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.
With thanks to my esteemed fandom colleague Henry Potts for the heads-up.
A bit of an oddity, I suppose you could say....toward the beginning of the month on the Monstrosity podcast Trevor was interviewed by David Race, a Los Angeles-based comedian and "paranormal enthusiast." Although to be honest this really comes off more as a "Trevor reacts to some dude saying a bunch of stuff about him." It's essentially a fan (who was formally a Philadelphia-based disc jockey) who just wants to talk to him about Yes-related things and as such I'm not sure how interesting it is to long-time diehard fans because we're not hearing anything we haven't already heard.
Trevor's interview takes up most of the run of the episode.
Announced yesterday, newly-minted Commander of the British Empire Rick Wakeman is returning to the US for his Even Grumpier Old Rock Star Tour, which is a mix of music and comedy provided by Rick and a piano and will be wending its' way through North America in October and November of this year. This means we might possibly...hopefully...expect a cameo from Trevor once again when the tour comes to the Theater at Ace Hotel in Los Angeles on November 12th, and since Rick is going to be in the neighborhood, perhaps he'll also be visiting the Jacaranda Room to contribute some keyboard wizardry to Trevor's album-in-progress.
Available now to view, SOALNight Live host Sean Tonar leads further discussion on the history of the band with Yestorians Henry Potts and Aymeric Leroy. Part two includes the advent of YesWest, as well covering Trevor's entire tenure with the band. Part one is also available on SOAL's YouTube channel for those interested.
The specific YesWest-focused content is at various spots in the video, the conversation begins with analysis of the various tours, commentary on their tours starts around the 27-minute mark and the formation of Cinema about an hour in.
Note: this is an op-ed I originally wrote in 2019, although Yes performed the song in question for only half of The Royal Affair Tour, thus my plans to post it at that time fell by the wayside. So consider this entry a bit of time travel as well, back to a simpler time, when we had the luxury of going to concerts and then obsessively picking them apart in the aftermath.
*****
For a fair portion of the overall Yes fanbase (some might even say most) the absence of ARW activity in 2019 isn't entirely devastating, as Official Yes (also sometimes referred to as Continuity Yes) has now begun the annual Summer tour, which this year is billed as The Royal Affair Tour (as opposed to Yestival in years past), a four-tier bill also starring Asia, John Lodge of The Moody Blues and Carl Palmer's ELP Legacy featuring Arthur Brown. As has been illustrated by the premiere performance, this means a fair amount of cross-pollination between the acts, as both Carl Palmer and Geoff Downes are pulling double duty performance-wise, and there have been a few guest appearances.
Why am I writing about Official Yes, you may well ask? Because their new setlist (significantly revised from previous) features a surprise selection in that they are acknowledging YesWest once more and not with the song you might think.
It's "Rhythm of Love" and from a historical perspective not an entirely obscure choice, given that Steve Howe has played it on various tours. Steve and Alan have been thoroughly versed in this particular song over the years, and Billy Sherwood somewhat as well. It makes sense in terms of considering if they're not going to play "Owner" then they should play a YesWest song equally as lively, one might say.
The above video is an audience recording, sure, and so therefore not the best quality, but this rendition just falls flat for me. And that's not even because Steve's playing on it. For example, when the Classic lineup performed it in 2004 I think they did a good job of underscoring the song's appeal while also playing it their way.
I suppose I feel like if you're going to perform a part of the canon you don't normally play for the purposes of being inclusive, while it is certainly expedient to choose songs you already know, you really should pick selections you believe you are capable of conveying the proper emotional impression in your performance. When ARW included RoL in their setlist it not only seemed logical because it's Trevor's song (in large part) and it was a song the principles had played together in '91-92 but also because they seemed to know that fans were desiring a particular YesWest brand of dynamism. But having Official Yes pick such a song feels more like duty than desire.
Now this version is a bit rough (from that trainwreck of a first week on the road) but it's exciting as befits the YesWest aesthetic. And that is what I'm here for.
I came across this one while engaged in one of my never-ending trawls of the Internet and it's an interview I don't think I've read before, although I imagine there are fans who have. It's originally from 1998 and so focuses on Trevor's scoring work, but with some nice insights as regards his process at the time, working relationships with various directors and, as always, The Bruck.
There's an interesting detail regarding the soundtrack for Days of Thunder - as I had noted in a previous entry, Trevor played guitar on the David Coverdale track "The Last Note of Freedom" but it seems from his comments he might have also played on the Terry Reid track, a cover of "Gimme Some Lovin'" (and a song we know he's quite familiar with). That's my guess as it's the only other song produced by Trevor Horn on the soundtrack.
I had originally blogged about this interview when it was published, it's from the December 2016 issue of Record Collector. There's some really interesting anecdotes in this one, including Trevor's admission that he did desire to work on a Broadway show (just not the one he was offered, at least according to what he told me), meeting Paul McCartney in London during the sessions for Big Generator, and revealing that "I Miss You Now" is specifically about Trevor longing to see his parents.
Note: the next entry in my Changes review series - disc three: Wolf - will be published next Friday. This entry is another component in my overall contribution to the promotional cycle for the boxset.
****
It's been over a decade all-told that I've had various encounters with Trevor and I'm pleased to relate to you now our latest meeting of the minds: an interview specifically for Rabin-esque.
I was given the opportunity to phone Trevor at The Jacaranda Room and this past Tuesday we had a 90-minute chat regarding Changes and other related subjects. Due to technical limitations on my end I wasn't able to record the conversation but I'm going to cover the highlights, as I believe we had an interesting and enlightening exchange (but admittedly I'm biased).
As always, Trevor is one of the nicest guys to interview, incredibly gracious and generous with his time (and patient with my various tangents) and wholly engaging as a conversationalist. I am entirely grateful he agreed to talk to me about the boxset's contents and topics regarding his career overall. He was once again very complementary regarding my encyclopedic recall and remarked that I should write a book. I told him I was very busy writing all the essays for this blog but I appreciated the vote of confidence!
****
The new normal.
We began the interview with a discussion of what is going on in the world right now, and I said I knew he had another layer of worry along with all the things everyone is worrying about because of the associated strife in South Africa. Trevor acknowledged his homeland is always on his mind and believes the next six months aren't going to be an easy time for anyone in the world.
A giant in his field.
I also brought up the passing of esteemed film composer Ennio Morricone, and we discussed Trevor's favorite Morricone score, for the 1986 film The Mission. I posited that I felt it was rather influential on later composers, such as the work of James Horner. He then related to me that he had an "encounter" with Horner regarding his score for the 2003 film Radio, elements of which strongly resembled themes from Remember the Titans. This was not the only time Trevor would see his work borrowed by others (more on that later), but he attributed this kind of thing to what he refers to as "temp-itis" meaning the director's reliance on the use of a temporary score during the editing process. Another example was Teddy Castellucci's score for the 2005 remake of The Longest Yard, which contained elements resembling the scores of Remember the Titans and National Treasure. The composer paid Trevor a visit and confessed that director Peter Segal really wanted more of that type of music in the film, and he cracked under the pressure, "borrowing" quite obviously (to the point of The Bruck considering litigation, according to Trevor). Not surprisingly did Segal then select Trevor to score his next film, 2008's Get Smart.
Trevor remarked he believed Morricone had been highly influenced by classical composer Edward Elgar, quipping: "If you're going to steal, it might as well be from the best."
Working man.
He related to me the work he performed for Renny Harlin, whom he said called him with a request to "fix" the score of his latest project. I asked Trevor which of the films currently listed on IMDb he had worked on, and he confirmed to me it was The Misfits, which is currently in post-production. When discussing the progress on his new solo album, he stated that he's still at about 60% completed but he believes he knows the essence and the overall shape of the work now, and has 3-4 pieces he's really happy with, so the direction is set and he can devote himself fully for the rest of the year. When I asked him about considerations of remote recording for guest players due to ongoing logistical limitations caused by the pandemic, he replied that such a process is "cumbersome" and one he does not willingly wish to engage in.
In regards to other projects, Trevor said he had been approached by producers for a Broadway show but was ultimately not interested. As far as appearing with the L.A. Philharmonic he stated that originally Brian Lane and Larry Magid were willing to organize and finance the event but whatever plans and negotiations were thus far accomplished have been stalled by the pandemic.
(tenuous)
I asked Trevor, now that ARW is concluded as a project, if "Fragile" would see any kind of official release and he said he had no desire to release it and didn't think it had any particular relevance in hindsight given that the band is over. He wasn't even certain it should have been recorded in the first place but thought it would at least serve as a starting point in their endeavors even as they ultimately couldn't manage to record an album due to logistical issues. He confirmed to me that it was realized strictly between the three of them: with Rick recording his piano parts in England, Jon recording his vocals at The Jacaranda Room, and Trevor providing all other instrumentation and vocals. Jon contributed lyrics to the bridge (because, as Trevor noted, Jon likes the "freedom" to add things into an existing structure), but Trevor had already written the melody (and had different lyrics originally), so the ARW version of the song would be credited to both Trevor and Jon. I asked about the origin of "Fragile" and Trevor replied he wrote it as a favor for the showrunner of Agent X; it was composed after the scoring was completed because Herron wanted a song but Trevor was not specifically compensated for writing it, thus he retained the copyright.
The arduous journey from reluctance to cooperation.
By his own admission, Trevor did not make it easy for Rob Ayling to put together Changes, it took much cajoling (as it did with the 90124 project); Ayling paid him a visit in Los Angeles and Trevor gave him access to all his ephemera just to get the man off his back, so to speak, and indicated what he has in storage is quite a jumble. Shelley assisted with the process of looking through everything. So all of the inclusions were suggested by Ayling, and we can appreciate that Trevor finally overcame his reluctance to be his own archivist after a fashion and acquiesced. The photos for The Making of Wolf booklet were among those items he had saved and were thus discovered by Ayling, and luckily must have been safely stored away for the past 40 years. Trevor noted that at first he couldn't understand the appeal of something like 90124, but agreed in part because he knew there was an ongoing evolving narrative regarding the origins of 90125 and his part in it, and so wanted to produce the originals to prove his point.
What could have been.
This led me to ask about something from the original press release for Changes and that was allegedly the inclusion of demos recorded with Roger Hodgson (which took place in 1990). Trevor stated he couldn't quite remember how many songs they worked up but it was probably "almost an album's worth" and "The More I Look" was also one of those songs (which later appeared on Roger's 2000 album Open The Door). I remarked that as a fan I was happy the demo version of "Walls" was included on 90124 because one of the things I love about the song is the beautiful close harmony Trevor and Roger perform on it, and the thought of an entire album like that would have been a wonderful thing to hear. He agreed, stating he believes the project to be one of the real missed opportunities of his career and considers Roger to be like a brother, noting how happy he was to see Roger again during touring in 2016 and 2018.
Soft focus.
I expressed my appreciation for the film music composed by Trevor Rabin promo disc being included in the boxset and for general sale, revealing to Trevor what I paid for an original copy in years prior. I asked if he had chosen the track listing and he said he did, stating that in some cases he was working from earlier versions of the themes and that's why some of them have different titles. He also noted a lot of editing was involved in putting the tracks together and I replied because of that my research into their origins took me quite a while! When I stated my theory regarding why it was created, to position Trevor away from being considered as the Action Guy in the industry, he agreed, noting that he seemingly moved from genre to genre - from Action Guy to Sports Guy, for example - in terms of the scoring projects which came his way, but was ultimately desiring to score all kinds of films. He expressed that he had a previous interest in scoring a fully-animated feature (and I reminded him that the first time we spoke in 2009 I made a plea for him to do just that) but said that now it would likely be too complex a project for him to undertake.
An early innovator.
We talked a bit about Trevor's penchant for being on the cutting edge of music technology - I noted that it was pretty amazing he predicted the rise of bedroom recordings a couple decades before they became the norm - discussing the recording of Talk and Trevor stated he would like to perform a remix of the album but because the multitracks exist on more than one type of media (both analog and digital), such a project would be very difficult if not impossible at this point. He acknowledged he would have done some things differently, especially in regards to the drum sounds. I brought up the seeming disclaimer included as a "PS" in the credits: "Caution" Extreme Digital Dynamic Range and he replied that Victory (perhaps Phil Carson himself) included that without his knowledge and if he'd seen the liner notes prior to release he would have insisted it be removed. Trevor recalled that when he first moved to Los Angeles in 1981, living in a house he rented from Manfred Mann's Earth Band vocalist Chris Thompson, he set up a studio in the garage to write and record demos and there were other musicians he knew who also had home studios at the time. But the recording industry at large had mounted a seeming war against such endeavors, threatening suits and other legal action against artists working from home...which all seems rather ironic in our present-day circumstances.
All the way live.
I wanted to discuss the inclusion of the '89 performance at Boston's Paradise Theater, expressing to Trevor that he has a different perspective on concerts than fans do. His fans - whether they attended one of the shows on the club tour or not - desire the total experience of a performance. We don't think of it as "a very long performance that takes a lot of listening" (as he stated in the PROG interview) but rather listen to it as if we were there. I noted that I have audience recordings of two other shows in addition to Boston and L.A. and even though it's the same setlist, I appreciate the subtle differences between each show. I enthused that he created a great setlist and had a great band. Trevor said that once he was convinced to include the bootleg of the radio broadcast he was happy with the decision, noting the broadcast recording is more "raw" and has a "completely different vibe" to the Los Angeles show. I asked him about whether it was possible to release the full recording of the L.A. show and he replied the multitracks no longer exist, but seemed to indicate that there might be soundboard recordings of some of the dates still in his archives.
Facing up to Face To Face.
Having just recently composed a ginormous essay about the making of said album, I proffered my theory about how having to record three albums at the same time, but two in particular, may have contributed to Face's overall lack, shall we say. Trevor allowed that it might have had something to do with it but it was primarily that he had never felt the kind of pressure in making an album which he experienced during the writing and recording of Face To Face. So suffice to say he didn't perform well overall, in his estimation. He agreed with me that Rene's Call Me is a great album, and we talked about "Paying My Dues" and reached a consensus that its' similarity to "Owner" was not purposeful but likely just a type of experimentation Trevor was desiring to pursue at the time as regards arrangements.
Van Rabin...?
I brought up to Trevor the oft-discussed similarity of the opening for "Hot For Teacher" to "Looking For A Lady - (Wolfman)" and this prompted a story about another "borrow" - the opening riff from "Eyes Of Love" which you can hear in the track "Baluchitherium" from the 1995 Van Halen album Balance. Trevor happened to hear the song during a televised football game and contacted Eddie Van Halen about it, recalling that back in 1989 he had gone out to see Steve Stevens performing at The Roxy with Eddie and Steve Lukather and Eddie had told him he enjoyed Can't Look Away, seemingly joking that Trevor shouldn't be surprised to hear something from it on the next Van Halen record. And so, two albums later...Trevor remarked to me that he was shocked I wasn't familiar with that story. "I can't believe I'm telling you something you don't already know!" he exclaimed.
Trevor stated that once he and Eddie talked about the "borrow" they worked out an agreement for Trevor to be compensated. Trevor stated that he didn't actually mind being borrowed from as long as there was some acknowledgment involved. Later, when relating the sequence of events to Paul Linford, his assistant remarked on the other seeming borrow and once Trevor listened to "Hot For Teacher" he realized that it was a far more obvious lift. So he has no doubt in his mind where the intro to "Hot For Teacher" originated.
Besides a long acquaintance with Eddie, Trevor had other encounters with the band, such as when he was invited to see Van Halen perform in London at the Hammersmith Odeon in 1978, and spent time backstage being "talked at" by notorious motormouth David Lee Roth. As long-time fans are aware, Trevor was considered as an opening act for the band, but for various reasons it never came to pass. He also told me he had been approached at least twice about producing an album for the band during the Hagar years, noting that Sammy is "a really nice guy."
More boxes?
I asked about the purported plans for another boxset of his film music and Trevor explained that while it's a good idea, it's also a very difficult project to accomplish from a logistical standpoint, especially when it comes to licensing. I told him about the essay I wrote for the blog in 2016, stating that a score anthology/compilation in celebration of his 20th anniversary as a film composer would be a wonderful idea. I laid out the whole concept, and Trevor thought it was interesting, but likely ultimately remains unconvinced...probably.
Encounter with The Purple One and other adventures.
I am one of those people possessed of an irrepressible curiosity regarding certain ventures, and having touched on the making of Big Generator, I then said: "And while you were there at Sunset Sound mixing the album, so was...Bob Dylan!" I confirmed to Trevor that whatever he recorded with Dylan at one of the sessions for Down in the Groove, it never made the album. He appreciated me telling him this because he had no idea himself. I explained to him that according to my research the making of that album was also quite fraught with contention, is not regarded too highly overall, and so it's not necessarily a bad thing that he didn't make the cut. But contrary to my speculation, he said Elliot Roberts had originally contacted him regarding Dylan's request, he never had any interaction with the album's producer Beau Hill. And also during those months of mixing one day he crossed paths with a member of Prince's entourage, who summoned Trevor for a (brief) encounter. Apparently His Royal Badness didn't think much of "Owner of a Lonely Heart" - shooting hoops out back while wearing his custom-made Andre No. 1 4-inch heel boots.
"It was very weird," Trevor said. "Yep, that's Prince alright," I replied.
It's a wide-ranging interview covering various eras and subject matter, including the release of Changes. Some interesting revelations: Trevor states that he has scored an upcoming film by Renny Harlin, but from viewing the latest information on IMDb it's difficult to know which one (of those not yet released). There is also apparently ongoing planning for a score work boxset. He also takes responsibility (and apologizes) for the "crowd swell" sounds on Live At The Apollo, stating there was an issue with the ambiance mic'ing for the recording.
As I reported back in March, Trevor gave an interview to ABC Audio's artist profile program 1-on-1 and today there was another press release circulated regarding its' contents. It would be nice to have a list of affiliates to know where one might actually listen to the entire interview if possible, however this particular article features different pull quotes so it's worth a read.
This is another interview which I'm not sure if I had posted about previously, but it's from October 2016 and the only caveat I offer is that the DJs break in at various parts with (sometimes incorrect) commentary which is annoying, but entirely their prerogative. However, I think the one bombshell for fandom is Trevor reveals the ARW enterprise was well aware before the name change occurred that the full rights to the Yes moniker were not solely under the purview of the established lineup. And also it appears Trevor was in favor of putting out completed material piecemeal, which in part may explain why he allowed "Fragile/Touch" to be released into the wild, so to speak.
Ah, 2016...it was a simpler time, an exciting time for fans, so in these trying times let's go back there, if only for half an hour.
I honestly don't recall if I'd posted about this interview at the time, but it's from an audiobook series titled Open Mic with Steve Black and the episode with Trevor (released in 2017 but recorded in 2016) is an interview about the then-upcoming ARW tour and his scoring work among other topics. The only place I could find it is on Scribd which is now a subscription service, so you have to sign up (if you don't already utilize it) but you can get a 30-day free trial and it's probably available via some other outlets (but not at Audible, however).
Spotted on Instagram: here are some very nice photos from Trevor's brief onstage appearance with Rick during his show in Los Angeles on the 22nd. Trevor is thoroughly casual as befitting his temporary position as stagehand.
With thanks to Paul Vaughan (who always comes up with superb content), we can see how this aforementioned meeting with Rick shook out...
Just 4 shows to go here in America.. Thanks so much to the wonderful audiences that have come to the first 20 . Los Angeles Ace Theatre tomorrow night & looking forward to meeting up with Trev (Rabin)..thanks for all the lovely posts about the show .Makes it all so worthwhile.
Yesterday Billboard published an article regarding the status of the two iterations of Yes which included quotes from Jon Anderson and Rick Wakeman on the future of ARW. Both Jon and Rick's comments appear to be officially placing a bookend on their enterprise.
Below are the applicable parts of the article involving Jon and Rick. I find that Jon's comments are entirely in keeping with others from various interviews over the past year and as such were causing fans to speculate that the end was near.
Jon
This year did find Howe, White and company as the only Yes on the road. Former members Jon Anderson, Rick Wakeman and Trevor Rabin had started touring as ARW in 2016 and then adopted the Yes moniker as well shortly after the group's 2017 Rock and Roll Hall of Fame induction. This year, however, the project was dormant and the three worked on other projects. "It's a long story," Anderson -- who released a solo album, 1000 Hands: Chapter One, this year, and is writing a memoir -- says. "Life happens when you least expect it. You expect something to go for a long journey, and then all of a sudden it's not...because of life. People have a life they want to live and go through. It's not a good explanation, but it just doesn't work at times. There's maybe 20 versions of Yes I've been in, and every one's been fantastic -- but it was always chaos in there for some reason."
Rick
Wakeman, who says he opposed ARW going out as Yes, adds that the trio is planning one last tour for 2020 and may possibly record some of the new music they've been writing during their time together.
"We feel it's sort of come to the end of the road," says Wakeman, who will be mounting his first North American solo tour in 13 years starting Sept. 21 in Annapolis, Md., and is also recording a Christmas Portraits album of solo piano holiday songs for the fall. "None of us are spring chickens anymore, although Trevor still has a 6 in front of his age, whereas Jon and I don't. I think we'll thoroughly enjoy another (tour) and then I think we can sort of proudly close the lid on it, very happy in our belief that we've done it proud."
As for any new material, Wakeman says that the trio "has got a couple of things we've worked on that we think are good enough, but we always said that unless it was really of a high standard we felt really proud of we wouldn't just release stuff for the sake of releasing it. I think when we start on the farewell dates we'll analyze what we've done and go, 'OK, what can we make of this?' I would like to think we can leave one final burst of music that we can be proud of and, perhaps, we'd like to think that Yes fans have been waiting for."
...and those of us who listen to terrestrial/satellite radio are aware that DJs and the like often receive their information from the same place their audience does: the Internet. The link provided is to the ARW official site rather than the apparent source of their assertion.
In this particular case, although there was controversy due to Trevor's comments in his interview with Celluloid Tunes last year regarding his future commitment to ARW (causing Trevor to attempt some spin doctoring in the wake of fan reaction), I would say it's not necessarily an end to ARW, but it seems clear to me they won't be pursuing any band-related activities in 2019 with everyone seemingly committed to other projects. It would appear the source of this rumor has to do with interviews Jon is giving to promote his new album 1000 Hands and its' accompanying US tour this Spring and Summer. Jon recently posted on his Facebook page that he desires the tour to take place over the next three years, presumably to visit as many regions as possible.
Given a recent comment made by Rick to a fan that the band is planning to tour next year, and then Jon's comment in his Guitar World livestream: "So I just said 'I'll see you in 2020 or 2021 and so we'll get together.'" I could understand how that might lead people to think it's a gracious way of saying the project has gone on as long as it was going to as a legacy touring band. But I don't believe it's responsible to tweet these kinds of statements when Jon's comment was not definitive regarding future activity for ARW. And Trevor's comment in his Celluloid Tunes interview: "I said, 'Look, you can always call me and we can look at things, and if I'm not busy we can do things,'" aligns with this same sentiment, I would say.
So my take on this is: don't count ARW out just yet. But also don't expect any activity for at least a year. And this might not be the news that you want to read, but it's better than nothing, one suspects.
Okay, so that question is rhetorical and rather gimmicky but bear with me...this particular installment of Trevor vs. Trevor is not about Trevor versus himself but rather the two Trevor Charleses who were Yes alumni squaring off (figuratively) over a song they collaborated on.
One would likely not argue that "Owner of a Lonely Heart" is the most well-known song which Our Trev has ever composed, even as there might be other songs/compositions which Trevor is equally proud of and appreciates any acknowledgement bestowed. Given the song's enduring popularity and cultural relevance one imagines he would certainly never turn down a chance to be recognized for it. However, the song does have three other people credited as co-writers, and one of them has released his own take on it this year with Reimagines The Eighties by Trevor Horn featuring The SARM Orchestra.
The interesting thing for me to ponder in this version, featuring a full orchestration of the song, is it leads to considerations of how the song's principal writer would perform the same effort...or would he? One wonders if Trevor has ever been tempted to thoroughly re-imagine any of his compositions. For example, when he did revisit "Rescuing Fischer" as "Rescue" on Jacaranda, it's still primarily the same piece of music, and the same can be said of his re-recording of "Hold On To Me" (aka "Hold On To Love") for Can't Look Away. We all know - thanks to Trevor's extensive experience with orchestration - that he could certainly do so if he chose.
Granted, Trevor Horn performing "Owner" has much historical precedent, and Trevor has even participated in one of those efforts (appearing with other members of Yes at the Prince's Trust concert in 2004) but this time Horn's approach could be said to be less a reenactment and more of a whimsical "what-if." I find Julian Hinton's arrangement to be dynamic and engaging, from the song's beautiful overture (taking the place of that famous collage of samples) to the sprightly brass section in the bridge leading to the instrumental break. There's also a brief soul-jazz transition to the guitar solo, which is shorter than the original but with much the same texturing, leading to another orchestral transition and then a section with a few vocalese-type parts before concluding with a short refrain rather than the extended improvisional ride-out of the original.
Horn's Reimagines The Eighties album features well-known songs of the era, many of which Horn had an actual hand in (such as Grace Jones' "Slave To The Rhythm" and Frankie Goes To Hollywood's "The Power of Love") and others he did not (Tears For Fears' "Everybody Wants To Rule The World" and Bruce Springsteen's "Dancing In The Dark"). But as one of the men who defined the sound of that particular era in terms of record production, he is certainly entitled to co-opt any of that oeuvre to suit his own fancy, as it were.
Interestingly Horn chose to sing "Owner" himself rather than bring in a guest vocalist as he did for most of the other tracks - only one of two tracks which he does take the lead on. It is transposed to suit his range but Horn does embody a certain character in his take which actually falls - in my opinion - somewhere between Jon and Trevor's methodologies. I can't help but think that Horn's decision to sing the song not only stems from his past performances but also perhaps a desire to lay claim to his portion of the legacy. As if to say: this is my song too, remember.
And one could say that's a matter of opinion; because there are plenty within Yes fandom who assert that without Horn's input "Owner" would have never become as successful as it was, given that they believe Trevor's original demo was...not good, shall we say. Horn is one of those people, as he previously stated there was something in the song which piqued his interest but the song itself was too typical of Trevor's writing style at the time. But I believe you can hear all the potential displayed by the end product within the demo as well as on a couple songs which predated "Owner" in terms of arrangement and performance (and I have written about them previously but they are "Paying My Dues" by Rene Arnell, which Trevor produced and arranged, as well as his guitar solo on the Manfred Mann track "Runner").
I believe what truly makes the new arrangement interesting despite the kitchen sink-ness embodied is that the song itself is elastic enough to allow for such a different take, even as it does retain elements of the original. Speaking of elasticity, the way in which ARW performed "Owner" on their tours over the past three years also shows that this song can lend itself to a number of situations and interpretations, even as one might say this is a rather traditionalist take on it.
In the end, one can still appreciate how fundamentally engaging the song is from its' compositional elements as well as those changes wrought upon it in collaboration which all contributed to its' rise to the top of the worldwide charts 35 years ago. It's a classic which embodies not only a particular era but also a few different genres within its' ear candy boundaries and to this day manages to sound of its era and completely outside of it at the same time.
This release is available now from all the usual outlets; the Japanese version of Reimagines The Eighties features a second disc with instrumental-only versions of ten of the album's tracks (including "Owner") as well as a version of Godley & Creme's "Cry" sung by Jamie Squire of The 1975.
Spotted on Instagram for #tbt: the daughter of Trevor's guitar tech Curtis Laur posted some backstage photos from ARW's August 29th performance at the Greek Theatre in Los Angeles and you gotta wonder if Ana was imbued with some special mojo from getting to hold the Strat...
Caveat lector:I have opinions. Not all of them are positive as regards this release. Also many thanks to my colleague Graham for technical support.
The release of Live At The Apollo is finally here and by and large it has been positively reviewed both in the press and by fans. I agree that it's a great thing to own which will provide much enjoyment. But I also think there are some problems with it and so I plan to discuss both sides in my review.
It's truly superfluous for me to state that this is my opinion - my blog my opinion, doncha know - and I can certainly understand why many fans don't have any issues with the release. But I do want to make it clear that in a review I am going to provide my critical opinion and you can choose to agree with me or not. But don't come at me for having an opinion either way, thanks. I tend to think these days in the fandom realm people get confused regarding the uses of criticism; and even as I may be largely positive about many things I approach it all from a perspective of discernment.
I also wanted to note that I'm not including a lot of screencaps in my review because I'm planning at least two other entries devoted to that sort of thing, just in case you were wondering.
The Good Stuff
I had three reasons, primarily, for desiring this release:
-1- As an avid collector of YesWest live recordings I wanted yet another audio/video release featuring Trevor. I know there are plenty of other people out there with this same desire.
-2- I have attended ARW shows, but could never afford to sit close to the stage. A professionally-filmed show would allow me that perspective.
-3- Not that I'd say I'm the only one but...I wanted a professional-quality version of "Long Distance Runaround/The Fish" primarily for Lee Pomeroy's solo.
So I got two out of three of those desires, and like the song says: that ain't bad.
I really do enjoy this release; I know there are some in fandom who believe I am protesting unduly or am willing to trash the whole thing because item number three was not granted to me (or anyone else who might have wanted it). That is simply not true. As someone who attended multiple shows (even though it was not as many as I wish I could have seen) there is much replay value to this release for me and I've already watched/listened more than a few times just to reach the point where I can write this review from an informed perspective.
The 2016 setlist, once it was solidified, was a good one in my estimation and I'm just fine with the song selection as represented in this document. It is wonderful to have a professional-quality recording of this setlist as played by an ensemble who had finally reached a point of performance cohesion with the material and their chemistry as a band. As I've noted in my reviews of the performances/tours I think by this particular point in their collective history, ARW was turning in solid performances all around.
Even as I might find some fault with the way it was filmed, I appreciate that a seasoned director helmed this project and that it was shepherded at a professional level. It's well done, if not quite 9012Live in terms of cinematic perfection. Then again, that is just not possible anymore, for so many reasons.
To be honest, I'm just happy we actually have it, because I wasn't sure if it was going to be released. Although it was produced by an outside concern that wasn't necessarily enough assurance in terms of reaching the finish line (though I ardently wished that it would be, and it turned out okay in the end). So about that... The waiting is *insert metaphor here*
Unless it was the plan all along as regards the observance of the anniversary or to coincide with the US tour, I don't understand why it took a year-and-a-half to get this release to market. As example, this November Eagle Rock is releasing a live album/video by prog legend Steven Wilson of a performance from March of this year in five different formats, also with a 5.1 Surround mix - thus proving that it does not take a year-and-a-half to accomplish such a feat. Since this release was available to buy at the recent shows I can only think that we were meant to wait that long. Of course, there might have been another reason entirely. I say this because, according to my research, the project cycle for an Eagle Rock live release tends to be about 6-8 months from production to sale.
"I think we should change the cover, though. A bit late!"
The above is an actual quote from Trevor, and certainly one may argue he was just joking but maybe not. I am on record as not having any particular affinity for Jay Nungesser's design work for ARW. For me, it's primarily the new logo, I don't like it. His ARW logo was much more appealing compared to the new Yes logo. I think the "Quintessential Yes" version of the overall design is far better still but I imagine the artwork for Live At The Apollo was created long before the new website design was completed so therefore it incorporates all of the previous elements (i.e. the maze and the cubes). The typeface and photos and all are fine, although I find it interesting that in the collage of photos Jon and Trevor are at the top of the page and Rick is relegated to a space with the sidemen at the bottom. I don't have a particular issue with the color scheme, but I have to admit I was a bit disappointed to discover that the packaging was reflecting the old design elements.
I know I'm not the only one who feels this way but I wanted to note this from a recent review of the Blu-ray on the AudiophileReview website:
My only real nit pick on this release has nothing to do with the audio, the video or the performance. It is simply that the packaging design is lackluster for a release of this caliber. Even though the cover art does not feature design by Roger Dean -- the legendary artist whose images have become somewhat synonymous with the band -- the logo used here is rather ... well... pedestrian. Its just not iconic enough to match the stature of the band and this performance. This band deserves better.
One thing I have noticed is that there is no packaging design/artwork credit for this release - to my knowledge Nungesser has never been publicly credited for his work on the previous website and merchandising (other than his own postings to social media) and you have to wonder if that's intentional. Unless Nungesser was the one to request that his name not appear, that is.
(vigourous applause)
This next point has been a source of tireless debate in fandom thus far, and I have an opinion as does everyone else. Nobody is right or wrong I would say, but everyone is entitled to feel however they will about it. I'm taking a stand to declare that berating or ridiculing others regarding their feelings on this matter is not cool and if you've done this in fandom discussion or on social media, you should just stop it.
The added crowd noise in the audio (what I have referred to as crowd swells) is indeed annoying from my perspective but if you listen to it enough times solely on the audio I find it just becomes background noise. It's definitely strange strictly from the perspective of - if you were at the show or if you've watched audience footage of the show - knowing those in attendance were a typical prog-loving respectful UK-based audience and simply did not cheer every 30 seconds or so. Here's an example of what this crowd really sounded like during "Heart of the Sunrise" - I picked this video specifically because it is filmed from directly behind the production/mixing area so most of the crowd on the floor is in front of the person filming.
And in the Live At The Apollo video you can, at different points, witness the general demeanor of the audience, which is completely at odds with what you're hearing on the audio. There are washes of cheering during "And You and I" which you hear while you see the audience calmly absorbed within the performance before them. You hear one thing, you see another. I'm going to be blunt: that's just dumb. But what's done is done so fans will deal with it as they will. I can certainly understand the pushback occurring on social media, but I don't believe anything will be accomplished to remedy or change the release. However, in time I fully expect that a hobbyist audio engineer will at some point circulate a "hype-free" mix of the audio where the crowd noise has been turned down, so to speak.
Bare Bones
There are no bonus features on this release. None. I'm disappointed, sure, although I feel like it would have been too much to expect given how long it took to release this. I've noted before that there is a distinct lack of organization in the ARW business concern and I can't help but wonder if perhaps Eagle Rock requested that bonus features be provided or suggested that they be filmed, only to be met with resounding silence from the principles. I think at the very least we should have been provided with an audio track of "The Meeting" from a prior performance as that was an element of the 2016-17 setlist.
Digital-itis
It's not like I'm Quentin Tarantino demanding that movies be shot on film and projected from film, but the HD digital mediums for music and video are not entirely ideal in my opinion. There's something distinctly clinical about both aspects which can be both good and bad.
Interestingly, it's the nuance - there is so much nuance in Paul Linford's mix (and yes, I know that Paul and Trevor receive co-credit for the mix but Paul receives the leading credit so I'm going to assert it's primarily his mix) - which makes it an interesting and exciting experience to listen to, but at some points it is a little too cold for my tastes. But I do enjoy it even so, it shows the true character of this ensemble far better than any particular performance ever could, in my opinion, even with the enhancements (which I think are fairly unobtrusive). But I also know it's an all-digital recording so I would say that's probably the culprit. On the other hand, the HD video equipment used for shooting allows for any number of interesting camera angles and pans but it's a little too revealing sometimes. Things don't always look attractive in HD digital video. They call it the "Soap Opera Effect" and it can provoke Uncanny Valley levels of visual dread at times.
But also I have issues with some of the camera angles, like the camera which was placed somewhere in the vicinity of Trevor's right hip in order to capture shots of Lee (behind Trevor on his platform) which are just oddly-framed because of the positioning. And the very long shots where the stage appears in seeming miniature and granted, from the back of the hall (which seats 3500) it probably does look that way but I just don't see the point of including those kinds of shots. Some of the focus-pulls which I'm assuming were added in post are jarring to me as well. And the tracking is a bit too mechanical, as the cameras were all on automation. Far more convenient and less distracting in terms of having extra bodies on stage, but the movement of the cameras calls attention to that very consideration and so I found that distracting instead. And there are parts of Rick's solos where they fast-cut to every single camera angle they had for him and it reminded me of this one guy who had a cringingly amateurish music video show reel on YouTube and it was something like 20 cuts in 30 seconds which had the effect of making me want to claw my own eyes out.
On another point I did want to acknowledge the whimsy of making the opening sequence look like a film from 1968 which I thought was a nice touch; it actually enhanced the whole scripted quality of the band's entrance rather than emphasized the non-subtlety of it.
Consigned to the Recycle Bin of history
There's been some editing done to "Owner" because the segue into "Sunshine Of Your Love" has been cut out although I believe you can hear them coming out of it back into "Make It Easy" and then to the end of the song. Granted, it's a brief part when compared to other later renditions.
I do actually understand this edit for a couple reasons:
-1- Jon does not actually know the words, and it's funny but I don't know how well the joke would stand up in repeated listening/viewing.
-2- Who wants to pay licensing/royalties on something that's actually kind of a throw-away interpolation?
Speaking of edits, this brings me to one particular complaint I have with this release (and it shouldn't surprise any of my long-time readers) - the exclusion of Lou and Lee's solos. They weren't edited down, but rather cut completely out of the songs in which they were performed. And this truly baffles me because even if the reasoning is that someone at home might be bored by a five-minute solo, they could have still retained a minute or so to avoid the completely abrupt and confusing transitions where their solos are supposed to be.
Again, I'll be blunt: there is no good reason for this to have happened. Don't like the solos? Skip them. But give us the choice, don't edit out any of the performance when there's no need to do so, and there absolutely was not. It's like all of the generosity which allowed them to have a moment in the spotlight was then negated by excising those moments like they never existed at all. And I find myself very disappointed with whomever ultimately made that decision.
It's not totally spoiled but...
This was just a gaffe but it does disappoint me that the version of "Rhythm of Love" on this recording is missing an entire verse. It's my favorite of the setlist and again, I really wanted to have a professionally-recorded version of it. But for what it is, missing verse and all, it's a lot of fun although to my surprise I think the version of "Hold On" has more of a classic rock band kind of vibe to it. There's a certain crunchiness which is missing compared to previous performances of RoL.
Returning to my main gripe: the combined track of "Long Distance Runaround/The Fish" on Live At The Apollo comes to 6:17. The actual performance time of the songs - based on the audience video I've seen of that particular rendition - is a little over eleven minutes (if you subtract Jon's introductory remarks). Lee's solo comprises about five minutes of the total song. I'm not speaking from a position of attempting to demand anything from the production team, this is not me making an entitled rant. But I honestly don't understand why one of the highlights of the show - so much so that they actually made this section twice as long as it had been upon the original debut in 2016 - would be wholly deleted from the recording and concert film. Lee's performance of "The Fish" throughout those touring cycles was a wonderful tribute to Chris Squire as well as adding an additional layer of Yes-like legitimacy to the endeavor because to perform Yes music you need a great bass player, and I imagine now no one would dispute that Lee Pomeroy is one of the best the UK has to offer. His bravura and upbeat attitude made me a fan, and as a fan I'm gutted that it's not there. But I have already amassed a collection of audience videos and recordings on my hard drive to remind me of the good times, and you can't take that away from me, guys.
And I know what you're thinking: "Hey, there's nearly two minutes of Lee soloing in 'Heart of the Sunrise!'" And that is certainly true, and I truly appreciate that song didn't get edited down, trust me. I suppose if the reasoning was that Lee could have one solo but not two, well, okay - but that strikes me as a rather lame excuse if in fact it is one.
(with thanks to Cee for this screencap)
It has been suggested, due to the number of interpolations of other Yes songs in Lee's solo, it would have meant more of a licensing expenditure than what was already accomplished and thus provided a reason for its' exclusion, and I'll concede that might very well be. It's a reasonable assertion even as it also strikes me as a bit of pretzel logic. I don't accept it's the primary reason but it could certainly have influenced the decision though it's difficult to believe that Eagle Rock's licensing budget for this release would have been absolutely drained by such a consideration.
As much as the principles might have disapproved of YouTube videos - and thus this release was a response to such things - now audience recordings seem to be the only way to view the show as it was actually performed in toto.
So the video quality of this recording is not the greatest, although the sound is okay - but here is what we're missing in terms of experiencing a high-quality version of this section of the show (and I want to note that I found this particular video last year and added it to my collection, I'm not just now discovering it for the purpose of supporting my assertions).
Definitively not definitive
The interesting consideration for me as a fan and as someone with a critical appreciation for such things is that the audio and video releases present different experiences for different needs. When I need to listen to this great performance and enjoy it for what it is, then the audio serves that desire beautifully, whereas when I want to remember the experience of seeing ARW, the experience of the show itself, then I will (and have) listen to audience recordings instead. Same with the video - I'll watch a VOIO. What I get from the video portion of Live At The Apollo is an appreciation for their interplay and sense of enjoyment and fun, but not necessarily a true portrait of an actual show.
And given the reason this project was accomplished - to provide the definitive version of a recording of the live experience - I find that a bit ironic. This in fact does not replace audience recordings. It is certainly better quality overall but the decisions which were made from a production standpoint end up being at odds with what actually occurred.
But I also find that I'm enjoying it in the same way I enjoy recordings of the Union era and the Eighty Dates tour - an appreciation that this happened at all and we have the memory of that unique glory. Even if this release is not exactly what I want, it is quite enjoyable for the same reason that I enjoyed the ARW live experience to begin with: it gave me so much more elation than even I would have expected it to. And I truly hope that it does the same for you as well.
Reader beware: this entry contains SPOILERS! for week two of ARW's 2018 US 50th Anniversary tour. If you do not wish to read/view/listen to any details/elements of the tour prior to your applicable show then please do not read this entry!
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Author's Note: A big thank you to everyone who shared photos and videos and impressions on Facebook, YouTube, Twitter, Instagram and the Yesfans discussion forum. Each tour report entry could be considered a work-in-progress as I find more things to add.
Setlist
new pre-recorded entrance music
Cinema
Hold On
I've Seen All Good People
Changes
And You and I
Rhythm of Love
I Am Waiting
Heart of the Sunrise
Awaken
Owner of a Lonely Heart
encore: Roundabout
Saw YES featuring ARW tonight and I have to say that @trevorrabin is one of the most underrated guitarists of all time... incredible. Where do you find time to do such great movie soundtracks, man? pic.twitter.com/kUl7UblY9T
Setlist
new pre-recorded entrance music
Cinema
Hold On
I've Seen All Good People
Changes
And You and I
Rhythm of Love
I Am Waiting
Heart of the Sunrise
Awaken
Owner of a Lonely Heart
encore: Roundabout
