YES - 90125 (1983)

suitkees wrote: I was actually waiting a BG-thread....

Yes, I will have a Big Generator album thread coming up eventually, just as soon as I've written the long Yes albums intro for it, although I'll probably feature their final Heaven & Earth (2014) album beforehand, as I'm eager to give the album a listen for the first time so I can judge it for myself, having read the mixed bag of positive and negative comments about the album. 

Edited by Psychedelic Paul - July 23 2020 at 02:21

Edited by suitkees - July 23 2020 at 02:03

I think it is a fantastic album with some really great songs. Chris Squire is huge on that album, I love it his bass lines just fill my room with nice pressure....All in great thanks to the mastering genius of Bob Ludwig, my copy is "RL Masterdisk" stamped in the deadwax.

Tom Ozric wrote: It was the 9012 Live video that got me into Yes back in the mid-80’s.. Squire with his weird basses and costume were intriguing, and that version of Starship Trooper knocked my socks off. Better than Genesis around this period tbh.

I like "Leave It" and "Our Song", and "Owner Of A Lonely Heart" has a place in my heart despite its cheesiness. There's also a fair number of moments on the album that I can't stand (TWO HEARTS ARE BETTER THAN OOOOONE) but personally I usually consider 90125 the final at-least-sort-of-good Yes album: even after the crappy 80s production went away it just feels to me like they never really found their spark again.


Edited by Mirakaze - July 22 2020 at 15:12

someone_else wrote: 90125 has little to do with classic Yes (from The Yes Album to Going for the One). Nevertheless it is a good album, which I prefer over Tormato and Drama. I have never listened to any of their albums after this one.

Edited by AFlowerKingCrimson - July 22 2020 at 13:28

90125 has little to do with classic Yes (from The Yes Album to Going for the One). Nevertheless it is a good album, which I prefer over Tormato and Drama. I have never listened to any of their albums after this one.

Dellinger wrote: I do find Heaven and Earth rather disappointing. Perhaps if it had Anderson's more beautiful and powerful vocals, as well as some better production and mixing (perhaps if Trevor Horn had been used again), I could have been more perceptive of the beautiful meditative nature you enjoy.

I enjoy "Heaven and Earth", too! It is a beautiful album. If you are expecting songs like "Roundabout" or "Siberian Khatru", of course you are going to be disappointed.

But, I don't see any point in comparing it to "90125" (which, by the way, is one of my top 10 favorite albums of all time). Likewise, there is no point in comparing either of these to the earlier classic Yes sound of the 1970s.

It was a different time, and some of the band members weren't the same. I consider "Heaven and Earth" to be more of a meditative album, which is what I would expect from a group of seasoned prog rockers. I mean, seriously. Are you the same person you were 40 years ago?

"90125" was a reinvention of Yes that was trying to stay relevant amidst the wider music community but, at the same time, still managed to stay true to themselves with great prog rock. And, Trevor Rabin didn't try to mimic Steve Howe.

I know that a lot of people disagree with this assessment. Good! Best to think independently. I do try to fair.