90125

First off, let me weigh in on the pro-/anti- Trevor Rabin thing. IT DOESN"T MATTER. This is just a different version of Yes, but it's still Yes. If the individuals mattered so much, then why bother following after Peter Banks left? THAT was Yes. Or after Tony Kaye was forced out? Or...you get my point. Each version is different, yet they all are Yes. So get real.

Musically, this is much pop-ier than the 70s Yes, no matter how hard they tried on Tormato. Rabin brought into Yes a strong pop sensability and his songs are definately more radio friendly than the 10 song, three album stint in the 70s. Once again, it's not horrible, it's just different. And he IS a talented guitarist.

This album, along with their accompanying videos, brought Yes to the forefront of the music industry, in a way they understood: it sold. This is not necessarily a bad thing, because they retained their reputation as a musically tight, experimental group. Their back catalog started selling again when this came out as people enjoyed this album and wanted to find out more about Yes.

Owner of a Lonely Heart is the most well known song from the album, having charted in the top 10 upon its release. However, the two songs that are the tour-de-force of the album are Leave It and It Can Happen. These are some of the best songs the group has ever done, IMO. The bonus track of Leave It acapella is absolutely sublime. I've had it for years on the 45 (yeah, I'm that old). There is really not a weak song on here, though some are not as strong as others.

If they allowed me to give half stars, this would be a 4 1/2 star job.