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richardh 
Prog Reviewer
Joined: February 18 2004
Location: United Kingdom
Status: Offline
Points: 26350
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 Posted: February 05 2015 at 01:38 |
Just me who doesn't care for the title track then  Its very original admittedly and weirdly was a minor radio hit in the UK.
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Tom Ozric
Prog Reviewer
Joined: September 03 2005
Location: Olympus Mons
Status: Offline
Points: 15916
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Posted: February 05 2015 at 02:20 |
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I thought that the title song was a bit cacophonous - a true Prog-Rocker - it's still somewhat complex. And everything alse on the album was totally acceptable......
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Chris S
Special Collaborator
Honorary Collaborator
Joined: June 09 2004
Location: Front Range
Status: Offline
Points: 7028
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Posted: February 05 2015 at 02:28 |
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^ Yes one of the most complicated melodies I have ever heard by the band
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<font color=Brown>Music - The Sound Librarian
...As I venture through the slipstream, between the viaducts in your dreams...[/COLOR]
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Moogtron III
Prog Reviewer
Joined: April 26 2005
Location: Belgium
Status: Offline
Points: 10616
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Posted: February 05 2015 at 02:37 |
Complicated? I thought it was simple. Simple but energetic and beautiful. For me Turn Of The Century is complicated. But again: quite beautiful.
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Tom Ozric
Prog Reviewer
Joined: September 03 2005
Location: Olympus Mons
Status: Offline
Points: 15916
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Posted: February 05 2015 at 02:43 |
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^ Seriously - try playing along to it with any given instrument.......
.......taking into account - the playing of many 'Arena' bands is technically proficient..........
It all boils down to the musicians' ego.......
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Blacksword
Prog Reviewer
Joined: June 22 2004
Location: England
Status: Offline
Points: 16130
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Posted: February 05 2015 at 03:24 |
 richardh wrote:
Just me who doesn't care for the title track then Its very original admittedly and weirdly was a minor radio hit in the UK. |
It used to really get on my nerves, but I can cope with it these days. I like the chaotic quirkiness of it.
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Ultimately bored by endless ecstasy!
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Moogtron III
Prog Reviewer
Joined: April 26 2005
Location: Belgium
Status: Offline
Points: 10616
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Posted: February 05 2015 at 04:07 |
Tom Ozric wrote:
^ Seriously - try playing along to it with any given instrument.......
.......taking into account - the playing of many 'Arena' bands is technically proficient..........
It all boils down to the musicians' ego....... |
Yes, I see what you mean. It's one of those tracks that sound simple at first hearing, but are complex nevertheless. Clever guys, those Yes guys  
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Tom Ozric
Prog Reviewer
Joined: September 03 2005
Location: Olympus Mons
Status: Offline
Points: 15916
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Posted: February 05 2015 at 05:35 |
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Aside from Prog, some AOR bands can truly play some intricate stuff..........(Styx, Journey etc) Yes & Genesis are no different.......)
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someone_else
Forum Senior Member
VIP Member
Joined: May 02 2008
Location: Going Bananas
Status: Offline
Points: 24032
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Posted: February 05 2015 at 06:20 |
richardh wrote:
Just me who doesn't care for the title track then Its very original admittedly and weirdly was a minor radio hit in the UK. |
Count me in. I have never been fond of the title track either, but the rest of le album is great stuff.
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Dellinger
Forum Senior Member
VIP Member
Joined: June 18 2009
Location: Mexico
Status: Offline
Points: 12610
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Posted: February 05 2015 at 22:47 |
someone_else wrote:
richardh wrote:
Just me who doesn't care for the title track then Its very original admittedly and weirdly was a minor radio hit in the UK. |
Count me in. I have never been fond of the title track either, but the rest of le album is great stuff. |
No, I don't really like the title track either. Actually, it's one of those songs I could actually say I dislike... perhaps even hate. I guess I would have to listen to it again to make sure on which level of dislike it remains... but I'm not sure that I want to.
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bhikkhu
Special Collaborator
Honorary Collaborator
Joined: April 06 2006
Location: A² Michigan
Status: Offline
Points: 5109
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Posted: February 06 2015 at 22:03 |
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Not a big fan of this one. I get bored very quickly.
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Raff
Special Collaborator
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Joined: July 29 2005
Location: None
Status: Offline
Points: 24392
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Posted: February 07 2015 at 06:12 |
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GFTO has always been one of my favourite Yes albums, mainly because of its well-balanced eclecticism and somewhat harder edge. Though it is not as subtle and sophisticated as CTTE, or potentially ground-breaking as Relayer, I have always felt it was the last truly great Yes album.
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Mascodagama
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Joined: December 30 2006
Location: United Kingdom
Status: Offline
Points: 5111
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Posted: February 07 2015 at 11:43 |
Not a fan of this record at all. Dislike: 1. Tasteless production job that cheapens the whole thing. 2. Pretty much all of the lyrics (I prefer Jon in "cryptic pretentious guff" mode to "clearly intelligible sick-making rubbish" mode). Some of the rhyming is laughably trite - "higher / fire", "hour / tower / power", really? And that's all from one song. 3. Some very nasty synth textures. Evidently Rick had a bunch of new toys to play with but it hasn't aged very well. 4. Some boring arena rock type drumming - where you get any drumming at all, which is too infrequently! And where the hell is Chris Squire's bass? There's just not enough rhythmic interest on most of this album. 5. Steve on the title track. Downhome rock'n'roll-stylee that I find unconvincing and a bit condescending. Doesn't really gel with the rest of the song. 6. Overall, too much "prettiness" to the composition and playing, not enough ingenuity and guts. Awaken is pretty good - except for the obligatory horrible synth moments and some twee twinkly chime contributions from Alan. And Parallels has some nice instrumental passages. That's about it. Please note that I do write as a Yes fan! I like the first two albums a lot, love albums three to five unconditionally, and find much of interest - even fascination - on numbers six and seven. But for me GFTO is where Yes jumped the shark. The first time they sounded like a knockoff band doing Yes-by-numbers.
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Star_Song_Age_Less
Forum Senior Member
Joined: December 08 2014
Location: MA
Status: Offline
Points: 367
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Posted: February 08 2015 at 01:15 |
It occurs to me that my screen name rather gives away my opinion on this one...  Awaken gentle mass touch!
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https://www.facebook.com/JamieKernMusic
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richardh
Prog Reviewer
Joined: February 18 2004
Location: United Kingdom
Status: Offline
Points: 26350
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Posted: February 08 2015 at 03:22 |
Mascodagama wrote:
Not a fan of this record at all. Dislike: 1. Tasteless production job that cheapens the whole thing. 2. Pretty much all of the lyrics (I prefer Jon in "cryptic pretentious guff" mode to "clearly intelligible sick-making rubbish" mode). Some of the rhyming is laughably trite - "higher / fire", "hour / tower / power", really? And that's all from one song. 3. Some very nasty synth textures. Evidently Rick had a bunch of new toys to play with but it hasn't aged very well. 4. Some boring arena rock type drumming - where you get any drumming at all, which is too infrequently! And where the hell is Chris Squire's bass? There's just not enough rhythmic interest on most of this album. 5. Steve on the title track. Downhome rock'n'roll-stylee that I find unconvincing and a bit condescending. Doesn't really gel with the rest of the song. 6. Overall, too much "prettiness" to the composition and playing, not enough ingenuity and guts. Awaken is pretty good - except for the obligatory horrible synth moments and some twee twinkly chime contributions from Alan. And Parallels has some nice instrumental passages. That's about it. Please note that I do write as a Yes fan! I like the first two albums a lot, love albums three to five unconditionally, and find much of interest - even fascination - on numbers six and seven. But for me GFTO is where Yes jumped the shark. The first time they sounded like a knockoff band doing Yes-by-numbers. |
Yes had stopped being 'progressive' and the point where Moraz left the band and Anderson then grovelled to Wakeman to get him back was that point. Yes self parody was beginning to kick in and I totally agree with the very last comment. It's still at a high musical level though. The excellent use of cathedral organ and Howe's playing on TOTC rescue it to some extent for me although its still a very 'cold' album for the most part thanks to that horrible production.
Edited by richardh - February 08 2015 at 03:24
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Svetonio
Forum Senior Member
Joined: September 20 2010
Location: Serbia
Status: Offline
Points: 10213
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Posted: February 08 2015 at 03:25 |
Raff wrote:
GFTO has always been one of my favourite Yes albums, mainly because of its well-balanced eclecticism and somewhat harder edge. Though it is not as subtle and sophisticated as CTTE, or potentially ground-breaking as Relayer, I have always felt it was the last truly great Yes album.
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Argonaught
Forum Senior Member
Joined: June 04 2012
Location: Virginia
Status: Offline
Points: 1413
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Posted: February 08 2015 at 06:03 |
Could never tune into GFTO. Couldn't say why exactly; perhaps by that time Anderson's voice had become too shrieky. There is something wrong with the cover art as well, at least it looks that way from where I sit :)
Also, I keep confusing GFTO with GTFO, or was it the other way around?
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Thank you, Fripp, for our daily Prog (Red 39:54)
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Meltdowner
Special Collaborator
Honorary Collaborator
Joined: June 25 2013
Location: Portugal
Status: Offline
Points: 10215
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Posted: February 08 2015 at 06:07 |
^ I always laugh when I see this album's abbreviation 
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Mascodagama
Collaborator
Honorary Collaborator
Joined: December 30 2006
Location: United Kingdom
Status: Offline
Points: 5111
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Posted: February 08 2015 at 06:35 |
richardh wrote:
Yes had stopped being 'progressive' and the point where Moraz left the band and Anderson then grovelled to Wakeman to get him back was that point. Yes self parody was beginning to kick in and I totally agree with the very last comment. It's still at a high musical level though. |
Indeed - I'd call this vintage of Yes the best Yes knockoff band around.
richardh wrote:
The excellent use of cathedral organ and Howe's playing on TOTC rescue it to some extent for me although its still a very 'cold' album for the most part thanks to that horrible production.
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To be fair there are lots of bits of playing from Steve on the record that, in isolation, I think are really good. Which makes the resulting mess all the more disappointing! In my alternate-world daydream: after Moraz leaves the band decide to continue as a quartet without keyboards (gasp! choke!) and release a double album of esoteric jazz-rock in the vein of the gnarliest parts of Relayer, with Steve and Chris using a shed load of effects pedals to compensate for the lack of synths. Fripp and McLaughlin contribute guest solos. Lyrics sung by Jon entirely in Tibetan so I don't have to be irrirated by them.
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Argonaught
Forum Senior Member
Joined: June 04 2012
Location: Virginia
Status: Offline
Points: 1413
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Posted: February 08 2015 at 07:12 |
Mascodagama wrote:
Lyrics sung by Jon entirely in Tibetan so I don't have to be irrirated by them. |
Eerie-rated, you mean? jk .. I agree. It seems like around the time of Siberian Khatru Anderson lost his sense of balance and started swinging his creative pendulum from platitudes to gobbledygook and back. Neither is appreciated by this PA member.
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Thank you, Fripp, for our daily Prog (Red 39:54)
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