90125
My Favorite: "Changes"
Even with the changes to "Changes" it is every bit as much Trevor's signature song as is "Owner" - and a work which successfully melds Trevor's melodic sensibilities with Yes' prog-minded ambition.
The Best: "Hearts"
The first of those songs which fans would come to refer to as "epic" as regards YesWest, and one which features amazing performances and a wonderfully dynamic sense of drama and emotion, topped with Jon's cosmic fairy-dust.
Big Generator
My Favorite: "Rhythm of Love"
This song manages the feat of being a hit single and showing a bit more grandeur in its' use of harmonies and various touches of production filigree... it is seductive in every way. And it's got one of Trevor's best solos.
The Best: "I'm Running"
This is my favorite YesWest epic.
My comments from the entry "something Fishy"
The most ambitious, intricate, and interesting song on an album which tends to be underrated even now; the story goes Chris drove Trevor a bit nutty during sessions by playing the bass riff which opens the song over and over again as an idea he wanted to work on. At first Trevor wasn't sure of its' potential but then he finally relented and wrote a Latin-themed melody to go with it, as well as some of his best lyrics (then added to with a refrain by Jon). The song shifts frequently in dynamic and mood and sounds quite unlike anything they'd done (or would do ever after) with great performances and production and lots of interesting little touches (including the hilarious use of a duck call as a transition) and I believe it's a great example of Trevor taking the foundation of Chris' idea and building a beautiful edifice on top of it, even as he used the analogy that Chris was "polishing the vase" due to his obsession with the riff while the building fell down around him!
Union
My Favorite: "Lift Me Up"
Trevor's greatest anthem, 'nuff said.
My comments from the entry "something Fishy"
Long-time fans know Trevor originally wrote this song prior to its inclusion on the album, as he and his touring band played the opening sequence as their entrance music on the club tour of 1989. But Trevor has recounted that he and Chris worked on the lyrics together, and the choice of words lends a sense of grandeur to the whole. This remains an incredibly compelling song, and also a highlight of the Union tour setlist.
The Best: "Miracle of Life"
This is another of Trevor's anthems, and an excellent one given its' specific subject of animal rights. But also it is an interestingly complex take on what might be considered his version of progressive rock (even as Trevor recently said he's not too fond of the term).
Talk
My Favorite: "Real Love"
This song never fails to give me chills, and I would play it as evidence of what I love about Trevor's playing and production/mix skills.
My comments from the entry "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.
My comments from the entry "Talk and the modern sound of YesWest"
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."
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 Best: "Endless Dream"
Many fans consider this the only YesWest epic and for me the way in which it moves through distinct passages, changing moods and ambitious musicianship is nothing short of amazing.
My comments from the entry "Talk and the modern sound of YesWest"
"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.
Of course, no listicle would be complete without an embedded playlist, so here is mine, from my Rabin-esque YouTube channel.
