GOING FOR THE ONE

Yes was going for the one, but did they reach it? Following a brief hiatus, Yes was reformed in 1977 for their next album, Going For The One. The band's lineup of Jon Anderson on vocals, Steve Howe on guitars, Chris Squire on bass, and Alan White on drums remained consistent apart from the keyboard wizard himself, Rick Wakeman, merging back in the fold. Therefore, making Patrick Maraz only appear on one Yes studio album. Despite this, he remains one of my favorite keyboard players the band ever picked up. When compared to their previous few albums, Going for the One presents shorter and more direct songs (despite one in particular) and are not nearly as complex or challenging when compared to what had come before. In addition, Yes started to record with new engineering personnel. Since 1970, they had worked with audio engineer and producer Eddy Offord, who also mixed the band's live sound in concert. He was replaced by recording engineer John Timperley, who was assisted by David Richards. Furthermore, It was the first time a Yes album was exclusively produced by the band.

The album begins with the title track, Going For The One which is the "rocker" of the album. Steve Howe's guitar is all over this track, and all over the album in fact. His playing is perfect for this album, it created background texture when needed but also jumps to the forefront when needed. Steve Howe played a steel guitar for the entire song, which was a first for him when recording with Yes. Some years later, he viewed the track as "a dynamic piece of music" that was underrated and an underplayed song of the band's repertoire. The next song, Turn of the Century is an incredibly beautiful piece written by Jon Anderson, Steve Howe, and Alan White. The song tells the story of Roan, a sculptor whose wife dies in the winter and, while in grief of her death, carves a statue of her and she is brought back to life. It is actually my second favorite track found on the album, it still gives me chills to this day. Parallels is the third track on the album and is the weakest in my opinion. The organ is a delicate instrument that requires restraint when playing, however, this track doesn't show any restraint. It continues the same organ riff through most of the song becoming somewhat repetitive. It is organ filled, which can be seen as both a positive and a negative. Nevertheless, Rick Wakeman's talents are on full display yet again as plays the church organ with ease and unquestionable skill.

After flipping the real or metaphorical vinyl, the listener is introduced to Wonderous Stories. This was a hit for the band, reaching #1 in the charts. However, it isn't a pop song by any means which I was surprised to find when listening to the song for the first time. This is a fantastic song on the album containing a truly whimsical yet beautiful chorus. If you are interested in taking a trip back to 1976, feel free to watch the truly interesting music video for Wonderous Stories! Lastly, we are greeted the one of the best songs ever written in all of music, Awaken. What can I say about this song that hasn't already been said? It combines a grand-blistering tempo with quiet yet beautiful segments to create a piece of music that transcends music itself. It is on par with any of the epics that came before it such as Close to the Edge and Gates of Delirium. Truly a masterpiece!

Overall, Going For The One was able to hit The One in literal terms with the single of Wonderous Stories and with the music found throughout. I believe it can be considered to be an excellent album. Some tracks found on the first side of the album hold it back slightly from reaching the title of masterpiece. Nevertheless, it is truly an exceptional album that should be sought out just for the brilliance found within the track Awaken if for nothing else. Highly recommended! "Master of time, setting sail over all of our lands. And as we look forever closer shall we now bid farewell, farewell!"

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