90125

At the end of November of 1983, I found myself in my car at the nexus of the old Jefferson Davis Parkway and Washington Avenue in New Orleans. Turning on my radio, I was greeted by an unexpected, but very welcome voice of Jon Anderson. I wondered, "Could this be a re-birth of sorts?"

Yes, it was.

Soon, thereafter, I learned from my friend Eldon Wood that Yes, with Jon Anderson returning, had just released an album, "90125." Besides Anderson, Chris Squire, Alan White, Tony Kaye, and a "newcomer," Trevor Rabin, comprised the new lineup of the band.

As we know, the most successful, commercial period in Yes' history was at hand. Through collective "wisdom," "90125" somehow does not measure up to "Close to the Edge," "Relayer," or "The Yes Album." And, yet, this album, utilizing its Atco catalogue number for a title, would not just usher in a "resurrection" of the band, but also expose it to an even more extended, global following.

Of course, for the lion's share of us, quality and commercial success are not synonymous. Nevertheless, the innate, realized energy of "90125" places it in the echelon of all Yes albums. Through the prism of forty-one years, "90125" takes on the character of one of its proposed, alternate titles: "The New Yes Album . . . . " Facetiously, one might also assert the title could have been, "Yes Makes Known the Music of Trevor Rabin . . . ?"

In 1982, following the cessation of the Yes that brought about and toured "Drama," Chris Squire and Alan White persevered, seeking new musical endeavors. One "evolutionary shoot" that ended in its early stages then was the XYZ Band with Jimmy Page. Through the Atlantic Records executive, Phil Carson, Squire and White met the South African guitarist, vocalist, and composer, Trevor Rabin. This "ascension" would prove to be abiding.

Seeking a keyboardist, Squire re-established contact with Tony Kaye, Yes' original Hammond organist and pianist. To Squire, Kaye's performances on the first three Yes albums typified his conception of what would complete the "quaternity" of players soon to be known as "Cinema."

As "90125" made its notable entrance in November of 1983, little was known upfront of the events, which led up to its release. The only indication of the lineage of the entity responsible for the album is the instrumental, "Cinema."

One direct element of continuity within the membership of Yes is Trevor Horn's production of "90125." By November of 1983, fans of the band were well familiar with Horn from his contributions to "Drama" as lead vocalist and bassist on "Run Though the Light." The success of "Owner of the Lonely Heart" reflects not only the songwriting skills of Rabin, but also the production "chops" of Horn. And, later, I believe it was Rick Wakeman, who stated that Rabin had given Yes a "Roundabout" for the Eighties.

This success came at a "cost:" on the final release of "90125," the direct contributions of Tony Kaye were limited to "Cinema" and "Hearts." The historical "knock" against Tony Kaye has been his supposed reticence to utilize current, keyboard technology. I would like to point out that, soon after his first stint with Yes, Kaye appeared on the album, "One Live Badger." Here, he employed a full 1972 "arsenal" of keyboards.

Through subsequent interviews,Trevor Rabin has described the events of the genesis and recording of "90125."

At a juncture following the final instrumental takes of "Cinema" and "Hearts," Kaye left the studio. Somehow, producer Horn and keyboardist Kaye simply couldn't "work it out." Because Trevor Rabin is a multi-instrumentalist, he supplied the keyboards for the remainder of "90125." If one listens to the performances of "Hold On" and "Changes" on "9012Live," Kaye's initial studio work in 1982 with Squire, White, and Rabin is apparent.

Also apparent is the economy of the execution of the songs. Throughout "90125," complexities characteristic of the Yes of the Seventies appear in microcosm: In "Hold On," 3:26-3:40;in "It Can Happen," 3:11-3:37; in "Changes," the entire first minute, which exemplifies a succession of syncopated tuned percussion, piano, bass, guitar, and synthesized pipe organ . . . .

And, in this connection, the all too brief "Cinema" stands out. In October of 1999, while touring "The Ladder," Yes performed at the House of Blues in New Orleans. With Billy Sherwood and Igor Khoroshev, Chris Squire and Alan White convincingly performed "Cinema." Finally, in its entirety, "Hearts" is a microcosm of the earlier Yes . . . .

Thus, for this "Yes-Freak," "90125" also holds an enduring place in my musical memory. I would like to submit that this 1983 offering is a watershed from which the Yes of the latter stages of the 20th and first decades of the 21st centuries flows.