ABWH Jon Anderson,Bill Bruford,Sreve Howe,Rick Wakeman/PA,USA 1990

At the end of ABWH’s final short US tour after finishing their Japan tour in March 1990, Philadelphia recorded the Spectrum performance on March 19th in a complete recording with a superb audience recording with outstanding stability. The sound image makes you feel the heat of the large venue in real life, but the musical tones are surprisingly clear, and you can enjoy the whole picture of the show with an ideal sound as a live document. The drum solo that makes full use of the Simmons set that is deployed in the second half of Long Distance Runaround, and the duet performance of Bill and Tony that is played following Themes are worth listening to. Following the large song Close To The Edge, where the sound that is integrated creates a huge sense of scale, John sings “Elephant” solo, even though it is an overseas performance, which is unusual. However, this is surprisingly well received, and it is an effective bridge to the next moving The Meeting. I’ve Seen All Good People, which was set in at the end of the tour including the Japan tour, is played at the end of the encore, but it is a fun arrangement that only plays the rock part in the second half, and concludes this long show with a light heart. In a magazine interview at the time, Bill Bruford said, “If you had asked me a few years ago, ‘Could you play ‘The Crisis’ in Tokyo as a member of Yes?’ I would have answered, ‘I just never thought about it.’ Unexpected things like this happen in the rock world.” I remember reading this and finding it strangely convincing, but for long-time fans, it was a bolt from the blue: the release of a new, ultra-high quality take from the ABWH project. Live at Spectrum Arena, Philadelphia, USA 19th March 1990 AMAZING SOUND Disc 1 1. Young Persons Guide To The Orchestra 2. Time And A Word/Owner Of A Lonely Heart/Teakbois 3. Clap 4. Mood For A Day 5. Wakeman Solo 6. Long Distance Runaround/Bruford Solo 7. Birthright 8. And You And I 9. Themes 10. Levin/ Bruford Duet Disc 2 1. Close To The Edge 2. Zoh-San 3. The Meeting 4. Brother Of Mine 5. Heart Of The Sunrise 6. Order Of The Universe Disc 3 1. Roundabout 2. Starship Trooper 3. I’ve Seen All Good People Jon Anderson – Vocals Bill Bruford – Drums Steve Howe – Guitars Rick Wakeman – Keyboards Julian Colbeck – Keyboards Tony Levin – Bass Milton McDonald – Guitars