90125

90125
Studio album by Yes
Released	14 November 1983 (1983-11-14)
Recorded	Sarm Studios, London, Spring/Summer 1983, Bonus Tracks 10–13, January, 1981
Genre	Progressive rock, pop rock
Length	44:49
Label	Atco – 7 90125 0
Producer	Trevor Horn except "Hold On", produced by Trevor Horn + Yes
Yes chronology
Drama (1980) 90125 (1983) Big Generator (1987)

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90125 is the eleventh studio album from the English progressive rock band Yes, released in 1983 on Atco Records. It was the first studio album since their breakup in 1981. It is also the first album to feature Trevor Rabin, and features the return of vocalist Jon Anderson, who had quit the band in 1980. It also marked the first time in twelve years that original keyboardist Tony Kaye had appeared with the group.

The album was titled after its Atco Records catalogue number (for example, 7-90125-1 for the LP).

Background

This new incarnation of Yes came about by circumstance rather than design. In 1980, members Jon Anderson (vocalist) and Rick Wakeman (keyboardist) had left the band, replaced by Trevor Horn and Geoff Downes respectively. The new line-up was short-lived: after an album (Drama) and tour, they disbanded in December 1980. Bassist Chris Squire and drummer Alan White continued to work together, including on the aborted XYZ project and released a single Run with the Fox as a duo in 1981.

Guitarist Trevor Rabin had left his native South Africa in the late 1970s and had released a series of solo albums. There had been various attempts to place Rabin in a band, including a proposed quartet with Rick Wakeman, John Wetton and Carl Palmer in 1980 and a proposed trio with Keith Emerson and Jack Bruce. Rabin tried out in Asia, alongside Wetton, Palmer and former Yes members Steve Howe and Geoff Downes. However, he had also been put in touch with Squire and White and this was to be his path instead.

Squire, White and Rabin began working together in early 1982, initially considering some of the XYZ material. Trevor Horn was also associated with the nascent band from an early stage as their producer and, at one point, it was considered having him as the lead vocalist. The trio decided they needed a keyboard player to fill out their sound. Squire suggested inviting original Yes keyboardist Tony Kaye, whose sparse style he felt would suit the new band's direction. They christened themselves "Cinema" and in early 1983 began recording what they thought was their debut album, consisting mainly of original music Rabin had originally earmarked for a solo album, and produced by Horn.

Everything changed in the spring of 1983 when Jon Anderson was played some of Cinema's recordings by Squire. The song collective was essentially Rabin's musical ideas and compositions and Jon Anderson was very much impressed and so the thought formed that maybe there could be a reformation of Yes. As Anderson's professed interest was so high, it was realised that - essentially - Yes were reforming. Rabin was dubious at first, not wanting to be perceived as Steve Howe's replacement, but rather the lead guitarist for a new group. However, he quickly changed his mind once Anderson brought in some new lyrics and put his distinctive vocals on the existing music tracks.

By this time, however, the band were without a keyboard player, as Kaye had fallen out with producer Horn, resulting in much of the keyboard work on the album being played by Rabin or Horn's hand-picked production team. When the band started preparing for a tour to support the album, Eddie Jobson, who had already been considered for the job in 1974, was asked to join, which he accepted. Jobson appeared in the video for the first single, "Owner of a Lonely Heart". In order to consolidate the legal position that this band was Yes,^{[citation needed]} Kaye was brought back. Jobson, unwilling to share the role of keyboard player, dropped out.

Release

Released that Autumn on Atlantic Records' subsidiary, Atco, 90125 launched Yes to the MTV age and to a whole new breed of fans. The music was catchy, contemporary and well liked by reviewers and their new fans (many of whom had little clue of the band's previous incarnation). The lead single, "Owner of a Lonely Heart," became the band's first (and only) US #1 hit, driving 90125 to the Top 5 and helping it sell three million units in the US alone, by far Yes's most successful album. "It Can Happen", "Changes", and "Leave It" all reached top ten on Hot Mainstream Rock Tracks during 1984 and received heavy airplay. The British sales were not as spectacular, but still solid, and successive hits, such as "Leave It" and "It Can Happen" ensured 90125 had a lengthy chart life. In addition, "Cinema" won the 1985 Grammy Award for Best Rock Instrumental Performance.

The album's logo was created and designed by Garry Mouat at Assorted Images on an Apple IIe computer, and a variant would be used on Yes's next studio album Big Generator as well. 90125 (Atco 790 125) reached #16 in the UK chart and reached #5 in the US during a chart stay of 53 weeks.

Track listing

Side One
No.	Title	Writer(s)	Length
1.	"Owner of a Lonely Heart"	Anderson/Horn/Rabin/Squire	4:29
2.	"Hold On"	Anderson/Rabin/Squire	5:16
3.	"It Can Happen"	Anderson/Rabin/Squire	5:29
4.	"Changes"	Anderson/Rabin/White	6:20

Side Two
No.	Title	Writer(s)	Length
5.	"Cinema"	Kaye/Rabin/Squire/White	2:08
6.	"Leave It"	Horn/Rabin/Squire	4:14
7.	"Our Song"	Anderson/Rabin/Squire/White	4:18
8.	"City of Love"	Anderson/Rabin	4:51
9.	"Hearts"	Anderson/Kaye/Rabin/Squire/White	7:39

2004 Reissue Bonus Tracks
No.	Title	Writer(s)	Extra Notes	Length
10.	"Leave It" (Single Remix)	Horn/Rabin/Squire	Same as the "Leave It (Remix)" version on Twelve inches on tape	3:56
11.	"Make It Easy"	Rabin	First issued on Yesyears	6:12
12.	"It Can Happen" (Cinema Version)	Anderson/Rabin/Squire	First issued on Yesyears	6:05
13.	"It's Over" (Previously Unissued)	Rabin		5:41
14.	"Owner of a Lonely Heart" (Extended Remix; Previously Unissued)	Anderson/Horn/Rabin/Squire	Similar to the "Owner of a Lonely Heart (Red and Blue Mix)" version on Twelve inches on tape. This "Extended Remix" begins and ends differently and is actually about 45 seconds shorter	7:05
15.	"Leave It" (A Capella Version)	Horn/Rabin/Squire		3:18

Personnel

Yes

• Jon Anderson – lead vocals
• Tony Kaye – keyboards
• Trevor Rabin – guitars, additional keyboards, backing vocals
• Chris Squire – bass, backing vocals
• Alan White – drums, percussion, backing vocals

Studio personnel

• Stuart Bruce, Gary Langan, Julian Mendelsohn: engineers
• Keith Finney: assistant engineer
• Trevor Horn: production, backing vocals
• J.J. Jeczalik, Dave Lawson: keyboard programming
• Deepak Khazanchi: sitar and tambura on "It Can Happen" (uncredited)
• Julian Mendelsohn: Engineer
• Graham Preskett: violin on "Leave It" (uncredited)

Charts

Album – Billboard (North America)

Year	Chart	Position
1984	The Billboard 200	5

Singles – Billboard (North America)

Year	Single	Chart	Position
1983	"Our Song"	Mainstream Rock Tracks	32
	"Owner of a Lonely Heart"	Hot Dance Music/Club Play	3
		Mainstream Rock Tracks	1
		The Billboard Hot 100	1
1984	"It Can Happen"	The Billboard Hot 100	51
		Mainstream Rock Tracks	5
	"Leave It"	The Billboard Hot 100	24
		Mainstream Rock Tracks	3
	"Changes"	Mainstream Rock tracks	6
	"Owner of a Lonely Heart"	Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Singles & Tracks	69
	"Hold On"	Mainstream Rock Tracks	43
1985		Mainstream Rock Tracks	27

Reissues

• 1984 – Atco – CD
• 2004 – Rhino CD (Remastered with Bonus Tracks)
• 2009 – Audio Fidelity 24 Karat Gold CD (Remastered by Steve Hoffman)

1984 remix albums

In 1984, Yes was one of several artists on the Atlantic/ATCO Records label to release a remix maxi single titled Twelve Inches on Tape. Now a rarity, this Yes release consisted of two mixes of "Leave It" and two mixes of "Owner Of A Lonely Heart".

No.	Title	Writer(s)	Production Staff	Length
1.	"Leave It" (Remix)	Chris Squire/Trevor Rabin/Trevor Horn	Produced by Trevor Horn Engineered by Gary Langan
2.	"Owner of a Lonely Heart" (Red and Blue Mix)	Trevor Rabin/Jon Anderson/Chris Squire/Trevor Horn)	Produced by Trevor Horn Engineered by Gary Langan
3.	"Leave It" (Hello, Goodbye Mix)	Chris Squire/Trevor Rabin/Trevor Horn	Produced by Trevor Horn Engineered by Steve Lipson Edited by Chris Squire and Stewart Bruce
4.	"Owner of a Lonely Heart" (Album version)	Trevor Rabin/Jon Anderson/Chris Squire/Trevor Horn	Produced by Trevor Horn Engineered by Gary Langan

Source: ATCO 7-90156-4-A Barcode #: 7567-90156-4

Other mixes

In 2003, Trevor Rabin released a solo album entitled 90124 which consisted of previously unreleased demos from the 90125 album (hence the title) and other works from his time in Yes.

In 2005, a Max Graham remix of "Owner of a Lonely Heart" reached #9 in the UK singles charts, bettering the original's #28 peak.

Sources

• 90125, CD booklet essay, Brian Ives, c.2004.
• "Top Pop Albums 1955–2001", Joel Whitburn, c.2002
• "Album Rock Tracks 1981–1995", Joel Whitburn c.1996