Cherry Red are releasing a new version of Fly From Here – Return Trip from Yes, in a variety of formats including a 1CD, 2LP (140g with a tip on gatefold sleeve) and a blu-ray edition that features Atmos and 5.1 mixes by Richard Whittaker in addition to original stereo mixes, and 5.1, stereo and Dolby Atmos instrumental mixes.
This 2025 edition also includes bonus instrumental mixes of the Fly From Here suite.
Yes recorded the original version of Fly from Here during breaks in touring in 2010 and 2011, during which they enlisted former Yes frontman Trevor Horn as producer.
The version included in this 2025 reissue is the alternative version of the album titled Fly from Here – Return Trip, which features the classic Drama era line-up who were reunited in 2018 to create a new version featuring all new vocals from Trevor Horn plus new instrumental parts, alongside a more organic mix highlighting Chris Squire’s unique voice and bass contributions as well as additional parts from Steve Howe and Geoff Downes.
For long-term Yes fans reading this review, I must state up front that I am a massive fan of the Drama era, and I am an unabashed Trevor Horn fan, so whilst I loved the original version, featuring vocalist Benoît David and keyboardist Oliver Wakeman, the Return Trip is my favourite take on the album.
My original review from 2018 still stands, and whilst there does not appear to have been a remastering for this 2025 re-issue (it was not needed!), the main addition is the instrumental version of the Fly From Here Suite, which is a joy to listen to, and I am particularly looking forward to hearing the Blu-ray Dolby Atmos mix from Richard Whittaker (not supplied for review), as Fly From Here has always been a “widescreen” mix for me, and so will surely shine brightly in the surround sound format, as well as the hi-resolution mixes.
It was a moving experience listening to the album again, and re-discovering Pt II – Sad Night At The Airfield, which is one of my favourite Trevor Horn vocal performances, and Life On A Film Set (based on Riding A Tide from The Buggles second album), a pop/prog masterpiece. This is the definitive version of a late period Yes classic album.
Fly From Here – Return Trip is released on 28 November 2025.
As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying Amazon purchases via this website.
1 Overture 2 Pt I – We Can Fly 3 Pt II – Sad Night at The Airfield 4 Pt III – Madman at The Screens 5 Pt IV – Bumpy Ride 6 Pt V – We Can Fly Reprise 7 The Man You Always Wanted Me to Be 8 Life On a Film Set 9 Hour Of Need 10 Solitaire 11 Don’t Take No for an Answer 12 Into The Storm
Includes Dolby Atmos / 5.1 / Stereo / Atmos Instrumental / 5.1 Instrumental / Stereo instrumental / Original Stereo mixes
CD
1 Overture 2 Pt I – We Can Fly 3 Pt II – Sad Night at The Airfield 4 Pt III – Madman at The Screens 5 Pt IV – Bumpy Ride 6 Pt V – We Can Fly Reprise 7 The Man You Always Wanted Me to Be 8 Life On a Film Set 9 Hour Of Need 10 Solitaire 11 Don’t Take No for an Answer 12 Into The Storm
Bonus Tracks – Instrumental
13 Overture 14 Pt I – We Can Fly 15 Pt II – Sad Night at The Airfield 16 Pt III – Madman at The Screens 17 Pt IV – Bumpy Ride 18 Pt V – We Can Fly Reprise
VinylLP
Side One 1 Overture 2 Pt I – We Can Fly 3 Pt II – Sad Night at The Airfield 4 Pt III – Madman at The Screens 5 Pt IV – Bumpy Ride 6 Pt V – We Can Fly Reprise
Side Two 7 The Man You Always Wanted Me to Be 8 Life On a Film Set 9 Hour Of Need
Side Three 10 Solitaire 11 Don’t Take No for an Answer 12 Into The Storm
Side Four (Instrumental Version of the Fly From Here suite) 13 Overture 14 Pt I – We Can Fly 15 Pt II – Sad Night at The Airfield 16 Pt III – Madman at The Screens 17 Pt IV – Bumpy Ride 18 Pt V – We Can Fly Reprise
Sirenesque is the 8th studio album from The Bathers. Chris Thomson (Friends Again) and The Bathers released a series of much-loved albums including the “Marina Trilogy”:
Lagoon Blues (1993)
Sunpowder (1995)
Kelvingrove Baby (1997)
Sirenesque feels like a continuation of the rich tapestry of the Marina Records trilogy.
Opening with the solo piano of Chris Thomson on the short instrumental piece, Culzean, which is adorned by birdsong, the title track swiftly sweeps into view with a full band performance. The strings are quite underplayed on the track Sirenesque, with multiple melodic guitar lines taking centre-stage.
Hazel Morrison and Evie Fernad Thomson supplement Chris Thomson’s rich vocals. I always remember a wonderful description by Teddy Jamieson in an interview in Scottish newspaper The Herald, describing Thomson’s vocals as being “…one that sounded like it had been weathered in a cask of alcohol on a Scottish island for 50 years.” I agree!
“Where the sea is blue Where the sea is green It captured me with you”
Sirenesque is the longest track on the album, heading towards the 8 minute mark. There are a few songs that only weigh in at a minute or so, and these shorter pieces break the album up and give you time to take in the whole album listening experience, savouring the lyrics and the masterful and sympathetic performances. Sort of like a short film before the main feature.
Late Night Conversations is one such piece, just vocals, piano and a muted orchestral undercurrent, as you head into one of the albums key tracks, the first “single”, Garlands.
Garlands is so evocative. It has a delicious pace delivered by Hazel Morrison on drums and Andrew Cruickshank on double bass.
“I kiss you once I kiss you twice”
The choral vocals add a real emotional pull to one of The Bathers finest songs, that is surely on a par with If Love Could Last Forever from Kelvingrove Baby as a career highlight.
A Map of Venice is another short palate cleanser, as Locomotion is Easy arrives, with a mournful, earthy guitar performance from Sam Loup and overhanging deep strings and a nagging double bass underpinning the contrasting vocals from Thomson and Hazel Morrison, with her finest vocal contribution to the album.
On the Road to the Isles hits hard, and is an example of the romance and longing conjoured up by evocative sounding locations. The song is short but one of the most moving pieces on Sirenesque.
Photograph by VJ Van Velp
The Camellia House is timeless. “Just a heartbreak away…” The players on this track provide a lovely, gentle rhythm, as found sounds add to the overall mood. The Bathers always know when to reign in their arrangements, and they seem to view space as having equal importance to individual musicians performances.
Lost Bravado offers up one of my favourite lyrics on Sirenesque, and along with Garlands, is a song that I think Bathers fans will surely take to their hearts.
“Exiled in heartache and so alone Dancing with a reckless joy Stranded in her cologne Stranded in heartache Yet so far from home”
The pace is slow but gives the song time to breathe as the arrangement eventually reveals its charms, and oh lord, that chorus! By the time the string solos kick in towards the end, I guarantee even the most stone cold of hearts will have warmed up by a few degrees.
Feathers, Books and Lace features the wonderful Prague Philharmonic Orchestra, who add (along with the Scottish Session Orchestra on other tracks) a richness to the arrangements that gives the album a sound and identity apart from other Bathers albums.
“And as the rain fell I kissed your face”
As we head to the album’s conclusion, Welcome to Bellevue offers a new flavour, with a wide-screen, technicolor taste of Americana. You can almost taste the dust in your mouth as you devour Welcome to Bellevue. Long-time collaborator Callum McNair joins Thomson on guitar, and although there are plenty of twists and turns, the performance matches the mood of the song perfectly. The Bathers do not showboat – every note is perfectly placed.
She Rose Through the Isles closes Sirenesque. Some of the motifs from earlier songs return for the album closer, such as a continuation of the addictive double bass from A Map Of Venice.
The orchestral performances weave in and out of the song, giving the impression of hearing the performance in an intimate concert venue. The soundstage is strong throughout Sirenesque, and although I have pre-ordered a vinyl copy, I am looking forward to hearing this album in hi-resolution on the hi-res streaming service Qobuz. Plus hopefully hearing some of the songs performed live if and when The Bathers are ever able to venture south to London.
Sirenesque is a wonderful album, one of the finest of 2023 and a worthy addition to the band’s rich catalogue.
Sirenesque is released by Last Night From Glasgow on October 14th 2023.
Produced and arranged by Chris Thomson. Recorded and mixed by Sam Loup. Mastered by Paul McGeechan. All songs written by Chris Thomson.
Tracklisting
Culzean Sirenesque Late Night Conversations Garlands A Map of Venice Locomotion is Easy On the Road to the Isles The Camellia House Lost Bravado Feathers, Books and Lace Welcome to Bellevue She Rose Through the Isles
As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying Amazon purchases via this website.
As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying Amazon purchases via this website.
As a recent covert to the Qobuz hi-resolution streaming service, I thought it would be a good idea to make some playlists of some of the songs that highlight the wow factor of lossless streaming.
What does the hi-resolution experience sound like? Hi-res audio offers greater detail and texture, bringing listeners closer to the original recorded studio or live performance. Bass hits deeper and harder, vocals are clearer, percussion is crisper and the songs sound fuller, more expansive and richer. Parts of the recording that you may not have noticed in a lossy format become more visible, and at times its like hearing the music through new upgraded ears!
I’m a couple of weeks in, and this playlist is made up of some of the tracks that jumped out straight away as being a huge upgrade on the audio quality of songs that I have known and loved for years.
Qobuz uses the tagline “Rediscover Music” and that is what I have been doing over the past few weeks. For those new to hi-res music, you need extra equipment to hear beyond CD quality – so a DAC (digital-to-analogue converter) is needed. Streaming from mobiles / tablets works without a DAC up to CD quality, so better than the MP3 quality of Spotify (that I will be ditching!) but if you add a portable DAC such as the DAC I use – AudioQuest DragonFly DAC (and for Apple / iPhone users a Apple Lightning to USB Camera Adapter is needed), you can listen to hi-res from your phone or tablet.
If you are planning to listen through your hi-fi setup, through your amp and speakers, you will need a DAC streamer such as the Cambridge Audio MXN10.
There are other services, such as Tidal and Apple Music, but I have settled on Qobuz due to the added features such as the editorial options that are provided, along with a great online community and the easy way to get track / recording details for songs and albums.
The catalogue is not perfect – there are some hi-res gaps that I hope will be filled over the next year. The main catalogue is comparable in volume to Spotify, with music available in CD quality but not all of it is in hi-resolution / lossless at the moment. Notable hi-res omissions (although they do have lots of these in CD quality) for me include The Police, The Stranglers, some Steely Day (what, no Aja, once of the best sounding albums of all time?), Porcupine Tree’s Deadwing (another sonically amazing album), Thomas Dolby and some Prince releases.
I’ve spent the past week browsing the hi-resolution catalogue and have added lots of favourites to go back to savour, so Qobuz have already succeeded on the re-discovery front. If you are a Qobuz subscriber, please have a listen to my playlist and let me know what you think. I hope you find some music you like, that you may not have been aware of before.
Hi-res Revelations (part 1) tracks
Peter Gabriel – The Rhythm Of The Heat
The Rhythm Of The Heat had to be the song to open my playlist. Taken from Peter Gabriel 4: Security from 1982, the song sounds stunning in this lossless format. Gabriel’s vocals are clear, and the arrangement builds slowly, with a stark, restrained backing until the percussion explodes on the 3/4 mark.
The Who – Who Are You
Who Are You, the title track from The Who’s 8th studio album, was released in 1978 and was the last album to feature Keith Moon. The synths really bubble in this hi-res version, and Entwistle’s bass has a more prominent role, showing how the bassline really fed into the groove on the final chorus. Townshend’s guitar work in the stripped back middle section is one of my favourite Who moments.
Issac Hayes – Theme From Shaft
Theme From Shaft is one of my favourite songs. Whenever I hear this track, I am instantly transported back to the early 70s. I treasure my original double vinyl version of the Shaft soundtrack, but this hi-res stream is by far the best sounding version I have heard of this iconic and influential single. The hi-hat and wah-wah guitar interplay sounds like you are in the studio as the track was being recorded. I have heard this song hundreds of times and I never tire of it. Can you dig it?
Paul McCartney Goodnight Tonight (single version)
This 1979 single is included on the Pure McCartney compilation on Qobuz, a quick and easy way to dive into Macca’s post-Beatles catalogue.
Featuring one of McCartney’s finest basslines, the backing vocals and Rhodes piano on Goodnight Tonight is timeless.
The Carpenters Rainy Days And Mondays
Considering how well-known Rainy Days And Mondays has become, its surprising to note that it wasn’t a big hit in the UK, though it did reach number 2 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart. A lot of the songs that blew me away during my first few weeks of using Qobuz were often beat driven, with complicated arrangements, but that was not the case here. The simplicity of the arrangement is pure pop perfection.
Karen Carpenters lead vocal before the strings kick in, is a performance of real beauty. Tommy Morgan’s plaintive harmonica lines just add to the magic.
Mike Oldfield – Five Miles Out
Mike Oldfield has a fair collection of lossless albums on Qobuz, but at the time of writing is missing hi-res versions of Platinum (my favourite Oldfield release), Incantations, Ommadawn, Hergest Ridge and criminally, Tubular Bells. I am hoping they get these early albums in hi-resolution soon. Qobuz do have a hi-res version of one of my favourite Oldfield albums from the early 80s, and I have included the title track from Five Miles Out in this playlist.
Five Miles Out featured Maggie Reilly and a heavily vocoder’d Mike Oldfield on vocals. I have always loved Oldfield’s guitar work, especially his sharp solos, and he is joined by Rick Fenn (10cc) on additional guitar here.
Five Miles Out has never sounded better, with a power and clarity that makes listening to this song an absolute joy.
Kate Bush – Breathing
It was difficult to pick just one song from one of my favourite artists, Kate Bush, who is well-represented in hi-res on Qobuz. It would be too obvious to pick Running Up That Hill (which admittedly does sound wonderful in hi-res) so I went with another personal favourite, the 1980’s post-apocalyptic Breathing. Mood killer!
The Rhodes sparkle and the bassline from the late John Giblin works so well with Kate’s intelligent and emotional multi-layered vocal arrangement.
Kate is not given enough credit for her production skills, which shine on the Never For Ever album. The subtle reverb on the snare, and the placement in the mix of all instruments give this track a rare power. Turn the lights off and turn up the volume if you are a Qobuz subscriber, and prepare to be moved.
Steven Wilson – Drive Home
The Raven That Refused to Sing (And Other Stories) sounds delicious in hi-resolution, and I could easily have chosen any of the album’s tracks to highlight the power of hi-res audio, but I went for the single Drive Home for my playlist.
You can hear the scrape of fingers on guitar, and the drums have real depth. The production is stellar on Drive Home, and the guitar solo from Guthrie Govan takes this song to another level, making this one of Wilson’s most exquisite songs to date.
This Mortal Coil – I Come And Stand At Every Door
Beauty can also be found in darkness. The trilogy of albums from This Mortal Coil can be found in hi-res on Qobuz, and I have chosen I Come And Stand At Every Door from the final This Mortal Coil album, Blood.
Musically a million miles away from The Byrds version of the song, that was based on a poem by Nazim Hikmet. The discordant drums cut through the vocals from Deirdre and Louise Rutkowski, who deliver a gothic choral performance that sends shivers down my spine.
Tim Bowness / Giancarlo Erra – Change Me Once Again
Tim Bowness / Giancarlo Erra remixed and re-released their Memories of Machines album on it’s 10 year anniversary in 2022, and I have included one of the albums key tracks here. Change Me Once Again (featuring Julianne Regan on backing vocals) has a real lightness of touch, with thick acoustic guitars, and a mid-paced tempo, that sounds delicious in hi-resolution.
“Forget the heartache, forget the past”
The Cocteau Twins – Frou-Frou Foxes In Midsummer Fires
The Cocteau Twins are also well-represented in hi-resolution on Qobuz, and I’ve included one of their most beautiful pieces, Frou-Frou Foxes In Midsummer Fires from the bands sixth studio album Heaven Or Las Vegas, from 1990.
The jittery percussion and heavily processed guitars are more noticeable in lossless form, and listening to this song in this quality almost feels like an out-of-body experience.
The Pretenders – Kid
This single from 1979 sounds so much more vibrant in hi-resolution. The production by Chris Thomas is warm and bright, with the drums and the multi-layered guitars (those harmonics 😍) topped by Chrissie Hynde’s unique vocals make this my favourite early Pretenders song.
Phil Collins – In The Air Tonight
I simply had to include this song from Face Value. The beauty of hi-resolution audio is the lack of compression – with room for the quieter parts to breathe, so when that iconic drum break smashes through your speakers, your whole soul shakes.
The Knack – My Sharona
It’s all about the drums, baby! My Sharona is another groove-led song. This American new wave classic was always one of the best produced songs of the genre, and the scratchy guitar solo screams out of the speakers in hi-res.
Squeeze – Slap & Tickle
Now we go over to one of the UK’s finest bands, and a 1979 single from Squeeze. The band have never sounded better, with percussive guitar and swirling Kraftwerk / Giorgio Moroder inspired synths.
Donna Summer – Now I Need You
And talking of Giorgio Moroder… Donna Summer has a few hi-resolution albums on Qobuz, including what I think is her greatest album, the double Once Upon A Time from late 1977.
Summers vocals switch from warm and sensual to detached and clinical, depending on the mood of each track. The songs were written by Summer, Moroder and Pete Bellotte, and Now I Need You, with its massed choir like backing and pulsing electronic beat, oozes an alluring synthetic warmth.
I may have to include I Feel Love in my next Qobuz playlist, as it sounds so good at volume on this hi-res streaming platform.
Prince – If I Was Your Girlfriend
One of the more experimental tracks from 1987’s Sign “O” The Times double album. If I Was Your Girlfriend makes good use of the Fairlight and Prince’s favoured (at the time) Linn drum machine.
The bass (both slap and deep note) really cut through in hi-res, and the complexity of the vocal arrangement shines like never before. A perfect headphone song.
Tears For Fears – Mothers Talk
Mothers Talk was the first single from Songs from the Big Chair, and is not a favourite of the band, so is rarely performed live.
The guitars and drums cut clean through the sample-heavy song, and like the aforementioned Shaft, Mothers Talk takes me back to the time of its original release, and I’m wearing white jeans and a Relax t-shirt. In my dreams.
Porcupine Tree – Russia On Ice
I could have chosen so many Porcupine Tree songs, as they are always an example of quality production, but I went with Lightbulb Sun‘s Russia On Ice due to the complexity of the arrangement, and the peaks and troughs that highlight the beauty of hi-resolution audio.
Richard Barbieri contributes some of his strongest soundscapes, with synths, mellotrons and organ adding mood setting textures, whilst Steven Wilson delivers pitch-perfect harmonies and emotive guitar solos.
Lightbulb Sun is the last Porcupine Tree tree studio album to feature original drummer Chris Maitland, with Gavin Harrison taking over for In Absentia in 2002.
Electric Light Orchestra – Night In The City
Night In The City is from 1977’s massive selling Out of the Blue. The whole album sounds beautiful, but one of its lesser known tracks highlights the clarity afforded to it in hi-resolution.
Listen to the separation of the acoustic and electric guitars, alongside Rhodes keyboard and string riffs. Its a joy to hear, either loud on speakers or at night via headphones.
Harry Nilsson – Jump Into The Fire
One of the older songs on my playlist, Jump Into The Fire was given a second lease of life by being featured in a tense, paranoid scene in Martin Scorsese’s 1990 classic gangster film Goodfellas.
The track is taken from the album Nilsson Schmilsson, which features appearances from top session musicians Chris Spedding (guitar), Herbie Flowers (bass) and on the wild drum break that sounds top class here, Jim Gordon.
St. Vincent – The Nowhere Inn
The Nowhere Inn is from the soundtrack to the film of the same name. When compiling the playlist, it quickly became obvious that I was choosing lots of older music, so I added this song as an example of the improvement in audio quality from a more recent release. The twists and turns in The Nowhere Inn constantly surprise and delight.
Daddy’s Home is another recent St. Vincent album, with its stylistic nods to the early 70s, that sounds glorious in lossless format.
I hope you enjoy listening to my Qobuz playlist. Please follow me on Twitter if you want to be informed of part 2.
Mr Kinski's Music Shack 