The Meeting AND Quartet (Anderson Bruford Wakeman Howe – AKA ABWH)

Shannon’s Pick: Quartet

Only when we touched
Did it all come true
How you understand my life
How you helped me with your light


So many different things in this song but it’s really the end (part IV. I’m Alive) that gets me every single time. The first three parts generally make me stop and think and sometimes get an emotional reaction from me but as soon as I hear “Only when you looked” I cannot stop the dam from bursting open. I believe everyone has a light side and a dark side and when my dark side takes over it is Larry with his light that helps shine the way for me and I do the same for him. It has been this way for us from the first time we had an actual conversation with each other. As friends first, we tried to really listen to each other’s stories of heartbreak and pain and it was through this complete openness with each other that we discovered that we had a special bond.

We experience we hold together
Lost in one embrace
We will love forever (this eternity)
For in (this) love, I'm alive, I'm alive
Quartet
Anderson Bruford Wakeman Howe


I wanna learn more about you
We haven't spoke in quite a while
And all of the dreams that come true
So surprising how it catches you

I wanna learn more about me
I've been sinking like a setting stone
And now the dreams are realising it's true
That's why I wanna learn about you

I wanna know more about life
And things that can fly in between my mind
I wanna change all that I dream about
My waking and my so many lives, oh my

I wanna learn more about you
We haven't spoke in quite a while
Just let me, let me come through
I'll give you my heart, my life for life

She gives me love
When love had gone away
When the pressure came so fast
She give me love
Long distance runaround
And in between the pressure
I was summoned

How did we dance on the south side of the sky
We saw the flags flying on the moon
And thru the gates of delirium so fast
Believing in the light was a beginning
Only to believe in you
Only to believe in you

She give me love
When I was losing fast
I was awakened by the dream
She was the love for me
The first and last
And all that I remembered
Was the roundabout only to believe in you
Only to believe in you

Who was the first to show
The moon at night
Is never so far away
We are the first to define the
Languages of love

Who was the first to learn
The universal consciousness divine
We are the first to discover
This day in our time

And when the history of science
Re-writes itself each day
We are living in days of wonder Simon says
So wonderful true believer
So wonderful I'm alive
Just take this world of life
Each day at a time

So up this universal
Combinations of the word
I'll try so hard to fulfill my belief

Take me I'm a love you
I'm a love you
No change in my mind
I'll walk with you to the end of the earth

(I wanna learn more about you)
(We haven't spoke in quite a while)
(I wanna learn more about me)
(We haven't spoke in quite a while)

So up this universal
Combinations of the word
So up this universal
Word of love

Take me I'm a love you
I'm a want you
No need to change my mind
I'll walk with you to the end of the earth

(I wanna learn more about you)
(We haven't spoke in quite while)
(I wanna learn more about me)

Only when you looked
Did I realise
Someone broke into your life
How we hurt and never show it
Come into my world hold me
In your arms
There's a mystery to the touch
How it heals so
When we're broken

I believe that all the fear you've had
Can gently fly away

We experience we hold together
Lost in one embrace

We will love forever this eternity
For in this love, I'm alive, I'm alive

Only when you spoke
Did I realise
How you understand this life
How you help me
With your eyesight

Only when we touched
Did it all come true
How you understand my life
How you helped me with your light


How you helped me with your light...

Larry’s Pick: The Meeting

This is one of my most treasured CD's that came out in 1989. This song, along with Quartet, are buried deep in my heart. It's hard to describe how beautiful this song is to me, so I won't even try. This is the only album ABWH put out and I think it is better than any Yes album ever released. I have to believe the original CD may be a little hard to come by nowadays so that's why I treat mine with white gloves.

To clarify the group, it's made up of various members of Yes: Jon Anderson, Bill Bruford, Rick Wakeman and Steve Howe. You'd have to know all the political BS surrounding Yes over the years to understand why I think they just called the band ABWH instead of coming up with a better name, but that's just my opinion.

This song reminds me of Shannon's thoughts on A Face in the Crowd - there are minimal lyrics, but the music combined with Jon Anderson's voice was meant to be. I hope someone someday feels this song as deeply as I do if this post exposes them to the song.

Relative to Quartet

First I have to say how much I love the fact that Shannon loves this song - and put up with my ABWH playing over the years.

There so much in Quartet that touches on our relationship journey:

- I wanna learn more about you
- And all of the dreams that come true - So surprising how it catches you
- Just let me, let me come through - I'll give you my heart, my life for life
- She gives me love - When love had gone away
- Believing in the light was a beginning - Only to believe in you - Only to believe in you

I've always loved this line - because it makes we wonder how does someone even come up with a line / idea / concept like this:

- How did we dance on the south side of the sky

That's what we've been doing this whole year!

As well as loving these lines:

And when the history of science
Re-writes itself each day
We are living in days of wonder Simon says
So wonderful true believer
So wonderful I'm alive
Just take this world of life
Each day at a time


That's all that anyone can do - just take this world of life each day at a time...
The Meeting
Anderson Bruford Wakeman Howe

Surely I could tell
When I sleep tonight
A dream will call
And raise it's head in majesty
Dividing all my energy
To the meeting of your love

Where from whence it came
Like a singer searching for a song
I try to reach where you belong
As I will be the song for you
I will be your servant child

No, oh no
I cannot be deceived
No, oh no
There's something
That I feel
Something that I feel inside

Surely I could tell
If you ask me Lord
To board the train

My life my love would be the same
As I will be the one for you
In the meeting of your love
In the meeting of your love
30th Anniversary
Our Story - Shannon's Perspective
Our Story - Larry's Perspective
Ghost of a Chance (Rush) and why?

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