members began to write songs with former Yes producer Eddy Offord and held auditions for a new lead singer, including Supertramp vocalist Roger Hodgson and Billy Sherwood of World Trade. Sherwood went on to become a longtime collaborator with Yes, firstly as a live musician and producer; he became their full-time bassist following Squire's death in 2015. In 1990, ABWH started work on a second album at Studio Miraval in Correns, France with producer Jonathan Elias, for whom Anderson had contributed lyrics and vocals to Requiem for the Americas (1990). Bruford has praised the material that Howe, Tony Levin and he were developing prior to Anderson's involvement, and had high hopes for ABWH's creative future. The atmosphere changed when Arista asserted that none of their new material was suitable for radio airplay. After the backing tracks had been put down, Anderson went to Los Angeles to record some of his vocals. He also reunited with Rabin and heard some songs that Yes were working on. Anderson suggested that he could add lead vocals to them, in addition to asking Rabin for a song that ABWH could record for their album. "What I read into that was they needed a single", recalled Rabin, who was primarily responsible for Yes's hit singles of the 1980s. Rabin gave Anderson three demos, one of which was "Lift Me Up", but requested that ABWH record only one. Anderson wished to record all three, which became the impetus for discussions amongst management of Yes and ABWH that "joining forces" and making an album together would prove the most beneficial arrangement. The combination of the two bands received mixed internal reactions. Rabin thought the idea was "useful and convenient to everyone, because we wanted to go on the road, and it was a quick way". Squire called Yes's involvement in the ABWH project a "salvage job". Howe and Bruford both resisted, seeing no need to "become Yes" once again as they felt they had reached substantial success as ABWH. Bruford added that ABWH "was a group in the making", but "the politicians got involved and that idea was quickly crushed." Following a period of negotiations Atco agreed to release Yes, thus allowing everyone to sign a four-album deal with Arista. This gave the green-light for an album that combined tracks recorded separately by both groups, with Anderson on vocals. As part of the deal, Atco retained the