IN THE CITY OF ANGELS

I have a tour book from YES` "Union" tour. In the "History of YES" notes, the writer of these notes wrote that Anderson "recorded three albums in L.A., but he was tired of that scene, and he went to Greece to work with Vangelis and then he returned to England to form ABWH". This "In the City of Angels" album was released in May 1988, after the YES`"Big Generator" tour was finished. It seems that Anderson left YES then, but I was surprised that Anderson released then this Pop Rock album, because it seems that he left YES because he wasn`t happy with the musical direction (Rock Pop) that YES`albums with Trevor Rabin had. So, I can`t understand why he singed then with a more commercial record label and he recorded this commercial album with them.

Anyway, this album is well produced and recorded with fine musicians like the musicians from the band Toto and other very good session musicians. The sound and style of the album is mostly very '80s, with keyboard sounds which I previously heard in albums by bands like STYX and particularly in some hits by STYX former lead singer / keyboard player Dennis DeYoung (particularly in a song called "This is the Time"). The song "Hold On to Love" is very good, in Rock Pop terms, with very good arrangements and playing. This song in particular was composed with Lamont Dozier, who with the Holland brothers previously composed songs for Motown artists like The Supremes in the Sixties. It is curious that Dozier was also working in 1988 with Phil Collins, co-writting songs for Collins`album sountrack for the film "Buster", on which Collins had the main character of the film. Anderson also made a promotional videoclip for "Hold On to Love" on which Chris Squire appears playing the contrabass in a video with an image design with the musicians and backing female singers dressed in the 1930-1940`s fashion, with Anderson dancing and singing with a hat like in the musical "A Chorus Line" and also playing a vibraphone! The rest of the songs are a mix of Pop Rock songs with some "New Age" music influences.

In conclusion, a very well produced Pop Rock album which was a bit in contradiction with Anderson`s reasons to leave YES in 1988 because he was tired of the Pop Rock musical direction of the band which was mostly influenced then by Trevor Rabin.