'Talk' - Dancing in the New Design

After the Union tour, it was clear that Yes would not be able to continue as an eight-member lineup. Bill Bruford and Steve Howe departed, though they contributed to a 1993 orchestral album by the London Philharmonic Orchestra titled Symphonic Music of Yes. There were plans for Rick Wakeman to take part on the next Yes album, but scheduling conflicts prevented that from happening. And so it came down to the "Yes West" lineup of vocalist Jon Anderson, keyboardist Tony Kaye, guitarist Trevor Rabin, bassist Chris Squire, and drummer Alan White.

Under the label Victory Music, they recorded an album that Rabin himself produced. He even played a fair amount of the keyboards. (Kaye played the piano and Hammond organ.) It was recorded onto four Apple Macintosh computers linked to an IBM machine. It was very much the result of Anderson and Rabin collaborating closely together. They have writing credits on all of the songs. Squire is co-credited for "The Calling" and "Real Love," and Roger Hodgson (who may have been considered as a replacement for Anderson prior to Union) is co-credited for "Walls."

In a 1993 Notes from the Edge interview, Alan White joked that the working title was Crunching Numbers. He also mentioned a song called "Scarlet from the Tide," though he was not sure whether that would become part of another song such as "Endless Dream" or whether it would become a song on a Rabin solo album. The ultimate fate of "Scarlet from the Tide" is currently unknown. On In the Studio with Redbeard in 1994, the band revealed that Blueprint was the working title for the album at one point. Another working title was History of the Future. Of course, the album, released on March 21, 1994, became Talk, but the word "blueprint" (along with other song titles) appeared on the following poem that was included with the Japanese release of Talk:

"I AM WAITING for the first

time, to HEAR THE CALLING

and renew this STATE OF PLAY

within ; at last to begin

so that the REAL LOVE behind

the WALLS do shine again :

and WHERE WILL YOU BE

out stretched in the wonder full

BLUEPRINT of your heart

seeing me again in this

SILENT SPRING

Ready and willing yourself at

last to TALK to the

light within your heart

and open the magic

inside this

ENDLESS DREAM

take your time

for you are light

Love and peace "

YES

Jon Anderson

1. "The Calling"

The opening notes of "The Calling" sound very crisp. With the opening line, "Feel the calling of a miracle," "The Calling" feels like a bit of a continuation of the sound of "Miracle of Life." Anderson's mentions of geographical locations throughout the song reinforce this. The words "we hold the right to rearrange / How the stories can be heard" sound like they could apply to the band having a better grasp on how the songs here are presented compared to those of Union.

The words "In the beginning is the future / And the future is at hand" sound very fitting with this sound that Yes were going for at the time. It also reminds me of the fact that one of the working titles for this album was History of the Future. The harmonies sound very radio-friendly. I can imagine people singing along to this as they drive and "Take off on the turnpike." The drumming is mixed in pretty well, and the keys also have their moments to shine every now and then.

There is an extended version of "The Calling" that appeared on the Japanese release of Talk, and later on the 2002 reissue by Spitfire Records. Labeled as a "Special Version," it adds a little more than a minute to the middle of the song. The extra section is a quiet interlude that halts the momentum for a bit. It sounds somewhat like the vibe of the quieter sections on "Real Love." I sometimes wonder whether this extra section should have been kept, and whether this version would have felt more normal to me if that were the case. And I sometimes wonder whether the edit on the album was the right way to do it. Opinions may vary.

2. "I Am Waiting"

The next song, "I Am Waiting," is a sentimental power ballad. I know that some people may have mixed feelings about such songs, but the intro is overwhelmingly emotional, setting the tone of the song very well. This feels like the next step after "Final Eyes" from Big Generator. "Am I waking to this magic?" feels fitting, given the magical feeling I get from the song. All is human, after all.

Words like "Highways" and "starways" remind me of the spacey lyrics of Tales from Topographic Oceans, if only for a moment. The music goes through twists and turns, conveying the desperation in the words "Can you hear me?" The assertion that "The heaven will fall" might sound off, but I think of it as the Earth rising so that it may be kissed by heaven. The high (but not too high) volume and sincerity of the "Say you need me" section is very touching.

3. "Real Love"

The next song is "Real Love." In the live setting, Anderson would introduce it as "Amor Real," the Spanish translation and title of a different song on his 1993 solo album Deseo. "Real Love" has an enigmatic opening. It takes its time to build up. The aggressive sound of this song reminds me a bit of "City of Love" (which I seem to get reminded of constantly when it comes to other songs on previous albums). But in this case, there are more lyrics pertaining to nature, a recurring motif in Yes music:

"Get the fire as the flame it burns

Get the wind as it slowly turns

Get the earth as it circles by

Get the sky sea creation fly"

The song keeps building up and getting heavier as the drums become more prominent. The words "Far away in the depths of Hawking's mind / To the animal, primalistic grind" demonstrate the cerebral feel of this track, as does the mention of a timeline. The screeching sounds of the song definitely convey a feeling of fire surrounding someone. Perhaps it is the fire of love and its many forms.

4. "State of Play"

"State of Play" begins with a screeching guitar that is soon followed by the other instruments. The intro is reminiscent of a siren, as was the intention. We even get the opening line, "You can hear the siren screaming." "State of Play" might be the strangest track on this album, but it is a great listen. When Anderson sings on his own, the music changes to a tone that feels like it conveys that he is singing the following lyrics from the heavens: "Secret needing from this love I'm feeding / High time flying monumental / Reaching to God love."

Then we are back on Earth, the guitar being showcased and all. The words "They see the flags are flying" bring to mind the verse "We saw the flags flying on the moon" from ABWH's "Quartet" and a demo titled "Watching the Flags That Fly" that was considered for their second album. When Anderson gets the spotlight again, with heightened music and all, he emphasizes the desire to know, which is a desire that I'm sure many people have. One can also hear "I wanna be inside your heart" from "I Am Waiting" sung in the background.

5. "Walls"

Rabin recorded a demo of "Walls" with Roger Hodgson of Supertramp in 1990. (This demo would end up on Rabin's 90124.) It was the last track added to Talk. Here, Rabin sings about being filled by anger and wanting to change. "I wanna love, I wanna give, / I wanna find another way to live" is a mantra conveying the desperation. There is truth to the line, "And the more we scream and shout / The more we feel alone." It can be unhealthy to keep anger bottled up, but it can also be hurtful to let it out crassly. So it can be difficult finding the balance. Based on what's on the demo, it seems that the ending lyrics on the album version pertaining to a river may have been added by Anderson.

6. "Where Will You Be?"

"Where Will You Be?" was recorded as an instrumental demo in 1991. Here on this album, it has lyrics pertaining to reincarnation. Specifically, it seems to be about being reunited with a true love in a new life: "Two souls intertwined like once before." The line "Be the one everything to me" brings to mind "Be the One" from Keys to Ascension, but that'll come later. "Where Will You Be?" is a gentle track, the calm before the storm that is "Endless Dream." As such, "Where Will You Be?" might be my least favorite track on this album. It is certainly not as bombastic as other tracks, but it is still a good song. It even has a nice change in mood. When Anderson says "No need to fear this love of life," the music, ironically, sounds a bit haunting. But then it turns out that there is nothing to fear at all.

7. "Endless Dream"

"Endless Dream" is an epic that is nearly 16 minutes long. It was originally split into three tracks on the initial album release, but the tracks were later combined into one. The first section of this epic is "Silent Spring." Ironically, it is very loud and noisy, but in a thrilling way, with the keys swirling all over the place like rain in the wind and other sounds crashing down like thunder. It is just under two minutes in length, but there is a lot packed into that time.

Then comes the section titled "Talk," which is almost 12 minutes long. Rabin's singing sounds electronic, but his words can still resonate as he sings about the need to not give into temptation after having risen above it. "The longest trip you'll take is inside" really conveys how a personal journey within one's own heart and/or psyche can feel difficult to navigate through, even if it does lead to enlightenment. The keys grace Anderson's mentions of "the last time" and "the last chance," apparently to rescue oneself.

The sound becomes heavy once again. If you listen on headphones, you'll experience sonic movements from ear to ear. This is definitely an album meant for headphones. The world turns, and so does the sound. Anderson sings about "the last time" and "the first time" getting life. Perhaps he's singing about reincarnation again, or figurative rebirth.

There is a quiet section reminiscent of the middle of "Awaken" in the vibe that it conveys. As was the case on that song, the music escalates into something that feels like a spiritual awakening. The word "Talk" is repeated, as if it is being said to a newborn. Maybe the verse "Like the first words ever to reach out to you" is meant to drive listeners to that connection. "For they talk too loud / And take the hope and peace from your heart." The word "surrender" is mentioned, but surely it is not a surrender of defeat, but rather a surrender that involves putting one's fate in the hands of a benevolent higher power. But people also have to look within: "When the world brings you down / You can search you inside / For the love you will find." Even when there are struggles, "You gotta play this living game."

When Anderson sings, "I've waited so long," I think about how he once said in an interview that this was the Yes album he was waiting for. I'm not sure how long he was waiting for it or for what reason. Maybe it's due to the technology? A more cohesive album after the Union album? The close writing relationship with Rabin? His involvement in the initial writing of a Yes album for the first time in a while? I can only guess.

The final section is just under two minutes long. It is a quieter section, but the verses are very heartfelt:

"So take your time

Look round and see

The most in time is where you're meant to be

For you are light

Inside your dreams

For you will find that it's something

That touches me"

Conclusion

Even though Talk was not as commercially successful as previous albums, it is arguably a more cohesive-sounding album than Union and Big Generator. One could even argue that it is more lyrically complex than 90125. Wherever you may rank the album, it can certainly be viewed as a worthy final effort by the Yes West lineup. The tour that followed represented the album very well, with "State of Play" seemingly being the only Talk track to never be played live by Yes. Billy Sherwood accompanied the band as an additional guitarist and keyboardist. It would not be the last time that Sherwood would perform with Yes.

But it was the last time that many Yes West songs were performed live by the band. Very few would make it into set lists past this era. "Owner of a Lonely Heart" and "Rhythm of Love," being the hits that they were, would see more performances every now and then. "Cinema" and "Hearts" would be performed again on The Ladder Tour. In 2016, when Anderson Rabin Wakeman started touring, they played some of the aforementioned Yes West songs, as well as "Hold On," "Changes," and "Lift Me Up" in their set list. And in 2017, they added the Talk song "I Am Waiting." Though Talk does not get a lot of live play, its songs have come to be appreciated by Yes fans over the years. It just goes to show that there is material on this album that resonates with people.