Is 90125 the most underrated Yes album?

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On Rick Wakeman's website, he wrote the following under his "Grumpy Old Rick" blog:
http://www.rwcc.com/

"Jon is in pretty constant contact with Trevor Rabin and music has already started flying back and forth. Jon has sent through some great ideas and I will shortly be sending some stuff back across the Atlantic to both Trev and Jon. Trev, I know, is also working on music for the project and we are all really up for it and excited as to what it’s going to produce. 

As many people know, it’s a combination of YES personnel that’s never been used on recordings, and certainly, if the chemistry that happened on the UNION tour between the three of us can reignite itself, then we are in for a treat making the music and hopefully it’ll be a treat for others to listen to it......and then, with a bit of luck...live performances...and special ones, not hundreds of gigs one after the other which dissipates all meaning of the music."

Since it appears that Trevor will reappear soon in a Yes formula, I've been giving his Yes catalog a good listen recently.   I agree, 90125 has some excellent material (my favorite being "It Can Happen,") although I don't care for followup material such as "Big Generator" as much.

Trev has chops & good compositional sense, so I'm curious how he'll sound 30 years after 90125!  He has some serious growth under his belt from his film scoring & other work.  I'm more excited about the Anderson/Wakeman/Rabin project's potential than I am about the latest Yes lineup, although time will tell.  

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cstack3 Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List Reviewer page Forum Senior Member VIP Member Joined: July 20 2009 Location: Tucson, AZ USA Status: Offline Points: 6769	Posted: May 15 2011 at 12:41
	On Rick Wakeman's website, he wrote the following under his "Grumpy Old Rick" blog: http://www.rwcc.com/ "Jon is in pretty constant contact with Trevor Rabin and music has already started flying back and forth. Jon has sent through some great ideas and I will shortly be sending some stuff back across the Atlantic to both Trev and Jon. Trev, I know, is also working on music for the project and we are all really up for it and excited as to what it’s going to produce. As many people know, it’s a combination of YES personnel that’s never been used on recordings, and certainly, if the chemistry that happened on the UNION tour between the three of us can reignite itself, then we are in for a treat making the music and hopefully it’ll be a treat for others to listen to it......and then, with a bit of luck...live performances...and special ones, not hundreds of gigs one after the other which dissipates all meaning of the music." Since it appears that Trevor will reappear soon in a Yes formula, I've been giving his Yes catalog a good listen recently. I agree, 90125 has some excellent material (my favorite being "It Can Happen,") although I don't care for followup material such as "Big Generator" as much. Trev has chops & good compositional sense, so I'm curious how he'll sound 30 years after 90125! He has some serious growth under his belt from his film scoring & other work. I'm more excited about the Anderson/Wakeman/Rabin project's potential than I am about the latest Yes lineup, although time will tell.

proginrev Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List Reviewer page Forum Newbie Joined: February 28 2011 Status: Offline Points: 23	Posted: May 15 2011 at 12:28
	Yes progressed rather than remaining with the traditional prog sound and that is never popular with fans initially. Look at Marillion and even Genesis. But always in retrospect I enjoy these albums. 90215 is a class album, yes it has AOR influences but why not? That is the art of moving on. That is true progressive music.

Slaughternalia Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List Reviewer page Forum Senior Member Joined: February 17 2011 Status: Offline Points: 901	Posted: May 15 2011 at 10:53
	90125 was immensely popular and I certainly wouldn't call it underrated. Personally, I don't like it at all, along with 80s Rush. Going For The One is the Yes album that doesn't get the love it deserves

cannon Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List Reviewer page Forum Senior Member Joined: July 03 2010 Location: Coho Country Status: Offline Points: 1302	Posted: May 15 2011 at 10:32
	King Crimson's Discipline incorporated new wave at the time(1981) but not AOR IMO as did Yes for 90125. I like the album but I think Trevor Rabin's AOR/pop/rock influence lasted through the 90's with the band except for both Keys albums. IMO, the compilation Keystudio, the studio tracks from Keys To Acseension Vol. I and II is the most underated album from Yes.

rogerthat Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List Reviewer page Prog Reviewer Joined: September 03 2006 Location: . Status: Offline Points: 9869	Posted: May 15 2011 at 10:17
	Even the first time I heard it, I never found it as bad as it was made out to be in some quarters but today it clicked for me like it never did before. Yes, I love it too and I am glad I gave it a shot today.

lazland Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List Reviewer page Prog Reviewer Joined: October 28 2008 Location: Wales Status: Offline Points: 13292	Posted: May 15 2011 at 10:13
	Well, it's certainly not underrated here. I love it, and think it is a true highlight of the band's career. However, there are people who think that anything that remotely smells like a commercial song, let alone sounds like one, is automatically a bad thing. It isn't, but it's probably best to ignore the snipers and carry on enjoying.
	Enhance your life. Get down to www.lazland.org

rogerthat Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List Reviewer page Prog Reviewer Joined: September 03 2006 Location: . Status: Offline Points: 9869	Posted: May 15 2011 at 10:10
	As I listen to it, I wonder how this album actually gets so much flak. Right now, I would call it their best since, um, Relayer or at least since GFTO. On 90125, the band sounds rejuvenated and there are hooks galore (and I mean really good hooks that grab you by the collar). It's their freshest effort since CTTE but I shall give consideration to Relayer and GFTO being considerably studied and ambitious efforts. I grant that 80s production values don't make it the easiest to endure initially but is that really reason enough to ignore Changes, Hold On or Leave It? Also, it doesn't sound so different from 80s Rush anyway, so I wonder if only second generation prog rock bands are 'allowed' to incorporate AOR or New Wave elements in their music. The only thing that doesn't go down so well with me is that it feels as if it was quite consciously made with an eye on commercial accessibility but, again, that's not to me such a huge consideration as to put this one down and applaud Drama in the same breath. Thoughts?