A look into the musical world of Trevor Rabin: composer, performer, and a man of many careers.
Introduction:
A series of essays wherein I explore the numerous musical identities of my favorite musician: from child prodigy to teen idol to guitar hero to singer/songwriter to award-winning in-demand film composer.
Featuring news/updates and commentary/analysis of Trevor's career and associated projects. Comments are disabled but please feel free to contact me at rabinesque.blog@gmail.com.
Not that I would willingly afford any space on the blog to Twitter spam clickbait tweets (because as a cultural curator I strive for a particular level of quality in what I present to my readers), but links to this particular site have been showing up for a few months now, and this one keeps catching my eye.
The quote is from a 1998 interview, when it wasn't as widely-known that Trevor's scoring career began in South Africa rather than America. As I've noted previously, although the usual cited year of release for Death of a Snowman is 1978, my research indicates it was first released in South Africa in 1976. 1978 was the year it was released worldwide under the name Black Trash. A couple years before the recent official DVD release under the movie's original title, I obtained a gray market copy of Black Trash, the name obviously chosen to appeal to the Blaxplotation market even though Death of a Snowman, strictly speaking, is not that kind of film. I remarked to Trevor that, in my opinion, Death of a Snowman wasn't any better or worse, in terms of the plot and acting, than The Glimmer Man - providing one of those career ironies in regard to his full-time return to film scoring twenty years after an obscure debut in the field.
This is not to imply that he couldn't have written a score at 19, because Trevor was definitely a wunderkind: discovered at age 14 by Patric van Blerk, playing on recording sessions as a teenager, experiencing unprecedented nationwide success by his early 20s. But there are several indicators to illustrate the Maestro's chronology is a bit off when it comes to this particular project. Trevor was 19 in 1973, which was the year he and Ronnie Friedman participated in Freedom's Children. Trevor did perform session work during this period, and it's possible he was still studying at university that year as well, but I do not believe he would have had the appropriate amount of time available to compose a film score the old-fashioned way, as he has chronicled in various interviews.
My assertion: Trevor was 21 - rather than 19 - when he wrote his first score, in 1975.
The centerpiece of Trevor's career at that time, Rabbitt, provides some reference points. One of the tracks on their 1975 release Boys Will Be Boys! is "Death of Tulio," which is under 30 seconds, qualifying it as something a bit less than an instrumental interlude. It wasn't until I actually watched Death of a Snowman that I realized "Death of Tulio" was a cue from the movie, as Tulio is the name of one of the henchmen working for the titular Snowman character. However, it is not the cue used for that (spoiler alert) scene in the movie. I originally thought it was an unused cue which Trevor decided to include on the album because they (Rabbitt) had played on it, but it is actually used in another part of the movie and does refer to a death - for a scene which shows newspapers delivered with a headline declaring War On Crime (the Snowman's nom de guerre) has eliminated another rival. Given that much of the score for the film is rock/soul rather than orchestral, it's an entirely logical supposition to assign the performance credits to Trevor, Neil and Ronnie.
Rabbitt's hit single "Charlie" is used in a scene featuring reporter Steve Chaka's girlfriend (who is also named Charlie) and I would imagine the song was not recorded before 1975. When I told Trevor that "Charlie" can be heard in the movie, he ruefully did not approve of his younger self's decision to include it, which I would assume - as the musical director - he would have made, or at least agreed to.
Another detail is the cameo by vocalist Margaret Singana, who mimes along to "I Feel So Strong" (from 1974's Love Is The Power) as well as "Open Your Mind" (co-written by Trevor, from Stand By Your Man, released in 1975). As we know, Trevor was involved with her career at that time and I believe he and Patric van Blerk had something to do with her appearance in the movie, but either way the choice of songs also indicates the applicable time period.
This clip provides a true example of the type of scoring which Trevor provided for this film.
I would not recommend any but the most dedicated of completists add this movie to their collection (but if you're an Amazon Prime member you can watch a decent-quality copy of Black Trash for free), although if nothing else it offers a glimpse of the Johannesburg environs in that particular era, including a shot of landmark Hillbrow Tower in one scene. But it is an example of just how dedicated and ambitious Trevor was at that very young age to take on whatever project he thought was interesting, challenging, and something new in his overall development and experience. Whatever the outcome, a hallmark of Trevor's musical journey is to be adventurous, and we fans appreciate and admire his eternal resolve.
For fans of the short-lived action-packed TNT series Agent X, this recent article verifies the show has been unable to find a new home - so this is truly the end of the adventures of John Case - but series creator William Blake Herron outlines what would have happened had there been a Season Two...and there are some major revelations therein. A second season would have been interesting indeed (in that over-the-top sort of way, of course).
"The next album, this Talk album, we really went into doing seriously, to do something that hopefully we could say, twenty years time, that's one of the things we did that we're really proud of."
- Trevor Rabin, 1994
*~*~*
Today marks the 22-year anniversary of the release of Talk, an album which seems to garner equal parts respect and derision in Yes fandom even after two decades. This indicates to me that, love it or hate it, you can't ignore its' impact in the overall history of the band's recordings.
In the period following the release of Union and the Around the World in Eighty Dates tour, Yes fandom expectation was high in regards to an actual union of either the two ensembles (i.e. YesWest and ABWH) or some combination of individuals thereof from those eight musicians. There was hope, at least on the part of some of those people, that such a thing would actually occur. It's interesting to realize, when considering interviews of the period, how expectations differed for the principles themselves.
Strange bandfellows: the Union collective in a cheeky moment.
When Trevor and Jon were interviewed by journalist Tesshi Ichikawa in 1992, they offered nearly opposing views of what might occur in the following year(s). Interestingly these were incredibly candid interviews, likely figuring their cohorts would not read the subsequent articles which would, after all, be translated into Japanese.
Jon
"The group is eight people, and that's it, that's the story. And if we do an album together I'll be very happy. So I need everybody in the group. It's a question of ego, because everybody has to give a little bit more because there's more people.(...)We have created a very wonderful musical vehicle on stage and now we have to transfer that to a good record."
Trevor
"As far as I'm concerned, the tour was just something where, you know, the album happened the way it happened and, uh, as far as this going somewhere further, -a- if it's gonna be kind of a thing where it's still a retrospective looking at the past - and something which the Union album is as well - it's not something which is gonna try and break new ground and be vulnerable enough to take a chance and make a fool of yourself trying to do something new. Then, you know, it's silly to even try and continue. And the other thing is, as a 8-piece thing it's kind of, we've got it to work live, and it's a lot of fun, otherwise we wouldn't be here. But as far as a future project, you know, I mean the way it happened was so peculiar, it would be contrived to make it happen in that way again, and as far as eight of us getting together in a room and rehearsing, we've never done it before, for something new or writing new stuff so as far as doing it with eight people, you know, I'm skeptical as to whether that's gonna happen."
There's a very good reason why all the surnames are listed on the back cover of Talk...to make it entirely clear as to who was involved in the album.
Setting aside the eternal political machinations of various Yes factions, what did result from the interim period - with what would be the final release of the YesWest lineup - is actually the most modern-sounding record of their entire discography, even more so than 90125 a decade earlier. The philosophy of ever looking ahead, over the horizon, at whatever might be the next musical landscape which has been attributed to the band as a whole, was fulfilled by this work, whatever its critical profile might have been then and now.
To quote Jon Anderson again: "Change we must."
But "modern" does not mean "contemporary" in terms of my aesthetic argument. When I say Talk is modern-sounding I mean that it resides outside of temporal considerations. The only track I would say is somewhat dated is "State Of Play," but on the other hand its' stylistic meldings were audacious for the time, when crossovers between rock, pop and hip-hop weren't yet a matter of course in popular music...but more on that later. There is something fresh, exciting and vital about this album even 22 years later. It has a big sound - which some have characterized as cold or harsh - with complex arrangements, layering and sound placement which engages the listener on more than one level with a sense of crisp immediacy as well as strong songwriting and musical performances. And it is a technological landmark, using recording methodology which was in its' developmental infancy but within the next decade would become standard procedure across the entire industry. Lyrically the album addresses a true planetary consciousness: from the way in which our perceptions of other cultures are shaped/warped by the media (a decade before pundits would begin debating "The Fox Effect"), the inherent corruption of evangelical fervor, all the way to universal considerations of cosmology.
What is important to remember is that YesWest was its' own stylistic entity as musicians, composers and arrangers, and every album reflects that dynamic with suitable progression and development. Though the core values of constantly striving for innovation and excellence is something attributable to the history of Yes as a whole, those three albums are studies in how that particular group of musicians sought to encompass the history and their own unique talents.
Even as I'm grateful I had the opportunity to personally express to Trevor that I believe Talk has always been unfairly maligned, it's difficult to write about this album, it's a lot of work to explain its' importance and overall value. To critically assess Talk means taking on a whole host of bad feelings from the fanbase as well as biases which have hardened within the bedrock of twenty-two years' worth of opinion. Those myths about Talk prevent it from being considered for the Yes canon at all, let alone the YesWest era, and I'm going to address some of them in terms of my own impressions and critical assessment.
It was great doing an album and at the same time kicking the boundaries of technology.
- Trevor Rabin, 1994
When we did Talk it was a journey into the unknown. People get misled. It wasn't done on computer, it was just done non-linear on hard drive which meant things could be manipulated in a different way. There were proper instruments - real guitars and drums and stuff - but no recording tape was used.
- Trevor Rabin, 1998
Talk sounds too cold and harsh because of how it was recorded.
There is one particular aspect of Trevor's acumen and insight I believe has never received its' proper due in either historical or fandom discussion: Trevor Rabin accurately predicted the future, specifically the method in which albums would be recorded, long before most musicians and industry executives had even considered a direction. As far back as 1987, when asked about trends in the 1990s, Trevor stated that recording technology would soon be accessible to any musician and therefore "the facility of recording well and having access to a lot of different equipment I think will be accessible to a lot of people who, at this point, don't have the money to get that."
So basically Trevor predicted the emergence of independent digital-based "bedroom recordings" which would cause an entire paradigm shift in the music business.
I can understand why many people believe the advent of digital technology did not serve the industry well but the fact remains that the way in which Talk was recorded was revolutionary. No one had ever used MOTU's Digital Performer for the purposes of recording an entire album prior to this project. Trevor was the beta tester of the technology. But the actual methodology of capturing the music remained the same as regards the use of amplification, mic'ing, outboard equipment and signal paths/chains into the mixing board for the purposes of recording. However, I believe that a reflexive prejudice regarding this technology has resulted in opinions which are inherently biased against the record without the benefit of closely-considered listening. I would declare the overall sound is the farthest thing from "cold and harsh." It's a brand-new widescreen landscape of possibilities which yet retains the emotion and humanity of its' creators.
When Trevor's instructional video was filmed in 1992, it was shortly before the redesign of The Jacaranda Room in order to embark upon Talk, but we are afforded a glimpse of the future: Trevor using Digital Performer to record himself in real time with a backing track (which then ended up being used - twenty years later - in "Market Street").
The drums don't sound like the way Alan White plays.
Trevor made a very interesting observation regarding Alan's playing in a 1989 interview:
Alan works exceptionally well with machines. He's also not bad on his own. But he knows how to work with a machine, he's very good at playing absolutely in time with a machine without any flams.
(A "flam" is a type of drum rudiment consisting of a grace note and a primary note played with both hands to sound like a single broader note.)
Trevor was referring to the tracks "Cover Up" and "I Miss You Now" on Can't Look Away. which featured Alan playing along with Basil the drum machine. And few was the traditional rock drummer who could play to a click track, so Alan was unique in that regard and his tight, almost robotic, grooves all through Talk are no surprise to me given Trevor's assessment of his abilities.
The bass doesn't sound like the way Chris Squire plays.
Considering that Chris' sound on YesWest recordings had changed overall since their debut in 1983, it really amazes me when this aspect is raised as an objection. And there has been speculation regarding the amount of bass he played, even suggesting that Billy Sherwood's involvement began with playing bass on the album (a claim Sherwood has denied) or that Trevor played most of it himself. Trevor has stated it is Chris, though perhaps Chris' commitment and/or focus was mitigated by the use of the technology, as he noted in his 2002 (published in 2003) interview with Mike Tiano:
I don't think Chris came to the album with the same energy that he did on 90125, and it must have been frustrating for the band because it was this whole new format where everything you looked at, ear-wise as well, was through this little screen, which was a whole new ballgame.[...]but I think Chris got somewhat frustrated, although I think he played some of his best playing on that album. I think some of his playings are tremendous on that album;
In further support of this assertion, Chris stated in a 1994 interview with Bass Player magazine that "Real Love" is "proof of the evolution of my style" in that it contains "a really basic bass part" yet acknowledging that if he hadn't written it he probably wouldn't have wanted to play it.
Chris and Alan are barely on the record.
You know who's actually "barely" on the record? Tony Kaye. Why does no one ever bring that up?
It's really a Trevor Rabin solo album.
I understand that Trevor's primary involvement in this record is not to certain fans' liking, but not only as a principle songwriter and performer but also arranger, engineer and producer, it was pretty much a necessity. But one which - people seem to forget - was agreed upon by both the band and management. However, the additional central involvement of Jon Anderson does, at the very least, debunk this particular assertion from the outset.
All of the objections can be boiled down and answered by this comment (author unknown) - which I believe was published around the time of the release of the Collector's Edition reissue version in 2002.
Yes, Rabin was the producer of Talk, but the label asked him to be. Yes, Rabin recorded the entire album direct to a hard drive, allowing him to manipulate the music and shuffle parts around, but this was no different from an engineer splicing tapes up to assemble a finished product out of bits and pieces (hello, Eddie Offord)--it just made the job a lot less messy. And as for the rumors that Rabin reworked some of Chris Squire’s bass lines--even if true, Squire’s presence is still strongly felt and nothing is detracted from the album’s bass work.
*~*~*
"Someone asked me the other day about where Yes fits in with today's music. I told him, `I don't think it does.' We're like a pair of Levis. We're never in fashion, but we're also never out of fashion."
- Trevor Rabin, 1994
I read a comment a few years back describing the arrangements of the songs on Talk as "sonic scenery" and I wholly agree. The landscape Trevor creates in the mix features an amazing use of headspace which is why I heartily recommend listening to the album on headphones - a wealth of detail is revealed. Talk is the album which should be considered for a 5.1 Surround remix, it was literally created for the multichannel experience.
Side One
"The Calling" is, in my opinion, the best album opener of the YesWest oeuvre, a thoroughly uplifting song with beautiful full harmonies, an immediately catchy riff, interestingly dynamic aural textures (including an incredibly low bass part at the end which Trevor noted was the result of using compression on Chris' take to bring the sound even lower), resulting in a global anthem with an irrepressible sense of hope. As well as one of Trevor's most directly political-minded lyrical contributions: I'll be calling voices of Africa,
be the rhythm to the plan. From the Congo to Lenasia, be the writing on the wall.
...speaking directly to his homeland's struggle with putting an end to apartheid, even as South Africa had experienced a shift in leadership and policy in that era.
There were four different versions of "The Calling" which were released on a special promo EP with the track listing thus:
1. Radio Edit (5:58)
2. Single Edit (4:39)
3. Album Edit (6:55)
4. Original Version (8:06)
As we know, the original version also appeared on the Japanese version of the album, and then as a bonus track on later reissues. There was even a German release which included both the single edit and the original version coupled with the "Silent Spring" section of "Endless Dream." The original version of the track features a quieter ambient-sounding instrumental break around 3:45 which lasts for roughly a minute and 15 seconds. I am in favor of either version - I believe the album edit is as interesting and "complete" as the original version.
"I Am Waiting" melds a pedal steel-type texture and melodic rock in an interesting fashion, the tension between the slide figure and Jon's proclamations of longing shifting between gentle verses and a booming chorus. The purposely dissonant bridge at 3:31 (taking the place of an instrumental break) has often been criticized by fans, but I think it's an interesting way in which to introduce another voice, and one which was meant to provoke surprise in listeners. Trevor noted in my interview with him that, as an admirer of Schoenberg, he believes atonal music can be beautiful.
At the album premiere party, Trevor described "Real Love" thus:
"It’s a song that one should listen to late at night, with headphones on, in a certain frame of mind."
And I'll take the liberty of quoting myself as well (from my essay "something Fishy"):
On an album which is largely defined by the efforts of Trevor and Jon, choosing to make their own collaboration the core of the production, this is a moment in which Trevor does his best once again to take Chris' idea and expand and elaborate upon it until it is something epic in the realization. Their harmonies on the bridge refrain before the chorus are absolutely wonderful, and the groove and growl and power with touches of a more mysterious atmosphere of the song entire is something yet again unique in their catalog while also a perfect expression of what YesWest was meant to be as an ensemble.
In what I believe is the very best couplet, the song moves from considerations of the macro:
Far away, in depths of Hawking's mind
to the micro:
to the animal, the primalistic grind.
From the vastness of the universe to the tiny fraction of space between two coupling bodies: Trevor not only drawing inspiration from his reading of A Brief History of Time, but also the way in which he tended to juxtapose Jon's more cosmic concerns with those of the physical world, invoking the marriage of Earth and Air. And the multiple layers and textures, the dynamic movement of the arrangement, the way Trevor makes Jon's vocal sound like he's literally floating out in space, then suddenly moving right in front of us, and the wild panning of the end solo (shades of "Owner") complimented by the rumbling waves of Kaye's Hammond organ - it's an amazing ride.
The phrase "state of play" originates in Cricket but can also refer to the ongoing status of a situation. The song bearing that particular title similarly reflects a related immediacy in both its' subject and composition. In a 1994 radio interview, Trevor and Jon noted that the then-ubiquitous influence of CNN motivated their social commentary outlook in the lyrics. "Somebody selects it," Trevor observed, referring to the types of coverage injected into the public consciousness, "there are editors telling us what we should hear." Inspired by the Doppler effect of a passing siren, Trevor composed the raucous hook and then married it to a swinging four-on-the-floor groove with a simpler acoustic texture in the verses, and this construction somewhat resembles the same sense of stylistic collision we previously encountered in "Big Generator." An unexpected and adventurous blending of styles is, of course, a hallmark of Trevor's compositional discipline. His most audacious solo can be heard in this song: rollicking slide alongside sounds which go beyond what one expects to hear on a guitar - also similar to what he accomplished with "Big Generator." As someone who was thoroughly familiar with numerous subgenres, Trevor's addition of a funky breakdown and touches of New Jack swing throughout are in themselves as progressive as quoting baroque or jazz influences within other versions of the band. In a detail which would be featured on each side, the final refrain features a callback to "I Am Waiting."
Side Two
It has long been a fandom complaint that "Walls" is much too poppy, but I believe it's actually less of a pop song than "Love Will Find A Way" for example, so it's difficult for me to view that aspect as a problem. I believe the presence of Roger Hodgson - in a very close almost blood harmony-like duet with Trevor - is the very heart of the song, the way they shift from lower phrasing on the verses to a higher register in the bridge and chorus underscoring the emotional depth and nuance of the song's themes of alienation and longing for connection. And "Walls" much like "Lift Me Up" - another song written in roughly the same timeframe - is one of Trevor's best songs overall in regard to its' memorable uplifting melody.
If I were to say that the album contains a weak spot, it's "Where Will You Be" if only because it's obviously an inclusion which didn't result from the other sessions. If you compare the versions of the backing track on Talk and 90124, they're pretty much identical, just lengthened in spots, which is supported by a comment Trevor made in a 1994 interview stating that Jon didn't want to change anything about the track itself. On the other hand, live versions of the song are quite lovely and I can certainly understand why Jon wanted to put a vocal on top of that track, which Trevor originally composed as the "signature tune" for an Australian film.
"Endless Dream" calls to mind other Yes epics like "Close To The Edge" and "Yours Is No Disgrace" in terms of arrangement, progression, and textures. But it goes beyond these traditional structures to include a wholly three-dimensional experience which - especially on headphones - moves around you with adventurous sound placement and layering. The "Talk" section of the song contains so many interesting passages, including the section where the listener is placed in the very center of the sonic image, with intricate harmonies, sound effects (created by guitar), rhythmic bass and percussion, and textured vocals. The ambition and grandeur of the music is perfectly balanced with the emotion of Jon's performance, as the heart and conscience of the composition, as well as brilliant two-part and three-part harmonies from Jon, Chris and Trevor. The contrast between the verses which Trevor and Jon sing is yet again that marriage of Earth and Air, even as each invoke philosophical and emotional import. Trevor deliberately textures his voice to provide a particular mood, juxtaposed with Jon's clear natural register. The song evokes the traditional values of Yes: progressive, far-reaching, complex and engaging long-form compositions, but rendered with the tools and taste of their current musical context. Indeed, how else would we expect YesWest to create such a work?
This is just my theory, but the electronic synth element we hear at a couple points in the song - during what I refer to as the "celestial" passages - sounds nearly identical to a loop from Cybotron's "Clear" which was originally released in 1983. The loop has been sampled numerous times over the years, including a few instances in the early 1990s, and was originally inspired by Kraftwerk's "Hall of Mirrors" from 1977.
As I mentioned there was a callback in "State Of Play" and I hear two in "Endless Dream" - one is the harp sound from the intro to "Rhythm Of Love" at approximately 8:06 and then the hook from "Where Will You Be" around 15:06.
*~*~*
Ain't no party like a YesWest party: the boys celebrating circa 1994.
When the band toured to support Talk in 1994 (including the entire album in the setlist save "State Of Play"), the technological innovations continued on with the live presentation: the production approaching near-Pink Floyd standards with the use of a tiered stage and elaborate lightning design, as well as quadraphonic sound and the ConcertSonics enhancement system - which Trevor referred to as "audio binoculars." Attendees sitting in a particular section of the venue could tune into a simulcast of the show if they brought a Walkman-style radio and headphones.
In an interview with the Orlando Sentinel conducted during the tour, Trevor elaborated on how the system would enhance the listening experience:
''It's a slightly different mix to what comes out of the P.A. - there's just a different emphasis on different aspects,'' Rabin explained. ''If a solo is being played, it's far more vivid than when you listen to the P.A. And although we have very extensive P.A. on this tour - a monumental kind of quadraphonic sound that comes at you from all sides - if you put the headphones on, it gives you a very different perspective.''
The use of ConcertSonics allowed for far better-quality audio bootlegs than on previous tours, which Trevor fully expected it would:
"Our main concern is that they use good tape,'' he said. ''People do it anyway, so what are you going to do? We may as well have good quality (bootlegs).''
The development of ConcertSonics was an interesting sidenote in the history of YesWest, in that Trevor's original idea for isolating the FOH mix at a concert (inspired by attending his first baseball game and witnessing how others listened to the play-by-play on the radio while watching the game in real time) was then given to Clair Bros. Audio - with whom Yes had been working for nearly the whole of their career - for development. Over the years the technology has led to related advancements in live event audio broadcast.
In the continuing spirit of innovation - although it was considered a somewhat strange choice at the time - rather than any kind of traditional music video, the Yes Active CD-Rom was released by Compton NewMedia to accompany the album, inviting viewers to "Experience Yes' latest album Talk - from the inside." Trevor proclaimed at the Talk release party "for the reason we don't have videos is 'cause Phil Carson won't pay for them!" But the clumsy navigation and functionality of the disc meant the release received probably as many negative reviews as the album itself.
The band made a promotional appearance on Late Show with David Letterman between early dates of the Talk tour, performing "Walls." Seventeen years later Trevor's son Ryan would appear on that same stage with his band GROUPLOVE performing their first single "Colours" with lead vocalist Christian Zucconi playing Trevor's white Yairi DY-88.
*~*~*
As I said, I thought the band was just playing great on that tour. But I just felt that there was a kind of disillusionment, the disappointment of, 'God, this took so much energy to do this record, and now what?' In every band there's pulling and pushing politically, and emotionally, and it was just one of those albums where it was so intense, that you either go somewhere...where do you go next?
- Trevor Rabin, 2002
In a very real way, the artistic success of Talk rather than the commercial success is what doomed the enterprise entire. Each album had been progressively more difficult to create and record - and none of them had been easy, for various reasons - and the heights of this hard-won victory meant the end result of poor sales and concert attendance ultimately undermined Trevor's confidence in the road ahead. Despite the initial strong showing of the two singles ("The Calling" getting to number three and "Walls" to number 24 on the Billboard Mainstream Rock chart), the album itself peaked at number 33 on the Billboard 200 and Phil Carson noted Talk sold only about 300,000 copies worldwide. Add to that the eternal interpersonal conflicts which define Yes as a whole, leading Trevor to decide to bow out of the organization and follow a different path which then renewed his sense of creative purpose and fulfilled a long-held ambition. In the end it was likely the best outcome for all involved, even as many fans were devastated by Trevor's decision to step away from rock n'roll. In my opinion, the world was just not ready for the future...and the band's decision to revive the Classic lineup in 1995 is proof that the fans and their admired personages equally craved the comfort of nostalgia over the adventure - and inherent risk - of innovation.
The man I consider the father of modern record production passed away on March 8th at the age of 90. Martin leaves behind an enduring and timeless legacy not only for his association with the Beatles, but the very heart of his craft, always an innovative and adventurous artisan, and as many will attest, a true gentleman.
Trevor posted a remembrance of Martin on his Facebook page last night:
I was so sad to hear of the passing of Sir George Martin. Some years ago he called me. He was doing a concert at the Hollywood bowl with orchestra and a band. He asked me to play and sing. It was an evening of Beatles music."Sir George Martin and friends". I sang a number of songs including Golden Slumber and some other songs. It was a magical evening. He was one of a kind. He was brilliant, kind, and just a wonderful human being. The end of an era. Loved you Sir George. Never to be repeated.
When I interviewed Trevor in 2012, one of the things I asked him about was the following: I had read somewhere that when he first came to London, Martin offered to produce him but Trevor turned him down. However, Trevor did end up working with Geoff Emerick at Martin's facility AIR Studios on sessions for Face To Face. He replied that the only time - which he recalled - he ever interacted with Martin was performing in the LOVE show, which is a slightly different thing than he's relating in his post.
Update: thanks to the search-fu of another fan on Facebook, there was raw rehearsal footage which did include Trevor singing "The Long and Winding Road" at the end of the clip, around the 00:48 mark, but unfortunately the video has now been deleted from YouTube.
I received a wardrobe question from a reader regarding the photos which were posted on Alan White's Facebook page back on March 3rd, from the afterparty for the Imagine A Cure benefit performance in 2009, which Chris, Alan and Trevor participated in and was as close to a YesWest reunion as we were ever going to get.
The shirt Trevor is wearing - do you know what that is?
Why yes I do, although you can only partially see what is printed on it.
(photo courtesy of Alan White)
It's a Team Rod t-shirt - from the 2007 film Hot Rod, for which, as we know, Trevor composed the score. In the movie, the shirts were worn by the "crew" of Rod Kimble as he hilariously pursued his goal to jump fifteen buses in order to raise money for his stepfather's heart operation.
This shirt is available through sites like RedBubble and fivefingertees if you desire to attire yourself similarly. Which reminds me...The Lonely Island has a new movie coming out this year - Popstar: Never Stop Never Stopping - and I find myself wishing Trevor could have been involved, but he's a busy man!
Content warning: op-ed likely to ruffle a few feathers, caveat lector.
Spotted on Facebook: in yet another of those endless fandom dicussion permutations of Howe vs. Rabin, this purported quote from an interview Trevor supposedly gave at a Toronto radio station during publicity for Union (which would place its' possible occurrence in April 1991)was trotted out as evidence of...something, I guess.
"From the time I was 11 Steve Howe has been my idol."
As someone who has made it her avocation to study the whole of Trevor's career in excruciating detail, I can honestly state - and plainly assert - that if Trevor did make this exact statement it was purely in jest. Trevor has a wicked, often smartass, sense of humor (which I have personally experienced) and I wouldn't put it past him to be a bit of a troll - though not on the level of Geoff Downes, for example - but...I think most readers of this blog would agree with me that it beggars belief to insist he meant such a thing.
But if you would prefer not to take a Rabid Rabinite like me at my word, then let's break it down, shall we?
This fan photo, taken during the Eighty Dates tour, is the only one I am aware of where the lead guitarists willingly posed together outside of official publicity shots. Seriously now, do they look like they want to be posing together? In my estimation Trevor is mustering little-to-no enthusiasm in the moment.
Sure, there were smiles onstage but that was mere workplace civility. The more telling detail is to be found in the hugs at the end of the performances, of which the two engaged in only the most perfunctory of embraces. By contrast, Rick Wakeman hugged Trevor like he'd just found his long-lost brother - now that was affectionate camaraderie (which in turn supports the idea of ARW as being motivated by love rather than money).
Trevor has cited his influences on various occasions over nearly the entirety of his career, including when I interviewed him in 2012. In none of the interviews I have ever read/heard, nor in the interview I conducted, did he ever name Steve Howe as an influence or an "idol." In my interview he said his hero was Arnold Schoenberg (fitting for a classically-trained musician). In the YesYears documentary - which would have been an appropriate opportunity to state this alleged idolatry of his then-bandmate, and which occurred in roughly the same general timeframe as Trevor's purported declaration - who did Trevor say was his primary influence?
John McLaughlin.
The exact quote was: "Primarily I think John McLaughlin’s been a major influence."
Trevor has invoked Johnny Mac so many times over the years that I was - frankly - surprised when he backed away from that assertion in my interview with him. He related the influence of Johnny Fourie, for example, who as far as I knew Trevor had never mentioned previous to writing about him in the liner notes of Jacaranda, and I brought up that observation to him. He wasn't entirely certain why that was, but we discussed why Trevor considered Fourie a formative influence on his playing, and Fourie's unsung status in South African music history - something entirely unique to my interview with him, I might add.
Read my interview - heck, read just about any interview from the Jacaranda promotional cycle - and you will see the pantheon of guitarists Trevor admires. Steve Howe is not among those names. Which is not to say he does not respect Steve's work, but Steve did not influence him, much less become his "idol."
Let's also consider that Trevor was 11 years old in 1965, and it's true that Steve had made his professional debut the previous year. But if any guitarist was Trevor's "idol" at that particular time, it was Hank Marvin. When Trevor was winning piano competitions so that his parents would buy him rock n'roll records, he was asking for records by Cliff Richard, and also The Shadows. I doubt if anyone in Johannesburg knew who Steve Howe was in 1965. But also, Trevor has stated - again, numerous times - that he was not a fan of Yes in the 1970s, he was in fact far more familiar with the solo work of Rick Wakeman.
A few more things to consider: if Steve was Trevor's "idol" then why didn't he jump at the chance to join Asia in 1981? But he didn't, and it cost him his contract with Geffen Records. And wouldn't Trevor have been more apt to actually sound like Steve when he was in YesWest? But he didn't, and that is what Classic Yes fans have been complaining about for the past three decades, give or take. It's an argument which has been going on so long, I refer to it as - in the minds of those who will never give Trevor any credit at all - "the genius vs. the hack" debate. And what about Trevor declining Steve's invitation to rejoin the band, as he noted he had done in a 2010 interview with Classic Rock Presents: Prog? One would think he would welcome an opportunity to play with his "idol" once more. But he didn't.
And why, of all things, would Trevor make a joke about Steve's classic solo spot "Clap" when introducing "Solly's Beard" as he did on the club tour of 1989, referring to it as "the other guy's." Mocking someone - good-naturedly or not - who was his "idol" certainly doesn't appear to be customary worshipful behavior to me. Keen observers of Yes internal politics recognize this as a joke which references how Trevor couldn't ever escape not only numerous comparisons to Steve, but having to play Steve's material in his day job.
All of these historical details just don't add up to support the alleged citation as strictly fact. Now I may not know the history of Yes as thoroughly as some out there in the wilds of the Internet who have staked that particular claim, but I do know Trevor's history, and therefore I must completely disavow this notion simply because if it were true, don't you think we would have better evidence of it beyond one supposed comment? Supposedly it was "well-reported" but having read/heard dozens of interviews from that era, I have never come across any mention of it at all. We do, on the other hand, have a preponderance of evidence against its' veracity.
Nice try, though...just sayin.'
However, if anyone can actually provide evidence of this purported interview I'd love to hear it, because I imagine the context will prove my assertions completely.
Note: this post is image-heavy (for those of you with slower browsers).
Yes co-founder/bassist Chris Squire would have been 68 today, and I desired to lovingly acknowledge the legacy of the chemistry which Chris and Trevor displayed onstage, it was always so much fun to watch. Their friendship weathered a number of tumultuous events for each of them, both personal and professional, and I firmly believe that their emotional bond was the very foundation of what their partnership comprised, from their origins as Cinema through all the changes YesWest endured.
Over the years they appeared on magazine covers together, and did an endorsement ad for Ampeg together, but their interaction in live performance was truly a joy to behold, because it's all in those smiles...watch just about any YesWest video or performance footage and at some point you will see Chris and Trevor with smiles meant solely for each other.
"Hold On"
When they say a picture is worth a thousand words, well, sometimes it really is true. This sequence in the performance of the song in the 9012Live concert film (which was also released separately as a promotional video) is what caused me to originally term their relationship an epic bromance. During the 9012Live tour, Chris and Trevor were playful - often downright silly - throughout each performance, but this was one of those classic evocations of interaction regarding the way in which rock music can be distinctly sexual. And for a song which originally contained a blatantly sexual narrative it's fitting (even if we didn't know it back in 1985).
The song was performed as a part of Yes' appearance at the Atlantic Records 40th Anniversary concert at Madison Square Garden in 1988, which was broadcast worldwide. During their customary interaction, Chris does something even more obviously affectionate.
"City Of Love"
As those who have viewed 9012Live and various pro-shot shows are aware, Chris and Trevor had an entire routine for this song, it was choreographed (and in the aforementioned film, you can see that Trevor is so over the whole thing - he rolls his eyes at Chris just before the part where Chris pretends to knee Trevor in the crotch).
"Love Will Find A Way"
The video for this song is randomly weird as videos of the 1980s tended to be, but Chris and Trevor's mimed interaction during the instrumental break is particularly hilarious.
"Shock To The System"
Color-coordinated outfits aside, their interaction in the song during the end solo/vamp is akin to what they did with "Hold On" but I tend to think they may have been having fun with it strictly as parody or to distract themselves from the fact that they - especially Trevor - didn't enjoy playing this one at all.
"Solly's Beard"
This one incorporates a true BFF ritual: the secret handshake. For the outdoor shows in sheds on the Eighty Dates tour where they couldn't use the rotating stage, a routine came about for the introduction to Trevor's solo spot where Jon told a story about a boy and his friend, the boy practiced music every day and his friend polished the stool he sat upon, complete with humorously dramatic enactment. But in the Mountain View version there's a few other details...one was the prank played on Trevor of injecting the seat of his stool with water (and you can clearly see his wet behind as he walks around on the stage during the solo), and also their Aren't we cute? hug for the audience.
Talk release party broadcast 3/16/94
This promotional event was held at the Hard Rock Cafe in Hollywood, and there was a lot of alcohol ingested during the proceedings. The participants (and the very rowdy audience) became progressively intoxicated as the evening went on, which lent a decidedly comedic aura, with an emphasis on party. Trevor and Jon gave an interview the following day where Trevor all but publicly acknowledged he was thoroughly hungover and he noted he hadn't actually slept since the previous night.
Host Bob Coburn made this hilarious observation towards the end of the broadcast - after Trevor performed a drunken singing impersonation of Jon - as he witnessed Chris and Trevor's antics:
"Uh-oh, Chris and Trevor are hugging, no, Chris is mugging Trevor, look out!"
Trevor quipped, "Jon, I know you're in the car, listening."
Coburn attempted to regain control, but by then it was probably much too late.
"Trevor, quit mugging Chris over there! And now they're mugging for the cameras, it's a giant mugging here at the Hard Rock."
Trevor said, "He's full of -" then howled like a dog.
"I Am Waiting"
During the denouement of this song as performed on the Talk tour in 1994, Chris would walk from his side of the stage over to Trevor's - something he did often during a YesWest show - they would play the final sequence in unison, and then at the very end, Chris would offer Trevor his index finger which Trevor would grasp, then raise their arms up high, finally putting their arms around each other's shoulders and taking a bow. It was thoroughly adorable and with hindsight I can appreciate that after all they'd gone through by that point in their shared existence they still cared for each other deeply.
There are likely others who may have noticed this as well...it has been pointed out to me by a very astute observer of Trevor's wardrobe that the shirt he was attired in at the 212 music spot photo op was not a black button-down but rather Trevor's famous shiny green shirt which he wore - among other places and times - in the video for "Anerley Road."
To which I say, "By jove, fellow Rabinite, I think you're right!" The primary value of that video, of course - beyond its' promotional duties - is that it is a veritable parade of Trevor's fashion sense (and guitar collection). The best guess is always to assume: if you see it now, you've seen it before. So I hang my head in momentary shame, as one of those who always tries to pay attention to the continuity of Trevor's closet. I can only promise you I'll try to do better next time!
