Interesting! And I actually quite like the 'Union' album, ranking it in 6th-place among their albums for me personally. And two of Rabin's songs are in my top five from the album: 1---Lift Me Up 2---Silent Talking 3---Shock To The System 4---Saving My Heart 5---I Would Have Waited Forever
I know Bruford never liked it , but i think it's good. Rick called it Onion , as it made him cry. There are very few weak songs on it , some are really powerful. The More We Live(Let Go) is excellent. Lift Me Up is great .. i could go on. i think people should give it another chance , don't be like Trevor Rabin and never even listen to the whole thing !
I can understand that the musicians in ABWH must have been really pissed at being replaced by session musicians, but as an outsider listening to Union, I love most of it.
I recall watching Trevor Rabin playing "shock to the system" on that tour along with Steve Howe... For me "miracle of life" Is a very enjoyable track (a favorite of.mine)
I was just a kid when 90125 came out, so Trevor was the first guitarist I knew in Yes. I've come to love both lineups but Trevor's vocals, writing, and playing are still incredible to me. I saw that Union tour, in the round at the Skydome, and it was a total eargasm. Saw many tours since, including ARW just a few years ago and they brought me to tears they were so good. Thanks for doing this, John!
Totally agree. Amazing song and the message is timeless! Wth all of the crises and chaos in the world going on right now, that message is more relevant than ever. Not one live version of that song on TH-cam.
I rank the Union album pretty low, but the tour was incredible. I saw it twice, the first time in the round. The amount of talent on that stage all at one time was staggering. Rabin and Howe have such different guitar styles that I thought they complimented each other.
Me too. I love 90125, but rarely listen to BG or Union (Talk is somewhere in the middle). Union just sounds so much like studio fluff. However, I saw two Union shows (Orlando and Tampa) and they were awesome. Awaken with the moving 'talons' around the stage was just surreal.
I would have much rather you ask him about a technique he has found to be helpful for guitar players- and what advice does he have for beginners or any of us actually - you would be surprised how simple some of these are - The best advice I received as a beginner was from the late great and underappreciated Ed King - he offered this : Young or new guitar players should put down the electric and learn on acoustic - solos and all if you are inclined to do so - That interview had a tremendous impact on me - almost 40 yrs ago !
I like Union a lot. One song nobody talks about and that I find quite exquisite is Holding On. I even did a bass cover video of that one, as I enjoy its bassline so much.
Lift Me Up is easily the best song on that album. When it came out it was all we had, and beggars can't be choosers. And this summer you couldn't get it ... 😆
Arista Records brought in Johnathan Ellias as producer, he took the ABWH songs and the parts that Steve Howe and Rick Wakeman had done, were played by other musicians. Jimmy Haun plays on nearly all of the guitar on the AWBH songs, even sounds like Steve Howe on them. Jon Anderson even sanctioned the idea and became very pally with Ellias. You can imagine how pissed off Steve and Rick were.
I remember that the Yes “Union” CD artwork (the CD itself), at that time, had some of the best printed graphics I’ve ever seen… it’s weird how I remember the better looking CDs from that era. Anyone else have any favorites?
The best thing that came out of Union was the tour. It brought the two fractions of Yes together. Some got along great (White-Bruford) and some never great (Rabin-Howe). But as Trevor says, it created a bond with Rick Wakeman and they went on to do AWR together with Jon.
Sorry, I KNOW it's, objectively, bad. Yet, I still remember being a hardcore fan and jamming this in my Camaro when it came out in the summer of '91. So ... sentimental love. Plus, you can't deny that tour was mind-blowing!
I'm certainly no going to say it was one of their greatest albums, but it has several songs I do like, Saving My Heart is still a favorite. However from his first solo album "Finding Me A Way Back Home" is one of my all time favorites from back in the day, loved it from the first time I heard it.
Union is uneven, but not as bad as I initially thought when I bought it. Especially when you compare it to anything that came out after The Ladder, with the exception of Fly From Here.
I can't remember who did the interview on Union. The album was a disaster due to the producer. A lot of the songs didn't have Yes members play on them. The producer didn't like some parts and had a friend come in and play replacement parts. It is truly a Frankenstein album.
Ironically I find Union to be the most 'Trevor Rabin like' Yes album. Jon did the producing I think, and he's sometimes hit and miss, but I was reading that he mostly put together the ABWH album then got the guys to add onto the tracks, and that was a pretty great album. But I would have liked to have asked about Steve Howe, I've heard that they all got on great except the guitarists, which often seems to be the way. But thats both the bad and the good thing about Yes, is the amount of input 'managers' have, but I've kind of heard the only reason Yes kept going was because of management.
It's got a few strong songs on it, but it's definitely one of Yes' worst albums. The tour, however, was amazing. I saw it three times in '91, and as a huge Yes fan (of both '70s and '80s Yes), you can't imagine how fantastic it was to see eight of the key guys playing all ages of Yes together for 3 hours. You should ask him about "I'm Running" from Big Generator. That track never got the recognition it deserved, and is a great example of the progressive work of '80s Yes (or Yes-West if you like).
if the band hadn't complained about their parts being replaced (by all accounts they were all a paranoid mess in the abwh camp and played like shit), no one would have been the wiser and people would have loved this record. it's a fine, late 80s/early 90s, aor/prog rock album.
Union had some fine songs on it. Unfortunately, it was butchered. Obviously. It’s probably too late, but it would’ve been great to revisit that album, strip off all of the outside musicians, have the original artists on each song redo or overdub their own parts. It never really even sounded like a YES album. I’ve read that Howe only played on his solo song.
You switch from discussing YES to something most haven't heard yet on his new album. Had no idea what you both were talking about. Bad interviewing/editing.
His singing on Rio is some of the best work he's ever done. So great to have Trevor back in a rock context again.
Trevor is one of my all-time heroes.👍His style is inimitable.
Interesting! And I actually quite like the 'Union' album, ranking it in 6th-place among their albums for me personally.
And two of Rabin's songs are in my top five from the album:
1---Lift Me Up
2---Silent Talking
3---Shock To The System
4---Saving My Heart
5---I Would Have Waited Forever
But no Miracle Of Life or Masquerade? 🙂
@@HazeAnderson - Let me give them a few more whirls and maybe my preferences will shift a bit...
you forgot "without hope you cannot start the day". Terrible title but great song, along with silent talking one of the only prog tracks on the album.
I know Bruford never liked it , but i think it's good. Rick called it Onion , as it made him cry.
There are very few weak songs on it , some are really powerful. The More We Live(Let Go) is excellent. Lift Me Up is great .. i could go on. i think people should give it another chance , don't be like Trevor Rabin and never even listen to the whole thing !
I can understand that the musicians in ABWH must have been really pissed at being replaced by session musicians, but as an outsider listening to Union, I love most of it.
I recall watching Trevor Rabin playing "shock to the system" on that tour along with Steve Howe...
For me "miracle of life" Is a very enjoyable track (a favorite of.mine)
I was just a kid when 90125 came out, so Trevor was the first guitarist I knew in Yes. I've come to love both lineups but Trevor's vocals, writing, and playing are still incredible to me. I saw that Union tour, in the round at the Skydome, and it was a total eargasm. Saw many tours since, including ARW just a few years ago and they brought me to tears they were so good. Thanks for doing this, John!
as far as seeing ARW, once Rick comes out wearing the cape....
Loved 'Miracle of Life"...would've loved to see a live version of this song.
Totally agree. Amazing song and the message is timeless! Wth all of the crises and chaos in the world going on right now, that message is more relevant than ever. Not one live version of that song on TH-cam.
Rabin gives great interviews and shares so much insight. Great to see him popping up recently.
That's wild...because one of his best solos ("Saving My Heart") is on there...
Great Interview!!!
The man is a genius. He has brought so much happiness to so many people.
I rank the Union album pretty low, but the tour was incredible. I saw it twice, the first time in the round. The amount of talent on that stage all at one time was staggering. Rabin and Howe have such different guitar styles that I thought they complimented each other.
Me too. I love 90125, but rarely listen to BG or Union (Talk is somewhere in the middle). Union just sounds so much like studio fluff. However, I saw two Union shows (Orlando and Tampa) and they were awesome. Awaken with the moving 'talons' around the stage was just surreal.
Tks fr th intrview
I would have much rather you ask him about a technique he has found to be helpful for guitar players- and what advice does he have for beginners or any of us actually - you would be surprised how simple some of these are - The best advice I received as a beginner was from the late great and underappreciated Ed King - he offered this : Young or new guitar players should put down the electric and learn on acoustic - solos and all if you are inclined to do so -
That interview had a tremendous impact on me - almost 40 yrs ago !
Very good interview - thank you
whatever they say -- for me, as a regular fan -- Union was a fantastic album that brought such joy in my life at the time
Yes lucky to hv him
I like Union a lot. One song nobody talks about and that I find quite exquisite is Holding On. I even did a bass cover video of that one, as I enjoy its bassline so much.
Lift Me Up is easily the best song on that album. When it came out it was all we had, and beggars can't be choosers. And this summer you couldn't get it ... 😆
Saw yes in 1994 was a big union fan they played nothing from the album this explains why, good interview
It’s ironically my favorite Yes album 😅
One of mine, too!
Rick Wakeman call that onion because it made him cry.
Arista Records brought in Johnathan Ellias as producer, he took the ABWH songs and the parts that Steve Howe and Rick Wakeman had done, were played by other musicians. Jimmy Haun plays on nearly all of the guitar on the AWBH songs, even sounds like Steve Howe on them.
Jon Anderson even sanctioned the idea and became very pally with Ellias.
You can imagine how pissed off Steve and Rick were.
I loved Union when it came out but had no clue how disjointed the creation was.
I remember that the Yes “Union” CD artwork (the CD itself), at that time, had some of the best printed graphics I’ve ever seen… it’s weird how I remember the better looking CDs from that era. Anyone else have any favorites?
The best thing that came out of Union was the tour. It brought the two fractions of Yes together. Some got along great (White-Bruford) and some never great (Rabin-Howe). But as Trevor says, it created a bond with Rick Wakeman and they went on to do AWR together with Jon.
There are songs on the Union album that I like and still listen to, but I haven't listened to the entire album since it came out.
Sorry, I KNOW it's, objectively, bad. Yet, I still remember being a hardcore fan and jamming this in my Camaro when it came out in the summer of '91. So ... sentimental love.
Plus, you can't deny that tour was mind-blowing!
I'm certainly no going to say it was one of their greatest albums, but it has several songs I do like, Saving My Heart is still a favorite. However from his first solo album "Finding Me A Way Back Home" is one of my all time favorites from back in the day, loved it from the first time I heard it.
I don't think in all the years I've been aware of Trevor I've never heard anything I didn't like! Hes amazingly talented.
Never been much of a fan of this album but I do like the song Lift Me Up that Rabin sings
Union is uneven, but not as bad as I initially thought when I bought it.
Especially when you compare it to anything that came out after The Ladder, with the exception of Fly From Here.
I can't remember who did the interview on Union. The album was a disaster due to the producer. A lot of the songs didn't have Yes members play on them. The producer didn't like some parts and had a friend come in and play replacement parts. It is truly a Frankenstein album.
Ironically I find Union to be the most 'Trevor Rabin like' Yes album. Jon did the producing I think, and he's sometimes hit and miss, but I was reading that he mostly put together the ABWH album then got the guys to add onto the tracks, and that was a pretty great album.
But I would have liked to have asked about Steve Howe, I've heard that they all got on great except the guitarists, which often seems to be the way.
But thats both the bad and the good thing about Yes, is the amount of input 'managers' have, but I've kind of heard the only reason Yes kept going was because of management.
Neither have I
It's got a few strong songs on it, but it's definitely one of Yes' worst albums. The tour, however, was amazing. I saw it three times in '91, and as a huge Yes fan (of both '70s and '80s Yes), you can't imagine how fantastic it was to see eight of the key guys playing all ages of Yes together for 3 hours. You should ask him about "I'm Running" from Big Generator. That track never got the recognition it deserved, and is a great example of the progressive work of '80s Yes (or Yes-West if you like).
if the band hadn't complained about their parts being replaced (by all accounts they were all a paranoid mess in the abwh camp and played like shit), no one would have been the wiser and people would have loved this record. it's a fine, late 80s/early 90s, aor/prog rock album.
He's the 9th Beatle.
Hearing his relatively deep speaking voice when you know how his singing soars, it's kind of a shock. (Not a bad shock!)
Strangely , if you close your eyes, picture Stan Laurel. There is a similar timbre, at least in this interview.
lift me up was a great tune
The weird thing is, it's not the worst album ever made.
Trevor is great. The 1991 tour was amazing to see live. Union is terrible.
Union had some fine songs on it. Unfortunately, it was butchered. Obviously.
It’s probably too late, but it would’ve been great to revisit that album, strip off all of the outside musicians, have the original artists on each song redo or overdub their own parts.
It never really even sounded like a YES album.
I’ve read that Howe only played on his solo song.
Incredible idea poorly executed.
Union was better than any of Trevor Rabin's solo albums. I still like it.
Awful cd one of there worse. Rick wakeman was right it made me cry.
You switch from discussing YES to something most haven't heard yet on his new album.
Had no idea what you both were talking about. Bad interviewing/editing.