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Forum Name: Prog Recommendations/Featured albums
Forum Description: Make or seek recommendations and discuss specific prog albums
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Topic: YES - 90125 (1983)Posted By: Psychedelic Paul
Subject: YES - 90125 (1983)
Date Posted: July 21 2020 at 15:30
90125: The Yes Album that's famously named after its catalogue number, and there's also an asteroid named 90125, in honour of the memory of YES bassist Chris Squire, who sadly ascended to prog heaven in 2015 at the age of 67. Following the Drama of recording and touring the previous YES album with Trevor Horn on vocal duties, Jon Anderson returned for 90125 with Trevor Horn now in the role of producer. 90125 was a more commercial and pop-orientated album than previous YES albums, and caused almost as much controversy amongst fans as the legendary Tales from Topographic Oceans album, but 90125 was also a Big Generator of album sales and climbed The Ladder of success to become their best-selling album, with over 3 million copies sold in the USA alone. Time and a Word has it that YES had been Close to the Edge of breaking up after the Drama tour, with several Fragile egos at stake and a Magnification of tensions within the band. In the revolving door Relayer race of YES line-ups, bassist Chris Squire and drummer Alan White formed Cinema with South African guitarist Trevor Rabin and original YES keyboardist Tony Kaye. When Jon Anderson accepted the invitation to return to the YES line-up, Cinema became YES, and 90125 became something of a re-Union album. Heaven & Earth would have to be moved though to persuade Rick Wakeman to return to the YES fold in 1991. The first single from the 90125 album, Owner of a Lonely Heart, had great commercial potential and was clearly aimed at Going for the One spot at the top of the charts. It made it too, reaching No. 1 on the US Billboard Hot 100 chart, and became the best-selling Yessong of all time, just like the album itself. There's been much Talk amongst YES fans that 90125 was a sell-out album that was too pop-orientated, but if you Open Your Eyes and ears, you'll gain the Keys to Ascension and realise that this album is pretty good by YES standards and far from being a rotten Tormato. The 90125 album features nine Yessongs and I'll post the YouTube videos from the album below before I Fly from Here.
YES line-up:- Jon Anderson; Tony Kaye; Trevor Rabin; Chris Squire; & Alan White
Track Listing
1. Owner of a Lonely Heart (4:27)
2. Hold On (5:15)
3. It Can Happen (5:39)
4. Changes (6:16)
5. Cinema (2:09)
6. Leave It (4:10)
7. Our Song (4:16)
8. City of Love (4:48)
9. Hearts (7:34)
Replies: Posted By: Jaketejas
Date Posted: July 21 2020 at 16:04
Nicely done! "... far from being a rotten Tormato" Ha!
Posted By: Psychedelic Paul
Date Posted: July 21 2020 at 16:15
Jaketejas wrote:
Nicely done! "... far from being a rotten Tormato" Ha!
Thanks! YES, 90125 is a much better album than TORMATO, which probably IS a bit of a rotten TORMATO by YES standards, although maybe not quite as bad as BIG GENERATOR, which will be THE YES ALBUM I'm planning to feature next, by unpopular demand.
Posted By: verslibre
Date Posted: July 21 2020 at 18:59
Tormato and 90125, albums that I both own (and I've owned the latter on multiple formats), don't merit comparison. They sound nothing like each other!
Let's be honest...is there anything on 90125 like "On the Silent Wings of Freedom"? Nope. On the flipside, there's nothing on Tormato like "It Can Happen"!
Posted By: Psychedelic Paul
Date Posted: July 21 2020 at 22:53
Side One
1. Owner of a Lonely Heart
2. Hold On
3. It Can Happen
4. Changes
Posted By: Psychedelic Paul
Date Posted: July 21 2020 at 23:03
Side Two
5. Cinema
6. Leave It
7. Our Song
8. City of Love
9. Hearts
Posted By: richardh
Date Posted: July 22 2020 at 00:27
You could see it as the perfect marriage of the sleek Eighties production and seventies prog. Yes to their credit were still trying to evolve but I've never really warmed much to it if I'm honest. However Cinema is one of the most kick ass instrumental tracks and makes you wonder what might have been if that prog supergroup line up with Eddie Jobson had ever come to fruition. I would really have liked more like that.
Posted By: Frenetic Zetetic
Date Posted: July 22 2020 at 00:32
Does It Really Happen?
2 years later:
It Can Happen
Lmao I love Yes.
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"I am so prog, I listen to concept albums on shuffle." -KMac2021
Posted By: Psychedelic Paul
Date Posted: July 22 2020 at 00:34
richardh wrote:
You could see it as the perfect marriage of the sleek Eighties production and seventies prog. Yes to their credit were still trying to evolve but I've never really warmed much to it if I'm honest. However Cinema is one of the most kick ass instrumental tracks and makes you wonder what might have been if that prog supergroup line up with Eddie Jobson had ever come to fruition. I would really have liked more like that.
A like all of the songs on the 90125 album, but when it comes to "Leave It", it's a case of, nice song, a shame about the video.
Posted By: Psychedelic Paul
Date Posted: July 22 2020 at 00:38
Frenetic Zetetic wrote:
Does It Really Happen?
2 years later:
It Can Happen
Lmao I love Yes.
Yes, they could have followed that up with the song, "It Shouldn't Have Happened", on the Big Generator album.
Posted By: suitkees
Date Posted: July 22 2020 at 02:09
Ah, 90125 was the first vinyl that I bought. I think Tormato was the second one. And I love them both.
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The razamataz is a pain in the bum
Posted By: Mortte
Date Posted: July 22 2020 at 02:18
I really remember when "Owner of a Lonely Heart"-vid came from Finnish television. I liked both the song and vid, it was kind of scary. Anyway at that moment I just listened really just kind of rootsmusic, so I didnīt borrowed the whole album anywhere then. Few years later, maybe little earlier than my progperiod started borrowed the whole album and really loved it since then!
Posted By: Psychedelic Paul
Date Posted: July 22 2020 at 02:25
suitkees wrote:
Ah, 90125 was the first vinyl that I bought. I think Tormato was the second one. And I love them both.
That's quite a coincidence because 90125 was the first Yes album that I bought on vinyl too, if you don't count the Classic Yes compilation. I have the Big Generator album - unfortunately - as part of a 5-CD Yes box set.
Posted By: suitkees
Date Posted: July 22 2020 at 02:57
Before Big Generator came out I probably had all the previous albums added to my collection. Big Generator was a big deception to me, only two or three songs that appealed to me and the rest quite rubbish. That'll teach when you buy an album without listening to it first (but I did it again with Heaven and Earth - someone wants to buy it ?)
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The razamataz is a pain in the bum
Posted By: Psychedelic Paul
Date Posted: July 22 2020 at 04:21
suitkees wrote:
Before Big Generator came out I probably had all the previous albums added to my collection. Big Generator was a big deception to me, only two or three songs that appealed to me and the rest quite rubbish. That'll teach when you buy an album without listening to it first (but I did it again with Heaven and Earth - someone wants to buy it ?)
I used to do that too: I'd buy an album by an artist on the strength of their previous albums without listening to it first, but I'd then be left feeling disappointed if it didn't live up to expectations. That's what happened when I bought Renaissance' 1981 Camera Camera album, so I took it back to the record store and asked for a refund. I would have been equally disappointed if I'd bought the Big Generator album by Yes without hearing it first.
Posted By: Tom Ozric
Date Posted: July 22 2020 at 05:17
I prefer Heaven and Earth to 90125. Seriously. And 90125 is a good, solid 80s Prog album, done the correct way. A re-invention of the Yes sound. But I really like Heaven and Earth. And I cant explain why.
Posted By: Psychedelic Paul
Date Posted: July 22 2020 at 05:56
Tom Ozric wrote:
I prefer Heaven and Earth to 90125. Seriously. And 90125 is a good, solid 80s Prog album, done the correct way. A re-invention of the Yes sound. But I really like Heaven and Earth. And I cant explain why.
I'm looking forward to listening to the Heaven & Earth album for the first time if it's preferable to 90125.
Posted By: Mortte
Date Posted: July 22 2020 at 06:20
Psychedelic Paul wrote:
suitkees wrote:
Before Big Generator came out I probably had all the previous albums added to my collection. Big Generator was a big deception to me, only two or three songs that appealed to me and the rest quite rubbish. That'll teach when you buy an album without listening to it first (but I did it again with Heaven and Earth - someone wants to buy it ?)
I used to do that too: I'd buy an album by an artist on the strength of their previous albums without listening to it first, but I'd then be left feeling disappointed if it didn't live up to expectations. That's what happened when I bought Renaissance' 1981 Camera Camera album, so I took it back to the record store and asked for a refund. I would have been equally disappointed if I'd bought the Big Generator album by Yes without hearing it first.
Just like 90125, I borrowed Big Generator from a friend when it came. And I liked it then even more than 90125 and still like! To me itīs hard to understand whatīs so wrong in BG, specially if one is liking 90125. I think those albums have lots in common (great songs), but BG has slightly more prog than 90125 IMO.
Posted By: Tom Ozric
Date Posted: July 22 2020 at 06:22
Psychedelic Paul wrote:
Tom Ozric wrote:
I prefer Heaven and Earth to 90125. Seriously. And 90125 is a good, solid 80s Prog album, done the correct way. A re-invention of the Yes sound. But I really like Heaven and Earth. And I cant explain why.
I'm looking forward to listening to the Heaven & Earth album for the first time if it's preferable to 90125.
Paul, I may be the only one who likes this arm-chair Prog album by these elder statesmen. Its just so dang pleasant.
Posted By: Jaketejas
Date Posted: July 22 2020 at 09:28
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.
Posted By: Dellinger
Date Posted: July 22 2020 at 11:50
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.
Posted By: Psychedelic Paul
Date Posted: July 22 2020 at 12:25
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'll try and listen to the Heaven & Earth album for the first time with an open mind and open ears.
Posted By: AFlowerKingCrimson
Date Posted: July 22 2020 at 12:59
It's a very good pop rock album (with some prog elements). Nothing more and nothing less.
Posted By: someone_else
Date Posted: July 22 2020 at 13:04
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.
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Posted By: Psychedelic Paul
Date Posted: July 22 2020 at 13:16
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.
I like 90125 more than the Drama and Tormato albums too, but I like The Ladder album best of all the post 1970's Yes albums.
Posted By: AFlowerKingCrimson
Date Posted: July 22 2020 at 13:26
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.
Well, depending on what your taste is maybe you should consider checking out some of them. If classic Yes is your thing and you don't typically like pop elements in prog then at least listen to the Keys to Ascension albums which feature live tracks as well as studio tracks that are quite reminiscent of 70's prog Yes.
Posted By: Psychedelic Paul
Date Posted: July 22 2020 at 13:47
I was going to make Big Generator (1987) my next featured Yes album, seeing as it's the next album in chronological sequence, but after reading the comments on this thread, I'm intrigued now to hear the Heaven & Earth (2014) album for the first time, so I've decided to make the final Yes album my next featured album instead.
Posted By: Mirakaze
Date Posted: July 22 2020 at 15:12
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.
Posted By: Psychedelic Paul
Date Posted: July 22 2020 at 15:32
Mirakaze wrote:
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.
Yes, "Leave It" is a good song and the accompanying official video with its visual trickery may have been very clever back in 1983, but it looks dreadful viewed by today's standards.
Posted By: Psychedelic Paul
Date Posted: July 22 2020 at 15:33
Yes - Live in Germany 1984 - 90125 Tour
Posted By: Tom Ozric
Date Posted: July 22 2020 at 16:14
It was the 9012 Live video that got me into Yes back in the mid-80s.. 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.
Posted By: Psychedelic Paul
Date Posted: July 22 2020 at 16:56
Tom Ozric wrote:
It was the 9012 Live video that got me into Yes back in the mid-80s.. 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.
Yes, that 90125 Live video really takes me back to the glamorous 1980's New Romantic movement of flamboyant fashions, bright glossy lipstick and heavy mascara, and that was just the men!
Posted By: AFlowerKingCrimson
Date Posted: July 22 2020 at 20:25
Tom Ozric wrote:
It was the 9012 Live video that got me into Yes back in the mid-80s.. 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.
Kind of the same for me except I didn't see the video until a few years later I think. 90125 was the first album I bought by them although I didn't first see them until the Big Generator tour. It was a slow progression for me though but ultimately 90125 led me to more Yes which led me to more prog which eventually led me to this crazy website.
Posted By: Catcher10
Date Posted: July 22 2020 at 21:05
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.
Easily a 4/5 for me.
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Posted By: Mortte
Date Posted: July 23 2020 at 01:46
Now I have a suspicion that you Paul hasnīt even heard Big Generator, or if has then just one time and then agreed that common opinion itīs rubbish. Just because you, or no-one else havenīt put any comments to my opinion about BG or explained whatīs so bad in that album. But, I think itīs good idea not to make BG thread if itīs going to be "letīs hate this album collectively".
Posted By: suitkees
Date Posted: July 23 2020 at 02:02
You're right, Mortte. I was actually waiting a BG-thread. For me, a song like Shoot High Aim Low easily tops most of the songs on 90125, but it is the only (very) good song on Side A. On side B Final Eyes and I'm Running are quite pleasurable.
All the other songs, I find them at best average, and I have a problem with the drumming (and the sound quality of it); it really doesn't get me. Made me think of a Duracell TV-ad where toy rabbits are drumming and the duracell ones last the longest - that plastic sound...
90125 is a much more consistent high quality album. But, as always, this is about personal appreciation: yours is as valid as mine!
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The razamataz is a pain in the bum
Posted By: Psychedelic Paul
Date Posted: July 23 2020 at 02:11
Mortte wrote:
Now I have a suspicion that you Paul hasnīt even heard Big Generator, or if has then just one time and then agreed that common opinion itīs rubbish. Just because you, or no-one else havenīt put any comments to my opinion about BG or explained whatīs so bad in that album. But, I think itīs good idea not to make BG thread if itīs going to be "letīs hate this album collectively".
Yes, I have the Big Generator album as part of a 5-CD box set, but it still remains my least favourite Yes album, although I haven't heard the Open Your Eyes album yet, so that may all change.
Posted By: Psychedelic Paul
Date Posted: July 23 2020 at 02:19
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.
Posted By: Blacksword
Date Posted: July 23 2020 at 04:20
90125 is a brilliant Yes album and a genuine progression in style. Better than anything Genesis made post Duke, anything Floyd produced post The Wall and anything Tull made post Broadsword.
As for the two Yes albums that preceded it, it's much better than Tormato and at least on a par with Drama.
------------- Ultimately bored by endless ecstasy!
Posted By: Psychedelic Paul
Date Posted: July 23 2020 at 04:26
Blacksword wrote:
90125 is a brilliant Yes album and a genuine progression in style. Better than anything Genesis made post Duke, anything Floyd produced post The Wall and anything Tull made post Broadsword.
As for the two Yes albums that preceded it, it's much better than Tormato and at least on a par with Drama.
90125 is also much better than the album that came after it too.
Posted By: Blacksword
Date Posted: July 23 2020 at 04:51
Psychedelic Paul wrote:
Blacksword wrote:
90125 is a brilliant Yes album and a genuine progression in style. Better than anything Genesis made post Duke, anything Floyd produced post The Wall and anything Tull made post Broadsword.
As for the two Yes albums that preceded it, it's much better than Tormato and at least on a par with Drama.
90125 is also much better than the album that came after it too.
I agree. Big Generator, although not absolutely terrible, was a significant step down in quality. It could have been much better had they not stopped with working with Trevor Horn. IMO.
------------- Ultimately bored by endless ecstasy!
Posted By: bender99
Date Posted: July 23 2020 at 06:50
90125 is one of their worst records IMO. Thankfully the first Yes album I listened to was Fragile, if it had been 90125 there's no doubt that Yes would never have become my favourite group lol
I think the only Yes albums I rank lower are BG, Union, and OYE. BG I think is actually on par with 90125, but as mentioned above, suffers from terrible production.
Posted By: AFlowerKingCrimson
Date Posted: July 23 2020 at 10:59
Comparing 90125 and Big Generator is sort of like comparing Presto with Roll The Bones. Presto has the catchier songs but isn't necessarily better. Same thing with 90125. It has catchier songs but Big Generator goes deeper and is more reminiscent of classic Yes so it gets the nod for me personally.
Posted By: Mortte
Date Posted: July 23 2020 at 11:27
suitkees wrote:
You're right, Mortte. I was actually waiting a BG-thread. For me, a song like Shoot High Aim Low easily tops most of the songs on 90125, but it is the only (very) good song on Side A. On side B Final Eyes and I'm Running are quite pleasurable.
All the other songs, I find them at best average, and I have a problem with the drumming (and the sound quality of it); it really doesn't get me. Made me think of a Duracell TV-ad where toy rabbits are drumming and the duracell ones last the longest - that plastic sound...
90125 is a much more consistent high quality album. But, as always, this is about personal appreciation: yours is as valid as mine!
Thanx about great answer!! Commonly I donīt like typical eighties productions and really I am much bigger Yes seventies as any of their later albums -fan. But when forgetting the production I think in 90125 & BG hasnīt got any really bad songs. My fav in BG is Iīm Running which I think as a song is really close Yes great seventies songs. But like quite much also title song, Shoot High, Final Eyes & Holy Lamb. I think the reason why I like these two after seventies albums more than any other later Yes albums is, that I heard those in the eighties and started to like them immediately. After those I lost my interest to Yes (got punk & alternative music period then), I have listened their later albums first time in last decade. So itīs possible some other album will rise over BG, on the other hand I have really good memories from those two albums, so itīs possible it doesnīt happen.
Posted By: Psychedelic Paul
Date Posted: July 23 2020 at 11:28
AFlowerKingCrimson wrote:
Comparing 90125 and Big Generator is sort of like comparing Presto with Roll The Bones. Presto has the catchier songs but isn't necessarily better. Same thing with 90125. It has catchier songs but Big Generator goes deeper and is more reminiscent of classic Yes so it gets the nod for me personally.
That's one of the few positive comments I've read about the Big Generator album. It's certainly been a Big Generator of controversy amongst die-hard Yes fans.
Posted By: AFlowerKingCrimson
Date Posted: July 23 2020 at 11:42
Psychedelic Paul wrote:
AFlowerKingCrimson wrote:
Comparing 90125 and Big Generator is sort of like comparing Presto with Roll The Bones. Presto has the catchier songs but isn't necessarily better. Same thing with 90125. It has catchier songs but Big Generator goes deeper and is more reminiscent of classic Yes so it gets the nod for me personally.
That's one of the few positive comments I've read about the Big Generator album. It's certainly been a Big Generator of controversy amongst die-hard Yes fans.
I'll probably never say much negative about it unlike most on here. Maybe part of the reason I have a soft spot for it is the sentimental value it has for me. It was the first tour I saw Yes on and I even attended a Yes convention a couple of months before it was released. Also, I like the eclectic nature of the album. Some of the songs on 90125 are rather similar. Pretty much everything on BG is quite different from the others. It's obvious they took more chances on it and because of that some people don't like it. Having been there at the time I will say that it took too long for it to come out. It should have been released at least a full year before it was. So because of that the timing was off. There were just too many problems with making it and so that might be why some people complain about the production. It never really bothered me though.
Posted By: Psychedelic Paul
Date Posted: July 30 2020 at 02:56
I just read today that there's an asteroid named 90125 by the International Astronomical Union in honour of Chris Squire's memory, so I've just added that little titbit of info to my intro.
Posted By: Psychedelic Paul
Date Posted: July 31 2020 at 02:00
I don't know if anyone's seen the video for "Owner of a Lonely Heart", but it's a very strange video indeed. The video suddenly stops in its tracks halfway through the song and then restarts again with a completely different music video. They should have stuck with the original version though in my opinion. See what YOU think.....
Posted By: verslibre
Date Posted: July 31 2020 at 14:25
^That's the long version, which IIRC MTV might have aired ONCE. They always played the short version.
Tony Kaye is not in that video. You can pause it in a few places and see Eddie Jobson:
0:19 That's Ed back behind his keyboards, doing the fist pump.
0:32 Another glimpse of Ed as the camera pans back to Jon.
5:52 He's off to Jon's right, second nearest to the camera.
Posted By: Psychedelic Paul
Date Posted: July 31 2020 at 14:39
^ Thanks for the info. I just found the original video for Owner of a Lonely Heart.
Posted By: HolyMoly
Date Posted: July 31 2020 at 20:33
City of Love is a kickbutt song. Love all the (many) hits off this album too.
------------- My other avatar is a Porsche
It is easier for a camel to pass through the eye of a needle if it is lightly greased.
-Kehlog Albran
Posted By: Psychedelic Paul
Date Posted: August 01 2020 at 02:36
HolyMoly wrote:
City of Love is a kickbutt song. Love all the (many) hits off this album too.
Yes, I remember City of Love features the unmistakable sound of Chris Squire's powerful window-rattling bassline in the opening.....
Posted By: Frenetic Zetetic
Date Posted: August 01 2020 at 02:42
^Chris Squire FTW!
I personally enjoy "Leave It" quite a bit,
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"I am so prog, I listen to concept albums on shuffle." -KMac2021
Posted By: Slartibartfast
Date Posted: August 03 2020 at 15:17
I call it 90210. I was on board with the new direction of Yes when this one came out. I then moved on from Yes to other artists to the point that I didn't come back for a while after. Still haven't added this one to my Yes CD collection.
------------- Released date are often when it it impacted you but recorded dates are when it really happened...
Posted By: AFlowerKingCrimson
Date Posted: August 03 2020 at 15:45
Slartibartfast wrote:
I call it 90210. I was on board with the new direction of Yes when this one came out. I then moved on from Yes to other artists to the point that I didn't come back for a while after. Still haven't added this one to my Yes CD collection.
When this album first came out I wasn't yet into prog nor did I know what it was so I didn't bat an eyelash about it. At the time I was listening to Def Leppard(pyromania), Styx and Journey (things like that) so this didn't really sound too out of place. I think in that context and with those goggles on it's fine but once you go down the prog rabbit hole you tend to get spoiled and think everything in terms of progginess and so that can be a problem. It's something to be aware of because it can potentially prevent you(if you have the prog snob attitude)from enjoying it(same thing with the first Asia album and Genesis "shapes").
I do have it on cd but not the version with bonus tracks(which I should get).
Somehow it caught on as 90210 as a joke. Probably because of the tv show. As a result a lot of people call it that. In fact I wouldn't be surprised if there are some prog fans who don't even know Yes very well and think that's the actual name of the album.
Posted By: Psychedelic Paul
Date Posted: August 03 2020 at 23:39
Slartibartfast wrote:
I call it 90210. I was on board with the new direction of Yes when this one came out. I then moved on from Yes to other artists to the point that I didn't come back for a while after. Still haven't added this one to my Yes CD collection.
90125 should have been recorded in Beverley Hills.
90125 is the only Yes studio album I ever bought on the original vinyl, although I now have about a dozen Yes albums on CD.
Posted By: richardh
Date Posted: August 04 2020 at 00:27
I remember it was funny when Van Halen put out OU812 and many didn't get the joke!
Posted By: Psychedelic Paul
Date Posted: August 04 2020 at 01:05
richardh wrote:
I remember it was funny when Van Halen put out OU812 and many didn't get the joke!
I didn't get the joke either until I just Googled "OU812" and it said "Oh, you ate one too."
It's a bit like the abbreviation "F.U.N.E.X" which roughly translates as "Have you any eggs?"
The Two Ronnies - Swedish Made Simple
Posted By: Psychedelic Paul
Date Posted: August 25 2020 at 11:04
YES - 90125 Live: Access All Areas - A documentary by Steven Soderbergh
Posted By: grantman
Date Posted: August 25 2020 at 11:23
heaven and earth compared to 90125 has better production values i find love the song subway walls.
Posted By: grantman
Date Posted: August 25 2020 at 11:24
hearts love the drums in that song.
Posted By: grantman
Date Posted: August 25 2020 at 11:26
love the drums on it can happen and sitar sound on that song
Posted By: grantman
Date Posted: August 25 2020 at 11:28
anderson vocals are wonderful on changes .
Posted By: grantman
Date Posted: August 25 2020 at 11:31
tony kaye keys on our song are wild.
Posted By: Psychedelic Paul
Date Posted: January 16 2024 at 02:17
YES - 90125 Live in Dortmund, Germany 1984
Posted By: Boojieboy
Date Posted: January 19 2024 at 17:43
I especially like the chorus to "It Can Happen". Kind of a empowered marching sort of beat. I visualize the band with their instruments unplugged and walking forward together in formation on some road while singing. Trickier for drums, but maybe a drum platform that moves! LOL
Posted By: Valdez1
Date Posted: April 09 2024 at 16:56
It definitely brought YES to the Great unwashed masses. Some certifiable "Hits" for good reason.
Posted By: AFlowerKingCrimson
Date Posted: April 09 2024 at 19:44
I'm one of those rare weirdos who first got into prog in the 80s. As such this was the first Yes album I bought. My dad had The Yes Album and I heard that first but 90125 was the first I really got into which might have had something to do with the fact that it was sort of arena rock sounding and I was already into stuff like Journey, Styx and Foreigner. Many years later I probably don't think of as highly of it as I used to but it's still a very good album with what it tries to be and I have to give it credit for helping me get into the band Yes. If it wasn't for this release I probably would still think of Yes as just another weird band from my dad's record collection (I think TYA is the only one he had that could be considered prog).
Posted By: AFlowerKingCrimson
Date Posted: April 09 2024 at 19:46
Valdez1 wrote:
It definitely brought YES to the Great unwashed masses. Some certifiable "Hits" for good reason.
Yeah, briefly it did. Today it seems like most hardcore Yes fans are those who first got into them in the 70s though. Those who heard this at the time probably got scared when they heard their earlier material.
Posted By: richardh
Date Posted: April 09 2024 at 23:20
^ quite honestly I have never understood this view of Yes. I've seen similar views ventured about the Emerson, Lake and Powell album that was also painful to my ears while 90125 is very souless and lacking any real 'feel' IMO. As soon as I heard Fragile (in the 80's because I was also late to the party) I was sold. The problem was that a lot of musicians bought into the idea that the 70's was a dead duck and the 80's was the decade that was going to put everything right. It took a while before the overproduced and under creative nature of that decade was left in the rear view mirror.
Caveat- I am reasoning from a prog perspective. I get that there were excellent artists like Kate Bush, Peter Gabriel and Talk Talk around at that time but many of the most vaunted prog musicians struggled to do anything meaningful.
Posted By: Psychedelic Paul
Date Posted: April 10 2024 at 02:19
AFlowerKingCrimson wrote:
Valdez1 wrote:
It definitely brought YES to the Great unwashed masses. Some certifiable "Hits" for good reason.
Yeah, briefly it did. Today it seems like most hardcore Yes fans are those who first got into them in the 70s though. Those who heard this at the time probably got scared when they heard their earlier material.
90125 was the first YES album I ever bought back in 1983, and other than the Classic YES compilation, I didn't buy another YES album for nearly thirty years. Ironically, it was the Relayer album that scared me away from YES in the 1970's, but I love it now.
Posted By: Valdez1
Date Posted: April 12 2024 at 11:01
Psychedelic Paul wrote:
AFlowerKingCrimson wrote:
Valdez1 wrote:
It definitely brought YES to the Great unwashed masses. Some certifiable "Hits" for good reason.
Yeah, briefly it did. Today it seems like most hardcore Yes fans are those who first got into them in the 70s though. Those who heard this at the time probably got scared when they heard their earlier material.
90125 was the first YES album I ever bought back in 1983, and other than the Classic YES compilation, I didn't buy another YES album for nearly thirty years. Ironically, it was the Relayer album that scared me away from YES in the 1970's, but I love it now.
AaaaH RELAYER.... My personal favorite.
Posted By: verslibre
Date Posted: April 12 2024 at 11:15
Psychedelic Paul wrote:
Ironically, it was the Relayer album that scared me away from YES in the 1970's, but I love it now.
Posted By: Psychedelic Paul
Date Posted: April 12 2024 at 11:58
verslibre wrote:
Psychedelic Paul wrote:
Ironically, it was the Relayer album that scared me away from YES in the 1970's, but I love it now.
Going for the One didn't reel you back in?
It did, Yes, but only about 35 years later after hearing Going for the One for the first time on the Internet around 2012.
Posted By: kirk782
Date Posted: September 22 2024 at 22:33
I liked the opening track on this album, I think it was one of the band's biggest hits. But not a giant fan of the album as a whole. Also, is that a sitar on It Can Happen or a guitar simulating the sound of one?
Some instrumental sections on individual songs were good, but nothing as a whole. For eg, Changes has it's peaks and so does the all instrumental Cinema. But then I dislike stuff like Leave It completely. It's a mixed bag for me.
Posted By: Jeffro
Date Posted: September 23 2024 at 06:23
My first experience with Yes was probably hearing songs like Roundabout and I've Seen All Good People (and a few others no doubt) on my local radio stations in the '79-'80 timeframe. I had The Yes Album on cassette. I also had 90125 and enjoyed it very much. As an entire album I never listen to it anymore but a few of the songs are still enjoyable.
Big Generator never clicked with me but it's been ages since I heard it. I should give it a spin.
------------- We all dwell in an amber subdomain, amber subdomain, amber subdomain.
My face IS a maserati
Posted By: Steve Wyzard
Date Posted: September 27 2024 at 13:42
kirk782 wrote:
Also, is that a sitar on It Can Happen or a guitar simulating the sound of one?
Everything I've ever seen says it's Rabin playing electric sitar, but I remember hearing a radio interview with him where he discussed having to record it in two run-throughs, because the instrument is too cumbersome for fast playing. Can't find a current source for that quote. The album also credits someone named "Dipak", but I'm not sure if it has to do with song.
Posted By: Big Sky
Date Posted: September 27 2024 at 21:47
Steve Wyzard wrote:
kirk782 wrote:
Also, is that a sitar on It Can Happen or a guitar simulating the sound of one?
Everything I've ever seen says it's Rabin playing electric sitar, but I remember hearing a radio interview with him where he discussed having to record it in two run-throughs, because the instrument is too cumbersome for fast playing. Can't find a current source for that quote. The album also credits someone named "Dipak", but I'm not sure if it has to do with song.
I remember an article in a guitar magazine ( can't remember which one) with Trevor Rabin that appeared not long after 90125 came out. It touched on a number of things including the music. If I remember correctly, Deepak Khazanchi ( credited on the original album with just his first name) played Sitar on It Can Happen. But, it's just the melodic line and not the repeated pedal point. Rabin went back and doubled the Sitar's melodic line and added the pedal point. I can't remember if Rabin used a Coral Electric Sitar or if he played his Stratocaster using studio effects to approximate Deepak's Sitar.
I would have to listen to the song again to figure out the actual key, but to give you an idea it's a 8th note line that involves two strings that alternates notes between the ascending and descending melodic line and the pedal point.