Called Fly From Here, it’s the band’s 20^th studio record and marks not only the debut of vocalist Benoit David, but a reunion with producer (and one-time band member) Trevor Horn, as well the return of keyboard player Geoff Downes.

The full track listing is:

1. Fly From Here – Overture
   2. Fly From Here – Pt. I – We Can Fly
   3. Fly From Here – Pt. II – Sad Night At The Airfield
   4. Fly From Here – Pt. III – Madman At The Screens
   5. Fly From Here – Pt. IV – Bumpy Ride
   6. Fly From Here – Pt. V – We Can Fly
   7. The Man You Always Wanted Me To Be
   8. Life On A Film Set
   9. Hour Of Need
   10. Solitaire
   11. Into The Storm

The album cover has been designed by Roger Dean.

This will be available in four different configurations: CD, CD plus a bonus DVD (including a documentary on the making of the album in digipak edition, a gatefold vinyl edition, and a special box set limited edition including the CD, DVD, vinyl, T-shirt, poster, sticker and a lithograph of the cover artwork.

Find out more at http://www.yesworld.com/

The 3-D world of Pandora, the futuristic planet filled with floating mountains and mystical creatures, has captured the imagination with the film breaking box office records worldwide.

But if you thought those vivid, surrealistic landscapes look familiar, then you are not alone.

It doesn’t require 3-D glasses to see why many have drawn comparisons between the Pandora created by Avatar director James Cameron and the iconic work of artist Roger Dean, whose dreamlike, fantasy paintings have graced numerous album covers, most notably those of Yes.

“You wouldn’t believe how many letters I got,” Dean tells Classic Rock. “Some people congratulated me assuming I’d worked on it.”

But Dean hadn’t worked on it, nor has he been credited, which has led him to explore his legal options.

“I can’t talk more now. I have been told by my lawyers not to talk to anyone at this stage.”

Since first developing the idea for Avatar in 1995, Cameron has pursued his singular vision, albeit with the assistance of a large creative team, including the film’s production designer Robert Stromberg, whose initial drawings made a huge impression on the director.

“I stayed up all night and did two images and one of them was an image of this alien planet with floating mountains.” When Cameron saw them, Stromberg said he pointed at them and went: “That’s my movie.”

Asked if he was aware of Dean’s work and whether it was ever referenced during the film’s development, Stromberg replied: “The answer is yes, in among many science fiction artists and different artists, just trying to get, not a direct influence, but see what people were up to.

“There are not many places to go when talking about floating mountains when you’re talking imagery.”

“There’s not, is there?” responds Dean, sardonically.

Check out the images below. What do you think?

* For more on this story, check out the March issue of Classic Rock, on sale Wednesday, February 3.

Roger Dean’s cover to Osibisa’s 1971 album Woyaya.

A typical Roger Dean ‘floating islands’ image.

A Dean-style creature in full flight.

Cover to Budgie’s Never Turn Your Back On A Friend.

Above and below: stills from the Avatar movie.

Williamson’s work has adorned album sleeves by Marillion, Fish, Judas Priest, Iron Maiden and Europe, to name but a few.

…And Marillion themselves feature on the front cover of the wallet of the new issue too.

There’s an overall arty feel to the latest issue, with Marillion, Muse, Jethro Tull and Curved Air among the bands discussing the ways in which ‘prog art’ has changed over the years.

Of course, such an issue couldn’t be discussed without input from Roger Dean and Storm Thorgerson.

And we unveil the winner of our art competition, the winner of which finds their work adorning the cover of this issue’s free CD.

We also unveil the winners of the 2009 Readers’ Poll, there’s the Critics’ Choice Albums Of the Year – and there are exclusive interviews with Todd Rundgren, Transatlantic, The Pineapple Thief, Big Big Train, Magenta, Karnivool, Ex Libras and Yak, as well as the final ever interview with the late Eric Woolfson of the Alan Parsons Project.

The new issue also carries all the details you’ll need to know about subscribing to Classic Rock Presents Prog.

Issue six of Classic Rock Presents Prog is on sale from Wednesday, January 25.

You can join Editor Jerry Ewing and writer Philip Wilding on TotalRock (www.totalrock.com) tomorrow between 12 noon and 3pm GMT, discussing the magazine and playing three hours of quality progressive rock.

Marillion feature on the front cover of the wallet of the new issue of Prog.

Inside the wallet: feast your eyes on Mark Wilkinson’s exclusive cover.