Big Generator is the twelfth studio album by progressive rock band Yes. It was released in 1987 on Atlantic Records' Atco subsidiary label (Yes' last studio album for Atlantic) and was the follow-up to the massively successful 90125 album.
A laborious album to make, Big Generator's sessions dragged on for two years, largely due to creative differences. Guitarist Trevor Rabin was aiming to progress beyond 90125, while founding lead vocalist Jon Anderson was beginning to yearn for more traditional Yes music.
The result was an album that was successful commercially and critically, birthing two hits in the process: "Love Will Find A Way" (also a #1 on the Mainstream Rock chart) and "Rhythm Of Love" (their last in the US Top 40). But it was not as popular as 90125, and feeling that the band was going in a direction he didn't want to pursue, Jon Anderson began working on other projects at the conclusion of the Big Generator tour in 1988, including a partial reformation with his Yes bandmates from the 1970s.
It is unclear if the album will ever be reissued by Rhino Records with additional bonus tracks as all previous Atlantic studio releases have been. While new additional material has not been available, unreleased demos may be pulled from the Warner vaults, or live material from 1988 used on the box set, Yesyears.
Track listing
Side one
- "Rhythm of Love" (Jon Anderson/Tony Kaye/Trevor Rabin/Chris Squire) – 4:47
- "Big Generator" (Jon Anderson/Tony Kaye/Trevor Rabin/Chris Squire/Alan White) – 4:33
- "Shoot High, Aim Low" (Jon Anderson/Tony Kaye/Trevor Rabin/Chris Squire/Alan White) – 7:01
- "Almost Like Love" (Jon Anderson/Tony Kaye/Trevor Rabin/Chris Squire) – 4:58
Side two
- "Love Will Find a Way" (Trevor Rabin) – 4:50
- "Final Eyes" (Jon Anderson/Tony Kaye/Trevor Rabin/Chris Squire) – 6:25
- "I'm Running" (Jon Anderson/Tony Kaye/Trevor Rabin/Chris Squire) – 7:37
- "Holy Lamb (Song for Harmonic Convergence)" (Jon Anderson) – 3:19
Accolades
Big Generator (Atco 790 522) reached #17 in the UK. It also reached #15 in the US during a chart stay of 30 weeks.
Note on demos
A set of demos for Big Generator has been circulated unofficially. In some cases, the demos are scarcely different from the album versions, but the two demos of "Shoot High, Aim Low" demonstrate the labour of bringing the album to its final form, and thus are of interest to students of the creative process or Yes history. The first demo is an early, sparse mix with Anderson singing what would become Rabin's parts. The minimal feel lacks the intricate production of 90125, but it may simply have been an early mix. The second seems to be re-recorded, or at least re-mixed, with the drums pushed up front and a decidedly different feel, climaxing in a Jon Anderson spiritual peak that harks back to the 1970s Yes. The final song on the album is a combination of both versions, with a significantly more lush production approaching that of 90125. (Both demos have different lyrics from the final version. Some notable changes are "Malibu sand" for "crimson sand" and "first ride" for "last ride". The second demo makes the "blue fields" connection more explicit by mentioning Central America.)
Vinyl version
The vinyl record cover art is almost identical to that of the CD, but on different colouring: yellow is replaced by cyan and red by purple. The word YES is in the upper part of the letter G, and the symbol is of red colour and is located on the lower part of the letter G.
Charts
Album
Album - Billboard (North America)
| Year |
Chart |
Position |
| 1987 |
The Billboard 200 |
15 |
Singles
Singles - Billboard (North America)
| Year |
Single |
Chart |
Position |
| 1987 |
"Love Will Find a Way" |
Mainstream Rock Tracks |
1 |
| 1987 |
"Love Will Find a Way" |
The Billboard Hot 100 |
30 |
| 1987 |
"Rhythm of Love" |
Mainstream Rock Tracks |
2 |
| 1987 |
"Rhythm of Love" |
The Billboard Hot 100 |
40 |
| 1987 |
"Shoot High Aim Low" |
Mainstream Rock Tracks |
11 |
| 1988 |
"Final Eyes" |
Mainstream Rock Tracks |
20 |
Credits
Yes
- Jon Anderson - Vocals
- Chris Squire - Bass, Vocals (Background)
- Trevor Rabin - Producer, Guitar, Vocals (Background), Mixing, Keyboards, Engineer, String Arrangements
- Tony Kaye - Organ, Fairlight, Emulator, Synclavier, rack mounted synthesizers
- Alan White - Drums, Percussion, Vocals (Background)
Additional personnel
- Jimmy "Z" Zavala - Harmonica, Horn
- Trevor Horn - Horn, Producer
- Greg Smith - Horn
- Nick Lane - Horn
- Lee Thornburg - Horn
- Greg "Frosty" Smith - Horn
Sources
- AllMusicGuide.com
- "Top Pop Albums 1955-2001", Joel Whitburn, c. 2002
