Yes - The Tormato Story

by Kevin Mulryne, Oliver Wakeman (Foreword)

The music of Yes indelibly shaped the original sound of progressive rock. But the true tale of this landmark band goes well beyond headline-making albums like Fragile and Close to the Edge. In this book, Kevin Mulryne tells the absorbing story of the final Yes album of the 1970s, Tormato, uncovering myriad fascinating twists and turns for the first time.

“Tormato was my introduction to the music of the world’s greatest progressive rock band, and I have spent years finding out all I can about it,” explains Kevin. “I have spoken to fans, experts and many of the people who were there during the technical setup of the equipment, the recording of the album, and the creation of the artwork.”

“Along the way, I have learned a great deal about Yes, and the processes, frustrations and triumphs of recording a rock album in the late ‘70s. This is a deep dive into what makes an iconic band tick. I’m sure you will enjoy the journey as much as me!”

So what’s the real deal with Tormato? … Be prepared to be surprised.

418 pages, Kindle Edition

Published June 16, 2023

Reviews

[Mike O'Connor · Rating 5 out of 5]

A biased review to be sure, as I have been a longtime listener to the author's weekly Yes Music Podcast and I also financially contributed in a small way to getting this book project launched. Despite being made with what most Yes fans would call the "classic" Yes line-up, TORMATO has always been the red-headed (or red-splattered, as the cover shows) stepchild of Yes's album catalog, but it was the author's first exposure to the Progressive rock group and it remains his favorite of their. Almost to a fault, Kevin uses the book to lay out the album's history and making, with particular care to some of the innovative instrumentation employed. But for my money, the strongest part of the book are the detailed breakdowns of the songs themselves, making his case for their worth and incisively breaking down the music and lyrics therein. Also want to call attention the marvelous introduction by Oliver Wakeman and the very satisfying afterword by Simon Barrow. If you're unfamiliar with Yes and this album, I'd suggest giving it a first listen, see what you think, read Kevin's book, and then re-listen to see if he's succeeded in swaying your opinion of it.

[KarhuAnderson]

Knew it was gonna be a nerd out. But I'm still not sure if I actually wanted a chapter on Birotron, and another on the Polymoog. Sure, both instruments were used on the album, but there isn't an effort to tie the chapters into Tormato, or even Yes.
Be advised much of this also reads more like an inventory than an analysis.

[Simon Heldreich · Rating 2 out of 5]

This is one of the most well researched books on music I've ever read. Unfortunately, it's also incredibly dull. If you want to know what it says in the run off groove on the original Japanese vinyl album this is the book for you. If you want to know about the drama (pun intended) behind the scenes of the album and tour, that lead to Jon Anderson and Rick Wakeman leaving, then look elsewhere.

[Scott Flowers · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed the early chapters about one of my favorite Yes Albums (as they all are, hehe). The latter chapters delve into technical details about instruments and—as such—will be much more of interest to musicians and musical historians than to Yes fans such as myself. Still a good read.

[David Brimer · Rating 3 out of 5]

Eh.., Love Tormato, this podcast masquerading as a book.., not so much.