YES Album discussion volume 1: 90125

One recent problem with the forum for me personally has been the lack of Yes discussion....I mean, Yes is frequently talked about here, just not really recently...so I figure....lets talk about some Yes action....so Sal, Duke....I need backup..

Anyway...90125 is one of my favorite Yes albums....I feel it has everything a prog rock fan could possibly wnat in an album. It is masterfully played, well written, lyrically quite good and has a nice edge to it. I feel it is an album that is uderappreciated by Yes fans simply because it is an album of shorter and more consise material....the first such album of the bands to be made up of such matrial....so heres my track by track analysis.

1. Owner of a Lonely Heart: Number one hit, but still a classic. I love Trevor Rabin's guitar work and tone on this song. It is one of those songs for me that just doesnt get old. Furthermore, the video for this song also doesnt quit for me.....very well done.

2. Hold On: Cant remember if Hold on is the 2nd or 3rd track....but it really doesnt matter....I love the vocal harmony of this song.....a very good production song.

3. It Can Happen: And it did happen....though if any of you remember the video to this song..I'm not so sure that was happening...just a little bit too much makeup there John. I really don't have a whole lot to say about this song. I think it is a good tune, but not a standout....it is not overly memorable but still well played and one of those songs you sing along to.

4. Changes: One of my favorite Keyboard riffs by anyone all time...Lyrically this song is very strong as well and rocked live...good vocal alternation by John and Trevor....."Only through love changes come"....what an outstanding tune and great guitar work by trevor.

5. Cinema: Hell....just an all out great instrumental....You just cant go wrong with tune...just all around good stuff.

6. Leave It: Great tune also and stuff...The vocal harmonies still to this day trip me out on that tune...I also really like it because it is very different from the rest of the album and stuff...which is really cool....

7. Our Song: Love the keyboard part and the melody but Our Song is an otherwise forgettable tune on 90125.....If there is a filler song on the record, I guess that one is it....but it still isn't half bad.....lyrically, our song just doenst do it for me and stuff.....

8. City of Love: Great Lyrics....and one of many tips of the hat to Bob Marley in Yes lyrics..."No woman no cry"......there are actually quite a few in the yes catalog.....anyone else ever notice that?

9. Hearts: One of the highlights of the album both musically and lyrically...this song really takes you on an up and down journey and absolutly spanks live might I add...Hell of a way to close the album and stuff.

So okay....there it is and stuff....discuss this fantastic album...give your thoughts...likes, dislikes...stuff...theres mine and stuff.....okay...post away and stuff...

"700 miles from North Carolina for you Dream Theater. You guys fucking Rock!" Me...in the DT DVD and stuff.

Yes definitely shifted their sound and focus with this album. Fortunately for them it paid off big time. I think the album is great without sounding too "80s" over 20 years later.

And all the science I don't understand
It's just my job 5 days a week

Great production. Great Engineering. Great musicianship.

But, Owner of A Lonely Heart, although a huge radio success, was the weakest song on that
whole album. Really a huge re-birth for the band though.

This is the Yes album I cut my teeth on, and it still sounds great today.

People who get their rocks off by seeing the shell that is Yes today have YesWest to thank, because I can't imagine Yes still being around today if it weren't for the huge success the YesWest band had with 90125.

One HAS to give huge props to Trveor Horn for his killer production on this album. I'm not sure if he helped refine Rabin's songs, but a listen to Rabin's "90124" CD (a must for 90125/BG/Talk fans) tells me that Rabin had sowed the seeds of great songs, and Horn was able to bring out the best in them.

It's still a hope of mine that Rabin will eventually come back. Aside from "Mind Drive," which was a pretty good epic, this band has done little in the way of progression since Rabin exited. It's sad that recent Yes lineups have all but completely ignored the songs from the era that brought the band their biggest success (save for an occasional reading of "Owner" and "Rhythm of Love," which I can see Howe hating to play).

I have yet to pick up the remastered "90125" - any thoughts on it?

--Kev

"Changes" owns!

My band, The Darering
www.myspace.com/thedarering
My own music:
www.myspace.com/byrzenix

ORIGINAL: Kevman


I have yet to pick up the remastered "90125" - any thoughts on it?

--Kev

Yeah...it sounds a ton better...a sonic masterpiece...WELL worth picking up....

"700 miles from North Carolina for you Dream Theater. You guys fucking Rock!" Me...in the DT DVD and stuff.

Whenever I listen to this phase of their career, something inside my brain makes me think that these are the men capable of writing and executing The Gates Of Delirium. Then I turn it off.

It's like seeing an olypmic runner stuck to a wheelchair.

ORIGINAL: Lukes Wall

Whenever I listen to this phase of their career, something inside my brain makes me think that these are the men capable of writing and executing The Gates Of Delirium. Then I turn it off.

It's like seeing an olypmic runner stuck to a wheelchair.

I respect your opinion, but I firmly disaggree...comparing Relayer and 90125 is like apples and oranges....I mean....first off.....no howe, no moraz/wakeman on 90125....but that being said, I think rabin can hang with howe....and I think Tony Kaye played the best he could.....I think 90125 is a great album......its pretty much my favorite Yes album.....and I'm a HUGE Yes fan...I love everything they've done....but that album really hits me ya know...I love the vibe, the songs, the production, the lyrics, the mood....even the cover....great record all around......maybe you just arent playing it loud enough....

"700 miles from North Carolina for you Dream Theater. You guys fucking Rock!" Me...in the DT DVD and stuff.

ORIGINAL: KeithK

One recent problem with the forum for me personally has been the lack of Yes discussion....I mean, Yes is frequently talked about here, just not really recently...so I figure....lets talk about some Yes action....so Sal, Duke....I need backup..

Anyway...90125 is one of my favorite Yes albums....

A worthy and salient topic to draw me out.

I bought the cassette for 90125 on Saturdasy, December 3, 1983. The reason I know that is because it was the day after a Genesis concert I saw in Syracuse. Friends at school (all were seniors and I was a freshman) were discussing how the name of the band was intially Cinema, etc. etc. Then we all planned to travel out to Rochester to see them live.

Can't say I have a favorite Yes album, but this one will always be special for me. Saw the tour at the end of summer 1984 in Saratoga (was supposed to see themc live in ~May of '84, but my mother wouldn't let me travel to Rochester from Utica, being only 15 at the time). At the time, I really didn't like Rabin (big Howe fan). All so silly looking back.

There are so many things to like about this album. I'm sure if I bought it today and never had heard it before, I'd love it. Favorite songs (in order): Hearts, Our Song, Cinema, Changes, It Can Happen, OOALH, Hold On, Leave It. I think Anderson's voice was never better than on this album and Big Generator. Cinema is one of my favorite instrumentals. A very engrossing instrumental. Aside from the music and structure of the songs being tremendous, the album countless musical and life memories attached to it.

My fave Yes album.
I am not a fan of the 70's stuff, I tried and didn't like.
I like the Rabin era stuff, I picked up the re-master of 90125 and it sounds even better, bonus tracks pretty decent as well.
I'm gonna crank it in my car tomorrow

ORIGINAL: KeithK

I respect your opinion, but I firmly disaggree...comparing Relayer and 90125 is like apples and oranges....I mean....first off.....no howe, no moraz/wakeman on 90125....but that being said, I think rabin can hang with howe....and I think Tony Kaye played the best he could.....I think 90125 is a great album......its pretty much my favorite Yes album.....and I'm a HUGE Yes fan...I love everything they've done....but that album really hits me ya know...I love the vibe, the songs, the production, the lyrics, the mood....even the cover....great record all around......maybe you just arent playing it loud enough....

It IS a great record, there's no denying. They recycled themselves into a very interesting band, but I find it a little frustrating.

very good album, but not my favourite from the band.....i prefer the 70's stuff (close to the edge, fragile and yessongs are my fav)

  Information is not knowledge. Knowledge is not wisdom. Wisdom is not truth. Truth is not beauty. Beauty is not love. Love is not music. Music is the best.

ORIGINAL: Lukes Wall

ORIGINAL: KeithK

I respect your opinion, but I firmly disaggree...comparing Relayer and 90125 is like apples and oranges....I mean....first off.....no howe, no moraz/wakeman on 90125....but that being said, I think rabin can hang with howe....and I think Tony Kaye played the best he could.....I think 90125 is a great album......its pretty much my favorite Yes album.....and I'm a HUGE Yes fan...I love everything they've done....but that album really hits me ya know...I love the vibe, the songs, the production, the lyrics, the mood....even the cover....great record all around......maybe you just arent playing it loud enough....

It IS a great record, there's no denying. They recycled themselves into a very interesting band, but I find it a little frustrating.

I can understand that...I mean...Yes is nothing if not constantly recycled...if I'm not mistaken...in the entire history of the band, they have never put out more than 3 consecutive albums with the same line-up.....

"700 miles from North Carolina for you Dream Theater. You guys fucking Rock!" Me...in the DT DVD and stuff.

There has always been something about this album that stands out for me. It is one of those albums in my collection that stands out and never seems to get old. The album just flows in a unique, intense and extremely catchy manner from end to end. I love to hear this album from start to finish every couple of years - usualy after I have once again forgotten how good it is.

Don't get me wrong I absolutely love the early Yes catalogue and would never vote this lineup over the classic config - but this one album was realy special. It is one of a handful of super commercialy successful records that I don't mind being a fan of. Fleetwood Mac's Rumors, the 1st Boston record, Deep Purples Machine Head, Green Day Dookie, Synchronicity and Dark Side of The Moon, are others that fit this category for me.

Sean

Different strokes for different folks, I guess.

We were talking about this in that Uriah Heep thread recently; the fact that "maybe you had to be there" when it comes to enjoying certain music. As someone who came of age in the early 90's, I guess 80's music hating was programmed in me from the get go...the cold, tinny production values...the fakeness of the early digital instruments, guitar processing, electric drums, etc.

To me, the music of the early 90's "saved us" from all that stuff...but before that came along...in that weird netherworld in the year or two before Nirvana hit, I discovered 70's music...infact, without the interest in that sort of music, I would have never found DT when I&W came out (my interest in prog rock had led me to scoping out for new bands who might be doing that sort of music).

When I bought "Fragile" in 1990 as a young teen, I couldn't believe my ears. It took a while to register with me that the same guys who did those songs that were played on my mom's lite rock station could be so interesting. By 1992, I owned their entire catalog, and had seen the "Union" tour. It was by this time that I came to this personal conclusion: Bands who were groundbreaking in the 60's and 70's were really lame in the 80's.

I've also got to respectfully disagree with Kevman's assessment of how Yes got to the present time. By the time "Talk" hit, there was a serious, serious backlash on YesWest. If the Union album and tour was an "event" , the Talk tour was almost unnoticed. People our age (and maybe others) just about had enough of the Rabin-Yes (even though Talk is my favorite of the group). That West-coast, AOR sound was dead and buried by then, and the attendance/album sales showed it on that tour. There was now an entire new generation of fans in place (probably a lot of us here on this forum) who were dying to see Awaken, Gates of Delerium, anything from the old Yes.

ORIGINAL: Noware

I came to this personal conclusion: Bands who were groundbreaking in the 60's and 70's were really lame in the 80's.

King Crimson kept kicking ass in the 80s.

ORIGINAL: Lukes Wall

ORIGINAL: Noware

I came to this personal conclusion: Bands who were groundbreaking in the 60's and 70's were really lame in the 80's.

King Crimson kept kicking ass in the 80s.

KC is the exception to just about every musical rule, though.

You know, in one respect I was glad that Yes went more mainstream with this album because it
gave many new fans the chance to appreciate their music. It also was a more up-beat type of
music which was nice coming from Yes. The Gates of Delerium is fantastic...one of my favs
for certain, as are many other 70's era songs, but like Floyd and others before them, those
songs were sort of...downers.

ORIGINAL: KeithK
7. Our Song: Love the keyboard part and the melody but Our Song is an otherwise forgettable tune on 90125.....If there is a filler song on the record, I guess that one is it....but it still isn't half bad.....lyrically, our song just doenst do it for me and stuff.....

Our song is one of my favorite songs on the record!!

Great thread KeithK! There's so much to say about this record! It keeps getting better with every listen. It doesn't sound dated by any means and Trevor Horn did an equally bang up job on Frankie Goes to Hollywood the same year.

The very end of Hearts is so beautiful.

"As we flow down life's rivers...."

Not to mention, how many albums end with a bass harmonic?

Chris Squire is DA MAN!!

90125 was the first album I ever became obsessed with. I was 12 and I still remember the world premiere of Owner on MTV like it was yesterday. I even caught and taped each premiere of Leave It, no matter how annoying each of the 18-20 versions were. I also remember cranking up Our Song at The Ground Round, I believe it was in the jukebox because it was the b-side to Owner.

We had Yessongs in the house years before 90125 came out, it was my sister's- and I just didn't seem to get it. 90125 (plus getting into Asia in the prior year) opened my eyes and when I went back to listen to Yessongs, it clicked. From then on, I was buying all of the earlier stuff and loving it. Old stuff/new stuff, I was loving it all. Also, the 90125 tour was the first rock concert I ever went to. Last fuckin row up top at Nassau Coliseum, but I didn't care. I wore my concert shirt proudly, even with the Sparkomatic sponsor printed right on the back of the shirt (and in the tour book)!

I remained loyal to the "YesWest" lineup because of the impact 90125 had on me- and as WilsonCat can attest (if you're reading this thread), I foolishly denied myself the ABWH era music for about a year or so to show my loyalty. In hindsight, it's all good- 90125, The Yes Album, Talk, ABWH... but 90125 will always be special to me (and probably the only album that I've had on vinyl, cassette and CD).

I like many of its songs but I really miss Steve Howe, the band is not the same whitout him.

http://mikepetrucci.deviantart.com/

Hey Vulactic - make that two of us whose first concert was the 90125 tour. I also still have that black t-shirt with Sparkomatic printed on the back. A bit small now though.

ORIGINAL: Mike_Petrucci

I like many of its songs but I really miss Steve Howe, the band is not the same whitout him.

The greek really knew what they were doing with that "logic" stuff.

ORIGINAL: Noware

... the Talk tour was almost unnoticed. People our age (and maybe others) just about had enough of the Rabin-Yes (even though Talk is my favorite of the group). That West-coast, AOR sound was dead and buried by then, and the attendance/album sales showed it on that tour. There was now an entire new generation of fans in place (probably a lot of us here on this forum) who were dying to see Awaken, Gates of Delerium, anything from the old Yes.

You got that right. Well put.

Make It Easy (which was cut from 90125 - but not the remaster) is a great tune also. A friend at work is a huge Rabin fan, and has all his solo efforts.

Mentioned before on the Forum: I missed the Talk tour, and regret it, as I would have seen Yes on all their tours from 1984-present. Would like to see Rabin do something with Yes in the future, but I think I've changed my mind recently on seeing them live in a large-scale reunion. I honestly think I've seen all the Yesshows I will. It was a good run too. I thank Dream Theater for bringing me out to the last 2 Yesshows, 'cause I thought the Toronto show as THE last Yesshow.

Date -- Concert - Venue -- City State
--------------------------------------------
04/23/82 -- Asia - Stanley Perf. Arts Center -- Utica, NY
07/31/83 -- Asia - Saratoga Perf. Arts Center -- Saratoga, NY
08/27/84 -- Yes - Saratoga Perf. Arts Center -- Saratoga, NY
06/21/86 -- GTR (Steve Howe & Steve Hackett) - Stanley Perf. Arts Center -- Utica, NY
12/01/87 -- Yes - Onondaga County War Memorial -- Syracuse, NY
02/06/88 -- Yes - Broome County Arena -- Binghamton, NY
08/19/89 -- Anderson Bruford Wakeman Howe - Darien Lake Perf. Arts Center -- Darien Center, NY
04/25/91 -- Yes - Knickerbocker Arena -- Albany, NY
11/10/97 -- Yes - Shea's Perf. Arts Center -- Buffalo, NY
07/04/98 -- Yes - Finger Lakes Perf. Arts Center -- Canandaigua, NY
11/23/99 -- Yes - Auditorium Center -- Rochester, NY
07/16/00 -- Yes - Saratoga Perf. Arts Center -- Saratoga, NY
10/17/00 -- Steve Howe (of Yes, Asia, GTR) - The Tralf -- Buffalo, NY
08/22/01 -- Yes - Artpark Mainstage -- Lewiston, NY - With Orchestra
08/05/02 -- Yes - Radio City Music Hall -- New York, NY
11/05/02 -- Yes - Blue Cross Arena -- Rochester, NY
10/31/03 -- Rick Wakeman (of Yes) - The Tralf -- Buffalo, NY
05/07/04 -- Yes - Air Canada Centre -- Toronto, Canada
08/28/04 -- Yes - Jones Beach Ampitheater -- Wantagh, NY
09/02/04 -- Yes - New York State Fair -- Syracuse, NY

The whole YesWest -vs- Classic Yes really boils down to this: YesWest wasn't really supposed to be Yes in the first place. Jon Anderson agreed to join Cinema, which already had 4 members, Trevor, Chris, Alan, and Tony. The music had already been written and for the most part recorded. It was then agreed upon, because of the fact that 4 out of the 5 members of Cinema were at one time or another in Yes, that the band change it's name to Yes because 1)they figured Yes fans would view them as such 2)AOR radio would play Yes tunes 3)Chris owns the Yes name, 4)the label would promote it better (especially if they would write a "hit", which they did with "Owner"). I wouldn't call it a YesWest, I would call it a NewYes because it is different than anything that they had done up to that time. You may have known all of that already, and if you did, I'm sorry I wasted your time.

90125 is one of my favorite albums of all times! The songwriting, the production, all of it caught me at a very young and impressionable time in my life where if it had not been for this album, I wouldn't have found prog music for many years and I would have missed out on so much great music. "Changes", "It Can Happen", "Hearts", and "Hold On" kick my ass everytime I hear them.

And I'm especially looking forward to the DVD release of 9012Live!

ORIGINAL: MGD King

You may have known all of that already, and if you did, I'm sorry I wasted your time.

No, I think it's good you brought it up...I'm guessing there's a few of the younger people around here who don't remember the glorious Yes East/West debates at the dawn of the internet.

(sounding like I'm headed for the rest home at age 28)

Owner of a Lonely Heart was probably one of the first Yes songs I heard, given that it came out in 1983 and that's about the time I really started paying attention to the radio. I do remember that my step-mom had Fragile on vinyl and I know I listened to that at least once. Either way, for me, Yes is great in all of its incarnations, classic Yes, YesWest, ABWH, Union-ized.....I find all of them appealing in their own way.

Oh, and Changes rules!

You guys just LOOOOOVE to start these types of threads while I am at work, don't you?

I'm guessing there's a few of the younger people around here who don't remember the glorious Yes East/West debates at the dawn of the internet.

Boy, you said it! I remember them well. Especially on alt.music.yes, although flame wars went temporarily unchecked on Notes From The Edge as well. The 'Panthers' were people who thought the Drama lineup was best, the 'Troopers' liked classic Yes the best, and the 'Generators' were Rabin-era (YesWest) fans. Pretty stupid for me personally, because like many of you here, I like all eras of the band.

90125: A solid disc, outstanding production (Horn is a great behind-the-scenes man) and some great songs. I like Talk much better, but that's for another thread when you decide to do it Keith. (I like this idea btw!) The album cover and band logo STINK though. For a band with some of the greatest album covers of all time, they sure know how to put out a stinker of a cover every so often (*cough*OpenYourEyes*cough*)

When it comes right down to it, I think Rabin is a great player, writer and singer, and his voice/playing blends well with Squire/Anderson. The problem for me will always be Tony Kaye. He was great on the first three Yes albums, but should never have returned because he was a joke IMO by the time 90125 came around.

In short, I like this album, but I don't love it. To me, Yes is just not Yes without Steve Howe. But I am always quick to point out that I am not bashing Rabin at all, I think he's great. But they should have stuck to their guns and called the band Cinema.

To all you guys that think that Yes isn't Yes without Steve Howe... What do you think of their first two albums?

And all the science I don't understand
It's just my job 5 days a week

ORIGINAL: MGD King
And I'm especially looking forward to the DVD release of 9012Live!

Same here. But Squire, what was he thinking with the white robe and all the appendages to the robe? A weird, wild scene it was.

ORIGINAL: Salmacis

When it comes right down to it, I think Rabin is a great player, writer and singer, and his voice/playing blends well with Squire/Anderson. The problem for me will always be Tony Kaye. He was great on the first three Yes albums, but should never have returned because he was a joke IMO by the time 90125 came around.

... To me, Yes is just not Yes without Steve Howe. But I am always quick to point out that I am not bashing Rabin at all, I think he's great. But they should have stuck to their guns and called the band Cinema.

Totally agree: Yes is not Yes without Howe.

Rabin seemed more mechanical in his playing, while I find Howe has/had more soul and virtuosity. Just opinions, that's all. I do appreciate that he carried them into the 80s and gave them some legs. I'm on the fence regarding whether Anderson should have come back for 90125. Seemed selfish of him to show up after most of Cinema's album was done, but what do I know. They are in a better place now because it, it seems.

ORIGINAL: paranoid70

To all you guys that think that Yes isn't Yes without Steve Howe... What do you think of their first two albums?

Those were with Anthony Banks, right? He seems to have a similar style to Howe, but Steve takes it to the next level.

I like those albums well enough to play them on occasion.

I like the first two albums very much. Have the re-re-remastered versions on CD. Pretty much can listen to all Yes from the 70s and 80s and take good things from it.

In 1989 I visted London, England, where a brother of mine was living at the time. I was there for about 11 days. One night, I was getting ready to fall asleep, and one radio station had some sort of "midnight album" show, and they proceeded to play Yes' first album start to finish. A very cool memory of Yes and London.

To all you guys that think that Yes isn't Yes without Steve Howe... What do you think of their first two albums?

I like them a lot - on occasion. Peter Banks was a decent guitarist and they had a great late 60's feel. Their cover of "No Opportunity..." is fantastic and still holds up today. Squire's "Beyond And Before" is another one I love dearly. Anderson and Squire were the nucleus of that band right from the beginning and Broof gave them a terrific off-jazzy feel. And as I said, Kaye was great in the early days, great organ sound. But the nanosecond that Steve Howe joined the band, they took off, right through the roof, and there was no looking back.

In 1989 I visted London, England, where a brother of mine was living at the time. I was there for about 11 days. One night, I was getting ready to fall asleep, and one radio station had some sort of "midnight album" show, and they proceeded to play Yes' first album start to finish.

Too bad they didn't play "Brother Of Mine" then, eh Duke?

ORIGINAL: Salmacis

In 1989 I visted London, England, where a brother of mine was living at the time. I was there for about 11 days. One night, I was getting ready to fall asleep, and one radio station had some sort of "midnight album" show, and they proceeded to play Yes' first album start to finish.

Too bad they didn't play "Brother Of Mine" then, eh Duke?

Right, that would've been appropriate. I did see ABWH (&L) play it a few months later on tour though...

Time And A Word is one of my fave Yes albums. Just below The Yes Album, Close To The Edge and Relayer.

I think 90125 is the worst Yes album.

...But it still rocks.

ORIGINAL: Duke

Right, that would've been appropriate. I did see ABWH (&L) play it a few months later on tour though...

I saw the ABWH (&B) version of that tour.

And all the science I don't understand
It's just my job 5 days a week

This is wonderful....Yes discussion...I'm so happy now...I love talking about Yes.....now to bring this back to the topic of hand...90125....those who do not own the remaster, I strongly urge you to pick it up...it is well worth the buy...trust me on that....

But, Yesstorically speaking...Yes would not be around today if it was not for 90125...the classic lineup of the 70's had ran itself into the ground...the Paris sessions prove that...The drama lineup was great and I would have liked to have seen them give that a few more albums to see where it would go...but the truth is the Yes purists just weren't buying it and trevor horn just couldnt hack it live when it came to the classic yes catalog.....so 90125 was a necessity. And the style of the album was also needed. The shorter more condensed songs were needed...If Cinema had morphed into Yes and put out some grandeous concept album it would have totally flopped at that time....the early 80's strongly rebelled against that and the only bands that survived were the bands who curtailed their sound.

As for the album cover...someone mentioned they hated it.....Now, I disaggree, I think it's perfect.....I feel the colors really capture the mood of the album.....and the logo and font are very metallic, very to the point, which I feel the album is.....abstract yet very angular...a Roger Dean cover just wouldnt be fitting for that record....I also love the name of the album......90125....you just couldnt forget that name....well...until the 90's when beverly hills 90210 came out which lead to constant mispronounciations of 90125....

90125 was not the album that got me into Yes...Big Generator was...but that is a topic for another day, as are all the albums that have been discussed in this thread.....I was 11 years old and heard Love Will Find a Way on MTV.....it was playd all the time, so I bought the record....and got hooked on Yes....Right about the same time in a totally unrelated way, I also got hooked on Rush's Hold Your Fire.....anyway...it wasn't until about age 13 or 14 that I finally bought 90125 and I never looked back from there......it is the album that locked me into being a Yes fan for life.....and was a gateway to my appreciation of Yes music that was before my time, so to speak.....90125 is an album that never ever gets old for me....I could listen to it every day....and I love to hear it when I'm drinkin'!

"700 miles from North Carolina for you Dream Theater. You guys fucking Rock!" Me...in the DT DVD and stuff.

90125 is ok, very good in some places, but not something I would get excited about. It's got that poppy kind of sterile feel that just doesn't do it for me. Oh how I hate the 80s...

Well, this is where it all started for me. The first Yes song I ever heard was Owner OF A Lonely Heart back when I was only 6 or 7 years old. Fast forward several years to my junior year of college & I finally decide to buy some Yes music. My first purchases were used copies of 90125 & Big Generator. Anyway, although 90125 doesn't hold a candle to their early 7o's output, I love it just as mush as the older stuff. Trevor Rabin DEFINATELY doesn't deserve all the crap he gets. His guitar playing is very melodic & his voice is a good counterpoint to Jon Anderson's. Besides, I think Changes is one of THE BEST Yes song ever recorded!!!

Our Song has been and always will be my favorite track.

  
www.arf.net - helping homeless animals

Speaking of remasters, has Big Generator had the treatment ?

ORIGINAL: Salmacis

When it comes right down to it, I think Rabin is a great player, writer and singer, and his voice/playing blends well with Squire/Anderson. The problem for me will always be Tony Kaye. He was great on the first three Yes albums, but should never have returned because he was a joke IMO by the time 90125 came around.

Ha, you're not kidding Sal - I saw the 90125 tour at Birmingham NEC and Kaye was just awful. By the time the Union tour came to town he looked even worse because was standing next to the mighty (both in playing and in height) Rick Wakeman. I suspect that Rabin played most of the studio keyboards on 90125 as he did on Talk (and probably BG) although they are basic enough for TK.

I was mightily shocked by 90125 having been into Yes already for about 5 years at that time, Drama was a big enough departure for me, but 90125, hmmm. Nevertheless it's acutally a great album althouh OOALH is completely overplayed on radio and compilations - "Leave It" was a much better single.

Of course Big Generator was an even greater dissappointment, then we had the very questionable Onion, sorry, Union and the much better, although still patchy Talk - I Am Waiting" being my favourite YesWest track by a wide margin.

Anyone who has heard Rabin's solo album "Can't Look Away" will know that he was the main song-writer throughout the YesWest era, in fact he kept many of his best tunes for that release.

So, back to the discussion, 90125 - not a lot of filler on the album, my personal favourite cuts are Hearts, Our Song (mainly because of the trade-mark climbing Squire bassline), Cinema and Leave It. Warm but precise production and indeed a real phoenix release for Yes, I think without this there was a real risk they would not have hung around for as long as they have (soma may say they wish they didn't of course).

Now we just need them to put out one final majestic album with Wakey on keys before one of them has a cardiac or something.

Some things you may or may not know:

• Eddie Jobson was originally drafted in on keyboards - he even appeared in a UK music-paper article with the band. In that review Squire (I think) said that Tony Kaye just wasn't up to it, nevertheless he came back in...
  
• Between Drama and 90125, Chris Squire was so poor that he had to borrow money to buy petrol for his Bentley
  
• Tony Kaye married one of Cris Squire's daughter's - Carmen I think...
  
• Trevor Rabin is a fully qualified orchestral conductor and writes film scores for major Holywood productions (Armageddon & Twister spring to mind)
  
• Squire used to have a stream running though the middle of his living room in his Surrey mansion.
  

Love in the past is a memory and in the future a fantasy. Only here and now can you truly love.

"Leave It" was a much better single.

Well, "Owner" was a great single. Anything that gets overplayed that much obviously has to have been a good choice. I do like "Leave It" a lot, and "Hold On" is probably my favorite from the album.

I Am Waiting" being my favourite YesWest track by a wide margin.

You and me both! I love that song, with "The More We Live - Let Go" a close second.

Anyone who has heard Rabin's solo album "Can't Look Away" will know that he was the main song-writer throughout the YesWest era, in fact he kept many of his best tunes for that release.

Absolutely. Can't Look Away is actually a great album. As I said before, I really like Rabin a lot.

Eddie Jobson was originally drafted in on keyboards - he even appeared in a UK music-paper article with the band.

Not to mention appearing in the "Owner" video!

Between Drama and 90125, Chris Squire was so poor that he had to borrow money to buy petrol for his Bentley

Squire used to have a stream running though the middle of his living room in his Surrey mansion.

Those two, I didn't know. Interesting!

I'm a new Yes fan (been into them for less then a year) so I'm I don't know all these line-up changes that Yes have gone through. I know a few though, but whatever.

I think that 90125 is a pretty good, solid album. I don't think there are any bad songs on it, and I thought it was very well done. Although I can't really talk about it from an historical point of you like you guys can(and have).

Yea, I don't have much to contribute here. :P

Between Drama and 90125, Chris Squire was so poor that he had to borrow money to buy petrol for his Bentley

Damn :(

Speaking of remasters, has Big Generator had the treatment ?

Just saw this, gaz. No, BG hasn't been remastered. The whole catalog from Yes through to 90125 has been (several times each for many of the titles), and despite strong fan support on the official Yes site(s), it still hasn't happened. I personally don't care either way, that is the one release I won't buy a remaster of. (Well, I wouldn't buy one of Union or Open Your Eyes either, I guess. ) The album was a complete mess IMO, and if you read/hear about the strife and problems they had going on in the band at the time, you can't help but see how that affected the music. They did manage a couple of decent radio-friendly Rabin tunes ("Rhythm Of Love" and "Love Will Find A Way", which sounds straight off of Can't Look Away, and I like "Shoot High Aim Low" a lot. A real great mood to that piece and I always include it on any Yes compilation that features Yes West. But to me, the rest of the album is a stinker.

I look forward to being able to speak positively about Yes West when Keith does the Talk thread.

ORIGINAL: KeithK

ORIGINAL: Kevman


I have yet to pick up the remastered "90125" - any thoughts on it?

--Kev

Yeah...it sounds a ton better...a sonic masterpiece...WELL worth picking up....

I've always thought 90125 was one of the better sounding albums, especially when you compare it to other albums of the 80s. Maybe it's just a matter of taste.

I'm not a big Yes fan. In fact, this is the only Yes album I own. What's the general consensus among Yes fans regarding the sound of the original release? I know it might be difficult to put it into words and just "has to be heard", but what's improved sonically on the remastered version?

About time I changed the sig, huh?

ORIGINAL: Jagk80

I'm a new Yes fan (been into them for less then a year) so I'm I don't know all these line-up changes that Yes have gone through. I know a few though, but whatever.

A quickie history of Yes.

1969-1970: Yes are Jon Anderson, Peter Banks, Chris Squire, Tony Kaye & Bill Bruford and they put out 2 albums, Yes and Time And A Word

1970-1971: Peter Banks is out and Steve Howe is in and they do 1 album, The Yes Album.

1972: Tony Kaye leaves and Rick Wakeman joins, resulting in Fragile and Close To The Edge.

1973: Bill Bruford is replaced by Alan White and Tales From Topographic Oceans is released.

1974: Wakeman leaves (first in a long string of exits for him) and Patrick Moraz joins for 1 album, Relayer.

1975-1976: Everybody is pretty much on their own for a bit, but they reconvene in....

1977-78: with Wakeman back in and put out Going For The One and Tormato.

1979-1980: The only era without Anderson after he and Wakey leave, replaced by Trevor Horn and Geoff Downes. Drama is released.

1981-1982: Yes is pretty much declared dead, since there's no interest from any of the band members to continue.

1983-1988: The band affectionately known as YesWest is in play, with Anderson, Kaye, Squire and White back, joined by Trevor Rabin. They put out 90125, Big Generator.

1989-1990: YesWest goes dormant and Anderson hooks up with Bruford, Wakeman and Howe to form ABWH and they release an eponymous album.

1991-1992: The biggest Yes band ever, with Bruford, Wakeman and Howe joining with all of the guys from YesWest. ABWH were working on an album, as were Trevor and company (minus Anderson, since he was working with ABWH) and they ended up combining their work into one album. I think the only real overlap between the two bands' songs might have been Anderson doing vocals on the Trevor-led tracks.

1993-1995: YesWest is back with Talk. Who knows where Bruford, Wakeman and Howe disappeared to.

1996-1997: The classic line-up of Anderson, Howe, Wakeman, Squire and White reform Yes and do some live shows, in particular, a couple in San Luis Obisbo, which are recorded and released, along with some new tracks in two sets, Keys To Ascension 1 and 2.

1997-98: Wakeman walks again, this time replaced by Billy Sherwood, a friend of Squire's, I believe, and they do Open Your Eyes.

1999-2000: The group add Igor Khoroshev for The Ladder.

2001: The group slims down to a 4-piece for the very first time with Anderson, Howe, Squire and White backed by an orchestra. Magnification is released.

2002?: Things are hazy in here for me, but at some point, Wakeman comes back and they end up touring with DT in 2004.

Whew! Guess that wasn't much of a quickie after all.

For those that lost track, Chris Squire is the only band member to be featured on every last album that Yes has put out, due to Anderson's absence on Drama. I guess that puts Alan White in third place, since he's been with them continuosly since 1973.

And Salmacis is welcome to correct any error he sees.

And Salmacis is welcome to correct any error he sees.

LOL!

1973: Bill Bruford is replaced by Alan White and Tales From Topographic Oceans is released.

Not an error, but technically the fans' introduction to Alan White was the Yessongs triple-live album, since he was the drummer for the CttE tour.

1975-1976: Everybody is pretty much on their own for a bit,

Well, not really. They toured quite a bit throughout that period, for Relayer and then the solo albums in '76.

2002?: Things are hazy in here for me, but at some point, Wakeman comes back and they end up touring with DT in 2004.

And during this period, they release The Ultimate Yes with reworked acoustic studio tracks and a full band rendition of Jon's "Show Me" that he & Rick had been playing during the Full Circle and 35th Anniversary tours.

Yes is one of my favorite bands

This is one of my favorite albums

I am glad they did not play "Owner Of A Lonely Heart"

I am sad they did not play "Changes." Not an average song to introduce you to this band, but I play that keyboard riff you were talking about on my Marimba all the time. Also I love the drum part with the sixtuplets on the snare drum, and that is an example of how unappreciated Allan White is. Not so hard to play, but really awesome stuff nonetheless

R.I.P. Keith Kitchens

BTW, thanks for tha history. WOW!!! I knew Chris was the only constant member throughout the whole 35 years, but MAN, I didn't know their lineup history was that complicated

R.I.P. Keith Kitchens

ORIGINAL: Salmacis

And Salmacis is welcome to correct any error he sees.

LOL!

1973: Bill Bruford is replaced by Alan White and Tales From Topographic Oceans is released.

Not an error, but technically the fans' introduction to Alan White was the Yessongs triple-live album, since he was the drummer for the CttE tour.

1975-1976: Everybody is pretty much on their own for a bit,

Well, not really. They toured quite a bit throughout that period, for Relayer and then the solo albums in '76.

2002?: Things are hazy in here for me, but at some point, Wakeman comes back and they end up touring with DT in 2004.

And during this period, they release The Ultimate Yes with reworked acoustic studio tracks and a full band rendition of Jon's "Show Me" that he & Rick had been playing during the Full Circle and 35th Anniversary tours.

Ah, see, I don't have YesSongs or The Ultimate Yes. I have all of the studio albums and I was just going through those and making notes on who was playing on each, therefore, I was slightly off.

Thanks for filling in the blanks. I knew if anyone knew the rest of the story, it would be you.

Thanks for filling in the blanks. I knew if anyone knew the rest of the story, it would be you.

Just minor points really. You basically have everything important listed there. You did forget Tom Brislin on keys too.

ORIGINAL: Salmacis

Thanks for filling in the blanks. I knew if anyone knew the rest of the story, it would be you.

Just minor points really. You basically have everything important listed there. You did forget Tom Brislin on keys too.

?!?!?!? Never heard of him.

?!?!?!? Never heard of him.

Keyboardist on the Symphonic tours.

ORIGINAL: Salmacis

?!?!?!? Never heard of him.

Keyboardist on the Symphonic tours.

Saw the show in Lewiston, NY (near Niagara On The Lake). Had 2nd or 3rd row. I was very impressed by Brislin. He tore up The Gates Of Delirium. Played it to a T, and was enjoying himself immensely. A great show.

1979-1980: The only era without Anderson after he and Wakey leave, replaced by Trevor Horn and Geoff Downes. Drama is released.

Wait.. Drama isn't with Anderson? Wow... I didn't even notice.

Thanks for the history lesson. *thumbs up*

ORIGINAL: Salmacis
You did forget Tom Brislin on keys too.

I love The Ladder, but I can't help to think if Tom was playing keys instead of Igor, how it would have sounded. Tom brought so much energy to the symphonic tour and his playing/sounds were even better than modern day Rick! Tom went back and used analog syths and patches, where Rick is only currently using a mini-moog (surrounded by tons of digital synths!) Don't get me wrong, I like seeing Yes with Rick for nostalgia reasons, but I would rather HEAR Tom.

Nothing cracks me up more than watching Patrick Moraz play the middle of Close to the Edge at Queen's Park. When the lead comes on, he has to tune his synth and it sounds awful!! Not to mention the Fender Rhodes on Soundchaser! That is so loud in the mix!!

Nothing cracks me up more than watching Patrick Moraz play the middle of Close to the Edge at Queen's Park. When the lead comes on, he has to tune his synth and it sounds awful!! Not to mention the Fender Rhodes on Soundchaser! That is so loud in the mix!!

The whole QPR show sounds awful, it was mixed so horrendously. Jon is #1 in the mix for one thing. Ummm, sorry but we'd rather hear Steve Howe's guitar than Jon's rhythm guitar. Moraz is way off the charts and makes me cringe when he comes in. It's such a shame because the show itself is dynamite - the band was on fire and that is my favorite period of the band for how they looked on stage. Steve Howe looks so cool, and there was a time when Jon Anderson looked cool too. When they do "Gates Of Delirium", it is just KILLER. Such a shame about the mix.

Thanks for the info, Salmacis.
I really like BG, only has one dud for me, Almost Like Love, the is brilliant.

ORIGINAL: Salmacis

Moraz is way off the charts and makes me cringe when he comes in. It's such a shame because the show itself is dynamite - the band was on fire and that is my favorite period of the band for how they looked on stage. Steve Howe looks so cool, and there was a time when Jon Anderson looked cool too. When they do "Gates Of Delirium", it is just KILLER. Such a shame about the mix.

It was interesting to see Moraz going off as he did. It looked kind of peculiar, but was very entertaining, and very interesting. A good showman. Anyone can just stand there and play, but he added a new element to it. The times I saw him with the Moody Blues were entertaining also. I think he wore a cape a few times onstage. I agree, that show was tremendous. That was a great setting for a concert: a neighborhood soccer/football stadium.

ORIGINAL: Duke
It was interesting to see Moraz going off as he did. It looked kind of peculiar, but was very entertaining, and very interesting. A good showman. Anyone can just stand there and play, but he added a new element to it. The times I saw him with the Moody Blues were entertaining also. I think he wore a cape a few times onstage. I agree, that show was tremendous. That was a great setting for a concert: a neighborhood soccer/football stadium.

Not to mention, his piano solo is brilliant and unique in the realms of Yes. Rick used to do the whole "Six Wives" passages and Patrick just goes in and rips out an awesome piano solo. He took it back to the roots of the keyboard. Maybe Patrick can do a piano on ice for a tribute to Rick in the future

I agree with Sal on the mix. During the middle of "To Be Over," all you hear is Jon's guitar. Where's the pedal steel? Steve is always never loud enough on that thing in every mix! I also love at the end of "And you and I" when Steve goes down to the lower octaves of the pedal steel. It sounds like a Violin and is so effective!

Thanks Duke and Sal -now I'll have to watch QPR right before the Michigan State game!

Damnit, one more thing.

I always loved how they throw one line of "The Remembering" in on Ritual! Not to mention "The Ancient" parts during Chris's bass solo (right before the Ritual.)

EDIT: Hey Duke, you're getting very "Close to the Edge" of 2112 posts.

ORIGINAL: Moog
Not to mention, his piano solo is brilliant and unique in the realms of Yes. Rick used to do the whole "Six Wives" passages and Patrick just goes in and rips out an awesome piano solo. He took it back to the roots of the keyboard. Maybe Patrick can do a piano on ice for a tribute to Rick in the future

I agree with Sal on the mix. During the middle of "To Be Over," all you hear is Jon's guitar. Where's the pedal steel? Steve is always never loud enough on that thing in every mix! I also love at the end of "And you and I" when Steve goes down to the lower octaves of the pedal steel. It sounds like a Violin and is so effective!

Thanks Duke and Sal -now I'll have to watch QPR right before the Michigan State game!

Damnit, one more thing.

I always loved how they throw one line of "The Remembering" in on Ritual! Not to mention "The Ancient" parts during Chris's bass solo (right before the Ritual.)

EDIT: Hey Duke, you're getting very "Close to the Edge" of 2112 posts.

Interesting. I'll have to capture the screen. I go on record now though that I will never change my avatar again. I've grown tired of changing it, and think I settled on the right one.

Not to mention, his piano solo is brilliant and unique in the realms of Yes. Rick used to do the whole "Six Wives" passages and Patrick just goes in and rips out an awesome piano solo. He took it back to the roots of the keyboard. Maybe Patrick can do a piano on ice for a tribute to Rick in the future

Moraz is an awesome piano player. The main part of the solo on the QPR video is the main theme from the opening track "Papillon" on the album "Refugee" that Moraz did with the two other member of The Nice just before he joined Yes.

Love in the past is a memory and in the future a fantasy. Only here and now can you truly love.

ORIGINAL: Salmacis

Nothing cracks me up more than watching Patrick Moraz play the middle of Close to the Edge at Queen's Park. When the lead comes on, he has to tune his synth and it sounds awful!! Not to mention the Fender Rhodes on Soundchaser! That is so loud in the mix!!

The whole QPR show sounds awful, it was mixed so horrendously. Jon is #1 in the mix for one thing. Ummm, sorry but we'd rather hear Steve Howe's guitar than Jon's rhythm guitar. Moraz is way off the charts and makes me cringe when he comes in. It's such a shame because the show itself is dynamite - the band was on fire and that is my favorite period of the band for how they looked on stage. Steve Howe looks so cool, and there was a time when Jon Anderson looked cool too. When they do "Gates Of Delirium", it is just KILLER. Such a shame about the mix.

I think it was a general tecnhical problem at the concert itself - the crowd got exactly that mix, I remember a load of newspaper articles about it from the time.

Love in the past is a memory and in the future a fantasy. Only here and now can you truly love.

ORIGINAL: dabby

Moraz is an awesome piano player. The main part of the solo on the QPR video is the main theme from the opening track "Papillon" on the album "Refugee" that Moraz did with the two other member of The Nice just before he joined Yes.

...and the acoustic rendering of "Papillion" he did on that tour doesn't even do it justice. That's a really good, manic sounding tune, from an even better band that's seemingly lost to history.

Moraz is pretty out there, tho. A former colleague of mine was his American management (maybe even his only management, I don't remember) in the early/mid-90's. From all he told me, Patrick is nearly impossible to work with on an artistic or business level...but he's always, always totally cool with his fans.

ORIGINAL: Noware

ORIGINAL: dabby

Moraz is an awesome piano player. The main part of the solo on the QPR video is the main theme from the opening track "Papillon" on the album "Refugee" that Moraz did with the two other member of The Nice just before he joined Yes.

...and the acoustic rendering of "Papillion" he did on that tour doesn't even do it justice. That's a really good, manic sounding tune, from an even better band that's seemingly lost to history.

Moraz is pretty out there, tho. A former colleague of mine was his American management (maybe even his only management, I don't remember) in the early/mid-90's. From all he told me, Patrick is nearly impossible to work with on an artistic or business level...but he's always, always totally cool with his fans.

The whole Refugee album is great, especially the epic "Grand Canyon". I have it on tape but would dearly love a CD re-issue!

Moraz did a piano CD a few years ago and I hear a sample track from it called "Birds" that was just the most technical piano piece I have ever heard. Around this time he was offerring to play concerts for free as long as his travel expenses were paid for.

Love in the past is a memory and in the future a fantasy. Only here and now can you truly love.

I make no apologies for bringing this back from the archives, especially considering how surprising it is to resurrect this thread in particular. I've been on a bit of a Yes binge lately, after seeing the Classic Artists: Yes DVD and documentary a few weeks ago. One of the surprising revelations in the disc is from Trevor Horn. I'm paraphrasing, but he says despite how proud he was of the finished product he was unsure if he would have liked it if he weren't involved with it as a fan of the group's prior material. In Steve Howe's interview, in talking about the first time he heard "Owner Of A Lonely Heart", (again paraphrasing) he said he felt a little bit as if Yes were trying to copy Asia since "Heat Of The Moment" had already been a big hit by then. Just some interesting tid-bit's to pass along to my fellow Yesfans 

My feeling about this period in the band's career is a tiny bit mixed. The spiritual and adventurous side Jon, Steve and Rick brought to the classic Yes albums which predated 90125 was pretty much gone. It's a bit of a mystery to me why Jon stuck around but I don't question it too much because he did some amazing singing during this period. "Owner Of A Lonely Heart" is a great pop-rock song, and it still stands up today. That it went straight to #1 on the American charts justifies that. It still works live, too. I've been watching the Yessymphonic DVD lately, and the performance of it on there is amazing. But my favorite song has to be "It Can Happen". As I said earlier, the spiritual side was pretty much gone but this was an exception. Jon's influence is pretty strong here where it's probably not as strong in other places.

Overall, I can understand the Yes-West haters despite not totally agreeing with them. Yeah, they went with a more commercial direction here but it saved the band from being written off as a 70's relic. Genesis did the same thing but it was obviously more organic and gradual partly because they never replaced Gabriel or Hackett. They continued despite the attrition. I'm not saying Trevor Rabin was bad for the band overall, anything but really. His abilities as an arranger and songwriter were a big part in this album becoming a monument in their recording career. But his style as a guitarist isn't even on the same planet as Howe's. And obviously towards the end of the Yes-West period, Rabin's style had become stale which allowed for Steve to rejoin and bring his style as a guitarist (not to mention backing vocalist).

ORIGINAL: onthewall2983
I've been watching the Yessymphonic DVD lately, and the performance of it on there is amazing. But my favorite song has to be "It Can Happen". As I said earlier, the spiritual side was pretty much gone but this was an exception. Jon's influence is pretty strong here where it's probably not as strong in other places.

Listen to Yes' Yours Is No Disgrace, then It Can Happen.  There is a very striking similarity in a recurring sound being played in It Can Happen that it seems was lifted from Yours Is No Disgrace, just played a little quicker. 

Simply amazing album that still sounds captivating to this day. Still not overly fond of the
single, but happy it brought such success, however every other song is top notch.

Love this album. It was groundbreaking sound in its time. Cinema is one of the most underrated.....albeit short....instrumentals. And Alan White is excellent on this disc.

ccd - http://www.wix.com/ccd333/Mark-Photos

Don't know how I never posted in this thread originally, but it is a great album. The remastered version has an acapella version of Leave It that blows my mind. Changes would have to be my favorite song off of this one. Great stuff.

Best YES album ever. Blasphemy to some, but I'm far more of a fan of the Trevor Rabin-era YES... I just like the production, the songwriting and his style of guitar playing much more than "classic"-era YES> but that's in no way to disrespect the legacy or influence or talent of the previous incarnations of YES. "Changes" is certainly a high watermark for the bad, as far as songwriting is concerned. The post-90125 CD's aren't bad either... again, it's almost an entirely different band (literally!) so I can understand the "era's of YES" argument in effect.

Scott Mosher | Oceans of Night

Our song
It gives us a reason
Our song
That good remedy
Music has magic
It's good clear syncopation

Treat it good
Treat it rightly
And if you get it flowing
The harmony is glowing
So get ready
So get ready
Don't go toledo toledo don't go
Music - Good to you
Music - Good to you

This was the first album (and there have been a few since) that having got home with it I put on, sat down to listen to all the way through, and then listened to all the way through again immediately.

I must play it tonight!  Maybe just the once since I reckon I know every nuance inside out and backwards.

Awesome at the time.  Still awesome.

Listening to this album now for the first time ever. I had heard Owner of a Lonely Heart on TV one morning, and this was just around the time I had dived into Close To The Edge. So I was like "....what the fuck is going on?" and then never saw any reason to check out the album that the song came from, and just assumed the majority of their 80's stuff was bland and medicore and not really worth any time. Maybe it's because I just watched Transatlantic's Live In europe from start to finish, but I am really enjoying this album. I don't think I'll fall in love, but it's good, and sometimes that's all you need.

Verification of the truth of the words of the Book of Counted Shadows, if spoken by another, rather than read by the one who commands the boxes, can only be ensured by the use of a Confessor...

I have spent the last 2 days going through my complete Yes discography and I can
honestly and boldly say, with todays ears this is my favorite Yes album. Hands
down. It has a unique sound and feel and I am still astonished at how much I still
connect with this masterpiece.

I sometimes agree that this is the most modern Yes and it still sounds fantastic. It takes a lot shit for little reason. My least favorite tune on it, Our Song reminds me of where Yes would of been with Jon on Drama. 
 
One other side note. Does it Really Happen and It Can Happen are the same songs..

JIM FIRED!