GOING FOR THE ONE

After Relayer, what kind of album can you make? Well, Yes made a very good album called going for the one one, which is also the most underated album on this site. After Relayer the band decided to tale a year off and concentrate on solo projects, which led to the some people discovering hidden talents that they were not able to tap on inside the band. Chris Squire found that he could wright a descent song or two, and Alan found out that in order to become a bad drummer, dont do any fills, which he proceeds to do on this album and the rest until the nineties. Songs like Awaken, and Turn of the century are some of the best songs classic Yes has to offer, but are unlike any other song Yes has done before that, which means something must have happened.

The music of this album still retains the typical Yes vibe, very lush keyboards, no overly overdone guitars, and Jon Andersons amazing flowing voice. On the title song though, the music is much more overtly rock and roll, but still very Yes like with a slide guitar as the lead instrument. With these changes though, there are some set backs. The lyrics are much more straight forward, which I do not like very much, I actually like it when Anderson is singing the weird spacey stuff that makes no sense, because you know it has to mean something, you just cant tell though, but on this album everything is very direct, lacking that mystery that always shrouded itself around Yes. Otherwise, the whole album is great, except parralells, the song is weird lyrically, and musicaly not much better. The best track on this album is obviously Awaken.

Awaken is what Jon Anderson says is the best single song that Yes ever put out, and I think it's up there with Close to the edge and the gates of delirium as well. Why? Because it's just so different from anything your ears have ever heard, and it also holds the weird and amazing lyrics that I have already bragged about. With the awesome piano intro to the crazy "awaken gentle mass touch" part and arguably Howe's greatest solo to ever be recorded with Yes. Even the strange percussion part after the workings of man section is awesomely mystical, and I cant get enough of it. But it's the last part that really brings me to my knees, with Jon Anderson just wailing his heart out to just a very soft keyboard patch, I dont care what anybody says about Jon, he is the greates pog singer ever!

After Going for the one, Yes would go on to make make the pretty good Tormato, then backstab themselves with Drama.As for this album, it spelt the begginning of the end of the classic Yes period. This album will always be very special to me as all Yes albums from the Yes album to Tormato. Anyone who is a true Yes fan will love this album, and I cant say you are a major Yes fan if you havent heard it yet anyways. Overall impression...

4****