For many people Trevor Rabin entered the spotlight when he joined Yes and gave them their first (and only) global hit with 90125 and the song Owner Of A Lonely Heart. Or maybe his name came up on the soundtrack of one of your favourite movies, the successful career he began after Yes.
But what many of you might not know, is that he started with a couple of solo albums before that. And this 1981 album is not even the first of those! I can actually recommended all of his albums (a new one was just released and will feature sometime later).
What is interesting, in hindsight, how does this fare when compared to 90125, the album he would make only a couple of years later? Well, his vocals are distinct, as is his guitar playing. Here less processed, but still you hear he has a good ear for melodies. In his song-writing one can notice that he is already exploring more complex structures. Yet there are also some plain rockers on beard. After all, hard rock was his chosen style here. But also there, he tries to expand on the genre by adding out of context instrumental parts. Who actually fit seamlessly…
With the help of people like Simon Phillips, Jack Bruce, Manfred Mann and Chris Thompson, it was already clear that Rabin was destined for bigger things. There is a certain promise in the songs! Track 1, Heard You Cry Wolf, is not only characterized with a keen chorus, but the extended solo part with a lot of keyboards is just fabulous. So whatever the reason, this is a tasty rock album by an accomplished musician. Still lifts my mood when I listen to it.
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