TALK

In a change from his previous modus operandi, Rabin wanted to have a better relationship with Jon Anderson and involved him in the songwriting process from the get-go. At the same time, Chris Squire took a step back.

Talk was released in 1994 to mixed-to-negative reviews, but I have a weird soft spot for it. I openly acknowledge it's far from Yes's best work, but it's the first album where they sound like Yes since Drama. Well, some of the time, at least. Rabin still had a heavy hand in the songwriting, and it's a pretty pop-inflected album. The production is as slick as ever, and there are some nonessential tracks here.

The opening "The Calling" is cheesy as all get-out with a huge, radio-friendly chorus. But unlike anything on Union (or most of what was on Big Generator), it's actually catchy, and the band seem to have put some effort into it. But I can't be quite so kind to the next song, "I Am Waiting". This is another piece of evidence that Yes should not do ballads. Sappiness is not something they've ever been able to pull off.

The nearly-nine-minute "Real Love" feels like Yes's first true progressive rock song since The Buggles were in the band. It's slow-building, and Rabin's soloing feels quite David Gilmour-inspired. (It's not a very Yes-like solo, but it fits; this is a pretty Pink Floyd-y song.) Like elsewhere on this album, the chorus is built up to be huge and catchy, but the organ, crunching bass, and twisting guitar lines help it feel grand.

"State of Play" is another awkward big-riff song, and it suffers from a lot of the same ills as Big Generator. The aforementioned big riff is pretty good, but the verses are clumsy and tuneless. "Walls" (co-written by Roger Hodgson of Supertramp) is similar in its grandiose riffage, but it's a stronger song with some almost-country flavor.

Talk closes on "Endless Dream", Yes's first suite since "Machine Messiah", and it's a welcome return to form. It opens with rapidfire piano, huge, heavy guitar and bass, and pounding drums. This opening salvo, while not quite on par with the opening minutes of "Heart of the Sunrise", is in the same family. Part two is mostly slow and gentle, led by Tony Kaye's keys. It avoids pop sweetness and feels genuine. I'd compare it to "Wondrous Stories" or the "Soon" section of "Gates of Delirium". Layers of weird, froggy guitar lines build up under Yes's trademark group vocals while Alan White's drumming keeps the song churning and lurching forward in uneven starts and stops. "Endless Dream" ends on a softer note, floating on a sound which, while surely intended to feel majestic, comes off as dated.

Review originally posted here: theeliteextremophile.com/2019/03/24/deep-dive-yes/