Yes - 90125 (1983)

NUMBERS WEEK (MARCH 14-20, 2011)

Ah, the genius of Trevor Horn. He was at the height of his production powers during the early '80s. As I listen to this CD now (loudly on headphones), I'm still finding things I've never heard before. Horn rescued this prog-rock band from the brink of extinction and turned them into a successful pop-rock band. I'm not a fan of Jon Anderson's voice, but the songwriting and production are good enough that his nasal singing doesn't bother me that much. The album was simply titled after its Atco Records catalog number (for example, 7-90125-1 for the LP). The liner notes brag about the fact that the cover image was created "utilising Apple IIe 64 RAM micro-computer and Bitstik controller." Man, we've come a long way. The band, however, has not. Yes quickly fell apart due to infighting among the members. It didn't matter to me, I didn't buy any subsequent releases from this band.

Press of the time:

• Billboard: "should appease both old fans and potential new ones"
• CashBox: "Call it synthpop or dance rock, the new Yes is definitely not the old art rock dinosaur of old."
• Rolling Stone (★★★): "most of the album is surprisingly spritely and poppish."
• Smash Hits (2 out of 10): "full of duff instrumentals and daft climaxes, without even two decent songs to rub together"
• Stereo Review: "rococo rock - all ornamentation, no foundation"
• Trouser Press: "a wide-eyed series of miniature rock operas, corny and quaint."

Album chart peaks:

• US Billboard 200: #5
• Billboard Rock: #1
• CashBox: #4
• CashBox CD: #7
• Rolling Stone: #1

Tracks: The tracks that make up what I remember as "side 1"(now tracks 1-4) are all solid including the group's best-selling single, Owner Of A Lonely Heart. My favorite track would be either It Can Happen or Changes. I could do without Our Song and City of Love. The final track, Hearts, starts off slowly, but when the chorus finally arrives around 2:30 into the song, it is probably the most memorable melody/chord progression of the album. The rest of the song, I can take or leave, but I'll listen to it just to get to the chorus.

Personal Memory Associated with this CD: This reminds me of the summer of 1984, the summer following my senior year of high school. I felt like I was on top of the world even though I worked the drive-thru at Burger King.