------------------------------------------------------- JUNE 20, 1989 ------------------------------------------------------- Source: Progrography http://www.connollyco.com/discography/yes/abwh.html Review: Anderson, Bruford, Wakeman, Howe By Dave Connolly Anderson, Bruford, Wakeman, Howe Produced by Chris Kimsey and Jon Anderson Released on June 20, 1989 A dry and judgmental review stood here earlier, a monument to critical mediocrity. Perhaps some negative energy surrounded me, finding its outlet in the petulant assessment that the album looked like classic Yes and invoked the great glyphs (Anderson, Bruford, Wakeman, Howe) in tantalizing order, yet somehow the spell fizzled. And that dismissive attitude wasn’t an isolated experience; in fact, every time I played ABWH looking for Fragile, I came away disappointed. (Begging the obvious question: Why not just listen to the old classics if that’s what you wanted to hear?) The rest of the time (roughly half), I’d listen to ABWH without those preconceptions, and a new spell would be woven: intoxicating in a different sense than the old days, less intense and perhaps sparingly celestial, but still a source of some magic. Because the reunion was colored by more than a decade of fanciful speculation, it seems I’d let the ghosts of “Roundabout” and “Siberian Khatru” haunt the present, and it obscured me from seeing the beauty of ABWH. If it suffers from some infragility, it must. Bill Bruford and Rick Wakeman had arrived at a different place since the early ‘70s, availing themselves of modern instruments and new sounds over the years because of a native curiosity, the same curiosity that drove them to explore the edge way back when. Listening to “Brother of Mine,” “Quartet,” “Let’s Pretend,” “Fist of Fire” and “Order of the Universe” is to hear less a reunion than a pre-Union, planting the seeds that would blossom on the organic-sounding half of their next album (“Silent Talking” and its klatch). The presence of peripheral personalities to the Yes story are kith and kin I’d welcome in: Tony Levin, Max Bacon, Vangelis, Geoff Downes, Rhett Lawrence. None of them atone for the absence of a certain squire, but they’re hardly hired hands. Lately, I’ve been experimenting with the way I hear things, in particular isolating the music from the musicians. So forget for the moment that this is the music of Anderson, Bruford, Wakeman and Howe. Give it a new name of your own choosing, one unfettered with impressions and ideas. Then will exploration and enjoyment dance entwined. TRACK LISTING 1. THEMES     i. Sound (Jon Anderson/Steve Howe/Rick Wakeman/Bill Bruford)     ii. Second Attention (Jon Anderson/Steve Howe/Rick Wakeman/Bill Bruford)     iii. Soul Warrior (Jon Anderson/Steve Howe/Rick Wakeman/Bill Bruford) 2. FIST OF FIRE (Jon Anderson/Steve Howe/Rick Wakeman/Bill Bruford) 3. BROTHER OF MINE     i. The Big Dream (Jon Anderson/Steve Howe/Rick Wakeman/Bill Bruford)     ii. Nothing Can Come Between Us (Jon Anderson/Steve Howe/Rick Wakeman/Bill Bruford)     iii. Long Lost Brother of Mine (Jon Anderson/Steve Howe/Rick Wakeman/Bill Bruford/Geoff Downes) 4. BIRTHRIGHT (Jon Anderson/Steve Howe/Rick Wakeman/Bill Bruford/Max Bacon) 5. THE MEETING (Jon Anderson/Steve Howe/Rick Wakeman/Bill Bruford) 6. QUARTET     i. I Wanna Learn (Jon Anderson/Steve Howe/Rick Wakeman/Bill Bruford)     ii. She Gives Me Love (Jon Anderson/Steve Howe/Rick Wakeman/Bill Bruford/Ben Dowling)     iii. Who Was The First (Jon Anderson/Steve Howe/Rick Wakeman/Bill Bruford)     iv. I'm Alive (Jon Anderson/Steve Howe/Rick Wakeman/Bill Bruford) 7. TEAKBOIS ("The Life and Times of Bobby Dread") (Jon Anderson/Steve Howe/Rick Wakeman/Bill Bruford) 8. ORDER OF THE UNIVERSE     i. Order Theme (Jon Anderson/Steve Howe/Rick Wakeman/Bill Bruford)     ii. Rock Gives Courage (Jon Anderson/Steve Howe/Rick Wakeman/Bill Bruford/Rhett Lawrence)     iii. It's So Hard To Grow (Jon Anderson/Steve Howe/Rick Wakeman/Bill Bruford)     iv. The Universe (Jon Anderson/Steve Howe/Rick Wakeman/Bill Bruford) 9. LET'S PRETEND (Jon Anderson/Steve Howe/Rick Wakeman/Bill Bruford/Vangelis) CREDITS JON ANDERSON -- lead vocals BILL BRUFORD -- acoustic and electronic drums STEVE HOWE -- guitar RICK WAKEMAN -- keyboards Matt Clifford -- keyboards, programming, orchestration, vocals Tony Levin -- bass, stick bass, vocals Milton McDonald -- rhythm guitar The Oxford Circus Singers (Deborah Anderson, Frank Dunnery, Carol Kenyon, Tessa Niles) -- backing vocals J.M.C. Singers (Jon, Matt, Chris) -- backing vocals Emerald Community Singers, Monsterrat -- backing vocals Michael Barbiero -- mixing Chris Kimsey -- engineer Chris Potter -- engineer Steve Thompson -- mixing Roger Dean -- artwork, painting and design Close Window YesInThePress.com For site comments, inquiry, corrections, or additions, contact yitp@yesservices.com