Album: Tormato
Artist: Yes
1978 Atlantic; expanded & remastered 2004 Elektra/Rhino
CD: 8122-73794-2 [2004]

Band members:
Jon Anderson: lead vocals (all), Alvarez 10-string guitar (1a, 5, 8)
Steve Howe: guitars (1-5, 7, 8), electric & acoustic mandolin (6), vocals (1, 3-6)
Chris Squire: bass (1, 2, 4-8), bass pedals (1a, 3, 5), piano (2), vocals (all)
Rick Wakeman: Birotron (1, 2, 4-6, 8), Hammond organ (1, 4), Polymoog (1, 2, 4-8), RMI (8), harpsichord (3), piano (5)
Alan White: drums (1, 2, 4-6, 8), glockenspiel (1a), crotales (1a, 3, 6, 7), cymbals (3), bell tree (3), gongs (5), vibraphone (7), percussion (4), drum synthesizer (5), vocals (4)
Damion Anderson: vocals (6)
Patrick Moraz: synth (?17)

No performance credits are given for (9-17), but they presumably follow the basic pattern. (15) is an a capella performance by Anderson alone.
 

Produced by Yes
Recording engineers: Geoff Young, Nigel Luby
Assisted by Peter Woolliscroft, Pete Schwier
Recorded at Advision Studios, London
Mixing and additional recording at RAK Studios, London
Executive producer: Brian Lane

Sleeve design by Hipgnosis
Photography: Hipgnosis/Brimson Graphics-Colin Elgie
 

2004 Rhino remaster:
Liner notes by Tim Jones
Reissue supervision: Steve Woolard, David McLees
Sound produced by Bill Inglot
Remastering: Dan Hersch & Bill Inglot
Bonus track mixing and tape review: Brian Kehew
Product manager: Marc Salata
Editorial supervision: Cory Frye
Art direction & design: Greg Allen
Additional photography: Neil Zlowzower, Glenn A Baker
 

Tracks:
1. Future Times/Rejoice (6:44)
  a. Future Times [Anderson/Howe/Squire/Wakeman/White]
  b. Rejoice [Anderson]
2. Don't Kill the Whale [Anderson/Squire] (3:56)
3. Madrigal [Anderson/Wakeman] (2:23)
4. Release, Release [Anderson/White/Squire] (5:46)
5. Arriving UFO [Anderson/Howe/Wakeman] (6:03)
6. Circus of Heaven [Anderson] (4:29)
7. Onward [Squire] (4:02)
8. On the Silent Wings of Freedom [Anderson/Squire] (7:45)

2004 Rhino bonus tracks:
9. Abilene [Howe] (4:02)
10. Money [Squire/Anderson/White/Wakeman] (3:15)
11. Picasso [Anderson] (2:12)
12. Some are Born [Anderson] (5:42)
13. You Can Be Saved [Squire] (4:20)
14. High [Howe] (4:30)
15. Days (demo) [Anderson] (1:00)
16. Countryside [Anderson/Howe/Squire/White] (3:11)
17. Everybody's Song (early demo of "Does It Really Happen?") [Anderson/Howe/Squire/White] (6:48)
18. Onward (orchestral backing track) (3:06)

arranged by Yes (1-8)
arrangement and orchestration: Andrew Pryce Jackman (7)
string arrangement (3) by Andrew Pryce Jackman from an original idea by Rick Wakeman
 

Notes: (***) The first Yes album to be recorded by the same line-up as its predecessor since Close to the Edge, Tormato saw the band uncertain how to respond to a very changed musical scene. The musicians competed for space in the sound instead of complementing each other and timbral choices are poor. However, a few of the compositions stand out. The album is named after Yes Tor (tor meaning mountain) in Devon, UK The story goes that the band, when first presented with the proposed album cover, didn't like it and someone through a tomato at the artwork. The result went down well and was used, with the album name changing too.

Yes's most clear protest song, "Don't Kill the Whale" started out as a piece by Squire, but Anderson came up with the lyrics. "Arriving UFO" reflects Anderson's and Wakeman's New Age-tinged beliefs in UFOs. A very early version of the song is known from bootlegs as "Railway 14".

"Abilene" was the b-side to "Don't Kill the Whale" (Aug 1978) and on YesYears. Howe has said that Anderson helped him with the lyrics for "Abilene". "Money" was first released on YesYears. It features a satirical voice-over by Wakeman pretending to be Dennis Healey, Labour Chancellor of the Exchequer 1974-9 and disliked by more than one successful rock musician for his policies of high taxation rates for the wealthy. An alternate version of "Money" without Wakeman's voice over is known from bootlegs. "Picasso" was recycled by Anderson for his musical "Chagall", which still awaits release. "Some are Born" and "Days" appear on Anderson's first solo album, Song of Seven. The music of "High" next appeared as "Sketches in the Sun", Howe's solo while in Asia, then first released on GTR. "Countryside" turns up as an instrumental, "Corkscrew", on Howe's Turbulence, while another version is on Homebrew 2 as "Resistance Day". "You Can be Saved" is notable for having a very prominent vocal part from Squire. Not indicated on the packaging or in the liner notes, there is an eighteenth track on the Rhino release, the orchestral parts (plus bass) for "Onward", perhaps a tribute to Andrew Pryce Jackman, the orchestral arranger and former keyboardist in Syn with Chris Squire, who died in late 2003.

A short synth solo on (17) sounds more like Moraz than Wakeman, suggesting the track actually dates from sessions probably between Relayer and Going for the One. Asked about it in a 2006 interview, Moraz said, "I think it is [me], but it's so short, it's only 4 bars long! And so unbelievably in-the-back in the mix that it's almost inaudible!"

The whole of Tormato has been played live at some time, although that only became the case with the San Luis Obispo shows in 1996 where "Onward" received its live debut. (HP, 14 Mar 04)