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.
Background
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. 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.
Recording
thumb|right|Recording for Big Generator began at Lark Studios, by Castello di Carimate in Carimate, Italy
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. 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. 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.
After three months in Carimate, most of the backing tracks had been put down but progress on the album was affected by internal problems. Rabin recalled a lot of partying going on and not enough substantial work getting done, calling it "a real drug time" which affected unnamed members to focus on work. Rabin also worked at his 24-track facility at his home in the Hollywood Hills, which inspired him to work on all future musical projects in the studio, which he later named The Jacaranda Room. Rabin estimated the album cost $2 million to make. The final production credit on the album as released read "Produced by Yes, Trevor Rabin, Paul DeVilliers, Trevor Horn".
In 2023, Rabin admitted that completing Big Generator had "almost killed me. I had to salvage the whole thing and mix it on my own with no-one in the studio. It was traumatic. My stomach lining went, but I did finish the record." Due to the trauma involved, Rabin initially decided to quit Yes and to use the album release press conference to announce his departure, but was talked into staying in the band by his wife and by management.
Songs
Side one
The idea behind "Rhythm of Love" is, according to Rabin, "just sex". By the time of the recording, he felt that with "Owner of a Lonely Heart", Yes had pushed away from the cosmic-inspired lyrics that the group were known for in the 1970s, and thought a sex lyric would be a "nice little tease". Anderson claimed the group were strong for its chorus, but he felt unsure and needed the lyrics "fashioned" and changed some words.
"Big Generator" is one of the album's three tracks credited to the whole group.
Release and reception
Released on 28 September 1987, Big Generator peaked at number 15 on the Billboard 200 during its 30 weeks on the chart, and at number 17 on the UK Albums Chart.
On 8 December 1987, it was certified gold by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) for selling 500,000 copies in the US. On 29 April 1988, it was certified platinum for selling one million copies. Like 90125, the album earned Yes a Grammy Award nomination for Best Rock Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocal.
Musician reviewer J. D. Considine wrote simply: "Just say no."
Two singles were released from the album. "Love Will Find a Way", the first, reached number one on the Billboard Mainstream Rock chart and number 30 on the Billboard Hot 100. The second, "Rhythm of Love", peaked at number 40 on the latter chart.
Big Generator was remastered in 2009 by Japanese engineer Isao Kikuchi and released in Japan by Warner Music Japan as part of a series of Yes reissues on Super High Material CD. This mastering reappeared in the 2013 box set The Studio Albums 1969–1987.
Tour and aftermath
Yes supported Big Generator with a tour of North America and Japan from November 1987 to April 1988. The band adopted a low-key approach for the 1987 dates as they had spent so much time in studio and wanted to start touring and try out their new material. In early 1988, six shows were cancelled after Rabin collapsed backstage following a concert in Tampa, Florida due to exhaustion from performing with the flu and a fever.
Following their appearance at the Atlantic Records 40th Anniversary concert in May 1988, Anderson left the group and formed Anderson Bruford Wakeman Howe, which reduced Yes to a four-piece.
Track listing
Personnel
Credits are adapted from the album's liner notes.
Yes
- Jon Anderson – vocals
- Trevor Rabin – vocals, acoustic and electric guitars, keyboards, string arrangements
- Tony Kaye – keyboards
- Chris Squire – bass guitar, backing vocals
- Alan White – drums, percussion, backing vocals
Additional musicians
- Lee R. Thornburg – horns on "Almost Like Love"
- Nick Lane – horns on "Almost Like Love"
- Greg Smith – horns on "Almost Like Love"
- Jimmy Zavala – horns on "Almost Like Love", harmonica on "Love Will Find a Way"
Production
- Yes – production
- Trevor Horn – 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
- Kim Bullard – keyboard programming
- Stephen Marcussen – mastering
Charts
Weekly charts
{| class="wikitable sortable plainrowheaders"
! scope="col"| Chart (1987–88)
! scope="col"| Peak<br />position
|-
! scope="row"| Australian Albums (Australian Music Report)
| style="text-align:center;"| 44
|-
|-
|-
! scope="row"| Finnish Albums (The Official Finnish Charts)
| align="center"| 34
|-
|-
! scope="row"| Hungarian Physical Albums (MAHASZ)
| align="center"| 21
|-
! scope="row"|Italian Albums (Musica e Dischi)
|align="center"|25
|-
!scope="row"|Japanese Albums (Oricon)
| align="center"| 14
|-
|-
|-
|-
|}
Year-end charts
{| class="wikitable plainrowheaders"
! scope="col"| Chart (1988)
! scope="col"| Position
|-
! scope="row"| US Billboard 200
| style="text-align:center;"| 72
|}