TALK

"Talk" is a very underrated Yes album stemming from the troubled 90s era of the band. Jon Anderson returns to the fray and sounds wonderful throughout. Then of course, in the wake of Rick Wakeman, Steve Howe left nice and quietly on request to pursue whatever interests he wanted, only to be replaced by Trevor Rabin who sounds terrific giving a new sound to this progressive music with his electric guitar trademark style. Indeed at times he lends a much heavier feel to the tracks and this sound permeates the 90s sound of the time when grunge was entering the scene. This is still a very progressive album and has a standout track, Endless Dream, so good it deserves its own place in the Yes catalogue alongside masterpieces such as And You And I and Starship Trooper.

Other outstanding tracks include the soulful beauty of I Am Waiting. Real Love is Rabin at his best, and State Of Play has an infectious chorus and Anderson on high pitched vocals. Where Will You Be has a hypnotic keyboard and very soft gentle vocals that lock into your mind after a few listens. However none can match the awesomeness of Endless Dream, a return to the epic format that have made Yes such a powerhouse in the prog scene. The first two minutes are Yes at their finest. The lyrics are so beautiful they could bring tears to the eyes.

I love the work of Roger Dean on the Yes catalogue, but this is missing here and the cover is dreadful, let's face it, so that in itself flies in the face of a very good album. However the songs are delightfully upbeat and the musicianship is first class. Chris Squire was one of the great bassists and he absolutely nails it on each song. Alan White's percussion is also terrific, and Tony Kaye's keyboard style is exemplary.

The album deserves some recognition as being a new approach for the band, and it stands up well to some of the more low key albums such as "Union", "Big Generator" and "Tormato". It is far superior to these, though not a masterpiece by any stretch of the imagination. "Talk" is a real surprise to my ears as I have heard just about everything else the band have produced, and this has a great sound and the songs are well executed overall.