Union

by Yes

Overview

With the exception of Peter Banks and Trevor Horn, virtually all the major contributors to Yes in its various incarnations over the previous 23 years, including both of its drummers, threw their hands into the making of Union, which was supported by a massive tour that filled arenas with at least two generations of fans. So even if Union had been as good as one hoped, this was an album that couldn't possibly have met the expectations inherent in the array of talent involved. The material is reasonably solid, and under ordinary circumstances this album would have been considered just fine, if not exceptional. "I Would Have Waited Forever" shows off the group's vocalizing (by Chris Squire and Jon Anderson) at its most melodic and Steve Howe has one of the most beautiful classical guitar showcases of his Yes career on "Masquerade." But the Trevor Rabin/Chris Squire-composed "Lift Me Up" seems a forced exercise in heaviness, and "Without Hope You Cannot Start" seems more like a composed-by-numbers piece than a truly inspired song. None of the material here would rate alongside the better (forget the best) tracks from any of the group's 1971-1974 albums. Perhaps the defects revealed the real purpose of this album, which wasn't so much to make a definitive statement by any of the participants, but rather to show the flag of the reunited band, which it did. The single "Lift Me Up" topped Billboard's Album Rock Tracks chart for six weeks, with two other cuts also making the list. But the single also only limped to number 86 on the Hot 100, and although the album shot to number 15 and went gold, this was a serious falloff from previous sales. ~ Bruce Eder & William Ruhlmann

Product Details

Release Date:	07/22/2016
Label:	Music On Vinyl
UPC:	8719262001220
Rank:	846

Album Credits

Performance Credits

Yes   Primary Artist
Steve Howe   Primary Artist,Vocals,Multi Instruments
Tony Levin   Guest Artist,Bass
Tony Kaye   Vocals,Multi Instruments
Trevor Rabin   Vocals,Multi Instruments
Steve Porcaro   Synthesizer
Bill Bruford   Vocals,Multi Instruments
Ian Lloyd   Vocals
Chris Squire   Vocals,Multi Instruments
Jon Anderson   Vocals,Multi Instruments
Jonathan Elias   Vocals,Keyboards,Synthesizer
Rick Wakeman   Vocals,Multi Instruments
Jim Crichton   Keyboards,Synthesizer
Michael Sherwood   Vocals
Alan White   Vocals,Multi Instruments
Tommy Funderburk   Vocals
Gary Barlough   Synthesizer
Gary Falcone   Vocals
Allan Schwartzberg   Percussion
Deborah Anderson   Vocals
Rory Kaplan   Synthesizer
Brian Foraker   Synthesizer
Jimmy Haun   Guitar
Jerry Bennett   Percussion,Synthesizer
Sherman Foote   Synthesizer
Alex Lasarenko   Keyboards,Synthesizer
Chris Fosdick   Synthesizer

Technical Credits

Stan Katayama   Engineer
Tony Levin   Composer
Paul Berry   Assistant Engineer
Trevor Rabin   Composer,Engineer,Producer
Traditional   Composer
Paul Fox   Mixing
Steve Howe   Composer,Engineer,Producer
Bill Bruford   Composer
Chris Squire   Composer
Ed Thacker   Mixing
Greg Calbi   Mastering
Jon Anderson   Composer,Associate Producer
Jonathan Elias   Composer,Producer
Rick Wakeman   Composer
Michael Sweet   Assistant Engineer
Mike Shipley   Mixing
Steve Harrison   Assistant Engineer
Billy Sherwood   Composer,Engineer,Producer
Eddy Offord   Mixing,Engineer,Producer
Mark Mancina   Composer,Producer,Programming
Matt Gruber   Assistant Engineer
Brian Foraker   Mixing,Engineer
Steve Wellne   Assistant Engineer
Kai Krause   Artwork
Roger Dean   Design,Artwork,Paintings
Renny Hill   Assistant Engineer
Lolly Grodner   Assistant Engineer
Carolyn Quan   Art Direction
Chris Fosdick   Mixing,Engineer
Sophie Masson   Assistant Engineer
Buzz Burrowes   Engineer,Assistant Engineer
Susan Kent   Project Coordinator
Richard Edwards   Assistant Engineer