90125

One very single tip for anyone who wants to check it out this album: forget that this is an Yes album, do not compare with another Yes works , because the idea is completely different here! You will not find the complexity of Wakeman/Moraz or even Downes solos or textures. Here the keyboard player is Tony Kaye, from the original line-up (although there is a lot of keyboards from Trevor Rabin himself and even Edie Jobson ) who is a very limited instrumentist for Yes parameters but can be a very good player of...pop-rock. Just to have an idea, in the 9012 tour Yes used a second keyboard player under the stage to suport Kaye performance. In this album even Chris Squire's bass has pop-rock aproach! Who heard his solo in the end of "Does it really happen" in Drama or his work in any other Yes previous albums will not regognise him in 90125. Alan White? He got the picture and played ...pop-rock drums ! Jon Anderson? Sometimes he is even the 2nd voice .He came later to the party , when the record was almost ready.

So, it is easy to understand why so many Yes fans dislike 90125: they bought the record to listen tipical Yes music and tipical Yes music is something that 90125 does not offer at all! 90125 is a pop-rock oriented album with marvelous Trevor Horn production , good compositions and arrangements, which has Trevor Rabin as the front creative man along with 4 Yes ex-members.The record was not intended to be a Yes album, but from a band called Cinema, with Chris Squire,Alan White , Eddie Jobson(ex- Jethro Tull,UK,Roxy Music )or Tony Kaye and ... Trevor Rabin. Well, Yes fans treats Rabin with arrogance nowadays, but he was one of the most disputed guitar player of the early eighties, a shiny promisse that was invited to play with Jimy Page, Keith Emerson and Asia,but choose to be with Alan White and Chris Squire when called by them to join a band intended to be called Cinema. For those who says that Rabin is not a good guitar player,just check his performances in live apearances with old Yes material stuffs ! Or Chris Squire and Alan White opinion about him! Really a great guitarrist, with intentional Rock aproach intead of the classical style of Steve Howe.

And was Rabin the key for 90125 . He had lots of material ready at that time and his way of work was completely different than Yes. While Yes used to spent days discussing where they should put or remove a single note, Rabin came with the song ready for record with not so many discussions .What a change! Of course ,this sound could never have the complexity or the aproach of previous Yes works! It was intensively different . "Owner of a lonely heart" was something that Yes was trying to achieve since roundabout - a radio hit! If you recall ,even Roundabout was not properly a "radio hit".For the 1st time Yes was #1 with a single and they really enjoied the recently achieved popstar status."Hold On" can bring you to very early Yes times , but the best moments cames with "It can Happen" and "Changes". The rest of the album is all pop-rock ,very well produced indeed, having "Leave it"as the best moment. No virtuosism, no big solos, no intrincated arrangements ,just good music very well executed!

Veredict- 90125 is a very good album of ... "pop-rock" , better than any other contemporany ones ,but maybe not enough for many Yes fans. I am not included in this list . For me 90125 is a real party and i really like it! Believe me , a very good album of pop-rock is not easy to achieve! Just check the Yes next album after "90125", the ordinary "Big Generator" or the later infame "Union" and you will see how a very bad pop-rock album can be easily done.