90125 remastered and expanded, released in 2004.
Granted it is an album which has garnered a fair amount of controversy in its lifespan as well as praise, it is - to invoke the title of an album which the producer was also involved with - an adventure in modern recording. It has a crystalline shimmer, that metallic reverb echoing throughout the decades, the big sound which told you something unprecedented was about to be heard.
It closed the door fully and firmly on all which had come before. And the surest sign of this lies in the album's cover: designed via computer, which remains iconic in its use of a simple yet eye-catching default printing color scheme.
Which is not to say that 90125's appearance is without precedent. Said producer, one Trevor Horn, was also once a member of Yes, with his partner Geoff Downes and the remaining members of the band at that time recorded and released Drama, an album which tends to be somewhat more revered in the oeuvre. But the success of the enterprise was rather lacking, and part of the drive behind the making of 90125 came from Horn's determination to get a hit. And this was prior to his becoming a super producer and record company and studio owner mogul. There was enthusiasm, focus, a willingness to take risks, and conflict. Often the best works are born under such circumstances.
And it's varied in a way which prior Yes records never were. Not to criticize the previous lineups, because the overall legacy of Yes was made in the years 1971-1978, and it is within that time which most fans dwell in their love for the band. But this record moves across genres and subgenres and still manages to sound all of a piece, the sound of something new and exciting, something which leaps out of the speakers even now to demand your affection...or at the very least your attention.
But for those of us who do love YesWest, this album brought them to us, and there is a chemistry within which is primarily the cause of three forces of nature meeting and merging.
Chris Squire meeting Trevor Rabin and deciding he had found a new musical soulmate and close friend.
Trevor Rabin seeking an artistic destiny in the company of musicians he felt an immediate kinship with, and proving he was worthy of worldwide stardom.
Trevor Horn desiring to subject the songs and performances to the process which he knew best. But his vision was still tempered in some ways by the other two, by their instincts and felicity, in a way which expanded to include everyone's vision for the band and the work they produced.
Because there's a lot of affection: some of Chris' greatest performing is in this record and it is equally a product of Trevor Horn's admiration - merely wanting to present his favorite bass player of all time in the best of all lights. Full of harmony and hooks as well as meticulous arrangements and bravura playing. Beyond the intersection of Horn's vision with the push-and-pull of his clients, he was also very fortunate to have one of the best engineers in the business, Gary Langan, who most assuredly carried out the actual construction of this grand edifice from its gorgeous materials.
And the alchemy was completed with the addition of Jon Anderson - the literal magical fairydust sprinkles on top of it all. Seriously, that's as perfect a description of his role within 90125 as I can come up with.
Rabinites are incredibly fortunate to have access to footage for every era of YesWest, both official and unofficial, and so the visual dimension of this era -1983-1985 - is a wonderful thing, as the tour kept a-pace with sales of the record and circled the globe, and then we received wonderful souvenirs in the video and record releases of 9012Live and 9012Live: The Solos as well as the promotional videos which are often derided, but I think they're a lot of fun. It was a wild ride, and we can relive it any time we like.
90125: love it or hate it, its enormous success these past 30 years means it's here to stay. And I'm here to tell you - not only as a Rabinite but also a longtime loyal Yesfan - it's a beautiful thing and I'm celebrating this treasure in the way which its creators meant it to be enjoyed...blasting out of my car, serenading the world with its timeless bright shiny glory.
