is rather weird, it has a mystical feel to it but it's not your usual cosmic Yes. It's simpler but it's not 'pop' either. It works on some primal level, I don't really understand what the band were going for on this track but I rather like it.

FROM THE BALCONY - a folky contrast to the rest of the album, it's just Steve on acoustic and Jon providing vocals. A nice, simple, naked song.

LOVE SHINE - this is filler, obviously. Kinda funky, not unpleasant but not particularly necessary either.

SOMEHOW, SOMEDAY - more filler, this is actually a Jon Anderson solo song 'Boundaries' which is meshed with a 'City Of Love'-type rhythm. The song sounds like it doesn't fit together too well, like half the song can't keep up with the other.

THE SOLUTION - the album ends with a rocker not too unlike 'Tempus Fugit'. How this escaped the Yes enthusiasts is also puzzling. A good rock track, Steve's guitars do recall some of his playing on Drama.

UNCREDITED TRACK - the rest of the disc has one of those secret hidden bonus tracks. Nothing much here, just a pleasant ambient/nature background with some vocal harmony bursts scattered around(all disembodied choruses from the album's songs).

Really, not a terrible album at all. Not up to YES' usual standards either. Some of Yes' half-baked moments have produced interesting results, and this album is one such moment. Remember, this was originally recorded as a Conspiracy album, and Yes took a shortcut by adding enough material to make it an official Yes album while securing a new member in Billy Sherwood as well. A lot could have been better had the band had more time. The circumstances gave us a rushed effort that is strange, forced and confused. But there are a few gems here, you just have to dig a little to find them. The sound quality is very good too. Best tracks for me were the title track, UNIVERSAL GARDEN, WONDERLOVE, SOLUTION and NO WAY WE CAN LOSE. I give it 3 and a half stars, you should give it a chance.

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Opening into Yes, November 21, 2009

By 

Prog Nerd (Southern California) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Open Your Eyes (Audio CD)

I became a Yes fan in 1998, shortly before my 18th birthday. Open Your Eyes was the band's most recent studio effort, although it is ironic, because it was one of my last Yes purchases, along with Tormato and their first two albums. (I've since discovered that boxed sets are really nice ways of sampling material across a large discography that you may or may not like.) I found myself being mildly fond of the band's 1971-77 period, but heavily obsessed with 90125 and Drama (to the point of being disappointed that not every new Yes album sounded like these two, let alone Close To The Edge Part 2.) I also had a soft spot for about 2/3rds of Union.

I picked up Open Your Eyes used for about $3 in early 1999, and I'm glad I hadn't paid more, because aside from a couple tracks, it really didn't do anything for me at that time. Despite my love for 90125 (the album that hooked me onto Yes in the first place), I just couldn't get into this. Just as I couldn't get into Big Generator or Talk. (Again, aside from a couple tracks on each.) I listened a couple times, and then it went on my CD rack, where it collected dust for...literally years.

In 2008, after since getting into dozens of prog bands, I decided to take a nostalgic look back at my love for Yes, who I had seen live many, many times by then, and thought maybe I had overlooked some of their works. I came across a revelation...

Time really does heal all wounds. I loved all of the music I had previously disliked.

Yes and Time And A Word? Lost Beatles albums. Tormato? Perfect for headphones as I walked along the beach. Big Generator and Talk? Yes albums I could actually play with the girlfriend in the car, and excellent soundtracks for a drive into LA.

What I had discovered was Context, and the importance of When and Where you hear something, in addition to your frame of Mind when you listen. Because so many years had passed, I no longer carried the same prejudices and judgements that I once had; I only cared about if the music was good or bad. Because of my open-minded nature towards all music styles and genres (unlike a lot of prog fans, I'm actually progressive in my thinking), I was able to hold up the sparkling gem that is Yes, turn it in the light to just the right angle, and then have the "Aha!" moment as the sunlight refracted just perfectly. It didn't always come right away. It took work, and dedication. But I told myself...Well, if I truly love Yes and their music, and the beauty that they created (no matter what one's favorite is), then I owe it to them to keep trying, keep watching, keep listening. Some things don't reveal themselves right away.

Open Your Eyes was much, much better than I had remembered. The first two tracks are expertly loaded front-and-center for a reason, as these are certainly the best two on the album. "New State of Mind" has a wonderfully Zeppelinish sound to it, and Howe has an amazingly smooth and ambient guitar outro to finish it off. "Open Your Eyes" got a bit of radio play here in the LA area, and it should've been at least a classic rock FM hit, because it's very catchy, has an uplifting chorus, wonderful back and forth harmony vocals shared between Anderson, Squire and Sherwood, and Steve Howe's presence is clearly heard with some fast-paced and fluid soloing. This is the most representitive song on the album.

"Universal Garden" is the longest track at 6:18, and sounds a little forced, but is otherwise great listening for going outside on a summer night and looking up at a clear sky. "No Way We Can Lose" is one of my least-favorites on the record, as the lyrics are incredibly bland (as well as the ho-hum countryish bent to the music.) It sounds as if the band was trying to do another "Your Move", but failed. It's not terrible, but just has a very whitebread vibe to it. (Amazingly, this song was the second single from OYE, and I distinctly remember hearing it at least a few times on the radio.) "Fortune Seller" gets things moving again, with some nice jazzy keyboard playing courtesy of new keysman Igor Khoroshev, who would join the band on live dates and become a fulltime member for The Ladder at the end of the millennium.

"Man In The Moon" is another relatively weak song, with a plodding rhythm and simple verse, but it has some nice pieces tucked in there. Chris Squire handles lead vocals on this one. "Wonderlove" features some sitar work from Howe, and gives off an almost classic Yes vibe before the song changes and things speed up. "From The Balcony" is a stripped-down, simple acoustic song featuring only Anderson and Howe. The lyric and music is a bit too simplistic and cloying for my tastes, although I've grown to appreciate it. This melody would be re-worked for "Soft As A Dove" on the 2001 Magnification album.

"Love Shine" comes in with a sparkling, chiming keyboard intro before we're led back into AOR territory, a bit too abrupt after the naked beauty of the previous track. I would think that a track reordering would be wise in this instance. "Somehow, Someday" is next, with Anderson reworking some older lyrics into a not-quite-successful update, featuring some "City of Love"-style stop-start bass and guitar crunch. "The Solution" ends the album on a high note, of which Steve Howe's guitar work is very reminescent of 1980's Drama. A hidden ambient track starts after a few minutes, featuring over twenty minutes of ocean waves, wind chimes, birds, crickets, and a bit of sitar. It would've been a nice relaxing track to fall asleep to if it wasn't for the jarring vocal samples.

Overall, this is a mixed bag, and certainly among Yes's weakest albums, but for dedicated fans willing to give it another chance, it provides a respite from the tedium of listening to Fragile for the 1,245th time. It's quite obviously overproduced (too many overlaid vocal harmonies throughout much of it), and the keyboard patches are just as cheesetastic as Wakeman's from the Keys studio tracks.

Steve Howe is here in a more cut-and-paste pastiche, although you'll get a smile at the times when you do hear him cut through with a blazing solo here and there. Billy Sherwood's influence is highly felt, bith in the songwriting, lyrics and production, but if you have a liking for his Yes-lite style, then you'll find it okay. Alan White has some good fills and rhythms here and there, but nothing substantial. Jon Anderson isn't here in his usual sense, although I really do prefer a break from his abstract and cosmic lyrics at times. This is one of those times. Chris Squire is the one person who probably stands out the most, with lots of quirky, bubbly and chunky bass playing. His Rickenbacker sound is highly apparent, and provides an excellent foundation to the straightforward pop/rock AOR sound of the album.

I'm unsure as to how to recommend this. It could actually be a good First Yes Album for somebody, because they would be free from the shadows of their 70's masterpieces and just enjoy it as a good pop/rock driving soundtrack. But it might possibly be good if someone is into 90125, Big Generator, Union, or Talk, as well. Or you can just forget it says "Yes" on the cover and just enjoy it as if it's another band entirely. Believe it or not, that sometimes helps.

Overall, the vibe on Open Your Eyes is somewhere between the Beatles'ish debut and Time And A Word (reflected in the artwork with a black on orange Yes logo -- just like the debut -- and a nice touch after almost thirty years of recording), and the 1983-1995 Yes sound (90125 through Talk), with a few very small and subtle reminders of The Yes Album, Close To The Edge and Going For The One. Open Your Eyes is sort've a sandwich, with 1969 and 1999 being bookends for a short, concise, uplifting and positive middle.

It's a little processed and Velveeta, but really good if you're hungry.

Key tracks: "New State of Mind", "Open Your Eyes"

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Open Your Eyes, Close Your Ears, October 27, 1998

By A Customer

This review is from: Open Your Eyes (Audio CD)

I've been about as big a Yes fan as there has ever been. I don't know the member's middle names or birthdates but I have always appreciated their music. Open Your Eyes is not "Yes" music. It is Yes with the very talented Billie Sherwood. Anderson, Squire, Howe, Wakeman, Bruford and/or White is Yes. Ten and twenty minute compositions are Yes although the short pieces are great too. There was synergy there not created with other line-ups or during attemps at more mainstream rock oriented albums like Open. It's good, it can't help but be good with this talent but it isn't great, which is what I always hope for and usually get with Yes. If you like Union or Talk you will probably like this album. If you think Fragile, Tales and Close To The Edge were the best rock albums ever made you'll be very disappointed.