Union Live (2011)
Disc One
1. Intro/Firebird Suite
2. Yours is No Disgrace
3. The Rhythm of Love
4. Heart of the Sunrise
5. Clap / Mood For a Day
6. Make it Easy / Owner of a Lonely Heart
7. I've Seen All Good People
Disc Two
1. Solly's Beard
2. Saving My Heart For You
3. Whitefish / Amazing Grace
4. Rick Wakeman Solo
5. Awaken
6. Roundabout
By the early 1990s, Yes was in one of its more peculiar phases. Around 1990 or 1991, the so-called “Union” happened—less a seamless merger than a forced alliance. Essentially, you had two viable, touring, recording versions of the band: the one that legally had to call itself Anderson Bruford Wakeman and Howe, and the YesWest faction from the 80s. Someone had the bright idea to just jam them together into one unwieldy mega-lineup for an album and tour. The results? Predictably uneven. The studio album itself was a muddled disappointment—more a patchwork than a grand statement. But the tour? That was something else entirely. It was a genuine spectacle, famously staged “in the round” with a revolving platform and enough space to accommodate all eight musicians without them tripping over each other. And with that many players on stage, there was ample room for solo showcases and jams that turned the shows into three-hour marathons.
Fast-forward twenty years, and someone finally decided to give this sprawling tour the proper DVD/CD treatment. On paper, it’s a worthy release—a solid representation of what fans saw at the time. But there’s no denying that dropping this so many years later dulls the impact somewhat. For one thing, by this point it was the seventh or eighth official Yes live album. Anyone who’d been following the band already had multiple versions of these classics in their collection. And the solos? While they added color to the live shows, on record they can feel thin, even redundant. The emphasis on showcasing individual talents makes sense when you remember how familiar the core material had become by then. Still, even here, it feels like there was more onstage that didn’t make the final cut—some of those legendary solo spots were pared back for this release.
The audio itself gives away the game: you can practically hear the crowded stage. Even in quieter moments, there’s Rick Wakeman adding flourishes on his keys or Bill Bruford hammering away on his electronic kit. In theory, these added layers should have been a distraction. But with so many Yes live albums already available, anything that sounds even remotely different is something of a welcome twist.
Overall, the CD is decent enough, if unsurprising, while the DVD edges it out slightly by giving you the visual spectacle that was such a big part of the tour’s appeal. Sure, it would have been far better to have actually been there in person, with the revolving stage and the sheer novelty of seeing all those big personalities sharing the same platform. As with so many Yes live releases, you’ll wish for more variety in the setlist and a few deeper cuts—but at the end of the day, they’re giving fans exactly what they wanted to hear back then. And maybe that’s enough.
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