90125

It's late fall, 1983. I'm a senior in college, driving through the tree-lined streets of Davis, California with the radio on, having sort of lost tra ...

90125
Provided By:The Daily Vault

90125
Yes
Atco Records, 1983
http://www.yesworld.com
REVIEW BY: Jason Warburg
ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED: 01/19/2004
It's late fall, 1983. I'm a senior in college, driving throughthe tree-lined streets of Davis, California with the radio on,having sort of lost track of my long-since-imploded favoriteprogressive rock band Yes, whose last really good album ( Going For The One) had come out six years earlier. Flippingthrough the channels, I catch the beginning of a new song… Hmm, decent opening guitar riff; kinda neato pseudo-symphonicsynth effects; crisp, spacious, modern ('80s) commercialproduction; a beat you could just about dance to, and… thevocals… WTF? Is that Jon Anderson?!?
My reaction to "Owner Of A Lonely Heart" (the band's only #1 hitin its 35-year existence) was probably pretty typical for a fan of"Classic Yes" -- first shock, then fascination. What happened? Andwho's playing those fat, in-your-face power chords, because it sureisn't Mr. Fluid Elegance Steve Howe.
The story goes like so. After the 1980 Drama lineup of Yes broke up, guitarist Howe and keyboardplayer Geoff Downes linked up with Asia, while vocalist/producerTrevor Horn went back to producing, and bassist/vocalist ChrisSquire and drummer Alan White forged on as a duo. For a few headyweeks, there was talk of a new band to be called XYZ(ex-Yes/Zeppelin), to consist of Squire, White, Jimmy Page andpossibly Robert Plant. That idea didn't pan out, though, and sometime later, Squire and White hooked up with South Africanguitarist/vocalist/composer Trevor Rabin. Their new unit was to becalled Cinema, and featured Rabin as the main composer and singer,along with (eventually) former Yes-man Tony Kaye on keyboards.Trevor Horn was invited in to produce and recording ensued, but thelabel expressed concern over Rabin handling both guitars and leadvocals. Around the same time, Squire and former Yes lead vocalistJon Anderson had gotten back in touch, and Squire sent over theCinema tapes. Anderson was intrigued, the label was delighted, andthe rest is history. Yes was reborn, albeit with an entirely newsound, dominated by Rabin.
That sound was, simply put, prototypical arena rock. Big, flashyguitars, steady, thumping beats, sleek production and tight, poppysongs. On the one hand, it was a sound that served mainstream rockbands like Foreigner, Journey and Boston well in the late '70s andearly '80s; on the other, it was a slap in the face for fans of theprogressive, experimental vision Yes had been thrilling fans withsince 1969. From whichever angle you approach it, one thing isundeniable, though; in the context of 1983, 90125's approach was fresh, modern and exciting.

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