Your favorite aspect(s) of Awaken
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Topic: Your favorite aspect(s) of Awaken
Posted By: BrufordFreak
Subject: Your favorite aspect(s) of Awaken
Date Posted: December 07 2021 at 14:02
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Breaking down one of my favorite prog epics from the "classic" era. Steve Howe's solo in the third and fourth minutes has been giving me goosebumps for nearly 45 years. ------------- Drew Fisher https://progisaliveandwell.blogspot.com/ |
Replies:
Posted By: Man With Hat
Date Posted: December 07 2021 at 14:14
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The organ. ------------- Dig me...But don't...Bury me I'm running still, I shall until, one day, I hope that I'll arrive Warning: Listening to jazz excessively can cause a laxative effect. |
Posted By: Progosopher
Date Posted: December 07 2021 at 14:48
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I was tempted to vote for All of It, since this is one of my three favorite Yes songs, but decided that would go against the spirit of the poll (even as it is a valid choice). For me, the delicate central section is what distinguishes it more than any of the other sections, especially as it builds up to Anderson's "Master of Light" through the Howe/Wakeman segment. It is a masterpiece all the way through. ------------- The world of sound is certainly capable of infinite variety and, were our sense developed, of infinite extensions. -- George Santayana, "The Sense of Beauty" |
Posted By: Lewian
Date Posted: December 07 2021 at 15:13
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I'm not generally the biggest Yes fan, but Awaken is just great. I particularly love where the "descending riff" sets in and then the vocals there, oh the vocals! I also love how they use and variate the themes introduced earlier throughout the song, so that such a heterogeneous piece can still feel very organic. Voted for the vocal harmonies. |
Posted By: Heart of the Matter
Date Posted: December 07 2021 at 15:40
| I love the whole thing, but the piano intro in particular always blows my mind. |
Posted By: twosteves
Date Posted: December 07 2021 at 15:45
| I love the whole thing---its a masterpiece of prog---but the heavenly finish (the chords sometimes Moraz is given some credit for) is one hell of an orgasmic ending even by Yes' standards. |
Posted By: verslibre
Date Posted: December 07 2021 at 17:25
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All of it! "Awaken" is one of Yes' best epics, maybe my favorite. ------------- https://www.ebay.com/sch/i.html?_ipg=50&_sop=1&_rdc=1&_ssn=musicosm" rel="nofollow - eBay |
Posted By: richardh
Date Posted: December 07 2021 at 18:06
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Wakeman rules on this so I voted for the piano intro and organ play. Steve Howe's little guitar refrain at the end is also very special.
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Posted By: Heart of the Matter
Date Posted: December 07 2021 at 18:40
Absolutely! A good friend of mine loves that ending too. |
richardh wrote:Posted By: Manuel
Date Posted: December 07 2021 at 18:53
| The whole song is a marvelous piece of music. |
Posted By: iluvmarillion
Date Posted: December 07 2021 at 19:57
| Anderson's harp playing makes the song. |
Posted By: Dellinger
Date Posted: December 07 2021 at 20:18
| This time I had to go the easy way out and vote for all of it. Perhaps the most iconing part would have to be the organ in the middle, though. Also, I think this poll is missing the Alan's Xylophone part of the song. One last thing, about the piano intro, I really like that one so much better on Keys to Ascension, and I find it difficult to apreciate the original way it was played. |
Posted By: felonafan
Date Posted: December 08 2021 at 02:11
| all of it |
Posted By: Blacksword
Date Posted: December 08 2021 at 02:48
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I love the whole package. Awaken probably qualifies as my favourite all time Yes song. It's got everything in there. Wakeman's organ playing is incredible, as is Andersons vocal performance. The 'dreamy' excitement conveyed in the music is prog at it's best. Overall I think Yes sit just outside my top 5 prog bands of all time, but when they were good, they could be sublime, and Awaken is the epitome of Yes excellence. ------------- Ultimately bored by endless ecstasy! |
Posted By: BrufordFreak
Date Posted: December 08 2021 at 05:26
I wanted to put "tuned percussion" on the same line as "delicate … (Anderson's harp play)" but there wasn't enough room! ------------- Drew Fisher https://progisaliveandwell.blogspot.com/ |
Posted By: suitkees
Date Posted: December 08 2021 at 05:49
So do I! It works all very well together and I just don't want to single out one aspect... ------------- The razamataz is a pain in the bum |
Posted By: Hercules
Date Posted: December 08 2021 at 06:01
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I haven't listened to Awaken for ages, so I gave it a play to see if I was missing something. No - I still think that, overall, it's a pretentious, disjointed mess with a few nice sections. I've gone off Yes a lot recently. I can't stand Anderson's vocals and, whilst I agree Howe is a very talented guitarist, I don't like his style of playing and particularly his guitar tone. I only ever listen to The Yes Album, Relayer (their best album), side one of CTTE (which IS a masterpiece) and bits of Fragile now. The rest of Yes I can live without. ------------- A TVR is not a car. It's a way of life. |
Posted By: I prophesy disaster
Date Posted: December 08 2021 at 07:18
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Definitely "Howe's solo 2:49-3:56 (w/White's awesome drum play beneath)". That section gives me goosebumps. ------------- No, I know how to behave in the restaurant now, I don't tear at the meat with my hands. If I've become a man of the world somehow, that's not necessarily to say I'm a worldly man. |
Posted By: Mormegil
Date Posted: December 08 2021 at 07:27
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All of it! ------------- Welcome to the middle of the film. |
Posted By: Syzygy
Date Posted: December 08 2021 at 07:50
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The whole thing. It's the last great long form song by Yes, and I was lucky enough to see them perform it on the GFTO tour back in the mists of time. I also like the live version on Keys to Ascension, which is a couple of minutes longer; there are no radical changes from the studio version, but it feels more complete somehow. ------------- 'Like so many of you I've got my doubts about how much to contribute to the already rich among us...' Robert Wyatt, Gloria Gloom |
Posted By: chopper
Date Posted: December 08 2021 at 09:08
| If I had to pick one bit it's everything from "Master of images, songs cast a light on you" onwards. |
Posted By: Progfan1958
Date Posted: December 08 2021 at 09:43
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The entire piece. It's quite a masterful construction, and IMHO Yes's finest single piece of music. Every segment fits together perfectly, and the playing is superb. Going For The One may not be my favourite Yes album, but Awaken tops the bill among all of their long-form songs. ------------- Progfan1958 "Peace to you all" "La paix est avec vous" "Pax vobiscum" "Al salaam a'alaykum" "Vrede zij met u allen" "Shalom aleichem" |
Posted By: BrufordFreak
Date Posted: December 08 2021 at 11:19
Agreed on all counts! ------------- Drew Fisher https://progisaliveandwell.blogspot.com/ |
Posted By: CosmicVibration
Date Posted: December 08 2021 at 11:40
| The entire piece... However, i go back and forth on Howe's little guitar piece at the very end. Not sure if it belongs there or not (for my personal experience). When i sit down and listen Awaken, it puts me in a magical trance, especially the ending, it's just beautiful. Then Howe breaks the trance and brings me back to physical reality. I think i'd prefer the enchantment to gradually dissipate on it's own. |
Posted By: lazland
Date Posted: December 08 2021 at 13:01
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Wakeman’s organ…….oo’er missus!
------------- Enhance your life. Get down to www.lazland.org |
Posted By: Cristi
Date Posted: December 08 2021 at 13:02
| all of it |
Posted By: JD
Date Posted: December 08 2021 at 15:36
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The TOTALITY of it all ! After all, a chocolate chip cookie doesn't taste very good when the ingredients are eaten one at a time. ------------- Thank you for supporting independently produced music |
Posted By: VianaProghead
Date Posted: December 08 2021 at 16:48
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All of it, really. ------------- "PROG IS MY FERRARI". Jem Godfrey (Frost*) |
Posted By: BrufordFreak
Date Posted: December 09 2021 at 05:22
I get your point and often thought the same back in the 70s. But, I guess I've come to accept it.… If I never came out of the dreamstate that it lulled me into, I might have flunked all of my college classes.  ------------- Drew Fisher https://progisaliveandwell.blogspot.com/ |
Posted By: BrufordFreak
Date Posted: December 09 2021 at 05:24
  ------------- Drew Fisher https://progisaliveandwell.blogspot.com/ |
Posted By: miamiscot
Date Posted: December 09 2021 at 07:35
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The most overrated song in the Yes canon. It's good but... ------------- The Prog Corner |
Posted By: Dellinger
Date Posted: December 09 2021 at 22:59
The piano intro is so much better on Keys to Ascension. Though the real organ in the middle section gives that one a nice special touch missing in the live versions (even if the added minutes on that section improve it on the atmospheric aspect). |