90125

My first ever, and maybe only, written review comes after the death of the great Chris Squire. This album was the one that took me into Yes fandom. My late Uncle, who was heavily into prog, tried getting me into them with some of the earlier stuff, i.e., roundabout, starship trooper, etc.. I thought those songs were ok but they didn't make me a believer, or fan for that matter. I was more into heavier, more popular (gasp) music at the time. AC/DC, Van Halen, Zeppelin, Rush, so on, so on. This album tired out my turntable getting played many o' time. I loved it's heaviness, melodicness, lyrics, and the tightness of the band. For me this is a classic and a 5 star gem. I realize to the true diehard prog fan that it isn't "progressive" and is thought of more as a piece of sh*t. I tend to not look at music as "prog" or "not prog". To me if the music is enjoyable, has a wow factor, and is well performed then I'm in. I saw a video on rollingstone.com that pushed me to write this review. The band were playing "Owner of A Lonely Heart" live in concert. There was energy, cohesiveness, a rejuvenation it seemed. Most importantly though, there were smiles, and an overall feeling that they were happy and having fun with what they were doing. For me that's classic in itself, seeing those pro's letting go and having a great time playing for their fans, prog or not. I saw them on tour for 90125, one of the best shows I've ever seen. So, I ignore the rating guidelines for what should be deemed a masterpiece of progressive rock music and give, what my heart feels, 5 hardy stars for the album and the meaning it had for me and the band members who created it.