Yes – 90125

I am a huge Yes fan, and a huge fan of this record. It is an amazing illustration of how great musicians can shift over time and still produce great music. I found this used at a CD Exchange for $5, and to me that was a no-brainer. However, upon listening to it through my Pioneer PD-65 and Rotel amplifier, it sounded exceptionally bright, with too much in the midrange and low treble. I have many CDs that were reengineered and/or remastered in the 90's and they all sound this way. Knowing Pioneer's penchant for being slightly bright anyway, I put it into my Yamaha, and it is still too bright, and as other have noted, somewhat compressed. This runs counter to how Yes typically records - much of their catalog is very dynamic with less compression than most other bands (listen to Talk and you know what I mean).

If you are a Yes collector or fan, it's not bad, but there are many other variants where sound quality is better than this version, and what you would expect from a Yes record.

The A Capella version of "Leave It" from the 7" B-side is an absolute mind-blower and sounds gorgeous here! That track, along with the 7" Remix are why I bought this CD. My older brother bought the 7" when it was a moderate hit and he totally flipped out when heard the A Capella mix. The arrangement and the production are undeniably genius.

Excellent mastering by Rhino's Bill Inglot. Perhaps brighter and more compressed than the original cd issue, but he found the sweet spot.
Great to have all the 12" mixes and B sides here too.

I believe Eddi Jobson recorded most of the keyboards, although Tony Kaye is credited. Look at the "Owner of a Lonely Heart" video, Jobson was cleverly cut from the video, though makes a 2 second apperance on keys, and Kaye isn't in it.