Customer Reviews

90125

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2 star:		(5)
1 star:		(10)

 

 

This is one of the truly great YES CDs, and perhaps their last true masterpiece. Every note, every measure every nuance is positively creative, compelling and inspiring. All of their strengths are on display. This album sounded warm, full, layered and intricate when it first arrived. Its initial transition to CD was similarly amazing, but this remaster is astonishing!
The story is that YES had folded its tent after DRAMA. Squire and White had released a single and were contemplating their next move when they discovered Rabin. Tony Kaye re-surfaced and a quartet was born, CINEMA. It was Rabin who suggested a different singer and front man than he, and so Anderson walked back in, and YES reinvented itself. It was a heady trip from there on. The concerts had an energy and dynamic they never had before. They had managed to set themselves on a mission that would carry them through BIG GENERATOR, UNION, TALK before fizzling out again. Here, the music is just so terrific, the harmony and choir work so spot on, and the energy so undeniable that this is the benchmark for recreating yourself. Every single track, especially the a capella "Leave It" is thrilling.
It is remasterings like these that justify the entire process. If you know the msuic, you'll be stunned by how good this is. If you are curious about YES, well, it doesn't get any better than this. A Superb Recording in Every Respect.

In 1983, Yes pulled off one of the greatest comebacks in rock history. The group had officially disbanded in 1981, after the 1980 album "Drama" and it's subsequent tour, with the various members of the "Drama" line-up moving on to other projects. "Drama" vocalist Trevor Horn became a music producer, guitarist Steve Howe & keyboardist Geoff Downes went on to form the supergroup Asia, and bassist Chris Squire & drummer Alan White hooked up with South African guitarist Trevor Rabin to form a band that *was* to have been called Cinema, with Horn onboard to produce their debut album....But something happened to Cinema's album-in-progress. Chris Squire got a phonecall one day from his good friend---and former Yes vocalist---Jon Anderson, who was curious to hear the new music that Squire, White, & Rabin were working on. After hearing the tape that Squire sent him, Anderson was excited about the material, and asked Squire if he could sing on the new album. He did, and, for the coup-de-grace, original Yes keyboardist Tony Kaye was also reeled in to help out on the keyboards...and Yes was re-born. The new album, entitled "90125" (named after the barcode number on the back of the album), became Yes' biggest-selling album ever, hitting #5 on the U.S. album chart, and also giving the band a surprise #1 hit single, "Owner Of A Lonely Heart," and even a Grammy award for the instrumental track, "Cinema" (hint hint!).Although a huge smash for the band, "90125" also divided the Yes fanbase in the same way that the Genesis fanbase was divided by the group's "Invisible Touch" album, with many fans complaining that the band had sold out and lost touch with it's progressive-rock roots. "90125" presented Yes with a glossier, streamlined rock sound, with certain elements of pop thrown into the mix, and no traces whatsoever of the group's prog-rock epics of the past. Still, there were certainly enough Yes fans out there who were excited by the group's new sound (myself included), and besides, it was just great to have Yes back in action at all, regardless of what their new music sounded like. And, as far as *this* Yes fan is concerned, "90125" is a definitive Yes classic. The band may not be so "proggish" on this one, but make no mistake, they still know how to rock. Even with a new musical approach, the heart & soul of Yes still remains firmly intact on "90125.""Owner Of A Lonely Heart," the catchy #1 hit song from the album, sets the tone right away with a killer guitar riff from Trevor Rabin, a groovy beat, tight musical interplay from the group, awesome radio-friendly production, and a terrific lead vocal from Jon Anderson. It's a classic Yes song. Other great Yes rockers follow it: "Hold On," "It Can Happen," and "Changes"---and that's only the first half of the disc! The band literally come *charging* in for the second-half with the blazing instrumental, "Cinema," followed by the glorious vocal workout, "Leave It" (a Top 40 hit). "Our Song" is the closest that Yes get to pop music on the album, but it's still a fine song. "City Of Love" is another great rocker, with a booming "thud-thud" groove from Squire and Rabin, and the final tune, "Hearts," is simply a beautiful Yes number, ending the album on a very memorable note. The band sound totally refreshed on "90125," with Anderson's perfect falsetto voice, Squire's big basslines, White's killer drumming, Kaye's cool keyboard work, and Trevor Horn's expert production. And let's give credit to guitarist Trevor Rabin where credit is due---he's a fantastic guitar player, and an excellent singer & songwriter as well. He definitely played an important role in Yes' comeback, and any Yes purist who criticizes him about "ruining" the band should be tossed out on their heads. With "90125," Yes re-invented themselves in a huge, HUGE way. It's an awesome album, one of the group's very best, and an instant Yes classic. To quote a line from "Owner Of A Lonely Heart," it will excite, it will delight.

THE BAND: Jon Anderson (vocals), Trevor Rabin (guitar, keyboards), Chris Squire (bass), Tony Kaye (keyboards), Alan White (drums & percussion).

THE DISC: (1983) Originally 9 tracks clocking in at approximately 45 minutes, this new (2004) digitally remastered edition has 6 bonus tracks bringing the total listen to just over 77 total minutes. Included with the disc is a 15-page booklet containing song titles/credits, song lyrics, numerous band photos and a 6-page intro regarding "90125" and how the album came together. The title of the album refers to its original Atlantic/Atco Records catalogue number. This is the band's 11th album. Recorded at Sarm Studios, London. Originally released on Elektra/Atco's label, this new 2004 edition released by Rhino.

COMMENTS: After "Drama" (1980) fell on deaf ears, Yes was all but disbanded. Enter guitarist Trevor Rabin. Also enter ex-Yes keyboardist Tony Kaye (replaced by Rick Wakeman in 1971 due to management and creative differences). The sound on "90125" was easily more rock and pop than progressive. I loved this album when it first came out. The sound was so amazingly fresh, yet so familiar. A distinct new sound for the 80's with Anderson's trademark vocals. Also different was the album cover - no Roger Dean landscape. "Owner Of A Lonely Heart" would be the band's only #1 charting Billboard hit. The album itself would reach #5 on the U.S. Billboard Top 200 chart (surprisingly only #16 in their own U.K.) on the strength of other hits - "It Can Happen", "Leave It", "Changes", and "Hold On". "90125" is Yes' best selling album by far. Rabin, not wanting to be known as Steve Howe's replacement, wanted to put his own signature sound on the album. His guitar work is brilliant here - rock, pop and always in rhythm... not to mention some shredding solos. The non-hits are very listenable - the live track "Cinema" is a wonderful trademark Yes instrumental that highlights Alan White's drum skills; "Our Song" is melodic and uplifting; "City Of Love" is a slow and heavy methodical mover; and "Hearts" is more or less a 7+ minute rock ballad. An incredibly strong album with no filler. With that being said however, I feel the bonus tracks take away from the original album experience. I've listened to the bonus tracks a few times - and at this point I don't care if I ever hear them again. The unreleased tracks ("It's Over" and "Make It Easy") are filler at best... and perhaps this is why they haven't been released up until this point. The extended 7-minute disco remix of "Owner Of A Lonely Heart" is absolute Hell to get through - and it's the 2nd longest track on the disc. By itself, the nine tracks making up "90125" rate an easy 5-stars. But for me, the bonus tracks seem to muddy the brilliance of such a great album.

First off, the Rhino remaster sounds great. Very clear & crsip.

Now, first off, you shouldn't go into this CD expecting the Yes sound of 1970-1978. That was a whole `nother group. This is not progressive, or at least not in the sense of 70's style Yes, ELP, King Crimson, etc. It's honestly a very different sounding record - yes, it's got 80's hard rock influences & synths, but the rhythms and melodies take on a pseudo-prog feeling. I guess you could compare it to early 80's style Genesis pop/rock, only a thousand times better. And that's a stretched comparison.

No, I'd have to say that YesWest carved out a unique sound. Too bad they only had 2 albums in them. By and large, the group wasn't "true" Yes, as leader and guitarist Trevor Rabin took much of the reigns on production and songwriting. After 1980's Drama, Yes officially broke up. Steve Howe and Geoff Downes went on to form pop/rock group Asia, and bassist Chris Squire and drummer Alan White did some work with Jimmy Page which, unfortunately, nothing came of. Squire and White met Rabin & formed a new group called Cinema, and it was here that most of the songwriting was done, including Rabin's authoring of the mega-hit "Owner of a Lonely Heart." In 1983, the band performed for former lead singer Jon Anderson, who liked what he heard, and brought Anderson to the group. And so the (unintentional) Yes reformation was complete. In December of 1983, the group recorded this album.

Owner of a Lonely Heart - the radio hit, going #1 in January of 1984. No denying it's extremely catchy, what with its repeating bass line & rapid synth breaks. An interesting mute guitar breakdown in the middle prevents it from dragging on too much, making for the perfect 80's rock anthem. It was the song that put Yes (back) on the map.

Hold On - a hidden gem here, this one's a slower, more hard-rocking number. It's guitar heavy, and it's got a weird, yet catchy, synthesized vocal break in the middle with some of the oddest lyrics (this one had to have at least some Anderson influence - "how they drown in stylistic audacity"??)

It Can Happen - another hit single from the album, a recognizable electric sitar backing the anthemic choruses and stop breaks make for a unique sounding, if somewhat specially-crafted, radio hit. Squire takes lead vocals here for a nice change.

Changes - this one starts off with a marimba-&-synth four-note opening riff, then descends into a mellow mid-tempo ballad. It just seems to me that it's got a lot it wants to say, but doesn't get around to saying it. Also, Jon Anderson's got the perfect prog-rock voice, but here I don't think it works as well as Rabin's might have. Still, the instrumentation's excellent, so it's a fair deal.

Cinema - one of my top five rock instrumentals, there's a reason it was a Grammy nomination. Hard-driving, in-your-face rock with exemplary drumming by White and searing guitar work make you wish they'd done more "experimental" stuff like this. Short & sweet.

Leave It - the last of the singles, this had to be the oddest radio cut ever produced. With an a cappella vocal intro that hearkens back to "Your Move," it segues into a vocal tour-de-force, with classic Yes harmony after harmony. They could have laid off the electronic drums here, but that might be part of what makes this song so cool. I don't exactly know what they're saying (leave what?), but it's a very good number no less.

Our Song - a decent, if somewhat generic, 80's rocker. This is one of the songs that, if it wasn't Yes providing the stop-rhythms & harmonies, would have completely bombed. It rambles, and it's a bit cheesy (especially with that synthesized organ - where did they get that thing?), but at least it's not too long.

City of Love - this one shows Anderson taking lead here, and it's not bad. Some nice heavy guitar here, complete with synth bass. Overall though, Anderson just didn't have the best vocals for a straight-ahead rock group - he was much better off doing new-agey "Olias of Sunhillow"-style material. This one tends to drag, and I don't really know what happens to the guitar near the very end, but it's alright.

Hearts - the longest song on the album (the "epic" of the album,) this one sounds like it could have come off a JA solo album. That's not really bad though, as it's an interesting album ender. Clocking in at 7:54, this is essentially a Yes epic, updated for the 80's. Synth and Harmony laden, it's got appeal for the prog-rock fans out there (it won't rival any original Yes stuff, thought to give it credit it doesn't try, either.) Mainstream rock fans, however, might find that it drags. Which, if you compare it to the rest of the album, it really does. The playing on it's good, if somewhat repetitive, and the lyrics are typical oblique Anderson-esque material (not his best, either - he manages to say so much while saying so little.) But, they could've picked a much worse song to close the album out with. It just seems to me that they were trying to say here, "see, look, we can still play prog, we'll prove it to you!"

As for the bonus tracks, we get a single version of Leave It, which is nothing special (just a shortened form of the original,) and an A Cappella version, which actually plays out very nicely, as it's a vocal-heavy song to begin with. We also get Make It Easy, a track leftover from the Cinema group. This is a hidden gem if I've ever heard one - it's classic 80's rock, complete with lead synth lines, heavy guitar, and huge, anthemic vocal lines, but it works out so well. I honestly don't see why this was left off the album - it could've gone much further than, say, "It Can Happen." We get It's Over, which is one track that I can see why it was discarded - totally generic. Rounding off these, we get a remix of "Owner of a Lonely Heart." This must have been the "dance club" remix, as it sounds totally out of place on the album - no lyrics, drum machine, silly vox vocals, eight-and-a-half minutes long. It's a decent novelty piece to have though.

So, all in all, 90125 makes for some of the most interesting 80's-style rock that one can listen to. High level of playing talent, combined with some insanely catchy pop hooks & MTV-friendly appeal literally saved the band, and that's something all fans can appreciate, whether you like Yes of yore or you're a "Generator." Sure, in some places the progressive and the hard rock influences clash. But that's not all the time, and when it works, it make for some excellent listening.

Yes hires Trevor Horn to produce, employs songwriter extraordinaire Trevor Rabin to pen some hits, and keeps Jon Anderson at the mic to pierce the skin of 80's "pomp pop". With all the elements in place, Yes adapted their sound without sacrificing themselves artistically, and made one of the best classic rock albums in history.
Listening to this record some 20 years later, it sounds even better now. That fact, in itself, is rare for any record. I think the success of this record was a shock to 80's radio. Nobody expected Yes to put out songs with massive hooks, or songs that stay under the 6 minute mark. This is the band that made a double length record, that's 2 records, with only 4 songs on it. This record is not "Tales From Topographical Oceans". If you prefer that style of Yes, you will probably hate this record. "90125", titled after the Atlantic Records assigned catalog code, is a vast departure from the Yes sound of the 70's. You get catchy classic rock songs, crafted with style and elegance, minus the long, drawn out instrumental segments they implemented in earlier releases. This is a much more accessible Yes; so accessible, in fact, that "Owner Of A Lonely Heart" topped the charts and became the band's first ever number one single.
Former Yes member Steve Howe, who left the band after the previous release "Drama" to form Asia, once stated "When I first heard the 90125 one ... I kind of freaked out and said, 'It's not Yes.'" To this day, Steve Howe will not recognize this record as a Yes album...and will not play the material live. The hired "young gun" Trevor Rabin said of "90125", "If I knew it was going to turn into a Yes album I would have done things a bit differently, more from my orchestral point of view." You see, with Yes temporarily disbanded and the passing thought of the XYZ (ex-Yes, ex-Zeppelin members) project going bad, bassist Chris Squire and drummer Alan White joined with Rabin and finished writing the material. When it was totally complete, Squire played his new material for former bandmate Jon Anderson. Anderson loved what he heard, was hired to sing, and the rest is rock history.

With classic rock radio staples such as "Owner Of A Lonely Heart", It Can Happen", and "Leave It"; this is a super record, chock full of great radio hits, and powerful rhythms from some extraordinary musicians. In 1983, "Owner Of A Lonely Heart" went to number 1, and the record reached number 5 on the U.S. chart. In early '84 "Leave It" made its way to number 24, with "It Can Happen" rising to number 51 shortly after that. All of the other songs on this record, are just as strong as those few. Say "Yes" to owning this record!
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First off, anyone cynical about Rhino releasing Yes albums for the umpteenth time should shut up after listening to the remaster of 90125. The sound is so crisp and clear- "Changes" and "Hearts" are prime examples of the incredibly improved sound.

What about the actual music on the album? There's a lot of great stuff on 90125, but there's also mediocre stuff to drag it down. "Hold On," "City Of Love," and "Our Song" are all forgettable cookie-cutter pop rock songs. Most of the other songs hold up well, "Changes" is good, but I really can't stand Trevor Rabin's voice. "Hearts" is a great, nearly 8-minute fusion of progressive rock and pop rock. "Leave It" is a vocal tour de force which you can't help but to sing along with, and "Cinema" is a blistering instrumental led by Alan White's powerful drums.

And who could forget that number one hit "Owner Of A Lonely Heart?" It's fantastic, and the fact that so many people recognize Yes only for that song doesn't detract a bit. But the best song on the album is "It Can Happen," with its upbeat sitar intro and excellent chorus sung in part by Chris Squire (I'm partial to any Yes song with strong vocal presence from him).

The bonus tracks offered on 90125 aren't bad either. The pre-Jon Anderson version of this incarnation of Yes was dubbed Cinema, and there's three cuts from them on here- "Make It Easy," "It's Over," and the original version of "It Can Happen." They're all good, especially "Make It Easy," which has a very powerful guitar part. The a capella version of "Leave It" is actually better than the studio version- honestly, it should've been the one included on the album instead. The only sour point on the bonus tracks is the "extended remix" of "Owner Of A Lonely Heart," which is pointless- I can't even really tell any connection between this and the original song.

Every Yes fan should run out and get this remaster right now, regardless of their like or dislike of YesWest- the sound quality is so improved it's like listening to a whole new album. I wish the excellent follow up to this, Big Generator, would receive the remaster treatment, as it is in dire need of it, but that seems unlikely.

Yes' best album is now here...digitally re-mastered and with extra tracks. Listen to classic hits like "Owner of a Lonely Heart", "Changes", "Hold On", "Leave It" & "City of Love" Truly the best. I also have this on 33 1/3 RPM as well.

but it's damn good anyway. Three great singles, no clunker tracks, awesome production and excellent bonuses. In many ways, this is their most substantive album. Plus, it's got a beat! :)

This beautiful album marked the auspicious entry of the phenomenal Trevor Rabin into Yes at a time when many people thought the group was gone forever. The outstanding quality and energy of this masterpiece distinguish it among the many other excellent offerings from this legendary group.

Although the first track, "Owner of a Lonely Heart", was the top-40 darling, each and every one of the nine tracks on this album is superlative, and I love them all. Taken as a whole, it is an amazing collection of fantastic songs, and no worthwhile rock collection should be without it.

Some older Yes fans decry this album as marking the "descent into the power-chord era", and to be sure, this is a far cry from the style of the group when Steve Howe and Rick Wakeman are aboard. Nonetheless, this is one of the tightest and best albums Yes has ever made. I don't give out "10's" lightly.

If you don't have this album, buy it.

I remember the first time I heard "Owner of a Lonely Heart". Retro pomp rockers The Darkness were guest programming a music video show down here in Australia called "Rage", and they'd put the video on. I didn't like the song, I didn't like it at all. I couldn't get over how eighties it sounded, mainly. "Who is this?" I said. Then the caption came up: "Yes - Owner of a Lonely Heart". Yes? I was just getting into their 1970s progressive rock stuff at the time, and their 1980s version of the band came as something of a shock to me. Still, I ended up getting it, and I love it now. It's not exactly progressive rock, but then it doesn't have to be. It's well played pop music by a band that's having a good time, and that's all it really has to be.

"90125" was a big change for Yes. Their songs became a lot poppier, the production a lot more eighties, and they got a new guitarist, a South African lad named Trevor Rabin. A lot of people say he's the one whose soley repsonsible for the change, but I'd disagree with that. I know from his website Jon Anderson had just seen "Spinal Tap" at the time, related to its misadventures, and tried not to take himself so seriously. I know Trevor Horn (who'd had a pop hit with "Video Killed the Radio Star") had a hand in writing on or two of the songs. I also know, from hearing Chris Squire's song from his solo album "Fish Out of Water" I know that Yes' talented bass player had been interested in doing relationship songs long before 1983. Plus the band had broken up three years earlier, and the album had originally been project for a group Chris Squire, Trevor Rabin and Alan White had been planning to form called "Cinema", which was never officially supposed to be a continuation of Yes, it just ended becoming 80% former members.

Still, only the members of Yes could make pop music like this. It's pop, but it's not faceless pop. Definitely unique. Check out the time signature changes at the start of "Changes", the baffling lyrics in the middle of "Hold On", the "Awaken"-like ending to "Hearts". Producer Trevor Horn adds a special touch or two as well. There's the early use of an orchestra hit and drum samples on "Owner of a Lonely Heart", the fantastic vocal sound of "City of Love" and "Leave It" (which he'd go on to develop and get a hit or two out of with Seal). I reckon a whole lot of the songs could have gone on to be chart topping singles in the 1980s if they'd been given the chance.

I've got to say, I love Rhino records. They've re-released and remastered so many of my favorite bands on CD, and they do the packaging really nicely. "90125" is no exception. The remastering is crisp, clear and really does Trevor Horn's production justice. The booklet has all the lyrics of the album tracks, a few black and white pics of the band and liner notes by Brian Ives documenting the regrouping of the band over the early 1980s, which I found interesting. The (in)famous silver cover is made of a slightly reflective paper, which is a nice touch too.

Rhino have also included six bonus tracks. Though they aren't as interesting as the bonus tracks on "Tormato" and "Drama", they still make an intriguing listen. There's a slightly different "single version" of "Leave It", plus a vocal only mix which really highlights the sophisticated vocal production. There's an alternate version of "It Can Happen" without Jon Anderson, without sitars, but with more keyboards and different lyrics. There's an original 1980s remix of "Owner of a Lonely Heart" too, which is odd, and features the sounds of someone having a little too much fun on a sampler, mucking around with the pitch of certain pieces of lyric or tune against a silly but catchy beat. It's an interesting bit of history, if you're into the history of remixes. There's also two unique tracks from the "Cinema" sessions "Make it Easy" (a Trevor Rabin led tune full of keyboards) and "It's Over" (another Trevor Rabin original with a guitar melody suspiciously similar to one in "Siberian Khatru"). These original tracks aren't quite as good as the album tracks, but they fit on the album nicely.

For fans of quality 1980s pop music, this is definitely worth getting. Yes fans should consider picking it up too. I'd call it one of their essential discs. If you enjoy this era of Yes, and can't get enough of it, I recommend you check out an Australian guy called John Farnham, who has a slightly similar voice to Trevor Rabin, plus being in the 1980s has similar production to this album. "Whispering Jack", "Age of Reason" or even his best of "One Voice" might be worth checking out.