Customer Reviews

Beginnings

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This work exhibits considerable skill and fortells of greatness to come but is far from the quality of "Can't Look Away" or works done with Yes. I can not recommend this, particularly if you are just discovering Trevor's work.

This album has been on CD a few times either as a Japanese import or domestically on One Way Records (they were retitled as simply Trevor Rabin). But neither is 'Beginnings' as it originally appeared on RPM Records in South Africa in 1978. All CDs use a remixed version of the album and the One Way had some slight editing done to one or two songs (particularly, cutting the intro of Getting To Know You Better in half). The original mixes that appeared on the RPM vinyl aren't as professional but they do reveal some musical bits and vocal lines (like a talking section over the chorus of 'Finding Me A Way Back Home') that were muted or buried in the remix. Several of the songs had different intros and many of the fades went on longer.

Also, there are two additional songs that have yet to show up on any CD version of this album. One is a short, pleasant, orchestra-based piece called 'Love Alone.' The other song, 'Could There Be', is as good as anything on the album. Don't know why this great track was left off. If you're a fan of Trevor Rabin find a copy of this song. It's really good. I may post it on YouTube at some point in the near future.

This CD is a digital clone of the One Way CD (including the edited intro on 'Getting To Know You Better') so if you already have that disc save your money, unless you want the original album artwork.

If Trevor Rabin knew he'd follow Steve Howe in Yes, maybe this would be self-titled in South Africa like it was here (their Chinese Zodiac signs are also incompatible!), because Howe's solo début is also called "Beginnings". Pure coincidence, really. Most of the songs are "close to the edge" of bubble gum as Rabin had done in Rabbitt, which he had just left, along with South Africa for the UK. Originally released in 1978 in South Africa by RPM and most other countries by Blue Chip/Chrysalis. Later reissued in the US by One-Way Records, an indie rerelease label out of Albany, NY.