Music Monday (ABWH, Side 1)

Blue Desert by Roger Dean

I can't tell you how long I have been waiting to get to this one. When I last covered the Yes discography, they had just released Big Generator. Jon Anderson left after that tour to pursue other projects. This is that project.

Anderson got in touch with three other former members of Yes to form a band: drummer Bill Bruford, keyboardist extraordinaire Rick Wakeman (RW!), and guitarist Steve Howe. 


By the end of 1988, Anderson felt creatively sidelined by Rabin and Squire and had grown tired of the musical direction of the "Yes-West" line-up. He took leave of the band, asserting that he would never stay in Yes purely for the money, and started work in Montserrat on a solo project that eventually involved Wakeman, Howe, and Bruford. This collaboration led to suggestions that there would be some kind of reformation of the "classic" Yes, although from the start the project had included bass player Tony Levin, whom Bruford had worked with in King Crimson. The project was contractually unable to take over or otherwise use the Yes name as Anderson, Squire, White, Kaye, and Rabin held the rights which dated back to the 90125 contract. The group became known as Anderson Bruford Wakeman Howe, which suited Bruford since he wanted to distance himself from the "Yes" name.

**Note**
I can't explain how intensely personal to me this CD is. It came out in the summer of 1989, the same time that this relationship was going on in my life. Both have defined the man I am to this very day. I hope my words convey the feelings it evokes in me.

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The Music

1) Themes

I. Sound - This is the musical intro which lasts up until the 1:02 mark. RW on keyboards is awesome here.

II. Second Attention - Was Jon mad about the music industry or what? These lyrics are re-written from the Words from Hydra poem. The "second attention" is a shamanistic concept of being "aware" of life beyond the normal mundane existence. The realization that there is something more and that this can be accessed in many ways, especially in dreaming.

I know I dance to the beat of a different drummer. Always have, but I always hid in the fact that I thought and felt different than everyone else. This became my anthem for not caring what other people thought and that I was just going to be me. I like my music and my books. I don't care if you don't. When Jon sang about the "second attention" it just made me feel like I was waking up to the person I wanted to be, regardless of the criticisms. It was always there, I was just never brave enough to express it. No longer.

For those who would break the windows of our true reflections

And perceptions of the world

I am out of thee with a vengeance

III. Soul Warrior - This instrumental piece closes the song starting at the 4:10 mark. Wakeman and Howe play off each other brilliantly here.

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2) Fist of Fire

Just when you are about to catch your breath at the end of Soul Warrior, the next song starts up and punches you in the face. This has always felt like a dark song to me, mostly because of the percussion. RW is insane all through this song as well.

Although I have never seen an explanation of the lyrics, I can tell you what it means to me. Some of the key lines all point to someone's death, particularly a youth or even possibly a baby: "As in death you can climb higher thru the sky." , "See the miracle of life. Disappear it's gone", and also "See the flower of youth disappear on high ". These all indicate a death of someone who has become and angel and is flying past the "guardian to kingdom come". It's the line "This is how nature controls the way of all things" that makes me think it was perhaps a baby.

Most notably to me though was how one repeated line (Go carry your silver ships of light) reminded me about a discussion in Richard Bach's One about dying. In this it was said that when you leave your body that you can see a silver line connecting you to your body. Dying is what happens when this string breaks and you shoot outward with nothing to tie you down anymore.

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3) Brother of Mine

And now comes the epic. The masterpiece. This was released as a single (in edited form) but to not play the whole piece would be an injustice. There is so much here I just hope I can convey it all. 

I. The Big Dream - The "big dream" is a concept by the Aborigines which is a part of "dreamtime". Dreamtime is their sacred era in which they believe the spirits created the word and a "dreaming" is actually a system of beliefs or rules/laws of nature. The big dream would mean all of us together since the beginning of time. This is basically saying that in this world we are all brothers and sisters, were are all part of the same dream, and that we always have been and always will be throughout time.

The most important line to me in all of this has always been "See the desert. We have walked the path of all the known religions". Religion has always been a very slippery slope for me and this hit me at the core. This was basically saying hey, we all try to find meaning to life in different ways. We've tried them all and for some of us what we find is an empty desert.

II. Nothing Can Come Between Us - This is basically a reprise of a lot of the lyrics from the first part with an emphasis on the "giving all the love you have". This is what told me to give all my heart to her. Never be afraid to show your heart. There is a special reason this time. Even though it was a big world idea, it mattered most in my little world.

III. Long Lost Brother of Mine - Basically, we have forgotten we are all brothers in this life and need a reawakening. The "second attention" is mentioned here again and the lines made me feel like I was having a spiritual and psychological breakthrough to a brave new life.

Seeing my life for the first time

Living my life in the dig dream

Walking away from illusion

Walking this dream everlasting

Walking the dream evolution

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4) Birthright 

This one is straightforward and even explains it in the lyrics booklet:

In 1954 the British Government, in order to maintain the balance Of power between East and West, exploded their first atom bomb at Woomera. They failed to contact all of the Aborigine peoples at the time. The Aborigines still call this 'the day of the cloud.'

Lyrics - This places is theirs, by their birthright.

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5) The Meeting

And then there's this song. The perfect song. It slowly creeps up on you and then Wakeman starts in on piano. And oh that piano! If I wasn't in love with that girl before, I certainly was now.

I still remember the first time I heard this. Jon sings those words, and the RW plays it out on piano right before it fades like it started. Perfection. And silence. We both sat in silence over what we had just heard. This was THE song. This was OUR song. It will never belong to anyone else. I will never hear this song and not think of her and that summer.

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