The legendary British prog-rock band YES started 1984 in a fine and busy mood, and they had every reason to celebrate. Thanks to strong radio play and follow-up rotation of video for “Owner of a Lonely Heart" on MTV, early 1984 sales of the album and featured singles came out of the sky and – if you’ll pardon the expression – they stood there. For example, “Owner” had become a #1 hit in the U.S. and ranked highly throughout the world in the early weeks of January.

Near the end of 1982 and into mid-1983, the working trio of Chris Squire, Trevor Rabin and Alan White – in time, the heart of the born-again British progressive rock pioneers YES – were a band with no name and no record contract. And the 90125 album was still over the next rainbow. But at least, with multi-instrumentalist Rabin now on frets and keys, they had a stronger mission plus a cluster of promising songs.

That first impression was a stunner. There were the grunge-y, arena-rock power chords, the cracking drum rolls and the glitzy, sampled horn accents at the ends of those hanging sustains. And then, the sudden appearance of Jon Anderson’s singular, near-angelic, alto tenor.

“Move yourself/You always live your life/Never thinking of the future. . .”, he sang, his voice spiking out of the radio.