TALK

"Talk" is the 14th full-length studio album by UK progressive rock act Yes. The album was released through Victory Music in March 1994. "Talk" features the same lineup which recorded both "90125 (1983)" and "Big Generator (1987)". So if we consider the "Union (1991)" album as a project idea, the recording lineup had actually been quite stabile since the early eighties. "Talk" is produced by guitarist/vocalist Trevor Rabin and features a very clean sound.

Most of the songs on the album are actually surprisingly good IMO. It´s only "The Calling" and "Walls" with their AOR influenced sound that don´t appeal much to me. Songs like "State of Play", the epic "Endless Dream" and especially my favorite on the album "Real Love" really gave me a good listening experience. While the album isn´t overtly progressive there are sections here and there that keeps the album interesting. The vocal harmonies are as present as ever and I´m actually quite impressed by Jon Anderson and Chris Squire on this album. The musicianship is excellent and the compositions are generally of high quality on the album.

While this is by no means Yes most interesting or memorable effort to date, it´s a pretty good album and a 2.5 - 3 star (55%) rating is deserved. Some albums end up surprising you and the quality of "Talk" was certainly a surprise to me.