9012LIVE: THE SOLOS

When the 90125 album was released, I was not quite happy even though I knew that some people who never heard Yes music before started to know the band.In fact, because of this album, I could connect with younger generation who knew Yes from "Owner of A Lonely Heart" album. That's fine with me. I then started to socialize them with other heavy albums of Yes like "Relayer" or "Close To The Edge" .. but still they want 90125 album. SO be it. This live album 9012 Live : The Solos was released two years after 90125. Most material were recorded live in Edmonton, Canada at Northlands Coliseum 1984 as the soundtrack of the movie "9012LIVE". One song ("Solly's Beard") was recorded in Dortmund, Germany 1984.

Why is it called "The Solos"? It's basically due to the nature of music presented in this album where each individual musician (even lead vocal!) performed their individual virtuosity in their respective instrument. The album kicks off with an Allan White thing on the intro of "Hold On" which is taken from 90125 album followed with Tony Kaye's solo on SI. Trevor Rabin performed his acoustic guitar solo in "Solly's Beard". Jon performed his vocal job in "Soon" which represents the last part of The Gates of Delirium (from "Relayer"). Even though 90125 was released during the dark years of progressive rock music where the genre was about to become a legacy as many pioneers of prog (including Yes) went pop or swept away by new wave / punk era, I liked "Changes". Through this version, the band created much more dynamic live vibes compared to original studio version. In fact, this is the best song from this live album.

As far as Yes lovers concern, I think most of them would hate this live album. But I don't think it's wise to judge the band from one angle of their career.In fact, I enjoy this album because it's quite rare - not so many people own this album.Keep on proggin' ..!

Peace on earth and mercy mild - GW