Albums after Drama but before The Ladder

[remembering]

It seems to me that there is a lot of talk here about the early Yes Albums (Close to the edge Tales Relayer etc) up to about Drama and then about The Ladder and Magnification. Not too much about the albums release between these eras

What do people think about these albums. Is the live version of Awaken on 'Keys' the weakest recording ever? What are the views on Open Your Eyes, Union, Talk, KeyStudio, Live Keys etc etc.

Not a poll or anything just views and general chit chat

[ANTIOCH]

IMHO all YES releases warrant attention and have merit in the bands long running history. If one were to pick and choose songs for a compilation, I'd have to believe these releases could not be overlooked.

[Jackaranda]

I've never really said this before.............but Talk is GREAT!!!

[pianozach]

I've never really said this before.............but Talk is GREAT!!!

Talk is indeed a great album!

I think I'll put it on NOW!

[Timmo]

I love KeyStudios

[kevycanavan]

I think simply the reason people talk more about yes's early releases is the fact that they are much much better in terms of not only songwriting but in terms of attitute and cool as well.
I am a fan of some of the 90125 and BG material in as much as there is a few good tunes to be heared for a bit of craic really, wheras there is no real musical meat to those albums, up to and including The Ladder, IMO there isn't one relase from that era that warrents any sort of Brilliant album label, there are good songs here and there sprinkled sparaticly but they are nothing at all in comparison to some of thier early to mid 70s work. Things started going downhill with GFTO, which granted isn't the worst yes album (in fact its probably one of the better ones) but really does wreak of commerciality and general uncoolness. I think the mistake they made was bring RW back into the lineup. They started going a certain direction with CTTE and continued that (for better or worse depending on your opinion) with Tales and Relayer, but they clearly took a step back from the brink with GFTO. TORMATO has its moments and Drama IMO is very underrated.
90125 however, might as well, lets be honest, not be a yes album at all. It was after all two different projects before it finally settled as a yes album. Big Generator is more of the same but is IMO a better album, the title track is a total winner with the downtuned guitars and general cheese. ABWH was a very dissapointing listen for me to be honest as it was the perfect oppurtunity to make music like the early albums featuring all the best players bar Chris Squire but instead they tred a very similar path to Squire's yes lineup, the fact that ABWH played Owner is a testament to the failure of this project.
I have never heared UNION so i can't comment.
Talk, OYE and The Ladder, and KEYS IMHO are absolute monstrosities. the height of trying too hard.
Magnification on the other hand really seemed to get it right with the only dodgy element being Jons lyrics which are easily ignored.

Lets hope whatever they do next will pick up where it left off.

[Scaramouche]

I have made no secret of the fact that I am a die hard Progressive Rock fan.

I have also made no secret that I am not a big fan of the more pop orientated albums Yes made between 1983 and 1994 under the influance and guidance of Trevor Rabin.

A lot of the individual songs are great and some of them dare I say are amongst my favourite Yes tracks, but as albums I do not think they stand up aswell as the 70's stuff and the The Ladder and Magnification.

If you were to take tracks like OOALH, Leave it, Changes, Love will find a Way, Rythym of Love, I'm Running, Lift Me Up, Saving My Heart, Miracle of Life, Walls, State of Play, The Calling and Endless Dream, put them all on one album, then you have a fantastic compliation which will rightly deserve pride of place in any Yes collection but apart from these songs, I feel the rest was all a bit guff.

With the 70's albums, liking just a few tracks was never an option, the albums were and still are wonderful to listen to throughout, and I can listen without ever feeling the need to skip or fast forward certain songs.

When you come across an album like that, then you know you have a good one.

Thats why so much fuss is made about the 70's output because these albums were far superior and with The Ladder and Magnification, most Yes fans including myself feel that this is a return to form and a continuation of that high quality.

Scaramouche xx

[Vic Anderson]

Magnification on the other hand really seemed to get it right with the only dodgy element being Jons lyrics which are easily ignored.

Man I feel for you too bad you don't get it

go listen to something elsewith better lyrics then

[nightliner]

Every Yes album of every period has good music on it. Music that's better than just about anything else that was released during that same time period.

Talk is by far my favorite from this time period.

[PO]

...Things started going downhill with GFTO...

I liked all of what you said. Good points.

GFTO was a turn at the time. We were used to CTTE, Tales, Relayer, and even Olias. Then we hear this Going for the One kind of like "We're Number One" which was being newly chanted at sporting events. Wondrous Stories was on the radio. We were all saying, "huh?".

The only things we noticed were Turn of the Century and Awaken. TotC had an actual story we could understand. Different, maybe even odd. But, it was well crafted. Awaken, a great piece of music, was also seen as a poor man's CTTE/TFTO/Relayer and a nod to us "old-timers" that liked all of their Prog efforts. Everything else on the album didn't seem to match the level of those two tunes.

So, it was the first time that I witnessed an inconsistent album released by Yes. Just my experience at the time.

[cinderella]

I love all the music of Yes up to and including the Talk album, but I've never heard anything after that.

After Trevor left, well.......

[brotherofmine]

Union is my favourite over that period. Unless you let me count ABWH.

[inside_out]

I was exploring more of Jon's solo stuff at that time. I just followed Jon. I always have really.

[Hill St.]

I have made no secret of the fact that I am a die hard Progressive Rock fan.

I have also made no secret that I am not a big fan of the more pop orientated albums Yes made between 1983 and 1994 under the influance and guidance of Trevor Rabin.

A lot of the individual songs are great and some of them dare I say are amongst my favourite Yes tracks, but as albums I do not think they stand up aswell as the 70's stuff and the The Ladder and Magnification.

If you were to take tracks like OOALH, Leave it, Changes, Love will find a Way, Rythym of Love, I'm Running, Lift Me Up, Saving My Heart, Miracle of Life, Walls, State of Play, The Calling and Endless Dream, put them all on one album, then you have a fantastic compliation which will rightly deserve pride of place in any Yes collection but apart from these songs, I feel the rest was all a bit guff.

With the 70's albums, liking just a few tracks was never an option, the albums were and still are wonderful to listen to throughout, and I can listen without ever feeling the need to skip or fast forward certain songs.

When you come across an album like that, then you know you have a good one.

Thats why so much fuss is made about the 70's output because these albums were far superior and with The Ladder and Magnification, most Yes fans including myself feel that this is a return to form and a continuation of that high quality.

Scaramouche xxAll I can say is DITTO!

[yesmandroc]

I love Big Generator. All the genius of Yes packed into songs short enough so I can listen to them in a drive across town without worrying that I won't have enough time to get through one song.

[Timmo]

GFTO was a turn at the time. We were used to CTTE, Tales, Relayer, and even Olias. Then we hear this Going for the One kind of like "We're Number One" which was being newly chanted at sporting events. Wondrous Stories was on the radio. We were all saying, "huh?".

The only things we noticed were Turn of the Century and Awaken. TotC had an actual story we could understand. Different, maybe even odd. But, it was well crafted. Awaken, a great piece of music, was also seen as a poor man's CTTE/TFTO/Relayer and a nod to us "old-timers" that liked all of their Prog efforts. Everything else on the album didn't seem to match the level of those two tunes.I'm with Paul on this one (except I don't think "Awaken" was a "poor man's CTTE," although I think that may have been the view at the time...I'm guessing that's not Paul's personal opinion).

I found myself back in the day really only concentrating on "Awaken," and "Parallels" to some degree.

With Tormato, I found myself putting on OtSWoF and leaving it at that. Later I fell in love with most of the rest of the album, although I must confess I've never been a fan of "Circus of Heaven." To me, it's one of those "What on earth were they thinking?" moments.

The Trevor material is, to me, well crafted, but it just doesn't send me. Isolated moments and songs, do, like "Shoot High, Aim Low." I didn't like the studio version of Talk, yet a lot of it works much better live.

I left Yes pretty much after Drama, so I've been rediscovering the more recent stuff. I like "The Ladder." Where I disagree with many of the posters is that I really like Keystudio, especially Mind Drive and Children of Light. Although I don't have the "gag me" response to the lyrics of That, That Is, I do find my attention wandering while listening to it. It's "padded" (and I do NOT believe that Tales is padded, btw).

[1yesfan]

I agree, Awaken on Keys is weak. Nothign really compares the the Union Tour versions. Rabins work on the tunes is awesome, then you throw in so amny folks playing it, I don't think it will ever be matched!