Big Generator

Big Generator
Vinyl edition
Studio album by Yes
Released	17 September 1987
Recorded	1985–1987
Studio	Various locations Lark Studios (Carimate, Italy) SARM Studios (London, England) AIR Studios (London, England) Southcombe Studios (Los Angeles, California) Westlake Recording Studios (Los Angeles, California) Sunset Sound Studios (Los Angeles, California)
Genre	Progressive rock, pop rock
Length	43:38
Label	Atco
Producer	Yes Trevor Horn Trevor Rabin Paul De Villiers
Yes chronology
9012Live: The Solos (1985) Big Generator (1987) Union (1991)
Singles from Big Generator
"Love Will Find a Way" Released: 1987 "Rhythm of Love" Released: 1987 "Final Eyes" Released: 1988

Big Generator is the twelfth studio album by the English rock band Yes, released on 17 September 1987 by Atco Records. Following the conclusion of their 1984–85 world tour in promotion of 90125 (1983), Yes retreated to Italy with producer Trevor Horn to record a new album, but several personnel issues caused recording to relocate to London and Los Angeles. The album saw the group continue with their pop-oriented and commercially accessible sound, though singer Jon Anderson wished to write music similar to the group's progressive rock sound of the 1970s.

Big Generator received mixed reviews, but continued the group's success in the 1980s, reaching No. 15 in the U.S. and No. 17 in the UK. In April 1988, was certified Platinum for sales in excess of one million copies in the U.S. The album was nominated for a Grammy Award for Best Rock Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocal. Following the album's 1987–88 supporting tour, Anderson left Yes to form Anderson Bruford Wakeman Howe. Big Generator was reissued in 2009 and 2013 with bonus tracks.

Background

A laborious album to make, Big Generator's sessions dragged on for two years, largely because of 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. Trevor Horn, who was a major factor in the success of Yes' previous disc 90125, was part of the early recording sessions. However, he dropped out after a few months due in major part to his inability to get along with keyboardist Tony Kaye. In a 2011 interview with LineaRock Italy, Anderson stated that Horn had told Anderson to stay away from the rehearsal and recording sessions for three months, presumably so that Horn could develop material with the other band members. The band recorded some material in Italy ("Shoot High Aim Low"), moved to London to produce "Rhythm of Love", and finally to Los Angeles to produce the final tracks for the album. Rabin assumed the production duties after the departure of Horn, and is credited for pulling together the final line-up of music on the disc.

Release

Professional ratings
Review scores
Source	Rating
Allmusic	[1]

The result was an album that was successful commercially, with two songs reaching the US Top 40: "Love Will Find a Way" (also a No. 1 on the Mainstream Rock chart) and "Rhythm of Love" (their last US Top 40 hit). The album was not as popular as 90125, and feeling that the band was going in a direction he did not 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 as Anderson Bruford Wakeman Howe.

Big Generator was remastered in 2009 by Isao Kikuchi and released in Japan under Warner Music Japan as part of their Yes SHM-CD papersleeve series of reissues. An international remaster was included as part of the band's 2013 box set The Studio Albums 1969–1987.

Big Generator (Atco 790,522) reached #17 in the UK, and #15 in the US during a chart stay of 30 weeks.

The album, like its predecessor 90125, received a Grammy nomination for Best Rock Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocal.

Track listing

2009 reissue

Personnel

Yes

• Jon Anderson – vocals
• Trevor Rabin – vocals, acoustic and electric guitars, keyboards, string arrangements
• Tony Kaye – Hammond organ, piano
• Chris Squire – bass guitar, backing vocals
• Alan White – drums, percussion, backing vocals

Additional musicians

• Soul Lips-James Zavala – horns on "Almost Like Love"
• Lee R. Thornburg – horns on "Almost Like Love"
• Nick Lane – horns on "Almost Like Love"
• Greg Smith – horns on "Almost Like Love"
• James Zavala – harmonica on "Love Will Find a Way"
• Kim Bullard – keyboard programming

Production

• Yes – production
• Trevor Rabin – production, mixing
• Paul De Villiers – production, engineering
• Alan Goldberg – engineering at Lark Recording Studios
• Dave Meegan – engineering
• John Jacobs – engineering
• Paul Massey – engineering
• David Glover – engineering
• Mike "Spike" Drake – assistant engineer
• Stuart Breed – assistant engineer
• Brian Soucy – assistant engineer
• Lois Oki – assistant engineer
• Julie Last – assistant engineer
• Jimmy Preziosi – assistant engineer
• Mike Kloster – assistant engineer
• Stephen Marcussen – mastering

Charts

Album

Album – Billboard (North America)

Singles

Singles – Billboard (North America)

References