It had only been three years between albums for Yes, but it might as well have been a decade. 90125, their 11th studio album, signaled a dramatic shift in direction.
Gone after 1980’s Drama were vocalist Trevor Horn (to a very successful career as a producer), as well as stalwart guitarist Steve Howe and keyboardist Geoff Downes (who co-founded the supergroup Asia). Founder Chris Squire and longtime drummer Alan White continued to play together, but they suddenly found themselves without a band.
The duo forged on with a brief musical flirtation with the rudderless Led Zeppelin guitarist Jimmy Page. When that effort fizzled, Los Angeles-based, South African-born Trevor Rabin entered the picture.
Rabin was impressed with the Yes rhythm section after several jams held in London, and the duo was impressed with Rabin’s style enough and Rabin’s demos, so they moved ahead with forming a band. In quick succession, they recruited original Yes keyboardist Tony Kaye – whose style complimented Rabin’s ’80s-era stadium rock playing – and Trevor Horn as producer, though the latter initially had reservations about this new band.
Dubbed Cinema, they began making new music primarily based on Rabin’s demos. To make a long Yes story short, Kaye quit due to friction with Horn over Kaye’s reluctance to use modern synths, and Jon Anderson joined after Chris Squire played him the demos. Their record company also wanted to have a more distinctive lead vocalist than Rabin or Squire.
The band was rechristened Yes when the Cinema name created legal issues, and Eddie Jobson (of U.K. and Roxy Music fame) was briefly brought in on keys – then subsequently replaced by a returning Kaye, further cementing the connection with Yes’ past. What happened next was a sleek, platinum-selling ’80s-ready makeover:
‘OWNER OF A LONELY HEART’
The leadoff single and opening track “Owner of a lonely Heart” has little in common with anything on 1971’s The Yes Album – the most recent Yes project to feature Squire, Anderson and Kaye. Indeed, it’s hard to recognize the band when compared to that which existed even on Drama. Clearly, Trevor Rabin brought a stadium swagger to the band which was more used to Steve Howe’s nuanced playing.
Trevor Horn’s production makes the song jump out of the speakers and provides a modern, reverbed drum track by Alan White. Chris Squire’s bass is clear and present as it swoops and dives through its sonic range, but his instrument is more tightly bound to Alan White than on any of their prior outings. Anderson too is upfront in the mix and sounds more vital than he did on his last Yes outing, 1978’s Tormato. Rabin’s screaming and distorted Fender Stratocaster solo is epic, yet very unlike a Steve Howe solo.
The basic melody of “Owner of a Lonely Heart” was constructed by Rabin, but Squire and Trevor Horn contributed significantly to the lyrics, with a few last-minute additions from Jon Anderson. On Trevor Rabin’s solo album, 90124, the demo of “Owner of a Lonely Heart” shows how much the band contributed to the song’s dynamics and lyrics.
What of Tony Kaye? His contributions to the song are minimal, if they exist at all. The synthesizer patches were played by Trevor Rabin, and are a nice pad to the melody. The sampled horn stabs of the James Brown horn section were actually played by Alan White on a Fairlight CMI. Its addition moves the song to an entirely new level in the Yes canon.
“Owner of a Lonely Heart” wasn’t great progressive rock, but it is a great rock song. Without this track, it’s doubtful the band Yes would still be here today.
‘HOLD ON’
Written by Trevor Rabin, Chris Squire and Jon Anderson, “Hold On” became an unlikely yet enduring deep cut. Constructed using verses from a Rabin track called “Moving In,” this song was polished with additional lyrics on the chorus by Squire and Anderson into a moment of pure rock joy. “Hold On” shows this new version of the world’s greatest progressive rock band at the height of its stadium-rock power.
Alan White’s stadium snare sound kicks it off then, in short order, Squire and Anderson sing in tandem while Rabin provides fine guitar licks. Rabin and Squire team up to provide a tasty rhythm, before Rabin breaks form with a distorted and guitar break played through some sort of envelop filter. White even throws in a weird little time hiccup, adding an extra count to the measure, yet it seems natural and effortless.
Trevor Rabin makes no effort to connect his guitar sound to Yes’ past, and his artistry works – adding a soaring dynamic to “Hold On.” Like the hit “Owner of a Lonely Heart,” the song embraces some studio keyboard trickery (probably supplied by Rabin, not Tony Kaye). It also boasts a fine vocal breakdown with clearly progressive rock lyrics, even if the music is not as progressive as in their prior records.
Yes is newly invigorated by the material and the vocal arrangements have never been better. What’s missing is an extended end solo, which was added when the band performed the song live. Given this song’s undeniable power and gravitas, it was no surprise that Yes Featuring Jon Anderson, Trevor Rabin and Rick Wakeman later returned to this gem.
‘IT CAN HAPPEN’
The third single from 90125 contains a balanced mix of progressive elements and rock sensibilities. “It Can Happen” harkens back to the Cinema sessions, and was primarily composed by Chris Squire and Trevor Rabin.
Squire’s prominent bass swoops and dives across the sonic range, even while it tangles with Alan White’s rock-steady backbeat. Rabin employs an electric sitar which competes for attention and recalls the hey days of the world greatest progressive rock band. The keyboards, a sparse combination of piano and polyphonic string textures never upset the melody.
Lyrically, “It Can Happen” doesn’t touch the mysticism of Anderson’s typical lyrics, but they do match the streamlined profile of Yes’ music – and the album overall. Rabin’s middle and end guitar solos also build on the melodic hook, propelling the song forward. Vocally, Anderson delivers the lyrics in a straightforward manner. Only in the last verse do things perk up with the interplay of Chris Squire and Jon Anderson’s intertwined voice propelling the song towards the end guitar solo, and up into the stratosphere.
This is, indeed, heady stuff for a pop song: “It Can Happen” took Yes to No. 51 on the pop charts and No. 5 on the rock charts. This perfect combination of rock and progressive elements is what makes Yes’ 90125 so successful. Still, I’m at a loss as to what Jon Anderson contributed to the song musically or lyrically. The Cinema version, available on the deluxe reissue of 90125, shows Chris Squire and Trevor Rabin built a very strong track – and Squire’s vocals are just as convincing as those which replaced him.
‘CHANGES’
“Changes,” like the prior song, resulted from a rework of a Cinema song submission. But “It Can Happen” was primarily the work of Chris Squire, while “Changes” was basically the brainchild of Trevor Rabin.
Fortunately, Yes producer Trevor Horn was able to tighten the arrangement and Alan White wrote the sequenced xylophone intro, which he programmed on a Fairlight CMI synth to give song a distinct progressive rock, yet modern feel. The world’s greatest progressive rock band seems to pull out all the stops, yet “Changes” never seems bloated.
There are touches of piano, possibly from Tony Kaye, which harmonize with the sequenced percussion. Squire and Alan White’s bass and drum parts are distinctly clear and challenging. White continues to demonstrate his versatility and innovative style, while Squire makes what could be an ordinary bass track extraordinary.
Rabin’s vocals carry most of the song, with fine contributions by Jon Anderson. Anderson also seems to have added lyrical and arrangement ideas, which earned him co-writing credits with Rabin and White. Rabin’s guitar work should also not go unmentioned. “Changes” shows his depth and skill, as he moves from stadium-rock power chords, to heavy melodic passages to a Steve Howe-like electric solo before the bridge and back with seeming ease.
“Changes” is an often-overlooked Yes classic, and a testament to a how great the band was during the Rabin era.
‘CINEMA’
The Grammy-winning opener of Side 2 on 90125 is still an oddity. The song, which won in the best rock instrumental performance category, has the distinction of being one of only a handful of instrumental songs by Yes. It was originally performed and recorded live by Rabin, Squire, White and Kaye in AIR Studios in London.
White and Squire absolutely smoke, as they provide a progressive edge to Rabin’s whammy-bar lead guitar. Kaye adds modern-sounding synthesizer textures, supplemented by programmers Dave Lawson and Jonathan Jaczalik. Indeed, Kaye’s chordal approach reaffirms why his contributions during the Trevor Rabin era – while limited in the studio – worked so well.
Taking a name the fledging group used before the return of Jon Anderson, “Cinema” is also interesting because it comes from the much longer (and yet-to-be-released) epic Yes developed, called “Time.” The theme from “Cinema” is also part of the opening to the song “Make It Easy,” which appears on the Yes Years box set and features a Trevor Rabin lead vocal.
There’s even a more fleshed-out version of the song on Rabin’s 90124 solo album, which gives still more hints of the song’s origins and what might have been.
‘LEAVE IT’
The second single from 90125 ranks as one of Yes’ most oddball tracks – but what a glorious oddball it is! “Leave It” started as a bassline by the great Chris Squire, and was then further developed by cowriters Trevor Rabin and Trevor Horn. “Leave It” also owes a debt to the technology of the time, with a Synclavier synthesizer being utilized to synchronize the Yes vocal choir of Jon Anderson, Squire and Rabin.
Rabin gets to kick things off in fine fashion, handling the first verse which follows the opening chorus. Alan White drums are sampled, while live percussion is added to augment the vocal foundation. Squire’s bass sounds wonderfully modern and tied to the melodic core of the song. By the time Jon Anderson contributes his verse, it’s easy to be swept away of the beautiful complexity of “Leave It”: “Goodbye, goodbye, goodbye bad. Hello, hello heaven…” It’s simply a gem.
‘OUR SONG’
“Our Song” served as the B-side to Yes’ mega hit “Owner of The Lonely Heart,” and proved to be the weakest track on 90125. Yet even this tune fares well against contemporaries on the charts at the time. In fact, “Our Song” reached No. 32 on the U.S. rock charts.
Perhaps this is a testament to the irrefutable back beat provided by White and Squire. The two could bring out the best in any track, and contribute to the few progressive rock elements here. It’s also hard to fault Rabin’s irresistible stadium-rock guitar intro, which leads in to a tight and not overly flashy lead guitar riff.
Anderson wrote this with Rabin, Squire and White, while delivering a rock vocal like only he can. Lyrically, “Our Song” – partly about a touring experience in the city of Toledo, Ohio – is good rock fare and is only interrupted by a lyrical Rabin guitar solo reminiscent of Brian May.
What doesn’t work for me is the keyboard sound, which was appropriate at that time for other artists but not for Yes. Let’s blame programmers Dave Lawson and/or Jonathan Jeczalik for that. Equally pedestrian is Rabin’s synth playing, which overshadows his tasteful piano on “Our Song.”
‘CITY OF LOVE’
“City of Love” is a Trevor Rabin song more than any other on this multi-platinum smash. This is no way diminishes the track, as it is one of the most AOR-sounding moments in the Yes canon. Co-writer and singer Jon Anderson deserves a good amount of credit, too. His delivery is stunning, as he spits out lyrics which tell the story of Rabin’s unplanned visit to a part of Harlem that he wasn’t planning on visiting.
Lyrically, the song is uncharacteristically direct for Yes and shows how truly adventuresome the band had become by this point. Yes producer Trevor Horn pushed the harmonies from Anderson, Squire and Rabin way up in the mix, along with the rock-steady drumming of Alan White. Rabin’s stadium-rock power cords and whammy bar-filled licks are, of course, perfectly appropriate.
A song which relies on so many rock cliques and production tricks should not be this good, yet “City of Love” works on every level. This refurbished edition Yes could basically do no wrong.
‘HEARTS’
The final track on the original release of 90125 may not have the impact the opening track, “Owner of a Lonely Heart,” has but that doesn’t make it any less great.
Credited to the entire band, “Hearts” features a suspenseful synthesizer intro conceived by Tony Kaye, which quickly gives way to a crisp and direct chorus sung by Trevor Rabin. Indeed, the Yes choir has never sounded so good, as Rabin blends perfectly with Anderson’s counter melody and then with Squire on the chorus. Anderson, clearly at the top of his game, despite his late entry into the project, proves his adaptability with streamlined lyrics and a strong delivery which is all his own.
Alan White moves from a direct rock back beat to a nuanced progressive rock time-signature change without effort. The drum sound producer Trevor Horn and engineer Gary Langan get is ’80s big, but perfectly appropriate on this album. It’s almost unbelievable that this is the same drummer who would one day be so muted on 2014’s Heaven and Earth.
Vocally, Chris Squire continues to provide his finest work, almost reaching the heights of 1980’s Drama. On “Hearts,” we find Squire’s most subdued playing. His tone and approach sound very much like a Mini-Moog, after the introduction of the song. Rabin’s vocals are matched by his melodic playing and blazing solos, which actually are eclipsed by Kaye’s all-too-brief Hammond B-3 solo.
What a way to end the biggest album from Yes’ career. “Hearts” remains an uplifting, positive and hopeful look toward the future. Yet, as we know, things with Yes are never certain – as the troubled follow-up, 1987’s Big Generator, would soon prove.
‘MAKE IT EASY’
With more than 350 appearances, “Make It Easy” was among the most played Yes songs in concert, according to Setlist.com. At one point, it had been played more than classics such as “Going For the One” or “Onward.”
How did that happen? Those performances were as a prelude to “Owner of a Lonely Heart,” which were connected in concert by both the main band and Yes Featuring Anderson Rabin and Wakeman. The original version, written by Rabin, can be found on the extended remixed version of 90125.
The powerful jazz-fusion intro with Rabin, Alan White and Chris Squire, though sounding very un-Yes like, works extremely well. Perhaps that’s due to “Make It Easy” really being a Cinema song which could have also fit on a Rabin solo release more easily than that of Yes. The synthesizer parts (probably played by Rabin instead of co-founding Yes keyboardist Tony Kaye) are sparse yet totally fitting the song’s melody, which is less compelling than the fusion intro.
Rabin does a workman-like job with the lead vocal. In the end, despite White’s fine rock drumming, there’s not much of interest in a song that’s really just a footnote in the Yes canon.
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