Union by Yes (CD, Apr-1991, Arista Records USA)

I'm a big Yes fan and love the fact that Yes made this album but it drifts away from their classic sound and style. It's a good collection but the best music from Yes, in my opinion, was with a band of 5 members. 8 is a crowd. Still, it's a Yes album and that means good music.

I was a big fan of Yes in college back in the mid 70's but this album is disappointing. It just didn't have the punch I was expecting from earlier Yes albums. This cd will be listed on eBay soon.

This album brings together a great progressive rock group of artists. Their use of extended tracks that tell many different stories are enchanting and offer a great source of creative and inspirational thoughts. Each instrument is played with an energy that is paralleled by the choral voices that intervene in each track.
If you want to experience and energy-plus kind of music, that gives you time to breath nd calm down after a while with the melodic sounds of a tranquil composition.. this is it.

Powerful signature Yes tunes and tones! If you like Yes, buy it! Steve Howe and Bill Bruford are reunited with the band. Trevor Rabin also plays on some of the songs. It's somewhat like old Yes and yet still very modern. Gotta love it!

Union was hyped as a mash-up between the two eras of Yes, resulting in over an hour of disjointed music that doesn't fit together very well. Songs such as "Evensong," "Take the Water to the Mountain," and "Without Hope You Cannot Start the Day" seem pointless and out of place on the album, while the other half is just bad pop music. There is one good song on here: Lift Me Up.