UNION

Even people who don't agree on much of anything can temporarily unite in the opposition of a common enemy. Such is the case with the much maligned Yes album "Union". With such a varied set of songwriters and overabundant cast of musicians, it was inevitable that nobody would get everything they wanted. Unfortunately, some participants got almost nothing they wanted by the time all the rerecording and remixing was complete. Despite the procedural shortcomings and hurt feelings, however, too many cooks in the kitchen didn't spoil the entire album for me as a listener. From a strictly musical perspective, I'll take Union over Big Generator any day of the week. Of course it is stylistically schizophrenic. What else should one expect from one-point-five albums joined together by a common lawsuit? Even so, to my ears, Union marks the beginning of Trevor Rabin's return to a position of healthy respect for the classic Yes vibe. He would take his "lessons learned" during this period of time and apply it to his leadership on the "Talk" album, departing from his tenure with the band on a high note with "Endless Dream". And one more thing... "Shock to the System" still rocks my world.