One of the highlights of this otherwise largely unengaging album project consists of the brief interlude linking tracks. 'Evensong' is the shortest running to just fifty one seconds, an atmospheric little instrumental that although inconsequential, is pretty all the same. 'Masquerade' is a little medieval Steve Howe guitar instrumental. It has a touch of class absent from most other tracks on the album. All in all, nine of the fourteen songs on the album have their origins in the Anderson, Bruford, Wakeman and Howe line-up that abandoned plans to release a second album under their own surnames for this merging with the Squire/Rabin version of Yes. In truth this merger was by means of neccessity, record company interference, the chance to do a major world tour, etc, etc. The album itself was soon forgotten and is generally regarded as one of the weakest releases Yes ever put out. Personally, I wouldn't go that far. True, 'Union' doesn't hold together brilliantly as a cohesive album listening experience and true, too many of the tracks don't seem to actually go anywhere. Rather than describe this album as actively bad however, i'd simply describe it as rather dull. In terms of production, the Rabin penned 'Lift Me Up' is quite striking and lively, leaping out of the speakers in a terribly AOR late eighties kind of way. I do like the opening song a lot, quite probably my favourite actual song here, it manages to sound modern in production terms without losing all sense of the usual Yes harmonic and melodic invention. 'Miracle Of Life' is also enjoyable, a modern production that has a strong sense of pop song-structure and catchy musical and vocal hooks, both.
Searching for highlights other than the ones I've already mentioned proved fruitless for me. Too many tracks are four/five/six minutes in length, include much semi-heavy guitar riffing presumably from Mr Rabin, many atmospheric keyboard washes that act merely as padding, little sense of proper song development or structure and as a result, don't tend to invite a listener towards too many repeat hearings. The playing itself across the albums fourteen tracks is accomplished and professional, but with musicians of this calibre, we'd expect that. No, the disappointing this is how unimaginative much of the playing is. We've got Bill Bruford back on board the Yes wagon, for example. He was in a phase of utilizing those synthetic 80s drum pads, ok. Fair enough. Yet, we don't get to hear any truly memorable moments from him. Steve Howe is largely redundant bar his instrumental, 'Masquerade' in terms of his usual distinctive and/or inventive approach. Jon Anderson sings very well throughout the album, I'll give him that. And at the end of all the goings on behind the scenes of 'Union', Chris Squire retained rights to the name 'Yes', with Bruford, Howe, Wakeman and Anderson going their seperate ways once more. Well, for the time being at least.
Track listing:
I Would Have Waited Forever
Shock To The System
Masquerade
Lift Me Up
Without Hope You Cannot Start
Saving My Heart
Miracle Of Life
Silent Talking
The More We Live
Angklor Wat
Dangerous
Holding On
Evensong
Take The Water To The Mountain
Searching for highlights other than the ones I've already mentioned proved fruitless for me. Too many tracks are four/five/six minutes in length, include much semi-heavy guitar riffing presumably from Mr Rabin, many atmospheric keyboard washes that act merely as padding, little sense of proper song development or structure and as a result, don't tend to invite a listener towards too many repeat hearings. The playing itself across the albums fourteen tracks is accomplished and professional, but with musicians of this calibre, we'd expect that. No, the disappointing this is how unimaginative much of the playing is. We've got Bill Bruford back on board the Yes wagon, for example. He was in a phase of utilizing those synthetic 80s drum pads, ok. Fair enough. Yet, we don't get to hear any truly memorable moments from him. Steve Howe is largely redundant bar his instrumental, 'Masquerade' in terms of his usual distinctive and/or inventive approach. Jon Anderson sings very well throughout the album, I'll give him that. And at the end of all the goings on behind the scenes of 'Union', Chris Squire retained rights to the name 'Yes', with Bruford, Howe, Wakeman and Anderson going their seperate ways once more. Well, for the time being at least.
Track listing:
I Would Have Waited Forever
Shock To The System
Masquerade
Lift Me Up
Without Hope You Cannot Start
Saving My Heart
Miracle Of Life
Silent Talking
The More We Live
Angklor Wat
Dangerous
Holding On
Evensong
Take The Water To The Mountain