GOING FOR THE ONE

Of all the YES albums I've ever had in my collection, this is perhaps the most difficult to rate. Of the five songs on this album, three of them are among my very favorites. Awaken has always been my number one YES song and as good as the recording is here, I think I prefer the live version on Extended Versions. Turn of the Century and Wonderous [sic] Stories are also among my all-time favorites.

Awaken not only has some of the greatest music you'll ever hear, but the lyrics are sublime. Probably my favorite line is "like the time I ran away, turned around and you were standing close to me." And there's something almost majestic in Anderson's verses about God: Master of Images, Master of Light, Master of Soul, Master of Time.

Unfortunately the two remaining tracks, Parallels and the title track, are definitely below par, especially by YES standards. For that reason this album has always kind of irritated me. Why couldn't they have filled out this album with more quality? Then it would have been the best album of all time. As it is, I can give this album just 4 stars, though I highly recommend it to anyone who has never understood what the big deal is about YES because in here you'll find out what the big deal is.