Music Monday (Union, Side 2)

So now we have hit the midpoint of Yes's 1990 album Union and are moving on to side two. Side one can be found here.

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Side Two

1) Miracle of Life - Another song about whales and saving the oceans.

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2) Silent Talking - Great song here from the ABWH camp. It doesn't ring, it doesn't ring true...

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3) The More We Live/Let Go - This song is the first appearance of Billy Sherwood, who was being considered as a replacement for Jon Anderson at the time. He will resurface later, but this actually a very good song.

The more we live, the more we learn, the more we know.

The more we give, the more we love, the more we grow.

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4) Angkor Wat - Easily the most experimental song on the whole album. Mystical and awesome, it is probably my favorite as well. I wish Yes had done more stuff like this.

I am a child of the universe.

I deserve total recognition of this in the light of God.

Being a child of the universe,

I want to live in a world without war

I want to live in a world without starvation

I want to live in a world without pestilence

I want to live in a world of love, peace and harmony

Because I am a child of the universe.

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5) Dangerous (Look Into the Light of What You're Searching For) - Long title but another good song from the Anderson group. There was a dance mix version of this song (they did that a lot in the late 80's/early 90's) that had a longer, extended middle section.

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6) Holding On - Another almost haunting song for me. Holding on to a changed and ended relationship that led to dark days of wondering. How long this energy of winter? How many times is time enough?

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7) Evensong - This is a version of Bill Bruford (drums) and Tony Levin's (bass) duet from the ABWH tour. I always think of it as a small intro to the next song.

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8) Take the Water to the Mountain - Sadly, the only song to survive from the ABWH II demos. It's more exotic sounding, but it also leaves off an entire verse for a more haunting ending.

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And there we have it. Union reached No. 7 in the UK, and No. 15 in the US during a chart stay of 19 weeks. As of 2014 Union is their last studio album to reach the Top 10.

The Japanese and European editions also included the song "Give and Take".