90125

An album that was not intended to by under the name of Yes. Trevor Rabin had been maligned because of that. This music was for a project called cinema, but the other members wanted to change it into a Yes Album instead. the result is an album that doesn't sound like anything that could be expected from Yes. This is instead a good pop album with absolutely no prog elements. The guitar here is more generic and metal-ish, while the keyboardist Kaye seems to have forgotten his hammond organ.

Owner of a Lonely Heart begins the album, and without a doubt, this massive hit is the strongest song of the album. It begins with the electric percussion, the famous (or infamous) simple guitar riff, and the orchestra-like punches. The verses and choruses are extremely straightforward, but they have a good beat, nice acoustic work, and great melodies. The short drum solo is extremely fun to listen to. Unfortunately, the guitar solo is not very pleasant at all.

Other highlights are The rocking "Changes", the short instrumental that won a grammy (Cinema), and the song holding complex vocal harmonies (Leave it). The rest are AOR songs that are nothing too special.

This album if it is not seen as Yes selling out, is a very enjoyable fun listen that brought many new fans to the band.

My Grade : D+