Classic Rock Bottom

Disclaimer: All info that does not reside in my brain is gathered from wikipedia.com (mostly because Jon can't stand it) unless otherwise noted.

In 1983, the English band Yes released their eleventh studio album, entitled 91025.  Little did they know that 34 years later, that album would be immortalized on the web pages of Classic Rock Bottom.  Yes, all these years later, almost seven years after this site was created, I'm featuring my first Yes album as Album of the Week. You see, I was going to feature Billy Idol's Rebel Yell.  But I was sitting on the beach this past weekend and something told me to punch this album up on the old iPod.  I did, and it was quite incredible.  I listened again that night with my Bose head phones, and the music just jumped off of the hard drive.  So I shifted my pick to Yes.

90125 was a very successful album for the band.  It topped out at number 5 in the U.S.  That's good enough to tie for the third highest charting album in the band's long career.  Triple Platinum sales level makes it the best selling studio album for the band.  Several singles were released, but Owner of a Lonely Heart was pretty massive.  It became the one and only number 1 for the band on the Billboard Hot 100 chart, also topping the U.S. Rock Chart.  In addition, Cinema won a Grammy for Best Rock Instrumental Performance.

I remember hearing Owner of a Lonely Heart many, many times back in the day, and every time I hear it now I immediately think of the movie The Break-Up.  Vaughn and Anniston are great, but John Michael Higgins telling Gary to "come-come with the kick drum" just slays.  Also, when listening to it at the beach, the song Changes just blew me away.  That is a tremendous song and just begs to be heard on a great set of ear phones.  It Can Happen also continues to this day to get a lot of air time on classic rock radio.

I have the regular version of the album which can be had for 5 bucks on Amazon, but there is an expanded version that commands a higher premium as well.  

And I also want to thank all the great Facebook folks who played along and used the clue "I recommend a nice set of ear phones...and I'm thinking a handful of digits" to venture a guess.  Alex Hunter was the first to come up with the correct answer, but a grand total of 6 folks went with the same guess.  My clues must be too easy lately, but either way it's fun, fun, fun.

Side One:

1. Owner of a Lonely Heart

2. Hold On

3. It Can Happen

4. Changes

Side Two:

5. Cinema

6. Leave It

7. Our Song

8. City of Love

9. Hearts

 

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It's all about the buildup to the greatness.

Talk and Drama are still working.

I have an old redneck friend in Idaho who doesn't have an ear for music at all and was content with his bassless stock stereo in his early 80's pickup that loved this album, how did that happen!  No idea, but he played it a ton, but I had to get my own copy so I could hear the bass lines of course and it opened the band up to me.  All kidding aside (my friends stereo did suck something awful though) this album is terrific, I think Rabin gave the band a real shot in the arm.  Though far more commercial (Leave It is the best pop example on here) than anything done before it doesn't really have the feel of a "ready for Mtv" album like other albums of the times.

Though I will say this...  Yes is best with Anderson!  I am very interested in any potential recorded work from Anderson, Rabin and Wakeman - that would be really cool!!

You mean something like 1991's Union (which has an interesting backstory)?

Ive never heard Union, is it good?

It's a Yes album titled "Union".  And, no. It's really not that good. But it's there?

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