GOING FOR THE ONE

Going For the One is truly Yes's last Hoorah. This is really the last album before constant line- up changes and pop sounds crushed their music. Stylistically, the album has the core Yes sound. But compositionally, the album is rather inconsistent for me. It is book-ended by some fantastic songs, but the middle three seem to fall short.

The title track 'Going For the One' (6/10) continues the blues sound established in the previous effort Relayer. Jon sounds great, especially during the chorus, but instrumentally the sound is too rough, especially compared to their more polished previous albums.

The middle three songs are the weak points of the album. 'Turn of the Century' (5/10) and 'Parallels' (5/10) have some good moments, but really go nowhere for me. 'Wonderous Stories' (4/10) is the weakest track on the album, and is hardly prog for that matter.

If it were not for the final song, 'Awaken' (9/10) this may have been another weak Yes effort. But Awaken is a solid epic, based on a gritty riff. The middle section is another great atmospheric section on par with the ones in 'Close to the Edge' and 'Gates of Delirium.' As much as I loved Moraz's contribution in Relayer, I'm glad Wakeman is back, as his organ sounds are all over this song. The ending is dramatic, and though they could have easily ended it at 13-minutes, the last two minutes are simply beautiful.

Overall, Going For the One is a decent effort, but is very inconsistent. Luckily, Awaken saves this album, but not by much.

6/10