90125

Maybe it's because I was young and impressionable at the time of release or maybe I'm just not a "real" Progoholic, but this is an album, that really had an impact on me way back, and I still enjoy returning to it from time to time. The guitar intro on "Owner of a lonely heart" was something of a revelation for me, not to mention the brilliant vocal harmonies of "Leave it" or the inspiring chorus of "It can happen". In my opinion, the least successful Yes albums are "Tormato" and "Open your eyes". That said, I still haven't listened to every single one of them. Yes, this is in a way an 80's pop effort, but made with considerably more skill and attention to detail than most of the music of that era, the music I grew up being influenced by, but Yes of the 80's definitely have more of a lasting impact than the majority of bands from that period, and maybe more than most of the now legendary band's fans from the 70's give them credit for. It may all depend on where you're coming from, and certainly, you can't please everyone everytime. I happen to like Trevor Rabin's guitar stylings (maybe more than Steve Howe's, he added blasphemically) and I think Jon Anderson is a fascinating singer in the right environment. On his solo albums, things tend to get too sweet, but not here.