What was there not to like about this album? 90125 had all the elements of rock and pop including plentiful hooks. Although this was not the defining moment for Yes it definitely was a band totally reinventing itself for a new audience. It worked very well; in fact as it turned out the band enjoyed their most successful album in regard to sales. To hard line prog-rock listeners it was a sellout but nevertheless it did help the band’s career and probably boosted sales of their back catalog at the time.
When I first heard 90125 I instantly fell in love with it. I had been familiar with the Yes albums previous to this and at the time thought it was good change and it did not hurt them in regard to where they ended up in the future.
This album was a brilliant choice for Audio Fidelity to commit to their 24 karat gold catalog. Sonically it is excellent and it fits well with their remastering process which allows the warm vinyl feel to come through nicely and consistently.
When the curtain rises and “Owner of a Lonely Heart” starts you begin to find common ground in a matter of seconds and then inevitably start singing along. There was something about that song that struck a chord with a world that was more than ready to hear it. Maybe not to lifetime Yes fans but it worked for the majority of listeners that were either turning on their radios or buying the album.
It was no coincidence that former Yes member (at the time) Steve Howe (guitar) was involved with a similar sound that took the world by storm with Asia the previous year to this release. It was a formula that worked so why not give it a go? This was a band that was originally dubbed Cinema by bassist Chris Howe and drummer Alan White but then Trevor Rabin, Trevor Horn, former Yes keyboard wizard Tony Kaye and eventually Yes front man Jon Anderson came on board and it was Yes retooled for a new generation of fans.
The nine tracks that comprised 90125 were solid radio fare for the day and the entire album stands up quite well to this day. As always Audio Fidelity does a fine job with recreating the package with original album artwork and a rock sound that makes your speakers come alive, it is hard to compare to any other version currently available.
