Customer Reviews

Talk

5 star:		(53)
4 star:		(25)
3 star:		(9)
2 star:		(6)
1 star:		(5)

 

 

I know I will rile other Yes fans sorely with this assertion in my headline, but I stand by my position; "TALK" is my favorite Yes album, and as a Yes fan for decades, I have no problem recommending "Talk" as the ONE Yes recording to purchase if you want the best of this pioneering and underappreciated band.

By all means, let's give their early work its due. "Close to the Edge", "Fragile", "The Yes Album" and yes, "Relayer" and "Tales of Topographic Oceans" defined the band and the emergent genre of Progressive Rock and deserve their historical stature as milestones of the era. I don't want to recount all the backstory that led to "Talk's" creation--so many other reviewers provide that--but let me just note that this was the third and final recording by the "West Coast Yes" band that spearheaded their late '80's-early '90's revival with guitarist/singer Trevor Rabin in the drivers' seat as unofficial bandleader.

To my ears, "Talk" is the ultimate statement of what the band was capable of; this is their masterpiece. My guess is that the commercial viability Rabin helped to bring to the band with "Owner of a Lonely Heart"--their first and only #1 hit--banked him a great deal of sway when the time came to record "Talk", and eager to build on their early success, the rest of the band was willing to cede much creative power to Rabin in the creation of this project.

Creatively they certainly made the right choice. Every track of "Talk" bristles with lyrical and instrumental power that the preceding two West Coast Yes records (90125 & Big Generator) hinted at but couldn't sustain. EVERYTHING converged in "Talk", and for me certainly, its force still shimmers like the background radiance of the big bang.

I infrequently revisit "Talk", and every time I do I just can't help but be reminded of just what an incredible piece of work this turned out to be. Produced by Trevor Rabin, the CD credits read "caution-extreme digital dynamic range", and indeed, "Talk" will give your speakers a workout with some wild audio fireworks. Of course most of us prog-rock "propellerheads" expect that, and enjoy the tricky panning between speakers that is so much part of its fun, but that would be for nought if the songs weren't worthy of all this high-gloss production fairy dust.

All the songs are SUPERIOR both musically and lyrically, showcasing as usual the instrumental prowess of the band AND revealing some uniquely empathic and insightful lyrics. I know many fans of the "classic" Yes lineup (Squire, Howe, Anderson, Wakeman, Bruford) will denounce me for saying this, but I confess little patience with the twittering word-salad lyrics of Jon Anderson. GREAT singer, yes, but I would guess that much of the problems the band suffered creatively as time wore on are largely due to their dependence on Jon's shaky words and music. Having Rabin on board as producer & composing partner to Anderson, I think, reined in many of Jon's worst excesses and allowed him to shine brightly (apparently for the last time) as a singer and the legend of prog rock that he was.

Many have lumped the "West Coast Yes" output as exhibit "A" in 1990's "hair metal/power ballad" narcissm. I can see where they're coming from, but I also say "so what"? The songs and performances have so much muscle, sinew & urgency they easily transcend any detractors' sniping. From the very opening track, "The Calling" it's clear the band is in their prime, storming through a brash, tough opener still fully bejeweled with the trademark Yes vocal harmonies and Jon Anderson's voice at its angelic best. Can anyone tell me why "Owner of a Lonely Heart" got to be a hit and "The Calling" was completely ignored? I was especially taken with the slippery, heavily-processed guitar solo by Rabin midway through. What a display of virtuousity! Steve Howe was and is a great guitarist, but Trevor in his own way, was every bit as good (as demonstrated over and over again throughout "Talk").

Let's all take a second to praise the great Alan White and his armor plated drumming not only on "Talk" (where he deservedly gets a high profile in the mix) but throughout his years with Yes. White's take-no-prisoners authority as a drummer reminds me of Led Zep's John Bonham, and also perhaps Ringo Starr. Alan definitely infused Yes with a pulse and urgency the more mannered and (dare I say) effete drumming of predecessor Bill Bruford couldn't provide. (Let me hasten to add that Bill was indeed a GREAT drummer in his own right, but tell me there's not a HUGE difference between his and Alan Whites' styles.)

Let me quickly praise in passing the enduring excellence of all of "Talk", truly a CD with only one weak track--"Where Will You Be", which, while credited as co-written by Rabin/Anderson seems to bear so much more of the Jon Anderson imprint. It is NOT a bad song-it's just such a departure from the crunch and frontal assault of the preceding tracks that it seems a little weak by contrast. I suspect, however, this was intentional & meant to serve as a meditative time-out before the band raised the curtain on the closer, to my ears the band's highest prog rock pinnacle, the closing suite "Endless Dream".

"Endless Dream" will always be unshakably locked in my personal all-time Top 10 as a work of extraordinary compositional, lyrical and emotional vibrance. It is such a tour de force of instrumental & vocal skill that it still moves me after hundreds of listenings. Lyrically and instrumentally I interpret "Endless Dream" as a musical journey into the substance of being. The swirling electronics represent the atomic aether from which larger structures of life and consciousness arise (as represented by the band), bubbling up through the underlying fog of churning subatomic matter. The lyrics are somber, slightly opaque, but not annoyingly so (as was routinely true for most of Jon's lyrics in times past). "It's the last time, telling myself everything, call me over and bring me back again..." Never before (or since)has Jon sang more beautifully and meaningfully as he does on "Endless Dream". Cycling through life and returning to attempt again to wring meaning from it with senses inadequate to the task is the message of "Endless Dream". Yeah, it's big, and ponderous, and surely it's not everyone's cup of tea, but I greatly admire their ambition and still stand in awe of the artistry they brought to the task throughout "Talk".

Well, who said life was fair? "Talk" arrived and sank immediately commercially, spelling the end of West Coast Yes and (apparently permanently) exiling Trevor Rabin from the Yes family. The band continues to soldier on, and Jon Anderson gamely asserts that they can still make another album equal to "Close to the Edge" or "Fragile"--I'd like to believe that's possible, but I must reluctantly state that most Yes post-"Talk" has been middling to poor. Nevertheless a band that has scaled such heights as Yes can surely be forgiven a long coast into the sunset. Few bands have accomplished so much artistically and NONE have created such a thrilling, ambitious, arresting and poignant work as Yes did with "Talk". What a shame this landmark CD is currently out of print; the good news is that it is easily available used, and I encourage all with even a casual interest to invest $5 or so for one of the most enriching listening experiences of your life with "Talk". YES--it is that good.

As a fan of Yes for over ten years now, I'm more partial to Yes' output in the 70s than I am to their output in the 80s. However, _Talk_ (their last album with guitarist Trevor Rabin holding the reigns), was a fitting way to end this phase of Yes' career.

Probably a deliberate attempt to be a little more progressive than their previous studio albums (_90125_, _Big Generator_, and the Rabin tracks on _Union_), Yes harkens back to the long/short mix of songs found on _The Yes Album_ and _Fragile_. While nothing on _Talk_ matches the progressive punch of songs like "Starship Trooper" or "South Side of the Sky", "Endless Dream" comes pretty damn close. A sprawling epic, it combines the guitar rock of 80s Yes with the emotions of Yes' best work in the 70s. Elsewhere, "The Calling" features some excellent Hammond licks by Tony Kaye, a vibrant guitar sound, and great harmonies. "I Am Waiting" features a guitar lead that could probably pass for a Steve Howe-written piece. "State of Play" is also a good example of Yes when they merge their natural sense of harmony with heavy guitars and quasi-dance beats. Even the lesser tracks such as "Walls" (kinda generic) and "Real Love" (goes on a tad too long) are salvaged by excellent performances and production.

_Talk_ is a great album. It was the first time that Jon Anderson and Trevor Rabin sat down and wrote together and you can truly hear the energy and love the two have for this material. Notably, _Talk_ contains some of Anderson's best vocals. It also is simply a fun album. It sounds like the members of Yes are having fun - and it's contagious. It's great that it has been re-released because sadly it has been out of print for the last few years. Don't pass this one up - you'll probably be pleasantly surprised.

After Yes' 8-man "football team" line-up finished their successful tour for their 1991 hastily glued-together album, "Union," Steve Howe, Rick Wakeman and Bill Bruford once again left Yes, leaving the "90125" quintet of singer Jon Anderson, bassist Chris Squire, guitarist Trevor Rabin, keyboardist Tony Kaye & drummer Alan White. With Rabin once again taking the helm of the group (as he did on "Big Generator"), this Yes line-up recorded 1994's "Talk," which these days is a rather overlooked Yes album, as it didn't sell all that well (and is currently out-of-print). But "Talk" is an incredible album---very powerful & upbeat, with first-rate performances from the band, and boasting great production values too. I think "Talk" also rivals "90125" as the best Yes album from the Trevor Rabin era, it really is that good. Whatever creative differences existed between Rabin & singer Jon Anderson (which really came to a head on "Big Generator"), the two men were able to put their working problems aside for one more album, as "Talk" from start to finish is co-written by Rabin & Anderson, with a couple of contributions from Squire, and even a co-writing credit from former Supertramp singer Roger Hodgson! "The Calling" and "I Am Waiting" are both terrific, uplifting songs. And don't let the title "Real Love" fool you---this ain't no ballad! It's a sinister-sounding rocker, and one of Yes' most distinctive-sounding songs ever, a real gem. "State Of Play" is a solid tune. "Walls", co-written by Roger Hodgson, is a fine song (with obvious shades of Supertramp in it). "Where Will You Be" is very lovely-sounding, and the epic-piece, "Endless Dream," is a stunner, a fine finale to a fine album. "Talk" would be the last Yes album with Rabin & Kaye, but I think both men left the band on a very high note (even if Kaye, admittedly, wasn't allowed to contribute all that much in the keyboard department---Rabin played most of the keyboard parts on this album). I sincerely hope that "Talk" will eventually get a proper re-release, along with a couple of other great latter-day Yes albums that are also currently out-of-print, "Open Your Eyes" and "Magnification". Like those albums, "Talk" is another great buried treasure from Yes. So go ahead and buy a used copy from Amazon! "Talk" is a fine addition to your Yes music collection.

Yes is the soundtrack of my life. I have been listening to them from the beginning. I have had the honor of being present at many of their performances throughout the years. I have even followed them from one venue to another during their tours. ~ One tour stands out above them all . . . TALK. I was totally blown away. In the liner notes it says: "Caution: Extreme dynamic range." and they aren't kidding. I upgraded my speakers to take advantage of this cd. - I have also purchased this TALK cd several times and given it away to deserving friends. Yes, I'm obsessed. And for good reason ~ this is an amazing piece of work. A masterpiece.

Everyone else has pretty much covered what this album sounds like and whether you like it or not. Yes fans are notoriously picky, so I'd just recommend giving it a listen and seeing whether it falls into the 'good yes' or 'bad yes' category for you.

What I would like to share is something that at least one person mentioned earlier, and that's the fact that there is some fine print in the liner notes about how dynamic the recording is and that it may damage speakers. This is absolutely true!

My dad had just picked this disc up a few weeks before going shopping for a new subwoofer. He always buys very high end equipment and likes to listen to it loud. He had noticed that Talk really rumbled in the car, especially State Of Play. However, car stereos are notoriously muddy and distorted, and he wanted to hear the bass reproduced how it was meant to be and brought the disc with him to audition a new home sub. I'm not going to mention the name of the stereo store, because they would be PISSED if they knew then what we know now.

We hadn't noticed the warning in the notes, and just thought that it was a 'hot' recording. He went to the upper rooms that keep all the really high end equipment in, and listened to a few different models. Before picking one, he popped in Talk and put it to track 4. The salesman was a Yes fan too, so the volume was pretty high when that first bass note came in and immediately blew the brand new sub. Completely shelled it out in one go! My dad and uncle were mortified, but the salesman took it as an insult to his product and proceeded to hook up a bigger and more expensive sub to the system. The same thing kept happening and he kept calling for more boxes. By the end of the day, my dad had bought a very expensive sub (he still won't tell me how much he paid except that it's worth more than my car), but he estimates that they had blown up about $50,000 worth of brand new, ulra-high end subwoofers in his favorite stereo shop.

This sub he bought (an 18" Velodyne) handled Talk, but only because it had a protection circuit that causes it to back off of a few of the most intense bass tones on the disc. Even at that slightly reduced level though, you can feel the bass from this disc in your chest and your bowels. If the volume is up high enough, it will make you disoriented and lose your balance!

True story, just thought I'd share it with the rest of you.

So say what you want about the music itself, but this is the most crystal clear, pure, and powerful recording in my collection. I've never heard anything that compares to it for raw power, but it still manages to sound impeccably crisp, and crystalline at any volume.

When I revisited Talk (1994) recently, I realized I had to put my foot in my mouth, because I said that in my review of Anderson Bruford Wakeman Howe that Yes couldn't make a good album without Chris Squire, while they could without Jon Anderson (my proof: ABWH vs. Drama). Although I'll take the liner note's word that Chris Squire played bass on this album, it sure sounds like any session player could have replicated the basslines on Talk. Chris Squire is effectively invisible on this album.

However, look past all that, and you're left with a pretty decent album. It certainly doesn't sound like Yes, though- everyone who said that it sounds like a Trevor Rabin solo effort (with special guest Jon Anderson) is right on the money. Overall, the songs are kind of unadventurous and pedestrian, but, aside from the sickeningly sweet "Walls," never bad. "Where Will You Be" is a good example- it's pleasant and well crafted, but ultimately unremarkable. "State of Play" sounds like the best song on Union- a compliment, but not much of one.

"The Calling" is the album's best song. The lyrics are goofy (how'd someplace like Lenasia get name-checked?), but it's wonderfully upbeat and a perfect example of what Trevor Rabin has done right in all his albums with Yes- great guitar playing and keen pop-rock sensibility. "I Am Waiting" is a very beautiful, powerful love song and is probably the piece on Talk most reminiscent of other Yes albums- Steve Howe could do this song justice (indeed, there was a rumor they rehearsed "I Am Waiting" for their 35th Anniversary Tour only to toss it).

"Real Love" is a dark and moody song that I've come to like a lot. Alan White really shines on this song- Talk may be one of the best Yes albums when it comes to drums. The token epic, "Endless Dream," meanders a little and could've done without the "Silent Spring" instrumental section, but it's memorable for Jon Anderson's gorgeous singing.

And throughout the album, it seems that keyboardist Tony Kaye was actually given something to do- he has a solo in "The Calling" and embellishes "Real Love" just right, among other things. All after sitting on the sidelines for most of his tenure in this version of Yes (did you actually think that was him on "Owner of a Lonely Heart?").

Talk isn't nearly as good as Big Generator, but I think it's more or less equal in quality to 90125. I did, however, take a long, long time to warm up to this album. It's kind of tough to enjoy this as a Yes album, but it's still good.

This is a very good, underrated album, however unlike most Yes albums, this was not a collaberative process. Guitarist Trevor Rabin produced this album, he co-wrote the songs with Jon Anderson, he plays the guitar, MOST of the keyboard parts, and allegedly even some of bass parts himself. So if you like Rabin, you will probably love this album, if you don't you probably won't care for it, although you may be surprised.

"The Calling" is a catchy band sing-along.
"I Am Waiting" is a beautiful, soaring melody.
"Real Love" starts off quietly and builds. It's one of the weaker tracks.
"State of Play" is pounding, and has a beat that you can almost dance to.
"Walls" is the most "Pop" song here. Trevor Rabin takes lead vocals on this one.
"Where will you be" is the most "Andersonian" song in the bunch. For some reason it sounds to me like it could be the theme song to a Disney animated feature.
"Endless Dream" is a classic, multipart Yes epic brought into the 90s. It is the only reason you need to buy this disc.

Overall it feels like there should have been another song or two added to round out this collection. However this is the best Rabin Yes album, and one of the strongest Yes albums of the 90s

Although I enjoy listening to 90125 and Big Generator from time to time, they will never be the timeless classics that most of the 70's era albums have become. Trevor Rabin's sound has ensured that those two productions will forever be associated with the 80's. I'm glad that the band had their brush with Top-40 stardom, but "Owner of a Lonely Heart" was never really their style.

That being said, "Talk" is huge leap forward for this Yes lineup. I had shelved this CD for years thinking it was a lesser version of their previous two efforts. Boy, was I wrong. This is a really good album!

It's got a great sound. Crisp, clear production and a crunchy rock sound through most of the albums that gives the band an edge that they're normally not known for. But rather than just another collection of rock songs, this album delivers some thoughtful, deep lyrics and tunes.

Am I the only one that totally digs "Real Love"? This is a haunting tune with a great hook and a wall of sound.

The opener, "The Calling" evokes classic Jon Anderson vocals and brilliant Yes harmonies wrapped up in a memorable chorus.

"Endless Dream" is an ode to progressive-era Yes that aspires to be right up there with "Awaken" and "Heart of the Sunrise".

The throw-aways on this one are "State of Play" and "Walls" - both filler.

I can see why a lot of Yes purists aren't thrilled with this record. It is not "Close to the Edge" and it doesn't try to be. Trevor Rabin's fingerprints are all over this thing, but so what? He's a talented song writer/producer who has his own sound. The good news is that there's much more of the old Yes in this one than the previous two recordings.

Give it a few listens - it'll grow on you.

This album really deserves to be heard! It's one of Yes' finest hours and a nice return to form after the debacle of the UNION album and tour in the early Nineties. Okay, Trevor Rabin pretty much ran the whole show here, but by going the extra mile and collaborating on the songs head-to-head with Jon Anderson this time out, he got some of the lead singer's best songs and performances in years. What you get with TALK is a fine balance between the Yes of the CLOSE TO THE EDGE days and the band who scored with "Owner Of A Lonely Heart" 10 years later---and it all works really well! Also, anyone calling themselves a "classic Yes" fan who can't get into "Endless Dream," the 11-minute track that closes this album, either needs to hear it again or is simply too stuck in the past to hear it properly.

Trevor Rabin may be gone from the band, but when Jon Anderson recovers from his recent injury and the group resumes touring, I would strongly suggest they include songs from TALK in their set list. Given Steve Howe's contempt for Rabin's work with Yes, that probably won't happen, but it should. These songs and this album are too good to be ignored!

If you are a Rabin fan or a fan of Rabin-era Yes, you will probably like this one. I think it sounds pretensious and uninspired. Chris Squire is missing in action. Alan White pulls some strong beats out of the can, but the rest is pure Rabin.

There are some songs I can stand but most I can't listen to all the way through. I got this for [low price] in the bargin bin and I am not sure I got a good deal.

-A long time Yes fan