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Big Generator
Big Generator is the twelfth studio album by English progressive rock band Yes, released on 28 September 1987 by Atco Records, their last album of new music for the label. After touring in support of their previous album, 90125 (1983), which saw the band move from progressive rock towards a pop-oriented and commercially accessible direction, Yes started work on a follow-up in 1985 with producer Trevor Horn. It was a laborious album to make; recording began at Carimate, Italy, but internal and creative differences resulted in production to resume in London, where Horn ended his time with the band due to continuing problems. The album was completed in Los Angeles in 1987 by Trevor Rabin and producer Paul DeVilliers.
Big Generator received mixed reviews from music critics, and the album reached number 15 on the Billboard 200 and number 17 on the UK Albums Chart. In April 1988, the album was certified platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) for selling one million copies in the US. Like 90125, it was nominated for a Grammy Award for Best Rock Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocal. The album spawned two singles, "Love Will Find a Way" and "Rhythm of Love". Yes supported Big Generator with a tour of North America and Japan from November 1987 to April 1988, after which Anderson again left the group. The album was reissued in 2009 with bonus tracks.
In February 1985, the Yes line-up of Jon Anderson, bassist Chris Squire, keyboardist Tony Kaye, drummer Alan White, and guitarist and vocalist Trevor Rabin, ended a twelve-month world tour in support of their eleventh studio album, 90125 (1983). That album marked a considerable change in direction for the group, moving from their pioneering progressive rock sound of the 1970s towards more accessible and pop-oriented music, helped by the production of Trevor Horn and Rabin's demos, which formed most of the album. 90125 became the band's highest selling album, helped by their first and only US number one single "Owner of a Lonely Heart". The album also earned Yes's only Grammy Award, winning Best Rock Instrumental Performance for "Cinema".
Rehearsals began in Hollywood, California in August 1985 with Horn resuming his role as producer. Rabin felt nervous and pressured when their label, Atco Records, informed him that they wished for another hit like "Owner of a Lonely Heart", but he wanted to move from the band's past and do something different regardless of its success. Anderson, wishing to "extend the musicianship" of the band and its new music, wanted to capitalise on its now larger fanbase and attempt "more adventurous" songs for the album. Horn was not interested, however, and isolated Anderson from the writing process until songs were near complete. Anderson looked back on this decision as a "big mistake" as he wanted to encourage Rabin to "jump on a Stravinsky-ism" and "go crazy wild" with musical ideas. Kaye recalled that the band had no preconceived ideas, that Rabin had amassed lots of songs, many of which were already arranged and had lyrics, but did not force them upon the group because he wanted the writing to be a group effort. Kaye had little interest in songs based on improvisation.
The album's title derived from a quote from the band's concert film, 9012Live (1985). During one of the colourised segments at the end of the film, one of the actors says "It's the rhythm of big generators", which stuck with the group.
At the beginning of the songwriting process, Rabin recalled the group used Abbey Road (1969) by the Beatles as a model and influence for the music on Big Generator. He explained: "If we come up with an idea, why pressure ourselves into making it a song? Just have it there. If you can't come up with a chorus, don't throw it out because it's not a complete song and don't put a bad chorus around it". Such an approach led to the album having tracks longer than common pop songs of the time, peaking at seven minutes in length. Rabin said Kaye had a greater role on Big Generator than he had on 90125, but continual clashes between Kaye and Horn resulted in his keyboard parts recorded in a studio away from Horn. Despite this, Rabin still played "a lot" of keyboards on the album.
Kaye's main instrument on the album was the Korg DW-8000, which was able to faithfully recreate a Hammond organ and piano. He also used a Roland D-50, and a custom built Oberheim DPX-1 with hard disk capability. The group used what Kaye described as "the most sophisticated, most expensive" Synclavier system which was placed in a room of its own above the main studio. The basic keyboard parts and overdubs were recorded by feeding tracks from the main studio to the Synclavier, where Kaye would play his part, and the tracks fed back down to tape in the main studio. White was experimenting with sound designer and technologist Reek Havoc on the Dynacord ADD-One drum machine and pads.
At Rabin's suggestion, the band agreed to record at Lark Recording Studios, a facility situated by Castello di Carimate, a castle in Carimate, Italy. He thought that such a location would help the band bond together and bring some new ideas to the music which would create a better album as a result. Rabin first spoke of the friction between Anderson and Squire during this time three years after the album's release, which suited him as it "created a great vacuum for me to work in". Squire maintained that Rabin made the choice to record there as a step to save money and for tax purposes, and called it the wrong move, a view that Rabin denied years later and clarified that "It was never the intention to save money, although I don't want to waste money." Squire recalled more time being spent on what recording equipment to use than the music itself during the entire project, which also affected the tense situation.
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Big Generator
Big Generator is the twelfth studio album by English progressive rock band Yes, released on 28 September 1987 by Atco Records, their last album of new music for the label. After touring in support of their previous album, 90125 (1983), which saw the band move from progressive rock towards a pop-oriented and commercially accessible direction, Yes started work on a follow-up in 1985 with producer Trevor Horn. It was a laborious album to make; recording began at Carimate, Italy, but internal and creative differences resulted in production to resume in London, where Horn ended his time with the band due to continuing problems. The album was completed in Los Angeles in 1987 by Trevor Rabin and producer Paul DeVilliers.
Big Generator received mixed reviews from music critics, and the album reached number 15 on the Billboard 200 and number 17 on the UK Albums Chart. In April 1988, the album was certified platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) for selling one million copies in the US. Like 90125, it was nominated for a Grammy Award for Best Rock Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocal. The album spawned two singles, "Love Will Find a Way" and "Rhythm of Love". Yes supported Big Generator with a tour of North America and Japan from November 1987 to April 1988, after which Anderson again left the group. The album was reissued in 2009 with bonus tracks.
In February 1985, the Yes line-up of Jon Anderson, bassist Chris Squire, keyboardist Tony Kaye, drummer Alan White, and guitarist and vocalist Trevor Rabin, ended a twelve-month world tour in support of their eleventh studio album, 90125 (1983). That album marked a considerable change in direction for the group, moving from their pioneering progressive rock sound of the 1970s towards more accessible and pop-oriented music, helped by the production of Trevor Horn and Rabin's demos, which formed most of the album. 90125 became the band's highest selling album, helped by their first and only US number one single "Owner of a Lonely Heart". The album also earned Yes's only Grammy Award, winning Best Rock Instrumental Performance for "Cinema".
Rehearsals began in Hollywood, California in August 1985 with Horn resuming his role as producer. Rabin felt nervous and pressured when their label, Atco Records, informed him that they wished for another hit like "Owner of a Lonely Heart", but he wanted to move from the band's past and do something different regardless of its success. Anderson, wishing to "extend the musicianship" of the band and its new music, wanted to capitalise on its now larger fanbase and attempt "more adventurous" songs for the album. Horn was not interested, however, and isolated Anderson from the writing process until songs were near complete. Anderson looked back on this decision as a "big mistake" as he wanted to encourage Rabin to "jump on a Stravinsky-ism" and "go crazy wild" with musical ideas. Kaye recalled that the band had no preconceived ideas, that Rabin had amassed lots of songs, many of which were already arranged and had lyrics, but did not force them upon the group because he wanted the writing to be a group effort. Kaye had little interest in songs based on improvisation.
The album's title derived from a quote from the band's concert film, 9012Live (1985). During one of the colourised segments at the end of the film, one of the actors says "It's the rhythm of big generators", which stuck with the group.
At the beginning of the songwriting process, Rabin recalled the group used Abbey Road (1969) by the Beatles as a model and influence for the music on Big Generator. He explained: "If we come up with an idea, why pressure ourselves into making it a song? Just have it there. If you can't come up with a chorus, don't throw it out because it's not a complete song and don't put a bad chorus around it". Such an approach led to the album having tracks longer than common pop songs of the time, peaking at seven minutes in length. Rabin said Kaye had a greater role on Big Generator than he had on 90125, but continual clashes between Kaye and Horn resulted in his keyboard parts recorded in a studio away from Horn. Despite this, Rabin still played "a lot" of keyboards on the album.
Kaye's main instrument on the album was the Korg DW-8000, which was able to faithfully recreate a Hammond organ and piano. He also used a Roland D-50, and a custom built Oberheim DPX-1 with hard disk capability. The group used what Kaye described as "the most sophisticated, most expensive" Synclavier system which was placed in a room of its own above the main studio. The basic keyboard parts and overdubs were recorded by feeding tracks from the main studio to the Synclavier, where Kaye would play his part, and the tracks fed back down to tape in the main studio. White was experimenting with sound designer and technologist Reek Havoc on the Dynacord ADD-One drum machine and pads.
At Rabin's suggestion, the band agreed to record at Lark Recording Studios, a facility situated by Castello di Carimate, a castle in Carimate, Italy. He thought that such a location would help the band bond together and bring some new ideas to the music which would create a better album as a result. Rabin first spoke of the friction between Anderson and Squire during this time three years after the album's release, which suited him as it "created a great vacuum for me to work in". Squire maintained that Rabin made the choice to record there as a step to save money and for tax purposes, and called it the wrong move, a view that Rabin denied years later and clarified that "It was never the intention to save money, although I don't want to waste money." Squire recalled more time being spent on what recording equipment to use than the music itself during the entire project, which also affected the tense situation.