Rate/Discuss ABWH 2

[Store Hadji]

This isn't an official album, but I've heard it and can provide some track information. These tracks were all scuttled in favour of writing new ones for the Union album. It's too bad they didn't use these on Union, or release them as the second ABWH album. Most of the tracks were by Jon and Rick, with Steve showing up on a few. Steve had a couple songs as well. A lot of them used drum machine, though Bill can be heard on a few. I think Tony shows up as well. I'm interested in learning more about these sessions. Verifying the titles, finding other song titles from these same sessions. I'm not offering a trade or looking for one, as trading demos is not a function of this board. Therefore I'm looking for info and opinions.

I think ABWH 2 even as demos are the best collection of songs Jon ever wrote. Gorgeous stuff. He did the original Page of Life at around the same time, and that's an amazing album too (at least the original version was - I don't care for the remixed, resequenced US version.) Anyway, a very rich and successful period for Jon creatively.

Here are the songs from these ABWH 2 sessions as I'm aware of them, there's no official song order:

1. Intro - a Rick piece, just keyboard. If he used it elsewhere, I haven't heard it.

2. Hold You in My Arms - Jon's song with Rick, sounds a little like For You For Me from Song of Seven.

3. Watching the Flags That Fly - one of Jon's prettiest songs ever, with Rick and Steve.

4. Make Believe - pretty upbeat, one of that strange funky type of Yes song, with Jon, Rick and Steve's guitar.

5. Is It Love - This is the same song from the original release of Page of Life, though it features Rick instead of Vangelis.

6. Instrumental 2 - this is the same as Intro, though longer and features Bill playing with Rick.

7. Untitled - Rick plays kind of a Bonanza cadence while Jon sings in tongues. I call this song "Tongues."

8. Take the Water to the Mountain - early and very different, funky version of the song which appeared on Union.

9. To the Stars - another beautiful song by Jon and Rick.

10. Santa Barbara - ditto

11. Touch Me Heaven - another uptempo song I can imagine Jon bouncing up and down while singing.

12. Axis of Love - yet another pretty Jon/Rick song.

13. Instrumental 1 - a Rick instrumental, nothing to do with the other two.

14. After the Storm - beautiful song with Jon, Rick, Steve, and I think Tony.

15. Tall Buildings - bizarre uptempo Jon/Rick/Steve song about corporate greed.

16. God with a Southern Accent - great Steve song about that good ol' Southern Religion.

17. Without a Doubt - another Steve song.

18. Big Love - Steve song which I think showed up on one of the Homebrews.

19. Holding On - demo version of the Union track, may not have been part of the ABWH 2 sessions.

20. Silent Talking - ditto.

Anyone who can add to this list or fine-tune it or comment on it in any way, please feel welcome.

[Faceintheplace]

Looks pretty close to complete there. Saw a few songs I didn't know about from those sessions. But what I don't see on there is "She Walks Away" which was from those sessions. I have an instrumental take and a version with vocals.

[Hugh Shiebler]

How can these tracks be heard??

[fish62858]

wow, had no idea it existed... will have to look around and see if it can be "found"

am always interested in the odd things and early versions...

[True Believer]

I absolutely LOVE this album - I've had it for about a year and play it often. I especially love Is It Love?, Watching The Flags That Fly, To The Stars, in fact there's not a duff track on it. Should have been released officially.

[Store Hadji]

I found these on Napster many years ago, before the US government shut it down. These days I'd suggest ebay for someone selling a bootleg.

Wow, "She Walks Away" is not a track I found, and there's no songs with lyrics like that on my set.

It is a superb album. Not as "showy" as the first ABWH album, but much more focused, much prettier, more consistant in the style and the lyrics. Think Tormato as an album with too many styles all clashing against each other and The Yes Album as one in which the styles go together. ABWH 2 has that kind of consistency. If you ever find it, I think you'll be sweetly amazed.

[pedro skychaser]

sometimes called "dialogue"-fortunate to have been in robert "yesfanz" forbes inner sanctum @ his work to spy a bootlegged cover of this-it is amazingly beautiful jon music,some jazzy instrumentals,(i believe "give + take",alternate title for "is it love?" is on the japanese version of union)-rush to get this!!i play heaps more than abwh,union,any yeswest....why oh why didn't they run with this-that is one question i would ask jon if i ever met him...."homeworld" the musical will contain at least 5 of these songs!!!

[pedro skychaser]

"she walks away from love
she walks in darkness
she walks away from love,she walks away...
in this refugee world..."
trevor horn,given a solid day could turn this great song into a monster radio staple...
great melody,great lyrics...("all art aspires to the condition of yesmusic"-walter pater )

[Hugh Shiebler]

Does this ever make the rounds as a "weed" around here?

[BrianD]

Does this ever make the rounds as a "weed" around here?

We don't allow weeds of demos and other unreleased material. If any such trading occurs it must be done privately.

[Store Hadji]

Only weeds of radio shows and live performances, not demos or studio outtakes.

Where did this "weed" term come from?

[Buglunch]

So was this booted off studio boards without the guys' knowledge?
How do you find these things??

This stuff looks great and I love my Page of Life CD; is it rick's management that holds it up or what?
No publishing support?

[relayeire]

sometimes called "dialogue"-fortunate to have been in robert "yesfanz" forbes inner sanctum @ his work to spy a bootlegged cover of this-it is amazingly beautiful jon music,some jazzy instrumentals,(i believe "give + take",alternate title for "is it love?" is on the japanese version of union)-rush to get this!!i play heaps more than abwh,union,any yeswest....why oh why didn't they run with this-that is one question i would ask jon if i ever met him...."homeworld" the musical will contain at least 5 of these songs!!!

Give And Take is a very different song from Is It Love, which I've only heard the Vangelis version of... G&T was also on the European version of Union (I got mine in Ireland) and as a b-side of another song from Union... maybe Lift Me Up... I have the 45 of it...

Tall Buildings is the only one of these I've heard for sure... it had a nice hook to it... "Tall buildings got small people..."

[rgfudd99]

I'd love to hear more from ABWH. The original album was great. I listened to the ABWH concert that they played on XM last week and it was the first time that I had heard ABWH live since 1989 and I was really impressed. That particular combo had something special going on.

[Store Hadji]

I don't know about ABWH bootlegs, but I know Zappa released hundreds of his own boots. Maybe bands know about such things, but the record labels don't. So "Shhhhhhhhhh!"

Regarding Give and Take, that could be the version of Is It Love that I found, though mine is definitely a demo and doesn't sound like it could have been officially released, and it is very very similar to the Vangelis version. Maybe it got further production by Jonathan Elias if it was released along with Union (and that would mean that everyone including Rick Wakeman's cat played on it! Hee hee.)

[Store Hadji]

Steve redid "God with a Southern Accent" as the instrumental "Southern Accent" on his album QUANTUM GUITAR.

The ABWH version featured vocals - and Jon used the refrain "God with Southern Accent" on one of his songs from the sessions.

[relayeire]

I hate to be contrary, but what's the point of weeding material that HAS been released?

[rgfudd99]

Only weeds of radio shows and live performances, not demos or studio outtakes.

Where did this "weed" term come from?

I'm not sure about where the term "weed'' was appllied for distributing concert recordings. Back in the day (before downloads), when I was trading/collecting lots of Grateful Dead, there were "trees". Someone would supply the "seed" to start the tree. They would annoucne the start of a new tree and ask those interested if any would be a branch or a leaf. Some people who had the recording capabilties would volunteer to be "branches" and make copies for 2 or 3 (or more) "leaves". I haven't done a tree in a long time.

[InverYes]

I hate to be contrary, but what's the point of weeding material that HAS been released?

We don't do that either.

[relayeire]

We don't allow weeds of demos and other unreleased material. If any such trading occurs it must be done privately.

there's only released or unreleased... what actually gets weeded on this site? forgive my ignorance - I don't do weed...

[Store Hadji]

Unreleased live recordings and radio broadcasts.

No studio demos.

[ACK!]

I heard they "ran into creative trouble" on ABWH II/Dialogue. Now I realize the trouble was probably some a&r guy at Arista who didn't hear a "hit single." Probably why Jon went to Trevor, which is pretty bizarre if you think about it.

Jon's phone call to Trevor Rabin probably went something like this: "Hi, I quit your band and formed a rival Yes-- I mean, Anderson, Bruford, Wakeman Howe, but I need some songs for our next album. Think you can help us out, Trev old buddy??"

Trevor probably rolled his eyes and thought to himself I'll send him that demo of those three songs I wrote for breakfast this morning so he'll leave me alone. He then said "Sure, mate. I'll send you a tape with three songs. Pick one and send the other two back to me."

I'll always wonder what the ABWH album Dialogue would have sounded like before record label and managerial interference torpedoed it.

[relayeire]

there are some nice songs on there, but ABWH II needed a lot more work... it's not just that they were demos without the entire band - they needed more attention in terms of arrangements... what we would have had is a very light, poppy Anderson-ish album, judging by the demos... I enjoy Page Of Life, where some of these songs ended up, but it's no Yes album...

[Ocean Gypsy]

She Walks Away is a great song. I've heard four or five different versions over the years. Always thought the song was making references to his ex.

[Store Hadji]

i disagree that these songs are light and poppy - no more than Wonderous stories is

of course there would have been more arranging - probably too much

oh, the album title was to be dialogue? thank you!

and i see that some out-of-print albums get weeded, others don't - it is a case-by-case basis

and only Is It Love made it to the Vangelis album - and only the original release, not the US version

sorry to disagree

[neilius]

I'd love to have a copy of this (unofficial) album.