Author: Aleš Podbrežnik
Artist: Yes
Label: Atlantic Records
Release: 1983
Runtime: 44:45
Rating: 5/5
Yes broke up at the end of 1980 under heavy public pressure and a disastrous European tour. White and Squire limped along together under a joint project called Cinema. They were desperate for a guitarist, and that’s how South African Trevor Rabin ended up joining them. Rabin was an outstanding musician. He had perfect command of guitar and keyboards, and on top of that he had a distinctive voice too. Unlike Anderson’s, it was a lot “heavier,” drawn into deeper sonic shades. Even though Rabin wrote most of the arrangements, it turned out that, given the complexity of the new material, the guy wouldn’t be able to play keyboards on stage at the same time as guitar. So Squire brought a founding member of Yes under his roof, keyboardist Tony Kaye.
So Cinema now had three “Yesmen” and a young guy full of fresh creative ideas. The biggest surprise came when they decided to look for a singer too (at first the plan was for Rabin to handle lead vocals), because Jon Anderson came back into the fold. At first, of course, Rabin wasn’t the least bit happy about it, since he feared he’d have to have Howe’s brain processor installed in his head. He suspected exactly what, in part, did happen. At Jon’s suggestion, Cinema were renamed Yes. It didn’t go quite as far as Rabin had first imagined. Everyone in the new Yes was dying for a change, so Rabin got completely free rein. What’s more, Rabin was the main driver of the band’s transformation and of the actual writing of the new Yes material. Anderson’s delicate soprano vocals set against the distorted metal riffs that Rabin brought to the new Yes sound are almost impossible to imagine, but that’s exactly what happened. The contrast between Rabin’s guitar and Anderson’s voice is the biggest trademark of the transformed Yes in this new era, which ended with the album “Talk” (1994). In those days, louder electric sounds were hugely popular, and expressive guitar riffs with sharper edges caught on in new-wave pop acts from Duran Duran to Frankie Goes To Hollywood and, of course, Michael Jackson (remember the metal riff in Beat It?). AOR bands were also very popular, deftly blending new trends with noble rock ingredients, which resulted in simply built songs that were polished to the max and enriched by the extraordinary magic that seasoned old hands were able to conjure up. Something similar happened to Yes.
If Steve Howe joining the band on ‘The Yes Album’ (1971) marks the first major transformation of the group and generally defines the framework on which their music was built in the seventies, then ‘90125’, with Rabin in the driver’s seat, means something similar for the band’s sound through the following decade. As if, throughout Yes’s history and their constant change, everything rose and fell on their guitarists. Rabin’s arrangements were short, tight, simple, and yet incredibly expressive at the same time. Rabin was a born hitwriter. A hitwriter for the commercial scene of the eighties, when complex compositions had completely lost their appeal for younger generations of listeners. The Yes metamorphosis offered a fresh, in places “metalized” guitar sound. Stylistically, the new Yes drifted toward AOR waters (Our Song or Hold On, with its most basic “waltz – blues” rhythm) and pure dance tracks like the ultra-pop hit Leave It, but they also knew how to stage a proper onslaught of metal extravagance, caught in the evergreen riff of Owner Of A Lonely Heart.
Throughout ‘90125’ there’s also plenty of room for tasteful, natural-sounding acoustic arrangements. One of the loveliest moments this lineup tastefully created is without doubt the song Changes, where the atmosphere keeps surging high through fluidly laid-out, varied motifs. As for production, ‘90125’ is still a “test” record in professional recording studios today. The producer of ‘90125’ was none other than Trevor Horn, who had unluckily replaced Anderson on vocals on ‘Drama’ (1980) and even then brought in some fresh, tasteful trendy molds that Yes successfully absorbed. An example of combining the classic “Anderson Yes approach” with Rabin’s novelties is vividly captured in the song Hearts, whose chorus basically confirms that the Yes story started with The Beatles. ‘90125’ carries all the genius and musical grandeur that the old hands conjured up in nicely fitting new costumes.
This era, however, completely polarized Yes fans. Fans of classic Yes stopped listening to them altogether, since in their eyes the band was literally laughing at itself. Just call to mind all the sweeping epic compositions of the old Yes and try to compare them with the new Yes, and you simply couldn’t find a single sensible point of contact.
Despite the absolute musical transformation, they kept the name, because money is money. And the name Yes brought it in. The album “90125” sold 8 million copies. Yes like this had in effect achieved a true negation of everything they had ever been before. The magic was completely different, but the vibe shining through the music of ‘90125’ at its every step still feels “homey” (most likely thanks to Anderson’s distinctive voice). Still, it wouldn’t have been all that strange if Yes had renamed themselves No in that period.
Line-up
Jon Anderson – vocals
Chris Squire – bass guitar and vocals
Tony Kaye – keyboards
Alan White – drums
Trevor Rabin – guitars and vocals
Production
Trevor Horn
Tracklist
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)
