Listening to YES: Talk, Part 2/3

[@markhaus2830]

This is the same YES Lineup as 90125 and Big Generator. "Talk" is my favorite of the 3.

[@joeloedeman5160]

They were clearly exploring the full dynamic and frequency range possible with digital recording.

[@lesimprosdulezardvert1342]

I'm so happy that you love this album, I don't know why people hated it

[@raymondfarrell6497]

I gave up on Yes with Big Generator and Union....this brought me back into the fold.

[@TheReaperMan275]

You gotta give it up for Jon Anderson on this one. He was 50 years old when _Talk_ came out and his voice was still phenomenal!

[@lesblatnyak5947]

I'm always stunned after listening to Yes for 51yrs that I'm still totally impressed with YES despite listening to them every day especially these past 3yrs.

[@jeffschielka7845]

😎❗

[@allanmartin1005]

You said Jim that they were “bucking the trend”, that’s what they did and a good thing to. I know there are people who will say “it’s not CttE or Relayer”, take your pick ……. and I say again “a good thing to”. They never allowed themselves to get stuck in a rut, they evolved and tried new things, I for one am thankful for that. Thanks Jim

[@martinhayward4466]

Agree totally. Did we all need a few carbon copies of the earlier classics? Certainly not. Personally Trevor was the guitarist Yes had to have after Howe to evolve rather than copy.

[@allanmartin1005]

I know what you mean, always enjoyed it when either Trevor or Billy was in the line up.

[@smuffy2323]

A brilliant album, been following Yes since 1969, first time I saw them live was in 1970 (I think) Dundee Scotland at the Caird Hall, the Yes album had just been released, seen them many times since then Edinburgh, Glasgow and of course the Union tour in London, I am now 72 years old now and they still give me a buzz. The last two tracks on this are excellent.

[@benjaminsanabria6021]

I'm a YES purist that loves every incarnation of their music legacy , all the way till the Quest album. YES 4 EVER.😁

[@jeffschielka7845]

😎❗

[@j.jennings1722]

I've been a huge Yes fan since '72, and didn't get a chance to see them until their Talk Tour, when Yes came to Little Rock, Arkansas. They played in an open-air amphitheatre right beside the Arkansas River and they sounded fantastic! The speakers surrounded the area where audience was located and there were times during the set when the music literally swirled and bounced around from speaker to speaker in a way I had never heard before. Very cool!

[@jeffschielka7845]

Yep. Surround sound!😎

[@cosmojo72]

Where Will You Be struck my little 11 year old self back in 94 so hard. I absolutely loved it for some reason.

[@rcpsammy7186]

When I talked to Trevor, he is very proud of this album, as well he should be. He pushed this band, and again, this is a superb album. The tour was phenomenal.

[@jeffschielka7845]

Agree❗😎

[@richarddobson815]

Jim, you thought that 'Where will you be' sounded african. Well don't forget that Trevor Rabin was South African and often incorporated those influences into his writing. His solo album 'Can't Look Away' has great examples of that. I'm glad you're liking the album, I liked it straight away also.

[@starshiptrooper7670]

I like this album very much. Caught the tour in Nashville. In Chris Welch's book CTTE The Story of Yes, Rabin talks a bit about Talk. Love my Yes!

[@jeffschielka7845]

😎❗

[@tonygrinney7115]

Jim, you have hit the nail on the head of something that had troubled me since I bought the album in 94 until 07 when I got a copy of the live tour in Chile. I liked the album when it came out but that was it I liked it, I didn't rave about it but I liked it, there was a certain coldness to it, a lack of warmth, that I couldn't put my finger on until you mentioned it today. Then after seeing the band perform live from the DVD, finally I got it! What the album was about. Especially Endless Dream which had such a warm feel when seeing it performed live, so the album jumped up a few notches in my estimation since then. Thank you for pin-pointing the issue out to me. Inever understood my reaction until now.

[@JMK65]

The first time I've heard WHERE WILL YOU BE, I felt like traveling all over the world through so many native cultures - don't know why but it was amasing. Thank you Jim and try to go deeper on the lyrics, thay are amazing!

[@ryanr5319]

For me, 'Where Will You Be' is the gift of Talk. A delight.

[@leoscone4036]

"Talk" was primarily Anderson and Rabin driven. Squire, who was usually heavily involved in writing of Yes songs, stepped back from that on this album. Beyond the new technology of the time giving this album a different sound, it is largely devoid of direct Squire influence. That's the biggest reason it feels/sounds different. My take. Blessings.

[@paulhughes2317]

I love this LP.

[@shyshift]

I did hear State Of Play once or twice on Classic Rock FM in Eureka California.

[@jeffschielka7845]

Hey Jim! You mentioned the words shinning and happy. I believe with the success of 90125 and Big Generator Jon and Trevor wanted to keep that going. They performed Walls on Late Night with David Letterman, a popular night talk show. Remember the band got their first number one hit with Owner of a Lonely Heart. So I think shinny and happy was the way to go. A new generation of fans was now following YES. The early 90's were tough for prog bands. How do you keep that prog sound going and reach the rock crowd at the same time? I think YES did that with Talk. Love this album. Jim you did talk over Walls, thus missing when it ended. Lol. Less talk, more listening, especially during Endless Dream. Treat it like Awaken 2.0. Thanks Jim! FOREVER YES❗😎

[@tonygrinney7115]

I think what Jim meant was there is a bit of discordance between what is being sung and the music "no way out" "on my own" "anger rising" "Another scream, another shout, walls come tumbling down" the happy melody of the song doesn't reflect what's happening in the song. Again something I'd never thought about until Jim brought it up.

[@jeffschielka7845]

@@tonygrinney7115 Possibly, but I don't want to answer for Jim. Let's see if he replies to your reply Tony?😎

[@sportster16301]

Walls to me sounds like a country song.

[@davidhankins7776]

I think Jim is correct in that was a different sound from the original Yes that fans were used to. Something that struck me as I'm listening to this again for the hundredth time is the harmonies. Trevor Rabin added another great singer and great voice. I didn't notice or appreciate it enough before.

[@lesimprosdulezardvert1342]

It's a bit sad that this version of Yes stopped after this album. But after that, back to the roots with Steve Howe.

[@6lillium]

I'm convinced , that if this was another band , "Talk" would have been more successful, and had better reviews.

[@HollowGolem]

"I paused to collect my thoughts, and then realized there's not enough of them to collect." What a line. Love that you're able to appreciate this album within its context and its difference from the 70's material. It always amazes me when fans of a group abandon them when they change a few of the outward trappings of their sound (moving to digital recording, or slight genre shift) but keep their core songwriting. Yes always had a "bright" sound. Not bright in the way that digital recording is bright, but I feel like the nature of the digital sound complements their idiom in a way it wouldn't for other acts (for example, Jethro Tull and Gentle Giant ought always to have an analog sound). I'm a Rush fan, and they get much of the same disdain for their 80's-90's material, though their core songwriting and instrumentation remaind the same. More keyboards, and Alex did more atmospheric, harmonic work in the 80's, but he was still damn creative and Neil's lyrics were still spectacular. And the rhythm section still held it down. Maybe it's because I'm on the younger end of things (not quite 40 yet), so I got to experience most of the Yes discography compressed as already-extant back-to-back, outside of the broader context of the decades in which individual albums were released, but it is refreshing to hear artists willing to abandon the formulae they know work and do something a little different.

[@gabiesiren]

I agree with Jeff, let's hear part 3 today!

[@jeffschielka7845]

😎❗

[@patricknicolucci5073]

Jim, once we get to Keys to Ascension studio 1996. Yes's original line up once again will produce that classic Yes sound Mind Drive, That, that is & Be the One some of their best IMHO.

[@LetsDoEntertainment]

Post Video comments: This is exactly the 90125 lineup. I had to listen to you twice to make sure I heard you correctly. "Bucking the trend" - Exactly. In the U.S. in the mid-90's Diane Warren was turning emotional flotsam into top hits for Celine Dion, Cher, Toni Braxton, and in 1998, Aerosmith lost ALL of my respect with Warren's "I Don't Wanna Miss A Thing." On the other end of the charts, Soundgarden, Stone Temple Pilots, and Nirvana were busy churning out the grunge/rock sound. Yes were never a band to FOLLOW any sound except their own. Sadly, I feel Trevor was stuck in the 80's with his production style. This may also explain his mere modest success writing and producing soundtrack music. Yes is largely an undefinable genre, as is much of the Rush catalog. (I keep wondering when we're going to drag you into the Rush camp.) I can clearly hear some styles and sounds that have influenced later prog bands. "The sound is very bright..." - This CAN be true but doesn't HAVE TO BE. Trevor totally bought into the "perfection" of digital. I like Trevor and appreciate his contributions to Yes. He's really a brilliant player and quite unique. I'd love to have heard an accidental, errant note or drum beat that slightly misses, but Trevor would have fixed any such "mistake" in post. Also, the mastering decides the final product. Trevor chose CLEAN, ad nauseum. He didn't have to. I see this album as a set of new ideas and thoughts with a nod to 70's Yes.

[@Lightmane]

Love your comments, and I agree about Rush. Jim, many of us would love to watch you go through all of Rush's albums. That would be just as much fun as the Yes albums : )

[@jeffschielka7845]

Well said.😎

[@JeremyLivitt-qn2io]

Walls one of the best set of lyrics ever written

[@dwglover55]

The best analog/digital contrast for me was Keith Emerson changing from Hammond to Yamaha for the Works albums. It changed the sound of the band dramatically and for me, I prefer the warm analog sound of previous albums.

[@michaelescareno7048]

Great that you reacted to this!!! The only reaction I've seen to "State of Play"!!!

[@douglasgraham9045]

I believe I read that Talk was the first album recorded on a computer hard drive exclusively. Trevor Rabin was the main driver of the new technology during that time

[@kevingreen3429]

Well.done jim think you managed to dig your way out of that very well 😅🤣

[@GlobalWarring]

Not sure if anyone has said this yet but Where Will You Be was brought forward from the ABWH incarnation whereas the others were mainly 'Yes West'.

[@lesimprosdulezardvert1342]

Yes ! Talk part 2 !

[@yes_head]

"Where Will You Be" might be my fave song on the album, just because it's relatively earthy and not mired in the 80's production and drums everywhere else on the album. It was also cool when they played it live because Chris used an electric upright bass which I've never seen him play before or since. I'm not sure of the model or brand, but it was similar to the kind of thing Tony Levin or Sting had been playing. Although I agree with someone else in the comments that it was around this time that Jon's lyrics took a noticeable turn toward a very repetitive "Be the light...we are the sun...one people...one love" pattern that he's never shaken off to this day. Re: The 90's Brit-pop thing, for some reason none of those bands made the slightest dent in the U.S. market. I remember picking up copies of Mojo in the mid 90's with splashy cover stories about Oasis and all these Manchester bands, but I can't think of a single time I heard any of them on U.S. radio.

[@stephendennis5911]

Don't care what era of yes this but this is my favourite cd album

[@gabiesiren]

thanks for sharing fabulous music!

[@anthonyblakely399]

I have heard a lot of Yes and seen them in concert 5 times.... Love these songs!!!! Love this song!!!! Love Very Very hard hitting Heavy Metal and Funky music in this album. I disagree with the American music influence bit......Folk.....Rap......Rock n' Roll ....R & B....Blues.....Funk.....and Jazz......and Gospel music are American music and literally "African American Music" that influenced music since the 1940's so Yes has always included and experimented with these genres...and I feel along with millions of Yes fans that YES did a fantastic job integrating these genres in "State of Play" and other songs on this album. Beautiful!!!! And "Where Will You Be & The Calling" is just updated Crosby Stills Nash & Young style Folk with some South African music. A Great Band Greatness is learning other avenues to add to their creativity is creating. And Yes is doing just that!!!! Your reaction was okay....a little Bias and stuck in the past!!! Time to expand & Grow this 2023!!!!!

[@sportster16301]

You should hear Chris's bass on State of Play through a subwoofer. It'll change your whole meaning of life.

[@kenl2091]

This is a good 90s melodic rock album. Is it as good as Yes's 70s prog albums? Not by a long way. Is it as good as Yes's recent prog(gish) albums? Probably but that's not a high bar anymore. I have a copy of this but I don't think I need to hear it ever again - there's so much better out there.

[@jeffschielka7845]

Hey Jim! Here we go with part 2!😎

[@lesblatnyak5947]

214 👑 🎶

[@bliastreb6466]

Jim: I'll bring it. SHUT UP WHILE THE MUSIC IS PLAYING!! Your comments are insightful, immediate to the music, smart. But you're depriving newbies and upsetting us old-timers. Your commentary is really some of the best among Yes pundits. Please share in between tracks, OK? I send this in the positive Yes Spirit

[@Lightmane]

Jim, I hope you watch some ARW concerts on KZbin. I believe you'll really enjoy them. Anderson Rabin Wakeman was the new YES, much better than the current YES. I'm shocked that they disbanded. They really had something special. Hope you check them out and let me know what you think.

[@WooBino.]

JON meanders around a harp occasionally.........😂😂

[@JackSujovolsky]

I believe its the first one recorded straight to Apple computers.

[@romanjohnston]

No appologies needed.,....it is straight up channeling the universe into song.

[@andrewwallace4481]

Part 2 is more dreamy than part 1 part 3 if where the Fireworks were let loose on the Finale. Endless Dream 👍different technology has played a major part in the sound within this music Jon Anderson was 50 on this recording his Vocals are spot on for me.

[@jeffschielka7845]

Jim I don't want to push it, but will we see part 3 today? You got my YES going for the one and all! Lol!😎

[@Lightmane]

Your wish has been granted : )

[@mrcjanssen1]

I agree with you Jim. This is Rabin in the lead and his guitar is all over every track and his swan song with Yes. I think he took the band as far as he could go. When he stepped away the band kind of collapsed into nostalgia with Keys albums. I like Talk particularly the early songs which I would characterize as really muscular. If I had a criticism is would be Squire too low in the mix and Kaye being all but invisible. I imagine the live versions of these songs would have a slightly different take and really something like the Union songs.

[@TigerMtnKing]

YES! Ready for Part 3!🤩

[@jeffschielka7845]

😎❗

[@mellotronin54]

I think Big Generator the previous album was the first digital recorded album . They had to keep adding hard disks to keep up with what they were trying to achieve. That was Trevor Rabin pushing the boundaries of recording not necessarily capturing the magic of YES. Ho Hum all good things ect

[@palantir135]

Hi Jim, Memory loss? We call that Alzheimer light 😜. Don’t worry, I have the same once and awhile. In a comment on the first video of this series I mentioned John Howe in stead of Steve Howe. John is a Tolkien illustrator and participated in The lord of the rings trilogy movies by Peter Jackson. I’m a BIG Tolkien fan. Hopefully we don’t get Alzheimer. First song reminds me of 90125. Guitar is a bit loud compared to the rest of the music but the song is quite good. Second song. I’m not really impressed 🥱😴 Third song? Not impressed again. It’s a bit too simple. Maybe works as a lullaby. Ok, Jon does a great job.

[@lesimprosdulezardvert1342]

"If not you're AC/DC forever" :D !

[@MP-TheNewGuy]

There are parts of “State of Play” that I like. Parts of the vocal delivery are very good. I don’t like the drum beat and dance groove feel. It is the song I like the least on the album. I have never thought the drum beat sounds like Midnight Oil or Crowded House. If it does, Midnight Oil and Crowded House does that sound better. I love those two groups. “Walls” is an Ok song. Not bad, not great. Inoffensive. When the album came out, I found “Where Will You Be” to be so boring. I was in my 20’s then. It has grown on me a bit and is actually a bit pleasant to my ears now. These are my least 3 favorite songs on this album. They are not horrible, they just don’t rank that high in my love of the Yes Catalog. As for the different feel in the digital sound, it is too clean. Agree fully with Yes exploring and being progressive. AC/DC is a lot of fun, but their catalog is way too repetitive. In the US, while I was certainly listening to Talk, Yes was out of fashion. It would not have matter what this album sounded like. In 1994, Soundgarden’s Superunknown came out, Pearl Jam’s Vitalogy, but it was also the end of the so called “Grunge” era with the death of Kurt. What they are now calling “post-grunge” was taking off. I was in my 20’s and loved it (still do), but I always love Yes and come back/listen to Yes more often than any other group.

[@Lightmane]

Hi Jim. I'm looking forward, once again, to watching and hearing your thoughts on this music... and I'm perfectly fine with you coming out with part 3 tomorrow, or the next day, or even next week, cause I've heard this album several times now. It's your thoughts on the music which is why I watch 🙂

[@patricknicolucci5073]

Jim , Victory records did not support this record only die hard Yes fans like myself bought it in 94 Victory went belly up soon after and the CD disappeared from store shelves. Not many music fans even knew this existed. I saw that tour at MSG in Quad and WAS NOT SOLD OUT!

[@jeffschielka7845]

Poorly produced, no advertising. 😎

[@colinburroughs9871]

@@jeffschielka7845 the production is not the issue here other than maybe it's too on point, but it's actually pretty good for what it is. You could say there's things within the production that's not a great aesthetic choice though or it's kind of sterile. But it's not overly hot or mixed poorly.

[@stinky_nut_blast]

As the biggest fan of 90125 and Big Generator, I was shocked when I saw this album in a store. No prior notice, no news in magazines. Nothing. I didn't even know this iteration was recording. Something that will never happen again.

[@davidlane2737]

Beautiful , who wants angry music

[@colinburroughs9871]

It's not a perfect album at all, but it was probably as good as they could have done and post Union, it was clear Trevor was the only one who had the clarity to get this done. Odd time capsule record, even though this sound isn't really contemporary with the mid 90's generally, it's still very much of that time. Probably a bit underappreciated by Yes fans.

[@gabiesiren]

Hello, when is the next record haul, you haven't done one since the october video

[@cliveshell5543]

I agree with your bright, brittle comment Jim. Great album though.

[@andrewbradley6941]

Apparently there's very little of Chris Squire's playing on this. Rabin sampled a few notes with his new digital technology, Squire was constantly late for sessions as per usual and the rest is history.... it certainly lacks his normal soul...

[@colinburroughs9871]

Chris and Allan don't make a solid thump on this record, it's a digital thump from post production. That's probably my biggest issue overall

[@gregjones861]

No, the collective shrug was from no promotion.

[@threestringsomg]

I'm gonna go 2/4 after the 4th track....State of Play is a bit as you say dated but also meh....that chorus reminded me of Phil Collins....at his generic pop mode worst....(love early Genesis stuff though.) It's amazing how with similar set up on each track some are more seriously cheesy than others. Sry it's 2/5 after track 5. That 5th track is poor man's Def Leopard. Crowded House I got into deeeeeep last year and sry Jim they are different level with this kind of sound. Shiny happy people would hate this track Jim😂👀☺️....I do recommend a Crowded House deep dive though. I love em now having ignored them growing up. Another master pop a bit rock influenced band of same era would be Talk Talk. They are genius. Start to track 6 is more like it Mr Anderson. Folky chanting? Yes please. I'm disappointed there's no heavy guitars since track 3....🤨....ok enjoying the break here from bad upbeat songs though as the trancy tune glides along...almost getting Clannad meets Tribal 3/6👍

[@lesimprosdulezardvert1342]

The mix with "Where will you be" is a bit strange

[@tommac215]

omg Jim you talk so much through the music it's nearly like you're auditioning to be there next lead singer.

[@IllumeEltanin]

While the instrumentation is much better than what I typically hear on his solo albums, these three songs feel like an Anderson solo project to me. As I am a fan of Anderson, I am enjoying it, but so far it doesn't feel like Yes to me.

[@Lightmane]

I bet you'll enjoy Endless Dream, assuming you haven't heard it before : )

[@IllumeEltanin]

@@Lightmane I'm pretty sure that's a track I've heard at one of the shows, although I don't think it was with Kaye on keyboards. I know I haven't heard the studio before.

[@Lightmane]

@@IllumeEltanin let me know what you think of it 🙂

[@chrisblower8868]

It's a decent AOR rock guitar album, but it's not really classic Yes. Trevor's album with them backing him. Very catchy though.

[@TheAmazingSpaghetti]

Well, Ian Anderson and Jon are related, so you weren't that far off.

[@jeffschielka7845]

Not!😎

[@michaelcapewell4811]

Sorry to be the token curmudgeon…but by this stage i’d really had enough of the “One world…one love…one people…one mind…one sun…one moon…one life…etc” lyrics and Jon’s monotone, chanting style. They are interchangeable on just about every Yes song from ‘78 onwards. I dunno…i suppose there’s only a finite number of ideas that a band can have…and only a finite amount of the same pudding that i can eat, even if it’s my favourite pudding 🤔 Plus…i just don’t like the sound and the digital recording. Bah! Humbug etc. It’s alright…average and not disastrous. Just not what floats my boat 🤷‍♂️

[@emptysquares6863]

I remember thinking how old fashioned this sounded when it came out. But tbh, I was never a fan of Rabins teeny-bop pop tunes and artless shredding. Sorry to everyone else here, but for me this is just.....dire.

[@wendellwiggins3776]

When you love YES for being one of kind mindblowing Gawds of inventiveness then this is PAINFUL. it's Trevor being a Rock Star & YES clichés. This was not YES nor was it them doing what they did best. What they did best was progress! this was 80's crap and I love good 80s' bands. I 've never heard them sellout so much then on this bad commercial mess

[@xlerb_again_to_music7908]

Yawn... alas, little for progheads here :( Indeed, getting tired of Jon always piping away.

[@jeffschielka7845]

Then why are you here?😎

[@xlerb_again_to_music7908]

@@jeffschielka7845 Interest! Yes have been a great band; I want to see what became of it over the years.

[@jeffschielka7845]

@@xlerb_again_to_music7908 Fair enough.😎