RHYTHM OF LOVE (2)

Rhythm of Love was a four-song maxi-single with three version of 'Rhythm of Love,' though neither the album version nor the single edit is here. The fourth and final song is a live version of 'City of Love' from the 9012live video.

This maxi-single, or 'twelve-inch,' follows a common pattern: an extended dance mix, a single-length dance mix, and an instrumental, or 'dub' version.

Here we have the nearly seven-minute 'Dance to the Rhythm Mix,' intended for club play. It contains some brass elements, presumably played by the Soul Lips ensemble, which weren't included on the album; but otherwise, it intersperses instrumental verse and chorus sections among their vocal counterparts with a few breakdowns. The drum track is replaced with a drum machine, and the mix is altered to highlight the rhythmic elements and the the lead vocals. At 4:24, the 'Move to the Rhythm Mix' is a nice length for single airplay, and mostly follows the structure of the original, but with the mix of the 'Move to the Rhythm Mix.'

In my opinion, 'Rhythm of Love' is one of Yes's weaker songs, but it actually works slightly better as a drum-machine-based dance track. So the 'Move to the Rhythm Mix' isn't bad at all for a dance remix of a rock song.

Next is 'The Rhythm of Dub,' a mostly instrumental 7:45 workout probably intended for club DJs to mix with other songs of the same tempo. This mix is similar to the 'Move to the Rhythm Mix,' but seems to retain more of the original rhythm guitar and other elements, like the ride cymbal, in a few places. Finally there's that 'live edit' of 'City of Love' from 1984. This was also the b-side of the standard 'Rhythm of Love' 45 RPM single, and it must be one of the very few legitimate sources for this edit (now that it's out of print, you can find it online). This rendition of 'City of Love' is different than, but just as good as the original. Jon Anderson's lead vocals are among the parts that sound better in concert, but in the other hand, this live version suffers a bit from a lack of producer Trevor Horn's studio polish.

None of these 'Rhythm of Love' tracks is essential; in any event, all three are available on certain editions of the Big Generator CD. As for the version of 'City of Love:' I'm not sure it's special enough to warrant hunting down the Rhythm of Love twelve-inch single (or cassette, in my case) if you have the 9012live video.

I'm assigning this a two-star rating, as fans of the band will want these tracks, though probably not from this source.