90125

Yes displayed an alarming change in direction starting with Tormato and continuing into Drama. 90215 is where this change is painfully obvious. Steve Howe is gone, which should alert you that something is out of place. Trevor Rabin is a good guitarist, but he never gets a chance to shine on the studio material. Gone are the instrumental displays, the soaring vocals, the intelligent lyrics. Now the band writes run of the mill pop songs that sound like they came from a new wave band.

The most famous song here, and perhaps in the entire discography, is Owner of a Lonely Heart. This became a radio fav because the good lord has a twisted sense of humor. Jon whispers his vocals like he's hiding from someone. There's no springy bassline from Squire, no inventive keyboards, no complex drumming. It's the kind of song that's okay the first time you hear it but quickly becomes an atrocious listen. The rest of the songs can be used if you've swallowed poion and need to induce vomiting. Leave It, It Can Happen, and the far too long Hearts have awful lyrics and worse delivery.

While not as bad as Big Generator, 90215 can still get you arrested for child endangerment if you play it to your kids. The fire of the band is now gone. I tend to divide Yes' career into two periods: from the debut through Going For The One then picking back up with The Ladder and Magnification comprise the "Yes" era. From Tormato through Open Your Eyes makes up the "No" era (lame I know but it takes so little to make me happy). Trevor Rabin proved himself worthy playing classic songs live, but he is wasted in the studio. Chris Squire abandoned the style that made him a god. Alan White might as well be a drum machine. This is where Jon Anderson begins his annoying trend of experimenting with his vocals in a way that isn't exploration, it's just awful. I encourage fans of Yes to avoid this and Big Generator at all costs, and suicide-watch patients shouldn't be allowed to listen to this because it'll push them over the edge.

Grade: F