GOING FOR THE ONE

Rick Wakeman's presence was always very important to me in defining the group's musical proposal. After his departure after the extensive Tales From Topographic Oceans (1973), he returns 4 years later, and gives him an influence and nuances from the keyboards that have contributed to Yes being considered one of the standards of the progressive. Although he does not sign the compositions, generally in the hands of Anderson, Howe and Squire, his contribution gives them a unique solidity and textures.

And so Going For The One brings us the extraordinary Awaken, with its splendid 15 minutes, a surreal and mystical composition, in my opinion it is one of his best songs of all time. From the start with Wakeman's piano, the intermission with Wakeman and Squire himself on bass in an endless trance, accompanied later by Howe's mastery of guitars, giving way to epic instrumentation and a quiet ending to the Anderson's hand. Turn Of The Century, for its part, evokes lags in the Tales From Topographic Oceans, a beautiful work that tells us of a sculptor who makes a statue to honor his beloved, deceased, who later comes to life. Both Howe on guitars (acoustic and electric) and Wakeman on keyboards, both are superb. Parallels, with those church organs, The Wonderous Stories, a short, upbeat and very typical Anderson song in its most positive way, and Going for The One with that Howe hardrock riff, complete this album, the latest one of the most representative works of Yes in its progressive symphonic facet. Indispensable work for any fan of the group.