Rickresource Rickenbacker Forum

... the first time you heard 90125 or "Owner of a lonely heart" on the radio? That was an interesting experience for me, but I want to hear from the other long time Yes fans about their initial reaction to this period of Yes music. I played 90125 yesterday and I can't listen to it without reliving that first shocking moment. For the record, I was in the Navy then and had been overseas on my Destroyer for seven months immediately prior to it's release. I had no idea what was coming!

I liked it a lot but wasn't really a YES fan at the time. I like the album in general although after becoming a fan of the band in more recent years, I prefer their earlier works. Trevor Rabin's solo guitar tone drives me nuts. It's a little too overdriven or sonic, but that's his style.

To this day and on the off chance that I am listening to the radio, I wouldn't change the station if that song came on. I also used to love the acapella (sp?) version of Leave It. Now I don't think I could listen to it the same way I did back then.

I thought it to be a good pop song, but IMHO a giant deapature from what Yes had always been known for.

I don't mind 'Drama' as much, although it was heading in the direction of '90125'.....

My reaction was to immediately change the station.

sloop_john_b wrote:My reaction was to immediately change the station.

Wait, were you alive when this came out?

sloop_john_b wrote:My reaction was to immediately change the station.

Ha! John, that is exactly what I did!

I was stationed at the Norfolk Naval Base and lived in Hampton, VA. For those that know the area, that meant that my daily commute meant crossing the Hampton Roads bridge tunnel twice a day. I was on the bridge approaching the tunnel ramp when the WNOR DJ shouts "Here's the new song from Yes". As soon as those opening chords hit my ears, I turned the radio off. Entrance into the tunnel meant I couldn't turn the radio back on, anyway, if I got curious, so I left it at that. My initial reaction was one of betrayal!

I'm a huge Steve Howe fan and that certainly was not Steve. I assumed, mistakenly, that Yes had reformed with Trevor Horn and a lineup so far removed from anything I'd known before. I really liked Drame and still do, but I assumed that a Yes with no Steve or Jon was out of the question. I was fairly closed minded about it, actually. If asked what I thought of the new Yes track, I stated that it was "not Yes".

However, at Christmastime, my brother told me who was in the lineup, (bear in mind that I didn't listen long enough to hear the vocals) and I realized that there were more original Yes members in that lineup than in the Yessongs movie. I got a copy on cassette and played it almost non-stop on the drive back to Virginia. I loved it! It taught me a lesson about being closed minded with new music. True, I really missed Steve being in the group, but it was clear that Chris Squire was present and accounted for!

I've heard in interviews that Chris stated having been told many stories about people being shocked when they heard it, some even pulling off the road or staring at the radio in disbelief... That must have been an interesting period to be behind the scenes in the Yes camp.

As a musician, I like the songs, as a sound and mastering engineer I am still impressed with the production, but as a fan, I was happy when, in 1996, Steve and Rick came back. Whatever happens in 2008 with a tour or CD, I hope they can still "Shock the system" with a great release

SIGH.....I HATE to use the word "disappointed", (I was always grateful in those days when YES released a new LP) but I guess it was an accurate description at that time. While Owner of a Lonely Heart opened up YES to a whole new audience, it was just another step further away from the YES I loved. I would listen JUST to hear Chris' bass lines, and little else.

I STILL suffer for my musical preferences to this day. Janey was just giving me grief about this last night. VH1 had some cool group on last night on Storytellers (I think that is what is was called)...and after a few moments, I was changing the channel. She said "you don't even give new music a chance, how will you ever discover if you like something new if you won't give it a listen"! GOOD POINT Mrs C! I tuned it back on and enjoyed it. I STILL don't know who they were, but it was OK. I KNOW I have to work on this Achilles heel of my musical education.

To me, being RELAYER & TFTO (not to mention Close to the Edge) are my FAVORITES, the mid to late 70's era YES are the quintessential recordings to me.

Jim, you have blasted me on this topic before, I kind of shut down on YES from the early to mid 90's on. I really haven't given a listen to the newer stuff. Sometimes I buy it, but it will usually get one play, then put in the cd rack with all the others.

As far as Trevor Rabin goes....you can't say ANYTHING bad about his capabilities, he is very talented and he is an amazing player. I just don't care for it. It just always seems like he was trying to show up Steve Howe. The FIRST thing I think of when I hear Steve Howe's name, is the song SOON where he plays that old Fender slide guitar. I don't know why THAT has lodged itself in my mind, but it just is such a soul touching piece and shows how someone as talented as Steve can take a piece, and just tastefully make it sing.

just_bassics wrote:

sloop_john_b wrote: I was stationed at the Norfolk Naval Base and lived in Hampton, VA. For those that know the area, that meant that my daily commute meant crossing the Hampton Roads bridge tunnel twice a day. I was on the bridge approaching the tunnel ramp when the WNOR DJ shouts "Here's the new song from Yes". As soon as those opening chords hit my ears, I turned the radio off. Entrance into the tunnel meant I couldn't turn the radio back on, anyway, if I got curious, so I left it at that. My initial reaction was one of betrayal!

FM 99! It was probably DJ Mike Arlo.

phlemmy wrote: Wait, were you alive when this came out?

My parents had not even met when this song came out.

Actually, I do like "Owner...". There's some seriously dated stuff in there, which I would assume comes courteousy of Trevor Horn (of "Video Killed The Radio Star" fame) - notably the weird orchestral hits and the harmonized solo. But man, what a catchy song!

Check this out:

impressive.

Tony said
"VH1 had some cool group on last night on Storytellers (I think that is what is was called)...and after a few moments, I was changing the channel. She said "you don't even give new music a chance, how will you ever discover if you like something new if you won't give it a listen"!"

Hey Tony, there's always "American Idol!!" (ducking as Tony considers throwing his CS at me!)

When I saw Steve Howe on a solo tour in 2000, his encore was "Soon" and "Running the human race" played on a small lap steel guitar. He was ten feet from me. Of all the amazing things I've seen and heard from Steve Howe over the years, that totally blew me away!

And yes, I still think that if you haven't given "The Ladder" and "Magnification" a few good listens, then you're still missing a lot.

To John B: So what is your opinion of the older, "classic" Yes?

sloop_john_b wrote:My reaction was to immediately change the station.

Pretty much the same here.

An even worse experience ocurred not long after this, when MTV and Yes pulled the publicity stunt of making and playing about ten or twelve minimally different videos for the song "Leave It" and airing them one after another. It was AWFUL!

Hmm, I can never embed youtube videos correctly. What am I doing wrong? Here's the link:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GZV8MPxxgkE

Mercifully, I have included the link to only ONE of the videos!

I wasn't anti-Yes, and liked to listen to some of their early stuff on occasion, but thought they should be still counting their millions from albums they made in the 70s and leave MTV to all of the new wave bands

In retrospect, the song's not bad all. I hope they didn't upset too many of their die hard fans with that album, and I hope they earned a ton of money and enjoyed touring together again.

"FM 99! It was probably DJ Mike Arlo."

Remember Henry "The Bull" Deltorro? I believe he passed away recently

just_bassics wrote:"FM 99! It was probably DJ Mike Arlo."

Remember Henry "The Bull" Deltorro? I believe he passed away recently

About 6 years ago. I knew him outside of the radio station and was a real jerk.

http://www.knotheadradio.com/bull/bull.htm

I only knew of "The Bull" from my morning drive to the base. I do remember that WNOR had to make a lot of public apologies when he was on the air. I still visit the Hampton Roads area twice a year and plan to retire there. From Williamsburg to the outer banks, it's my favorite place to be.

As far as Yes visually in the eighties, yea, I thought it was a classic example of what happens when a PR guy outside of the band is calling the shots - too much makeup! And what about those outfits!

Trevor Rabin is a talented guy... One thing I did like about him was his refusal to sway to pressure about being "Steve's replacement" (which he never was, anyway). He stood his ground in the band up until 1991, but on the UNION tour, on stage with Steve, IMO only, I felt that he was clearly uncomfortable, not really trying to upstage him, just aware that he really was in Steve's shadow with most fans. That ES-175 carries a lot of Yes history behind it!

Trevor is a successful Movie Score composer these days and I wish him much success.