GOING FOR THE ONE

This review was written because Going for the One is my most unloved album from early-middle period of Yes. But to my surprise it has high ratings on PA. I will try objectively explain my indignation. I apologize in advance for my bad English.

This album completely destroying Yes magic aura that had being all previously time in its first seconds. First composition beginning with rock-n-roll with the continuation variations on this theme. I think, that Yes originally was interesting because their music did not contain this kind of dance music. In addition, it was supplemented by uncountable number of simply formed repeats in the second part, which will be in abundance throughout the album. Following piece is quiet, slow and amorphous. There is nothing yours ears can cling on: random sounds of special effects without clear melody. «Parallels» is dynamic and sounds better in contrast, but no more. «Wonderous Stories» is just boring pop song.

At last there is main epic on this album where on awhile we hear the band YES, however this was not without appearing out of nowhere like sounds of sparkling stars (YES, are you seriously?) and other electronic garbage which begins to predominate over instrumental music. Then the listener is thrown into the swamp of incoherent and uninteresting music, completing all of this with pompous repeats.

Generally, this album can be characterized as permanent flow unconvincingly cheerful music with pseudo-exalted vocal parts and dominating of insipid and at the same time sugary mid-seventies synthesizers. Maybe it was an experiment, but definitely unsuccessful. Prevailing couplet-chorus structure with multiple repeats make impression willful lengthening of composition to reach long play format. Nearly total absence of interesting parts on the "natural" musical instruments, which, moreover, were drowned out by electronics, makes this album completely impersonal and not provoking interest. My score is 2/5 stars, very disappointing after the masterpiece album of 1974.