ABWH Challenge

[Q]

A lot of Trooper/Classic Yes fans have said they liked ABWH but they didn't love it. Agree that it has some really great tracks and a few dogs?

Here's a challenge: does anyone think they could take tracks from ABWH, and some Trooper tracks from Union, sequence the songs and wind up with a great album?

I've been kicking it around a little, but I'm not yet happy with my list ...

[SKEETER]

lets face it, most YES albums have a lot of great tunes and a few dogs, the nice thing about the dogs is that they are, although not very listenable, not filler either. I don't even remember which songs are on that CD, I just remember that I bought it in a cutout bin for a couple of bucks, and when I listened to it couldn't imagine why it was in a cut out bin, it is one of the better YES CDs

[BrianD]

This is difficult Q. I already think ABWH is a very good album and Union is at best just good. I am not sure that any combination of tracks is likely to make a truly great album.

[Orbert]

In the late 80's, I was still mourning the death of my favorite band, but ABWH came along and filled the void. It was Yes music, or at least the closest I ever expected to hear again.

When Union came out, I actually rejoiced. But upon not-so-close examination, it was clear that this was not a union other than in the set-theory sense.

But... the ABWH album in its entirety plus the Trooper tracks from Union fit together nicely on a cassette tape! At the time, I had cassette in the car, but no CD player. Made a tape dubbed "Yes, It's ABWH!" is played it much.

Then Talk came out, and I began mourning again. But that's another story.

So the correct answer is: Make a tape instead!

Orbert

[jimmygtr]

If the master tapes exist for the ABWH portion of union...destroy them (just kidding). Actually it werep possible - erase every session players tracks until you only have what was layed down my a Yes member and start from there.

[bataisflow]

ABWH was a great CD, no need to change it. As far as Union, here are the songs that are decent IMO(Tropper style that is):
-Silent Talking
-Holding On
-I would Have Waited Forever
-Shock to the System

[jimmygtr]

ABWH was a great CD, no need to change it. As far as Union, here are the songs that are decent IMO(Tropper style that is):
-Silent Talking
-Holding On
-I would Have Waited Forever
-Shock to the System

Exactly my point!!! Here is an except from the Jimmy Haun interview who played most of the Steve Howish parts on Union. Good or bad I really want to hear ABWH and not ABWHEHOMDFKEIEREPREWORUERPEPREIREW


Track 1: "I Would Have Waited Forever". The opening riff is me (Arista wanted this sort of a "Starship Trooper" thing), then Steve really just played the recurring single thread line at 0:24 to 0:49 and the end solo. I played all the other guitars (electrics, acoustic, some effect overdubs).

Track 2: "Shock to the System". Must have been a shock to Steve's system—there is simply no Steve Howe on that at all! Steve had, of course, written the opening riff (which I ended up replacing for sonic reasons). I think this was my favorite track because I got to write most of the riffs and there was this new section we came up with and tacked on at 4:10 and the riff is very reminiscent of "Gates of Delirium". And I had to replace some of the bass! (Tony Levin left his bass at the studio so we got his exact sound and added the sections.) I guess Steve refused to play this section live. (This is the track that Rabin played for Steve on the plane during the Union tour and Steve's mouth dropped.)

Track 8: "Silent Talking". I replaced the main riff because there were timing discrepancies and I tried to get as close to Steve Howe's sound as I could. There are a couple of riffs that were kept of Steve's, where you can hear his tone is a little different, like at 0:46 to 1:03.

Track 12: "Holding On". Steve just played the first main riff at 0:31 to 0:47 and that's it folks. There is a lot of riffing on this especially toward the end, but it is all me and I think it's a pretty good likeness of Steve.

[SallyKhatru]

Hm. that´s an interesting thought.
Well IMHO I´d put together the album like that:

Themes ( I think it´s a good opener)
I would have Waited Forever
Shock To The System
Lift Me Up
Brother Of Mine
Saving My Heart
Withou Hope you cannot start the day
Miracle Of Life
Quartet
The More We Live
Order Of The Universe
Holding On
The Meeting
Let's pretend

That´s the way I feel, I love all these songs

[gt76yesman]

Union is an ok album. AWBH is a great album. Not a CTTE or Tales, but this is one hot album. Levin is very good but I do miss what Squire could have added, especially the way he sings with Jon. Union gets no play time at my house. ABWH is always in the machine in one form or another (CD, evening or boot)

[brotherofmine]

ABWH was a great CD, no need to change it. As far as Union, here are the songs that are decent IMO(Tropper style that is):
-Silent Talking
-Holding On
-I would Have Waited Forever
-Shock to the System
I agree with bataisflow no need to change ABWH but also in imo no need to change Union either they are my two favourite Yes albums.

[Scooty]

I agree with bataisflow no need to change ABWH but also in imo no need to change Union either they are my two favourite Yes albums.

Really??? Wow Tony...
Im impressed. Im not trying to be smarmy or anything but ABWH isn't a Yes album...
However, in saying that I admire your tenacity.

I strongly dislike both of these albums...


But you all knew that ;)


I enjoy how different we can all be and still be fans of the same band...
it just goes to prove that Yesfans are so very very diverse!!

[Vic Anderson]

i think ABWH is great
and Union I enjoy it a lot my fav track is shock to the system

:music-smi

[Nut]

I love both albums. Union is the only reason I bought a CD player. It was not released in the states on vinyl. In order for the album to fit nicely onto a tape I had to add some songs. I don’t remember which ones except for “Animation” by Jon, and “Brother of Mine” .Union is a good mix album. It is full of what would pass as Yes singles. It doesn’t suffer from being cut up a lot. I’ve used it to fill out Magnification too. As for best set of both: USE THEM ALL BABY.

[Andersonic]

well what is the point for doing this? I like both albums very much, they are special to me and I won't have it in any other way. In fact, I bought that Re-Union album and I miss the songs that were left out.

[Scooty]

well what is the point for doing this? I like both albums very much, they are special to me and I won't have it in any other way. In fact, I bought that Re-Union album and I miss the songs that were left out.

So Winston, my brother, why did you buy it?? :lmao:

sorry, Im in a mood tonight!

[gt76yesman]

I'm in a mood too......the debate rages.....but AWBH is more YES than Drama and a superior album. IMO Bruford and Wakeman are on fire and Jon writes some great stuff as well. Oh well, we can swap barbs on Saturday, eh?

[Scooty]

I'm in a mood too......the debate rages.....but AWBH is more YES than Drama and a superior album. IMO Bruford and Wakeman are on fire and Jon writes some great stuff as well. Oh well, we can swap barbs on Saturday, eh?


We're gonna' have to Glendo...cause I so disagree!!!!

Can't wait to debate this on saturday!!!

[Andersonic]

So Winston, my brother, why did you buy it?? :lmao:

sorry, Im in a mood tonight!

Good question...why DID I buy that?? Well it was only a couple of bucks and I was curious if there perhaps was a different soundmix or something like that.

So it was gamble...and I lost...

[JL]

I'm in a mood too......the debate rages.....but AWBH is more YES than Drama and a superior album. IMO Bruford and Wakeman are on fire and Jon writes some great stuff as well. Oh well, we can swap barbs on Saturday, eh?

As someone who loved the ABWH album, still listens to it semi-regularly (probably 5 times a year), so thoroughly loved their show that I went back for the second leg of the tour, and considers the Stockholm show to be one of my prize unofficial CDs, I have to take exception to the "more Yes than Drama" assessment. I think Drama fits perfectly into their evolution coming after Relayer and GFTO, and in many ways is more Yes than Tormato (not a knock; I LOVE Tormato).

One of the cool things about ABWH to me is that it was decidedly un-Yes in so many ways. This was positive, especially in the way that Rick was allowed to shine, whereas something "more Yes" would have been, by definition, more Anderson/Howe dominated creatively.

I love ABWH, but it is not a better album than Drama.

[gt76yesman]

LOL, as I said, every one has their opinion. Without Jon's vocals I don't here the YES of Drama. It has a few really good songs on it. Using the Yes-sound theory the 90125 and Big Generator albums are not YES either. This debate will never be finished with the band we love.

[KPatrick]

I would start by erasing everything from ABWH except "Brother of Mine", "Birthright" and "The Meeting." Any sequence or mix of UNION tracks after that, except "Take the Water To the Mountain," would satisfy me. Except to the extent that we'd call it a Yes album. I loved the UNION Trooper tracks back in '91 when I didn't know better. I still love them as individual songs. But as Yes songs? Dunno... Say what you want about OYE, but at least there aren't 351 session musicians involved. And as for ABWH itself, I know this has been debated into the ground, but without Chris, that album just floats away. It is weightless. (At the risk of blaspehmy, Bill doesn't help much on that front.) Whether DRAMA or ABWH are "yes" is less a question to me than which one suffers more for the absence of a key member. DRAMA doesn't miss Jon. ABWH... well, IMO, it's missing something, and I think that's Chris' earthy element.

The UNION songs were a very credible fake of that earthy element, I thought. One man's opinion.

[Jackaranda]

Ooooh.......ABWH wasn't that great. And Union was worse. But they did do a few good songs, like Brother of Mine, The Meeting, Order of the Universe, Shock to the System. Funny thing for me is, I like the live versions of all these songs better than the originals.

A whole album. Don't think so. But ABWH Live was excellent.

[Timmo]

Funny thing for me is, I like the live versions of all these songs better than the originals.Nothing funny about it. I feel that way about much of Yes's oevre.

The glaring exception to me is "Gates." Despite the subpar sonics on the studio release (thank God for the Rhino reissue!), I've never heard a live version of Gates that can touch it.

Most disagree with me, but that's my story and I'm sticking to it!!!

[gt76yesman]

I will back out gracefully. Obviously I am a party of one. The lightness of AWBH is the bridge from early YES to Keys. I, too, miss Chris and the live versions are much better than the studio versions. Still, it is my favorite studio album from these guys since 90125. Keys is awefully close and I love Magnification. I really love Bruford's drumming and maybe that is the swaying factor. As I said, I will drop this, I have not will on Earth to fight.