If AWBH was named as a Yes album.....

[The Fish]

That's so unfortunate. That they were not allowed to be called YES at that time....

But I know, if it was called a YES-album, it would be my favorite Yes-album, instead of TALES. It's so powerful and I still don't understand why they didn't achieved that level on the UNION album!

Fist Of Fire, with Rick's known moog-sounds is a great song! And Brother Of Mine had such a great melody..... And Rick's keyboards bring so much colour in it... No Rick, no real Yes, for me. That's why I don't like 90125.....

The Meeting is one of the most beautiful songs I've ever heard! The orchestration-que sounds with that magnificent piano, and the lyrics, the melody, It's SUPERB!

Quartet is good, too! Especially the end part I'M ALIVE... But that is the power of Yes, the beautiful melodies you'll never forget...

And I LOVE Bruford's return on this record so much. Ghehehe he's much better then Alan White, for me.

Such a beautiful album, with pure YES-music that was not allowed to be called YES ??? For me, this is a Yes-record, and it's my very favorite Yes-record!!! I own the official cassette (tape) but I will buy the CD soon!

[Koko]

Okay, IF it was a Yes Album (all official etc0

What do you think a 'Good' title would be !?

eg:


"Universal Dancing"

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

"ALL LIFE IS SACRED"

[The Fish]

YES

Order of the universe


:D :D :D

[Dragonfly]

(The titled comes from lyrics in the song "Themes".)

I heard a bootleg of a live performance of "Quartet". I've always enjoyed this song (EXCEPT for the fourth movement, "I'm Alive". It's one of the cheesiest bits they've done. Whatever.) For such a good studio song, it sure sucked, live. It was too slow and didn't have any "oomph" to it, but went on and on and on. It was clear that the audience was getting bored with it. For every minute that went by, the audience was talking louder and louder. I guess that some songs are best performed only under special circumstances - not in rock concerts.

I've always felt that ANDERSON BRUFORD (LEVIN) WAKEMAN HOWE was a great album. (I also love UNION.) "Themes", "Fist of Fire" and "Birthright" are some of the best songs to come from the band in the 80's and 90's.

As usual, my tastes aren't in line with the majority of YesFans:

As mentioned above, I really don't care for the "I'm Alive" portion of "Quartet" (which most people like).

While I like "The Meeting" musically, I find they lyrics way too religious to play – so I never do. (NOTE: the live performance of "The Meeting" did make it to the laserdisc version of AN EVENING OF YES MUSIC PLUS, but I’m uncertain as to whether it made it on the VHS version. If not - and you’d like to see it - drop me an eMail. There’s a bit of a buzz in the right channel [which is probably why the cut if from the general release], but not enough to sour the song.)

It took me years to finally appreciate "Brother of Mine". I don't care for the opening "Sooooo. Giving all the love you have..." section, nor its reprise, but there are some great moments in there later on. I like the whole section that includes, “Fourth Dimension Dream. All the way it seems. I can't believe we're running to see the world for what it really is”. Rick and Bill, in particular, do great work here.

"Let's Pretend" is good. It's like "Holy Lamb", "Hearts" and "Nine Voices" - a great way to end a Yes album.

I've never liked "The Order of the Universe". The absolute worst part is when everyone sings the title over and over again. The only part of it I like is Bill's solo spot.

And...unlike most others, I LOVE "Teakbois". It's one of my most-played YesSongs ever. It wound up on a couple of compilation tapes I made, which got played a lot. I was very disappointed that we only got to see Jon singing a small excerpt of it during his opening solo on that tour. (When THE LADDER came out, I thought that “Lightning Strikes” was a sort of “Teakbois, part II”. ;) )

I got to hear the bonus track, "Vultures", once. I understood why it was left off of the album. It's got some great work by Tony Levin, but overall is not that great. It should, however, have been included in the IN A WORD: YES boxed set. The same goes for that bonus track on UNION, "Give and Take”. There are lots of rare songs that should have made it there that didn't. That's what the boxed set should have been all about!

I really like the IN THE BIG DREAM video. Though I can't say that I love the "Brother of Mine" video - with the Roger Dean make up on the three boys dancing in the wilderness – it's nice to have. There just aren't that many Yes music videos out there so each one is special. And while I don't care for the "I'm Alive" bit of “Quartet”, I do like the fact that there's a rare version - with Bill’s drumming added - on the video.

I really enjoy all of the interview bits. These guys are very funny. Bill and Rick, in particular, are very witty. Much as I love Alan White, true "Classic Yes" (the word "classic" implying "old" or "original") requires both Bill and Rick. The GOING FOR THE ONE lineup is more like "True Yes" or "Real Yes", not "Classic".

My favorite part of the video (and I can't recall in which song it appears) is the motion-animated rendition of the album's front and back covers. They only happen for a brief moment each, but they're very cool! It would be great to digitize them and loop them as a computer screen-saver. :D

Dragonfly :yesbird:

“We write our songs. We symphonise. Some people say they like us.”

[prem895]

Bassed on the fact Chris was not on the album, I have to say it is not 100% YES album,but if it were, I would call it "Pardon me Squire"

[Original_Shifty]

Yes

Let's Pretend :sneaky:

[Earl Grey]

I LOVE this album. It saw me through some hard times...

Brother Of Mine is pure unadultrated YES.

I miss Chris as well. Tony was a good fill-in (Though, could you imagine if Jaco Pastorius had lived? How interesting would THAT have been???).

We all miss Chris on this one, but I still hear it is YES.

And Chris is the only choice I would ever make over Jaco on the bass...

Earl:yesbird:

[Kev]

Okay, this album has had about 8 years to grow on me since I first bought it. I still think it's chock full of suck. Granted, this is my opinion; I'm tired, groggy and cranky- and you don't have to read any of it. But hearing Bruford's cheap electronic drums and enduring sappy songs like `Brother of Mine' makes me want to chop my balls off and eat them for breakfast rather than digest this piece of overrated filth. In saying something so crude, there are some great moments. However, if it weren't for Jon's wonderful voice and Steve's masterful guitar; the overall sound of this effort could compare with nothing more than Gargamel hitting Smurfs against sheet metal while the Care Bears sing a religious sacrifical harmony in the background.

[Earl Grey]

:ele:

[Koko]

Originally posted by Kev
I still think it's chock full of suck. is ; I'm tired, groggy and cranky- and you don't have to read any of it.......

hearing Bruford's cheap electronic drums

there are some great moments.


the overall sound of this effort could compare with nothing more than Gargamel hitting Smurfs against sheet metal while the Care Bears sing a religious sacrifical harmony in the background.



Yes, and it sounds it old chap...you do sound 'groggy'...

I'm always willing to listen to someone elses 'opinion' when it has reasoned intellect behind it but when it descends into crudity...it causes me to cease listening/reading.....


I mean what purpose can such a form of expression serve....


'Actually I think those 'elecronic drums' are rather expensive old bean...


Yes, there are some great moments ...every single note..including Teakbois.....



I get the feeling there has been a 'terrible' mix - up at the pressing plant because your final description reminds me of a tiny snippet ( And I thank Heaven it was only a 'tiny' snippet!) that I was unfortunate enough to over hear of a Phil Collins ....mmmm......release....yes that's a suitable phrase for his product...or should that be 'escape' ??


Well Kev...I hope your cranky, groggy state wears off soon!


For Me ANDERSON, BRUFORD, WAKEMAN & HOWE..was the best thing 'Yes' had done since........Relayer......mind you Close To The Edge is ...For Me...the finest Album in the History of the Universe.


Toodle Pip!



Peace


------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

"There's a mystery to the touch how it heals so when we're broken" Quartet ABW & H.

[Kev]

I'd like to apologize to everyone for being so crude and blunt in my criticism of the Anderson Bruford Wakeman and Howe album. I've had my nap now, and feel much better. I guess it doesn't matter that eight years and a day later I still feel the same about this musical effort. I still think that Bruford's electronic kit sounds are as tasteless as my remarks and I can even hear the agonizing cry of Smurfs and chanting Care Bears in the background evermore. Furthermore, thankfully; a vital body organ is still attached and intact.

What aim was my expression trying to serve?

A few years back, I distinctly remember a fellow Yes fan mentioning "If Jon, Rick and Steve are on it; they could fart in a bucket then record it... and I'd still buy it and love it." For me, ABWH is this equivalent. Granted, I'm just a young American lad- born to be wild with rock and roll blood mixed with piss and vinegar; so, chances are, something got lost in the translation of this album (especially a song like Brother of Mine) as it relates to my background. Nonetheless, I find the "fart in the bucket" mentality prevalent amongst a percentage of Yes fans. For the life of me, I honestly can't understand why anyone could enjoy this album save for the fact that Jon, Steve, Bill and Rick's names are on it.

Therefore, my expression could be construed as a general sense of frustration towards "Yes Puritanism;" the idea that classic members from the `glory days' are seemingly incapable of releasing a product that is less than stellar once they band together. After years of digesting Yestalk with the ultimate aim of expressing which lineup was best; I just had to vomit. There it was; my crude, eviscerating post. And yes, I do feel better now. So, again... please accept my apologies if this offended any of you or became so incredibly beneath anyone's dignified presence of mind. The mess is cleared up, so please don't let the stench linger any longer. I've opened a window.

Peace!

[groovecake]

I remember being really excited when this album came out. I was pretty young but was into Yes...I bought it and wanted to throw it away. To my ears, it was an embarrasing offering.

So...I recently re-listened to "Brother of Mine."

Wow...yuck!! To my ears, still as embarrasing as the day I heard it. Two things that bother me most about it:

1. It sounds like a Yes tribute (or parody) band. The musical passages are like a Yes Color By Numbers composition. ("You too can sound like Yes! Just follow these simple instructions!")

2. Wakeman. In the 70's, Rick was on the cutting edge of synth technology. I think he still fancies himself as such...but the problem is this - synth technology in the 70' was geared towards a totally new sound. The Moogs sounded like nothing else. They were instruments. On Rick's stuff in the 80's and 90's and beyond...he's using cutting edge technology...TO REPLICATE REAL INSTRUMENTS!! The awful piano sample he is playing totally mars his entire performance on that tune. I find it unlistenable. Rick...play a piano if you want a piano sound. Play a Hammond if you want an organ sound. (It isn't like he's some guy in a bar band trying to get by...HE'S RICK WAKEMAN! He's in YES!! They can travel with a B-3!! Someone else will even carry it for him!!)

"Brother of Mine" is just...bad.

(My opinon, of course.)

[The Fish]

For me, BROTHER OF MINE is the best song of the album and one of the best in Yes' history.

And Rick, to me, you did some fantastic work! (like always, DUH :rolleyes:)

[groovecake]

Originally posted by Kev
[B]I still think it's chock full of suck. [B]


"Chock full of suck!"

Best line I have heard in a long time!!

[Koko]

Originally posted by Kev
I'd like to apologize to everyone for being so crude

That's Quite Okay


What aim was my expression trying to serve?


I guess it's to do with either seeing the glass half full or half empty, or put another way


One is either part of the solution or part of the problem


Therefore, my expression could be construed as a general sense of frustration towards "Yes Puritanism;"

Yes, Yes purists can be tiresome


So, again... please accept my apologies if this offended any of you or became so incredibly beneath anyone's dignified presence of mind. The mess is cleared up, so please don't let the stench linger any longer. I've opened a window.


There is no under/beneath/over/above there only 'is'...I think the catch (handle) is stuck.


Peace!



------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
"You Might Think That I Couldn't Possibly Comment"


May All That We Put Out Come Back To Us Ten Fold

[bataisflow]

All of ABWH is just completely - KICK ASS> And I am R&R lover as well and a bass player. Some music isn't for everyone and I can see how Rabin fans would not like this album - Troopers for the most part love it. It was the best tour I had seen until Yessymphonic and still ranks #2. Go get an evening of Yes Music Plus if you want to hear how amazing that stuff really is. As far as the Yestribute thing - I just don't hear it. It sounds like Yes to me.

[Kev]

Now, for a change... I do enjoy the Big Dream video collection. Not so much for the videos, but for some classic "off the record" clips of the band. I always get a laugh seeing Rick walk into the studio control room while this calliope circus music is playing in the background and he turns into this man-child saying "Ah, here we are...today... in the studio..." Also, there's the clip of Jon beofre the video for "I'm Alive" kicks in where he's drunk, eyes half squinted, head cocked forward with his voice breaking in his deep register; "You are now entering the realms of fantasy..."

Good Stuff! :guitar:

[Andersonic]

I think the ABWH album deserved a title, although Anderson Bruford Wakeman Howe IS a strong name...

So the bandname is ABWH, I would have liked when the album was called 'The Second Attention'...not too hard to figure that one out right?

Look at the cover again, what has happened?

[The Fish]

Originally posted by Dragonfly
(The titled comes from lyrics in the song "Themes".)

I heard a bootleg of a live performance of "Quartet". I've always enjoyed this song (EXCEPT for the fourth movement, "I'm Alive". It's one of the cheesiest bits they've done. Whatever.) For such a good studio song, it sure sucked, live. It was too slow and didn't have any "oomph" to it, but went on and on and on. It was clear that the audience was getting bored with it. For every minute that went by, the audience was talking louder and louder. I guess that some songs are best performed only under special circumstances - not in rock concerts.

I've always felt that ANDERSON BRUFORD (LEVIN) WAKEMAN HOWE was a great album. (I also love UNION.) "Themes", "Fist of Fire" and "Birthright" are some of the best songs to come from the band in the 80's and 90's.

As usual, my tastes aren't in line with the majority of YesFans:

As mentioned above, I really don't care for the "I'm Alive" portion of "Quartet" (which most people like).

While I like "The Meeting" musically, I find they lyrics way too religious to play – so I never do. (NOTE: the live performance of "The Meeting" did make it to the laserdisc version of AN EVENING OF YES MUSIC PLUS, but I’m uncertain as to whether it made it on the VHS version. If not - and you’d like to see it - drop me an eMail. There’s a bit of a buzz in the right channel [which is probably why the cut if from the general release], but not enough to sour the song.)

It took me years to finally appreciate "Brother of Mine". I don't care for the opening "Sooooo. Giving all the love you have..." section, nor its reprise, but there are some great moments in there later on. I like the whole section that includes, “Fourth Dimension Dream. All the way it seems. I can't believe we're running to see the world for what it really is”. Rick and Bill, in particular, do great work here.

"Let's Pretend" is good. It's like "Holy Lamb", "Hearts" and "Nine Voices" - a great way to end a Yes album.

I've never liked "The Order of the Universe". The absolute worst part is when everyone sings the title over and over again. The only part of it I like is Bill's solo spot.

And...unlike most others, I LOVE "Teakbois". It's one of my most-played YesSongs ever. It wound up on a couple of compilation tapes I made, which got played a lot. I was very disappointed that we only got to see Jon singing a small excerpt of it during his opening solo on that tour. (When THE LADDER came out, I thought that “Lightning Strikes” was a sort of “Teakbois, part II”. ;) )

I got to hear the bonus track, "Vultures", once. I understood why it was left off of the album. It's got some great work by Tony Levin, but overall is not that great. It should, however, have been included in the IN A WORD: YES boxed set. The same goes for that bonus track on UNION, "Give and Take”. There are lots of rare songs that should have made it there that didn't. That's what the boxed set should have been all about!

I really like the IN THE BIG DREAM video. Though I can't say that I love the "Brother of Mine" video - with the Roger Dean make up on the three boys dancing in the wilderness – it's nice to have. There just aren't that many Yes music videos out there so each one is special. And while I don't care for the "I'm Alive" bit of “Quartet”, I do like the fact that there's a rare version - with Bill’s drumming added - on the video.

I really enjoy all of the interview bits. These guys are very funny. Bill and Rick, in particular, are very witty. Much as I love Alan White, true "Classic Yes" (the word "classic" implying "old" or "original") requires both Bill and Rick. The GOING FOR THE ONE lineup is more like "True Yes" or "Real Yes", not "Classic".

My favorite part of the video (and I can't recall in which song it appears) is the motion-animated rendition of the album's front and back covers. They only happen for a brief moment each, but they're very cool! It would be great to digitize them and loop them as a computer screen-saver. :D

Dragonfly :yesbird:

“We write our songs. We symphonise. Some people say they like us.” I think Patern of nature is a very strong title and it describes the artwork of Roger Dean very well!

[lindil]

For me ABWH was like every other yes release since Tormato. Some great moments but nowhere near the perfection and near perfection of the 72-77 period.

It was great to hear Anderson w/out rabin.

Drama thru BG was a pretty painful period for a lot of yesfans and ABWH was sort of like a first dose of medicine. It has some real weak spots [ some of which are overcome on that incredible live 'evening of Yes music +' ] some of which remain. Still I will take it over drama, 90125, BG, talk, OYE and Keys studio any day.

[ teakbois excepted:confused: ]

Birthright ranks up there w/ Homeworld as one of the great latter pd yes tunes. Live it cooks! Bruford finally finds a common musical space w/ the boys and it is impressive.

I would love to hear another ABWH or ABWHS album but that seems quite unlikely, but hey w/ Yes whocan predict personnel?

[YESABWH]

It's not a perfect album but it does have some great momments on it. As much as I love Wakeman- his keyborads did sound a bit cheesy at times. I do beleive that it is better than any of the YESWest albums. Its is better than most of the 80's stuff but far bellow the 70's output and Magnification.

[Martin Riley]

I remember when the album came out I was very impressed and regarded it as some sort of return to form after BIG GENERATOR. I hadn't played it in a while and after revisiting it I find that I was quite disappointed. The songs seemed to drag a fair bit and Quartet in particular(which I used to love) seemed to be very slow.I still liked THEMES(which could have been a good album title) but overall it seemed jaded now. Strangely enough I now much prefer BIG GENERATOR, I wasn't too keen on the Rabin years at the time but now I've invested much more time in them I keep finding more amd more to enjoy

[Dragonfly]

You shouldn't have to dislike one in order to like the other. I, too, have grown much more fond of my YesWest collection.

I really think that with the history of the band they can get away with anything. Every major undertaking of theirs was controversial: TALES FROM TOPOGRAPHIC OCEANS was "too prog" and 90125 was "too pop". Whatever. They both ROCK!
:heydude:

That's why I still can't get over the UNION tour. What an incredible experience that was! I wish they'd release as much stuff as possible from that tour. The UNION video is great but incomplete. I'd really love to have seen the video of the White/Bruford duet (originally written during the XYZ phase and later revisited in the tune "Mind Drive").
:drummer::drummer:

It's a pity that Howe and Rabin weren't able to perform any duets. I wonder if they even considered it. At the very least, with both being adept at country pickin', they could have done "Dueling Banjos".
:guitar::guitar:

Dragonfly :yesbird:

The new boxed set should also have included the Bruford/Levin duet. It was said to have changed every night. The boot I have sounds very interesting (and considerably more KCrimsonesque than Yesish.)
:drummer::guitar:

[rhammill]

I really want to love this album as a classic. The problem I have with it, though, is the same as the other 'flawed' Yes albums (primarily Tormato and Union). It's all in the production.

There is a lot of work that sounds a whole lot more like the session musicians than Howe or Wakeman. And as for the 'cheesy electronic' drums - many of them may have been sequenced rather than Bill. Check out the live performances, there is some great drum work.

But, the drums and bass are so low in the mix that you don't get to experience it. One of the reasons Yes sounds so different is because the basa and teh drums are right up on the front line withe everybody else.

There seems to be a lot of padding beneath the songs. I listened to the alternate version of 'Fist of Fire' on the box set today. It has a running guitar line in the back, that is not the best thing Steve has ever done (far from it) but it at least it sounds like Steve. Almost every track from ABWH on has just been lacking a the strong presence of Steve. Yes there has been some brilliant acoustic work interspersed, and the Keys stuff has some more electric work than he has contributed in a while. But where is the in your face, blistering work like 'Yours is no Disgrace,' 'America,
or 'Heart of the Sunrise.' Something that they have done so well in the past (and kind of came back in Keys) is great variations of mood. They could be ethereal (Soon, Awaken), then rock out.

It has been said that this was really a Jon Anderson solo album, and I have to say that that is a pretty good assesment. It doesn't mean it is bad, just not quite what I think they were capable of doing. But a better mix (no session musicians, and bring the bass and drums up front), would make a huge difference. I still enjoy it, but I can't say it is a classic.

And as for the Bruford/Levin duets - most of them that I have heard are very similar. I think they branched out a little more on the European leg, though. There are a lot of shows out there, though. And I always love listening to Bill and Tony.

Randy