1980s

1980

Trevor Horn and Geoff Downes replace Jon and Rick. Drama is released in August, hitting number 18 in the U.S. and number 2 in the U.K. A tour with this lineup immediately follows, including three sellouts at New York’s Madison Square Garden where Yes breaks Led Zeppelin’s record for the most sellouts ever at the historic venue. The third show there is broadcast live on FM radio. In November the tour moves to England. That month the live album Yesshows is released. It reaches number 43 in the U.S. and number 22 in the U.K.

1981

Yes officially breaks up on April 18. Trevor Horn goes on to be a successful producer, and Steve would contribute to albums produced by Horn in the mid-80s, including The Pleasure Dome (1984) and Liverpool (1986) by Frankie Goes to Hollywood, and Propaganda (1985) by Secret Wish.

Steve is voted Best Overall Guitarist in Guitar Player magazine for the fifth year in a row. For this he was inducted into GP’s Gallery of Greats. At that stage he was the only one in the category—as well as the first rock guitar player—to achieve that distinction.

1982

Steve guests on the Dixie Dregs album Industry Standard, performing a duet with their guitarist Steve Morse.

Steve joins forces with other prog rock alumni John Wetton, Carl Palmer, and Geoff Downes to form ASIA, The self-titled debut album shoots up U.S. and U.K. charts with a world tour following.. Meanwhile a new version of Yes forms without Steve.

1983

Asia’s second album, Alpha is released. John Wetton suddenly leaves the band, with Greg Lake (ex Emerson Lake and Palmer) is brought in to replace Wetton for the band’s ASIA IN ASIA show for MTV in December.

1984

Greg Lake leaves ASIA and Wetton returns. Irreconcilable differences with Wetton causes Steve to leave the band while rehearsing for the third album.

GTR

1986

In April, GTR, featuring Steve and ex-Genesis guitarist Steve Hackett, is released, reaching number 11 in the U.S. charts. A successful world tour follows driven by the single “When The Heart Rules The Mind“. Hackett leaves the band later that year.

1987

Robert Berry joins a revamped GTR. Other names are considered for the new lineup, including Steve Howe and Friends and Nero and the Trend (the latter developing into Nerotrend). Despite recording a few demos the project ends in October.

1988

The guitar compilation Guitar Speak, released in November, includes Steve’s ”Sharp on Attack”. Steve contributes to Ultravox keyboardist Billie Curry’s solo album Transportation.

1989

Seraphim, Steve’s first collaboration with keyboardist Paul Sutin, is released in March.

The Anderson Bruford Wakeman Howe album is released. Jon Anderson, disenchanted with Yes, recruited Steve, Rick Wakeman, and Bill Bruford to record some tracks. The project developed into an album—and ultimately a band—christened Anderson Bruford Wakeman Howe; Bruford’s Crimson band mate Tony Levin handled bass. ABWH embarks on a world tour, with the performance in Mountainview, CA, broadcast live over pay-per-view; it is subsequently released to video as An Evening of Yes Music Plus, the tag line for the tour.

Westwinds // Anthology
  1. Westwinds // Anthology
  2. Walk Don’t Run // Anthology
  3. Ultra Definition // Anthology
  4. The Collector // Anthology
  5. Surface Tension // Anthology
  6. So Bad // Anthology
  7. Sketches In The Sun // Anthology
  8. Simplication // Anthology
  9. Sharp On Attack // Anthology
  10. Sensitive Chaos // Anthology
  11. Running The Human Race // Anthology
  12. Rising Sun // Anthology
  13. Pleasure Stole The Night // Anthology
  14. Pennants // Anthology
  15. Mood For A Day // Anthology
  16. Momenta // Anthology
  17. Meridan Strings // Anthology
  18. Maiden Voyage // Anthology
  19. Luck Of The Draw // Anthology
  20. Lost Symphony // Anthology
  21. Look Over Your Shoulder // Anthology
  22. King’s Ransom // Anthology
  23. Just Like A Woman // Anthology
  24. Ebb And Flow // Anthology
  25. Dorothy // Anthology
  26. Diary Of A Man Who Vanished // Anthology
  27. Devon Blue // Anthology
  28. Desire Comes First // Anthology
  29. Curls & Swirls // Anthology
  30. Buckets of Rain // Anthology
  31. Beginnings // Anthology
  32. Bachians Brasileiras No. 5 (Aria) // Anthology