Thursday 31 March 2011

Anderson Wakeman Rabin cancelled

For reasons as yet unknown, I understand that the Anderson Wakeman Rabin project has been abandoned.

There has been an air of competition between this project and the current Yes line-up, echoing the ABWH/YesWest rivalry at the end of the 1980s. It's now clear that the original plan back at the beginning of 2010 was for Anderson Bruford Wakeman Rabin... at least, that was Anderson and Wakeman's plan; it doesn't appear that Bruford ever actually agreed to it. Four ex-Yesmen together was a tantalising prospect and, against a Yes with only three longstanding Yesmen (Howe/Squire/White) plus some newer members, an ABWR project would have had a strong claim to the mantle of being the 'real Yes'. ABWR would have had the majority of the band from Fragile and Close to the Edge, and as many of the band members from other key albums like 90125 and The Yes Album. Even when it became clear that Bruford was not involved, AWR was still an impressive line-up against HSW, as I argued in an earlier blog post.

But the project is now over; meanwhile, HSW have recruited two more former Yesmen for their team, with Trevor Horn producing and co-writing the new album, Fly from Here, and Geoff Downes playing on the album and possibly more. As far as I know, Anderson and Wakeman are still working together, with further touring and a live album planned for this year. Yet that means the 2011 project with the second most Yesmen involved is John Wetton's new solo album, Raised in Captivity, produced and co-written by Billy Sherwood, with guest appearances by Tony Kaye and Geoff Downes, as well as brief Yes member Eddie Jobson, Robert Fripp, Steve Hackett, new UK guitarist Alex Machacek and former King Crimson lyricist Richard Palmer-James.

[5 April update: Well, there have now been denials from R. Wakeman himself and another source close to the trio that the project is dead. So, I am uncertain what is happening now! More as I get it...]

4 comments:

  1. On the plus side, we won't have to be worried about the trio releasing an album that fails to meet our heightened expectations....
    I know, that's not much of a consolation. I'm quite disappointed about this.

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  2. It doesn't surprise me but I am disappointed. I think even Anderson/Wakeman with a full band could be interesting if they decide to pursue that route. It doesn't have to be ex-Yes members. Plenty of prog talent young and old out there.

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  3. Henry, I think "cancelled" is too strong a word. It was never really "scheduled," which is a key necessity for something to be considered cancelled. They talked, wrote a couple songs together, but it just didn't get over the hump at this time.

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  4. "...it doesn't appear that Bruford ever actually agreed to it."
    We all knew that beforehand, as in 2009 he PUBLICLY announced on his website his RETIREMENT as a performing musician. Who are these morons who live in hope and cling onto their fantasies?

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