GOING FOR THE ONE

Signalling a clear intent to shift back toward the mainstream (and thus radio play) while maintaining a foothold in complex progressive music, GFTO comes across as lighter but also somewhat fresher than the albums they had released beforehand. Whereas Tales and Relayer took effort and dedication to listen to (but well worth the effort), GFTO mostly came easy. "Wondrous Stories", "Turn of the Century" and the title track all made it onto the radio, earning Yes new fans as well as money. While I personally prefer Relayer and Tales, I admit that GFTO has a cheerful, positive vibe, and is easy to listen to. But like other art-rock bands who were trying to both maintain their reputations while making onto the radio, here Yes includes an extended almost-side-long track in similar format to their other epics, the beautiful "Awaken". This is one of their very best compositions, and sees Yes create another truly unique and innovative piece of music. It is the focal point of the album, and while over many years (and many more listens) the other tracks have lost some of their appeal, Awaken remains still up there in the upper echelons of special pieces of music - it has not lost any of its magic for me, even after a gazillion listens. I give this album 8.1 out of 10 on my 10-point scale, which translates to 4 PA stars.

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