Album: Union
Artist: Yes
1991 Arista
CD UK: 261 558
Band members:
Jon Anderson: vocals (1, 2, 4-15)
Bill Bruford: drums (1, 2, 5, 8, 10-15),
percussion (1, 2, 5, 8, 10-15)
Steve Howe: guitars (1-3, 5, 8, 10-15),
vocals (1, 2, 5, 8, 10-15)
Tony Kaye: keys (4, 6, 7, 9)
Trevor Rabin: guitar (4, 6, 7, 9), vocals
(4, 6, 7, 9), keys (4, 6, 7, 9)
Chris Squire: bass (4, 6, 7; credited
on 9 but did not play), vocals (1, 4-6, 7, 9, 11)
Rick Wakeman: keyboards (1, 2, 5, 8,
10-15)
Alan White: drums (4, 6, 7, 9),
percussion (4, 6, 7, 9)
Additional musicians:
Tony Levin: bass (1, 2, 5, 8, 10-15),
vocals (1, 2, 5, 8, 10-15)
Jimmy Haun: guitars (1, 2, 5, 8, 10-15)
Jim Crichton: keys (1, 2, 5, 8, 10-15)
Jonathan Elias: keys (1, 2, 5, 8, 10-15)
Alex Lasarenko: keys (1, 2, 5, 8, 10-15)
Jerry Bennett: percussion (1, 2, 5, 8, 10-15)
Allan Schwartzberg: percussion (1, 2, 5, 8, 10-15)
Synths (1, 2, 5, 8, 10-15): Richard Baker, Gary Barlough, Jerry
Bennett, Jim Crichton, Jonathan Elias, Sherman Foote, Brian Foraker,
Chris Fosdick, Rory Kaplan, Alex Lasarenko, Steve Porcaro
Additional vocals (1, 2, 5, 8, 10-15): Deborah Anderson, Elias, Gary
Falcone, Tommy Funderburk, Ian Lloyd, Michael Sherwood
Pauline Cheng: Cambodian poetry (10)
Billy Sherwood: bass (9 uncredited),
additional vocals
Produced by Elias (1, 2, 5, 8, 10-15), Howe (3), Rabin (4, 6), Rabin
with Mark Mancina and Eddie Offord (7), Offord (9)
Co-produced by Sherwood (9)
Associate producer: Anderson (1, 2, 5, 8, 10-15)
Tracks:
1. "I Would have Waited Forever" [Anderson/Howe/Elias] (6:33)
2. "Shock to the System" [Anderson/Howe/Elias] (5:08)
3. "Masquerade" [Howe] (2:17)
4. "Lift Me Up" [Rabin/Squire] (6:30)
5. "Without Hope You Cannot Start the Day" [Anderson/Elias] (5:18)
6. "Saving My Heart" [Rabin] (4:41)
7. "Miracle of Life" [Rabin/Mancina] (7:30)
8. "Silent Talking" [Anderson/Howe/Wakeman/Bruford/Elias] (4:00)
9. "The More We Live - Let Go" [Squire/Sherwood] (4:54)
10. "Angkor Wat" [Anderson/Wakeman/Elias] (5:23)
11. "Dangerous (Look in the Light of What You're Searching for)"
[Anderson/Elias] (3:38)
12. "Holding on" [Anderson/Elias/Howe] (5:24)
13. "Evensong" [Levin/Bruford] (0:51)
14. "Take the Water to the Mountain" [Anderson] (3:12)
15. "Give and Take" [Anderson/Howe/Elias] (4:29), bonus track on
UK release
Notes: (***) It's ironic that the most disjointed album in Yes
history is
titled, "Union."
ABWH had been working on their second album, to be called Dialogue,
but they were falling apart. Elias, working with Anderson, brought
in a large number of session players, so there's more Haun than Howe
on (1, 2, 5, 8, 10-15), and precious little Wakeman. Kaplan brought
in Porcaro, the Toto keyboardist and friend of the Sherwoods: he
said he played on two pieces, but described working with Elias as
"one of the worst experiences I've ever had". Wakeman has been very
rude about Elias subsequently and refers to the album as "Onion",
because it makes him cry. Elias has said he wasn't getting good
material out of Howe or Wakeman, and Anderson and Howe were barely
talking. Anderson would work with Elias on several subsequent
projects.
Meanwhile, YesWest had been struggling to put an album of their own
together. Various replacements for Anderson on lead vocals,
including Roger Hodgson, did not work out. Squire had drafted in new
friend Billy Sherwood and wanted him to sing lead, although Sherwood
was reluctant. (Billy's older brother, Michael, entirely
coincidentally, ended up singing on the ABWH tracks.) A set of
YesWest demos including songs used here and others used elsewhere (e.g.,
"Love Conquers All", released on YesYears) was rejected by
Atlantic.
Instead, the idea appeared to merge the two bands, sticking together
their two unfinished albums. Anderson added lead vocals to the
YesWest material; Squire did a few backing vocals on the ABWH
material; and ta da! The result was perhaps the worst Yes album to
date, although there's plenty to love here nonetheless. Howe's
instrumental, recorded beforehand and added at the end, and the
Squire/Sherwood "The More You Live" are highlights. (HP, updated 27
Dec 19)
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