Big Generator represents the second full studio album by the "Yes West" faction of Yes - Anderson, Squire, Rabin, Kaye and White. While this incarnation's first effort, 90125, was hugely successful, it lacked flow and the production was flat. Big Generator improved on both of these counts - it has a very cohesive feel and the production quality is excellent and the sound is huge.

High points of the album include the incredible "Shoot High Aim Low," the energetic "Rhythm of Love" and "Final Eyes," an expansive progressive piece. Rabin's guitars are crisp and clean and the vocal harmonies are flawless.

Of course there are some low points. Some of the lyrics are just plain ridiculous and a few of the ideas didn't quite pan out ("I'm Running" for example).

Sure, this incarnation of Yes has its share of critics. But you can't compare this to Fragile, Rabin to Howe or Kaye to Wakeman. They're all very different and should be taken at face value. I'm probably a little partial to Big Generator, as it was the album that got me into Yes in the first place, but its still a fine and impressive effort.

Look past its "commercial" image
For a real Yes fan to enjoy this album, you need to look past the awful, computer generated image on the cover, if you looked past Andersons Miami Vice outfit and Chris Squires spiked Billy Idol image of that era, if you forget the "sales generator" commercial hits "Love Will Find a Way" and "Rhythm of Love" you will see that while not perfect this album has some real strenths and classic progressive sounding Yes trademarks in the songs.
I'm Running, Shoot High, Aim Low, Final Eyes and Holy Lamb are good examples of the classic "cosmic" Yes fashion blended with the technology of the '80's. I think Trevor Rabin deserves credit here and the band really shined on these tracks, even though Tony Kaye seems nonexistent and Chris' bass seems to lacking his trademark sound on some of the tracks.
The rest of the album is '80s mainstream rock that really spoils the rest of a great album. You can see here is where Jon Anderson really had no input into the music or other decisions of the band, which is probably why it took some 3 years to make this album and Jon quit the band afterward. This drive to be mainstream commercial, get noticed and sell 8 million albums is what really shunned many Yes fans during the 1980's. Its a shame because there is some really good music under all that hype. Despite this I think that the rest of the album is definitely worth listening to and that even classic Yes fans who don't care for Trevor should give it a listen and may actually enjoy it.

Impressive album
Yes' twelfth full-length album, 1987's Big Generator, is a pleasing piece of work. It is made up of eight compositions--I like them all. The material is in a majestical pop rock musical direction. Altogether, the songwriting is skillful, the musicianship is proficient, and the sound quality is gratifying. As for the singing, Jon Anderson--one of my favorite vocalists--does not disappoint; his tenor vocals are unique, smooth, and captivating. The tracks that I consider to be favorites are "Shoot High Aim Low," "Love Will Find a Way," and "Final Eyes." There is much to like about the well-written, epic "Shoot High Aim Low"--it is an atmospheric piece that features a memorable refrain, Anderson and Trevor Rabin trading off lead vocals, and nice keyboard work. The nicely crafted, catchy "Love Will Find a Way," one of my favorite songs in general, presents harmony vocals that are spirited and engaging, a brief passage of harmonica, and a pleasant intro which consists of a string arrangement; it is also interesting and impressive how the intricate vocal work on this tune is arranged. "Final Eyes" is a composition that I find to be special and pretty. It exhibits one of my favorite vocal performances, and a great one at that, from Anderson--his singing is moving and inspired. The album-opening "Rhythm of Love" sports vocal harmonies that are charming, soaring, and layered. "Big Generator" starts off with attention-getting, lush harmony vocals; this cut also features a propulsive chorus and an unforgettable guitar riff from Rabin. The sprightly, uplifting "Almost Like Love" begins with memorable drumming from Alan White and also contains brass instrumentation. "I'm Running" is a curious piece with interesting musical arrangements and enjoyable background vocals, while the album-closing "Holy Lamb (Song for Harmonic Convergence)" contains a beautiful, flutey-sounding keyboard melody near the end. The CD booklet includes the song lyrics. The disc is almost 44 minutes. This album flows well and is concise, and I actually give it 3.5 stars--it is an impressive piece of work.

Big Generator sounds too mechanized
I will agree with the others who've stated that the writing on this CD is pretty strong, and that songs like 'Aim High Shoot Low' and 'I'm Running' are as close to a return to prog as these huys would get until Keystudio. In fact, I don't even mind the radio friendly fare of the title track, 'Rythm Of Love' or 'Love Will Find A Way'. In fact, I think its a rather good album, but I only rate it three stars because of the one thing that really bugs me about this album, the terrible mixing job.

Trever Horn played only a small role in the making of this album, and Rabin's productuion is all over this one. I've seen this one in stores as a remaster, but what I think this album is a prime candidate for a re-mixing. The major problem is the over-dubbed backing vocals, which were either the actual band or additional singers. I suppose this was done to make the backing vocals seems more majestic, as if done by a choir, but in reallity makes them sound like they were done by Up With People. Musicianship and writing is the hallmark of any good Yes album, with production playing a supporting role. But there is layer upon layer of over-dubbed guitar and effects, so much so that the superb 'I'm Running' is ruined towards the end. Add to that Rabin's preoccupation with himself, the keyboards and especially the bass is almost non-exsistant.

Still, there are some enjoyable moments on this album, and it doesn't get better than this for another 8 or 9 years. This will be the most consistent album they'll makwe from now on.

It's all about Squire
Blah, blah, blah. You Howe-only fans make me sick. Trevor Rabin is the best thing that ever happened to YES. The band needed a much heavier guitar prescence. Rabin gave the group a whole new fan base and gave the families of YES musicians (including Howes') a much greater financial inheritance once they're loved ones are gone. Please get over it! Besides, Squire is the one that keeps the group's best interests at heart. If it hadn't of been for him we would all be missing some great music.