1983 Dec - Yes - 90125

What the Riff?!?

FEATURE: Yes - 90125 from DECEMBER 1983

Yes disbanded after a disappointing run with their tenth album Drama in 1980. Former Yes members Chris Squire, Alan White, and Tony Kaye joined with newcomer Trevor Rabin to form a new group called Cinema. The new group would trend towards more mainstream tastes, with shorter songs but maintaining excellent musicality. But after asking Jon Anderson to join the group, they made the decision to revert the name back to Yes.

​The resulting album, 90125​, was the biggest commercial success of the Yes discography.

Cinema
This instrumental track bears the name of the original band.

Leave It
A vocal and harmony-driven song, Leave It showcases the soaring talent of Jon Anderson and Trevor Rabin.

Our Song
This is a deeper cut on a hit-heavy album. You can hear a variety of movements that were typical of the prog rock genre. It's a positive, major key song, but still maintains the complex musicality expected from Yes.

Changes
Meter complexity and continually shifting movements characterize this minor key hit. Trevor Rabin leads the vocals after a lengthy marimba (not a common rock instrument) and percussion instrumental set, followed by Jon Anderson taking the high notes.

STAFF PICKS:

Just Got Lucky - Joe Boxers While this pick from Wayne had more success in the UK, Joe Boxers was a one-hit wonder in the States. You can hear similarities between this group and other New Wave groups like Elvis Costello and Joe Jackson.

The Walk - The Cure
Brian's pick is the first of 17 commercial top 20 Irish hits at the time. The Cure was the original "Goth Rock" band.

The Sign of Fire - The Fixx
Rob's track pick is a deeper cut from their album Reach the Beach — hands down the biggest commercial hit in the repertoire of The Fixx.

Talking in Your Sleep - The Romantics
The most commercially successful song from the Romantics, though "What I Like About You" is often the first that comes to mind.

LAUGH TRACK:

The Curly Shuffle - Jump 'N The Saddle Band
A big band homage to The Three Stooges was popular in December 1983, and finishes off our podcast for this week.

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