Me and my journey through life, from the highest of highs to the lowest of lows and all wacky, funny, deep, depressing and interesting points in between. My interests are varied from one end of the spectrum to another. Basically, the disappointing side of mediocre.
Released on this day in 1994, Talk is the fourteenth studio album by progressive rock band Yes. It is their first release with an independent label after having been distributed the length of their career thus far with Atlantic Records and Arista Records.
Talk is also the last Yes recording with Tony Kaye on keyboards and Trevor Rabin on guitars, keyboards and vocals. Pop artist Peter Max created the artwork for the album. I think it pretty much sucks even though I have a t shirt with this logo. It was the first Yes tour and concert that I ever got to attend. It was at the old Orlando O-rena.
Here's one of my favorite tracks from this album:
I also have covered this album in more detailed posts (Side 1, Side 2).
The album peaked at #33 on the US charts (#20 UK) and had one Top 100 single, "Walls", that reached #24.
As a follow up to the previous album from a year earlier, Yes released Keys to Ascension 2 on this date in 1997. It also followed the same format as its predecessor having live tracks with new studio tracks. Also, more Roger Dean ya'll:
Like the first seven tracks on the previous album, the first six tracks on Keys to Ascension 2 were recorded live in San Luis Obispo, California in March 1996. The second disc features studio recordings made in November 1996. Rick Wakeman wanted these studio tracks to be released with Jon Anderson's working title Know, with the disc of live tracks thrown in as a bonus. Wakeman's preference was not honored and by the time Keys to Ascension 2 was released, he was no longer in the band (again).
On this day in music history, Yes was at it again (they love the month of September apparently) with not one, but two different albums released on this date.
First, in 1978, Yes released Tormato, which had a few decent ideas, but overall was basically crap.
The original album title was to be Yes Tor, referring to a geological formation in southern England. The photographs taken by Hipgnosis for the album cover were seen as so unimpressive that Rick Wakeman (RW!), in frustration, threw a tomato at the pictures. The cover and title were adjusted accordingly. No, really. That's how it got its name.
5) Walls - Every time I think a song is the cheesiest or worst song on an album, it turns out to be the one they release as a single. An earlier single, "Saving My Heart" from 1991's Union, was originally intended as a collaboration between Trevor Rabin and former Supertramp vocalist and songwriter Roger Hodgson. Although that track was done without Hodgson's involvement, "Walls", another Rabin–Hodgson collaboration, was included on Talk, with additional songwriting credits by Jon Anderson
6) Where Will You Be - If you asked me to pick one song from this album and trash the rest, I would pick this one. To me, this song is all about soulmates, and how our lives would be without them or of we lost them. I always wondered if she has ever heard this song and thought about me.
7) Endless Dream - This song is split into three tracks: Silent Spring, Talk, and Endless Dream. It is notable for being Yes' first epic in 14 years.
While older copies of the Talk CD featured the song separated into three tracks, later issues, such as the 2002 re-issue, combined it into one track.
a) Silent Spring (Instrumental) - (0:00 - 1:54) Instrumental intro about two minutes long. It begins with a 50-second intro featuring various instruments before the guitar-heavy song starts. The song is very fast-paced, unlike the other two tracks that make up Endless Dream. Near the end the volume suddenly drops and the music fades into the next song.
b) Talk - (1:54 - 13:50) The longest portion of "Endless Dream," at almost 12 minutes. It begins with notes continuing from "Silent Spring," and vocals starting at about 20 seconds in. The song features less guitar than the other two segments (though there are several short moments in the song where guitar is the dominant instrument), and is mostly led by keyboards and vocals. The song contains several elements of progressive rock epics, but still sounds very modern, and is very different from epics of the "classic" Yes era. The song ends mid-note, which is continued onto "Endless Dream."
c) Endless Dream - (13:50 - 15:43) "Endless Dream" starts with the final notes of "Talk" continuing onto the track, which quickly fade into a quieter rhythm. The song consists mostly of Jon Anderson singing a refrain from "Talk" with an additional verse. It ends with the sound of a single heartbeat (a heartbeat from an ultrasound, not the typical 'Bump-Bump'). Jon Anderson stated that these lyrics described a way of calming oneself in meditation and slowing down from the fast pace of modern life.
Talk reached #20 in the UK and #33 in the US during a chart stay of 8 weeks. "Walls" released as a single reached #24 on Billboard's Hot Mainstream Rock Tracks chart.
Talk (1994) is Yes' first release with an independent label after having been distributed the length of their career thus far with Atlantic Records and Arista Records.
In a 1993 interview, Alan White joked that the album would be called Crunching Numbers and another working title was History of the Future. He also mentioned a song called "Scarlet from the Tide", but it is unknown whether this song became part of a track on the album or if it wasn't added at all.
Talk is also the last Yes recording with Tony Kaye on keyboards and Trevor Rabin on guitars, keyboards and vocals. The album cover was done by Peter Max. It sucks.
Following the mammoth tour for Union in 1991, Bill Bruford, Steve Howe and Rick Wakeman left the eight-member band. Only the "A" from ABWH was left. Wakeman was originally going to be part of the lineup, but conflicts with management kept this from happening. Remaining was the 1983-88 line-up of Jon Anderson, Chris Squire, Trevor Rabin, Tony Kaye and Alan White.
With Rabin taking the lead - even producing the project himself, he introduced Yes to the non linear digital revolution. Talk was the 1st album ever produced on the Digital performer format. As a lot of the technology was very new from being at the frontier of non-linear recording, Talk was a difficult record to make technically. It has always sounded very modern and "electrical" to me.
1) The Calling - This was written by Rabin, Anderson and Squire, with Rabin producing. As with the other tracks on Talk, "The Calling" was recorded and mixed digitally, rather than on tape as was done with previous Yes recordings. The song has been described as featuring a modern sound, with heavy focus on Rabin's guitars, and a three-part vocal harmony featuring Anderson, Rabin and Squire.
According to Anderson, the song's lyrics were inspired by the concept of "local history", the current three-thousand year window of history, outside of which mankind has little visibility or understanding.
4) State of Play - Another almost "political" song with Rabin all over the place. I can see where many just think of this as almost a Trevor solo album.
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