World Trade

PROGRESSIVE ROCK'S POPULARITY ebbs and flows depending on it's relevance and timing in the marketplace. It is similar in fact to the machinations of stocks and shares giving rise to unexpected highs and lows in the financial world. When World Trade first appeared on the scene the general view was that they would signal a new flood of progressive rock into the scene, one that would see them replacing the old guard with fresh blood. Indeed, immediate comparisons were made to Yes's late '80s golden period of hi-tech sheen and powerful production. World Trade delivered a sound that promised much yet ultimately delivered little in the way of commercial success. It wasn't as if the playing or the songwriting was at fault. The musical content was similar to the recent Yes triumphs but the market in 1989 was already moving ahead swiftly, edging towards what would eventually be called grunge. It also didn't help that behind the scenes their record label was going through a tumultuous reshaping, leaving the band high and dry with very little in the way of support morally or financially. It wasn't as if the playing or the songwriting was at fault. The musical content was similar to the recent Yes triumphs but the market in 1989 was already moving ahead swiftly, edging towards what would eventually be called grunge. It also didn't help that behind the scenes their record label was going through a tumultuous reshaping, leaving the band high and dry with very little in the way of support morally or financially.