I loved both 90125 and Big Generator and had high hopes for this album when it came out but then really hated it when I heard it. It took a good deal of time and effort before I finally cracked the code. Once I did, it all made sense. This is actually a fantastic album, and one that I now adore a great deal.
This was one of the first commercially released albums to be recorded entirely on Pro Tools. It’s really loud - Alan White’sdrums are pushing way into the red for sure. This one is just begging for a Steven Wilson remix that it will never receive.
The songs are a mixed bag, but they all shine in one way or another. Some are absorbed instantly while others take time. ”Real Love” is one of the best Yes tracks of all of the ‘90s, while “The Calling” is a single that should have been a hit (along with “Walls”, a personal favorite). “I Am Waiting” has strong elements of cheese, mixed with clever badassery, while “State Of Play” is a killer track with an odd, sort of New Jack beat to it, and the hypnotic “Where Will You Be” sounds more like a Jon Anderson solo track than a Yes song, but it has some really cool sections, and ample room for Trevor Rabin to shred.
Capping the album (and this era) off with the 15-minute “Endless Dream” was a total boss move. One of the most impressive works by this lineup (or by any lineup).
It’s interesting to note that, after the passing of Alan White last year, there is no one on this album who is in the current incarnation of Yes, but both lineups can be directly linked via an unbroken evolution. Unlike many, I find this to be very cool.
Unfortunately, given the musical climate in 1994, this album already sounded dated the day it was released and, being on an indie label, it totally sank. Had this come out two or three years earlier, on a major, I think this could have been a pretty big deal.
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