The Yes Discography: Mirror to the Sky (2023)

[Jaq]

Union was the one and only time I got to see Yes, and it was amazing.  All eight of them, in the round.  Most of them hated the album, mostly because of how it came about and how it was executed (more on that to come) and the fan reaction to it was also not great, but the concerts were incredible, and both the band and the fans seem to agree on that.

The bootleg I have of that tour was simply fantastic. I'll save my praise of it until we get to Union, but since I rediscovered it I've been playing it a lot and loving it.

[King Postwhore]

Passed Yes up last time I had the chance to see them with Anderson. And now I'm hating myself for it.

As far as Union goes, it's probably my least favorite album from what I've heard. I'll write more after Orbert updates this though,

Or as Rick Wakeman calls Union..................."Onion"


It makes him cry.

[Orbert]

Union (1991)


(Click for larger view)

Jon Anderson - Lead Vocals
Bill Bruford - Percussion
Steve Howe - Guitar, Vocals
Tony Kaye - Keyboards
Tony Levin - Bass, Stick
Trevor Rabin - Guitar, Vocals
Chris Squire - Bass, Vocals
Rick Wakeman - Keyboards
Alan White - Percussion

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I Would Have Waited Forever
Shock to the System
Masquerade
Lift Me Up
Without Hope You Cannot Start the Day
Saving My Heart
Miracle of Life
Silent Talking
The More We Live / Let Go
Angkor Wat
Dangerous (Look in the Light of What You're Searching For)
Holding On
Evensong
Take the Water to the Mountain

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In 1990, Yes did not exist, or perhaps was on another hiatus.  It didn't really matter anymore.  Jon had left again to form Anderson Bruford Wakeman Howe.  Trevor had taken the opportunity to record his solo album Can't Look Away.  ABWH had embarked on a tour called "An Evening of Yes Music Plus" and they did exactly that; they performed Yes music plus some of the grander songs from their album.  They were, after all, 4/5 of the band which had recorded Fragile and Close to the Edge, and even though 90125 and Big Generator also featured four Yes veterans, the 80's Yes had a very different sound from the 70's Yes, and most longtime fans considered ABWH "the real Yes".  So perhaps Yes did exist, and perhaps there were even two bands with legitimate claims to the name.  After all, if Yes was broken up, then why couldn't ABWH simply take the name?

And of course, lawsuits were filed on both sides.

Work had stalled on the second ABWH album.  They had some songs, though not enough for a CD.  Jon contacted Trevor and told him that they needed one more song, which Trevor took to mean they needed a single.  Trevor was working on material for the next Yes album.  He sent Jon three songs, figuring Jon would pick one; Jon wanted them all.  As with so many events in Yes history, there are many versions of what happened next, and how, but ultimately Arista records ended up with the contract for the next Yes album, and it was to feature the union of the two rival factions: Anderson, Bruford, Wakeman, Howe, Squire, White, Kaye, and Rabin.

It actually made some sense, on paper anyway.  If they combined forces, they could release a truly amazing album, with the combined talents of both old and new Yes.  It would be promoted endlessly, sell millions of units, and everyone would make a lot of money.

It's not a bad album.  On first listen, there is Jon's unique voice, Steve's guitar, Chris' distinctive bass, Alan's powerful drums, Bill's electronic drums, Trevor's voice can be heard... there is a lot of talent, and yes, it seems all of them are here.  But if you read the liner notes, you notice that there are no tracks on which all eight of them play.  In fact, it's pretty easy to see that Anderson, Bruford, Wakeman, Howe, and Levin play on nine of the tracks, the lineup from 90125 play on four, and there is Steve's acoustic solo, "Masquerade".  Then you notice the "additional musicians" for the ABWH material, and that list goes on and on.

It started with Jonathan Elias, who was to produce the second ABWH album but had no idea what made the band tick.  Jon is listed as "associate producer".  When it came time to do some of Steve's overdubs, Steve wasn't available, but Jimmy Haun (guitarist for The Chris Squire Experiment) was, and with some digital tweaking, he could be made to sound just like Steve.  Rick was on a tour when time came for his overdubs, and they were under pressure from the label at this point to complete the album, so countless additional musicians contributed.  It could be considered a compliment to Rick that it took the efforts of over a dozen men to create the parts which would sound like him, but Rick can't even listen to it; he says he cannot hear anything that he actually played.  Steve didn't realize that his parts had been overdubbed, and was very angry when he finally heard the finished product.

Chris does some vocals on the ABWH tracks, so we do get something of a reunion of the Fragile band, other than the fact that he doesn't also play bass, and it's no longer even possible to tell if that's Steve on guitar, or Rick on keyboards.  Rick has gone on record very publicly and very candidly saying that he hates Union.  He calls it "Onion" not because of all the layers, but because it makes him cry every time.  Bill has stated that there is only one album he's ever played on with Yes or anyone else that he's not proud of, and it is Union.  Trevor is more diplomatic, saying that the idea was sound, but the record executives and the producers got too much control over things, and that got in the way of the music.  With everything digitized and on the hard drives of computers, it was just too easy to play with the tracks, edit them, and change them until the players themselves didn't even recognize their own performances.

Roger Dean again does the cover art, and introduces a new Yes logo on this album (in the top corner).

----------

Orbert says: It really isn't a bad album.  It is well produced, perhaps over-produced, but the playing is fine and the sound is very good.  Some have complained that the songs are somewhat weak, certainly not as strong as the ABWH album or either of the Yes albums preceding it, but that is more a matter of taste and personal preference.  The biggest problem is that when you listen to it, you don't know who you are hearing.  Steve Howe does not play all the guitar parts on the Anderson Bruford Wakeman Howe tracks, and Rick Wakeman does not play any keyboards that he can detect.  That is nothing short of criminal.  There are 14 additional keyboard/synth credits, two percussionists, seven vocalists, and another guitarist all credited on the ABWH tracks.  The "90125 Yes" tracks don't have that problem, but there are only four of them, and it's been said that Trevor used up his better material on his solo album; what we get here are leftovers.  I can't really comment on them.  When I went to re-listen to Union for this writeup, I found that I'd deleted the "90125 Yes" tracks from my iPod.  And the CD player is my car is borked, so I can't even tell you if I thought they were better than I remembered or what.  But apparently I made the decision at some point to nuke them.  Such is life.

[The Letter M]

Union is unique, for many reasons, but when I revisited the entire Yes discography last year, I found myself liking this album more and more. The ABWH tracks are pretty solid, and the Rabin-led Yes had some good pieces too, and while it's not a very cohesive album, it's got a lot of strong points across the board.

It's near the top of their middle-tier albums, IMO, and not a bad effort. Like was said, it looked good on paper, but not so much in execution. However, there are some good tunes and the production isn't bad, either. I also enjoy the non-album tracks "Give & Take" and "Love Conquers All", which I include in my tracklist for this album. Might as well include all I can for it!

-Marc.

[Jaq]

Union, oh boy, what to say about this one?

I'll start off with a shocker: Lift Me Up from this album is one of my favorite Yes songs. Not just on this album, or produced by the Rabin version of Yes-one of my favorite Yes songs period. I had heard somewhere that Rabin's contributions to this album were little more than demos with Jon Anderson adding vocals, and you can hear that in a lot of the details of this song, but that doesn't stop it from being a truly glorious song with an amazing chorus and one of the better solos Rabin laid down in the studio for Yes. Another Rabin contribution, Saving My Heart, is amazingly catchy and has an equally fantastic chorus; it may be said that Rabin used his best material on Can't Look Away, and that was a very good album, but Lift Me Up and Saving My Heart match the best songs on Can't Look Away, and nothing on it is as good as Lift Me Up. The AWBH tracks are so overproduced and robbed of the soul of the players that they barely rate mentioning, though Shock To The System is an excellent track.

However, one good thing did come out of this album: the resulting tour with all eight members playing. As a result of this thread, I went through my older computers looking for some Yes bootlegs I knew I had, and one of them came from that tour. In theory, having all eight guys onstage at once could have been a disaster. In practice, though, it was amazing. The interplay between all eight is amazing-you wouldn't think Steve Howe and Trevor Rabin trading leads on Yours Is No Disgrace would work, but it does so remarkably. Other older tracks like Heart of the Sunrise and And You And I work perfectly beside of the newer songs like Lift Me Up and Rhythm of Love, and there's a fan-fucking-tastic rendition of Awaken that is one of my favorite live versions of that song ever. Any Yes fan who hasn't heard one of the boots from that tour needs to now, because you're missing out on some really stellar performances. So while there is a lot of bad that came of Union, and commercially speaking at least it was largely the end of Yes as a major force, it did give us that tour. We can thank it for that at least.

[Perpetual Change]

Eh, it's a bad album in my opinion. There's a couple decent songs, like "The More We Live" and Steve's solo, but otherwise nothing is memorable at all. The opening track is all right; it sounds like "Heart of the Sunrise" and "Siberian Khatru" packaged together in a much less memorable project that is lesser than the sum of its parts.

Got this for like $2 in a bargain bin, and I'm glad that's all I paid for it. Out of all the Yes studio albums I've heard, Union is the one I listen to least of all (not counting those I don't have: the first two, Tormato, Talk, and Keys). 

[KevShmev]

This album isn't as completely awful as many make it out be, but it still isn't very good either, and when you consider the possibilities, had they all gotten together to write and play, it is just an utter travesty.  I do enjoy Shock to the System, Lift Me Up, Miracle of Life and Saving My Heart all quite a bit, and there are a few other tunes with some good parts, but there are a bunch of songs that are just utter rubbish.  Unfortunately, I wasn't a fan of the band yet when this CD was out - outside of 90125 and Big Generator - so I had no interest in going to see them when they came here on that tour.  Several friends who did go said it was great. 

And another big travesty was that Trevor Rabin and Rick Wakeman, whom reportedly got along splendidly on that tour, never got to work together on a real Yes album. 

[Nel]

I actually like "I Would Have Waited Forever", "Shock To The System", "Without Hope You Cannot Start The Day", and "The More We Live - Let Go", so I consider Union better than ABWH in that there are actually songs I enjoy from it.

So much for me staying out of the topic, but if there's something from this era I enjoy, I'll post it.

[Jaq]

And another big travesty was that Trevor Rabin and Rick Wakeman, whom reportedly got along splendidly on that tour, never got to work together on a real Yes album.

I'm sure it'll come up when we discuss Talk, but Rabin wanted him on that album instead of Kaye, and while I love Talk, I can't imagine how good it could've been with Wakeman.

[Orbert]

Yeah, Trevor and Rick had been admirers of each other's work for years and had wanted to work together for a long time, but all they've ever done is the Union tour; they didn't even get to play together on the album.  And then Victory records and Rick's management sabotaged Rick appearing on Talk.  Yes has a long history of letting management have too much control and call too many shots and screw too many things up.

On the Union tour, when they played "Owner of Lonely Heart", Rick took a synth solo at the end.  I thought that was pretty bizarre, out of left field for sure, as Rick didn't even play on 90125.  But now that I know more of the history, I'm guessing it's because Trevor wanted him to.  Rick taking a solo on one of Trevor's songs also reinforced the whole "union" concept, with the crossing over between the two camps.

That tour was incredible.  In the round, with the two drum kits opposite each other, at East and West.  The two keyboard setups were at North and South, the guitarists at NE and SW, and Chris and Jon at NW and SE.  Very symmetrical, very logical.  The stage slowly turned, so you eventually got to see each of them "in front" for a while.  We were in the front row of the balcony, so we could see everything, and best of all, the mix was perfect from where we sat.

The set list that night was:

Firebird Suite (excerpt)
Yours Is No Disgrace
Rhythm of Love
Shock to the System
Heart of the Sunrise
Clap (Steve solo)
Make It Easy
Owner of a Lonely Heart
And You and I
Drum Duet
Changes (Tony solo intro)
I've Seen All Good People
Solly's Beard (Trevor's solo)
Saving My Heart
Whitefish / Amazing Grace (Squire/White duet)
Lift Me Up
Rick's Keyboard Solo
Awaken

Roundabout (encore)

We were in Landover Maryland, just outside Washington, D.C., and earlier that day, Trevor had become an U.S. citizen, so they had a little ceremony on stage during the show to celebrate.  My wife even bought the tickets, as an early birthday present.  An amazing night.

[King Postwhore]

Saw them twice on the Union tour and was very happy to see "Awaken" live.

[KevShmev]

Looks like a pretty great set list, the only drawback being too many solo spots, but I guess with a band as self-indulgent as Yes, that is to be expected.

[The Letter M]

Looks like a pretty great set list, the only drawback being too many solo spots, but I guess with a band as self-indulgent as Yes, that is to be expected.

  Everyone but Jon had a solo spot/song/section devoted to them! Amazing! Too bad the shows weren't longer to accommodate more/longer songs.

-Marc.

[Jaq]

Closest thing I have to a complaint about that tour was all the solo spots; they could have worked in a couple more songs, easily, without them. On the other hand, they were so damned good-I love the hell out of Rabin's solo bit, Solly's Beard, and the Whitefish duet has part of Tempus Fugit in it for further awesome-it's hard to complain TOO much. 

[Orbert]

Yes has always had the featured solo spots.  It's a tradition going back to the Yessongs days, and there's no way they could deny the audience that part of the show.  With so many of them, yeah, it took up a lot of time.  But with no opening act and no intermission, it helped give everyone a break.  And seriously, 12 Yessongs, including "Awaken", "And You And I", "Heart of the Sunrise", and "Yours is No Disgrace" is still a hell of a show, then you add all the solo spots.

[ytserush]

Union was the one and only time I got to see Yes, and it was amazing.  All eight of them, in the round.  Most of them hated the album, mostly because of how it came about and how it was executed (more on that to come) and the fan reaction to it was also not great, but the concerts were incredible, and both the band and the fans seem to agree on that.

That was the only time I ever saw Yes too. Still have the Tour shirt with I never wore and sits in a box with a bunch of my other tour shirts I haven't worn (Back when I could afford to buy more than one shirt!)

I liked Union a lot when it came out but it's one of the few albums I have where I don't like it as much as when it first came out. Fortunately, there aren't too many of those. 



The show was killer though. Steve Howe didn't look to happy at the Meadowlands show I saw. Just sat there and played (might have had something to do with the crowed stage, I don't know)

One of my friends saw the Masterworks tour.  I was pissed when I found out.  He knows what a huge Yes fan I am, and he didn't even call me when he got tickets.  He said he didn't think I'd drive over from Chicago, so he didn't bother.  Asshole.  I would have.  One big reason I don't go to concerts is because I never have anyone to go with.  I would've driven five hours to hang with him and catch the concert.

I consoled myself by reminding myself that Rick Wakeman wasn't with them; they still had Igor Khoroshev on keys.  I heard he did a great job "being" both Wakeman and Moraz, but ultimately I go to concerts to see certain performers, not certain songs, so I guess I'm okay with missing out on Masterworks.

That was the last tour that I would have had any desire to see Yes and I'm really sorry I never made it. I love Igor's keyboard work and it's a shame he had to "leave."

I'll almost always go to concerts alone if I don't have anyone to go with. I'm going to see Flying colors alone. My wife would have gone with me, but we're cutting expenses so we can all go see Rush in October.

[Orbert]

My wife would go with me, if it came to that.  She's not a proghead or anything, but she can handle Yes most of the time and she went with me to see Genesis years ago.  I mentioned that one big reason I don't go is because I don't have anyone to go with; the other big reason is the cost, which would be doubled if my wife went with me.  It all comes out of the some pocket (mine).  Concert tickets are so damned expensive nowadays, and I'd be paying for two, one of whom is really only there to keep me company.  I love live music, but I have bills to pay.

[ytserush]

My wife would go with me, if it came to that.  She's not a proghead or anything, but she can handle Yes most of the time and she went with me to see Genesis years ago.  I mentioned that one big reason I don't go is because I don't have anyone to go with; the other big reason is the cost, which would be doubled if my wife went with me.  It all comes out of the some pocket (mine).  Concert tickets are so damned expensive nowadays, and I'd be paying for two, one of whom is really only there to keep me company.  I love live music, but I have bills to pay.

Big problem when your family likes most of the same music you do. (Well, not really, but it's an expensive problem!) That's about where I am myself. Since it's another Rush year, there are many shows that suffer the budget axe.

[Perpetual Change]

That's why I don't see big acts anymore, really. For what'd I'd spend on seeing Rush or Maiden this year, I could go see half a dozen other smaller acts (this year, for example, Bon Iver, Devin Townsend, Flying Colors, etc)

[Ben_Jamin]

Edit: wrong thread...on account to drunken post

[Orbert]

Yesyears (1991)


(Box set cover - click for larger view)


(Individual disc covers - click each for larger view)

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1991 was a big year for Yes.  The Union album was released, and its accompanying tour was a huge success.  It was also the year that Atco (a subsidiary of Atlantic Records, Yes' home for many years) released the box set Yesyears.

Box sets are always hit-or-miss.  Sometimes the idea is to provide an expanded "greatest hits" collection.  Sometimes it is more to provide a retrospective of the band, with tracks from each period or even from each album.  Sometimes the focus is on rarities; B-sides, unreleased tracks, alternate versions, or rare live recordings.  Sometimes they try to do all of these at once.  Yesyears fits into this last category.

It's hard to tell who the intended audience is here.  Hardcore fans tend to be most interested the outtakes and rarities, but they usually already have most of the regular album tracks which comprise a large part of the set.  The album tracks do offer an interesting sampling of Yes from every album, but the choices are always highly subjective and a certain percentage of fans will always be disappointed.  On the other hand, the entire set is arranged chronologically, and thus it is handy to pick a disc and have an eclectic collection from one's favorite period.  Overall, it is an excellent sampling of early, late, live and studio Yes, but box sets are rarely where a casual fan goes looking to learn about a band.  The single disc Classic Yes would probably be better suited for that purpose, but it only focuses on a handful of albums.  This collection was clearly meant to be much broader in scope.

The packaging is elaborate and beautiful.  A full-size (12 x 12) box houses four CDs and a large booklet with photos and a history of the band.  The cover art is by Roger Dean, whose work is nearly synonymous with Yes, and the individual disc covers are small Dean abstracts, each unique.

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Disc 1

Something's Coming (B-side of "Sweetness")
Survival (from Yes)
Every Little Thing (from Yes)
Then (BBC recording)
Everydays (BBC recording)
Sweet Dreams (from Time and a Word)
No Opportunity Necessary, No Experience Needed (from Time and a Word)
Time and a Word (from Time and a Word)
Starship Trooper (from The Yes Album)
Yours is No Disgrace (from The Yes Album)
I've Seen All Good People (from The Yes Album)
Long Distance Runaround (from Fragile)
The Fish (from Fragile)

Disc 2

Roundabout (from Fragile)
Heart of the Sunrise (from Fragile)
America (single edit)
Close to the Edge (from Close to the Edge)
Ritual (Nous Sommes Du Soleil) (from Tales from Topographic Oceans)
Sound Chaser (from Relayer)

Disc 3

Soon (single edit, excerpt from "The Gates of Delerium")
Amazing Grace (unreleased Squire solo)
Vevey, Part One (unreleased, Going for the One sessions)
Wonderous Stories (from Going for the One)
Awaken (from Going for the One)
Montreux's Theme (unreleased, Going for the One sessions)
Vevey, Part Two (unreleased, Going for the One sessions)
Going for the One (from Going for the One)
Money (unreleased, Tormato sessions)
Abilene (B-side of "Don't Kill the Whale")
Don't Kill the Whale (from Tormato )
On the Silent Wings of Freedom (from Tormato )
Does It Really Happen? (from Drama)
Tempus Fugit (from Drama)
Run with the Fox (unreleased Squire/White duo)
I'm Down (live, 1976)

Disc 4

Make It Easy (unreleased, 90125 era)
It Can Happen (unreleased early version, 90125 sessions)
Owner of a Lonely Heart (from 90125)
Hold On (from 90125)
Shoot High, Aim Low (from Big Generator)
Rhythm of Love (from Big Generator)
Love Will Find a Way (from Big Generator)
Changes (live, 1988)
And You And I (live, 1988)
Heart of the Sunrise (live, 1988)
Love Conquers All (unreleased, Union era)

[Orbert]

Personally, I love this box set, but that is largely sentimental.  1991 was the year I finally got to see Yes, on the Union tour, which was amazing.  My wife bought me tickets as an early birthday present that summer, and that Christmas I found this box set under the tree.

There's something here for everyone, but as I mentioned in the writeup, it's hard for anyone but a hardcore fan to justify investing in a box set, and hardcore fans tend to already have most of the studio material, so they're really only getting it for the rare stuff.  But the studio material was all remastered, so that was a nice plus, and again as mentioned, it was kinda cool having discs which each formed something of a mini-retrospective of a certain period.  I personally wore out Disc 3 (literally; it started messing up after a while) and probably was pretty close to wearing out Disc 2.  As it happens, I did not already have most of this stuff on CD; I still had it all on vinyl.  So this was an upgrade for me.  Remember that in 1991, CDs still hadn't been around all that long, and a lot of Yesfans hadn't gotten around to upgrading all their vinyl yet.

And yes, that's "Something's Coming" from West Side Story, the musical.  Music by Leonard Bernstein.  And they give it the full Yes treatment, similar to how "America" and "Every Little Thing" are practically unrecognizable from their original versions.  Speaking of which, the edited version of "America" is interesting, but I think I've listened to it exactly once.  Same with "Soon".  It's pretty, but to me it's just part of a song.  Apparently it was actually released as a single at some point.

The Rabin-era live stuff is interesting, but honestly I could take or leave it.  Most of the rarities have now found their way onto the Rhino remasters/rereleases, but in 1991, this was a hell of a collection.  And the packaging is sweet.  If you can find one of these in decent shape, I'd say grab it just to have as a collector's item.  It's out of print now, and not likely to be reissued.

[Orbert]

Wow, no one else has this box?  I know it's out of print, but I didn't think it was that rare.  It was huge news when it came out.  Or maybe that's just how it seemed to me.

[The Letter M]

Wow, no one else has this box?  I know it's out of print, but I didn't think it was that rare.  It was huge news when it came out.  Or maybe that's just how it seemed to me.

I *wish*I had this, even though now much of this material has been released elsewhere, especially due to the Rhino Remasters.

It's a great set, though I wish I had a copy of it. It's a good track listing, but I'd rather suggest "In A Word" or "The Word Is Live" if anyone was going to get a multi-disc Yes box set, especially for an existing Yesfan.

-Marc.

[Orbert]

An Evening of Yes Music Plus (1993)


(Click for full painting)

Jon Anderson - Lead Vocals
Bill Bruford - Acoustic and Electronic Drums
Steve Howe - Guitar
Rick Wakeman - Keyboards

Augmented by:
Jeff Berlin - Bass
Julian Colbeck - Keyboards
Milton McDonald - Guitar

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Young Person's Guide to the Orchestra
Jon Anderson Solo: Time and a Word / Owner of a Lonely Heart / Teakbois
Steve Howe Solo: The Clap / Mood for a Day
Rick Wakeman Solo: Gone but Not Forgotten / Catherine Parr / Merlin the Magician
Long Distance Runaround (including Bill Bruford solo)
Birthright
And You And I
Starship Trooper
Close to the Edge
  i. The Solid Time of Change
  ii. Total Mass Retain
  iii. I Get Up, I Get Down
  iv. Seasons of Man
Themes
  i. Sound
  ii. Second Attention
  iii. Soul Warrior
Brother of Mine
  i. The Big Dream
  ii. Nothing Can Come Between Us
  iii. Long Lost Brother of Mine
Heart of the Sunrise
Order of the Universe
  i. Order Theme
  ii. Rock Gives Courage
  iii. It's So Hard to Grow
  iv The Universe
Roundabout

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Following the Union album and tour, which record execs had hoped would jump-start one of the more profitable 70's acts (of those that were still around), negotiations for the follow-up album were dragging on, so the Yesyears box set was released to fill the void.  The following year, with still no new Yes album in sight, a small label known as Herald managed to license the rights to release a live album recorded on the Anderson Bruford Wakeman Howe tour.

Anderson Bruford Wakeman Howe were not Yes, and depending on which of them you asked, they were not trying to be, or they definitely were.  The matter was ultimately settled when ABWH hit the road and played a series of concerts titled "An Evening of Yes Music".  At this point, it would have been ridiculous to pretend that the purpose of the tour was to promote their studio album.  They went out and played classic Yes music from The Yes Album, Fragile, and Close to the Edge, plus some songs from the ABWH album.

The album was recorded on the last night of the 1989 U.S. tour, and Tony Levin, who had played bass and Stick on the ABWH album and also on the tour, was very ill and could not play.  Jeff Berlin, who had played bass in Bruford (Bill's jazz/fusion band) was called in and had about a day to learn the entire set list.  If the circumstances were different, the show would probably have just been cancelled or rescheduled due to illness, but the recording equipment was all arranged, and this may have been the last chance to record ABWH in concert.  So they went for it.  All things considered, Jeff does a great job playing a lot of complex material.  Still, the band ABWH had really begun to gel, and bootlegs from earlier in the tour with Tony Levin reveal a band as worthy as any band called Yes.  It's a shame that none of those recordings have seen a proper release.

The show opens with solo sets by each of them.  Jon's voice and guitar set includes a medley of the title track from Time and a Word, "Owner of a Lonely Heart", and a song from Anderson Bruford Wakeman Howe, spanning the history of ABWH in about seven minutes.  There is some mashing up of the songs during the medley, singing lyrics from one to the tune of another, and so on.  Steve plays two of his most well-known solo pieces, from The Yes Album and Fragile, respectively, and also adds some new twists.  Rick plays a medley of a new piece and tracks from two of his most well-known solo albums, The Six Wives of Henry VIII and Myths and Legends of King Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table, then leads into "Long Distance Runaround".  After performing the song pretty much whole, they venture off into Bill's drum solo, completing the "solos" part of the show.

"Birthright" is a quiet, low-key song from the ABWH album, and then it's time for a trip down memory lane, with "And You And I", "Starship Trooper" and "Close to the Edge".  Then they return to the ABWH album for a few songs, and go back and forth between ABWH and Yes for the rest of the evening.

The ABWH songs sit well alongside the Yes classics, and earn respectable ovations from the audience.  If it weren't for Bill's insistent use of Simmons drums and the lack of Chris Squire's characteristic bi-amped Rickenbacker, this could easily be a live Yes album.  And of course, that's the whole idea.  The band Yes officially did not exist in 1989, when the album was recorded, and it may or may not have existed in 1993 when this recording was finally released.  But we did get some new live Yes music.

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It's not a perfect album, but it's very good, and I was happy to receive a copy of it, years after its release, as a gift.  It was given to me by my late sister-in-law, who had seen the Going for the One tour in the round and was as big a Yesfan as I am.  Listening to it again for the first time in years, I found I'd forgotten how much I liked it.

[Jaq]

I have a bootleg with Levin on it from this tour, and it's fantastic. Much like you, I wish there could have been an official release of some of those shows, they were really amazing. I had this ages ago, I taped a copy a friend of mine had, and recall giving it some play for a while before I eventually lost track of those cassettes. They were really in a good groove on that tour, and it carried over to the Union one.

[Orbert]

I think ABWH was when I realized how much Chris Squire's bass was part of the Yes sound.  I guess I just hadn't really thought of it before.  Steve's guitar and Rick's keyboards, and of course Jon's voice, are all unique and strongly associated with Yes, but in my younger days, I didn't pay as much attention to the rhythm section.  It turns out that different drummers can make a difference, and so can a different bass player.

Jeff Berlin is no slouch.  I love his work in Bruford.  But he was thrown into a very tough gig, and he gave it a hell of a shot.  Still, it is only the lack of a really assertive, in-your-face bass that makes this version of "Close to the Edge" less than excellent.  The rest of the guys are on fire.  Yeah, it would've been nice to have Chris' high harmony there too, but it's that thumping, stomping bass that I really miss.  Same with "Heart of the Sunrise".  The bass line is so important to both of those songs, and I wish Jeff had had even one more day to practice this stuff; I'm sure he would've nailed it.  Instead, he sounds tentative, and they keep the bass a bit low in the mix, which is so unfortunate.

And Tony Levin of course is also a beast.  I would love to hear a boot with him on bass with ABWH.  I bet he tears it up.

[The Curious Orange]

ABWH always went for that very 1980s sound where the bass is so low in the mix it might as well not be there. Much as I like that album, the keyboards are too loud, the guitar too quiet, the bass invisible and the electronic drums too high in the treble. It's just how rock music was mixed in the 80s. The better tracks are the acoustic ones for this very reason. "The Meeting" is beautiful, and I want it at my funeral.

[Kwyjibo]

Back from the holidays and therefore obviously missed to comment on some great (IMO) records from the Rabin era.

Anyway, back to topic: An Evening of Yes Music plus

I like this record but mainly for nostalgic reasons. The ABWH Tour was the first and to this day last time that I saw YES live (well as close as it gets to YES). I have really fond memories of that concert and I didn't miss Chris Squire that much because Tony Levin was a more than worthy replacement and I really liked the use of the "Bass Fingers" in Heart Of The Sunrise. I remember the band being on fire and they really seemed to have a good time. And I'm still stoned from the amount of weed that was smoked around me. 

The setlist was longer than on this record, I wonder if they kicked some of the songs because Jeff Berlin didn't have the time to learn them all. On the other hand, there is a resissue which has I've seen all good people on it. So where does this come from? And they played The Meeting which has no bass at all. Why is it not on the record? At least on CD there would have been enough time left to put them on.

While I don't think that An Evening Of Yes Music plus is a bad record I have some quarrels with it. First the solos at the beginning are way too long. You have to wait about half an hour before the whole band starts with a "real" song, only to be followed by another solo. What seemed great in live settings doesn't work so well on a record. And I find Steve Howe's rendition of The Clap to be a bit lackluster, it is a bit slower and it misses the fire and energy of the Yes Album's version. Furthermore I never really cared for Mood for a day.

Then you have the mixing. Steve Howe's guitars are way too low in the mix. While you can hear his acoustic guitars quite good, his electric guitars more often than not get lost in the sound. They Keys are sometimes too loud and Bruford's electric drums are certainly an aquired taste that sometimes fit and sometimes sound plain off annoying.

The song collection is a good mixture of actual songs and old classics.

Jeff Berlin does a good job, especially considering the short time he had to learn all the songs, but the signature Yes bass sound is missing. Tony Levin did a better job in replacing Squire but then he had more time to rehearse and gel with the band. They even had a Bruford/Levin solo spot on the concert I've seen. I would like to hear a concert of that tour with Levin on bass.

Another interesting point is the addition of a second guitar player and a second keyboard player, which I think they have not done on any other tour, or am I wrong?

[Orbert]

You are not wrong.  ABWH is the only time when additional guitars and keyboards were used live.  And what makes it particularly disappointing is that it just wasn't necessary.  Yes has always been amazing in what they can do live, without tracks and without additional musicians.  Did they figure that because technically they're ABWH and not Yes that it was okay?  Why break with tradition now?  Or was it because it was the 80's and "everyone was doing it anyway"?  I hate that rationale.

I can't think of any times when I can hear two guitars; there may be a few, but none that actually stand out.  And I don't remember hearing more than two keyboards at any given time.  It was never needed with Yes, and while the ABWH tracks are nice, I'm sure Rick could've found a way to cover all essential parts with his two hands.

There are rumours that the 90125 band had a second keyboard player hidden backstage, and there are even a few pictures of this supposed phantom player, but the band has always maintained that his only function was to program the keys and change patches remotely.  Some people don't buy it, I'm not sure if I do, but it started with people's assertions that Tony Kaye is no Rick Wakeman and therefore cannot possibly have been playing all the keyboards himself.  Since that is both unfounded and unfair to Tony, I don't bother pursuing it any further than that.

I agree with your comments regarding the track listing.  The solo spots must've been really cool in concert, but on the album they have the effect of getting things off to a very slow start.  And the mixing, yeah, kinda weak.  Keyboards and electronic drums were so hot during that time, and production and mixing from the 80's and early 90's reflect that.  I'm a keyboard player, but I've always maintained that the mix is more important than any given part.  Always.  Everything in its place.

[FreezingPoint]

I just watched the DVD on Saturday. I have to say that I think it is much more fun to watch than it is to listen to. (Not that it is bad to listen to either) I would definitely be bored with the solo spots in the beginning of the concert if I were not watching them. Also, I think viewing this concert brings so much more to it.

As far as the mix goes, I agree that Steve's guitars were a little low, sometimes overpowered by the keys, and the backing vocals, especially the ones by the second guitarist, were too loud. As far as the electronic drums, I love em, but there were a bit too loud. I did notice however that Bruford's real snare actually did not sound that much different that the electronic one, it was just quieter. It kind of had that reverb-y gated sound still.

The backup musicians. When watching, the parts I remember when both keyboardists are playing are in the beginning of Themes, also one other song when Rick had a solo (sorry I do not remember which song this is.) Actually, there were three keyboardists on Themes! For the beginning intro, Jon joined Rick behind the keyboards for a small part. I do remember both guitarists playing I think it was on Birthright in the beginning. I do really like how they let both the guitarist and the keyboard player solo on I've Seen All Good People. I thought that was nice of them.

Also, looking over the setlist that is on the CD, it is different than on the DVD. On the DVD, they played Starship Trooper as an encore and I've Seen All Good people after And You And I. I see on wikipedia that the 2006 re-release of the CD is this way as well. I wonder why they cut it from the original?

[Orbert]

Talk (1994)



Jon Anderson - Lead Vocals
Tony Kaye - Organ
Trevor Rabin - Guitar, Keyboards, Bass, Vocals
Chris Squire - Bass, Vocals
Alan White - Percussion

----------

The Calling
I Am Waiting
Real Love
State of Play
Walls
Where Will You Be
Endless Dream
 a. Silent Spring
 b. Talk
 c. Endless Dream

----------

After Union, which brought all eight main Yes members together on the same disc if not actually on any given tracks, there was talk of them doing a proper album, with all of them involved from the beginning.  But it never got off the ground.  If getting five men together to make an album is difficult, getting eight together is nearly impossible.  And after the poor sales of Union, Atlantic may have been reluctant to take another chance with Yes.  Finally, a man named Phil Carson contacted Trevor about making a new Yes album for his label, Victory Records, but he was only interested in the 90125 lineup.  Trevor had been looking forward to working with Rick, and got Phil to agree to Rick appearing on the album, but Rick's management and Victory Records could not come to an agreement, and ultimately Rick was not involved.

Talk therefore had the same lineup as 90125 and Big Generator.  One major difference was that Jon Anderson was on board from the start, rather than coming in and adding his touches to completed and mostly-completed songs, as he had done on 90125 and Big Generator.  The songs reflect that, still sounding much like 80's Yes, but with a much stronger element of 70's Yes harmony, spirituality, and even a bit more progressive feel.  Jon's influence is evident throughout the songs, but Trevor had continued to mature as a songwriter as well and must be given some of the credit for that.

Also, Trevor's state-of-the-art recording studio was now completed, and everything was recorded, edited, and mastered digitally by Trevor.  In other words, he produced it and had full creative control.  Talk is very much Trevor's vision, even moreso than the previous Yes albums with which he was involved.

Given all that, what might be surprising is that Talk sounds more like 70's Yes than the other albums by this same lineup, and is regarded as the best of the three "Rabin-era" Yes albums.  The songs are all very strong, both musically and melodically, and have a greater average length.  They take their time introducing ideas and feel more like explorations and less like pop songs crafted to be radio hits.  There is some genuine prog here, even if it is mostly restricted to the 15-minute epic "Endless Dream".

The playing on the album is also sometimes reminiscent of 70's Yes.  The opening track, "The Calling" features some southern-flavored guitar work by Trevor which almost seems to channel Steve Howe.  His lead lines on "I Am Waiting" are similar in style and effect to Steve's work on Going for the One or even Fragile.  That is not to say that this album sounds like 70's Yes, but it is a fine blending of the old and new Yes sounds, and combines the best of both worlds.

Unfortunately, once the old-school Yes fans heard who the lineup would be on this album, their interest all but vanished.  On the other hand, it had again been nearly seven years since the last "YesWest" album, and many fans of that lineup had moved on as well.  That didn't leave much of an audience for this album.  Combine that with the fact that Victory Records went bankrupt shortly after the release of Talk, thus there was almost no promotion for it, and you have the poorest-selling Yes album in over 20 years.  Perhaps most tragic of all, both critics and fans rate Talk quite highly, and it could have been a huge success under different circumstances.

[Orbert]

Okay, by now you've noticed that the tone and writing style of these writeups can vary a bit, from attempting to be completely objective, to bits of subjectivity creeping in, to some outright editorializing.  That is by design; I had no intention of making all of these the same, because not only is that boring, but I wouldn't be able to do it anyway.

I honestly never really listened to Talk before giving it a spin last week in preparation for this writeup.  Wow!  This is actually a really good album.  I spun it again over the weekend, and twice more since then (and today is only Tuesday where I am).  I really like this album a lot.  My remark about old-school Yesfans writing this one off once they heard that it was another YesWest album was aimed at me and others like me.  Give this album a shot, a fair shot.  Forget that the cover is stupid and the chic, minimalist approach doesn't work at all.  Cast aside your preconceptions about what a YesWest album sounds like if all you've heard is 90125 and Big Generator.  This is easily the best of the three.  Easily.

And before you say "Yeah, but that's nothing because those albums are crap anyway" try to listen with an open mind and open ears.  This album won me over, and I'm a die-hard proghead.  Give it a chance.

[Jaq]

I will preface my comments on Talk by saying that for a personal reason, I have a soft spot for it. 1994 was the last year I spent drinking, and I stopped for (hopefully) good in January 1995. In the early days of my self taught rehab program, I played two albums near constantly: The Division Bell by Pink Floyd...and Talk by Yes. Those two albums got me through a rather rough time that, in retrospect, I shouldn't have done alone. And if I had to pick a song from those two albums that got me through it the most, it would be the 15 minute epic Endless Dream that closes out Talk.  That's largely the reason why, when I list Yes epics in my head, only Close to the Edge surpasses Endless Dream for me.

That being said...this is the best Yes album no one has ever heard. It vanished without a trace upon release, not getting promoted at all. It got a tour, which I can only confirm via the existence of a bootleg from that tour which I'll get to later. I think I heard The Calling on local radio once, and if there were videos, I couldn't tell you. And in revisiting it preparing for discussing it in this thread, I reordered my Yes list, and Talk rates only behind Close to the Edge, The Yes Album, and Fragile...and on a good day I think it can take Fragile. It blends the progressive ambition of the 70s with the commercial gloss of the 80s perfectly, and the wall of guitar sounds that Trevor Rabin layers Talk in are like nothing I had ever heard before or ever again. His leads go, in a split second, from the country feel of Steve Howe to something perfectly suited to a metal album and then back again. I Am Waiting does feel like classic Yes, but it has two magnificent ending verses with huge sounding vocals that Yes really didn't do often. The album can be catchy and poppy one second, with classic Yes melodies, and then Rabin will blast out bits like the chugging metallic riffs in Real Love.

And oh, Endless Dream, what a BEAUTIFUL song. The places this goes before its 15 minute length finishes rival any of the best Yes epics, and anyone who ever doubted whether Trevor Rabin should have been in Yes needs to listen to Endless Dream, because it'll change your mind.  The bootleg I have from this tour has some problems sound wise-it's a thin sounding soundboard with volume issues-but the performances are amazing. Live, Endless Dream became a 21 minute epic featuring a longer ambient section in the middle and Rabin letting fly on the end solo for three or four minutes. The set list is mostly YesWest songs, though And You And I and Heart of the Sunrise make appearances; song lengths in general are longer than their studio versions, and the band is almost fearlessly progressive during the set.

Talk is the single most underrated album in the history of Yes. It's the best album the band made with Rabin and the best album the band made since their 1970s heyday. It's a damn shame more people didn't hear it. Give it a shot if you haven't yet, you might just be stunned at how good it is.

[KevShmev]

Talk is definitely way better than many realize.  In fact, it is a borderline top 3 Yes album in my book.  Like Jaq, I played this and The Division Bell to death throughout the spring and summer of '94 (and saw the two bands within nine days of each other in late June '94).  I remember going to the Yes concert and being shocked at what a poor turnout it was at the Riverport Amphitheater (the seats were mostly filled, but the lawn was mostly empty).  But the concert absolutely slayed, as they played all of Talk minus State of Play, Rhythm of Love, six of the nine songs from 90125 and four 70s songs (Roundabout, Heart of the Sunrise, And You and I & I've Seen All Good People).  It really is too bad that it came out at a time where it had no chance of making a dent.  But they did appear on Letterman and play Walls, IIRC, so it did get a little bit of a push.

But getting back to the album, I love every song on it.  It has a little bit of everything, from the proggy (Endless Dream) to the pop rock catchiness that Rabin brought to the band (The Calling and Walls) to the laid back (Where Will You Be) to the heavy and weird (Real Love) to the beauty that so embodies Yes (I Am Waiting) to the all-out rock (State of Play).  It is a flawless record, on every level possible.  Plus, it rocks like almost no other Yes album to date.  Howe's heaviest tones have never been ones that can destroy you with their heaviness, as opposed to Rabin's.  Think that riff in Real Love near the end of the 2nd verse; that might be the heaviest riff on a Yes record to date.  Yes, it is heavier than Machine Messiah or any riff Steve Howe ever played.  Plus, nearly every song on this album features awesome vocal melodies that are easy to sing along to, a constant on every great Yes record.  Like Orbert and Jaq have already said, if you like Yes at all and have not heard this album, do so immediately, and listen to it with an open mind, and throw away any preconceived notions of what it should sound like and enjoy it for what it does sound like.