It’s been a very, very long time since former Yes lead singer and co-founder Jon Anderson delivered an album that felt like it was part of his former band’s trajectory. Make no mistake, Anderson is a hard-working musician, and hasn’t been sitting still since he parted ways for good with Yes back in 2008, collaborating with various musicians while releasing solo singles and albums. While his brief but memorable reunion with former bandmates Trevor Rabin and Rick Wakeman in ARW (or if you’re feeling saucy, their temporary rebrand as Yes Featuring Anderson Rabin Wakeman) found Anderson firmly back in Yesworld, that band was limited to live performances, a long hoped-for studio album not to be. It wasn’t until 2023, when Anderson hit the road with noted online band The Band Geeks, that he finally found himself surrounded by a group of sympathetic musicians capable of not only performing that band’s back catalogue, but as evidenced by the new album True, capable of making a work that fits into Yes’ illustrious catalogue.
This iteration of the rotating cast of The Band Geeks consists of Richie Castellano (bass), Andy Graziano (guitars), Andy Ascolese (drums), and keyboardists Rob Kipp and Chris Clark. Make no mistake, this group of musicians are a tight knit ensemble, most of whom have been playing together since their youth and who have clearly internalized the music of Yes. This means, for the first time in far too long, Jon Anderson is surrounded by talents who not only are bringing out the best in the singer, but who are creating music that both honours and understands what makes Yesmusic great; gorgeous harmonies, adventurous time signatures and extended musical passages, and in the case of both “Counties and Countries” and the 16-minute “Once Upon A Dream,” epic pieces of music.
The first tastes of True came in the form of “Shine On” and “True Messenger,” songs that wouldn’t have been out of place on a Yeswest album or even the oft-derided Open Your Eyes. The difference here being that while that latter album was created by factions rather than a band, it’s so clear that True is a group effort. Every instrument, every vocal throughout the album has its place, nothing forced into being for the sake of including a musician’s talents. Anderson, closing in on 80 years old, sounds absolutely fantastic, with age barely making a dent in his distinctive voice.
Comparisons to the current iteration of Yes seem somewhat inevitable, and while I certainly view True from Jon Anderson and The Band Geeks as part of that musical universe, the significant difference between the groups is what I personally think they’re going for in the studio and in their live performance. Live, The Band Geeks are a band that performs the music of Yes with its legendary voice, doing a remarkable job of recreation, down to Andy Graziano’s Gibson guitar and Richie Castellano’s Rickenbacker bass, both instruments synonymous with Yes legends Steve Howe and Chris Squire, respectively, and the sound of the original band. You can hear those sounds all across True, in both the bass and guitar parts, not too mention the classical guitar and pedal steel that pops up as well. These musicians know how Classic Yes “should” sound, and co-producer Castellano makes sure he and his cohorts deliver.
Where things are different, in my humble opinion, with the current and nearly decade-long iteration of Yes, is that, at least in then studio, the band isn’t recreating their sound, but instead pushing itself forward, not necessarily married to its past. For instance, when Billy Sherwood stepped into the shoes of his friend and mentor Chris Squire, he didn’t suddenly pick-up a Rickenbacker to emulate Squire. Sherwood has his own gear, his own style (one obviously developed through his admiration for his hero), which he’s brought to Yes. Honouring the past, to be sure, but also looking to the future. In many ways, while not a throwback to the past, True is a welcome and familiar sounding album that lets Jon Anderson once again play in the progressive musical sandbox he helped create more then ten true summers ago.
Ultimately, True from Jon Anderson and The Band Geeks is a great album of Yesmusic, and again, the best album that Anderson has been a part of since Yes’ under appreciated 2001 release, Magnification. Whether articulated out loud or not, I think it’s clear that Castellano and company absolutely knew what we, the Yes fans, wanted to hear from Anderson, and they made sure True delivered and then some. Here’s hoping this isn’t just a one-off from these collaborators, and that more new music from Anderson and The Band Geeks is in our future times.