Hi Everybody, 

At the time when “90125” was released, I read an interview with Trevor Rabin saying that formation of that album was better then the “DRAMA” line-up. Because the true soul of a band was the vocalist (Jon Anderson). 

In my opinion (as I said once here in the forum) is : I think the TR Yes is not the true Yes. I think it`s a wonderful band, but not Yes. 

I really think  the DRAMA line-up is better. I think their sound is more the Yes sound. 

So, what do you think is better: DRAMA or 90125 line-up ?

Best Greetings...

I would have to say that Drama is more impressive than 90125. It seems that Yes and Genesis have something in common, when their most respected guitarist leaves, all the progressive-ness goes, too. After Drama, Yes became pop, Howe was the one keeping the Progressive sound alive.

Yes had to go all 80's King Crimson (who originally went by Discipline and changed it back to King Crimson) and change their name at the last minute from Cinema to Yes, too.

I pick the lineup from the Drama era Yes

90125 had a better producer, but Drama had better musicians.

I'll take Howe + Downes over Rabin + Kaye any day.

I think Drama is absolutely better than 90125, and I go without any doubt for any band with Steve Howe instead of Trevor Rabin, but the truth is that Yes without Jon Anderson is not Yes.}

So Drama lineup is a better formation, even Trevor Horn has a better voice than Jon IMO, but doesn't sound like Yes, like somethoing wasmissing.

90125 is Yes, but one of the worst releases by the band along with Big Generator and Onion.

Iván

chalk up another one for Drama ... in a way I guess it means that at that juncture losing Howe for Rabin was a greater loss than losing Anderson for Horn ...

My favourite song off the two albums though is still 90125's Changes ... even though there are more impressive bits of music on Drama, I absolutely love that tune ...

Good question!

I really dont like Trevor Horns voice on Drama, but I like his production on 90125. As far as the whole line up goes I'd rather have Howe on guitar than Rabin. Rabin is good, but he is NOT Yes!!

I'm going to be difficult and say I like both albums equally for different reasons. Drama is more of a 'Yes' album, albeit with the Buggles at the helm, and 90125 is a polished collection of good songs benefitting from Jon Andersons voice, but not really Yes...

Dont think I've really answered the question...but hey..

90125, no doubt!

Although I love the 2 Buggles albums, I don't think the combination Buggles / Yes worked out well. I love Tempus Fugit, but for the rest... Into The Lens is much better in the Buggles version (I Am A Camera  on the "Adventures In Modern Recording" album) than on Drama.

I love 90125, but because of Trevor Horn, not because of Trevor Rabin. Horn is a much better producer than Rabin. I love 90125 a lot more than Big Generator.

I like Jon Anderson, but sometimes his goofy lyrics get the hell out of me.

By saying this I’m also saying that I do prefer the line up that did “Drama” than the one that made “90125”, although I like them both.

I do think that “Drama” is a better album.

The best album with the line up lead by Rabin is in my opinion “Talk”.

BiGi wrote: Hi everybody The first Yes album I ever heard was 90125 and I liked it very much (I still do), especially "Owner of a lonely heart" (obviously), "Changes" and "Leave it". In particular I simply love Trevor Rabin's voice. I think that with that work Yes tried to step out of their cliché, and tried to give up some of the pretentiousness that could annoy wider audiences. Then I heard Drama and to this day I still think this is the greatest album they ever came up with, and I realized that the "sound modification" process really started with the 1980 LP. I think they both are very experimental for their own. I furthermore am convinced that it is a good thing when prog rock can come down to terms with pop music: prog language not just for the initiated.

Hi BiGi & welcome

Your views may be greeted with some hostility around here!

Most Yes fans see Rabin as the anti Christ, in a similar way that Phil Collins was deemed to be the creative downfall of Genesis ( a bit unfair really) I respect your point of view, but have to disagree that it was a good thing that prog turned pop.

Out of interest, have you heard many other Yes albums? If not I would reccomend that you check out 'Close to the Edge' - their best IMO, and also 'Going for the One' the beginning of the modernisation of their sound, but still very progressive. I've never heard anyone say they think Drama is their best work.

BiGi wrote: Blacksword wrote: Most Yes fans see Rabin as the anti Christ, in a similar way that Phil Collins was deemed to be the creative downfall of Genesis ( a bit unfair really) Ahem...actually my favourite Genesis albums are A trick of the Tail and Wind and Wuthering, although I love them all (they are my favourite band of all times)... Blacksword wrote: Out of interest, have you heard many other Yes albums? If not I would reccomend that you check out 'Close to the Edge' - their best IMO, and also 'Going for the One' the beginning of the modernisation of their sound, but still very progressive. I've never heard anyone say they think Drama is their best work. I have all their LPs from Yes to Magnification...and my favourite "long" track is Gates of Delirium! (my preferences usually leave other prog lovers a little bit "astonished"... ) I even think that Open your eyes is a very interesting album!

I am a little bit "astonished"...

BiGi wrote: Blacksword wrote: Most Yes fans see Rabin as the anti Christ, in a similar way that Phil Collins was deemed to be the creative downfall of Genesis ( a bit unfair really) Ahem...actually my favourite Genesis albums are A trick of the Tail and Wind and Wuthering, although I love them all (they are my favourite band of all times)... Blacksword wrote: Out of interest, have you heard many other Yes albums? If not I would reccomend that you check out 'Close to the Edge' - their best IMO, and also 'Going for the One' the beginning of the modernisation of their sound, but still very progressive. I've never heard anyone say they think Drama is their best work. I have all their LPs from Yes to Magnification...and my favourite "long" track is Gates of Delirium! (my preferences usually leave other prog lovers a little bit "astonished"... ) I even think that Open your eyes is a very interesting album!

Hey, a fellow Genesis freak! Good to make contact!

TOTT and WAW are two of my favourite prog albums of all time, and alongside Rush they are my top band.

It sounds like you have a healthy appreciation of both old and new prog.

BiGi wrote: Blacksword wrote: Most Yes fans see Rabin as the anti Christ, in a similar way that Phil Collins was deemed to be the creative downfall of Genesis ( a bit unfair really) Ahem...actually my favourite Genesis albums are A trick of the Tail and Wind and Wuthering, although I love them all (they are my favourite band of all times)... Blacksword wrote: Out of interest, have you heard many other Yes albums? If not I would reccomend that you check out 'Close to the Edge' - their best IMO, and also 'Going for the One' the beginning of the modernisation of their sound, but still very progressive. I've never heard anyone say they think Drama is their best work. I have all their LPs from Yes to Magnification...and my favourite "long" track is Gates of Delirium! (my preferences usually leave other prog lovers a little bit "astonished"... ) I even think that Open your eyes is a very interesting album!

Heh heh that's cool Bigi ... diversity is great ... I can't quite imagine a hardcore Yes fan who thinks Drama's the best album and Gates Of Delirium is the best epic ... and I've never met anybody who digs Open Your Eyes ... 

I'm afraid I have "common" tastes ie I think The Yes Album, Fragile and Close To The Edge are the three best Yes albums and I don't like Big Generator or Open Your Eyes at all ... but then again I liked many moments in Union

“Big Generator” ain’t bad but still is my least favorite from Yes (West).

My order of preference:

1 – “Talk”;

2 – “90125”;

3 – “Big Generator”.

Drama  4   1     ;90521

   Goals by         &nbs p;         &nbs p;         &nbs p;     Downes OG

Horn 12mins 

White 16 mins

Howe 44 mins

squire  78 mins from 25 yards        

Blacksword wrote: It sounds like you have a healthy appreciation of both old and new prog.

• Genesis (Best Album: A Trick of the Tail, Wind and Wuthering; Best Tracks: Mad Man Moon, The Knife, In the Cage, The Return of the Gian Hogweed, Watcher of the Skies, Robbery Assault and Battery)


• Yes (BA: Drama, Fragile, Close to the Edge; BT: Gates of Delirium, Machine Messiah, Changes, Southside of the Sky, Release Release, Leave it, I get up I get down)


• King Crimson (BA: Red, Lark's Tongues in Aspic; BT: Starless, The Great Deceiver, Fallen Angel, Three of a Perfect Pair, Happy with what you have to be happy with)


• Rush (BA: A farewell to Kings, Counterparts, Moving Pictures; BT: Xanadu, Jacob's Ladder, Afterimage, Subdivisions, Animate


• Emerson, Lake & Palmer (BA: Trilogy; BT: The Endless Enigma, Karn Evil 9, Tarkus, Take a pebble


• Pink Floyd (BA: Animals, Wish you were here; BT: Sheep, Summer '68, Shine on you crazy diamond, Echoes, A great day for freedom


• Spock's Beard (BA: V, Beware of Darkness; BT: At the end of the day, Thoughts, Harm's Way, Flow, Ghosts of Autumn)


• The Flower Kings (BA: Space Revolver, Stardust we are; BT: Chicken Farmer Song, In the eyes of the world, Circus Brimstone, Compassion, A Vampire's View, The Truth Will Set You Free)


• Dream Theater (BA: Metropolis part II; BT: Beyond this life, Space-dye Vest, Pull me under, Home)

BiGi wrote: Blacksword wrote: It sounds like you have a healthy appreciation of both old and new prog. You got it! I know many classic-prog and some new-prog very well. These are the ones of which I know the whole production: Genesis (Best Album: A Trick of the Tail, Wind and Wuthering; Best Tracks: Mad Man Moon, The Knife, In the Cage, The Return of the Gian Hogweed, Watcher of the Skies, Robbery Assault and Battery) Yes (BA: Drama, Fragile, Close to the Edge; BT: Gates of Delirium, Machine Messiah, Changes, Southside of the Sky, Release Release, Leave it, I get up I get down) King Crimson (BA: Red, Lark's Tongues in Aspic; BT: Starless, The Great Deceiver, Fallen Angel, Three of a Perfect Pair, Happy with what you have to be happy with) Rush (BA: A farewell to Kings, Counterparts, Moving Pictures; BT: Xanadu, Jacob's Ladder, Afterimage, Subdivisions, Animate Emerson, Lake & Palmer (BA: Trilogy; BT: The Endless Enigma, Karn Evil 9, Tarkus, Take a pebble Pink Floyd (BA: Animals, Wish you were here; BT: Sheep, Summer '68, Shine on you crazy diamond, Echoes, A great day for freedom Spock's Beard (BA: V, Beware of Darkness; BT: At the end of the day, Thoughts, Harm's Way, Flow, Ghosts of Autumn) The Flower Kings (BA: Space Revolver, Stardust we are; BT: Chicken Farmer Song, In the eyes of the world, Circus Brimstone, Compassion, A Vampire's View, The Truth Will Set You Free) Dream Theater (BA: Metropolis part II; BT: Beyond this life, Space-dye Vest, Pull me under, Home) As I said in another topic, I'm not one for seeking after virtuosisms...I fall in love with a song when its mood strikes me (for instance...I like Steve Hackett's compositions for the "aura" more than for his technique - although it's excellent!) or when its chord sequence surprises me... (Mmm...I fear I'm going off-topic! )

Hackett is a superb melodic guitarist!

Well, we're both off topic now.  So I shall not continue to post on a Yes thread about Genesis, who I could babble on about all day!! Welcome to the forum BiGi.

BiGi wrote: Blacksword wrote: Well, we're both off topic now.  So I shall not continue to post on a Yes thread about Genesis, who I could babble on about all day!! Welcome to the forum BiGi. Ok...to get back to the main point: the Drama and 90125 line-ups are equivalent to me...with one great remark. Trevor Horn as a lead vocalist has not been such a good idea, IMHO!

Agreed, he's better off in the producers chair IMO. 90125 has superb production. Although I generally prefer that classic organic 70's production, it was 1984 when I first heard 90125. I was young then and I had never heard anything produced that way in rock before. I had heard the Buggles and the job Trevor Horn had done on Fankie Goes to Hollywood (both production triumphs) but they were just pop. It was quite eye opening. It was the first Yes I ever really paid attention to. Thats why I can accept it these days more so than many older fans who grew up with the band.