Yes: Talk (30th Anniversary Edition)

It’s quite startling to look at the band line-up for Talk and realise that not one of the 5 musicians involved are still in Yes, although of course, the real tragedy is that 2 of their number are no longer with us at all. Talk was the final time that we would collectively hear, on vocals Jon Anderson, on guitar Trevor Rabin, on bass Chris Squire, on keys Tony Kaye and on drums Alan White, this line-up having been the one to unexpectedly shoot Yes to chart glory with “Owner Of A Lonely Heart� and 90125. Admittedly they then mis-fired somewhat on Big Generator, split, kind of returned with a host of others for Union and then slowly but surely reshuffled via other offshoots back into Yes. It’s a story well told in the liner notes by Prog Magazine’s Jerry Ewing with help from Rabin and Anderson in this 30th Anniversary reissue of what is arguably Yes’s most underrated album. Along the way Rabin and Anderson also discuss their writing sessions, with the former also detailing the crazy process that was the creation of a fully digitally recorded endeavour - a ground breaking idea for the day.

Featuring a remaster of the original album by Andy Pearce, there is an extended (if not particularly inexpensive) 4CD version of Talk now available, which also includes alternate versions of the main album tracks and a live recording from the tour that followed. However, this review covers the 1 CD version of the remastered Talk alone (no bonus cuts feature here) and it has to be said that it sounds quite fabulous. Now, admittedly, that’s something that could also have been said for the original, but Pearce has done a strong job of highlighting the fragile (no pun intended) beauty this album provides and making it sound current but without losing the more polished progressive Yes sound Talk displays. However, for those who maybe found the original too clipped, too staid and a little sterile (all plusses in my book) those aspects are so integral to this album that they all remain 100% in place.

The beauty of Talk was - for me anyway - that it landed expertly in middle ground between the far reaching, classic Yes sound and something that still gave a nod and a wink to the hit-album that long term fans often deride. Nowhere is this better illustrated than the three part title-track, which moves through some fabulous instrumental sections where it’s clear to hear that Rabin, Kaye, Squire and White were all completely on the same page. Add in a sparkling performance from Jon Anderson and what more could you ask for? Well, if you were looking for something that might just have edged itself into the charts, then “State Of Play� and its catchy chorus, biting guitars and stinging solo may well be it, whereas “The Calling�, which features Squires’ only co-write on Talk, really does sound like classic era Yes brought willingly into the 90s and loving every second of the evolution.

Many - including some of the band - view this final hurrah for both Trevor Rabin and Tony Kaye in Yes as something of a forgotten gem in their catalogue and who am I to disagree? Yes, it leans into that sugary, chart flirtatious sound that veered the band off course and into the arms of the masses for a short time. However, look underneath that shining veneer and you’ll find a bulging prog rock beast living and breathing for all its worth.

Track Listing
1. The Calling
2. I Am Waiting
3. Real Love
4. State Of Play
5. Walls
6. Where Will You Be
7. Endless Dream
a. Silent Spring (Instrumental)
b. Talk
c. Endless Dream

Added: October 4th 2024
Reviewer: Steven Reid
Score:
Related Link: Talk @ Cherry Red
Hits: 398
Language: english

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