Snowdog Posted August 19, 2005 Share Posted August 19, 2005 Back in the mid '80s I really liked the Yes lineup, particularly the work of guitarist Trevor Rabin. I never felt like he got the accolades he deserved. He is very talented and yet virtually nobody knows who he is. His guitar playing particularly appealed to me. His style, phrasing, sound, technique, all were well above average and really were to my liking. He plays with a lot of feeling, but given the opportunity, can shred with the best of them. Yet, he chooses not to, unless the particular situation calls for it. His singing voice is also appealing. I always found his voice to fit his music extremely well. While Jon Anderson handled much of the vocal duties for Yes, Trevor added a few tunes where he sang and I always thought he had a great voice. This brings me to today. Thanks to Madra, I joined eMusic to load my new iPod and found some solo releases from Trevor Rabin. One particularly stands out to me, "Live in LA". On this release, Trevor plays some of the Yes tunes he wrote and puts his own spin on them. I was thinking, seeing as how he wrote the songs, these versions were probably closer to the sound and style he had in mind when he wrote the songs before the "Yes" sound and influence was added. I actually find I like Trevor's interpretations better. And the non-Yes material is equally as strong. I love his songwriting, his singing, his muscianship. It had been a long while since I had thought about Trevor Rabin, but I'm glad I rediscovered him. Any other Trevor Rabin fans out there? What are your thoughts, feelings, opinions, etc.? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GhostGirl Posted August 19, 2005 Share Posted August 19, 2005 I absolutely love Trevor Rabin! Great thread, Snow. I am one of the rather rare Yes fans who actually LIKED that era. I know, it's not "typical" Yes, which of course is my favorite Yes ...but it was still great in its own way. One of my favorite tracks is from Big Generator: "Shoot High Aim Low" and I also love "Holy Lamb" from that album. And while "Owner Of A Lonely Heart" may have been overplayed just a tad I still love 90125. Trevor's contribution to traditional Yes tunes played live (see "9012Live") is pretty amazing as well. The version of "Starship Trooper" on that video is great, IMO. I know he's not the technical genius that some consider Steve Howe to be, but...as I've said before, I like guitarists who put real feeling into their music. I'll choose that every time over fancy, fast playing. That's why I love guitarists like Trevor, and David Gilmour, just to name two. So, yeah...I like Trevor. He's made quite a name for himself in recent years as a movie soundtrack composer as well. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GhostGirl Posted August 19, 2005 Share Posted August 19, 2005 Looks like it's just you 'n me, Snow. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pags Posted August 19, 2005 Share Posted August 19, 2005 Nope - you two are not alone. Trevor Rabin is an amazing musician/songwriter - and gave the sound that stands out most to me as a fan of this band especially throughout 90125, and Big Generator. As well, Rabin co-wrote both of my favorite Yes tunes - which would be Changes from 90125, and Lift Me Up from Union. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Snowdog Posted August 19, 2005 Author Share Posted August 19, 2005 I just listened to another Trevor Rabin solo release that I downloaded last night called "90124". It's his own reworking of 90125 and he doesn't disappoint. His takes on these songs really highlight his musicianship and really underrated vocal ability. And these songs are really quite different from the Yes versions while maintaining the integrity of the Yes versions. If you can find 90124, and you're a fan, I highly recommend it. If you can't find it in your stores, which you probably can't, then head on over to eMusic.com (thanks, again Madra!) and sign up for a trial membership. You get 50 free downloads. It is well worth the effort if you are a Trevor Rabin fan. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GhostGirl Posted August 19, 2005 Share Posted August 19, 2005 I'll check that out this weekend. Free is good. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Snowdog Posted August 19, 2005 Author Share Posted August 19, 2005 QUOTE (GhostGirl @ Aug 19 2005, 04:51 PM) I'll check that out this weekend. Free is good. Yup, it's just in my price range Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GhostGirl Posted August 19, 2005 Share Posted August 19, 2005 QUOTE (Snowdog @ Aug 19 2005, 03:59 PM) QUOTE (GhostGirl @ Aug 19 2005, 04:51 PM) I'll check that out this weekend. Free is good. Yup, it's just in my price range Me too... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Digital Man Posted August 19, 2005 Share Posted August 19, 2005 QUOTE (GhostGirl @ Aug 19 2005, 06:38 AM) One of my favorite tracks is from Big Generator: "Shoot High Aim Low" I love that song too. I saw Yes on The Big Generator tour. It was amazing. Squire played Amazing Grace on his bass, solo. I like this version Yes also, but not as much as the classic lineup. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Snowdog Posted August 19, 2005 Author Share Posted August 19, 2005 QUOTE (Digital Man @ Aug 19 2005, 05:20 PM) QUOTE (GhostGirl @ Aug 19 2005, 06:38 AM) One of my favorite tracks is from Big Generator: "Shoot High Aim Low" I love that song too. I saw Yes on The Big Generator tour. It was amazing. Squire played Amazing Grace on his bass, solo. I like this version Yes also, but not as much as the classic lineup. I had tix to the Big Gen tour and they cancelled the gig on the morning of the show due to illness (or it could have been only about 3,000 tix had been sold!). Always sad that I missed that tour. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mongo Posted August 20, 2005 Share Posted August 20, 2005 When Trevor left we got super-crappy Yes like "Open Your Eyes". He was a great guitarist, he's the main reason Yes even got through the 80s. Big Generator is one of my favorite albums over 90125 because it sounds more mature and developed. Shoot High, Aim Low is definitly one of Yes's great songs, they should do it live again somehow. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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