GOING FOR THE ONE

Finally Yes relented and produced an easier album with Wakeman back. The production is below par, the drums coming across as particularly murky. However, the album is saved by one of yes's best ever works: Awaken. This is the track that makes your hairs stand on end as it approaches its climax.

The great thing about Yes is that each of their classic releases is bound to be your favorite at one point or another. Going For The One sneaks in on the tail of their most daring and challenging albums only to reveal itself as a spotless, shimmering gem. Following the more instrumentally leaning Relayer, this album abounds with shining vocals and gorgeously spaced-out harmonies, amidst some of the band's most breathtaking atmospheres of gentle beauty ("Turn Of The Century") as well as the requisite guitar-laced madness ("Parallels"). The real kicker, though, is "Awaken", which is the most tapped-in, trance-inducing music Yes ever made, and which despite all odds is unquestionably on par with the scary heights of the previous two albums. The band sounds positively possessed as they rip through one of their finest vocal and instrumental deliveries, and I couldn't imagine a more intense 15 musical minutes. With all this, Going For The One is one of Yes' true best albums, and should never be overlooked in favor of the standard fare -- and oh, Rick is back? If that matters to you, all the more reason to be excited.

From the opening awesome, and highly recognizable Steve Howe slide work "Going for the One" grabs the listenerand takes them on a musical voyage as only Yes can do. Chris Squires "Parallels" is as rockin as Yes can be; and it's great....as for "Wonderous Stories" and "Turn of the Century" both are charming songs with the epic "Awaken" another all time classic ten minute plus classic prog tune...buy the remastered version that has some studio outakes as well and make this the best release 2003 rhino/electra

Not reaching for anything

The return of the son of the ghost of Wakeman in an album that strikes immediately with its very different Hipgnosis triple gatefold artwork sleeve, even if many insecure male teenagers (and older progheads) loathed (and still loathe) Anderson's naked buttocks, forgetting the impressive rest of the sleeve. Actually the inner gatefold is just as cool, a shot of the Lake Leman (Geneva). Recorded on that Swiss lakeshore, but strangely enough, their Swiss team-mate had flown the coop.

When younger, I actually found many qualities to GFTO, even if I always disliked that wanker tune Wonderous Stories, but I did quite like the title track back then. But today I find Jon's voice and Steve's guitar parts insufferably painful to my eardrums and my brain lobes. The only track outside the awesome Awaken epic that I can still appreciate (dare I say stand?) a bit on the present album is Turn of The Century, even if it is hardly flawless or riveting you to your seat. Sooooo, I mostly find myself patiently (painfully?) waiting for the closing track as the rest bores me , but what a track Awaken makes. My fave track in almost two decades to come and their last excellent "epic" until the Mind Drive track on Keys to Ascension 2. The middle part with the delicate bells is simply stunning as Wakeman sends in church organ lines that drives shivers down my spine. The rest of the album just fades away in my memory, so that says it all.

I find that this album is all too often highly rated by the fans (despite its buttocks artwork), but personally I beg to differ, finding the triple gatefold rather nice, but its contents very average outside the splendid Awaken. Soooooo, by some kind of miracle, I still have my vinyl copy, but I don't think I'll ever upgrade it either

"Close To The Edge", "Fragile" or "Tales From Topographic Oceans" were better records, but "Going For The One" includes the best song of Yes ever recorded, and that's "Awaken"! A superb and brilliant masterpiece with great keys of Rick Wakeman and the angel-voice of Jon Anderson made this one to something very special. Only for "Awaken" I must give a 'Highly Recommended' ! But all other songs are also very good, as ever on an Yes-album of the 70's !

This is undeniably one of the great Yes albums. The title track is nothing less than exhilarating, TURN OF THE CENTURY is beautifully played and highly emotional, PARALLELS is classical music in a head-on collision with power rock, WONDEROUS (mis-spelt) STORIES is concise and uplifting, and AWAKEN is one of the greatest, most moving, most cathartic Yes tracks ever committed to disc. In short, there are no weak links on this album - it all comes together magnificently, and the ensemble playing by the five superb musicians is quite simply brilliant. Steve Howe's guitar work is immaculate; Chris Squire's bass playing is, as ever, masterful; Jon Anderson's vocals are perfect; Rick Wakeman's keyboard work is exemplary; and the brilliant Alan White's percussion is terrific, whether restrained or outspoken. Excellent stuff.

Almost perfect, except on a few spare weak moments, regarding of the splendid "Awaken" (great job by Rick WAKEMAN at the Cathedral Organ!!), perhaps the best one, along with the creative title track ... but also the ballad "Wonderous stories"; instead "Turn of the Century" is a bit tired in some circumstances. It never minds, this melodic work by YES is essential, especially within their important discography.

Like "Close To The Edge", this album is a complete journey, to space, to heaven, to your imagination, or wherever you wanna be... Anderson most beatuiful singing is in this album, and another guy that really rules on this work is Rick Wakeman, every song, including the title track has his trademark, something that would repeat in Tormato album...Wonderous Stories and Turn of The Century are songs that really prove what I said before. One of thier best, maybe with less recongnition, or overlooked, if you prefer, but a classic and one of the most inspired albums made by YES.

Rick WAKEMAN comes back here! "Going for the One" is the first YES album made of more modern keyboards: the result is fantastic! The sound is really echoed and refined. There are many floating moments. Some tracks are OUTSTANDING, like "Awaken", "Wonderous Stories" and "Turn of the Century". Unfortunately, the 2 remaining tracks, "Going for the One" and "Parallel", are less good: they are more basically rythmic, having a serious lack of progressive elements, and the vocals arrangements do not pass the test: those tracks are not catchy enough.

"Awaken" is the main reason to like this record: a long, complex & progressive track, full of excellent keyboards, like WAKEMAN's famous church organ. Wonderous stories is short, but how catchy and addictive! "Turn of the Century" is absolutely OUTSTANDING, full of crystal clear lead vocals, melodic acoustic guitars and ethereal floating keyboards: delightful!

My rating: 4.5/5

My first Yes LP, apart from those which I had in pirated CD format. (Actually I had had the first album and Classic Yes as second hand CD's) Thanks to the British Council library here in Istanbul, I had the opportunity to listen to 3 songs (title track, Wonderous stories [which also was included in Classic Yes] and the most appraised Awaken) in Yesyears box set. Yeah, before listening to the remaining 2 songs I was also stuck on awaken.. But friends, don't you all think you are a little bit "overestimating" that song? I do agree it's a Yes classic (though I don't think it is "the" yes song, it might be something else...) but there are other gems in this album as well... I challenge you to give your ears a bit on Parallels... And IMHO Turn of the Century is one of the best slows Yes had ever produced... As for the remaining two tracks, I agree a little bit with those who did not give ***** for this album. They stand a little weak in front of Parallels and Awaken (though sometimes I can enjoy Wonderous stories.. sorry for the title track! it annoys me!), but I don't think this will degrade the album overall... Man, how many albums can you count (prog or non-prog) that you listen from the begining to the end without getting bored in some moments!?!? Even the best compilation albums have flaws... Anyway, thank goodness nobody thought of giving ** or *! My alltime Yes favorite. (By the way, I have all of Yes' studio efforts in MP3 format, and most of their live and unreleased material. Yes is among my top 5, and I won't give less than *** even for their worst album!)

Following a hiatus during which every member of the band released solo records, YES regrouped with keyboardist RICK WAKEMAN and released the fan favorite, "Going For The One". Although noisy at times, the record is a return to writing magical prog rock that mixes the members' individual contributions to best effect. The album featured two singles, the enthusiastic title track showcasing the uncontainable STEVE HOVE and "Wonderous Stories", an acoustic song that recalls JON ANDERSON's Olias of Sunhillow. Although both "Tales From Topographic Oceans" and "Relayer"had their moments, "Going For The One" consistently recalls the magic and majesty of their best work. The epic "Awaken", for example, belongs on a par with "Fragile"'s "South of the Sky", while "Wonderous Stories" hits the same high points as "And You and I." The record is hampered by chaotic production, notably burying RICK WAKEMAN's contributions on the opening ""Going For The One"", but it benefits from a brilliance of sound aided by ALAN WHITE, whose percussion on the spellbinding "Turn of the Century" is indicative of his lighter touch this time around. And for those who question the paternity of "Drama", CHRIS SQUIRE's "Parallels" serves as a clear precedent.

While "Going For The One" is a return to form in many ways, it also marks a shift from multi- part epics toward more concise, punchy progressive rock. Subsequent albums would contain individual moments of magic, but none would again match this mix of great music and deep mysticism.

Moraz out and Wakeman back in and so the Yes saga trundles on. This represents the last great high that Yes achieved.Five well crafted peices with the jewel 'Awaken' most foremost.Everything you could ever want in a prog track is here.Ethereal and haunting lyrics.Powerfull playing from White and Squire that drives the music into hyper space while Howe and Wakeman do their virtuoso 'thing'.No bad tracks.5 stars easy peasy!

"So I'm thinking should I go and write a punch line? But they're so hard to find in my cosmic mind"

One of Wakeman's many returns to the fold produced this excellent collection of wondrous Yes tracks.

The music throughout is beefy with an almost Phil Spector type wall of sound on "Going for the one" and "Parallels". The title track was something of a change for Yes, being overtly commercial (perhaps with the singles market in mind), and bearing a fine repetitive hook. "Parallels" is a heavy organ driven number, with echoes of Vanilla Fudge or even Uriah Heep. It is interesting to hear on the extended remastered CD, how this track developed from Chris Squire's apparently tuneless demo, to the full blown masterpiece on the album.

There's also a greater than usual leaning towards softer acoustic sounds with "Turn of the century" and "Wonderous stories" basking the listener in washes of smooth, at times almost folk like music. Once again, these tracks are more commercial than much of Yes' pervious work, reflecting the atmosphere of the period and record companies demands for product which was likely to appeal to a wider audience.

The masterpiece track is "Awaken", a very appropriate title in many ways as it's been something of a sleeper over the years. The song has only in comparatively recent times received due recognition as one of Yes' finest ever pieces. Wakeman is very much to the fore on this track, not so much in the form of overt soloing, more in creating an atmosphere upon which the rest of the band build intertwining layers. The piece moves from fragile beauty through eloquent, at times almost ambient, phases to awesome majestic power. The final climb to the crescendo is quite overwhelming, and when played live invariably causes the audience to rise as one, as if uplifted from their seats by an unseen power, before being gently lowered back to earth by the ethereal ending.

"Going for the One" represented a major step forward for Yes, as they developed a more mature yet accessible sound, while retaining their ability to compose "classical" music.

Have to give this album 5 stars because it was my very 1st intro to the strange world of prog at a time when i was listening to new wave/pop. I can understand those who prefer the earlier Yes albums but this will always be my favourite. Rock out Steve, er, man, on the title track. "Turn of the Century" is surely one of the most moving songs ever - & u can even understand the lyrics! If you have tears, prepare to shed them now. [BTW if u r fan there's an excellent live version on Keys to Ascension dvd.] Check out the raw power of "Parallels" (nice one, Chris) which proves better than ELP ever could that the organ IS rock'n'roll. "Wonderous" a delightful little ditty from Mr.A. & of course a surprise pop hit, introducing many die hards (such as YT) to the band. Brilliant musicianship, of course; fantastic sounds & superb production as band take full control. But, can they pull off the coup de grace with an epic finale? Well, in the words of Marti di Bergi "enough of my yackin'". Buy it!!

I remember the expectation I had when my parents went to USA in 1977, they were going to bring me the first Yes album released since I was a prog fan and with the extra bonus of the return of Rick Wakeman, one of my idols. I spent the next two weeks counting the hours to receive my LP, until the "D" day came.

After a first listen I was absolutely disappointed (that's why I call it the "D" day), it sounded too light, the keyboards weren't as powerful as the ones Rick used in the previous albums but even worst Jon's voice was more acute and annoying than ever...... not even a Roger Dean's art cover. The result was that I hated "Going for the One" for the next 26 years, even when I gave the album a few more listens, my opinion wouldn't change until this year.

A few weeks ago and only to complete the upgrade of my Yes collection, bought the CD. Sincerely I don't love it yet (and I'm sure will never be among my favorites), but it sounds much more better than two decades ago, especially when compared with 90125 or Big Generator.

Still sounds as a light version of Yes but must accept some songs are pretty interesting even though IMHO it has a only one masterpiece and another very good track mixed with one cute tune, a mediocre rock song and a hit single.

The album starts with the title song which sounds as an attempt of the members to begin the album with a powerful song, but I don't believe they achieved what they pretended. It's true that Going for the One has many changes and strong guitar by Steve but that isn't enough to make a great track, lacks of the magic Yes had in their previous albums and the keyboards sound terrible. Only a mediocre rock track with almost no trace of Progressive Rock.

"Turn of the Century" is a pretty ballad ideal for Steve's acoustic guitar and Jon's voice, it's precisely the cute song I mentioned before but nothing more, 8.58 minutes is too much ends boring me after the fourth minute or so, the middle section keyboards and piano are pretty decent, much better than in the previous track, but again not enough.

"Parallels" is the first song that reminds me of the earlier Yes, Rick sounds almost as good as he used to and the guitar has that classic sound that was one of Yes trademarks. Also important to mention that before this track Chris Squire's bass was almost unnoticed as if he was in the lineup only to make his classic backing vocals. At last a very good song.

"Wonderous Stories" is another cute ballad, if you compare Yes Career with Genesis, this track would be the "Your Own Special Way" inside Going for the one, their first real hit single since Roundabout (without the class of the first one) but absolutely nothing else, Rick keyboards sound cheesier than ever and Jon's voice is too sweat for my taste.

The band reserved the best track to close the album (just before the listener falls asleep), comes a 15 minutes epic that deserves to be in a better album, at last Chris shows us what he's capable of, Jon doesn't sound too acute, percussion is precise, Steve is really great and Rick sounds very close to what he did in Criminal Record (well, both were released the same year). The middle section is simply perfect after the almost Baroque keyboards, Jon's voice melts gently, extremely beautiful touch with the soft bells and the spectacular keyboards solo. By large the best of the album and probably the last masterpiece Yes ever released.

How can I rate this album if I really love Awaken and find Parallels very good, but the rest of the album works as a sleeping pill? Well I'll have to give "Going for the One" three stars because the only essential track is the 15 minutes epic but if it wasn't for Awaken, I wouldn't rate this album with more than one star.

"Yes" and "Fragile" were the first albums that I have listened from Yes in the early seventies. Their first album was briefly in my house because it was lent by some friend to one of my brothers. "Fragile" was played almost endlessly by my brothers, so I was tired of it. But in 1976 I heard "Relayer" which was better than "Fragile", and in late 1977 I heard "Going for the One", which I bought in 1978. I took me some years to really like "Going for the One" but in the end it became my favourite Yes`album. So, I consider it Yes`best album, the peak of their work. The song "Going for the one" has very good keyboards by Rick Wakeman. Chris Squire and Alan White play the structure of the song, while Steve Howe and Rick Wakeman play melodies. "Turn of the Century" has a very complicated acoustic guitar part (which a bit of it can be seen in the video "Yesyears" while Steve Howe was playing it in the studio). Rick Wakeman`s keyboards in this song make atmospheres, with also a very good piano arrangement. Alan White plays tuned percussion, which also contributed to the atmospheres with the keyboards. "Parallels" has a very good bass part played along with the drums like a metronome. Howe plays two lead guitars in this song. Wakeman plays a Church organ, even doing a solo in this instrument."Wonderous Stories" has fantasy,created by the keyboards and the vachalia and the percussion instruments."Awaken" is Yes` best song, in my opinion. Again, great atmospheres, very good keyboards by Wakeman, powerful drums and percussion by White, powerful bass by Squire, inspired guitars by Howe, and very good lead vocals and harp by Anderson. I really like the recording and mixing of this album,which I better heard in the remastered version from 1994. The new remastering with bonus tracks should be better (I still don`t have it).

Update (August 27th, 2007): I finally bought the Rhino Remastered version of the album which includes the Bonus Tracks. I can say that this is the best version of this album released on CD, mostly for the quality of the sound of the tracks and also for the booklet design and new booklet notes written by Tim Jones. From the Bonus Tracks, the best are "Vevey (Revisited)" (which is not the same as the tracks released with the same name in the "Yesyears" Box Set, as the new booklet notes say), "Montreux Theme" (previously released in "Yesyears"), "Amazing Grace" (also previously released in "Yesyears") and "Eastern Number (Early Version of "Awaken"). The other bonus tracks are not so good, being rehearsals of the songs "Going for the One" (played only by Howe, White and Squire), "Parallels" (without the Church Organ parts and arranged in a different way and mostly sung by Squire) and "Turn of the Century" (also played with a different arrangement, with electric guitar, drums, bass and a bit of keyboards). In all the rehearsals tracks and in "Eastern Nurmbers" Anderson and Squire sound like still to be looking for the right lyrics for the songs. I think that The Beatles`"Anthology " CDs started this new trend to release rehearsals tracks and alternate versions of songs on albums, so other bands are doing the same since then.The rehearsals tracks are important only to hear how a song was developed and arranged in the studio, but they are nothing more than that, in my opinion.

Quite simply Going For The One marked the pinnacle for Yes. This is without doubt their finest 45 minutes. Following hard on the heels of the richly woven Relayer album, Wakeman returned for this masterpiece which was recorded in Montreaux, Switzerland. There is not a dull moment on GFTO. The balance between hard rock and mellow numbers as in ' Wondrous Stories' is perfect. ' Turn Of The Century' is one of the most nostalgic pieces ever written by Yes and ' Awaken' still evokes the finest of progressive rock and more. It was never going to be the same after this release and to prove it no future albums could match it. There were some great follow up albums but this 1977 classic will astound for many more centuries to come.Bow to the masters!!

When the music press announced that Rick WAKEMAN returned to YES in '76, I was delighted, what a pleasant surprise! 'Could YES handle the very high expectations?' was the ultimate question in those days. Well, very positive!! That was the clear answer after the release of the new album "Going For The One" in '77 and my keyboard hero WAKEMAN, 'the caped crusader', sounded as reborn. His play was so sparkling, varied and inspired on his Grand piano (great intro on the 'magnum opus' "Awaken"), Minimoogs, Hammond organ and the Swiss church organ in the bombastic "Parallels". Mighty close to WAKEMAN's 'number one role' on this album came Steve HOWE with his exciting steel guitar play on the title track, the beautiful and warm acoustic guitars on "Turn Of The Century" and "Wonderous Stories" and all those moving and compelling runs on his wide range of electric guitars in "Parallels" and "Awaken" (the best track since "Close To The Edge"). The rhythm-section Chris SQUIRE and Alan WHITE was superb and singer Jon ANDERSON his contribution reached a very high level though his high-pitched vocals didn't please everybody. I'm eagerly waiting for a DVD release from the "Going For The One tour" so I can enjoy Chris SQUIRE with his amazing triple-neck, Steve HOWE with his 'guitar-museum' and Rick WAKEMAN with his keyboards collection, placed on three levels! YES, it was the era that 'symphonic rock dinosaurs' ruled, .... a few years before their extinction.

The return of Rick Wakeman... and a disappointment too. This follow up to the amazing relayer is terrible. Yes have gone from produced well structured progressive, built up, multi layered and experimental expansive pieces to these songs which sound rushed, out of place and thrown together with little thought. The guitar, synth and keyboards sound so harsh. Its as if everyone is trying to play their pieces and once and it sounds like a huge melee of squeling instruments. The vocals are dull, squeaky and repetitive. The emotion in jons voice sounds fake and uninspired here.

The wild guitar intro to going for the one is a disgraceful and it sounds like a mess. The repetitive lyrics really get on my nerves and this 5 minute piece was hardly progressive at all. "Turn of the Century" had some ok acoustic guitar work and sounded a lot calmer. The lyrics and vocals were ok. I think it was unneccesarily long and didn't seem to go anywhere but was one of the more tolerable songs on this album. "Parrallels" sounded like classic yes that i am used to at times but mostly sounded like another mass slaughter of instruments like on the first track.

Side two was more promising with "Wonderous Stories" but i still wasn't impressed. the last few minutes of Awaken were ok yet it had a pretty uninspiring climax. Yes really started to lose their way during and after this album and it is a real shame that they couldn't produce anything good after Relayer. Luckily "The Yes Album", "Fragile", "Close to the Edge", "Tales from Topographic Oceans" and "Relayer" are masterpieces of prog and landmark Yes as one of the greatest prog bands of all time. "Going for the One", however is a disasterpiece.

This album remarks the return of keyboard maestro Rick Wakeman to the band and reformed one of the finest line-up of Yes. For my personal taste, this is really an excellent album that demonstrates excellent quality of Yes music in terms of songwriting, composition, musicianship, and production. In terms of moods, there are rocking tracks like "Going For The One" and "Parallels" (which later would become an opening track of Yes live replacing the long standing Yes classic opening tune for live act "Siberian Khatru"). It also has classical influence track in the vein of "And You And I" (of "Close To The Edge" album), i.e. "Turn of The Century" and "Wonderous Stories".

Without any intention to demean the quality of other four tracks that, in my view, all of them are wonderful, my all-time favorite track of this album is definitely "Awaken". Yeah man . this is a superb track combining a catchy melody, tight composition with flawless delivery. My ultimate enjoyment happens exactly on segment where Rick plays his solo accompanied by Jon's triangle work. Oh man . this segment is definitely killing!!! The music flows like magic from start (great piano and powerful voice line) to end of track. And, this track is best to conclude this wonderfully crafted album!!!

My overall rating: 4.5 out of 5. Highly recommended!! [In 2003, I purchased RHINO's re-mastered and expanded version of this album that has 7 bonus tracks. Almost all bonus tracks are not worth listening. The only good thing is the sleeve note by Tim Jones and band's photographs]. --

Open Invitation for Yes to Perform "YES for Tsunami in Indonesia"

Dear Jon, Rick, Chris, Alan, and Steve:

One year has passed since you (or Yes management - it does not really matter who) "cancelled" your gig in Jakarta as part of your Asia Second Leg Tour sometime in September 2003. I did purchase the ticket at front row with other 7 colleagues of mine. For me personally it was kind like dream came through and I did prepare a long banner (10 meter) marked with "29 Years in Waiting ." to be shown during your gig in Tennis Indoor Senayan. But, I (and also Yesmania in Indonesia) were very disappointed that you did not make our dream came true due to unrealistic "travel warning" that you care more than our starving to see your band live in my country. Why unrealistic? Because many other foreign bands did successful shows in Indonesia like DEEP PURPLE (3 times already), TOTO (three times), RICK WAKEMAN, AIR SUPPLY, WHITE LION, SCORPIONS, MEGADETH, HELLOWEEN, LINKIN' PARK and many more pop acts "despite" the travel warning. Even, Scorpions did their gigs in many cities of Indonesia around the time when the bomb issues were floating around my country. [Even though finally I attended your gig in Singapore 25 Sept 2003 and had a short chat with Jon before the show, but I still want to see you "live" in Indonesia].

Now, it's time for YES to perform in Indonesia doing the live aid (or whatever you call it), at least for the people of Banda Aceh and North Sumatra and other countries. You will just do fine to perform here, don't worry. Ask Rick Wakeman who did a wonderful show in February 2002. Rick even agreed to meet us, the Indonesian Progressive Society, got together with us in his hotel. He played his piano while we got together one day after the show. What a memorable event!

It's a perfect time now for Yes (and other progheads) to do a live performance in Indonesia. You might collaborate with other progheads such as Dream Theater, The Flower Kings, Marillion, Arena, Spock's Beard, Neal Morse, etc. and make a "Prog for Humanity" show, down here in Indonesia. Okay? How prog are you man??? And . I'll be your roundabout! We love you .. Jreng!

Progressively Yours,

GW, Indonesia.

Keep on progging!

Going For The One marked the return of Rick Wakeman to Yes and a mixture of the prog- rock and pop that prevailed on albums like Fragile. There was a different mindset at work here since the previous release Relayer. The open-ended fusion of pop meets prog-rock was the direction they decided to travel along with a totally out of character album cover. It seemed to mark the modernized sound and image of the band.

While the album originally had only five tracks, this release sports six bonus tracks. The run times were typical of Yes compositions regardless of what direction the music was taking. "Wonderous Stories" was a top-ten hit and "Awaken" came in at a stunning 15:38 making it another classic Yes tour de force.

The bonus tracks are a different matter entirely. I was very disappointed in them. With the exception of "Eastern Numbers (Early Version of 'Awaken')," they certainly all fit the bill of rehearsals and I suppose that needs to be taken into account. The three previous remastered albums offered superlative previously unissued cuts and a wide variety of the studio run through tracks, which spoiled me. Well I guess you cannot have your cake and eat it to all the time. Nevertheless, this is yet another remastered Yes classic worth adding to your collection. After all, what album was not?

Yes' comeback album saw Wakeman back into the fold (although during the recording sessions he was officially just a supporting guest): with White solidly established as the basic nucleus of the band's rhythm section, the set was prepared for a new catalogue of energetic symphonic prog numbers. Indeed, the new repertoire feels much more fresh and exciting after the extreme density that had been delivered in their two previous studio efforts "Tales" and "Relayer". This sense of renewed excitement is clearly expressed in the opening title track and the third one, 'Parallels'. The former is an uplifting rocker, featuring Howe's amazing travels in a steel guitar roller coaster; the latter is a funky-based rocker, where Wakeman's pipe organ flows naturally over the dynamically driven rhythm section, in perfect complementation with Howe's guitar expanding leads. On the other side of things, Yes shows the listener that they can also return to the classic and/or folk inspired moments of serenity and introspectiveness with that typical touch of distinction we missed since the late 71-early 73 era. 'Turn of the Century' is a most beautiful, compelling piece, where Howe's acoustic and electric guitar parts find a perfect counterpart in Wakeman's keyboard orchestrations and piano phrases, while Squire acts as a solid partner and White's varied percussions enhance the orchestral feel founded by Wakeman; meanwhile, Anderson sings a tale of love overcoming death and sanity as if he were possessed by the goddess of love and the muses and taken to a state of deep emotional elation toward a realm that lies beyond human understanding. Irresistible! Later on, another tale comes, this time about a story teller precisely: 'Wondrous Stories' is a showcase of how a simple Anderson written musical idea can be turned into a progressive wonder when Howe's vacchalia, Wakeman's Poly Moog layers, and the skilled rhythm duet add their talents to the final arrangements. But the album's apex is the awesome 'Awaken', a musical mystic tour designed to leave the listener moved beyond words. Many yes and prog rock fans regard this piece as the most brilliant in yes' entire repertoire, and arguably they might be absolutely right. This 15+ minute suite is a real treat for our stream of consciousness: the lyrics and successive musical motifs help to ordain and integrate it under a challenging frame, and also help to release it for a free conquest of new ideas and emotions. Not only is the song itself an absolute prog classic, but also there are some specific cornerstone moments in it: the prologue theme later reprised in the epilogue, the almost tribal section cleverly seasoned with exotic chanting and percussives (a heritage from the "Relayer" days), the harp/church organ interlude, the climatic "Master of images" section. each of them a brilliant portion of a brilliant whole. The same thing goes for the album regarded as an entirety: "Going for the One" is a stunning work full of stunning individual items - 5 stars!

This is a nice record, considering the "return" of the classic line-up, but... with a lot of influence from ANDERSON and his venues with VANGELIS. The original album, has 5 songs, and two of them are quite symphonic with no drums, mosly dark and deep percussion, and very mystic, featuring a more tight band than before, but with a strange direction, and ideas, however, AWAKEN, the last song, is the prefect excuse to buy this record, the final cut of the album, a 15 minute opera that steals your breath, a true YES piece; the only flaw in the record is, perhaps, the title song GOING FOR THE ONE, a strange "straight-rock" with a lot of colors and textures but very comercial. Anyway, as many has noted or will notice, the remastered edition has 3 more songs that never appeared in the album, and 4 "outtakes" and demos that enriched the experience of this record. Again, this is not a masterpiece but is a very important record in the hisory of YES. period

From the raging opening guitar sound to the final airy (and eerie) keyboard fadeout, Going for the One is a great album -- "Awaken" is a musical and spiritual masterpiece; "Wondrous Stories" and (especially) "Turn of the Century" are stunningly beautiful songs; "Parallels" and "Going for the One" rock with a passion reminiscent of "Soundchaser" and "Siberian Khatru" respectively. In short, not a weak moment throughout. This is the album I use to introduce Yes to people unfamiliar with their genius. It may not be musically as great as Relayer or Close to the Edge, but it is nevertheless a musical tour de force, and more accessible. If you are new to Yes, this is a good place to start.

The last of the 'great' or 'classic' Yes albums. This one is tremendous throughout. I bought the original vinyl, housed in the classic gatefold cover. Not the best cover they ever had, and only marginally better than the following atrocious Tormato cover. (Housing some equally atrocious music!) Now I have the remastered cd, and still think this is one of their best. The title track starts the album off in an uptempo way, with Steve Howe especially standing out. Lyrically as obscure as ever, one wonders if Jon Anderson is ever really serious with his difficult and untenable words. The music, of course, saves the day. The second track, 'Turn Of The Century' is quite possibly my favourite Yes track of all time, and, for once, is accompanied by understandable lyrics! Yes folks, we can actually tell what this song is about. It is very poignant and moving, and I love it to bits. Superb acoustic playing by Howe, interwoven with excellent keyboards by Wakeman. Third track, and the final one on side one of the old vinyl, is 'Parallels'. I used to rate this track the weakest on the album, but in reality it is on a level with the others, especially in the bold and upfront organ playing of Wakeman. A nice melody too. Side two of the old record began with the minor chart hit, and shortest song on the album, 'Wondrous Stories'. Very tuneful and radio friendly this one, yet still displaying all the classic Yes themes and performances. Excellent. Finally comes, of course, the great epic, 'Awaken'. Superb is the word for this, a meandering yet controlled journey through different soundscapes, with, again, Wakeman and Howe especially magnificent. One musn't forget Squire and White in all this. Their performances are as good as ever, and so consistent, we sometimes tend to forget them. Squire is still probably my favourite bass player, although Jonas Reingold runs him close. All in all, this album is redolent of the 70's and worth all the hype that continues to surround it. I still find it hard to choose my favourite Yes album, but this is surely a contender, along with Fragile, Relayer and Close To The Edge. (Even Keystudio stakes a claim sometimes.) Essential listening for any melodic, complex prog fan. Yes fans who don't possess this should be ashamed of themselves!

I gave this CD another spin today, thinking that sooner or later I'd fall into line with all the people here who've given this album such great reviews. Once again, I came away loving "Turn of the Century" and seeing equal amounts of success and failure in the remainder of the album (with the exception of "Parallels", which has very few redeeming qualities). The title track, while catchy, suffers from a poor and noisy arrangement. The similarities to earlier tracks plagues "Wonderous Stories" (most notably "And You & I"). The longest piece, "Awaken", has some nice parts, but loses points due to Rick Wakeman's cheesy choices of keyboard sounds. All of these problems are augmented by Jon Anderson's increasingly vacuous and uplifting lyrics (he was New Age before the term was even coined). I guess part of the reason I became so enamored with Progressive Rock in the 70's was the cynical outlook conveyed by most of the lyricists, and Anderson gradually moved away from that. "Turn of the Century" is so different from anything else Yes had done up to that point. The lyrics are straightforward and tell an actual story! The instrumental break gets bogged down, but doesn't last long enough to ruin the piece. And Howe's acoustic guitar work approaches perfection. I wouldn't bother keeping this album if not for this track.

I didn't like this album as much as I liked "Tormato", but I think it's worth of a three stars still. There's not anything very touching or essential on this record, though some compositions like "Turn Of The Century" are pretty. But the player performances feel sterile, and some songs like "Going For The One" and "Parallels" aren't very good in my opinion. "Wonderous Stories" is a good acoustic hit though.

I'm not a big fan of this one, however it deserves at least 3 and a half. Please note that this album's very different from their previous ones. There are 2 weird rockers here: the title track is a really good one, a very entertaining one, although if you don't like Anderson's voice it might bother you, and "Parallels", which I don't like that much, probably because of the fact that it is a really weird rocker: it's based on a church organ!!! Then there are two ballads: "Wonderous Stories" is the most commercial tune here, a pretty melodic one, and "Turn Of The Century", although it's a bit too long is also pretty. I don't like "Awaken" too much though; it's too long. A good record, this is their last "classic", from this point onwards they "lost it". This one's a really entertaining one anyway.

Boy, oh boy, this is a hard album to digest. I've never been a big fan of this one ever since the first time I spun the record back in the 70's. I know most YES fans pick this as the last classic the band recorded. I'm sorry, but I disagree, (Relayer is my choice). Here are my reasons: Steve Howe's guitar on "Going For The One", "Parallels" and on some parts of "Awaken" just grates! It's so high-pitched and nervous. I understood the reasons during "Gates Of Delirium" but here it's just annoying and drowns out the tunes. "Turn Of The Century" is a fine, but way too long. "Parallels" has that old sound, but seems compressed, like they were trying to throw everything together and make it fit under 6 minutes. I like "Wonderous Stories" for the simple fact that it has space between instruments. "Awaken" should have been the icing on the cake. It has it's moments, especially the break in the middle, but for some reason it just peters out. Also, when listening to the CD, (I have the Rhino re-master), where is Squire's bass? It seems buried under the avalanche of Wakeman's keyboards and Howe's wailing guitar. It's been at least 20 years since I heard this on vinyl so I can't compare it to the re-master, but for the life of me I'm missing that fat bass of Squire's all over the disc. Anderson's voice sounds fine over the course of the album, but I believe "Going For The One", with that crummy cover and songs that don't have the spacing and magic of the previous five showcased a band running out of gas and inspiration, leading to the worse 70's album they did, (you all know which...). It wasn't until "Drama" and some new blood, that they started to do go in a new and more exciting direction. So, 3 stars... good but compared to the last 5, no where near excellent.

Slightly better than "Topographic Oceans" if nothing, then because it was a single rather than a double album. "Awaken" is excellent composition, one of the YES best moments, but the rest of the album just faded from my memory. I can still remember thought that I very much disliked the title song so I always used to skip to the B side of the vinyl. For me this is non-essential staff, between 2-3 marks, but closer to 3 since this is the last worthy moment of the YES classic line-up.

Now lets go for the 1, starting with the title track "going for the one", a good guitar riff in the introduction, and an excellent song but, becomes repetitive at the end and its a thing I don't like in music. "Turn of century" an ethereal ballad; I guess all this record is a bit ethereal, very well constructed, with complex arrangements, this song is very nostalgic to me. "Parallels" has a powerful church organ that many progheads will love, another excellent song. "Wondrous stories" another excellent ethereal ballad. "Awaken" a fifteen minutes song; nothing similar to Close to the Edge, an excellent authentic progressive song, a bit bombastic to my taste, and 4 stars is a very fair rate to this album, a classic album with touches of classic music.

Rating: 4.5 / 5

After a lengthy hiatus since 1974's ultra experimental album, RELAYER, Yes regrouped in 1977 to cut a new studio album. Keyboardist Tony Moraz left the group in 1976, opening the door for the return of the much beloved Rick Wakeman, who exited in 1973. GOING FOR THE ONE is one of Yes's hardest rocking, as well as most underrated albums. These songs are trimmed down and more focused than the groups past albums, and have more of a rock edge. Steve Howe carries the brunt of the soloing, and Rick Wakeman's keyboards play a more textural role here. As always, Chris Squire plays a thunderous bass, while Alan White is competent, (but no Bill Bruford), on the drum set. Jon Anderson's voice maintains its ethereal qualities, but like the compositions present, is more focused and more rock 'n' roll. This is the first time Yes has written conventionally lengthed pieces since 1972's FRAGILE. GOING FOR THE ONE's focus also makes it much more melodic than its solo-ridden predecessors. It opens with the title track, Going for the One, which rocks very hard, and is a great song. It is almost Yes meets Led Zeppelin in composition, but still leans on the progressive side. Turn of the Century is an elegant Yes style ballad, which features beautiful acoustic passages courtesy of Steve Howe. Parallels is an enjoyable track, with better lyrics than most of Yes's work. This song features some of the best features some of the best Yes organ work since the Tony Kaye days. It was later used to open many of their concerts, (See the live album, YESSHOWS). Side two begins with the best piece on the album, Jon Anderson's spacey ballad, Wonderous Stories (note the misspelling of 'wondrous'!). This represented Yes's first real radio hit since FRAGILE's Roundabout in 1972. It is the spaciest song one could fit into a four minute duration, and the multi-layered vocals add greatly to the song. The sixteen minute Awaken is the almost obligatory, long/epic track on this album, and like Yes's other extended songs, it does not disappoint. It is the spaciest song on the album, and is classic Yes. The vocals are especially good here. It also contains some excellent harp work by Rick Wakeman. Sadly, this track does not receive a live treatment until 1996's KEYS TO ASCENSION, VOL. 1.

Most Importantly, Yes returned in 1977 with extreme vitality on this album, making it exciting, energetic and brash. Overall, GOING FOR THE ONE is an extremely good album, and is quite enjoyable. Along with FRAGILE, it marks a good place for the non- Yes fan to enter, as it is much more conventional in song structure than CLOSE TO THE EDGE or TALES FROM TOPOGRAPHIC OCEANS. This album received a 4.5 star rating, only for the reason that I could not bear to give it a 5 star rating, and put it in the class of Yes's other progressive masterpieces like CLOSE TO THE EDGE or THE YES ALBUM.

In many ways "Going for the one" was a welcome back for Yes. After "Relayer" all band members released solo albums which weren't exactly living up to expectations. In 1976 punk was spotted for the first time and one of the fenomena these young angry people were reacting to was the dinosaur groups of the previous generation and Yes was one of them. Nevertheless Yes released a great album on which they reinvented their sound without compromising to the sound of the late seventies. Wakeman was back on board and this brought a revitalising effect on the band and this is surely noticeable in the music.

Remarkable but true, the title track is the least enjoyable. Clearly penned by Anderson the vocal line is the centre of the song. Although being far from bad, the melody lacks some variety. The arrangement is too chaotic to enjoy every musical part. Wakeman's piano is pure rock and roll and that's also the case for some of Howe's guitars but later on both of the musicians seem to have forgotten they play in a band. Yes is one of the only bands who are able to play their own melodies at the same time while it still sounds good. Well.here it could have been better on some moments. Still not a bad song tough.

"Turn of the century" is one of my all time favourite Yes songs. A delicate song which works the best when listening to it by candlelight. Anderson's angelic vocal lines are carrying the song and the melodies are outstanding. Even if you haven't the foggiest idea what he's singing about, you'll be carried away by his convincing way of putting the words out. The tender acoustic guitar lines and virtuous piano playing are extremely beautiful from start to finish, sometimes taking over the vocal melodies, sometimes accompaniment to it. The second part of the song has more power and several highlighted moments which include some fascinating duels between the piano and stunning electric guitar solo's. Near the end of the song the calm, stylish atmosphere from the beginning is recaptured

I've been told "Parallels" was a leftover from the solo outing of Squire and it may well be, the style matches perfectly the sound of "Fish out of water". The big church organ chords were used as a fundament for this powerful track. Howe's excellent guitar playing, on top of the organ, sounds spectacular. Parallels is a fast song full of vitality which is a proof that the band used the three years hiatus well for regaining inspiration. The band is energetic like hell, it simply rocks ! Once again the arrangements are full of instruments playing at the same time only this time, it is sounding harmonic. The melody of the song is fascinating and catchy. Also the quality of the backing vocals are worth mentioning. Can't believe this didn't make it as a permanent concert classic.

"Wonderous stories" is one of those typical Anderson hippy songs, a beautiful melody with wealthy arrangements which includes some spectacular guitar and harp sounds.

The real magnum opus of this record is "Awaken". An adventurous piece of music with quiet, dreamy sections but bombastic outbursts as well. It starts of with astral tendencies through the angel voice of Anderson and universal sounds provided by Howe and Wakeman. The song goes on with a hypnotic preacher fragment of Anderson with virtuous guitar solo's underneath. This song defintely is Howe's finest moment of the album. The next instrumental break is brilliant, setting the scene for something big to come. When the voice returns it seems ready to rise to heaven. Instead of a climax this is followed by one of the most splendid musical moments Yes ever did. I don't believe anyone has illustrated a sunrise so well. The first sunbeams are just a simple ticking on a triangle but then...every moment sees the birth of some other moving melody or motif provided by keyboards, a harpe, a hypnotic acoustic guitar chord, . This has some trademarks of ambient music avant la lettre. Gradually the sounds are multiplied andl the tension is building up to an overwhelming climax which leaves you breathtaking. This is the best dinosaur track the band ever done. Every second is pure magic ! This track is grabbing the mentality of the seventies perfectly ; evolving from hippy ideals or religious awareness to more personal unfolding like meditation or introspection.

On "Going for the one" Yes finds the perfect balance between musical virtuosity and accessible songs. Most of the tracks are quite short to Yes terms. The sound they are using is fresh like spring, Anderson seems to be in full charge of the song writing. The other members are contributing lots of musicality but little in song writing. The result of this formula is more conventional compositions apart from "Awaken" . I don't mind that as long as it works out fine, maybe on the title tracks someone should have tempered Anderson a bit but all the other tracks are marvellous. The only real weakness of this album is the rather flat sounding production. Most notably the drums aren't coming through like they should. They shouldn't have sacked Orford, the guy knew how to make the band sound. What's the most different when comparing with other Yes albums are the sound of the keyboards ; Wakeman uses lots of church organs and a varied series of new sounds which hasn't occurred before on a Yes record till then. Also the guitars are sounding more elaborate and gentle then before. On a track like "Turn of the century" it's suitable but sometimes there should have been more power. Although I don't consider any Yes album to be perfect, this comes close. The compositions on earlier efforts may be more ambitious, I played this one a lot more than the others. The compositions are easier to get in to, the melodies are inspired, the arrangements are enriched by eastern influences and there's a fully blown symphonic sound present. The joy of playing music is spattered all over this album. I assume it's the return of Wakeman which had this effect on the band. I've been told he wasn't even a full member of the band at the time of recording this wonderful album, he just happened to drop in and was invited to join them for old time sake. Well I guess one thing led to another. 4,5 stars

Similar to but slightly weaker than Fragile, because it sounds a little messy sometimes, especially the title track

Going For The One 5.5/10 : an ok yessy (weird and complex) rock&roll song. The slide guitar owns the song, and the keyboard flourishes are very pretty, but the vocals and melodies are weak, and the lyrics are so absurd that they seem like a self-parody.

Turn of The Century 8.5/10 : this is just sooooooo gorgeous ... it is basically beautiful melodies + acoustic guitars with accessible lyrics of a story about a man making a statue of his dead wife hoping that it will come to life. The best part is when there is a duet jam of grand piano piano and guitars that sound very uplifting.

Parallels 6/10 : Its a church organ led happy pop song with poppy choruses. the solos are nice but not brilliant.

Wondrous Story 9.5/10 : this is one of the best pop songs I have ever heard. the melodies and singing are nice but the instrumentation is what stands out. The keyboard solo sounds very innocent and pretty, and the guitar solo sounds also like that. This is a song perfect for your young son/daughter and hope that they'll like prog rock :)

Awaken : 10/10 : this is very complex and may sound messy, such as gates of delirium ... but it is another brilliant epic by yes. It needs repeated listenings since sections such as the jam with the chanting of 'awaken gentle mass touch' was cringeworthy for me at first listen .. but it grew in me, and the guitar solos are some of the best Howe has done with Yes, and they are everywhere! The standout section in here is the soft middle part with the bells, harps, and church organ, that starts growing slowly (as great as wurm) until it explodes with singing and bombastic music which for me is the weakest part of the song (especially that disappointing church organ solo). After that, the main theme is back but with harp chords that for some reason gives me goosebumps.

This, is not a very accessible yes album, but if you are experienced with yes, you should try it. It is very good and while not a masterpiece, it is recommended to have it.

My Grade : B

Going for the One indeed marks the return of Rick Wakeman to the band, but does it mark the return of incredibly strong albums? Not quite, Going for the One returns to a similar tone met after Close to the Edge, but it doesn't contain the powerful intensity or consistency or even quality that Close to the Edge had, showing less of a growth and more of a shrink. There are certainly grandiose Yes moments on the album and a lot of heartfelt work by Jon Anderson, and a more of a "song" approach. Parallels and Awaken remind you of the Starship Troopers or the Yours Is No Disgraces from Yes' old days in structures. The material here is good, a solid effort, but as the rating says, it's non-essential.

Their last great album, capped by, IMO, their greatest song, "Awaken." I still get choked up listening to the soaring climax and gentle denouement. One of the most spiritual songs I've ever heard. It will be played at my funeral.

The title track was a nice, refreshing counter to the weight of "Tales" and "Relayer." "Turn of the Century" is a beautiful composition. "Parallels" works better I think live (see "Yesshows"). "Wonderous Stories" is a sweet ditty. But "Awaken" is a towering achievement that alone is worth the price of admission.

The last great album of the Big Three of prog (Yes, Genesis and Pink Floyd) and, in my opinion, the weakest.

But worry not! This is still a good album with some good, and very varied moments. However, it doesn't quite do as much for me as 'Wind & Wuthering' by Genesis or 'Animals' by Pink Floyd.

Going For The One: Dramatic Prelude/Opening. The title track is a strong, dynamic opening. 5 and a half minutes of pure rock, Jon Anderson's voice is raw and strong, not like his usual soft approach which will follow on the subsequent tracks. It is a fun song to listen to, but doesn't go very far. 8/10.

Turn Of The Century: Soft Epic. A gentle, pleasant mostly acoustic gutiar based track, not a lot to dislike about it really. For some it may be so soft it is unforgettable. 6/10.

Parallels: Mini-Epic. A highlight, that's for sure. An epic cathedral organ opening with some screaming guitar from Steve Howe is complimented reassuringly by Chris Squire's mighty bass. An instantly unforgettable track, which has quite a catchy melody line. Might be little more than a glorified, proggified pop song, but a damn good one it is! 8/10.

Wonderous Stories: Hit/Pop Material. Oh dear. A terrible, boring, sickly sweet pop song. Led by Steve Howe's lute(?) and Jon Anderson's soft, sweet voice, this Christmas song goes nowhere fast. Similar in places to 'I've Seen All Good People' but nowhere near as good. Synth work from Rick Wakeman is also grim here. 3/10.

Awaken: Epic. Epic in the most epic sense of the word! A terrifyingly Yes-like song filled with positive energy and a rich, fulfilling vibe. The track really has to be heard to be known, just as with any other epic Yes track. In a typically Yes way, Jon Anderson sings an opening over minimal instrumental work until a musical structure builds up about a minute and a half through. From here on, the piece never ceases to evolve. Wonderful musicianship all round here, creating a strange, spiralling atmosphere which builds up to many a magnificent apex with more signature Wakeman cathedral organ. Around halfway through the piece becomes a quiet, mysterious track with more organ work from Wakeman, strange, mildly annoying jingly sounds and monumentally low guitar playing. at around 10 minutes, the pace picks up, Steve Howe returns to his former glory and the piece begins it's final spiral towards the end. My words cannot describe this song, nor any, which is why I leave you with the advice to buy this Yes album, along with Pink Floyd and Genesis' 1977 efforts, to hear the last great prog album from the peak year of progressive music. 9/10.

I particularly remember waiting for this album to come out; I think it was July 1977 in the UK, with the school term coming to an end; I had only recently got into Yes and was a big Wakeman fan already - so I was excited to see if the re-union would work. I had already heard the title track previewed on "Old Grey Whistle Test" with some swirling graphics and thought, is that really Yes? Did I hear it right?

Despite my doubts about the album cover( which persist to this day), I absolutely loved that first track, "Going for the One", and still do. A real rockin' track with Howe's screeching slide guitar, with only a few seconds respite in the middle for a Wakeman keyboard run before setting off again. Playing it on stage, Howe cut a demonic figure, face in a grimace, pulling the guitar across the stage as he played. I remember the words of one reviewer when he heard the album track - "I was jumping round the room shouting they've done it, they've done it! - just like John Peel must have done when Tommy Smith scored" (Liverpool had just won the European Cup). I shared his excitement; Yes had done an absolute 5 star rocking track.

The rest of the album isn't half bad either, although the single "Wonderous Stories" was too syrupy for me, and "Turn of the Century", a quiet number with considered lyrics by Jon Anderson (no, really, there's a story to it!) was rather conventional for Yes, lacking their usual harmonies and instrumental hooks. "Parallels" is an up-tempo rock number by Squire which is raised up a level by Wakeman playing a church organ from a church in Vevey, which apparently was piped down the Swiss telephone wires to the studio.

I have read that the final number - "Awaken" - is rated by both Anderson and Wakeman as their favourite Yes track. It uses the pipe organ again,this time in more reflective mood, and White adds some thoughtful percussion. The peice is in two parts; there is a sublime break between parts 1 & 2, featuring a choir arranged by Wakeman. If all the album had been the standard of the first and final tracks it would have topped even "Close to the Edge" but its still a damn fine album, and always brings back memories of that summer in the 70's, and perhaps the last great year of "prog".

Yes seem to be trying to be all things to all people on this very varied LP. The title tune and "Parallels" are straight-up rockers. "Turn Of The Century" is a largely acoustic ballad with classical touches. The folky singalong "Wonderous Stories" gave the band their biggest UK hit. But, for proggers, the tune that matters is the 15-minute epic "Awaken". This features some of the band's most impressive keyboard work, and like most of RELAYER, it takes the best moments of TALES and dilutes them to their very essence.

Rick Wakeman makes a welcome return on keys. He adds pipe organ to "Parallels" and "Awaken"; his piano playing on the latter is likewise exquisite. Howe's guitarwork is quite varied: from wailing steel guitar on the title song to some of his finest classical acoustic work on "Turn Of The Century".

Not their most consistently progressive album (some of this is pretty much mainstream rock), but still a good and worthy release. "Awaken" alone justifies its purchase.

I'm in a dark mood so I thought I'd review an album which infact has a lyrically dark title track. The idea of the title track is that most man have a woman they fall for. The reality is that she will not return those feelings. 'Here you stand no taller than the grass seeds'. The odds are against you - 'should you chase so hard the truth of sport plays rings around you - going for the one'. The 'one' being your true love - & she does'nt exist. Believe me it's true. The truth of sport is there is only one winner - if you get happiness you really are very fortunate. A good album but I'm afraid it was the beginning of their downfall.

In some moments Yes has chosen the way of virtuosism to show to their audiences the band members high levels of instrumental skills, sometimes even leaving the melody in a second plan. It is easy to mention songs where they just does not explore the music most melodic moments and overrate intricate arrangements and solos .In several Yes musics,we have the sensation that the band has a rare talent to create magical moments and melodies and simply does not explore them properly.Maybe this is the band weakest point, maybe this is a part of Yes mistic or maybe it just helps to define the complexity of their music.

" Going For the One " is one this moments where Yes found the correct balance between melody and intrumental virtuosism. Is the lost gem in Yes music and a pleasantly surprise for any sensitive listener. Here the band found the perfect balance and musical enviroment to create and produce one of the finest moments of their long career. From the album production till the instrumental work, throught the lirics that fits perfectly with each music melody, you can find outstanding results at any point of view.

Jon Anderson was the album maestro. As he said ,in "Going for the One" he got the group of musicians he had dreamed in his entire life. You can say- this was the same "Tales" line up! But in "Going for the One", differently than in "Tales ", this group of musicians where in same frequence and Jon Anderson was specially inspired . Who can't said that the group of musicians also got the voice of their dreams? "Going for the One" also marks the return of Rick Wakeman to Yes keyboards , replacing Pat Moraz after his very good performance in "Relayer" . Wakeman influence was a one of the keys to "Going for the One" success . However "Going for the One" secret is that you can feel the band work as a entity in every Album track. Every instrumentist leaves his personal touch .Nevertheless , Wakemans presence in "Going for the One" is amazing. His piano drives "Turn of the Century",along Steve Howes acoustic guitar.His church organ is the verve of "Parallels"and his moog solo fits perfectly with Steve Howes mandolin in "Wonderous Stories" . As for every member of the band,his best moment is in the magic "Awaken" . And all the members where simply in their apice in this album. Steve Howe plays marvelous steel guitar in "GTFO" , takes his acoustic guitar classical style apice in "Turn of the Century", not to mention his electric guitar work in "Parallels" , the very well done choice of mandolin in "Wanderous Stories" melody. No surprise, Howes best moment is in "Awaken" solos. The Yes kitchen with Alan White and Chris Squire where the dream cuisine for any band! It is difficult to find in rock history a bass player and a drummer that understand each other like them. Pay attention to "Parallels"- at the high volume level please!!- and you will understand what i mean. Their best moment in "Going for the One"? "Awaken"!! "Awaken" is probably the best music in Yes career and maybe in the rock'n roll history. Just try to find the perfection between virtuosism,talent and harmony in the same level of "Awaken" in any other rock music!Like me, you probably will not find it!

"Going for the One" was also a comercial success . As the title said, the album was urged directly to 1st place in UK charts, ironically when the punk movement where in their glory days. Thanks to "Going for the One" Yes was back in the track once again.

I think this is one of Yes's best albums, behind Relayer and Close to the Edge. All the songs on it are unique and great. Also, none of them ever get boring.

Going for the One: The typically classic rock guitar line at the beginning sounds terribly un-Yes and un-promising, however, once the actual song starts and Jon Anderson brings his melodic voice and awesome (albiet weird) lyrics, this song is great, especially the Anthemic chorus.

Turn of the Century: A ballad about a sculptor named Roan whose muse (some girl) dies. Very emotionally moving, and some great acoustic guitar from Steve Howe. After a while, Wakeman (newly returned for this album) plays some piano and Steve Howe plays a great, echo-y, spacy guitar solo. Great. The only fault of this song is it may get a bit repetitive, although, (like most prog) you will grow to love all of it.

Parallels is a pretty much typical Yes song, but good nonetheless. Featuring some good organ riffs from Wakeman, and some cool guitar soloing from Steve Howe. The melody is pretty cool and the chorus melody is great too. So all in all a good song, but not as great as much of Yes's other material. In fact, good as it is, it is probably the worst song on this album.

Wondrous Stories: Some call it pop aimed at a chart position, but I think this is quintessential Yes. Great vachallia playing from Howe, and great vocals and some less gibber-fied lyrics from Anderson, not too mention uplifting synths make this all in all a great track.

Awaken: Now this is the reason you bought this album. My second favorite Yes song (behind the Gates of Delirium). It opens with some blinding piano runs from Mr. Wakeman, and then some great vocals from Anderson over ambient and quiet background music, which, along with the vocals, build into the awesome main section of the song. Actually, the song comes in pretty much 6 parts, although they are not defined on the song as subtitles. The first I have already talked about, then the next part comes in with an awesome, dark, mideastern style riff, which Steve Howe plays tons of variations of under Anderson's awesome vocal lines. Steve Howe's solo in this one is one of his best, featuring many spine-chilling moments. After a while, this goes into the third part (via Wakeman's synths leading that dark riff from a minor key into a major key), which features a great Yes melody and great lyrics. This leads into my favorite (fourth) part, which is a quiet ambient part which features great Church Organ. This is one of those dreamy ambient parts in songs that give you the chills. After this comes the fifth part, which is similar in melody to the third part, featuring great lyrics and great playing all around. This leads into the sixth part, which is a reprise of the very first part without the piano, and some new lyrics at the end. Very moving and emtionally rewarding. Like when you get to the end of Thick as a Brick or Gates of Delirium and you just sit there and think 'wow that was awesome' and don't know what to do next.

So all in all, this is one of Yes's best album, having all great songs. Awaken and Wondrous Stories are essential Yes, and the other songs are all good. A purchase you won't regret.

Minus Parallel, each of the tracks of this album is superb; fantastic compositions, brilliant guitars and brilliant voice. the most wonderful thing about the songs are they are very melodious with Anderson's pitch running from the lowest to his highest. The transition of the pitches are also very unexpected (for both Going for the One and Wonderous Stories). Parallel is unnecessarily 8 minute long with materials which is suited for a 3 minute piece. The church organ here was recorded from a church in Switzerland (the whole album was recorded in Switzerland)-- and it sounds more noisy than the noisiest distortion guitar. The recording of this album is not as great as that of TFTO or Relayer, but it sounds just great.

What can you do after the magical trio of albums Close to the Edge, Tales from Topograhic Oceans and Relayer? Funny, that often the Anderson-Howe- Squire-Wakeman-White quintet is refered as the definitive line up of Yes, but the studio albums released of this line up have a mixed reception especially Tales, but Going for the One is not a winner for all pro fans either. Well, for me it is! With Rick Wakeman back in their line up Yes decided to release a more accesible album, with relatively shorter songs. Its closest relative is Fragile, without the very short solo pieces. Going for the One most of the time does not go further in the experimental, jazzier direction of Relayer, we have here 39 minutes of classic Symphonic Prog. None of the 5 songs dissapoint, the whole album has a very fresh and positive atmoshere. A secial paragraph deserved by the breathtaking beauty of Turn of the Century, with great acoustic guitar work by Steve Howe. But the absolute highlight is the closing Awaken, this shows that Yes while kind of returned to their roots did not quit sounding adventurous. The opening piano playing by Rick Wakeman is fantastic, and so is steve Howe's gutar solo.You don't hear harp too often on classic prog albums, and especially you don't here too often a church organ playing like this on a so-called rock album.

A fantastic return to form in an awful year for music in general (1977!). Yes brings back Rick Wakeman on the keyboards for a stunning outing that proves that the band still had it. Recorded in Switzerland I believe, the album can be seen as a sort of 'greatest hits' of Yes' best facets if you will. In other words, we have a guitar rocker, a weird classical rocker (with that church organ!), a couple of beautiful acoustic ballads and lastly, a spiritually-inspired epic - all in all, from the sound of things you would assume that this is quintessential Yes? You're right.

The album kicks off with the aforementioned guitar rocker and title tune, "Going for the One". Whilst almost a short song, clocking in at 5 and a half minutes, the guitar playing and drumming is so tight and the keyboards so tastefully done that it's the perfect opener. Jon Anderson proves that he is just as able to sing a hard rock song as he is of singing a softer mystical ballad. As I said before, Rick Wakeman's keyboards are 'tasteful'. The reason I say this is because some of his keyboard parts in the past have been ever-so-slightly trashy, but here he is suitably restrained, and manages to enhance the song as opposed to saturate it.

The next song is the beautiful ballad "Turn of the Century". This song is gorgeous - some really exquisite acoustic guitar playing and orchestral flourishes backing Jon Anderson's angelic vocals. His voice carries so much emotion, and he sings with such conviction that the song really invokes considerable feeling in the listener (in me at least). Rick Wakeman's piano solo in the middle is also in keeping with the rest of the song - majestic and flowing, it is in my opinion one of his best performances with Yes as once again he keeps it to a tasteful and not excessive level. Being just under 8 minutes long, it's quite long for a ballad, and even though it follows quite a conventional structure (by Yes standards) it will hold your attention for those 8 minutes.

Next, we have "Parallels" - a quirky kind of 'rocker' in a way, which makes great use of a church organ. Apparently this was a throwaway from Chris Squire's solo album, but I cannot understand why as it's simply brilliant. An accessible and fun song with huge classical influences. Certainly, the organ playing, while simple, is strong and vibrant and probably one of the two highlights of the song. The other highlight is Steve Howe's guitar: he switches from background filling-in to soloing with seemless fluidity. So much energy in the song, it really draws your attention and never lets go. Brilliant.

Next we have "Wondrous Stories", the other ballad on the album. I read somewhere that this song was a hit of sorts, and I can see why - it's fairly short (3:50), but is so beautifully sung and with great instrumental parts contributed by the whole band that it's certainly a winner. What really strikes me about the song is its layers - the vocals, the acoustic strumming, the keyboard parts, sudden flourishes of electric guitar... they're all there if one cares to look. It really fascinates me how a band such as Yes can cram so much sonic complexity into such a short song.

The album ends with their spiritually-inspired epic, "Awaken". Both Rick Wakeman and Jon Anderson cite this as their favourite Yes piece and Rick Wakeman in particular mentions that he believes it to be the paradigimatic Yes piece. It begins with some truly excellent piano and some angelic Anderson vocals set against an ethereal background, but it won't last...as the song segues into a frantic cacophony of vocals, keyboards, guitar, bass and drums - the whole shebang. What follows is a fantastic Howe solo, and then a strange change of tempo - I must point out that Alan White's drumming here is so tight and refined that he really propels the song along with expert skill. About half way through, the song goes through a nice little "tinkly" phase (I hope I'm not getting too technical), where Rick Wakeman's keyboards get their place to REALLY shine. Electric and church organ, they're both here and so well placed. Jon Anderson's voice returns to guide us through towards the end of the piece, to have it end exactly the way it began - it even has a bit of harp. This piece is quintessential Yes, and any Yes (or Prog) fan who has not heard it is doing themselves a great injustice. I can gush and fawn until the end of time, but your own ears are your best judge.

To conclude, this album is an astonishing return to form - Rick Wakeman returns to the fold for one of his best outings with Yes. As I said before, the album more or less sums up what Yes was capable of achieving, and I genuinely recommend it as a masterpiece of progressive music.

P.S. Low points? Err...it doesn't have a Roger Dean cover ;)

After thinking very hard about this album I have come to the conclusion that this is forth best yes album behind CTTE, Fraglie and Relayer. Every song on the album is exceptional but the two main hightlights are "Awaken" and "Turn Of The Century." But of course we cannot forget about "wonderous stories" which is one of yes's most favored songs by the "non-prog" music llsieners. The classical guitar playing in "Turn Of The Century" is a real masterpeice as is the enitre song with ecellent lyrics and it is performed very well.(10/10) Wonderous stories is one of those songs that just stuck to many people because of its "wonderous" sound and lyrics. (9/10) "Awaken" is considerd one of the best prog epics probaly becacause of its staring section, the miidle and the end of the song is not as great but overall the song is very beautiful and flows very nicely. (9/10) "Parallels" is known for its organ solo that was recored in a chruch is Europe by Rick Wakeman this is the only this thing that sets it apart from most other 5 miunte prog songs, and the guitar playing and lyrics. (8/10) The Tital Track "Going For The One" is not all that amazing and it reminds me too much of a surf song. But other section can "mute" of that feeling. (8/10) In summary I will give this five stars as the songs fuse well togeather making this a excellent adventure.

Yes made some astounding music. no one has ever done what they did with music. and i wonder if anyone ever will. albums like The Yes Album and Fragile were amazing and shocking for the time and still are. then they followed with Close To The Edge, Tales From Topographic Oceans and Relayer, which really is the music i speak of when i say that no one has ever done something like this in music. it wasn't just a bunch of wonderful sounds, it was also a message, very deep and spiritual. they really touched on something. but i think that on this album, Going For The One, Yes truly and fully said what they were always trying to say with the masterpiece "Awaken." for this song, i consider Going For The One as their greatest accomplishment because, for me, "Awaken" is Yes. it's what they were about. it was a true realisation of their message. and no, i wont forget to mention the rest of the album which is also excellent. rather different from the previous albums, but throughout the album there is a sensation of ease, peace and spiritual enlightenment, more strong than i've heard on another musical album. this is the album to listen to for one to hear Yes really tap into the purely creative aspect of reality.

peace

A very underrated album in my opinion. It's in my top five favorite Yes albums.

1. Going for the One - Many people seem to not like this song, but I love it, especially the harmony at around 4:45. (5/5)

2. Turn of the Century - I haven't listened to this song very much. It's pretty good. (4/5)

3. Parallels - Another good song, with a cool organ riff throughout. (4.5./5)

4. Wondrous Stories - More of a poppish song, but still good. (4/5)

5. Awaken- WOW!!! Great song. Really unbelievable. One of my favorite Yes tracks. (6/5)

Overall, really great album.

To quote from the classics: in this record you´ll have "never a dull moment" (thanks Rod) This is a trully masterpiece from the masters themselves and leaving beside the overrated albums CTTE and Fragile I think this is their real pinnacle. Great bass lines, great voice from Jon and boy that thunderous solo from Rick Wakeman in Parallels is still resounding in my ears half an hour later. Awaken is maybe the best song ever written by this band. So let me ask you to go outside and get this CD in this very moment. You deserve it.

Of all the YES albums I've ever had in my collection, this is perhaps the most difficult to rate. Of the five songs on this album, three of them are among my very favorites. Awaken has always been my number one YES song and as good as the recording is here, I think I prefer the live version on Extended Versions. Turn of the Century and Wonderous [sic] Stories are also among my all-time favorites.

Awaken not only has some of the greatest music you'll ever hear, but the lyrics are sublime. Probably my favorite line is "like the time I ran away, turned around and you were standing close to me." And there's something almost majestic in Anderson's verses about God: Master of Images, Master of Light, Master of Soul, Master of Time.

Unfortunately the two remaining tracks, Parallels and the title track, are definitely below par, especially by YES standards. For that reason this album has always kind of irritated me. Why couldn't they have filled out this album with more quality? Then it would have been the best album of all time. As it is, I can give this album just 4 stars, though I highly recommend it to anyone who has never understood what the big deal is about YES because in here you'll find out what the big deal is.

Going for the One is one of Yes' finest albums of the 70s and a well deserved number one in the year of its release. It saw Yes come back from a years break in which members of the group decided to release solo albums. Rick Wakeman as we all know was happy to regoin the band once again on seeing some of the tracks Jon had written for the new album. Going for the One is a more direct and approachable album and would be an excellent introduction to the band.

'Going for the One' opens the album, an excellent 50s style rock 'n' roll workout with excellent pedal steel guitar and some funky basslines, a driving rhythm and a very vibrant sounding Jon Anderson delivering his usual distinctive vocals. A very fun and lively track about the glories of sport. 'Turn of the Century' is one Yes' richest, melodic acoustic led songs, that has some great piano from Wakeman, and very emotional vocals from Jon and Chris. Maybe stretched a bit reaching eight minutes, but a beautiful track and something that hadn't been tried very often from the band. 'Parallels' is probably the mother of all anthems, an extremely powerful track with a stunning bass line and driving guitar from Howe, a stunning solo at the beginning also. Wakeman is on full form here, great organ work and one of his best organ solos toward the end.

'Wonderous Stories' is another favourite of mine, very much an Anderson type track, the lyrics are full of magic and colour and it even proved to be a succesful single, though don't don't be mislead, still excellent keyboard work from Wakeman. The track that closes the album may very well be the pinnacle of Yes in the late 70s. A memorable Wakeman piano intro and a stunning performance from every member of the band. A very creative, anthemic track, great use of assorted percussion and White and Howe in particular give the track so much life before it begins to die down to a wonderful haunting atmosphere and a beautiful climax, one of the bands finest epics.

Going for the One proved to be a major success, and is counted as one of the most enjoyable albums of their career. An odd cover, but the bright blue against the buildings do have a nice effect. Some dense production can seem a bit annoying at times, yet it also gives the album a great atmosphere. Wonderful album from start to finish. 4.5 stars.

A bit on the commercial side, but many redeeming features. The return of Rick Wakeman forced Yes to stick to their signature sound. The keyboards stand out enough to be the lead in most of the tracks. Chris Squire leads the basic rythems, which allowed Steve Howe to work around the structure of each track. This album is one of their most under rated efforts. The lyrics on this album were very concise and to the point, which is a bit unusual for Yes who's legacy was to write more to the abstract side. For any Yes fan this is a must album to have, because it shows both sides of their format. I would consider this a cross over album for Yes. As history has proven, this band has endured many line up changes, but still remained as a major force in the Prog rock music.

"Going For The One" is commonly acknowledged as Yes' last great album, and you can be sure they went out with a bang. Their sound is more modern than "The Yes Album", for instance, but it still retains that familiar Prog feel. The band was back after a long hiatus, Rick Wakeman returned, everyone was happy and you can tell. Now on to the songs:

"Going For The One": A pure rocker with a slight 50's vibe (think "All Good People"), this is an album standout and one of Yes' most accessible and enjoyable songs. Sure, it's certainly not the most proggressive song, but Yes had recorded at least 4 "progressive" albums and for God's sakes, they deserved a break. Besides, if it's this good, who cares?

"Turn Of The Century": This is where the album falls flat for me. Yes take a moment to get away from Jon Anderson's pseudo-spiritual style to tell a simple love story about a sculptor and his dying love. Problem is, the lyrics approach cheesy territory on a few occasions, and I personally like it better when the lyrics don't make sense. Plus the song seems to be leading to a big climax, but after 6 or so minutes all we get is an acoustic guitar solo and a "Moonchild"-styled outro (And we all know how everyone likes "Moonchild"). Some people claim see the "magic" in it, but I know I sure can't.

"Parallels": The most Prog song on here so far, it exists as sort of a cross between "GFTO" and "Awaken", which we'll get to later. The rock song that serves as the basis is okay enough, but gels suprisingly well with the church organ[!] to deliver a satisfyingly good track. It's definitely not one of Yes' all-time best, but it's certainly not one of their worst.

"Wonderous Stories": An under-4 minute Yes song? Wow! The most straightfoward Yes song since "Long Distance Runaround" (Beating out "GFTO" by a hair) is pretty damn good despite being the most poppy number on the album. It's definitely the better of the "soft" songs here, being more to the point and alltogether more enjoyable. LA AHA.

"Awaken": Now THIS is Yes. You think there's not enough Prog on the album? Well, here you go. A great piano intro starts off what is to be 15 minutes and 38 seconds of great music, with an ambient lyrical section following. Then the song EXPLODES, and Jon pulls out his strategy of chanting seemingly completely random words over hypnotizing instrumentation. And I'll be damned if that strategy doesn't work! Then the song gets more focused and we enter the great "Workings of Man" section. Wow! And it's not even the 8-minute mark yet! Then, the song becomes quiet, and for the next 4 or so minutes the song restarts with a semi-spiritual instrumental section with organ, harp, guitar, and a full chior[!] entering the fray. Not as good as the other parts up to it, but still very enjoyable. Then we enter the best part of the song as Jon starts the "Master of Images" section, describing the many features of God. I'm moved by this part, and I'm an Atheist! Then Jon stops singing, Rick gets a brief organ solo, and then...oh my God. The church organ returns full force, sounding even huger than it was in "Close to the Edge", the chior starts singing, and the music is moving enough to give the end of "Supper's Ready" a run for its money! The song then returns full circle to the ambient part from the beggining for the finish. Hands down the best on the album and one of Yes' "Classic" tracks, though I personally think that "The Gates of Delirium" cannot be topped. You have to hear it to believe it.

As for bonus tracks, there's simply TOO MANY of them. There are three short instrumentals, which are nothing extrordinary, and original versions of four out of the five songs on the album. I could have helped not knowing that "GFTO" originally sounded like crap. Just ignore them.

Is it Yes' greatest album? No. But it's still worth a look, with most of the tracks being very enjoyable. In fact, the whole album is very enjoyable and one of Yes' most accessible records, great for the Yes beginners. Don't let "Turn of the Century" and the glut of bonus tracks stop you from enjoying this one.

Going For The One is an album that gets better as it goes on. The song "Going For The One" starts off with a sound that is rather unique among all the Yes songs: some Southern rock licks that cue a "What the hell is this?" type remark. Although that is the sound that catches the listener off guard, the band should have stuck with it because the rest of the song is rather pointless. The next track, "Turn Of The Century", has some pretty sections in it, but just feels like it's meandering around. "Parallels" is a stronger tune, still nothing to write home about, but it has better structure and melodies. There are some fun keyboard licks that will keep one's attention better than anything in the earlier tracks. "Wonderous Stories" is just as good. It's a relaxing song that showcases Anderson's vocal talent brilliantly. Still nothing great by Yes standards yet.

So after listening to those four songs, ranging from one star to three star quality, the listener is left with a fifteen-minute song that is either going to make or break the album. And to no one's surprise, I would think, it makes it. "Awaken" has such beautiful and climactic sections in it with the appropriate passages to build up to them. Clearly the best song on the album, it has a unique and strong structure united with layers of strong performances, especially by Wakeman, that makes the song epic. "Awaken" is a must hear song for all progressive rock fans, but sadly Going For The One is an album that just sounds like Yes put it together because they felt they needed to.

Yes propably last album that can propably be called jewel. After this they did Tormato which wasn't good and neither has Yes studio albums since it.

1. Going For The One : Starts with weird slide guitar which dominates the whole song. Different from Yes's other songs. 4/5

2. Turn Of The Century : A love song. Never has been my favorite. Has some good parts. Its not bad but doesn't give too much for me. 3/5

3. Parallels : Not too special. Actually guite "casual" Yes track that is not too good. Still I give it 4/5

4. Wonderous Stories : Nice "pop" song. Became top 10 hit. Short and nice, not too special 4/5

5. Awaken : There is only one word to descripe it perfectly a MASTERPIECE! Amazing deep mystic and religious song. This is for me the last Yes masterpiece song. Atleast I have nothing to complain about it. Amazing. 6/5 (no thats not a mistake).

4+3+4+4+6 / 5 = 4.2 points, but thats in by Yes standards. In normal music standarts it deserves 5 stars!

5 stars, This is the last Yes album that is pure gold.

What an album. It's the kind of album you get to love more every time you listen to it. I admit that at first I wasn't that excited about it, and the main reason is that I was expecting another Relayer or CTTE. This is pretty different from both and from all of the other "classic" Yes albums. The difference is in the production, which is more focussed and modern, the sound is crisper and, I would say, more leaning towards what was to be the typical 80's fashion. And the songs have a more apparent "rock format", except for Awaken, which belongs to the Yes's epics tradition.

The tracklist comprises five songs, which are not very lenghty considering Yes's standards, apart from Awaken which goes for 15+ minutes. Many reviews tend to say that the only worth track on the album is Awaken; this is far from being true. We have 4 other great Yes tunes, maybe not "typically" Yes, but still strongly Yes.

1) Going for the one: great (and kind of shocking at first listen) southern rock like intro, with slide electric guitar by Steve Howe, for a positive, good-feeling kind of song. Almost an anthem in some respects. The structure is pretty straightforward, I don't find particular complexities here, but that's not what makes a song great, so it's not a problem.

2) Turn of the century: beautiful (and very sad) love song, a true Yes classic. It may sound as a "never-reaching-the-point" kind of song, but it's really not. It's pretty heart- rending, especially in the middle section where we have a minor key Wakeman piano solo (which turns to a major key before going back to the verse; this has a wonderful "hope producing" effect, imo). There's a great instrumental work here especially by Howe, but the rest of the band shines no less.

3) Parallels: one of my favorite Yes songs ever. Very energetic, again a straightforward song, church organ-driven by Wakeman who plays a simple but great riff. There's also a great organ solo (possibly my favorite Wakeman solo in Yes), and a great middle section led by a clever bass riff by Squire. Again, the message seems to be "Hope".

4) Wonderous stories: beautiful ballad, somewhat childish but really beautiful and dreaming. It may also be a bit cheesy, but in case it would be one of the best cheesy songs I've ever heard. As someone stated before, there's so many instruments here, it almost sounds like an orchestra.

5) Awaken: here we go back to Yes's symphonic side. Another classic epic in their catalog, 15 minutes of grandiosity led by one of Steve Howe's best guitar riff's ever, and some incredible arrangements for church organ and choir by Wakeman. Great structure, especially in which I call "the clock part" (because it reminds me of the sound of a clock) in the middle of the song. It's a song of hope and mystery at the same time, ranging from optimism to kind of a sense of lostness at the knowing of the universe. Reminds me a lot of CTTE in terms of concept. The final part almost makes you shiver courtesy of the choir which, if possible, adds even more magic to the song.

This album is indeed a masterpiece. And, if the first two or three listenings don't tell you much, be patient, and it will reveal itself for the great work it is.

Porter

After the jazzier side of Yes surfaced on "Relayer" fans were wondering just where they would go from there. To the joy of many of us they took a step back to their roots by reacquiring Rick Wakeman and producing the more symphonic type atmospheres that endeared us to them in the first place. While the album gets off to a disturbing rocky start with Howe's grating slide guitar (not his forte although his steel guitar playing is fantastic on "Relayer") one must stay with it to reap the true benefits farther along. (I will go to my grave wondering why they didn't put the amazing "Awaken" first. Rick's stunning piano intro is worthy of that honor and would have set the true tone of the album much more gracefully). Once the strange "Going for the One" finally plays out you get to the beautiful "Turn of the Century" that features their best ensemble work as far as integrating their combined compositional skills into one song. "Parallels" is okay but it really sounds like a solo tune from Chris Squire that was brought in for filler. It ain't bad but it ain't great, either. "Wonderous Stories" is one of their top short tunes featuring one of Jon's better vocal performances. It is flawless and serves as a great lead-in to one of their best efforts ever. "Awaken" may be the perfect example of why Yes was one of the greatest bands that ever existed. I could go on and on and on but I'd soon run out of adjectives to describe it. Trust me, the song is as good as it gets in progressive rock. Steve redeems himself by closing the tune with a gorgeous guitar run that leaves you close to tears. The only other drawback is the cover art. Roger Dean should have provided another masterpiece to compliment the music within. Instead, we got some dude's backside. Thanks a lot, guys. It pains me to give it just 4 stars but it's an A- at least (mostly due to Howe's unforgivable and annoying slide guitar work) and I rank it right behind CTTE. Still one of their best.

Worth just because of Awaken. I don't mean to disturb anyone at all but I do believe this album could have ranked much higher if it had just been an EP with the song Awaken and some other live songs on it (like Dream Theater's Change of Seasons). Awaken is beatifully done, so many parts to it, very melodic, incredible...takes you to another world and leaves you there. Just buy this CD expecting one good song....then see if you like the rest...I certainly don't.

I am amazed this album has received such ecstatic reviews. I first started listening to Yes in 1975, and the first album I discovered was RELAYER, which completely bowled me over, and which has remained one of my all-time favourites. Soon after that (still in '75) I discovered that Yes had released several highly imaginative masterpieces. I also came to love Rick Wakeman's solo-albums, but as soon as I found out that Patrick Moraz had been kicked out of Yes (and that Wakeman had rejoined the band), I was filled with suspicion. What else could this mean, but that Yes was going to sound less experimental and more commercial?

Lo and behold: GOING FOR THE ONE was released, and it proved to be an awful lot of noise. And strangest of all: Wakeman didn't get to play even one noteworthy solo. (His church organ noodling on AWAKEN failed to convinced me.) In my opinion, the best that can be said about GOING FOR THE ONE is that it contains some interesting BITS. Both the title track and PARALLELS, for example, start out strongly but soon descend into chaos. WONDEROUS STORIES is a totally forgettable ditty, one of the few Yes pieces that make me cringe. (CIRCUS OF HEAVEN is another).

TURN OF THE CENTURY is difficult. As a full-grown man I tend to resist the picture of Anderson, Howe and Wakeman as troubadours in silky robes, but if I am honest, the piece still moves me, each time time I play it. There is something truly soul-searching in the way the players search for the right notes.

AWAKEN is a hodge-podge. In the course of the years I've learnt that CLOSE TO THE EDGE (the song, not the album) was 'stitched together' in the studio, and no doubt THE GATES OF DELIRIUM developed in a similar way (the bonus tracks on the recent re-release of RELAYER also point in that direction) - but on AWAKEN you can HEAR the stitches! I don't want to sound totally negative about this piece. Wakeman's piano intro and Steve Howe's first electric solo are undoubtedly impressive, and on recent live DVDs AWAKEN's grand climaxes are performed with majestic control. Unfortunately, on the original album those climaxes sound tinny and chaotic. Moreover, Jon Anderson's lyrics are a turn-off. On previous Yes albums his words were usually incoherent but intriguing. GOING FOR THE ONE was the first Yes LP where he started preaching: 'Be honest with yourself! There's no doubt, no doubt!' etc. etc. I suppose this was his reaction to punk's then fashionable nihilism...

Although I like quite a few of the albums Yes released from the early Eighties onwards, as others have said before me "Going for the One" is probably the last really great album from one of the most influential bands in prog. Released in a very difficult year for progressive rock, at the zenith of the 'dinosaur'-bashing punk era, this is a brilliant, in-your-face return to form for Yes, with prodigal son Rick Wakeman newly returned to the fold and drummer Alan White now perfectly integrated in the band's fabric. Only five tracks (nothing new for Yes, anyway), but each one a masterpiece in its own special way - GFTO offers something for every taste, climaxing with one of prog's most celebrated, intriguing epics, the mighty "Awaken".

I remember that, when I first listened to the album (it was quite a long time ago...), the first thing I noticed was its heavy, almost metallic sound. In a certain way, its musical content parallels (no pun intended!) the very un-Yes-like sleeve, with its futuristic landscape contrasted with the figure of a naked man - possibly an image of the conflict between technology and human values. The title-track opens the album with the aggressive, almost strident sound of Steve Howe's slide guitar, developing then into a song with a rather straightforward structure and great vocal harmonies, its dynamism reminiscent of CTTE's "Siberian Khatru". Then, all of a sudden, the hard-rocking, energetic atmosphere changes into the wistful, heartrending strains of the quintessential prog ballad, "Turn of the Century" (arguably one of the band's best-ever tracks), a story of love and loss magnificently interpreted by Jon Anderson (who sings mostly alone) , accompanied by Steve Howe's delicate acoustic guitar, and featuring an extremely beautiful, melancholy piano solo in the middle. A majestic church organ introduces the storming "Parallels", a Chris Squire tune powered by his inimitably chunky bass lines. Jon's graceful vocals get to shine again in the catchy, light-hearted "Wonderous Stories", berated by many for being either childish or too commercial, but in my opinion providing a bit of respite before the onslaught of the 15-minute-plus prog tour de force which is "Awaken".

This track is probably Yes' last great epic, and as Yes epics go it is somewhat more intense, less accessible than, for instance, "Starship Trooper" or "And You And I". Introduced by Wakeman's elegant, lilting piano and Anderson's soaring voice, it then develops into a brooding, almost chant-like theme, underpinned by Squire's dark, solemn bass lines. Midway through the song things calm down, creating a mystical, rarefied atmosphere to which the stately, distant voices of a choir and the gentle tinkling of bells add an intriguing dimension. The song climaxes with triumphant singing by Anderson and his cohorts and a stunning guitar solo by Steve Howe - then quiet comes again, and we can hear Anderson's voice sweetly singing the final lines, as if echoing in the vastness of space. Definitely no easy listening piece, this one - but utterly gorgeus all the same.

The remastered edition contains a further five tracks that, to be perfectly honest, don't add much to the album's value. What you really need is the five original tracks comprising this masterpiece, certainly one of the landmarks of symphonic prog - an imposing, magnificent cathedral of sound which is essential for any serious lover of the genre.

Hmmm...I get it now. This is what people like to hear from YES. I quite like it, and will go into detail as to why. First off, the production is good to great; it makes each instrument stand out, not fall all over each other in a mess. Thanks, guys. The title track has great piano and synth playing (thanks, Wakeman), and Howe plays the hell out of his slide guitar (probably one of the VERY few proggers who ever bothered with it). The drums pound and the bass throbs; thank god for good production! The lyrics are spacy and disingenuous to the extreme; verging on the unintelligible. But Anderson's voice is nice, high-pitched without reaching the castrati range he and Geddy Lee seemed to be so fond of back in the early 70's. "Turn Of The Century" is a gentle ballad, with a lush acoustic guitar opening. It gently expands to include Anderson's voice and Wakeman's melodic synth playing. More pastoral than the opening, it's fine for what it is. At 8 minutes, it gets a little snoozy. Had it been cut down to about 6 minutes, it'd have been better presented and would've STILL had the same effect. "Parallels" has an almost inaudible opening, before erupting into a full-band jam. Again Howe plays like a man possessed; his fingers fly all OVER the fretboard. Then comes the vocals. Not just Anderson; but it sounds like Howe and Squire are singing with him. This is what I like most about Yes: The voices seem to just, well; FIT together. Squire's bass also seems to be more upfront this time. I think it might be due to the fact that it's HIS song. "Wonderous Stories" is the shortest song on the record; punching the clock at just a hair under 4 minutes, no doubt it could have been a successful single. The playing is great, the melody is strong, and it-most of all-it JUST SOUNDS GOOD. Wakeman's spiraling synth at about 1:34 lends the song a pastoral feel, as do the harmonized vocals. I like it; a lot. "Awaken" is the epic; a 15+ minute track that everyone and their brother gets a hard-on for. I can't say I feel the same. The opening is QUITE good, with Wakeman playing piano quickly, almost like a shredder, yet emotionally. That's a plus. I despise the emotionless, built-for-speed techno shredders who cover try to cover up their lack of emotion by playing as fast as they can. However, the chorus makes absolutely NO sense to me. "Awaken Gentle Mass Touch"... What does it mean? Someone care to translate for me? I have no bloody idea. Howe's lead track, at about 2:48 sounds hot, though. He's not afraid to let a little bit of feedback creep in...proved he's not interested in tapping and all that [&*!#]. The biggest problem I have with this disc is this: IMO, "Awaken" should've been cut down to about 9 or 10 minutes. This would've given more time to develop the other 5 songs further. Let's face it, people: as "progressive" as tracks like "Parallels" and "Going For The One" are, they're essentially pop songs. If the band had taken as much time to develop the other songs as they did for "Awaken", this would have been a solid 5-star record. As it is now, it's a solid 4-star disc.

A prog masterpiece! Hard to get much better than Going For The One. This album truly has all facets of Yes...the title track w/ Howe's rockabilly feel, the lush "Turn of the Century", "Wonderous Stories" has a great wandering groove to it, "Parallels" is probably the weakest track but it's still great & finally the epic perfection of "Awaken". GFTO features the best Yes lineup, imo, of Anderson, Howe, White, Squire & Wakeman. Definitly the last "great" Yes lp before Magnification.

I love this album.

The first track Going for the One is just brilliant, what makes it for me are Wakeman's keyboards, subtle but brilliant they give the song a kind of sci fi edge to it. Steve Howe guitar is rocking, with a rock 'n' roll influence on it. Chris Squires voice in the backround works excellently with Jon Anderson's unique vocals. Fortunately Steve Howe's voice is either absence or hidden in the music which is an added bonus ( I don't particulary like Howes singing). There is so much energy and dynamite in the song Anderson sounds terrific, its a good way to introduce a comeback album for Yes after several years absence with solo projects. Wakeman is back in the fold. This title track is definately a Yes classic.

Turn of the Century is a nice ballad again made magic by Richard Wakeman's keyboards. Howe is a fine guitarist (Yes I know I'm stating the obvious, all Yes members are virtuosos in this line up) he adds great classic guitar, which works well with Wakeman's keyboards. The production quality is top notch I can hear all the instruments and sounds. Howes electric guitar works well at the second half of this track. This piece is nice and soothing after the rocking Going for the One song, with a nice touch at the end of it.

Parallels is the Chris Squire song on this album, Richard Wakeman adds organs to this song with great effect and makes it stand out, it was definately a good decision on Wakeman's part. It has some enjoyable Steve Howe magic at the beginning with spacy sounding guitars. You hear some great bass work by Squire and some great percussion by Alan White in it, basically all the band members are contributing in their idiosyncratic way as only Yes can, with a fantastic ending, especially by Howe and Squire.

Wonderous Stories is another masterpiece, it was a minor hit on the British charts. Again Wakeman sreally shines on this piece with great malodys and harmonys on his keyboards, he makes it feel very ethereal. One of my all time favourite songs.

Awaken, arguably one of Yes's finest moments (they had many). A fifteen minute adventure of the imagination. A speedy Wakeman keyboard intro, then the song sounds spacy and takes you on this marvellous adventure with lines sung by Anderson "...I wish the sun would stand still." which adds to the dreamyness of the music, then Steve Howe comes in and makes it rock, this section of the song sounds a bit Led Zepish. The cheerful circusy sounding keyboards, then the quiet build up with great guitar parts by Howe and drums by Whiteto the end, this song is better than perfect it will take your mind to wonderful imaginative places, its sounds so divine at the end with wonderful choirs added. I strongly recommend this song (along with Going for the One and Wonderous Stories) to painters, sculpters and writers etc, since there is so much for your imagination to feed on.

As another critic pointed out that although for a first listen some of this album may sound more light weight than previous Yes albums it is fantastic for the reasons I mentioned above it will take your mind to heaven and back, it has many absolutely fantastic prog parts to it and arguably Yes's last great album. Absolutely an essential must have for prog fans.

Here are all of the members of Classic Yes together for the last great album they would make. The odd thing about GOING FOR THE ONE is that none but Yes could make it, and yet most, if not all of what they do here is absolutely new. It's the spacey heart that remains the same, not the sounds themselves. The entirety sounds completely different than the prior works of FRAGILE, CLOSE TO THE EDGE, and TALES. There is a quality of those that is missing. Perhaps a quality that is confined only to the early seventies. Gone are the hyper smooth grooves (in fact there is little "groove" here to speak of.), odd time signature break downs and songs that change their mood numerous times before reaching it's completion (Although there is a flute interlude in Awaken). Here they are all playing more streamlined music. All of their prior components seamlessly blended in smoothly for the entirety of the album. When in the past a musical rythem would have been too odd to house a vocal line, Anderson has found a way to sing over it, so everyone seems to be gratified simultaneusly. His vocals here never go as low as they did in the past, instead they constantly soar and he plays less of the role of a singer and more the roll of a full blown choir, which is also present on the album.Wakeman is tasteful and wonderful. Howe plays with a passion that wouldn't be seen again until perhaps Drama, a must worse album. Alan White is amazing here as always but plays with even more epic drama than normal. Crashes and bangs are all the more heard than Rim Shots and muted bass kicks. Squire here is probably the only one to play as he normally does which probably grounds the rest of them in somthing still resembling the the past. This album is amazing and beautiful. There is no comparsion to it which is typical of this band, but the odd thing about this one is that it's hardly even comperable to the other works they have made. But in a very good way....unlike what was on the horizon in the 80's.

Yes's eighth studio album, 1977's GOING FOR THE ONE, was their last truly essential work. All serious followers of this first-rank prog band should have this great disc in their collections!

After the meandering excesses of TALES FROM TOPOGRAPHIC OCEANS, and the short stint with Patrick Moraz behind the keyboards for the atypical, harder-rocking RELAYER, GOING FOR THE ONE represented a compelling return to form. Keyboard virtuoso Rick Wakeman, who had left in disgust after TFTO, was back in the band, and the writing approach - in contrast to that of TALES, which had largely been a Jon Anderson project -- was now much more communal. As a replacement for the ousted Moraz (who had simply gotten too big for his britches), Wakeman was originally intended to be a mere well-paid session man, but he was enticed back into the fold fulltime because, quote: "(Yes) were writing songs again." The positive atmosphere was further enhanced by the band's decision to record in scenic Montreux, Switzerland, with their families around them, and the Alps towering majestically in the background.

The welcome presence of Wakeman, the reinvigorated group spirit, and the renewed attention to songwriting together give the grateful listener five of the stronger selections of Yes's classic era. RELAYER's hard rocking sensibility is back on the opening title track, which features some stirring slide from guitarist Howe, and sounds unlike anything else in the Yes catalogue to this point (though it would herald a harder, tighter future sound).

Next up, "Turn of the Century" is a pretty, sentimental piece that tells (in relatively straight-forward fashion -- who says Anderson's lyrics are always obtuse?) the tragic tale of a sculptor and his lady, who dies before he can finish immortalizing her in clay. Still, the power of undying love lifts the artist out of his despair, and he finishes the project both as a tribute, and a means to reconnect with his dear departed. Feeling piano, and some stirring acoustic and electric guitar help to make this one a winner. (If this song doesn't at all move you, perhaps you've never really loved, or mourned a lost loved one - in that case, just play "Going for the One" twice!)

"Parallels" finds Wakeman rocking out on a genuine church organ, in company with some terrific trademark bass runs from Squire, and driving guitar and drums from Howe and White. Anderson's vocals and lyrics, in turn, are hale, hearty and triumphal, and it all comes gloriously together in six tight and truly memorable minutes of vintage Yes. All committed fans are strictly enjoined to TURN IT UP at this juncture! Fabulous!

Beauty returns on the sparkling "Wondrous Stories," which won the band some airplay, and their biggest UK hit to that date. Timeless, uplifting and essential!

Finally, the album closes with the near-sixteen minute "Awaken." This epic is the highpoint of an already excellent album, and gives us all we might want in a longer Yes piece: mystic, yearning lyrics, time changes with alternating sections of delicacy and thunderous power, and some of Howe's most blistering axe work ever. Ladies and gentlemen, this is Yes, and this is Progressive Rock! (You'll have to turn it up again here -- if your speakers are equal to the task!)

(Note: I have the recent Rhino re-issue, which sounds great, has all of the original artwork, lyrics and photos, insightful new liner notes, and seven bonus tracks. Some of this bonus material is pretty good (yet it's not essential, by any means), but the bulk of it is rehearsals and bare-bones working versions of the album's fully-realized songs. These might be of interest to some (musicians, maybe?), but I find them to be mere curiosities that don't merit repeated listening: the album proper is by far the real draw.)

I don't know if I can justifiably label this an absolute "masterpiece," and the equal of the standard-setting CLOSE TO THE EDGE or FRAGILE, but it's darned close! If you consider yourself a real Yes fan, and you don't own a copy of GOING FOR THE ONE, what the heck are you waiting for? This is "wondrous" stuff, and would be "an excellent addition" to any prog lover's library.

"Going For the One" is one of pinnacles of Yes in my opinion, everything about it has a classic Yes flavour. Even after release of several albums Yes was still exploring ways to make effective and moving music and "Going For the One" features styles of music spanning a very large magnitude. All songs have a distinctive progressive flavour, particularly "Awaken" and "Turn of the Century", while others like "Parallels", "Going for the One" and "Wondrous Stories" all explore a different aspect of music.

After the creation of the wonderful 'Relayer', Yes under went another line up change this time one-off keyboardist Patrick Moraz made way for Rick Wakeman who had left the band (not for the last time) for only a year. Patrick Moraz did not depart without making a profound impact on the band's future sound as not only did he help deliver the masterpiece 'Relayer' he also collaborated with Rick Wakeman on the writing of some of "Going For the One." All the members, past and present contributions rendered yet another masterpiece from which many of the bestest (purposely misspelled) and most famous Yes songs arose. Indeed every song on "Going For the One" can be labelled among Yes's best. In particular "Wondrous Stories" reached a very high number 8 on the UK singles chart, which is one of the highest charting singles ever released by the band.

The album its self rendered the band extraordinary success all around the world, particularly in the UK and US where it reached 1 number and 8 on the albums charts respectively. Another major milestone in that "Going For the One" is one of just two Yes albums which reached number in England, the other being the controversial Tales from Topographic Oceans. Progressive bands are lucky to achieve an album in the top 20 let alone top 10 so Yes is a successful band in that respect. Needless to say that Yes deserved more success, along with many other progressive rock bands.

The musicianship in "Going For the One" is of an extraordinary quality and each member of Yes is at high points in their career at this time. "Going For the One" is usually called the last classic Yes album, I don't entirely agree with this statement but the time following this album was defiantly a time of change, for Yes and music in general. So "Going For the One" is the herald, which announces the end of classic progressive rock. but prog by no means died.

The Album opener, "Going For the One" swings into action very quickly with a pedal steel riff played by Steve Howe which is joined by the band. The Pedal Steel is used throughout the entire song for great effect. This song is basically Yes's interpretation of a surf song and it carries some resemblances which blend well with Yes's adaptive style. The song carries some abstract lyrics from Jon Anderson and towards the end of the song the synthesizers make themselves known. Next up is my favourite song from the album "Turn of the Century." The song starts off with some beautifully still and echoing classical guitar and vocals supported by a string mellotron in the background. This opening section is amazing but what follows is spectacular and there is an amazing instrumental section mid-way through the song which leads to the climax and end of the piece. It is hard for me to describe the music but it is the closest thing to perfect around.

"Parallels" features a church organ as the centrepiece of the song, and it was an actual church organ which Rick Wakeman played in Switzerland where the whole album was recorded. "Parallels" is an interesting song in which the band as a whole does a fantastic job, but the organ remains in the limelight for the entire song. Next is the all famous "Wondrous stories" which, as I said earlier is one of the most successful and best Yes singles. It takes influence from 'Jon Anderson's 'Olias of Sunhillow' from which the sound no doubt originated from. The sound has a Jon Anderson feel in the way it sounds, the lyrics and just the general feel of it. There is a wonderful section when Jon Anderson and Chris Squire sing in unison in which their voices blend well. The instrumental portion of the song is the standard Jon Anderson arrangement, acoustic (sometimes electric) guitar rhythm with synths twinkling in the background and some percussion here and there. Last of all is an epic masterpiece "Awaken" which is slightly different to other Yes epics. It sounds different, it has more of an art rock structure and it doesn't have as a great deal of synthesizers, but rather is more focused around Rick Wakeman's organ and piano while Steve Howe plays a pivotal role on guitar. There are still quite a lot of synthesizers, just not as much as other Yes epics (am I contradicting or what?). The percussion in the mid crescendo section is very important as it gives the organ a kind of accent and adds to mystical, driving feel. The whole song is a wonder to listen to and the little tune Steve Howe plays to end of the song and album is so meaningful despite the fact it only lasts for about six seconds.

1.Going For the One (4/5) 2.Turn of the Century (5/5) 3.Parallels (4/5) 4.Wondrous Stories (5/5) 5.Awaken (5/5) Total = 23 divided by 5 = 4.6 = 5 stars

Essential: A Masterpiece of Progressive Music

As far as timeless albums go "Going For the One" is around the top for me, it sounds as fresh now as it ever has. It has a minimalist and at the same time lush beauty which will never fade, even if it goes unseen. As for me, it is one of my favourite albums, it has to be to get five stars. Essential is the first word to come to mind when think of "Going For the One", such an accurate word. I'd recommend "Going For the One" to all progressive fans, as many experienced reviewers have written for many different albums."GET IT."

So coming off a series of increasingly complex and luminous albums in the early 70s, the members of Yes go their separate ways for a year or so and each release their own solo albums. Most of the ones I’ve heard seemed pretty decent, although I admit I’ve haven’t gotten around to Patrick Moraz’ A Story of I yet, and Howe’s Beginnings is my least favorite of those of his that I’ve heard. In the meantime their label released Yesterdays, the first blatant attempt at commercializing the Yes sound (in this case with its marketing, not its music).

So back comes Rick Wakeman amidst all kinds of rumors about the nature of Moraz’ departure, including the believable one that he did contribute to the album along with Wakeman but was asked to leave over creative differences. Kind of hard to imagine what those differences were, but the resulting Going For the One is certainly a pretty significant departure for the band, and one from which they would never fully return.

It’s probably inevitable that the music of Yes would take on a more moderate, commercially conciliatory tone as the 70s wound to a close and the band (along with so may other progressive dinosaurs) was forced to compete for attention and dollars with disco and punk. I remember jokes at the time that the phrase ‘going for the one’ was actually a tongue-in-cheek attempt by the band to appear critical of their management’s handling of their image, as in – the label was ‘going for’ a #1 album. If you listen to the words of the title track, that isn’t what it’s about of course, but skepticism by fans was understandable, right from the opening notes that almost sound like the band has gone country or something.

Steve Howe plays a much more prominent role here than in any previous album, especially on the title track and the highly acoustic “Turn of The Century”, which has surprisingly candid lyrics along the lines of the earlier “Dear Father”.

Wakeman cranks up an actual pipe organ on “Parallels”, an interesting change in tempo and style for the band. Wakeman aside, the real star on this one is Chris Squire with his customarily unparalleled bass lines. The organ solo gives some meat to this otherwise fairly simple tune, and in all it comes off as one of the better tracks.

For me, “Wonderous Stories” is THE Yes song for the latter half of that decade. While it is almost criminally short, the seamless blending of Wakeman’s keyboards and Squire’s bass with Howe’s delicate guitar is a real treat and one of the few times where all the instruments seem to be as one, rather than separate performances thrown together in the studio. Jon Anderson’s voice here seems subdued compared to much of his previous work, but I don’t think this was meant to be some sort of profound mystic tale of yore or something. It’s just a little ditty about fantasizing about the words of a storyteller, nothing more. The real attraction here is the harmonious way the band all work together, each of them understated but together a really magical sound. Thanks to the highly accessible sound and the fact it was released as a single and performed repeatedly in concert, this has become probably one of the most recognizable Yes tunes in their catalog.

I really don’t know what to say about “Awaken” except that it proves the band had not lost sight of the style of music that drew their following throughout the decade and up to this point. Anderson wanders off with more of his humanistic mysticism in the lyrics, and once again we are treated to an epic length work that covers more ground than most listeners can appreciate without repeated plays and reflection. As part of this each band member steals the limelight at one point of another to showcase their individual talent, and the tempo changes almost make this seem like a multi-track offering instead of a single composition. But in the end the band manages to bring the whole work back together, although for me this happens around the fourteen minute mark, and the rest of the song is just needless winding down. No matter, the track gives hope that Yes has not completely slipped into the commercially-minded mainstream, despite the amount of ‘selling out’ that is going on around them.

This is not one of the best Yes albums, in my opinion, but every track is at least good. “Parallels” is really good, and “Wonderous Stories” and “Awaken” are great. The moving away from Roger Dean art in the packaging is a bit of a disappointment, but considering the times this is an almost understandable change. The shorter songs aren’t in themselves problematic, but the fact that the band chose not to develop “Wonderous Stories” and “Parallels” is a bit concerning, and should have been a sign that the band mess with their core competencies even more in the future (which of course, they did).

In all this is a good album, but not great, and especially not on the scale that Yes albums should be judged against. For that reason I think three stars is the right way to rate this, and it would be some time before the band would offer up anything as good again.

peace

In my opinion, Going for the One is up there with Close to the Edge as far as musicianship and song composition. This is an astonishing album without any weak songs. Steve Howe's slide guitar work on the title track is great. It starts off sounding like a sort of traditional blues song for about the first 5 seconds, and then turns into the classic symphonic Yes sound. At one point the song builds and builds by repeating the same melody with different lyrics, and then it all ends in a satisfying, bombastic way. Turn of the Century is a beautiful song with touching lyrics. Again, Howe's classical and electric guitar shine. During the song there is an instrumental part that represents an artist fashioning a sculpture out of clay, and you can tell when he finishes his masterpiece by how the music changes. Genius. Next is Parallels which features some great organ work from the master himself Rick Wakeman. This songs also does a shift towards the end, similar to the title track, which gives the song a very satisfying ending.

Wondrous Stories is the shortest song, but is still great with interesting chord changes and also great keyboards. The last song is one of Yes' best songs, probably my second favorite Yes song of all time. Awaken is a beautiful, powerful song that features some incredible guitar work from Steve. During his guitar solo, it sounds like his guitar is going to spontaneously combust! After that tasty treat, is some mind-blowing keyboards. Then the song slows down and becomes very delicate only to slowly build into one of the most satisfying, emotional endings of a song ever!

Even though this isn't the most popular album by Yes, I think that it is one of their best. Every musician is great but I think that Howe steals the show, with Wakeman coming in at a close second. In my book, this one is definitely essential!

Here we are at GOING FOR THE ONE. The musical peak of a band destined for a much greater future. In 1972 progressive rock was the big thing in popular music, by 1977 punk rock was very much the popular style, yet YES still releases, as Steve Howe put it, "the Euro-Rock album of all time!". 5 new pieces of music, not side-long epics, and yet not quite pop singles either. The opening title track is completely led by steel guitar, frenzied and chaotic, but never missing a beat! The rest of the band follows this lead with their usual precision and power. It sets off a trend that continues for most of the album where each track keeps building off of a set theme. "Turn of the Century" is fascinating in its subtlety. Its very complex melody becomes more and more powerful on repeated listens. "Parallels" sounds like it was maybe in consideration for inclusion on "Fish out of Water" with Squire's bass very much up front in the mix. Steve Howe's lightning fast solos contrast well over the upbeat rhythmic foundation. "Wonderous Stories" is very much in the vein of "Your Move", only with Wakeman's polymoog creating a fairytale-like atmosphere. By far the most accessible track on the album, its very simple melody is made enthralling by Jon Anderson's angelic vocals. The final track is "Awaken", by far the most progressive track Yes has ever written. Its dynamics are awe-inspiring, in particular the drums and guitar. Again, the momentum builds in its first half, then gently floats through its middle section which leads to an extremely powerful and emotionally charged finale. This album marks the end of an era. Its been 29 years since its release, and Yes have yet to match the energy and creativity that fueled this album, and the 7 albums that came before it. I would not recommend this album to those who are not already familiar with Yes' earlier material, but for those willing to set aside the time to engross themselves in a record, "Going for the One" is a very rewarding and satisfying choice.

How would the world look like if Yes had called it a day after the Relayer-line-up broke up? My personal view is, maybe a better place to live in.

With the return of Wakeman, one could have expected a strong and tight working on the compositions, but alas, Going For The One fails exactly here. The songs aren't of any guaranteed earlier Yes quality. The problem is that even a good polishing couldn't have given much shine to most of the turds on this album. Turn Of The Century and Awaken are clear exceptions, as they have a lot of potential, but the end product is nowhere near of anything that could be heard on Yes's earlier albums.

Maybe Yes were really looking for a new sound, but trying to do with the use of over-exaggerated synthetic echo - overall the sound quality is appallingly poor! - is hardly sufficient.

Well, to be honest, if they had decided enough is enough in 1975, then I would never have seen them on stage - so, maybe that can be forgiven after all.

Finally, a dent in the greatness that Yes had been sustaining since 1971.

With Moraz out, and Wakeman back in, the first of many, you would think the output could only be good. Which is true. But in the year `1977, who was creating the quality of music produced earlier in the decade?...

The music is pretty solid, the title track has some funny slide guitar, Paralells is a great rocking song, a bit odd in the Yes repitoire. Turn of the Century is a beautiful peice, very emotional, but a bit too long. Wondrous Stories is the radio hit, but mystical and I love it. Awaken dissapoints me, being a bit corny and preachy, not enough meat.

I bought this album in 1977 for several reasons : 1. Yes was one my top three favorite prog band at the time (together with Genesis and the Floyd). 2. Three long years had passed since their last release "Relayer". So, I was quite hungry for a new YesAlbum. 3. I was going to see them live for the very first time in November, 1977 (in Antwerp, Belgium). This was quite an adventure : first getting downtown Brussels with a tram (I was living in the subburbs of the town), then a special bus to the "Sportpaleis" then a fabulous YesConcert. Then back again to Brussels which we reached 'round one A.M. What a great experience !

The tracklist of the "Going For The One Tour" was the following : 1. Firebird Suite 2. Parallels 3. I've Seen All Good People 4. Close To The Edge 4. Wonderous Stories 5. Colours Of The Rainbow/Turn Of The Century 6. Tour Song 7. And You And I 8. Going For The One 9. Flight Jam/Awaken 10. Roundabout 11. Yours Is No Disgrace

As you can see, this tour was pretty good.

At that time, I loved this album an awful lot. Not a single weak track. This is one of the most accessible YesAlbum so far. Full of wonderful melodious passages and great musicianship of course. It is very difficult for me to highlight one song from another in this wonderful album. The most rocking one is the title track. The most emotional one is "Turn Of The century" : wonderful Jon vocals and great accoustic guitar from Steve to close the track. "Parallel" i s another f......g great song : great rocking tempo, fabulous guitar, strong vocals of course (but, hell, when did we get weak vocals in a YesSong ?). This first side is really a damned good prog one.

Side two opens with "Wonderful Stories", which is a very candid and naïve song. Very melodious as well. I like it a lot. Then, "Awaken". A glorious YesTrack. Complex as usual. Melodious as well. Intricated as Crimson could be. It is a gigantic number for YesLovers. It will also be their last epic for a very, very long time : we will have to wait 1996 and the studio part of "Keys To Ascension I" to get another one ("That, That Is Togetherness Crossfire").

One only needs to be awaken to listen to this track. One of the YesClassics in their live sets. Just fabulous. One must admit that in those days, prog music was not at his best (punk and new wave were surging). This album being a marvelous exception.

The remastered version contains some unreleased tracks like : "Montreux's Theme" and "Vevey" : short, average instrumental pieces, (I guess they had a special financial love for the Leman lake, since both Vevey and Montreux are situated on the border of this "Geneva Lake" - Huum, this reminds me some Purple song, but which one) ? "Amazing Grace" is just a filler. The other tracks are rehearsals for : "Going For One", "Parallels" and "Turn Of The Century" : the last two are really worth for the secret side of these songs (the B- version of "Parallel" being superior to the final version, IMO). The early version for what will become "Awaken" is also recorded on the remastered CD. The first chosen title for this one was : "Eastern Number" and was just over 12 minutes. It is of course a good prog moment, but it was still far from the final version and only interesting for YesCompletionists (whom I am).

This album was an absolute masterpiece and since it is the most accessible one of their grand era, I would recommend it as an entry for new YesCurious. So, no wonder, I rate it five stars. At the time of release, no one could imagine of course that this was the very last masterpiece. But that is another YesStory.

Not a bad record, nor a very good one....a solid 3.25. Nothing to add about the record that hasn't been mentioned before, but I would like to ring in just to mention that at the moment this album is rated higher than TFTO. Honestly, I'm not a big fan of TFTO, but that record is so much more interesting, so much more well-played, so much more Yessy than this. The whole first side, to me, is a bust....some compare Side 1 to The Yes Album simply 'cause of it's more song oriented. Hogwash! Yes was aiming at accessability and ended up sounding like Toto....if Jon wasn't the vocalist I wouldn't have recognized the band as Yes. Of course, this is often a good thing (take Drama for instance...an album I play much more than this), but in this case it just misses. There are interesting bits here and there but nothing that would resound for long.....at least TFTO had Bruford! The second side more than make up for things but, even then, the sound of '73 seems lost forever....just a rehash of old hash.

A return to form...

What? No, this album definitely lacks the creativity and musical bliss found on Fragile and CTTE. This is one of those "let's hold on, nostalgia rules!" pieces that people have as this is seen as the last "classic" album recorded by Yes until they fell to commercial songwriting. Unfortunately, much of this is commercial itself. With the exception of Awakening, there's no real solid track here, and most of it comes off as an already done mess.

The presence of Wakeman doesn't make it good in and of itself. Besides, the band had already lost their most creative member (Bruford) earlier. The songwriting is dry, extremely predictable, and rarely entertaining. Most of these tracks one could have easily placed on 90125 and few would have noticed the difference.

Most of this borders very closely to pop-progressive material, which might be great if you are one who enjoys more commercially acceptable music. However, I am at a loss as to how so many see beauty in this album, which I view merely as an album of nostalgia as the last Yes hoorah, and see the music as mostly marginal. To each his own.

YES' last really good studio album

3.5 stars

"Going for the One" the return of Rick Wakeman at keyboards. Not as progressive, daring and jazzy-esque as "Relayer", but featuring their most catchy songs and the beautiful "Awaken".

The title song opens with a rocky Zeppelin-ish intro, transporting you into YES' magic forest. "Going for the One" is a very enchanting, happy and fluent tune. On the contrary, "Turn of the Century" is a little lazy and pointless ballad. The listener is "awaken" with "Parallels" and its church organ overture. This song surprisely rocks and delivers a lot of energy! Nonetheless, disappointment arrives again with the light "Wonderous Stories", which sounds like a boring soundtrack. At last comes the highlight of the album: "Awaken". This 15 minutes epic features wonderful melancholic passages in magic places. Knights and sorcerers' tears put in music with great organ and guitar playing. The end of this piece finishes majestically in the sky.

Concerning the Elektra remastered version, except the single version of "Going for the One" and an alternative version of "Awaken", the bonus tracks are not that interesting. Jon's vocals on "Parallels" sound false and other tracks are average short instrumental pieces.

"Going for the One" is an irregular release alternating very good ("Going for the One", "Parallels" and the little wonder "Awaken") and boring songs. With other tracks than "Turn of the Century" and "Wonderful Stories", it could have been a fantastic album, maybe YES' best...

An often underrated album, this is Yes swansong. After this brilliant work, the release of "Tormato" was a great deception and eventually Yes was disbanded. (The later reunion, was a new and bigger deception).

The album is a collection of five great tracks, and in my opinion two of Yes finest songs: "Turn Of The Century" and "Awaken". In both songs Steve Howe plays the guitar in a very inspired way, Rick Wakeman gave us his characteristic virtuosity from the keyboards and the others do their usual solid work.

"Turn Of The Century" has great lyrics, is a sad story that becomes a great love song in the wonderful voice of Jon Anderson. "Awaken" is a typical epic, 15 plus minutes, prog song and probably one of Yes best performances. The other three tracks are good, they have the classic sound of the band but they can't compete with the two previously mentioned.

After the classic "Relayer", this album was a pretty nice change that unfortunately didn't stop the falling of this wonderful band.

A mediocre album from Yes, which has one potential saving grace at the end of the album. "Going for the One" has a few pitfalls from which it seems it cannot recover, the most glaring being its tendency to wander.

I. "Going for the One": From the starting point, it is easy to tell that Yes has become significantly different since 1974's "Relayer". There are a multitude of short pieces that do not match the glory of 1972-1974; the greatest example of this is the title track. First off, a musician can be heard counting off "one, two, three, four", an evolution of Yes' part to 4/4 tempo in music. This shift to a standard pop rhythm, along with the bass/drums/guitar/vocals setup of the title track, produces a truly generic rock piece. Although there are several vocal harmonies toward the end that are quite beautiful, and the band remembers that they have a synthesizer for a few seconds, it is not enough to make this piece great. Howe's guitar playing is good, and signature in its bizarre effects, but isn't enough to rescue this so-so rocker.

II. "Turn of the Century": Another repetitive song, this time in the form of an acoustic ballad instead of generic Album Oriented Rock. There is a very nice sense of calming added by the acoustic guitar and synthesizer/organ combination, but the vocals feel misplaced at times. Anderson is a tad desparate sounding, which really ruins the pastorality of the music during certain points. Half-way through the piece is semi-rescued by Wakeman's classical piano which awakens the listener to the realization that this is still Symphonic Prog. Some excellent synthesizer in the background sets up a nice mood, but eventually the song moves back to "beauty ballad" formula. Howe does trade in his acoustic guitar to belt off a nice electric guitar part, but eventually it merely highlights how long the song goes on without real release. There is no disputing Wakeman's playing and Howe's excellent Segovia-born playing, but I believe they do not utilize their skills to the highest degree possible. Despite it all, one of the better pieces of Romanticism on the album.

III. "Parallels": Interesting opening; powerful playing; weak concept and execution. The song has very powerful church organ and madness on the electric guitar, but this reliance does not allow the other elements to shine. There is a feeling of steely cold emotionlessness, as if the song was pumped out merely to fulfill the requirements for the album. Choruses repeat themselves endlessly, without very much variation... the power is meant to mislead the listener and make him/her believe that it is amazing. In a way, the music is good, but it truly goes nowhere and sits around on guitar and organ solos. The percussion is fine... bass can be hard to distinguish, but it is okay.

IV. "Wonderous Stories": Typical rock/happy acoustic ballad in the vein of "Turn of the Century", yet not as interesting. There is a small amount of synthesizer and synthesized horn, but it goes as far as "Parallels" ever went: nowhere. "Wonderous Stories" can be nice to listen to once in a while, but its uninspired meandering does not lend itself well to the name "Yes".

V. "Awaken": Finally, something classical-born on the album! "Awaken" is the potential saving grace of "Going for the One"; it even begins with Wakeman's improved-since-1973 piano playing. This piece actually evolves from piano to synthesizer waves to electric guitar, to organ and back again. There is an infinite cycle of movement and the typical beautiful philosophical wanderings of Anderson. What is excellent to hear again is the rhythm section rising to prominence, rivalling 1971's "Roundabout" for groove. Squire's bass guitar truly shines, also for the first time, in accordance with his pre-"Relayer" playing. Alan White's massive drums pound out intensely fast descending smashes to mold out the groove. Above this quagmire of noises is Rick Wakeman, shining (here's that phrase again!) for the first time since before "Tales from Topographic Oceans". All in all, "Awaken" really moves forward, yet it is indistinct in that each part molds together to form a definite and technically amazing whole. In the end, though, the organ (solo!), drums, bass, guitar, synthesizers, and Anderson's voice do not equal enough to make the entire outing a classic.

Perhaps if the team had really worked together on side one in the fashion they do on "Awaken", this album would have become something more. At the conclusion of listening, though, 3/5 of "Going for the One" is comes off as filler and is overshadowed by the preceding album material. 3.9/5 stars for effort and "Awaken"....

Going for the one!

Well, seems that today i was inspired to write some reviews after a long gap of more than a month, i reviewed some lesser known albums, but today`s morning i listened to this magnific Yes record and wanted to review it. There is nothing to be said about it that hasnt been said before, anyway i want to share you a couple of words.

Yes was one of the first bands of prog that i knew, something very natural i assume that many of us have been introduced to this world because of monsters like Yes, Crimson or Floyd, and when i had the luck of seeing yes in concert, they openend with the self titled song "Going for the One" i loved that performance as well as the song included here.

After 3 years of that magnific Relayer, Yes came to studio and recorded a 5 song albums, but that wasnt all, also Keyboard Wizard Rick Wakeman returned to the band, and added his personal touch to this album, though is not his best, but it is noticeabl anyway.

We all know the way that Yes worked in the 70`s, their masterpieces, controversial albums and weaker ones, some people say that Going for the One is one of those weak albums, and i strongly disagree.

They returned to a less experimental album, something more catchy and attractive to the ears of prog lovers, without losing their standards as a prog rock band, Anderson, Howe, Squire, Wakemand and White gathered together to create great music.

"Going for the One" is the first track and a song that i really love, the guitar of Howe is excellent, lyrics great and bass lines lovely, powerful and great song. "Turn of the century" is a mini epic but this is not the best song of the album, actually is not that complex and also i find it a bit, just a bit boring. "Parallels", dont you recognize those keyboards?, well yes, it is Mr. Wakeman, great song full of excellent arrangements and i love the bass playing of Squire, excellent. "Wondrus Stories" is the hit or single whatever you want to call it,and it has become a classic song, not my favorite, but still good. "Awaken" is by far the best song of this album, a true epic, what we Yes lovers appreciate and are happy with, not as long as Gates of Delirium or CttE, but it is excellent, here they say we are back, and we have still much more to offer, the prog rock of Yes is not dead at all.

Well i just wanted to give a few words about it, i have nothing more to said because i would sound repetitive. I really enjoy this album, i would give it 3.8 stars that i will round to 4, recommendable to any prog fan and Yes followers.

"As Autumn calls we'll both remember, All those many years ago."

I saw Steve Howe at a small club in the early/mid 90s doing a solo gig. Just him on a stool with his guitars, no band. After sitting through a few painful Asia numbers delivered with Steve's less than ideal vocal skills (that's being generous), he strummed the first gorgeous moment of "Turn of the Century" and the small crowd just went NUTS. He proceeded to play the whole thing by himself with great care and it was very moving, even with the painful vocals.

I relay that story because "Turn of the Century" is really the highlight of GFTO for me. A lush and beautiful song that is right up there with Yes' very best work, definitely a 5-star track. Unfortunately the rest of GFTO doesn't hold up as well for me although like most Yes albums from the classic era they come with high nostalgia value for me. While I normally like Anderson's voice I just find it strained and grating on the title track as well as on "Parallels", both tracks which find Yes sounding musically lost. "Wondrous Stories" is a rare Yes throwaway albeit a pleasant one.

The other epic track on this album is the 15 minute "Awaken" which features a very nice Wakeman opening and typically high-minded Anderson lyrics. This is a piece that has a bit of the Relayer feel to me musically, the same aggressive drive and mood. This piece almost sounds like it was written in the Topographic/Relayer era.

So with "Turn" and "Awaken" we have one half of a great Yes album. Too bad they couldn't have taken those two tracks along the best ones from Tormato to create another classic. But even as it is GFTO is essential for Yes fans and mildly recommended for all fans of 70s progressive, although it is clearly less important than their previous works. Unfortunately on this album and the next Tormato, they chose to trade Roger Dean's fabulous album covers for two of decidedly lower quality. 3.5 stars. Quite good but no masterpiece.

Going for the One, but not quite getting it.

Where to start with "Going for the One"? Yes coming back after 3 years since the last studio album, after touring and solo work by its members. And Rick Wakeman returns after leaving following Tales from Topographic Oceans.

Many consider "Going" to be the last of the "classic" era of Yes, beginning with The Yes Album in 1971. However, while I believe it to be a decent album, it simply cannot stand up to any of the groups efforts before it, and even some after it.

Yes did undoubtedly take a different direction with this album. In context, this is completely understandable. They've been out of the studio for 3 years, and a lot of things have happened in the musical landscape during that time. There was a massive public backlash against prog, prompted by the punk movement. After the last three albums contained no song shorter than 9 minutes, we have an album in which all of the songs except one are no longer than 8 minutes. This is likely not a coincidence. At this point in time, many prog bands were attempting to reclaim some portion of the commercial market. I think it is fairly safe to say that "Going" is more commercially-oriented than some of Yes' preceding offerings. And in this case, I think that the group didn't quite acheive the proper balance here.

Also worth pointing out is the fact that synthesizer and keyboard technology had also changed a great deal in this time as well. And since Yes tended to have a fairly heavy emphasis on the keyboards, this had a dramatic effect on the overall Yes sound. Gone are the mellotron and Hammond Organ, once staples of the Yes sound, and the prog keyboard sound in general. Instead, Wakeman's arsenal is dominated by piano, pipe organ, and Polymoog. Personally, I rather miss the Hammond and the mellotron, and do not find Wakeman's new "toys" to be as satisfying timbre-wise.

On to the actual music, the album opens with the title track, "Going for the One". It comes as a complete shock, and is vastly different from anything Yes had done before. It is dominated by Steve Howe's slide guitar and Jon Anderson's vocals remind me a great deal of Robert Plant and Led Zeppelin here. However, I think Yes' Zeppelin imitation attempt here just don't work. The song becomes overly repetitive, and Anderson's voice, which I generally find to be an interesting (and to some degree, even soothing) timbre, actually becomes irritating, and the slide guitar work is overkill. Wakeman's keyboard choices also become questionable here for me.

The next track, "Turn of the Century" is also a departure from standard Yes fare. Curiously, Alan White moves off of his drum kit and onto vibraphone. As far as I'm concerned, this seems to be one of the most redeeming and interesting features of this song. However, the song comes off as overly light and sentimental, too sugary. Personally, I find this is the weakest track on the album.

The third track, "Parallels" is a Chris Squire tune. It begins with an interesting bass line, and the church organ provides a nice timbre. However, "Parallels" suffers from much the same problem as the title track. It just becomes too repetitive, and vocals, usually one of Yes' strong suits, start to grate on my nerves. In fact, the repetition is perhaps an even bigger issue here, and after the promising start, it runs itself into the ground.

The last two tracks on the album are for me the only things that save Going for the One from being a completely weak album. Wonderous Stories is actually the shortest song on the album, not even hitting the 4 minute mark, and was actually released as a single. While this one is perhaps a more overt attempt at trying to be more commercially viable, I believe that this song, while it may not be the most "prog" thing here, it is simply a good piece of music. The use of acoustic guitar here is enchanting, and Wakeman's keyboards provide a nice pad, without being overkill. It is a nice and welcome surprise after the three previous tracks.

The strongest track on the album for me is the 15-minute epic "Awaken". What can really be said about it? I don't really think it can compare with "The Gates of Delirium", "Close to the Edge", or anything on "Tales". But is still for the most part an effective epic. There are a number of really interesting timbral effects to be found throughout. The first of these is about 30 seconds in, where Anderson's ethereal vocals float above a soundscape, consisting of Howe's pedal steel, White's tuned percussion, and Wakeman's keyboards. This is followed by a rather interesting and driving ostinato figure in an odd meter. Squire's bass really punches through here, and farther in, Wakeman puts his Polymoog to a very interesting use. The complex layering of ideas here is absolutely fantastic. This is the first truly classic Yes moment on the entire album. The lyrics are perhaps some of Anderson's most ridiculous, "Awaken Gentle Mass Touching."

Eventually, at about the 6:30 mark, we get a quieter, slower section, which also is timbrally quite unique, marked by Anderson's harp, with White's glockenspiel above, and Wakeman putting the pipe organ and Polymoog to good use. This idea is slowly built upon, with Howe and Squire eventually coming in. While the build up is an interesting idea, I do thing it does become ever so slightly too repetitive in spots, and maybe could have been condensed a tad.

The piece kind of goes full circle after the build up, eventually going back to the ethereal airiness it began with. I do believe the ending, with Howe's little guitar lick at the end, doesn't really fit with anything before in the piece, and seems completely out of place. While "Awaken" is a very worthy Yes epic, I do believe that it does suffer from some of the same problems that the rest of the album suffers from, but here it is much less apparent.

Overall, while "Going for the One" is quite different than previous Yes fare, I think that some of these new features aren't entirely desirable. I must give the group some credit for trying to do something different in their comeback after a 3-year hiatus, and the timbral effects are quite breathtaking at times. But the attempts to be more concise aren't really successful as far as I'm concerned, and many of the songs become too repetitive for their own good.

I believe"Going" is a decent album, but if it weren't for the last two tracks, it would probably only be getting a 2-star rating from me. However, Wonderous Stories and Awaken are enough to boost it up to 3. Good, but non-essential. I would recommend it for nothing other than the fact that it contains "Awaken", which is a true Yes masterpiece.

Probably my most recent Yes purchase, made a couple of years ago. As usual, I prefer the live versions (though Wondrous Stories isn't pretty much the same here and in Yesshows).

First off, there is a kind of busyness to much of this album that I just don't like much. Lots of overdubs it sounds like to me, much of it Howe playing unnecessary flourishes and licks. The overall production is a bit too crowded for me, as compared to their earlier works. And the cover art..........well, you know something is different with no Dean cover. I'm not particularly bothered by the nude male backside, though it is a bit odd and I'm not sure what it's all supposed to mean. It's also a cover that has not aged well, looking very much like some pop art deco type thing straight out of the 70's (unlike Dean's artwork which still looks great and has relevance today).

Having said that, there is some good material here. Like most reviewers, I'm not crazy about the title track. A bit too rockabilly for my taste, and the vocals do tend to grate a bit and get repetitive (and I generally love Anderson's vocals). Turn of the Century I actually quite like, a very interesting and even different approach for Yes, with some good playing by Howe and good vocal lines by Anderson (the lyrics are not so good, but not terrible). Parallels, I think, is one of the highlights. Again, the live version on Yesshows has more power and punch to it, but I really like the bass lines and love the ending. A good tune, though certainly not up to the level of previous works. Wondrous Stories is an okay, rather bland song, vaguely reminiscent of Time and a Word. Not bad, but fairly forgettable.

Then comes Awaken. As most will tell you, this is the real highlight. For me, it pales in comparison to the live version on Keys 1, even more so than the other songs on here (they are more similar to their live versions than this one, in other words). Still, it doesn't change the fact that this a well structured epic that has power as well as ethereal beauty. Also some great playing by Wakeman and White in the middle section, and the best vocals of the whole album by far.

I can't really give this more than 3 stars, but I think for Yes fans it's an essential purchase. Obviously don't start here. However, this would be the last more or less essential Yes album for many years to come (though I still have not heard Drama, but really like Machine Messiah which I heard here at the archives).

I do not list Yes as one of my favourites bands from prog, but I do however enjoy some of their works, and certain albums appeal more than others. Going for the one, I find it still good, one of their best, but for sure the magic of the early '70 is gone. To me the best Yes albums are from the second period this one, Drama, and from the first Yes album and Fragile. There are 3 years between this one and Relayer and musicaly speaking is some changes on sound and in composition. First, Wakeman is back, but still continue in parallel to do albums under his name, and thats a good come back for Yes and for older fans, Patrick Moraz was a super key player (check Refugee) but not fit very well in the Yes sound, I prefer Moraz in Refugee, my opinion, and second the pieces are less longer than on previous albums. So what do we expect from this album, maybe nothind special, just a Yes album, but I find it more cohesive, more solid in matter of compositions, they sound tight, than on previous 2 albums. Some tracks that I enjoy most are Going for the one and Parallels. In the end I give to this album 4 stars,. I recommended Going for the one to all fans of prog. Still a classic

WELCOME BACK, RICK WAKEMAN, WHAT HAPPENED TO ROGER DEAN?

We are now in 1977 well removed from the last YES album, the 1974 Relayer.But 3 years in rock music is a long as a 100year old medieval war between the English and the French crown: A lot of things have changed. The once prominebt prog movement was on its last leg, ready to get buried under the explosion of punk music, not to forget disco and all these ''goodies; Johny Rotten was taking over the music magazines covers as the faces Ian and Jon anderson no longer appear '' cool'' to market!

So after realeasing each one a solo album during the 3 year hiatus to various success, the 5 YES members reunite with a good surprise for the fans: Rick Wakeman is back to the mold. Does it mean we are going to have another CTTE or TFTO on the way? Not eaxctly! If the basics of YES music are well present, you can sense the band has decided in some ways to adapt to the reality of the times.

First of all, Roger DEAN artwork is not cool anymore, i guess Jon Anderson (who else?) thought it was time for a more ''modern '' look; so hello Hypgnosis and thanks, Roger, was nice working with you, but your services are no longer needed.

Second, what you can notice is the shift of the music to a more ''rock'' feel than in previous recordings. We even have for the first time an attempt (more to come in the future) to have a hit with the title track, a relatively hard-rock edged tune with a STEVE HOWE on adrenaline; the guy doesn't stop with his slide guitar from beginning to end and Jon Anderson trying to reach the top 40 with a chorus repeated ad nauseam. This aspect of ''modern'' YESmusic can be found also on the SQUIRE penned ''Parallels'' with again a demoniac S. HOWE. Who said Steve Howe can't rock. Listen to him again on the masterpiece of the album ''Awaken'' . He doesn't stop. The 15mn long ''Awaken'' is what remind us the most of classic YES music, with beautiful ANDERSON melodies and a great work of WAKEMAN throughout the song classic YES, real good old prog!!!The last YES epic until...1996!

Other highlights of this album are the short ANDERSONERIE ''Wonderous stories'' , just a beautiful and sweet song, what makes YES so unique and TURN OF THE CENTURY, a beautiful collaboration between the acoustic guitar of HOWE and the always angelic vocals of JON ANDERSON who is on top of his game on this album.

To resume,this is a departure in some ways of what YES released before, but still can be considered a great album and one of the highlights of YES music, not a 5 star album but still should be in any respectable prog collection. Close to 4 stars, so let's give it 4 stars!

Going for the One saw a slight change in direction for the group. Instead of three or four long extended pieces like on their last three albums, we now have just one timing in at more than 10 minutes with four songs ranging from 3:45 to 8:58. Either the group was growing tired of making long epics or they felt a need to shorten their material to get more radio play. I haven't read enough books to know why they did this. It was a trend among prog groups in the late 1970s. Going for the One also saw the return of Rick Wakeman. This of course wasn't the last time Wakeman would come and go.

Even though there are shorter songs on here, they are still very enjoyable, with the fast-paced, rocking title track and the beautiful Wonderous Stories. Even so, the best track is the 15+ minute Awaken, a track as exceptional as the group's previous epics. Musically the band are still at their prime and each of their individual talents shines brightly on Going for the One.

Not as good as their previous masterpieces, but clearly much better than Tales from Topographic Oceans, and one of the best prog releases from the latter half of the 1970s. An excellent addition to any prog collection. If you're new to Yes, start with The Yes Album, Fragile, Close to the Edge, and Relayer before picking up Going for the One. Four stars.

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****

Yes - Going For The One 1977

Going For The One is an interesting sum of its parts. Its original in that the whole album has no effect like it on any of their previous albums; a lot less mystic but still lyrical. Still creative and dreaming in a practical way; they experiment with more instruments and approaches per number than virtually any other since. The title track is a bright and positive rocker. Lyrically its an allegory between sporting achievements and the futility of mankind's lesser but more prevalent and worthless ambitions. Not bad for a rock and roll number with plenty of pedal steel guitar from Mr Howe. Restrained and fluid organ work form the returned Rick Wakeman indicate an arrangement idea Yes (and Asia) will use later, that is to put the keyboards in the rhythm section; here it works very well. Turn Of the Century is pure lyricism and romanticism. It's about preservation of failing life to be caught in stone forever. The harp, classical guitar r and piano embed this piece in a flowing river of strong gentility. Parallels is introduced by a heavy church organ which in my lesser opinion suffocates the song a little. Parallels is Chris Squire's tune and rocks out rather well and probably would have benefited with a piano rather than organ as the spaces that would allow the piece to breathe are filled with an audio version of polyfilla. Still, it's a great song and Yes are not afraid to experiment and do their damnedest to be original. Many others think the organ sounds great so it's just my odd little idea. Wondrous Stories is a softer ballad, rather charming and restrained a very dignified tune. Awaken is the work that gets the majority of attention. An awesome construction with drama, pomp, complex structure, mystery, musicianship, imagination and again oddly, restraint it does have a certain return to mystical Anderson lyrics. Everything works here, the whole focused and in its mini concerto structure quite tight. Flawless. It begins with a piano theme and the High Vibration theme which bookends this journey. The next section is church organ, guitar solos and harmonies in glorious technicolour. A morass of lyrcism in music that is all a yes fan could desire. The rhythm section underlines everything with occasional emphasis and considerable restraint as the melodies dominate. Classic Yes as anyone could wish for.

For those who wonder about the bonus tracks the standard of the album falls with these inclusions, again just my opinion. All the studio demos might work on a budget box set compilation but do not add to the album. Frankly none of the bonus tracks do as Yes conceived their albums as entities. Therefore the bonus tracks can be their own liability and may take away from the impact of the album as statement. That said there is some gold here. Previously issued Montreux's theme is Yes at work on an unfinished piece. Vevey Revisited is an Anderson and Wakeman piece on Harp and church organ. There is footage of the GFTO session that includes this little gem. Incidentally among the footage is the emergence of Wakeman as comic raconteur, very often at Anderson's expense. Politically incorrect as can be Wakeman is so very funny. So much for the popular perception of Wakeman as overly serious musician the guy is a good laugh as well as all that talent. Which is why I got him (and Howe and Squire) to autograph both my CD copies of this wonderful record. Back to the album. A strong rendition of Chris Squire performing a bass solo of Amazing Grace is followed by a demo version of the whole album except for Wondrous Stories. Parallels is a straight ahead rocker that even in roughed out form sounds leaner without the organ. The footage (bootleg at this stage) and other demos from these sessions show parallels to rock out with a fluid power and lack of obvious chorus (no hit single here!). None of the album released demos have been issued before and the work that goes into developing the pieces is interesting. But in no way do these add to the artistic statement of the original album. The contemporary politics of rock at the time puts this album into ambivalent territory. But Yes were about music rather than fashionable stances and their energy and talent far outweighs the perceived significance of punk's often stupid nihilism. For this Yes would be criticised as would their contemporary progressive rock bands. Apparently being supremely talented is a disadvantage in rock. The effect of the punk politics would be to corporatise (ie ensure a song formula was adhered to) and ensure experimentation and progression was kept close to the edge of rock for Yes and their derivatives. The albums would be good (not sloppy or disinterested) but to those who want Gates of Delirium, Awaken, et al, it would often be a frustrating time. So the last great album question? Going For the One is like no other of Yes album. While it's not a concept album as such though the theme of individual against the forces of fate can be exemplified on the cover, perhaps they mad their own unique statement. This was often in, er, parallel to that of punk frustration but with something to say rather than mere destruction. There's no Roger Dean painting which is as much from artistic differences than any particular desire to have a different visual slant on their work. But the effect is the same what ever the reasons behind it. Hipgnosis do a striking job anyway. So, a great album of different tracks, none like the other but with a monumental work to place it in the pantheon. I must admit that had their been another two or three excellent songs rather than Awaken the effect of the album would be that of a superior Tormato. As it is GFTO is the really first album of the new era but no one realised that then. Oh yes, it is essential for Yes and a Prog rock collection. You may disagree with my perceptions of the content but diversity of opinion is encouraged. I doubt you'll be disappointed. Nearly five stars. Awaken does get five stars.

"We've finally created a masterpiece!" - Jon Anderson's comment to Awaken I couldn't agree more. the track changed my life as a musician. the other tracks are all great,but unfortunetly, they are on the same album were Awaken is,so... no one listens to them :) Except maybe Turn of the century - the ultimate love song ever,where rick and steve (piano and guitar) have a duel at some point,and guitar "wins" and out comes out a beautiful guitar line, followed by Jon's voice: "was the sign of the day with a touch as I......" Anyway,buy this album if you haven't already,cause it's for everyone. Anybody can listen to it,not only hardcore progers

A very fine album that came out at one of prog´s worst times (1977). Rick Wakeman´s return to the fold was big news in 76, but things changed a lot in the music scene in the space of an year. Nevertheless, it was a great return to form after some rather over the top works (Tales From Topographic Oceans and Relayer). Yes somehow found a balance between their sheer musicanship and some more accessible melodies, something they seemed to have lost after Close To The Edge.

The album as a whole is nearly flawless, and having only 5 tracks, it has something for everyone. At the time I liked the shorter songs a lot more than the long ones, like Awaken, but now I think Going For The One is an excellent prog album and it stood well the test of time. Although not as inspired as the classic albums of the early 70´s (which, by the way, would be asking too much), this is classic Yes and a must have for any prog fan.

What can I say that hasn't already been said about this album? This album is my favourit by Yes. Awaken is enough to make this album a complete masterpiece, but to add in Turn of the Century, Going for the One, and Wonderous Stories (although very short for Yes, still a byond exsilent song) which are all Masterpiece's in their own right. For me, if you're trying to get someone into Yes who has no idea who they are, this album is the way to do it. I suggest you have a listen to this album and jugde for yourself. If you like the grand sound Yes is so talented at creating in Relayer, or Close to the Edge, you will enjoy this album to some extent.

Getting to the individual songs, Going for the one is more of a gitar drivin song with a very upbeat feel. This is a good song if you need a boost for the day.

Turn of the Century is a phonomanal song. It's very progressive and is full of sound. I can't listen to this song and not help but think of a dancing couple rising up from a ballroom and dancing in the clouds. Helpless romantic am I?

Parellels is a good song. By contrast of the other four songs on the album it's nothing speshil, but had it been on another of their later albums it would have been a 'sand alone' song.

Wonderous Stories is a mellow happy song. Another one of those songs that can help pick you up for the day. Although, as stated before, it is short for Yes. It's too bad they didn't extened it a bit longer, but it acts as an opener to Awaken.

Awaken is the big song for the album, and dose not disapoint. It seems to go through two movements, and each one is a large bild up to a grand fanaly. This song is an Epic among epic songs and unforchunetly dose not get the apresheation it desurves. Any thing more from me by this point, and I would be repeating myself. A ture Masterpiece by a band who knows how to make them.

The return to Wakeman the Key-tastic. Yes reforms here with new ideas, and old keyboardists. Well i must say i was intrigued when i heard about this reunion of sorts, and i got the album.

Going for the One: this song immediately turned me off. its a lot of noise, no prog at all, and just plain bad. thankfully, the rest of the album saves it from being bad.

Turn of the Century: Beautiful, great acoustic work from Howe, swinging between major and minor keys, with some gorgeous string melodies in the back ground, later turning into piano from the wakemeister. Alan White also shows us his great skills with orchestral percussion. The lyrics match the great yes music of old, celestial and soaring.

Parallels: Great organ intro, a hard, driving rocker, this song is just a great yes song that surprised me and apparently many others on this site.

Wonderous Stories: it sounds like it belongs at the beginning of a 20 minute epic, and it sort of is, as it precedes the incredible "Awaken". the albums hit single, this song is great with acoustics.

Awaken: Masterful song. amazing piano intro, and some of the greatest Anderson lines ever: "High Vibration Go On, to the sun, oh let my heart be dreaming. Past a mortal as me, where can i be?" the main riff is one of the scariest ones Howe ever wrote. it seems to bear down on the ears and threaten to make you pass out. however, it soon backs off into some great synth work. The organ solo dominating the middle is incredible, and the harplike thing that accompanies it is perfect. The dramatic chorus is reprised, with some great soloing from Howe to bring this almost perfect album to a great close.

Overall, the title track removes one star from what could have been a masterpiece. But still, 4 great songs out of 5 aint bad. not at all.

The begining of the end for Yes, this is the album when everything changed for them no Roger dean cover and a totaly diffrent sound much more modern and pop then thiere earlier albums, and its a step down from thiere string of masterpices that came before. Going For The One starts the album and its very straightforward and chatchy rock song great guitar playing form Howe as always, a good song and a fine start for the album but much lighter then anything they done before. Turn Of The Century a long beautiful ballad with good playing and singing from Jon, Parallels one of my favorite songs from the allbum with mighty church organ playing from Rick in the begining, very good melody and playing in this song. Wonderous Stories was a small hit for the band and its pretty much a pop song a good one tough, then the album ends with the epic Awaken the song that sound most like old Yes and one thiere best epics that culd have fited on any of thier albums, and grand final to the classic Yes years. In the end this album is very good but no doubt a step down from thier other classic albums. 4 stars.

Going for a comeback.

One of the most controversial ''classic'' Yes albums, Going For The One's unique style of play has won over the ears of many prog-listeners while turning off others. This album definitely has a heavier edge than it's predecessors; this is likely due to the punk bombardment and the subsequent ''Death'' of the progressive genre in the mid to late 70s. Wakeman is back along with the band after a 3-year hiatus since Relayer and they're ready to make some very new stuff. New and familiar tones are abundant as the YesMen make their comeback album, even featuring their first No. 1 [UK] hit single, WONDEROUS STORIES. However, the world was a very different place from when they'd made their last album, and it's very clear that they were about to adapt.

Starting off the album is the heavy-blues inspired riff from Mr. Howe that gives way to the title track, GOING FOR THE ONE. A catchy, rough edged song that often takes flak for those exact reasons; this is the less polished side of the band. Where as a riff off something like ''Close To The Edge'' was buffered and cleaned to the point of perfection, here Howe actually uses the grungy sound to his advantage. Jon Anderson's vocals hit new heights as he screams out the chorus at the top of his lungs as Yes prove to the punks that even the ''Dinosaur'' bands can still rock.

Toning it down several notches is the emotional TURN OF THE CENTURY. Quiet and low-key this is certainly a change in pace from the opener. A sad love story that's both lovely and depressing at the same time this is a track that makes great use of emotion in all the instruments and especially in the vocal department. Long and pretty, this is one of Yes's better compositions, and excellent when performed live.

Between this point and the looming epic that is the album's coda are a few more tracks. There's often mixed opinions about each of them, so what exactly do they sound like? Well. Wakeman is clearly back, of that there's no doubt - PARRALLELS opens with a synthesizer blast and starts on it's way. Often seen as one of the weaker compositions on the album, I've always found that it's on the same plane as the title track. Heavy and straightforward, this is a prog-rock track to be remembered (even if it's rock side is more clear than it's prog side). Then there's the track that made this comeback a comeback. WONDEROUS STORIES is a nice little ditty that's very pleasing and accessible. In my opinion, however, for the average prog goer: This is the weakest track on the album. It's quiet, short and has nothing spectacular in the way of musicianship. However, as stated before, there's nothing unenjoyable about it.

But of course, Yes wouldn't be Yes without making a long track to blow some minds. On this particular outing that track is AWAKEN. Starting with some quick keys and a brief a-cappella bit by Jon the song quickly starts to suit the style that the rest of the album has taken. This stuff is rough, heavy and rebellious. A driving drum and bassline coupled with some excellent riffs by Howe make this song one of the most interesting in the Yes catalog. Perfect changes in pace and tone over the course of the song make for some interesting pieces of work, especially for ''rough'' Yes. True, this song does have more polish on it than some of the previous songs, as evident in the soloing, but this song is still one of the more aggressive songs that Yes has done. Granted, the song does slow down tremendously, if only to let the audience take a break, as White gently taps the bells and cymbals nearing the center of the song. This song is truly a Yes classic, and there are some wonderful live renditions of it later on in the band's career. Don't miss it!

AWAKEN finally comes to a close with the album leaving the listener with only a chill in their spine. This is one of Yes's best works, and their last great effort for about a decade afterwards. Recommended for all, just so long as they don't expect the exact same band that was so present on Close To The Edge. 5 stars, they earned it.

Yes had a magnificent run in the early '70's, releasing some of the best albums ever to fly the symphonic prog flag. Yet the quality of the work had dipped and personnel problems had cropped up. Going for the One was intended to restart their career. With Wakeman back in the fold, the Dean covers ditched and with a less experimental but more grand sound, Yes did exactly that. Who knew back in 1977 that we would have to wait TWENTY YEARS for a work of comparable quality? (Keys to Ascension 2.) Of course this album isn't perfect. I find the title track to be as ugly as the cover, while Wondrous Stories is a bit too twee for my tastes. However, in Awaken we have what may be the best epic outside of CTTE that Yes ever composed, while Turn of the Century has all of the grandeur of that song in about half the running time. Parallels is a great song that shows that Yes still remembers how to rock as well as how to prog. Anyhow, enjoy the last masterpiece from the '70's Yes.

5 stars all the way.

Without a doubt the last good album of Yes' classic library, featuring one or two outstanding moments and songs but in general lacking in almost every quality which made their previous work so amazing.

The first thing to acknowledge is the modern, approachable sound these songs have-- they are not nearly as complex or challenging as what's come before... musically or lyrically. The opener is a treble-filled exercise in classic-rock masochism featuring the non-stop chaos of Howe's slide guitar and very shrill, repetitive singing from Anderson-- not to mention the return of Wakeman's cartoonish keyboards (boo!).

This attempt at a grand, powerful start utterly fails, but is redeemed by the classy performance of the aforementioned offenders in the beautifully articulated ballad, Turn of the Century, which in my opinion is one of the band's best soft songs. Parallels is merely OK, sabotaged by the church organ, and Wondrous Stories is inexcusably silly.

Fortunately the mediocrity of the early album is almost forgotten about when Awaken gets going... the final Yes epic. Well composed and passionately performed, this one makes it into the band's highlight reel; it's almost worth the price of the album alone. Howe's soloing shines, as do Anderson's pure vocals, which pass through the song's many dynamic changes beautifully.

Recommended for Yes fans, but certainly among the final purchases of their classic library.

Songwriting: 3 Instrumental Performances: 3 Lyrics/Vocals: 3 Style/Emotion/Replay: 2

Not the one!

Many Yes fans consider this something of a come back album or a return to form for the band. This is mainly because it was Rick Wakeman's return to the band after a couple of years of absence, during which he was replaced with Patrick Moraz. As much as I love Rick, this is not my view.

While most people seem to be in agreement over the greatness of The Yes Album, Fragile and Close To The Edge, there is some considerable controversy over the merits of Tales From Topographic Oceans, Relayer, Going For The One, Tormato and Drama. Personally, I love all of these albums, but Going For The One is the one I like the least of all of the mentioned albums. Hence, in my opinion Going For The One was, at the time of its release, the least good Yes album since Time And A Word.

Compared to Tales From Topographic Oceans and Relayer, Going For The One is certainly less experimental and more conventional in nature. The title track is almost something of a straightforward rock 'n' roll number and has never been one of my favourites. Awaken is the only truly progressive piece on this album, and while it is a great piece of music it is not up to par with Close To The Edge or Gates Of Delirium.

Overall, this album is more serious and has a colder, more bombastic, baroque kind of feeling compared to earlier ones. Rick is indeed back in the fold, but the synthesisers take a backseat in favour of grand piano and church organ. And Steve often plays acoustic guitars. All this gives the album a more classical sound and feeling.

Had this album been by another band I would probably have given it four stars, but perhaps I just demand more of my favourite band. For me this is just a three and a half star album.

Still, a very good album that is surrounded by greater ones!

3.5 stars. Unfortunately i'm reviewing this after spending a lot of time with "Tales From Topographic Oceans" and i'm still feeling the hangover effects from that one. In fact the bad taste all came back with the song "Turn Of The Century" which would have fit well on "Tales From Topographic Oceans" if they'd just stretched it out even more than they did here. I do also think that when compared to the previous album "Relayer" it pales big time. On it's own I like it but these guys could have done so much better. Rick Wakeman is back in the fold after they gave Moraz the boot, although he's the first person they thank in the liner notes.

"Going For The One" is a difficult tune not to like. Anderson seems so confident as he sings with passion. I don't know if i've heard Howe sound quite like he does on this track. Squire is prominant as usual. This song doesn't let up from start to finish. "Turn Of The Century" i've already commented on, I just have a hard time getting into this almost 9 minute track.

"Parallels" features some great organ and guitar work. "Wonderous Stories" is a very positive and uplifting song. "Awaken" is of course what everyone is waiting for. Some nice piano to open as vocals follow. A full sound before 2 minutes,and it sounds amazing. Check out Howe before 3 1/2 minutes. Vocals return 5 1/2 minutes in. A cool soundscape comes in before Anderson returns 11 minutes in. An uplifting section 11 1/2 minutes with guitar helping out a lot in that department. Wakeman then takes over briefly.

I think this is worth having but I also think they have several albums that are much better.

Genious work by Yes! It's my favourite Yes album after 90125 and Relayer, this is really fantastic and must-hear music product for all who heard the term progressive rock, because this is classic masterpiece!!!!!! A Wakeman's return tape, Going foe the one includes 5 fine track: 4 usual-lenght song and one epic, everage 40 minutes. As sme as Relayer, in this few tracks and 40-minute lenght i feel very charming art work of the band, creating so fantastic pieces. So, let's see... The opening one - Going for the one - funny rock'n'rollin intro but different manner of vocal section makes it difficult to hear but prog rock must be so eclectic like that sometimes. Not mastermind of this tape, but no so bad, i give this song mark - 4,75/5. The second - Turn of the century - a ballad. I didn't like it because of soothy musical playing, now i find it as a charming one, i didn't understand the geniousity of this one st the time. 5/5. Parallels...mmm...quite good, bbbuuut, if i were Jon Anderson, i'd outtake it because the music structure is kinda bad. Tempo thing, very good bass section, organs... Not my favourite, but like to hear it for a couple of times. 4,5/5 Wonderous stories is the first thing i really loved on this album. So melodic and not so long, it's a real price for me, cuz i like not only hearing boring 10-minute prog songs. Great one! 5/5 Album ends with an Awaken epic, my favouritest Yes song after The Gates Of Delirium!!! Fantastic intro, Steve's riff, solo, and of course ending! My soul fly away with this song from the beginning and up to the end, only thing to do is hearing it!!! Real prog rock Masterpiece!!! 5/5

And the final mark for the album too, it's a one of the finest prog-rock albums ever!!! MASTERPIECE!!!

"Going for the One" is a good successor to "Relayer", which in my view shares, with "Close to the Edge", the spot as YES' best album ever. While it doesn't reach the same peaks of excellence overall, there are a few moments when it actually towers over all the rest of the band's records.

The return of Rick Wakeman of course is a welcome event, even if Moraz was a fantastic replacement. It just feels as if Wakeman is the right keyboardist for YES. His return, though, it's of course helped by the fact that the band tried to write better songs this time around. In contrast with the three-song "Relayer" (molded after "Close to the Edge"), and even more with the fatally flawed "Tales from Topographic Oceans", "Going for the One" features 5 songs, 4 of them of rather average length (if by "average" we can also mean 8 minutes). All but the last track are quite accessible at first listen, and they aim for simplicity (if not total) and effect (even if they fail).

"Going for the One" opens the album in pure rock-fashion. More complex than the average radio track but much easier than the traditional YES puzzle. "Turn of the Century" is almost beautiful, even though Anderson's vocals never let any song reach total beauty (in YES, instrumental music has to do it all by itself, not that Anderson is a bad vocalist but his voice doesn't fit the "musical beauty" definition). "Parallels" is simple yet entertaining. "Woundrous Story" closes the first half of the album in good fashion.

Of course, the until-now better-than-mediocre disc is suddenly lifted to another level with the majestic closer, "Awaken", the first half of which, in my opinion, reaches the levels of "Close to the Edge in terms of musical excellence, and maybe even surpasses them in energy and power. The beginning and first half of the song are just magnificent, with the recurrent downward-figure adding drama and tension the likes of which YES never achieved again (or before). It feels like hard- rock. It feels like energy trapped and ready to explode. The second half is much more quiet, but the resolution is satisfying. I have to confess that this may be now my favorite YES' song.

And thanks to the amazing closer, "Going for the One" leaves 3-star territory to reach a higher status. Better than "The Yes Album" or the very bad "Tales from Topographic Oceans", it sits on the same level as "Fragile": right next to the best YES ever offered, but not quite there.

There was an all-too-brief period when YES was the best band in the world. They created wonderful music, each musician excelling but the music still crystal-clear and compelling, underlined by CHRIS SQUIRE's thunderous bass. That period may have ended with 'Tales' or 'Relayer', depending on your taste, but most would agree it was well and truly over by 1977 when 'Going For The One' was released.

'Going For The One' is regressive. It returns to the pre-'Yes Album' days, evoking 'Time and a Word'. Retreating from the complex, multi-part epic, YES present us here with four unconnected songs and one epic of sorts. The themes in each of these four songs are not without merit, but instead of doing the extra work to weave them together, they merely send them marching towards us, one after the other. We get the title track, a sort of Zeppelinesque guitar job, HOWE masquerading as a rock'n'roll axeman rather than the sweeping sound technician he is. After that's over we get an acoustic number, 'Turn of the Century', a pleasant workout in search of something memorable. WAKEMAN shows us his organ in 'Parallels', which really does sound like a part from an epic taken out of context. This is followed by 'Wondrous Stories', a beautiful vignette that would have made a glorious centrepiece to what YES do best, extended multi-layered compositions.

Why would they take this step backwards? After all, they didn't after the critically lambasted 'Tales From Topographic Oceans'. No, it was the relative commercial failure of 'Relayer' (it sold well, to be fair, but commercial success is measured by the percentage of the print run sold, and in this area 'Relayer' failed) that prompted an extended hiatus, followed by this rather average rock album.

Something was clearly going on behind the scenes. The awesome power of SQUIRE's bass is deliberately repressed: had he done something to offend HOWE and ANDERSON? Had the band become tired of their trademark powerful sound? Or were they frightened of repeating themselves, of becoming irrelevant? I doubt it, or they wouldn't have come up with 'Awaken' which, although a pale facsimile of their earlier epics, at least contained more than one idea. Enjoy it, because it's the last one you'll be getting for many long, cold years.

I wonder what exactly ''the One'' Yes was ''Going for'', but in my mind, it is the epic ''Awaken''. It's like the 15+ minute wonder that Yes rewarded their fans with after three years of waiting for RELAYER's follow-up. ''Awaken'' has everything that should keep progsters fulfilled for a good long time; a soft, emotional intro, beautiful guitar work, abstract lyrics, loads of church organ and a gorgeous middle that builds to a cathartic climax.

Beyond that, there isn't much substance to the album. The title track is one of the worst things Yes ever produced; the slide guitar tone and vocals are simply ear-murdering. Most of the rest of the songs are either too corny or too twee. ''Parallels'' uses the church organ well, but I find that it lasts too long. One great epic a great prog album does not make.

Greatness and completeness!Probably the most completed album by Yes in terms of songwriting.The album was made after a little hiatus for the band,because of the beginnings of the solo careers of the musicians.But this is not obstacle about the synchronism between them.It contains a special moment for music history - the composition Awaken!The sound is devided by a few flows with extremely successful echoes effects.The other songs are divided by two groups with two songs each.The first group is two fast songs - Going for the One and Parallels - the first one with little country influence and maybe the weakest on the album (if you can talk about any waekness on the album);Parallels is catchy from the first listenning with its attractive melody and technique.Its bass work from Chris Squire is just perfect and one of the most memorable bass works of all time for me.The is typical example for a song with everything on the right place.The others - Turn of the Century and Wonderous Stories are the group of the power ballads with extreme progressive sound.At the end I with say Awaken,the song every collection can't live without.It's a magic!It is alone in its own group.All of the instruments walk on different way,but they gathered on the crossing;just the echoes stay aside from the crossing.Just amazing!

I really waited a long time to listen to this album. I was very familiar to Yes previous works, heard everything countless times. Even before finally listening to Going for the One, I already considered Yes to be my 2nd favorite band of all time, behind Genesis. A combination of reasons made me so willing to give it time. To be honest, I think the cover threw me off a bit, a stupid reason I know, but it did. The other reason being I was just afraid of a letdown. I couldn't have been more wrong!! This album from Yes may be their best album, defiantly their most complete album, there's a difference. It took me about three close listens to absorb the whole album, the third time, I was blown away. After the first listen the opening song and title track, Going for the One stuck with me, I was into it right away. Starts off a bit different, but soon gets right into Yes fashion. Turn of the Century is a beautiful song, the guitar and Jon Anderson's vocals are amazing. Parallels, the third track is the highlight of side one. A very bombast song all around, Howe's guitar, returning Wakeman's keyboards and Anderson's vocals all brilliant and at full force. Wondrous Stories is the only song I had heard before, I think on Classic Yes or some other hits album. Another beautiful song here, at only 3:50 it's the shortest track on the album, but made possible for a single. Defiantly not a weak point at all thou.

Awaken - a masterpiece of godly proportions, Yes's most brilliant piece of work ever!! Epic songwriting and musicianship. It sits at 15:38 but you'd never know it, there's no sense of time when sucked into Awaken. I had my eyes closed and was just taken away in a trance. After hearing Roundabout, Close to the Edge, The Gates of Delirium, Starship Trooper, there was no way they could top any of those AGAIN but they did, I was floored.

5 Stars, the easiest 5 stars I ever given, so far.

Yes - 'Going for the One' 4 stars

The last truly progressive effort by Yes was not in vein. This album was pretty damn good.

This album might get a little too much credit for the return of Rick Wakeman. In my honest opinion, I think he didn't do anything on this album that is comparable with his first stint. This is mostly a guitar driven album and Steve Howe dwells into some standard rock rhythms that sometimes give the album a bad vibe, but it only really shines through in the opening track which I find terrible. Everything is great though.

Other then the first trick which was a disappointment due to a constant standard rock riff that draws a bridge between Yes and Led Zeppelin, a connection that simply doesn't work, I find all the pieces to be awesome. The second track 'Turn of the Century' has an excellent acoustic intro and eventually becomes a band oriented song. I love the rhythm section and vocal lines. 'Parallels' was another song with a strong sense of a rock format, but was done much more wisely then 'Going for the One'. 'Wonderous Stories' is by far the best song that ever featured Jon Anderson's voice. The singing on this track is absolutely breathtaking with Steve Howe's steel guitar to provide some backing. 'Awaken' is regarded as one of Yes's true masterworks. I am quite fond of it myself, but I don't think that makes top 10 Yes material. It is a nice piece, but there was nothing truly memorable about it to cherish it forever.

With four of the five songs ranging from great to excellent, I find it just natural to give this album a solid 4 stars.

Every single song on this album I disliked initially. The first time I heard the title track, I thought, "Who are these guys?" The second song sounded boring. The third was okay, but uninteresting. The fourth song had been the only one I'd known from this album for a long time, and I thought it was a mere recreation of "Your Move." The fifth song was weird, grating, and monotonous in the middle. How does one overcome these hurdles with Yes? By listening.

"Going for the One" The steel guitar is difficult to get over at first. But I must confess: My first experience with this song was on the Keys to Ascension DVD, which frankly sounds terrible. After a few listens to the studio version here, my prejudice gave way, and I really began to enjoy the song for what it was- not the best of Yes, but a very good, rollicking tune indeed.

"Turn of the Century" This, I cannot listen to as I review it. Over the years, it has brought tears to my eyes for reasons that may be too personal to go on about here. The lyrics describe a reversal, then re-reversal, of the mythological story of Pygmalion and Galatea. Roan would always tell his wife, who danced about and was a free spirit, to sit still so he could sculpt her. Soon, she died, and Roan only had a statue of his wife- precisely what he wanted of her. But suddenly his statue came to life, and his wife was in his arms again. The song ends with a nostalgic feeling. The instrumental section, featuring Wakeman's best piano work while with Yes, Chris Squire's bass, and some great electric guitar work from Steve Howe, make this one of the highlights of the album. The key changes are flawless. This has to be some of Howe's best acoustic guitar work ever.

"Parallels" Wakeman's church organ and Squire's bass dominate this Squire-penned number. Hearing the rehearsals from the bonus material, it sounds like something that could have been a part of his solo album, but as the rest of Yes gets their hands fully on it, it becomes something more like them. It's an exciting track, even if Howe's guitar work tends to be a little sloppy and out of place throughout.

"Wonderous Stories" This one is like "Your Move," as I mentioned in the introductory paragraph, but it really has its own style, and is very different from everything else here.

"Awaken" The epic of the album, "Awaken" contains fabulous piano work, wild guitar runs, and some of the most esoteric lyrics Jon Anderson has ever put through a microphone. The middle section is a drawn out, quiet instrumental part, with Wakeman's church organ, playing ever so majestically. Anderson's vocals are wonderful in this work. The end and the beginning are amazing bookends.

The maestro returns! Wakeman came back to the fold with this album, recorded in Switzerland. This was my first ever Yes album, and not only do I retain a great deal of affection for it for that reason, but I also regard it as being their finest album.

The opener, and title track, is untypical Yes, and moves along at a rate of knots. I do especially enjoy the Howe guitar at the end accompanying Anderson Talk about sending love sequence.

What follows, though, is a track of such breathtaking beauty that it is the single piece of music I want to be played at my funeral. Turn of the Century tells a simple story wonderfully - it is a tale of a love that is so intense and important that it transcends our ultimate test, that of death. You feel for Roan when his love passes away, following much suffering. Then Roan moulds a clay statue of his love which comes to life in a fantastic burst, dancing and singing in a celebration of life and love. Steve Howe's guitar solo in the interim still makes the hairs on the back of my neck stand up, it is that beautiful. This song is not a mere track, it is a whole experience, and I especially like the fact that Anderson is able to tell a story that we can all relate to and understand. Sheer perfection in music.

Parallels is a great track, and is the first to feature the Wakeman church organ. The maestro is on top form on this album, playing as if his life depended upon it.

Wondrous Stories, of course, attracts a fair bit of criticism because it's commercial and a pop song. As with much of the Collins era Genesis, this doesn't bother me at all - I think its a great pop song, and the best testimony you can write about it is the fact that it became a huge UK hit at a time when punk was raging across the country in a flurry of snot and filth.

The original album ends with what I regard as being the ultimate Yes epic, Awaken. The passage of church organ by Wakeman is his finest moment with the band, utterly majestic and alive. The track also contains some excellent Howe guitar bursts and Anderson is on great form. An incredible track, it is even better live in my opinion. Deservedly one of the greats in the band's extensive cannon.

I rate this LP as five stars without hesitation. For those people visiting this site who are looking to start purchasing Yes, I would recommend this as the ideal place to start your journey, before progressing to the earlier stuff. An incredible album and utterly indispensible as part of any prog collection.

Perhaps the last LP with the consistent high compositional quality of the The Yes Album through Relayer, Going for the One does have some trouble drawing people into its rather diverse moods and styles. The musicianship is without a doubt outstanding and "Awaken" [12/10] is, IMO, the greatest prog song ever written, but on the whole accessibility is somewhat lacking, even from the "pretty" songs, "Turn of the Century" [6/10: a bit too long] and "Wonderous Stories" [7/10]. While "Parallels" [3/10] is breathtaking to see live for Steve Howe's energy and emotion, the song itself is almost overwhelming in its in-your-face organ loudness, annoying snare, discordant, 'pushed' vocal harmonies. It just has too much going on. "Going for the One" [2/10] is the oddest and poorest opening song of any Yes album. It sounds more like a song from Steve Howe's first solo album: great technique, annoying, almost grating sound. I don't care if I ever hear it again. But then, there is "Awaken." Masterful from opening notes of the piano to Jon's sensitive opening vocals, to the guitar riff that sucks you in, to the Alan White drums that are so strong, so steady, and all over the soundscape, to the greatest Steve Howe solo ever, to the entrance and dominance of the St. Martin's Church organ, to the quiet interlude with Jon's harp which keeps building with Rick's organ and Steve's guitar work to the amazing "master of . . ." vocal section which culminates in the pinnacle of organ and pedal steel sound before crashing into the blissful bath of Jon's nostalgic vocals and Steve's pedal steel washes. Wow. Probably my favorite Jon Anderson vocals of all-time.

Hard to rate this one when there are such highs (the highest) and such lows. Still, don't miss this if just for "Awaken."

Well, first of all: this is not a bad or annoying album, as some people think it is. Of course that it's not a Yes' classic album, but it's really good. Let's see each song:

Turn Of The Century: It is a calm and melodic song, with a great acoustic guitar from Mr. Howe. We clearly see that it is a composition mainly by Jon Anderson. It isn't as good as classics such as Mood For a Day, but it's a special song. I'd give it 3,65 stars.

Parallels: Clearly a Squire song. It is constructed mainly by an organ riff, which is played all along the song. For me, a normal Rock song, with Progressive touches. It has good guitar and organ solos. A cool song, but nothing special. 3,65 stars also.

Wonderous Stories: the most beautiful song on the album. I think every rock album should have a song like this one: melodic, harmonic, calm, soft. 4,6 stars to it.

Going For The One: The title-track... the first time I heard it, I hated. But after listening to it many times, now I really see how this song is good, very melodic. I love when Jon shouts the title with his high-pitched voice, 'Goooiiing for the oooone'. Yes, a great song. 4,65 stars.

Awaken: Jon said "I loved listening to 'Awaken', at last we had created a Masterwork". I agree in a way: it's absolutely not the best Yes' epic, but it's a very good song, the best on this album. This track contains great piano, organ and synthesizer works by Master Wakeman, rhythmic drums by White, great guitar and bass parts by Steve and Chris and Jon's voice, with the effects, creates an amazing atmosphere, different from any Yes song till then. 5 stars to it.

So, 4 stars to this good album !

What is really weird with this album is that, if you look behind to 'Relayer', you can't possibly think that this is the same band! But, if you look further in the Yes catalogue, you find...'Tormato', Also known as the worst yes album of the 70's. Everybody knows that Yes went into a 'solo' period after 'Relayer' and that changed the band a lot, is it for good or bad? Well, each time I ear the debut of 'going for the one', I'm about to say 'hey, it sounds like Shania Twain!' but after that 'false star' you can ear that the 'old' yes is not very dead.

That solo period had bring some fresh air in the sound and the composition. You can also be very excited by the return of Wakeman on keyboards because he those a really fantastic job. This is a 4 star album, not because of any song in particular but because of the general feel of that album. It's not as groundbreaking as Close to the edge, not as pretentious (in the good way of the word, if that can make sens) as 'Tales' and not as puzzling as 'Relayer'. One will say that we must not judge an album by what a band have done before (try to do that with, let say, 'love beach' from ELP!) but even for what it is, 'Going for the one' stand more as a rock album than a prog rock album. Yes I know there is 'Awaken' on this one, but an album can't deserve five star for just one song, even if it's the lengthiest song and the best song on the album ( and by the way on the best epic Yes ever made)

Highlights:

- Awaken: Wow! I'm happy that wakman is back to give is this great intro! it takes on very rapidly with one of the heaviest riff yes had put into a song yet. Oh, and...WHAT A BASS!! This is the reason why all yes fan must have this album. if this song was not there, man, that album would be rated two star by a lot of yes fan. I see it as I see 'Echoes' on 'Meddle'. What an Epic, but what those it do on THAT album! It's like if genesis had put 'Supper's Ready' on '...and there they were tree'!!! special mention for the guitar, the bass, and, of course, the keyboards.

- Going For the One: What a rocker, but still it keeps a great prog rock feels, a thing that 'Parallels' failed to do. I really love this one even if i have difficulty understanding the intro...

Well simply wonderful GOING FOR THE ONE... One of the best Yes albums, maybe one of the best three... it begans with a heavy song, the theme of the album... then pure classical music on TURN OF THE CENTURY... then very progressive with the Wakeman's church orga in PARALLELS. And then WONDEROUS STORIES a beatiful history made by JON ANDERSON, symply acoustic whit the keyboards of Rick Wakeman... And the WOW a really symphonic song named AWAKEN, one of the best long play songs in YES history... Really, really if you start your YES collection this album is a really god option.

Going for the One is the well polished back bookend of the highly imaginative and well wrought collection of albums which represents the core of Yes' discography. Like the lead album of this pack, the Yes Album, Going for the One lacks some of the grandeur and complexity which characterize the strongest albums in the set, but what it lacks there, it makes up for in charm.

Shorter tracks make up the first portion of the album, two hard and two soft. I find the harder tracks, Going for the One and Parallels to be the stronger of them. Parallels especially is remarkable for Rick Wakeman's commanding church organ. Of the softer tracks, Turn of the Centuries stands further out. It is somewhat reminiscent of the more coherent moments from Tales from Topographic Oceans. I've always considered Wondrous Stories to be something of a throwaway. If you subscribe to the cynical view that the popularity of a song is inversely proportional to its progressiveness then there may be something to it, as it was a top ten hit in the UK for YES at the height of Punk.

The second portion of the album is the last hurrah for Yes' seriously progressive side, the 15+ minute epic Awaken. Much like its counterpart Starship Trooper on the Yes Album, awake is very good in many ways, but somewhat incomplete when put up next to the big boys from Closer to the Edge and Relayer. For my part, I much prefer the up tempo first half to the calm and sleepy second half. As a result, Awaken is good, but not quite sufficient to carry the album into the top echelon of progressive rock.

Going for the One is reputed to be something of a fan favourite. It's easy to see why. It has very broad appeal while still maintaining its progressive chops. I don't think there is anybody I wouldn't really recommend this album too. It's both diverse and entertaining if not completely essential. I give it 4 out of a possible 5 stars.

This is quite a sad album in that it was the last real masterpiece that Yes released, so when you listen to Awaken, the album closer, it's pretty poignant stuff. I'm quite surprised the average score is 4.06 at the time of writing this. I truly believe this to be on par with close to the edge, fragile and relayer though. When i first listened to this album, i didn't think the same way, but it grew on me...it really is a great album, and almost certainly contains some of Rick Wakemans best works within it.

The album opens with the title track Going for the One, beginning with Steve Howes slide guitar riff, the slide guitar dominating much of the song along with Jons lyrics. It's very upbeat, it has a sorta feel good factor to it, it's just a great opener to the album. It does get a little repetitive but it's still a briliant song and showcases Steve Howes incredible talent on steel guitar. Next comes Turn of the Century, admittedly this took a while to grow on me but i'm glad it did, it's a very beautiful song, once again showcasing Howe's talent, and how both Howe and Wakeman combine brilliantly. The whole song, dominated by classical guitar and piano work, sort of makes you think of, well, the turn of the century really...it really takes you somewhere else (yes, without drugs). Third song is parallels, certainly one of the strongest songs on the album. Here Howe and Wakeman do what they do best, most noticabely Wakeman, dominating the song with a church organ. Most people say that awaken is the gem of the album, and i agree, but this is certainly a song that can't be overlooked. Epic, just epic. Rick Wakeman is often referred to as one of the greatest keyboard players in rock, and this is definitely a reason why! The next song Wonderous Stories is probably the weakest song on the album, a very laid back short one (well for yes anyway). It's not a bad song, but is pretty overshadowed by the rest. I guess it sets you up for the grand finale... Awaken, THE grand finale, the grandest of finales. It contains all of the above pretty much and more. The album is more than worth purchasing for this song alone, a cliche i know but who cares when it's so true. The song contains epic church organs, intense bass and drums, gentle and strong guitar parts, and terrific vocals and lyrics that make absolutely no sense. Yet, as i said before it's very sad in a way hearing the utterly awesome ending, knowing this was to be the last epic yes album before they became commercial and torn.

It's great to hear a band 5 years after their peak and find they're still as good as they were, and this album shows that yes were just that, though they had changed from their close to the edge days, as does every band. This album is certainly a masterpiece in my opinion, and i've no problem with it gettin 5/5. It's not Close to the Edge, it's not Fragile, but then it doesn't try to be, it's unique. A great swan song for clssic Yes.

Yes in the 70's does some groping and conversions of the direction for the music of the band. "The Yes Alubum" and "Relayer", etc. might be works of the result of the conversion and grope remarkably appearing. How the member who had joined newly whenever the work is announced sent a new wind to the history of Yes can be discovered through the work.

If the respect is considered, this album might be a work at the time of a certain kind of conversion as the band. It might be one of the elements that the point that each member is announcing Solo Album as passage from "Relayer" to this album is big. However, the activity of Patrick Moraz might already have conceived danger especially away from the distance and the band to Yes in those activities.

After the activity with Solo, each member begins the production of this album. However, work that the work of the recording that seemingly looks gone also in haste rearranges arrangements by the secession of the band of Patrick Moraz is done through necessity. Yes was known with the amount of the practice considerably to attempt the improvement of the technology of the performance and the improvement of knowledge. They in haste looked for the player of the keyboard because Moraz had abandoned coexisting by own place of activity and the activity of Yes. It was Rick Wakeman.

Steve Howe is answered in the interview at this time. ｢I thought that I became a chance where we returned to the sound like the first stage again in this album. It came to understand whether the band returned to original shape and what directionality you had. ｣ The temporary title that was called "The New Yes Album" existed in this album. It is possible to visit signs where the member tries to watch the music that they till then did again and it tried to create the music of new Yes with fresh new ideas.

It is possible to visit some new elements by developing the composition of the tune of the masterpiece principle that they till then were performing further for this made album. The band that seemed to establish a new route by "Relayer" guesses the album with the element of the music diffused to former shape further by this album though the music character, that is, installing the past is followed.

Like the time i ran away, turned around and you were standing close to me.

Awaken, Awaken and Awaken. For me, the rest on this album is quite boring. Ok, i sometimes find myself listening to the title track or Turn of the Century, but really, this album is so dominated by the last track, which may be the best Yes epics of all time. The cathedral organ of Wakeman, the amazing jumpy guitar solos by Howe, The angel vocals and magical lyrics of Anderson and not even mentioning rest of the bunch, Awaken is a real masterpiece. It's a real pity that Yes decided on composing the album of more short tracks, rather than a few long ones, the formula which had worked for Yes in their pinnacle album(and to some extent in Relayer).

However, you should not get me wrong, the rest of the tracks are not bad, just in my opinion a little uninteresting or boring. The case with songs like these is often that after a time i find something interesting in them, now overlooked.

If you listen to this record, do not hestitate to skip to the last track, but still put your money on the whole album, this is one is a keeper and solid 4 star album.

Going for the One Star? Not quite, but neither going for the 5 stars

Going for the One for me and for many other Yes fanatics is the return of Yes to it's classic Symphonic sound, leaving the new ideas Tales From Topographic Oceans and Relayer offered behind. Rick Wakeman once again on board may seem to be a bonus, however he features a few changes on the keyboards, leading to some un-substancial synths and some over-dose of the church organ, unlike his stunning moog runs featured on Tales From Topographic Oceans or majestic organ on Fragile and Close to the Edge. The rest of the band is still in good shape, though not extraordinary as it was in Relayer or Close to the Edge, for example Chris Squire doesn't feature any jaw-dropping bass lines neither does Steve Howe shine on his electric guitar, both have the exception on the song Parallels, though not that's it's a great song either.

When it comes to the song-writing from Going for the One, just like the band's delivery on this album, it's nothing beyond Yes standards and it can be questioned if it's even on Yes standards. Songs like Parallels and the title track are simple structured rock songs featuring prog-used keyboards like the already mentioned synths and church organ, though for me both sound pretty unbearable on here. Then there's Wonderous Stories, as very well Robert(Epignosis) stated, it's very much alike Your Move from The Yes Album, the acoustic guitar, the keyboards, the vocals, all sounds way too familiar, while not necessary being bad per se.

Then there are the two supposedely highlights, Turn of the Century and Awaken. The former being a long, gentle acoustic-driven song, with Steve doing some nice guitar passages while Jon delivering some angelical vocals. Though got to admit I frequently get asleep while listening through the middle of it, it's just so soft, gentle, all perfect for the quietness, that there's nothing that obtains very much my attention. On the other hand there's Awaken, the last highly acclaimed epic from Yes. It introduces itself very epic-like with the elegant piano from Rick, though it's just a brief illusion of the perfection created on Close to the Edge. The main problem for me of the epic is that half of it is plain boring, with a floating non-entertaining church organ leading most of the second boring half, with few energy and deliverance from the band members. However, the first half of it is certainly worthy of mention with Steve delivering some inspired, powerful and engaging guitar lines which are able to obtain my attention and make me raise the volume.

As a whole Going for the One is on the boderline of not being up to Yes classic Prog standards, while not having bad tracks as Tormato will have, the material from here while sounding as if the Yes who made Close to the Edge is here, because it really is here, still doesn't get anywhere near that perfection neither at least a status of greatness without considering Close to the Edge or any other previous album.

Overall, a good, consistent album in decent material, yet with the line-up it features much more is expected than this IMO. Recomended after having heard all the albums that are before this one, yes that includes their debut and Time and a Word.

Time to go for this One...

I have read about this album in a local newspaper (and about progressive rock) and they say this is a concept album about a man's life from childhood to old age and death, and finally transcendental life (this would be Awaken). Well, some lyric parts are like that, for example "Here you stand no taller than the grass sees"

In the music you can already smell the change to a more mainstream style, that would lead to pop music in the 80s. The title track in fact is mainstream rock with almost no progressive tendencies (well, the chromatic synth fill excepted) but well this would be the only letdown of the album. It's still a funny upbeat song, even if not up to par with the others. The other heavy rocker is Paralels, a quite mainstream chorus but the presence of the organ makes the song progressive. And there are quite difficult parts during the solos, there's a great organ solo at the middle eight. Well, not that special in its own, but it fits well in the concept.

The rest is simply marvellous, making Yes one of my favourite bands (Well, at least up to this album unfortunately) There is a great change in dynamics and mood while entering the slow acoustic guitar of Turn of the Century. The vocals build up from a simple 3-note motive but developed throughout the song and completed with rich guitar counterpoint, and symphonic keyboard chords. There is a little electric piano in the instrumental part which also sounds great. The song is also very in-the-mood and thoughtful. On the other hand Wonderous Stories is an other quiet ballad but much simpler and sunnier. The chromatic keyboards come up again, while the echoes of the last words Hearing...

And of course there is the epic Awaken, which really surprised me. I found this the most experimental of Yes, very difficult to "get" the song (although I usually don't understand this word, this time I see what they mean...) but now I think it's one of the best songs of Yes, along with Close To The Edge and Gates Of Delirium!

It opens with virtuostic piano cadenza, and of course they use again the ethereal sounds to back Anderson's voice (this made them great successes before, just see the two songs mentioned!) But what comes...? Really strange, repetitive guitar lines and unusual vocals that are not "leading" the song, just filling texture, and endless speed guitar solos, this have the feeling like Eternity, it goes on forever...! Kind of consummation or fulfilling of your hopes, this is a vigorous dance with celestial sounds...

The next part is a baroque-like organ solo turning into a crazy roundabout of chords, that reaches all the 12 tones of cromatic scale! whow, stunning effect! After a bit they slow down step by step, and the music almost stops.... It really took me a long time to accept this change and take it as a part of the concept... It moves into a middle part, like... what's this? Yes going into Post Rock? A slow, repetitive music with very thin sound. A bit of glass percussion (or sounds like that) and harp with pipe organ solo, and slowly the others come in, bass, drums and synths. This is great contrast after the glorious first part, like meditating. But it slowly builds up to reach the mood of the former part, but without a break this time, if it were a continuous following! They had a great work on this, I'm sure. At the end is the beginning again, the singer with ethereal synth that standed the test.

I think this music should be taken as a gift for humanity, even if the first song is not that good, so have a good time!!!

E Major

1977. That strangest year in prog history.

In my book, prog had been on steady decline since 73/74. Of course there were good albums in '75 and '76. VDGG was even at their highpoint, but the first generation was mostly on hiatus and wouldn't return to form ever again. Even second generation acts like Camel and Oldfield were on the decline already. But especially the popular bands of yore were in serious trouble:

Genesis had managed to survive Gabriel's departure but none of the albums since could bring back the glory days of old. ELP had, as far as I'm concerned, not released of note of interest since Trilogy. King Crimson was dead and buried. Pink Floyd disappointed me a bit with the hollow pathos of Wish You Were Here. Kraut rock had had its best years and Jethro Tull had become exactly what their album titles suggested: too old to rock 'n' roll and a minstrel in the doorway of a decaying department store.

However, 1977 turned out to be the last spasm of a dying breed. Right before punk and new wave would give prog the final blow, the old school went out with style. OK, ELP had become a really sad self-parody but Pink Floyd would release an absolute fan favourite with Animals. Jethro Tull sounded reborn on Songs From the Wood, Genesis made the classics come fully alive again on Second's Out, Tangerine Dream ended their golden years with the powerful Encore and Schulze managed to release 3 gold platters with Mirage as one of the most beautiful pieces of music ever.

And Yes? Oh yes, we were reviewing Yes here. Getting there in minute.

Yes was exactly where everybody else was: releasing their last prog statement with Going for the One, while at the same time foreboding the horror of things to come. Of course it's a very nostalgic album. Completely oblivious of its era, but even so, how on earth could the very title track end up on this album? And as an album opener for that matter! It's a guitar riff driven song but with the most inane riff in rock history. The sound balance is awful and the vocal lines are atrocious. I guess only Yes could come up with kitsch like this. This would be the kind of stuff they would fill Tormato and Drama with.

Luckily, things go steadily upwards from here on. Turn of The Century is a charming merge of Howe's excellent acoustic guitar work and the out-worldly beauty of Anderson's singing. Not prog enough for some, pure splendour for me.

Parallels is one of those few tracks were Wakeman really amazes me. The sheer pomposity of this organ-loaded track, in a year when the Sex Pistols had established themselves as the future of rock, is one of the most striking discrepancies in pop music and an overwhelming proof of the power of rock and its freedom of expression. Unbelievable, to attempt something like this in that year and to pull it off so convincingly. But the prog beast of interest is Awaken of course. I've come to understand that not all of us here are equally impressed by it but for me it has always been one of the more enjoyable Yes suites. And the reason is Howe and Wakeman. They both shine and overwhelm me here like they never did before. I mean, Wakeman used to be an annoying jerk that liked the sound of his own playing too much and Howe's neurotic playing usually got on my nerves easily. But here, they deliver the goods. Amazing solos, excellent background sounds, whatever the song needed.

Overal this album is an amazing statement and one of the last great prog albums from first generation.

I remember my grandfather buying this album for me in Mexico City about two and half years ago because I did not have enough money. To this day, I believe I owe him much more than the 100 pesos (roughly $9) it cost him. "Going for the One" was the album that fully incorporated me into the marvelous world that is progressive rock. This one started it all. And that is indeed priceless.

"Going for the One" is considered by many to be the last classic Yes album and I fall into that crowd. The album was released roughly around the same time as Genesis' "Wind and Wuthering", and I consider these two albums to be similar due to my opinion that they are both the last, great works from two of the greatest acts of prog. At the eve of the demise of the major progressive bands, Yes managed to make a rather impressive album, one that, for me, sparked a sudden crave for all things prog.

Yes' 8th album is unlike anything they produced before and after. It's just one of those diverse, fresh moments that come around not too often and surprise even the most skeptical listener. "Going for the One" offers somber, acoustic moments (such as in "Turn of the Century") and on the other side of the spectrum, dynamic and bombastic achievements (as seen in the epic "Awaken"). In short, there is bound to be something to attract the eager listener.

This album holds sentimental value to me, as it is the first true prog record I listened to. I still return to it and find myself liking it a little bit more during each listen. Consequently, I find it extremely difficult whether to award "Going for the One" 4 or 5 stars. My final rating is 4 stars, not as great as their earlier works, but still great enough to give me continual bliss.

1. "Going for the One" - 8.5/10

2. "Turn of the Century" - 8.5/10

3. "Parallels" - 8/10

4. "Wondrous Stories" - 8.5/10

5. "Awaken" - 8.5/10

42/5 = 84%, a fitting 4 stars for my first prog record and my first album review.

This is a very fine album. Its definatly not as good as the last three of their albums, (Close to the Edge, Tales from Topographic Oceans, and Relayer, and maybe even Fragile for that matter) but this album has great production and good performances from everyone in the band. The guys are definatly working to make a really good album, and it shows. Rick is definatly laying out that he can play the keyboards and piano so well, and its just amazing to see what he can do on most of the songs. He plays the organ really well here too, its just very nice and soothing to listen to him play. Chris' bass guitar isn't as strong or upfront as the few albums previous, but he still does amazing vocal harmonies with Jon Anderson and Steve Howe, and he has always had that amazing Rickenbacker 4001 bass gutiar sound with fresh Rotosound Swing bass 66 Roundwound Stainless Steel strings that always sound so good to me. Steve's playing is superb. He plays his guitar like he has actually a million fingers on all of the songs, he is so fast and fluid it makes me think that Rick is actually playing! Alan White on drums, he is actually very good, though maybe not as good as Bill Bruford (from everything before Tales from Topographic Oceans) because he is not as complex, but he does nice simple things when he plays. Jon's singing is very good on this album, though he does make a very nice apperance on harp here.

So the first four songs are alright, maybe not great, but at least "Going for the One" and "Parrallels" are very good songs. The first four songs are just a little boring and don't get down to the "point" for me. Anyways, lets get to the good stuff. "Awaken" is stunning. It starts with the best and fluid playing of piano by Rick Wakeman, its so simply stunning, that could have been an awesome individual track right there. Then it goes to a vocal intro by Jon that very good. The rest of the song is pretty amazing, with Chris Squire actually playing a triple neck bass guitar made by wal, and it definatly has great tone. The whole song is stunning.

Maybe not the best in the Yes catalouge, but very good, and has one of the best songs ever on it, you can definatly just listen to "Awaken" for a couple of days or more because of how stunning and new it sounds (well it sounds new to me because im only 14 years old, you can bash me if you want for making you fell a little old, any viewers). Great album, definatly worth getting.

After a three years, Yes record Going for the One. This would be, in my opinion, the last of the stretch of 'essential' records they released, starting with The Yes Album. If one paid close attention, they might notice that this was the beginning of the end, yet the music was so good it was easy to convince oneself that that wasn't the case.

The biggest thing that heralded in the change in Yes' direction was the departure of keyman Patrick Moraz to be replaced by Rick Wakeman. This would be the first time Yes would replace a current member with a former member. This was a band that seemed to grow stronger and more adventurous with each new member they added, starting with Steve Howe, then Rick Wakeman the first time he joined the band, then Alan White, then Patrick Moraz. So booting out a new member in favour of a 'classic' member could perhaps have been the red flag that indicated to Yes fans that perhaps the Yes machine was running out of steam. They didn't know where they wanted to go, and wanted to repeat the success of their previous records.

Despite this, Going for the One was an excellent record. It may not have been as far reaching as their previous three records, but it demonstrates that Yes has learned a lot in the meantime, and know how to craft excellent songs. It also included the most delicate music they had released to date.

Despite that, it also included one of their most propulsive rockers to date, in the title track 'Going for the One'. It was a nice, short song that hasn't yet got boring to me.

But it was the second track where Yes revealed their more tender side. This was with the track 'Turn of the Century', one of the most sad songs I have ever heard. The truth is that Jon has the perfect voice to sing sad lyrics, and works perfectly on this song. It also includes some beautiful guitar work from Steve. Really, this song demonstrates why those two were so great together, while still giving the rest of the band ample room to strut their stuff. Nonetheless, this song is a perfect example of why Steve and Jon are my favorite members of Yes.

The next track, Parallels, is my least favorite on the album, as the keys just feel too overpowering to me. The vocals are catchy at least, but I've never been able to love this one.

Side 2 starts with Wondrous Stories, another nice, quiet track. This one is quite short, clocking in at under 4 minutes. This is the shortest band track since Long Distance Runaround, and it managed to receive a decent amount of airplay. It is a nice little track, if not particularly amazing.

What makes this album stellar is the last track, Awaken. This is the last of Yes' 'classic' epics. It starts with some nice piano from Rick, followed by some more proof that Jon is singing music perfectly suited for his voice. While the lyrics are still oblique and ethereal ("High Vibration Go On...Past a mortal as me, where can I be?"), Jon's voice makes them feel both like they have deep meaning and somehow, resonate deeply within me. The song builds excellently, before it's slower middle section. Truthfully, I was not a fan of the middle section, which seems long and repetitive, for a long time, but the first recording I heard of this song was the Live at Montreux 2003 version. The studio version is much better. After that, the song recaps the main themes, ending on the touching lyric of "Like the time I ran away and turned around and you were standing close to me", which is sad and optimistic at the same time.

It has been argued that Awaken is Yes' best epic, and while I don't agree, it alone makes this album worth owning. Overall, this album is not as experimental or adventurous as Yes' previous work, yet it is very solid and definitely worth owning.

On the note of the bonus tracks, there is some interesting stuff, but for me, the most interesting is the very early version of 'Turn of the Century'. In this cut, it sounds more like a rocker than the acoustic piece it became. While I think that what it became suits the feeling of the song much more, I wonder what kind of song they could have come up with that used this music (especially Steve's guitar riff).

"Going for the One" is the 8th full-length studio album by UK progressive rock act Yes. The album was released through Atlantic Records in July 1977. "Going for the One" was a return after a three year long recording break since the release of "Relayer (1974)" and it also marked the return of keyboard player Rick Wakeman to the fold. Patrick Moraz only got to show his skills on one album. It´s been quite a few years since I listened to "Going for the One" the last time. My old scratched LP (bought second hand for what corresponds to $1) has never been much of a pleasure to listen to and it´s only recently that I´ve purchased the 2003 Elektra remaster CD version which has a much better sound quality compared to that old LP of mine. The Elektra remaster CD version features seven bonus tracks. The first three, "Montreux's Theme", "Vevey (Revisited)" and "Amazing Grace", are worth investigating while I don´t find the rehearsal versions of "Going For The One", "Parallels", "Turn Of The Century" and the early version of "Awaken" called "Eastern Numbers" very exciting. Those last mentioned tracks are mostly for the hardcore fans IMO.

But of course it´s the five tracks that make up the original album that´s of real interest here. All five tracks are high quality compositions which sound unmistakably like Yes. Jon Anderson´s distinct vocals lead the way, but the outstanding instrumental performances and interplay between the musicians are also a great asset on the album as well as the many great harmony vocals by bassist Chris Squire. The title track starts the album off in a great fashion with an unusual bluesy slide guitar part, but soon it turns into a great progressive rock song. It´s on the lighter side compared to the epics of the three preceeding albums but it´s a great song. "Turn Of The Century" is a cleverly build song that starts subtle but ends with layers upon layer of instruments and sounds. A very symphonic track that one. "Parallels" is the second rock track on the album but it´s a rather unusual one with the omnipresent and quite dominating church organ. A rather strange choice of instrument for a song like this but it´s certainly innovative. I´ve always had a weak spot for "Wonderous Stories" which is a very melodic and ballad type track. It´s by far the most simple song on the album but it´s still a wonderful song. The album ends with the 15:38 minute long and epic track "Awaken". An excellent example of how good Yes are at making multi- section epics. This one´s got it all. Wonderful vocal parts, great instrumental parts and an intriguing structure.

The production is very clean on the Elektra remaster CD version that I have and I remember the LP version as more bass heavy and generally darker in sound. I enjoy the more clinical sound on the CD version though.

"Going for the One" is one of those unique albums that doesn´t sound like anything else. It´s somewhat removed from the sound of the earlier releases by the band and it doesn´t really sound like anything they released after it either. It´s safe to say that I´ve been blown away by the unique nature of "Going for the One" and I can´t tell enough times how glad I am that I purchased the Elektra remaster CD version which really re-ignited my interest in the album. A 4 - 4.5 star (85%) rating is fully deserved. This one is close to a masterpiece in my book.

Going For The One is a classic Yes release and thus I would certainly reccomend it highly for any progressive rock fan's collection as there are some of Yes' finest moments recorded here without question! The title track opens the album on a sweeping current of joy with upbeat slide guitar in a bluesy form, followed by layer upon layer of sweet vocals from Jon Anderson, Chris Squire and Steve Howe. A cheery blues piano comes in from Rick Wakeman, along with some very strange, spacey synth work. It all just melts together to create one seriously well thought out creation which, being so unbelievably happy, never fails to put a smile on my face. It is as beautiful as it is rocking! Succeeding this, is Turn Of Century, a sad ditty of a man whose lover dies, the theme being that of his memories and lonliness. With lush, soft guitar, striking little chimes, an outstanding and heartfelt vocal performance from Anderson. This fades slowly into a fantastic piece between piano and guitar invoking an ambience of tradgedy which ascends into an electric guitar solo full of hope and joy. The band then returns to a theme similar to the first, ending with the lovely ring of harmonics to finish; Parallels, is a favourite of mine with an epic, rocky opening on a church organ with a soaring solo from Howe. The rhythm section really beat it out here! Layers of vocals are used again and they really do something great for the song. Not to mention the brilliant solo in the middle from Howe yet again, it really gives off an air of triumph!, followed by another solo, this time from Rick Wakeman on the organ, giving a sense of mysticism. Finishing the song with yet more guitar work which all amounts to a fast paced and memorable close. Next is Wonderous Stories, with angelic vocal work from Jon, a soft, gentle rhythm section and extremely lush guitar work- soothing, melodic chords which are almost harp like. Classical themed synth is draped over all of this, with a waterfall of sound apparent as Rick lets the notes trickle down into your ears. There is even some sitar present in the song. It truly is the Shangri- La of short prog songs... And if that doesn't make your hair stand on end then the final track, Awaken, surely will! This another Yes epic (approximately 15 minutes and 40 seconds) which is probably worth buying the album for in it's own right! Beginning with an emotive classical piano section from Rick which fades into a heavenly, piece with Jon singing wonderfully again over what seems to be a haze of synth and subtle guitar. Other vocals layer Jon's and then then the music just explodes into a rocky, innovative Indian theme. This descends into some heavy soloing from Steve Howe on guitar again. It's quite psychedelic in nature and shoots back to the Indian theme, this time with more synth and chimes. This evolves into a joyful classical part plus some warm vocals in between. It slows to a halt, leaving chimes and flute- like keyboard to create a magical soundscape whereupon they are joined by sprinklings of guitar and bass and the increasingly passionate sound of the church organ. A floaty guitar solo follows this, disappearing into another lovely vocal part (during which, there is more guitar work, but it is heavier and rockier) A solo on church organ on its own explodes fom this, after which layers of the instruments all synthesise becoming louder in a victorious march- like fashion, ending in one fell swoop of the organ. The magical, layered haze with Jon singing emerges like a pheonix from the ashes, wandering off in its own dreamy qualities, just as the listener does, fading away in a little guitar run into nothingness. This album is undeniably beautiful and no matter how many listens it recieves from me, it always makes me feel so much happier for having done so.

One more classic after three Yes masterpieces!

During the timespan of five years (1971-1976) Yes released five classic albums (or at least considered classics in prog circles) and now they complete this long chain of impressive albums. The expectations for "Going for the One" where really high, especially after the spectacular Relayer (considered a masterpiece by many, including myself), which was also preceded by two other masterpieces (in my not so humble opinion): "Close to the Edge" and "Tales from Topographic Oceans".

The Yes phenomena is characterized by a constant change of sound product of the frequent lineup changes and their "classic" symphonic 70s era is no exception. The first of this changes was Steve Howe's arrival as Peter Banks' replacement on the guitar (The Yes Album), followed by Rick Wakeman replacing Tony Kaye on keys (Fragile and Close to the Edge), the substitution of Bill Bruford by Alan White on drums (Tales from Topographic Oceans) and Wakeman leaving his position on Patrick Moraz' hands (Relayer). Now Rick Wakeman returns after a very successful solo career with the release of albums such as "The Six Wives of Henry the VIII", "Journey to the Center of the Earth" and "No Earthly Connection", among others.

This time the "Tales from Topographic Oceans" lineup returns to produce more accessible, but still progressive, music. So don't expect double albums, concept or 20 minute epics (although Awaken has some epic attributes and is fairly long: 15+ minutes), but do expect very pleasant and well delivered symphonic classics. Nonetheless, the atmosphere of some of the tracks is reminiscent to "Tales...", both in lyrical and musical content (specially the ballads).

The feeling that I get from this album, trying to find a wider and more mainstream audience while being truth to their symphonic prog style, is embodied by the variety of styles represented by each different piece. In first place we have the title and opening track which presents a "radio-friendly" dynamic hard rock (but not too hard) style dominated by Howe's riffs (nothing really interesting) and Anderson/Squire vocalizations (always pleasant to listen to), very aptly backed by White's dynamic drumming and Squire's characteristic bass with the sporadic accompaniment of a piano provided by Wakeman.

Turn of the Century is an outstanding ballad, one of the most beautiful love songs ever written by Jon Anderson, with Anderson's lyrics and Steve Howe's acoustic guitar in the spotlight, with some vocal mellotron participation in the background. After the first half of the song, new instrumentation is introduced without disrupting or modifying the atmosphere and quality of the song. This new section of the piece includes electric guitars added to the original acoustic and various keyboards (including piano, floating synths and harpsichord).

Parallels, together with the title track, is one of the low points of the album. This doesn't mean that it is a bad song, on the contrary it is very enjoyable and has a certain symphonic feeling to it that most Yes fans would appreciate, but it isn't really progressive. The main melody is a very simple chord progression played by Wakeman on a church organ, which gives sort of a grand sound to the song. The most interesting (but not too interesting... if you know what I mean) elements of the song are Steve Howe's electric guitar soloing and some nice church organ lines present in some sections. On the other hand, the rhythm section provides a very exciting upbeat rhythm while the typical Yes vocalizations complete the band's characteristic sound.

Wonderous Stories is the shortest song of the album and one of the loveliest. Another ballad dominated by Jon Anderson's voice but this time the main accompaniment is provided by Wakeman's keys with some brief but relevant guitar participation courtesy of Mr. Howe.

Awaken, considered by many (including myself) one of the most relevant Yes compositions, is the longest and best accomplished song in the album and the only true team collaboration between the members of the band. The atmosphere of the song is very grand, and it's filled with excellent guitar lines and keyboard runs (Wakeman's trademark), the vocals are completely magnificent and the rhythm section shines and is as tight as on the last three albums. Here the keyboards play a very important part since they provide the unique atmosphere that supports the sound and in many sections represent the lead instrument. This is a must for Wakeman fans like myself.

Total: 4.25

A very enjoyable album but not a masterpiece, nonetheless a must for Yes fans. This is the last great 70s Yes album since Tormato wasn't very well accomplished (although it had lots of potential and shines every now and then). Don't expect bombastic and over the top prog, what you'll get is a more calmed and easy to digest Yes.

4 stars for one of the many classics produced by one of my all time favorite bands.

This album is incredibly hard to rate. There are 5 tracks. Three of which deserve 5 stars. One of which deserves an accolade on its own as one of Yes's greatest songs. However, two tracks, whilst not being bad songs, move drastically from the music they had been making on their previous few albums toward commercialism. And by this I don't mean because of their length. I place 'wonderous stories' among the 3 greats of the album. 'Turn of the Century' is an amazing track filled with emotion, and 'Awaken' is quite often cited as Yes's most completed work. It contains one of the most amazing guitar riffs I've ever heard courtesy of Steve Howe, and a middle section that is clearly the highlight of the track, where Rick Wakeman gives some of his very best keyboard work. Brilliant album unfortunately brought down a little by two less accomplished songs, but is easily redeemed by its other pieces.

4 stars.

To start my review of YES "Going For The One",want make clear wich I'm a fan of Yes music. However, I'm a amateur musician (guitarrist) and due to this fact, I think I'm capable to make a review without contamination because to my musical preference !!!

The music of GFTO is contagious and brilliant !!! In the disc are not only a single displeased moment. Even in the solo passages where usually stand out only one instrument, the magistral band performance also deserves highlights.

The disc stars with the title track "Going for the One", with a furious pedal steel call for the party and this pedal steel conduct the melodies and harmonys of the sound during all the music time, besides the rhythmic section shows several changes in the beat.

The second track "Turn of the Century" is one of most beautiful moments of progressive rock. A lyrical piece of music starting in acoustic guitar mood with the angelical voice of Anderson. This lyrical and almost mythical theme break out in a symphonic tapestry, where the eletric guitar and the keyboards sounds to a cascade of escales take shape of a whirlwind devouring the audience. The final part presents another serene and lyrical moment guided by the Steve' 12 string guitar and the Rick's keyboards closing beautifully the track.

The third track "Parallels" is a masterpiece of the hard-prog fusion where stand out the overpowering Chris's bass guitar, the church organ of Rick's and the full of reverb Steve's guitar (probably in attempt to create the same atmosphere of the church organ with the natural reverb of a cathedral).

The fourth track "Wonderous Stories" is in terms of musical arrangements, the less pretentious, but results in a greatest ballad.

The fifth track "Awaken" is one of most emblematic chapters of symphonic prog music. Full of varations of landscapes of sound, changes of beats and exotic musical escales. The sound begins with a acoustic piano solo ,pass to a pedal steel guitar themes and break out in a type of oriental theme whit a duet of fretless bass and eletric guitar, this first part of music in close for a symphonic theme full of voices choir and extremelly complex rhythmic section. Sundelly the atmosphere changes to a meditative sound where stand out the Keyboards and the "river of thoughts" flows easily showing the Rick's fantastic performance. The third part of the track starts with a crying eletric guitar in counterpoint of keyboards to return a one moderate symphonic theme to finish the track with a eletric guitar solo, unti returns the initial steel guitar theme and vocals.

In "Going for the One", YES seems to me like a sound wall wich involve the listener, without chance of deny the majesty of the band.

Obviously my rate is 5 stars !!!

AWAKEN GENTLE MASS TOUCHING

'Going for the One' marks the end of a Yes era, but also the start of the next one. It is a transitional album (not a bad thing!) and this is reflected in the tracks. There's a mixture of quality and "cringe-worthy" material, a blend of proggresiveness and commerciallity. And the sound is busier than ever (again, not a bad thing on this record). The enthusiastic overdubbing is what gives this album it's trademark sound; every song sounds bright and full, sometimes processed, but with a smart continuity that effectively seperates it from the past baggage of the apparently unpopular 'Tales from Topographic Oceans'. 'GFTO' was Yes opening up to new audiences without forgetting that they are a symphonic prog band.

So the title track is commercial, but no one can deny that it IS catchy. And due to it's boogie woogie sections and fantastically busy climax, it's one of my favourite songs on the album. 'Turn of the Century' is beautiful all over (second only to 'And You And I' in terms of soundscapes). 'Parallels' sounds to me like a left-over from Squire's 'Fish Out of Water' album, but the church organ work rescues it from the depths of boring riff-rock. I'm not sure about the way this tune is produced though, there's something fishy about it (and I'm not reffering to Chris himself!). The frequently mispelled 'Wonderous Stories' is the single from 'GFTO'. I like it but I don't love it. And then there is Awaken.

This song has been universally praised, not only by fans, but by the band themselves, who describe it as their best masterwork. I thoroughly agree. This song is a journey. A 15-minute adventure into the land of "Eastern Yes". The main riff is breathtaking, as are Howe's spiralling guitar scales that warp around it. His soloing is the best demonstration of combining frantic frenzy with melodic beauty I have ever seen. Speed and divinity have never gone hand-in-hand so well. And when the church organ comes in the listener is once again swept away into lofty, angelic passages of virtuosity and speed. The calmer middle section showcases Rick's (did I mention he was back?!) improvisational skills, where organs, guitars, and percussion instruments are overdubbed, and slowly build into a heavenly ostinato. Then comes the climactic moment when the enormous chord progression of the verses returns (it cycles through the circle of fifths with steady rhythm, ensuring every major chord makes an appearance). And before you know it, the etheral intro/outro theme is fading out to one last guitar phrase, and 'Going for the One' is over. My only complaint with 'Awaken' is that the overdubbing is essential to the pace of the song, and so it sounds rather empty and unenthusiastic when played live.

Buy this album! -Especially if you are more of a 'Starship Trooper' than a 'Sound Chaser'.

Not being a deep fan of Yes, I think that maybe this is their best work, unless from their full progressive years. They were just combined in this album great melodies with a virtuous job, with a highly recommended result. The ballad Turn of the Century is for me one of the best songs of Yes, much feeling in there, with a superb performance of Jon Anderson with a beauty and complex work of Howe and Wakeman. Awaken is the other highlight. For many people the best Yes song ever. A true exponent of the progressive rock. For me, just a great progressive rock track. Parallels is the other great one, composed by Chris Squire, include an original use of the organ in a heavy way. The rest two are not as good as the three I mentioned before. In an exclusive progressive context, I give five stars.

For me, Yes is one of those very few band for who I just can't give a bad note, whatever they have done. And a lot of their albums are worth 5 stars for me, Going for the One included in that group. Sadly though, they haven't made anything this good since, this is the last really shiny gem in their catalogue.

So, Going for the One was on the other hand a step back for Yes, and also a big step forward. By saying it was a step backwards, I mean return of Rick Wakeman of course. Musicwise Yes went forward. Relayer was chaotic, angular album, great for very different reasons than GFTO. Going for the One is more subtle, elegantly beautiful, and almost trancelike (I mean Awaken of course).

The song order on the album is fantastic, Turn of the Century and Wondrous stories being in between of the more energetic songs. Those two songs are beautiful, just beautiful. Going For the One and Parallels display straightforwardness in the Yes vein, having pleasant melodies and great work by Howe and Wakeman. It must be said about Wakeman, that his keyboard playing is different than on the previous albums. It's somewhat....new agey. It is also clear that they experimented with a bit more straigh approach to the songwriting on this album. It works 100% for me, unlike on Tormato, which is good but nothing special.

They save the best to the last. Awaken is the epic of the lp, lasting well over fifteen minutes but feeling like two. You know from the piano intro that it's gonna be epic, and it truly is, a fifteen minute journey through dreams, or so it seems. Trancelike and showing new age influences, in the best sense. The eastern tinged vocal melodies intertwined with Howe's playing are just magical, with Wakeman, White and Squire just tying it all together. Stuff of the legends. They managed to do an epic equally good with Endless Dream (off the very underrated Talk album).

I have no other option than to give 5 stars to this album. Recommended for everybody!

I've never understood why this is such a 'fan favourite'. I thought it was on much the same level as the following 'Tormato'. Like that album, back in the days of LP, it had one good side and one that left a lot to be desired. Of course, Going for the One has the advantage of the great Awaken to round out side two.

SIDE ONE

This shows an enormous comedown from the range and ambition of the magnificent Relayer. Two pedestrian rockers, the title track and Parallels, give more than a foretaste of the 80s, with bland formulaic AOR music and faintly aspirational lyrics with platitudinous lines like "you've been playing with fire". Between them, the only worthwhile track "Turn of the century" is a subtle and moving creation. It is however somewhat long-winded and I prefer the similar but more concise Madrigal on Tormato.

SIDE TWO

This is quite a different matter. "Wondrous stories" is a beautiful little song and prepares us from the monumental "Awaken" which is probably the last truly great prog epic ever (or at least of the golden age). Much has been written about this masterpiece and I cannot add to it except to say that it is the presence of this track which has led this album to be overrated. 3 stars.

BONUS MATERIAL

"Montreux's theme" a short and slight instrumental. Pleasant enough. "Vevey (revisited)" features an almost classical guitar solo over sustained organ backgrounds, which has the atmosphere of an Anglican hymn or even, one might say, a funeral parlour. It is fair enough. "Amazing Grace" perhaps the hymn-like quality of the last number brought to mind this famous tune, which is played as a guitar solo. Frankly it is less than inspired.

The remainder of bonuses consist of rehearsals of tracks from the album plus a very early version of Awaken which is probably the most interesting track here.

Just adding my 2 cents worth of opinions about this album. For more in dept analysis, I refer to the other reviews.

Rick Wakeman was back again and the result is this album. I have read the Yes story, but forgotten most of it. Anyway, the music is the winner here.

We all know the title track which has been played to death in some live albums. It is a great track though. The more unknown Turn Of The Century is one of the best two tracks on this album, in my humble opinion. A more pastoral song which suits Yes very well. Parallels is also a great track. I am not a big fan of Wonderous Stories though and that song drags this album down to a four and a half star in my view. I also feels it is out of place on this album too. But it put Yes on the world map again so no problems. It is still a great track, but the weakest one on this album. ............ And then we have Awaken. Besides of the title track on Close To The Edge, this is their best ever epic song. Well, their best ever song and the Yes masterpiece. I just love the middle part of this song where Rick Wakeman excels with his very understated playing. Jon and Steve also excels on this song. Awaken is a true masterpiece.

This album is a truly great album, but not in the same class as Close To The Edge. Hence my stars. But I still love this album.

4.5 stars

I don't care about tasteless cover art, but album's music isn't good enough as well, that is a bigger problem...

After excellent Relayer and some years of silence, new album (with Rick Wakeman again) was kind of searching on new ways (or return back to highest class music they played before). Unhappily, their time is gone...

Wakeman being great keyboard player on early Yes albums (and his very few first solo releases) demonstrates there his "other" side - album is full of bombastic simple and "cheap" passages. Anderson sings in a manner he will sing on myriad of his solo albums later - obviously his specific timber, but voice is just a audio-signal, filling the space around. Band, being still in classic line-up, sound too often as back-up team for Wakeman passages and Anderson uninspired singing.

Composition are all simplistic, without jazz-rock feel of previous work, but with some standard tricks, compositions are long and unmemorable. You can easy recognize that it's Yes is playing, but at the same time you are all album-long wonder why music is so flat and tasteless.

Not really jazzy symphonic prog or more heavy variation of some their previous works, but faceless soft polished bombastic music, which happily is still (prog) rock, but obviously shows, what the direction will chosen by band very soon. "Awaken" is still great song on this album though...

First below average release after their stardom, happily great "Drama" still will be released after few years.

My rating is 2,5, rounded to 3.

Coming after a period of three years paused, Yes came roaring back with the big "Going for the One. " Although far from their best album (there's no way to overcome "Close to the Edge" and "Relayer" ) is very pleasant to hear, considering that we are in 1977 and progressive rock is losing strength for punk.

The title track opens the album, but not the way I like,Before I liked this song, but now she's just a bunch of boring and repetitive vocals, dissonant guitars and bad synthesizers (although Wakeman has not let me down as in Tormato ).

With "Turn of the Century" things start to improve.This is a superb song, one of the most beautiful that the band has composed.Although I love the first half, led by Howe's guitar (he is the master of this instrument) ,the second part takes the listener into a semi-final epic. Paralells "opens strong with a great church organ (remembering the days of "CTTE "), and even if you lose the power on is still good to hear. "Wonderous Stories" is more mainstream, but it is so beautiful and sweet to hear that u do not regret to say that I love.

And "Awaken" closes the album grandly.Yes, this is one of the best bands ever of Yes (forgive me the pun), but I think it loses out to "Close to the Edge","The gates of delirium" and "And You and I ". But what of Mellotrons and organs? Divine! This track is an undoubted masterpiece.

A remarkable thing is that this was the first album to have tracks with less than 8 minutes from "Fragile", which is 1971.Unfornately their magic can not be found in the ambiguous "Tormato" which is the most disappointing of his albums 70's, but from "Drama" things get better (at least that's what I think.

4 stars.

After the amazing Relayer, Rick Wakeman returned to the band and so Patrick Moraz got the boot. That was, in my opinion, a huge loss since Moraz brought new and fresh ideas, such as jazz influences, that disappeared immediately after his departure. But I guess this fact only makes Relayer seem like an even better record, which is not a bad thing! The main concern is that Yes wouldn't be able to regain their past glories with Going For The One or Tormato and instead only made them seem more like the prog dinosaurs that they were at this point.

Once again, Jon Anderson and Steve Howe wrote most of the material in advance, just as they did on Tales From Topographic Oceans, leaving not much for the other members to contribute. This is something I despise since it totally contradicted everything that this band had accomplished by that point. What made things even worse was the fact that Going For The One actually achieved what its title implied and became a hit thanks to its sole hit Wonderous Stories. This only strengthened the band's ego and so all of the members stuck around for the next release only to disband a year later.

The sound that Anderson and Howe were going for with this release comes off sounding very dated to my ears and the only instances that work are entirely comprised of low key ballad moments like those on Turn Of The Century and Wonderous Stories. Awaken is a good track but, in my opinion, it doesn't come close to such classics as Gates of Delirium, Sound Chaser, South Side Of The Sky or Yours Is No Disgrace, just to name a few.

Overall, this album is not a favorite of mine and I even happen to prefer Tales From Topographic Oceans over it! Tormato might have been criticized for its dated sound, average performances and the general lack of ideas, but all this is clearly foreshadowed on Going For The One.

**** star songs: Turn Of The Century (7:55) Wonderous Stories (3:50) Awaken (15:38)

*** star songs: Going For The One (5:32) Parallels (5:58)

"Going For The One" has a really fresh sound and I often notice how ahead of it's time it sounds. In fact I'd say it's timeless. There's definitely something special about it. This album also has such a huge variety of sounds too with each song sounding completely different to the next.

"Turn Of The Century" is a real beauty. The slight echo effect with guitar and keyboards makes it all the more an emotional and atmospheric piece. On "Parallels" Keyboardist Wakeman uses a church organ sound which gives a very different effect to a rock style song. The main highlight of the album is the truly amazing "Awaken", a 15 minute track with a few different sections, often sounding slightly exotic. This is an essential track for lovers of progressive rock.

Although this isn't my favourite album from Yes I do like it very much. Most fans of the band will mostly at least acknowledge it as a significant release. Thorougly recommended to all. 4 stars.

This was the first Yes album that I bought on the day it was released. Rick Wakeman was back! It must be a great album. -- Initially I was disappointed with it, the songs sounding somewhat more contrived than the previous albums.

After many listens, I began to appreciate the album. Now I love it.

None of the songs are bad. Wonderous Stories, the song used as a single, is the lightest piece. The worst I can say about it is that it sounds too much like And You And I. Parallels is just okay. It's saved by a good bass line, and a strong keyboard sound. Going For The One is the song that I've change my mind the most about. On the surface, it sounds like a slightly country-flavored rock song. But it develops into a fairly complex work.

Turn Of The Century is one of the most beautiful pieces Yes ever produced. With the most coherent lyrics from Yes to date, the song is a poignant work about love and death. It begins with light guitar, and builds to a crescendo perfectly.

Awaken, the best song on the album, is a tour de force, mostly for Wakeman. It's no Close To The Edge, but it's still one of the top epics from a band that made many great epic songs.

I've always marked "Going For The One" as one of my top-yes-album with "Tales From Topographic Oceans" and "The Yes Album". After three years of solo-projects Yes bounces back, not as a New Age, punk or pop band but as a top-prog band. Going for the one marks in some way the end of Yes for me simply because apart from some tunes the latter Yes never had anything special to offer. The next album Tormato would already be half dead when released but still contain some great tunes like Madrigal or On the Silent Wings Of Freedom. The concept is simply excellent: first four shorter pieces of music, everyone of them instant classics and then the epic Awaken which goes right along all the other Yes-epics. Musically Going For The One is maybe along TFTO my favourite Yes-album.

5 stars

The title track with its "rock and roll" kick-off seems to indicate that the YES are becoming more pop-oriented. This is easy to say today, of course now that we can see the (few) similarities with 90125. However Going For The One is a great song and even if easier than the previous masterpieces it's still progressive.

The album flows very well. There are less virtuosisms than usual, end this makes the music less pretentious and more approachable.

The guitar-and-voice on "Turn Of The Century" is one of the most melodic things of this band. "Parallels" with its church organ and the uptime tempo is a rock track, one of those the new musical style of Yes is coming from.

"Wonderous Stories" seems to be built for Jon's voice. An echo of this song can be heard in the whole "Short Stories" the first album from Jon and Vangelis.

"Turn Of The Century", "Parallels" and "Wonderous Stories" are great songs, but it's with "Awaken" that the album reaches its peak: One of the best performances ever of Rick Wakeman, a great ensemble work and the voice of Jon not always in foreground contribute in creating a dreamy environment.

So, not a masterpiece like Close to the Edge, or Fragile. Just a different kind of masterpiece.

Moraz out, Wakeman back in; Dean out, Hipgnosis now in. The TFTO line-up returns after one excellent album and a bunch of solo albums. I can never understand how Tormato gets such trashing but GFTO gets high praise. Same line-up, both recorded within two years of each other. I actually prefer Tormato. This album is the most mainstream sounding thing Yes had done since Time And A Word. Basically two good rockers which are not very proggy at all; two ballads that are neither very good nor very proggy; and one proggy epic that is good but not great.

The title track is good and catchy but not too proggy. Easily the best song on the album for me. Nice slide guitar from Howe. I don't really like the synth sounds in this song. Love the harmony vocals at the end. Anderson's vocal melody in "Turn Of The Century" is nice enough but nothing special. This song is way too New Age/Adult Contemporary for my tastes. Howe's electric guitar in the middle is the best part of the song. I like the pipe organ in "Parallels," another good catchy rocker but not as good as the title track. This is the only song where Squire's bass playing sticks out.

I absolutely hate "Wondrous Stories." I can't believe this song was a hit. An automatic 'skip' song to me. It's like the cheesy, wimpy younger brother of "Turn Of The Century." The final "Awaken" features some of the best moments on the album but is not as enjoyable as most of Yes' previous songs over 10 minutes long. Never liked the introduction. Gets really good during the "awaken, gentle, mass, touch" section. Stays good until the music stops around 6 1/2 minutes. Never really cared for the instrumental middle section. The last two minutes are just boring and lame, IMO.

This would have been better if the most Yes-like songs from the solo albums of Jon, Chris and Steve were used, along with the best parts of Wakeman's No Earthly Connection. The production isn't horrible but it isn't anything great either. Squire and White generally don't stand out too much. Don't understand all the love for this album. Good but not great. 3 stars.

"Going for the One" marks the end of a string of classic Yes albums that most people consider to be their absolute best, and I consider this album to be an exclusion from that string.

The music on this album comes of as sounding strange to me, and mostly boring. The title track is fun, wild, and very accessible, though the southern twang present on Howe's guitar is a bit off-putting. The vocals in the title track are also very memorable and it's easy to sing along.

Unfortunately, no other track really stands out to me. "Turn of the Century" at first listen sounds like a beautiful ballad, and it is, but I kept waiting for development in the song and it never happens. It's very monotonous and extremely forgettable, in my opinion. "Parallels" brings back the punch from the first track, but seems to be not thought out very well and not one second of this track stands out, nor does it progress any. "Wondrous Stories" is mostly an acoustic song accentuated by keys, but is short, bland, and entirely uninteresting.

After the previous three tracks, all highly forgettable, I had high hopes for the epic track. "Awaken" is a decent track within the context of this album, but is insignificant in the Yes catalog. There are a few nice guitar lines in the first half of the track but becomes boring and over stays the track's +15 minute duration. Apparently this track is a classic in the Yes catalog. Weird.

Though I couldn't find much to love about this album, it is highly regarded among some Yes fans as an overlooked gem. Since fans are divided between the conclusion of masterpiece and insignificant, this is either a love it or hate it kind of album.

Going for the One feature the return of Rick Wakeman to the Yes fold, replacing Patrick Moraz. This is a splendid album, though not perfect. It features the first shorter tracks from a Yes album since Fragile, with 4 songs of less than 8 minutes.

The title track starts things off with a bang, or to be more specific, a slide guitar. This track is catchy and features fine harmonies. 4/5

Turn of the Century is the first of two ballads. A very graceful song, it shows off Jon Anderson at his finest, with much emotion. The middle section, with very emotional and reserved piano, is very beautiful and is a highlight. Steve Howe shows his virtuosity in both electric and acoustic guitars. 4/5

Parallels features strong bass from Chris Squire and also is notable for its church organ. A fine track. 3.5/5

Wonderous Stories is a more "poppy" track, meaning featuring a more tradition verse-chorus (etc) form and a short, under 4 minute length. Despite these things, this track also displays fine vocals from Anderson and great synth lines. 4/5

Awaken is the true gem of this album. The only "epic" track of the album, clocking at over 15 mintues, Awaken has many quality moments. The first comes when the 11/8 riff comes in, faster paced, driving, and mystic with the accombaning lyrics, "Awaken Gentle Mass Touch". The middle section features more church organ by Wakeman and also has xylophone from Alan White. This section is very slow and is the weakest part of the track in my opinion. This leads into another strong vocal section which culminates in a section reprising the theme at the beginning of the song. All in all, this track is the finest of the album and one of the finest in the Yes catalog. 5/5

Going for the One is a fine addition to any prog collection. Not as great as the classics Relayer and Close to the Edge, but still a great album worthy to stand amongst those legendary LP's.

The music world changed substantially from 1974 to 1977, to say the least. As prog-rock groups lost their favor with critics for whatever reasons (running out of truly creative ideas, becoming more absurdly pompous all the time), groups like Yes suddenly found themselves needing to change to survive. With the Relayer tour, Yes had probably reached their "seriousness" peak - not only did lengthy epics dominate the setlist (interspersed with complex "shorter" numbers like "Sound Chaser"), but the band reached a point where its relationship to "rock" music had basically become tangential at best. Indeed, some of the earlier songs remained in their setlists, but even they were tightened up drastically with fusion interplay a la The Mahavishnu Orchestra (well, sort of) so as to impress the hell out of the listener but not really get any blood pumping. The band had progressed light-years in a very short time, but at the cost of basically removing the spark of youthful enthusiam that had made Yessongs so contagious.

So the band adapted. After the Relayer tour, the members of the band went on to each cut solo albums, the most successful and renowned of which are Jon's and Chris'. In turn, they toured these albums as a group, not forgetting to include such (by-now) standbys as "Gates" and "Ritual." By this time, however, for whatever reason, Moraz had worn out his welcome and parted ways with the band. Fortunately, the band was able to pick up somebody who had been off busily making incredibly pompous albums of his own - good ole Rick Wakeman. And so the band got back to work.

One gets the feeling, though, that in patching up various hurt feelings, the band had sat down and had a long serious discussion about its musical direction. Oh, don't get me wrong - nobody wanted the band to give up prog rock all together. But that was just the thing - if the band wished to keep getting seriouser and seriouser, it would soon have to abandon rock all together and turn to fusion or something like that. And nobody wanted that (well, I guess some fans today lament that they didn't keep getting more complex, but sheez people, just because some seriousness and complexity is fine doesn't necessarily mean that MORE complexity and seriousness is always better). And so, the band gave up trying to prove how progressive they could be and did the most important thing they could possibly do - they brought the FUN back.

Indeed, the band finally remembered that at its heart it was essentially a "trumped-up pop group," taking solid riffs and strong hooks and embellishing them with exciting and moving arrangements. As a result, the band produced an album of incredible quality that they might not have been able to do otherwise. It's a slight step down from the glory of Relayer, and I suppose it's regrettable in the long run that the band gave up on endless progression in favor of just making a good album for then and there, but man what an album! All five tracks (ok, that doesn't seem like a lot of songs for most groups, but go back and count how many tracks were on the previous three albums and it'll all be placed in perspective) are absolute winners, and only a very slight feeling of "retreading" mars the album at all.

You want rock songs? Turn to the title track and the wonderful "Parallels." Of course, neither of these songs are in the least bit "normal" - this is still Yes we're talking about, after all. The title track, whose main feature is incredibly entertaining pedal steel work from Steve, also benefits from one of the weirdest chord progressions known to man - in other words, the initial "ack! This could be from Hee-Haw!" reaction will quickly be supressed by the proggy bits. And the lyrics, man, these are actually down-to-earth and even funny. Anderson sings (by the way, he blows through all sane limits of male upper vocal range in this song) self-mocking lines about the inpentetrability of his lyrics ("Now the verses I've sung don't add much weight to the story in my head, so I'm thinking I should go and write a punchline. But it's so hard to find in my cosmic mind, I think I'll take a look out of the window. When I think about you, I don't feel low!"), and it quickly becomes obvious that the band is no longer taking itself 100% seriously.

And "Parallels," oy, "Parallels." Apparently a reject from Squire's solo album, I think it finds a nice home with the band here. For one thing, it's driven forward by a friggin' CHURCH ORGAN (with a great main riff for it, by the way), and it has so much oomph in the sound that suddenly you find yourself in the Swiss church where Rick recorded the parts, groovin' away. And the guitar on this song, man. Man. I doubt there's any real inventivness from Howe on this part, but all I know is that the lightning-fast solos on here find a way to be jaw- dropping and entertaining simultaneously, not to mention that I REALLY like the tone he has here. VERY rich, with a healthy amount of reverb put on it to hook in your ears.

Want pop ballads? Go to "Turn of the Century" and "Wonderous Stories." The former has actually established itself as my favorite of the album (not a trivial statement, as it took me a long time to decide), and with good cause. The melody is very pretty, the lyrics are quite moving (based around the story of Pygmalion and Galatea, if my memory serves me correctly), and the middle portion ... oy. Rick's piano is beautifully rich in a way that words cannot do justice to, and its interaction with the guitars is nothing short of phenomenal. I struggle to find ways to describe the effect this mid-section (and the way it builds into the ending) holds on me; I can say, however, that if such a thing as newfound joy can be properly expressed in a musical medium, THIS is that medium. It's very difficult to not want to relive the reunion Roan has with his once-deceased beloved again and again.

As for Wonderous Stories, brace yourself, but this is a 4-minute pop song. Yeah, it's slightly derivative of earlier efforts (ie "Your Move"), but how can I help it if the melody is so enjoyable? Plus, Anderson gives a cheery vocal performance of a type we haven't heard since, yup, "Time and a Word" - the lightweight hippie has re-entered his element, and seems perfectly happy to be back. Don't think the rest of the band just sulks around, though - Wakeman, you can tell, is having lots of fun on the track, even if he's not technically really doing anything THAT complex.

All this said, however, it would be unreasonable to expect a 70's Yes album at this point to lack a bonafide epic. "Awaken" apparently splits fans right down the middle - many fans adore it fanatically (and in fact, Anderson himself considers it the quintessential representation of what Yes is all about), while other fans deride it as a horridly derivative mess with no true sense or purpose. Guess which camp I belong to. No, I would never rate this above "Gates" or "CTTE" or "The Revealing Science of God." But it's a great epic piece nonetheless, one which I always look forward to at album's end and always listen to from start to finish.

Indeed, quite a few things jump out at me here every time. The piano introduction and first section, all very pretty. The main instrumental themes, not based in traditional tonal ideology, but insanely captivating nonetheless. The way it seems the instrumental themes are running every possible course while Anderson every so often pops up with lyrics that apparently reference back to Siddartha again (in fact, last I checked, Siddartha means "awakened one.") THE GUITAR SOLOS here - yeah, I know that they're based in basic chromatics and scales yadda-yadda, I don't friggin' care, it's the most spirit awakening guitar tone and playing I've probably ever heard. Seriously.

And then we have the quiet harp/organ probe, where everything suddenly stops and we have a slight cymbal call before it begins. This bores many to death, but every single person who dislikes this is WRONG, I TELL YOU, WRONG. I'm always a fan of slow builds of tension into release, especially when executed properly, and this is done incredibly well. It builds and builds and builds until it just EXPLODES after Anderson's "shall we now bid farewell! Farewell!" leads us into the triumphant organ climax. Oh, and you'd never know that simple high-pitched pedal steel pluckings here would move me so, but hey, we learn something new every day. And then, as following any good explosion, there is a brief denoument so as to allow us to catch our breath at album's end.

And that's your album. And to an extent, that's the end of 70's Yes as we know and love them. Indeed, from the first time I heard Anderson's "bid farewell" line, I felt it was more than just a capstone to the song or even to the album. I've always suspected that somehow, if only subconsciously, he knew that the magic and creative flame of 70's Yes was about to be lost forever. This is Yes as we knew them, going away in a whisp of ethereal smoke, saying goodbye in their own way. It brings a measure of sadness to me, sure, but it could only go on so long, I suppose.

Damn good run, though. Damn good album too. It hit #1 for two weeks, and deserved it for sure.

In high school, my girlfriend always said this was her favorite Yes album. Probably because of the cover. This is what I consider to be the end of the run of "classic" Yes albums. From THE YES ALBUM, through FRAGILE, CLOSE TO THE EDGE, RELAYER, TALES, to GOING FOR THE ONE, maybe the finest run in prog history. Track by track ratings: "Going for the One" 5 stars. "Turn of the Century" 4 stars (never thrilled me much), "Parralels" 5 stars, "Wonderous Stories" 4 stars, and "Awaken" 5 stars. (I don't have the bonus track CD). 3 perfect tunes and 2 great tunes. CLose enough to perfection to rate about 4.5-4.75 stars so I'll just round it up to a 5. After this, TORMATO failed to generate the true classic form of Yes and the decline was imminent.

Going for the One ? 1977 (3.4/5) 11 ? Best Song: Going for the One

Yes decide to meet the punk-revolution head-on by doing the exact same thing they've done for the past eight years. That sentence is very truthful, and at the same time it's a goddamn lie. Going for the One is a very strange beast in the Yes catalog, and one of their most interesting releases if you ask me. You aren't here to ask me, though. You're here to ask John Madden. It IS his site.

And then you have the linebacker with the Andersonball running?god he's running the wrong way, hur hur and he hops the rebound and smell the cut grass on that packers fan hur hur. Tough actin' tinactin! Hur and he SWEET GOD IT'S A BOOGIE ROCK SONG ON A YES ALBUM!.

As you can see, we sometimes have to keep the leash on hand or run the risk of allowing harm to come to the civilians. Indeed, the title track is a strange bird for a band so pronounced in their love of all things epic and long winded. It's not too long, the guitar solo is raging, and ya know what? It's a fairly simplistic song, relatively speaking. It's one of their best. The album as a whole is one of their best. The soft acoustics are subtle without being totally obnoxious and out of place. 'Turn of the Century' is inspiringly pretty sometimes. I can see what they were doing, too. A lot of folks say 1977 as a landmark year for punk, but all the same it was a wonderful year for pop, and Going for the One is deftly inspired by pop. They drop the ball more than once, even at the peak of their career. 'Parallels' just gets on my nerves most of the time. Those ostentatious organ chokes make my peepee burn. They stifle the guitar (pretty much the only reason for paying at this stage). 1983 might have brought them pop radio success, but they were selling that type of material, at least spiritually, since this album. I don't love it, and I don't even play it very often, but if you were sickened by the past couple albums for their excess and miss the old days, here's your haven.

Another Yes album, another story...

Those who know their Yes history will know that this album was released after Yes took a three year hiatus, following the marvel that was Relayer. Each band member wrote a solo record, and some even wrote two, to varying degrees of success. Now was the time for Yes to reform and show the world that prog rock was still alive and kicking. Rick Wakeman was summoned, and thus the classic line-up was reformed. However, much had changed in three years, and this can especially be seen in the music.

The album begins with Going For The One, which I believe is one of the strangest Yes tracks after The Ancient. It's strange, because it is a very atypical Yes song. You put it on, and it sounds like a straightforward rock song. Then Jon's vocals come in with the usual spray of bizarre lyrics, and everything is changed. The most notable thing about this song is Howe's steel guitar twanging for the entire song, turning the ordinary rock song into a surreal experience. Personally, I don't quite understand what Yes were trying to achieve with this song, as it is rather simple in structure but not quite commercial. Still, after many listens I have come to enjoy it, and with hilarious lyrics like 'Would you like to go and shoot the mountain masses?', Yes somehow get through to me on this track.

Turn Of The Century is an entirely different matter. This time, I can see what they are trying to do, and I don't think it works. This song is essentially a ballad about a sculptor called Roan whose partner dies. The lyrics mainly deal with the emotion that he feels. I know what you are thinking: 'A Yes song with lyrics that actually mean something?' That's right. It's been called one of Yes's most beautiful and intimate tracks, but I think it is the opposite of this. Yes were only ever intimate on their first few records, and through all the echoey sound effects, I don't hear them reaching out to the listener on this track. At eight minutes, this track is unnecessarily complicated, and the music can be quite jarring and unpredictable, which I think ruins the ballad aspect of the song. If they had kept it at around four minutes, I think this song would have fared better. Whenever I've listened to this song, I've never been pulled in, and I always feel at a distance from the music. Sorry guys, but I really cannot appreciate this track.

Parallels is an extremely tedious song. For one thing, the organ riff that is heard in the intro is repeated throughout most of the track, making this an overly repetitive song. The instrumental does not grip me at all, and I just think Yes are at a low point on this track. The echoey effect is back, and I really dislike hearing Jon like this. Sadly, this is one of Yes's most annoying tracks (at least from their 70s period).

Wonderous Stories is the sound of Yes quite literally 'going for the one'. The #1 position in the charts that is. Whilst this was not quite achieved, they managed to reach a commendable #7. I don't really understand how this happened though, because on the first listen, this sounds too whimsical to be taken seriously. However, I've gotten used to it, and when I heard a cover of this track by neo-prog group Magenta, it made me appreciate the song more. Whilst I don't think Yes should have recorded this song, it's still very listenable, and in a way pleasant.

So far, this hasn't been a great review. Every track on the record has had it's fare share of flaws. Therefore, it almost feels like Yes are trying to make up for these flaws when they present us with the masterwork that is Awaken. Initially, I was very skeptical about this track, as I found it too confusing to listen to. Then something clicked, and I've enjoyed it entirely ever since. At over 15 minutes, this is Yes saying goodbye to epic tracks until the 90s. At the very beginning, there is a brief piano solo by Wakeman, followed by an ambient section with Anderson singing. After this there is an aggressive section in 11/8 with Jon chanting mystical lyrics, with an absolutely phenomenal instrumental included. This is the classic Yes that you all know and love. There is a relaxing 4 minute instrumental in the middle with a keyboard solo and guitar solo, which links the two main sections of the song. Afterwards, there is a triumphant section which is climaxed by a soaring guitar solo followed by a choir, which brings the song to a dramatic close. There is then an epilogue, if you will, that is similar to the ambient section heard at the beginning, making Awaken an extremely coherent epic. One of Yes's best pieces, there is no doubt that the inclusion of this song on the record more than makes up for the flaws heard in the other songs.

The original record came in a trifold sleeve, which showed a picture of a nude man staring at some oddly positioned buildings, with bizarre effects going away from his body. The artwork, done by art legends Hipgnosis, sadly does not match the brilliance of Roger Dean.

Before writing this review, I was contemplating giving this five stars, because Awaken really is that good. However, the flaws of the other songs must not be overlooked, and this is certainly not a perfect album. I highly recommend 'Going For The One' as it is worth buying just for Awaken.

'Going For The One' - Yes (76/100)

Going for the One marked the end of an era for Yes, what I outline in this and other reviews as the band's 'golden era'. Spanning from The Yes Albumto Going for the One, Yes released gem after gem, and every album within that six year space warrants attentive listening from anyone who dares mention a passing interest in progressive rock. With Going for the One, it was clear that the proggy fervour was cooling off- punk was famously being said to have killed off prog, and a zeitgeist of once-progressive bands giving up their mellotrons and moogs for three minute pop songs was right around the corner. Going for the One was a final bold statement before Yes' quality of output began to dip; it may not have the firm sense of identity or consistency as the five records prior, but the fifteen minute titan "Awaken" alone is more than worth the price of admission.

Going for the One opens with its hyperactive title track, a high-energy rock tune that signifies the album's general approach. Although it's got a twinge of the chaotic wall-of-sound from Relayer, Going for the One tries to express that scope and bombast with a more concise style of songwriting. As far as the title track is concerned, Yes manage to make this backscaling of their sound really work. For all of its twelve bar bluesy straightforwardness, "Going for the One" (the song) is incredibly dense sonically and initially struck me as being too cluttered for its own good. The vocals may still seem a bit drowned out in the sonic chaos, but the infectious catchiness and energy was more than enough to win me over. "Turn of the Century" was a much easier track to get into. A more tender acoustic piece in the style of "And You And I" or "To Be Over", it's one of the most beautiful things Yes have ever done. The instrumentation is soft and gentle, but it's Jon Anderson's vocals that really stand out. In a long career of beautiful performances, this might be my favourite of his. The stark contrast between this and the title track feels a little odd in terms of album flow, but both stand out individually.

"Parallels" sounds like what J.S Bach may have come up with if he set out to write a rock song, although that might be giving it too much credit. To be honest, the triumphantly organ-fuelled third track has never failed to underwhelm me, each time I've revisited the album. Wakeman's organ intro sounds massive and starts the song off on a note of potential, but it fires blanks. The melody feels rushed and forced, and any dynamic is drowned out by the ubiquitous organ roar. "Parallels" represents a rough patch in Yes' transition back to more accessible territory. Like the title track, "Parallels" tries to marry the wall-of-sound instrumental chaos of Relayer with more accessible song lengths. Unlike the title track, "Parallels" fails; counting everything in the band's golden period from "The Yes Album" to Going for the One, this might be my least favourite song of theirs. It's not terrible, but it's surprisingly underwhelming, a sentiment that carries over to "Wonderous Stories". I guess it makes sense to have had this as the single, but the breezy acoustic tune never feels anything more than merely pleasant. I've never really understood why this song was chosen to represent the album on the Classic Yes best-of compilation over this album's title track. Some things are best left as mysteries, I guess.

Prior to the fifteen minute "Awaken", Going for the One has been a pretty rough and inconsistent ride, with two hits and two misses. Even if "Turn of the Century" is one of the most beautiful and heartstopping songs they ever wrote, such a low batting rate is more than enough to jeopardize the album's repute. I'm sure the album would have been one for the dogs too, if it weren't for "Awaken". The band were generally quite vocal about their love and pride in this epic, with Jon Anderson calling it the best composition Yes had, or have ever made. Bold words to be sure, but "Awaken" lives up to it. By this point, Yes had had plenty of experience and success with epics; "Close to the Edge", "The Gates of Delirium" and the full extent of Tales from Topographic Oceans were ample training enough for them to knock this one out of the ballpark. While "The Gates of Delirium" still stands a head above the others as my own favourite, "Awaken" sounds lively and as perfect as anything Yes have ever done. Beginning quite slowly as Yes epics often do, the suite's initial dynamic surge is one of the coolest passages I've ever heard in progressive rock. Compared to the tranquility of the first two minutes, "Awaken" erupts with vitesse and intense beauty. Howe's psychedelic twang sounds equal parts aggressive and welcoming, and the building vocal line has an incredible sense of immediacy to it. As the dust settles after the first surge, Yes pair off the rich classical organ music with space synthesizers, creating a blend of music I might expect to hear in an astral cathedral. By the epic's latter third, "Awaken" has lost some of its momentum, and though there isn't a moment here that falls short of excellence, it is a little disappointing that the way it ends isn't as impressive as the way it begins. If that slight dip hadn't been there, "Awaken" would stand as being one of my favourite progressive epics. Even as it is, it's an incredible piece of work, and its reputation does not go unfounded.

In no small way, "Awaken" saves Going for the One. There is plenty of creative inspiration here, but two mediocre songs and an indistinct personality keep the album from keeping up with the real masterpieces. All the same, I could think of worse ways for a band to say goodbye to their golden era. When it's all evened out and averages are tallied, Going for the One stands as a solid record, and though I don't think I'll ever have the same emotional connection with it that I hold with some of Yes' earlier works, some of the band's most gorgeous material is here, just don't be surprised if a few duds come along for the ride.

Nobody needs another review of a classic Yes album after the whole team of colaborators wrote about it. So dont expect objective reasoning here.

One of these days I realised that I didnt have this album in CD. After hearing another wondefful boot from their 77/78 tour I bought it and now I remember the reason why: half of this album really sucks. The title track is annoying and ordinary, Parallels could be a classic in one of their worst albums in the 80s or 90s but pales when measured against their past and Turn of the century is sooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo long, it could be so much better without Howe's unfocused soloing. only the gorgeous and simple Wonderous stories and the mighty Awaken are on pair with their works from The Yes Album to Relayer.

Another sad note is the choice of the modern keyboards from Wakeman. They ruined the experience of listening the aforementioned ordinary tracks (that sounds more ordinary with them) and take some of the magic of the classic couple.

A 3 star rate is fair but Awaken and Wonderous storiers deserves more. 3.5 really.

Wonderous songs! Going For The One is among Yes' best albums.

Going For The One (the song) is a great 'in your face' opener that feels magical, mesmerizing and rocking. It's really 'out there' and is great for dragging the listener into the world of this album. It is somewhat commercial but still good. 8/10

Turn of The Century is one of my favourite songs of all time. It's soft, beautiful and magical. It didn't pull me in after one listen but eventually I grew to love it. I'd give it an 11/10 if I could. Absolute perfection. 10/10

Parallels is a catchy, rocky sort of song that isn't too complex. It's the only song on the album that I wouldn't consider amazing. It's good but not great. The church organ annoys me after a while, but that's just me. 7.5/10

Wonderous Stories is simple and probably the most commercially appealing song. It contains the magical sound present in this album, most by the help of Rick Wakeman's majestic keyboards. Nothing groundbreaking but it's a pleasant song with no apparent flaws. 8.5/10

Awaken is the song that got me interested in Yes and I'm very grateful for it. It's arguably the perfect Yes song. It is structured very well with the same beginning and end, a good length, a very cool solo by Steve Howe, a solo spot for Rick, and, yet again, a magical sound. I recall reading somewhere that Jon Anderson and Rick Wakeman think that this is the best Yes song, and I can understand why. 10/10

Considering that Turn of the Century and Awaken are on this album, and that the remaining tracks are also very good, this album must receive 5 stars. Highly recommended.

The excellent standard of Yes is finally dimished.

"Going For the One" stands alone as the first album to turn aside from the classic Yes style and of course there were so many band lineups to follow with the disgruntled Wakeman off on his solo lonesome making a mark. He had been disillusioned with the bizarre infamous "Topographic" album. Yes eventually released him to be replaced by the less extraordinary but accomplished keyboardist Patrick Moraz for "Relayer", and then Wakeman returned after his solo hiatus. It is nice to hear Wakeman on this album though and he is as good as ever, though not as inventive due to the structural changes in Yes' direction.

There was only one classic epic this time around, and it was a good song but not up to the standard of anything on "The Yes Album", "Close to the Edge", "Fragile" or "Relayer". Jon Anderson is in fine voice on each song, but the lyrics are less surreal and therefore not as endearing. They were losing that magic that had been created by the strange imagery of previous albums. Even the album cover was at a low standard; instead of surreal dream imagery of genius artist Roger Dean, it is replaced by a naked man gazing at skyscrapers. Perhaps the cover typified the new direction for Yes. Anderson has a stint on guitar and harp on the bonus tracks which are more of a curiosity than anything to celebrate. Alan White has proven himself time and again as a professional drummer extraodinaire and Yes is his career high point. Squire is fabulous as always on bass, and the final piece of the band is Steve Howe, a marvel on guitars. It should have been a masterpeice with this talent on hand but it is at best worthy of recognition with perhaps 3 outstanding tracks.

The most memorable and best loved tracks are undoubtedly Going For The One, which has an infectious hook, and very acccessible style, made for radio and live performances. Turn Of The Century is certainly a beautiful song with Anderson making his presence known on accustomed high falsetto. Wonderous Stories is definitive Yes due to the inventiveness of the melodies and an unforgettable chorus phrase. It has been a live staple over the years for this reason. Parallells has its moments though never resonated with me as much, and Awaken is a 15 minute epic that does its job to appease the prog afficionados who love to revel in lengthy multi part prog epics, though it never reaches that point of ultimate satisfaction in the same way that perhaps Close to the Edge or The Gates of Delirium does.

All in all this is not the best or worst that Yes would produce but sits somewhere in the middle for me. After a swag of excellent, or even brilliant albums, Yes had finally settled into a rather pedestrian style that had mixed reactions at the time and continues to do so. Subsequent albums would continue to be as ignored or forgettable, except from Yes addicts who would put up with anything that Yes would churn out including the abysmal "Union" and "Big Generator". Not everything that Yes released was gold and this album proves it. A decent album overshadowed by slow moments and mediocrity.

After taking a well-earned sabbatical, Yes returned with Wakeman in tow to produce Going For the One - which, despite the myths about punk "destroying" prog, did remarkably well right at the height of the punk insurgency.

After producing increasingly complex albums from Close to the Edge to Relayer, Going For the One sees Yes take a more balanced approach. From the title track to Wondrous stories, the band produce a diverse set of tracks that represent their most accessible material since The Yes Album - though in this case "accessible" doesn't mean poppy. These songs are on a par with anything the band produced in the Yes Album/Fragile era, whilst the closing epic Awaken is on a par with anything from CTTE, Topographic Oceans or Relayer in terms of ambition and complexity. A perfect blend of the accessible and the experimental, Going For the One deserves to rank amongst the best of its predecessors.

Yes, what can one say other than the golden era for the band was 1971-1977 in terms of albums, GFTO being the last classic. Rick returns and so do proper songs after the aimless Tales and the jazz fusion of Relayer.

Steve Howe was voted Guitar Player magazine top guitarist on the basis of his playing on this album, he and Rick play superbly never getting in eachothers way. Chris plays inspired bass and contributes Parallels, a cracking track that is majestic and could have been the opener rather than the slightly shrill title track.

The obligatory epic this time is Awaken which is beautifully played and sung one of my favourite all time songs, Turn of the Century shows how Anderson could edit his lyrics sensibly unlike latter albums and features great acoustic guitar from Howe.

Yes should have been as big as Pink Floyd but suffered from poor management and lack of a sensible strategy to keep the band going. The later albums are pretty poor but this was a great achievement and showed a unified band for the last time.

This is the ONE... For whatever reason, this album has, and continues to so enrapture me... Your actual mileage may vary, Not for use with all Hot Wheels sets, children, please get your parents' permission before calling'... From the opening count in and cadence of Steve's pedal steel guitar opening on the title track to the almost ambient ending of "Awaken", this album blew my mind and heart straight to the weeds... This album hit me like a freight train smashing through a feather pillow at 100 miles per hour... I get tounge-tied when trying to talk about this album. There are albums that are great in and of themselves, and then, there are songs and albums that are awesome due to the memories associated with them. For me, "Going For The One" has all the elements of both... After the not so successful endeavor that was "Tales From Topographic Oceans" (Which incidentally, turned out that I was the one person that actually loved and was seriously influenced by), to the overly bombastic, maybe overly pretentious "Relayer" (Which I also desperately love), came this absolutely gorgeous, wonderful, ecstatically BEAUTIFUL album. I will TRY to do a reasonable song by song review... Going For The One: From the opening count in, where you can almost hear the anticipatory joy in Jon's voice, comes Steve with a most unexpected figure on the pedal steel, which just grows into this freakin', joyful MONSTER of celebration! Silly? Yes. Pretentious? Yes. Overblown schlockiness? YES!!! Okay, I'll grant you all of that... But it remains such supremely awesome, joyful FUN!!! This is, after all, YES; Jon writes "Tone Poems", it is not necessarily supposed to make sense!!! Chris Squire's background vocals are just so engaging and perfect in this song... I just cannot help but feel hopeful, enthused and connected with life after hearing this song...

Turn of the Century: NOTHING other than the falsely attributed "Adagio for Organ and Strings" by Tomaso Albinoni, has EVER hit me like this song did in 1977... Still, to this day, this song puts such a frog in my throat. The story is an overly-romanticized tale of a love that can make the inanimate come to life... Exceedingly silly perhaps, but overwhelmingly GORGEOUS. Every last note of this song hits me like a mule kick to the forehead... Hearing (and learning how to play) this song was such a defining event in my life... For me; it was an eargasm and a half... Yes, Steve's runs up and down major scales may be overly simplistic; but it still remains SO moving and effective... And here again, Chris Squire's background vocals, Rick's keyboards, and the understated (but critical in importance) percussion of Alan White are just so incredibly effective in propelling this song into the stratosphere of greatness (in my opinion, at least). This remains to this day my favorite song of all time. Okay, I'll admit, there are technically better, more complicated, more demanding, more sophisticated pieces of music; but this song really touched my heart, and it remains as such an overwhelming influence on my playing... Parallels: A really great vehicle to showcase the playing and burgeoning compositional skills of Chris Squire. Not the greatest song of all times, but a thoroughly enjoyable rockin' romp!!! Wonderous Stories: Don't even start with me on how "awful, vapid, inane, insipid" and "bad" this song is. Because, you're absolutely, entirely WRONG. If you think this sucks, then you have entirely missed the point of this delicate, spiritual showcase. This is a wonderful ode of the human spirit longing for the touch of God in one's life. Sweet, somewhat melancholy, and yet imminently hopeful, but not to the point of being sappy. Certainly this is not "Close to the Edge", but it remains a plaintive, honest call of the longing of the human heart to find (and connect with) something beyond (and larger than) oneself. Awaken: YeeGolly, where do I begin?!?!?!? From the opening figures of Rick's playing all the way through this song... What an adventure... THIS (like King Crimson's "In the Court of the Crimson King") is in my opinion, EXACTLY what progressive is all about: Adventurous, groundbreaking, fulfilling... And yet, it leaves you wanting MORE!!! This song is like a comfortable reclining chair to me... I am harboring no illusions; I know that my words could never convey to you the love that I have for this album. My hope is that perhaps through my words, you will be convinced to take the time to check this album out for yourself and maybe just allow yourself the opportunity to fall in love with it like I have... SWorry about the hideous formatting, but this my second review ever...

After some daring albums, Yes returned to simplicity with Going for the One. It reminds me of Fragile with a good deal of songs to listen to but not giving up song-writing or musicianship. Rick Wakeman is back on keyboards since TFTO and he does make a considerable impact. The album starts with a great title track and may not be full on prog, it is a great song to listen to and does start the album off in a powerful way and is one of my favorites off this album. Next is Turn of the Century which does slow the album down and showcases Jon in his best way, a soft song. It has a great atmosphere with Steve's acoustic, Rick's keyboards, Chris's bass and small percussion from Alan. Next song is Parallels which start with Rick on Pipe organ which kicks off the band into a excellent jam. Jon then kicks in the vocals and drowns out the organ for a spectacular performance. Wonderous Stories is next which is a nice soft single. It was pretty successful for the time and is a good track but does feel a little thrown in for mar-key value. Finally we have Awaken, Best Yes Epic since Close to the Edge. It always puts a smile on my face and transports me to a great place and really is fantastic and is worth getting the whole album. Overall, a great album that was the last "excellent" Yes album, at least for a while. 4 stars. Highlights: Going for the One, Parallels, and Awaken.

Early in their career, Yes were progressing in terms of writing and arranging with each album, but starting with Tales From Topographic Oceans, they had started to experiment with textures and actual sound, and they hit a peak as far as sound goes with Going For the One, in my opinion, their best sounding album. In a way, I do miss the organic production of Fragile and Close to the Edge on this one, but overall, everything is clearer and more colorful, the synths of Rick Wakeman having gained more variety, and the organ and pianos are brighter. Alan White seems to have developed a more signature approach, and Steve Howe's solos are less harsh and more glowing and beautiful than they ever had been. Chris Squire's bass is just as virtuostic as ever, most notably on "Parallels", and sounds great with the ringing reverb that is applied to the whole band. Jon Anderson also seems to have gained some range with his voice, singing perhaps one of his highest notes in the excellently melodicized refrain for the song "Going For the One," a very original blend of late 70's pop/rock, prog playing, and the sort of modern psych-space production that must have been a big influence on neo-prog. (I really, really like that ending synth and guitar rise.) It's interesting how each of the songs, all having a style of their own, benefit from the then-new production. The beautiful acoustic-prog tale of "Turn of the Century" lights up with Steve Howe's echoey symphonic electric soloing, and the harmonies of "I'm sure we'll know" falling gently into Wakeman's warm synth pads and sparkly piano leads are a very nice and unique world to live in for a while. "Wonderous Stories" has some more great lead work from Howe, and "Awaken" has to be one of Yes' most unusual epics, with so many different styles and sonic landscapes that fit so well together, all culminating in one of their most majestic ending sections, it's no wonder Yes is considered to be one of the most sophisticaed symphonic prog bands out there.

Already Yes's 8th studio effort, Going For The One was the last record in the row which is generally apreciated by it's fans. This is the edge of their progressive succes as Tomatoes became a commercial flop.

-Side 1- The title track makes use of heavy slide guitar, which creates an bluesrock sound. But Yes gave this bluesrock approach a progressive sauce and this worked out quiet nice: an energetic and original song: four stars.

The Turn of the Centuries - the second- song is qua sound the opposite of the opening track. The use of spanish guitar, piano and soft vocals makes this a song perfectly usefull for meditation. Uh, what am I talking about? A meditation song on a progressive record? Well I thought about this song as a bit too spacey, while never getting psychedelic. Not my favourite track: 2,75 stars.

Parallels opens with some nice organ-rock by Rick Wakeman. This was necessary after the somewhat boring Turn of the Centuries. Steve Howe shows his speed guitarpicking: not so functional but good anyway. The organs and vocals fit really good together. 3,5 stars for this song.

-Side 2- Wonderous Stories is a progressive ballad. This is in my opinion the weakest track of the record. Maybe because I never became fond of the vocals of Jon Anderson and the vocals seems to be the biggest element in this song. Two stars for this song. Luckely this song doesn't last too long.

Awaken is the last track and also the longest track. This song has some great guitar melodies, but also lot's of unfunctional guitarpieces. By unfunctional I mean that it's like picking just random notes and only showing your guitar techniques while not getting catchy melodies or creating great atmospheres. I guess this song's strength is also on the keyboardplaying of Rick Wakeman - sometimes combined by the vocals of Jon Anderson. 4 stars for this song. Some atmospheres created in this song are really gerat.

I also thought it was a disadvantage that the artwork changed from fantasy landscapes to a man looking at skycrapers. All with all this record is a 3 star record. This record will be appreciated by it's fans like me, but I will never advise people who never have heard Yes to start with this record.

This is one of the first Yes albums I found on vinyl and put off listening to it, for some odd reason. I guess when you hear "Close to the Edge," "Fragile," and "Relayer" you think that it really cannot get much better. Well, WAS I WRONG. VERY VERY WRONG. "Going for the One" is easily the most over-looked Yes album in their catalog in terms of how well the album flows together and just sheer prog quality. You could say the same for "TFTO" or "Drama," but those albums do not compare to the level of euphoria I felt when I heard such classics as "Going for the One," "Parallels," and of course the monstrous "Awaken." If you ever think of not giving this one a chance after hearing their classic albums, slap yourself, for it may be the best album you never listened to. Where to start...

"Going for the One" - The bluesy, almost country riff in the beginning is kind of odd in a Yes album, but it adds to the greatness. The chorus, the keyboard melodies, the always wonderful Howe-esque riffage makes this a great starter and besides "Awaken" one of my favorite tracks on the album.

" Turn of the Century" - A softer track, slowing down the pace (like prog albums usually do.) Anderson's soft vocals soothe the soul, and Squire, Howe and Wakeman do what they do best, with Howe adding some New Age melodies in the mix. Synthesizers, Keys, and Electric and Spanish guitar dominate the track.

"Parallels" - Ah, an organ. Lovely. Whenever an organ is present, it makes an instant winner (see Anglagard - Hybris.) Another rockin' track, completely dominated again by Wakeman's Organ, Howe's echoing guitar and Anderson's eclectic vocals. The organ makes this song that much better. A nice guitar solo by Howe makes this track more of a traditional, mainstream track, but indeed not taking away an progressive elements in the process.

"Wondrous Stories" - Another slow track, but nonetheless a great in-betweener from side A to side B. The official single from the album, in the vain of "I've Seen All Good People," it caters to a broader audience, capturing the great Yes harmonics in the process.

"Awaken" - Hmmm, would it be blasphemy to say that "Close to the Edge" and "The Gates of Delirium" cannot touch this track? The apex, the pinnacle, and the epitome of a progressive masterpiece. Not only is it the most thoroughly complex track the band has written, it is without a doubt the catchiest of their "Epic" tracks. Everything fits so perfectly, Alan White makes himself known, providing spot-on drums, supporting the impressive melodies and harmonic creations that overlap. This is the quintessential "goose-bumps" track for me, every time I listen. It just makes a great album that much better, and fits so well in the general sound of "GFTO."

Slowly but surely, over time this album will climb up high on my favorites list. With every listen, I learn something new, and each time my smile gets bigger, and my heart melts a tiny bit more.

5/5 stars. Essential: a masterpiece of progressive rock music.

Now, every Yes follower got shocked when they saw Yes's last album with a non-Roger Dean art cover. Let's admit it, we even thought Yes had changed directions musically speaking! But after the listening we could release our breath. Things had not changed, they had simply evolved and reaching the top again.

I have little to comment but that, if not as perfect as Close to the Edge, Going for the One contained such jewels as Turn of the Century, Wonderous Stories and, above all, Awaken -whose only inclusion in this album deserves the price you pay for it- that Yes again reached the summit and gave us fuel for -with the past discography- resisting a five-year, or more, period.

On the whole is a three and half / four-star album but Awaken makes it reach the summit.

A pity it hadn't the compulsory Roger Dean illustration.

After Relayer, Yes realized that they needed to simplify things and then they came up with Going for the One. Rick decided to come back and Patrick Moraz would soon leave. The Yes Line-up was the same one from Tales From Topographic Oceans: Jon Anderson, Steve Howe, Chris Squire, Rick Wakeman and Alan White. This album did not have the legendary Art cover from Roger Dean, Hipgnosis(known for doing Pink Floyd album covers) decided to do the art cover with the man's bum on it(why is it always a man's bum and never a lady's bum, damn it!!!!). One negative is that Eddie Offord left it to Yes as producers(He should produced it again but what can you do) and it sounds rather muddy at times. With that being said it's still a great recording, I will have to talk about it now

Here is the track listing for the album:

1. Going For The One- The title track of the album and I love it though the production is a little off and muddy, Steve guitar sounds rather country-ish(well it is a lap steel) but I love it,Yes decided to strip things down a little which some people may hate but really this is still a song that I listen to quite a bit, I love it it still has some Yes elements that we love so its not like they sold out or something, I love this song 9/10

2. Turn Of The Century- This song takes that Yes sound a little further, its a song that is quite unlike anything they've done at this point, this song just has that emotion that only Yes can achieve. It sounds rather like Classical guitar music rather than Prog but we need that once in a while instead of just rock guitar 10/10

3. Parallels- This song's bass line is addictive(Chris really knows how to utilize that instrument,haha) though it is some what repetitive, I love how they incorporate the backing vocals(only Yes can do this in Prog and not make it sound really cheesy), it kinda of reminds me of disco music, I love Rick Wakeman's solo(We are still Yes, damn it!! )is what it says to me. I love this song. 9/10

4. Wonderous Stories-This song is one of those songs that strikes you, you know you've heard a masterpiece of song writing when you are done listening to it. "It is no lie I see deeply into the future" I love that line, this is the epitome of Yes in my opinion and what they are all about, if there is one song that I would recommend to start off listening to Yes it will be this one or Roundabout but I think this one is probably a more poignant introduction. This is a musical epiphany 10/10

5. Awaken- We have arrived at a point in Yestory where the guys felt that they created the best piece they have ever done.Let me dissect the mother out of this gem of a song: It starts off with that Piano intro from Rick and then heads to "High Vibration go on"(whatever that means) and then the chants come and the hairs on the back of my neck start to stand up 'AWAKEN, GENTLE, MASS TOUCH". It sounds rather Native American and I love it, then they explode into

"Workings of man set to ply out historical life. Reregaining the flower of the fruit of his tree. All awakening, all restoring you" .

Afterwards we hear rather exotic sounding keyboards and instruments then that organ from Rick(which makes the hair on the back of my neck stand up)wow!!!!After the great ambience done right we get Jon to sing this:

"Master of things. Master of light." "Songs cast alight on you. All pure chance." "Hark thru dark ties. As exists cross divided." "That tunnel us out of sane existence. In all encircling mode." "In challenge as direct. Oh closely guided plan." "As eyes see young stars assemble. Awaken in our heart."

"There's no doubt, no doubt" and then a great solo from Steve Howe. This songs sends you to Heavenly skies, it is divine.I love it 10/10

Overall though the album suffers from production I still consider it Classic Yes out of 50 it gets a 48/50 which is an A album and it deserves a 5 stars. Peace out!!!!!!

Going For the One is truly Yes's last Hoorah. This is really the last album before constant line- up changes and pop sounds crushed their music. Stylistically, the album has the core Yes sound. But compositionally, the album is rather inconsistent for me. It is book-ended by some fantastic songs, but the middle three seem to fall short.

The title track 'Going For the One' (6/10) continues the blues sound established in the previous effort Relayer. Jon sounds great, especially during the chorus, but instrumentally the sound is too rough, especially compared to their more polished previous albums.

The middle three songs are the weak points of the album. 'Turn of the Century' (5/10) and 'Parallels' (5/10) have some good moments, but really go nowhere for me. 'Wonderous Stories' (4/10) is the weakest track on the album, and is hardly prog for that matter.

If it were not for the final song, 'Awaken' (9/10) this may have been another weak Yes effort. But Awaken is a solid epic, based on a gritty riff. The middle section is another great atmospheric section on par with the ones in 'Close to the Edge' and 'Gates of Delirium.' As much as I loved Moraz's contribution in Relayer, I'm glad Wakeman is back, as his organ sounds are all over this song. The ending is dramatic, and though they could have easily ended it at 13-minutes, the last two minutes are simply beautiful.

Overall, Going For the One is a decent effort, but is very inconsistent. Luckily, Awaken saves this album, but not by much.

6/10

Going For The One was Rick Wakeman's return to Yes after bugging out after Tales From Topographic Oceans. It is a major improvement over that album, but not near the standards set on Close to the Edge and Relayer. There are some major on this album, plus some less than stellar tunes.

The most famous track was the single Wonderous Stories which is a pleasant song, but not very prog. The better songs on this album, in my opinion, are Awaken and Parallels. Awaken is a moody piece, featuring Anderson's use of a Harp and excellent keyboard work from Wakeman. Parallels is a burner, featuring Squire's thundering bass and Wakeman's phoned in organ work. No, really, Wakeman played the church organ as his part was recorded over the phone line!

Nothing is really horrible on this album. Turn of the Century is a nice, soft piece, and Going For the One is a rollicking piece with Howe's pedal steel guitar taking center stage, but might have been better edited down a bit.

Once again, not a bad album, but not a great album either - in my opinion, those days are gone for Yes.

A very Colin James sounding album is this one. The title track is very rocky and mellow with some fine slide playing from Geoffrey Howe. Turn of The Century has some lovely aggressive vocals by Ian Anderson, but to me this is not top notch Yes as it tends to remind me of Mr Smith. Parallels is a Squire penned number and is an excellent track with fine work from the band all round, especially when it really gets going in that Gary Matthews vein. Wondrous Stories is very Nicola-ish in its simplicity, moving backing vocals from Crisp Squire and Steve Hackett which brings bitter tears to my eyes. ....So to the tour de force - Awaken, probably the best song that the band has ever written, although it is not as good as "Gates Of Delirium" "Close To The Edge"and all of "The Yes Album" The ony thing i don't like about this song is the church organ because it reminds me of funerals and Chrissy Parslow in particular. Aside from that i love the rest of it - A particular favourite section of mine is where Richard Wakeman gets all dramatic on the church organ. This album is very good and should be in anyones prog collection.

For fans of Yes, The Buggles, Starcastle, Druid, Flash and Hermans Hermits.

This album.... no matter how many times I listen and try and like it. I would have listened to it more than ten times.

The songs themselves aren't bad. But the sound... it's seems like they don't care at all about Jon Andersons vocals. Even when he's singing he has to try and fit it within a very limited space, and all the while Howe and Wakeman are soloing over the top of him.

So, given that background, I would say the songs themselves are actually very nice. 'Wondrous stories' and 'Turn of the century' are beautiful baroque ballads with very tender vocals (if you can hear them above the sharp tones of the acoustic guitar), the title track is a catchy piece of 'hillbilly prog' if you like, and 'Awaken' is a very beautiful song. However, my favourite track is 'Parralells', a funky, organ driven song.

Who knows, I might agree with those four star reviews if this had a proper mix which actually cared about vocals...

I can't believe this is my first Yes review, considering how obsessive I was when I was younger. When you have Asperger's Syndrome, you're obsessive about most things! In my formative years, Yes was by far my favorite band. They were my introduction to progressive music. I think Going for the One is one of Yes' finest efforts, so I'll give it an "excellent addition" rating of 4 1/2 stars. Only by comparison with their acknowledged masterpieces does this album fall short of the 5 star mark.

I'm at a loss to find a bad track here. Other than "Awaken" being a little lengthy, they're all excellent compositions. I have a hard time sitting through any 15 minute piece of music, unless Beethoven wrote it. So, "Awaken"'s length is a minor complaint. Although I'm a huge fan of Yes, I've never listened to Tales from Topographic Oceans. I just can't bring myself to listen to four 20-mnute songs. It's a shame that earlier Yes songs get played by radio stations regularly, but nothing from this album does.

I don't believe comparisons between bands is generally relevant to the review section of this website. However, it's relevant to my review. One of the best things about Yes compared to Genesis, for instance, is that Anderson and company have groove. Anderson's quieter ballads and obtuse, sometimes incoherent lyrics are balanced out by the other band members' interplay. These guys bring a real umph to their instruments in a way that Genesis never does. In the case of Going for the One, this is one of their most aggressive, funky records. This album ranks right up there with Yes' best material, so it deserves 4 1/2 stars.

Yes! I always look forward to listening to them and they always have such cool album covers. Wait a minute. There is a naked dude on here. Did I grab a Rush album by mistake? No, unfortunately this is what they intended. A bad sign perhaps? Maybe. The first song, which is the title track, gets things going with a bluesy guitar riff courtesy of Steve Howe. Unusual. Not Yes like at all. A decent rocker, but nothing really special. Perhaps it was a stab at more radio play? Things improve with "Turn of the Century" which starts with Steve Howe playing acoustic guitar. Jon Anderson sings nicely throughout this track. This song sounds more like the Yes I know. Rick Wakeman plays beautifully as well. This song has a really great atmosphere. "Parallels" begins with some very powerful organ playing courtesy of Rick Wakeman and some great bass playing from Chris Squire. This is another great Yes track. This song could easily have been on Fragile. Steve Howe is outstanding on this song too. Excellent all around effort from the band. "Wonderous Stories" is very melodic and gentle in the mode of "And You and I". Again, Rick Wakeman makes his presence felt with some very beautiful keyboard playing. Steve Howe plays some lovely acoustic guitar accompaniment and Jon Anderson sings quite passionately. This album is getting better and better with each song. The true standout is the 15 minute closer, "Awaken", which begins with Rick at the piano. Atmospheric keyboards begin to swirl as Jon starts to sing. The song then kicks into gear with some driving, melodic guitar riffs from Steve Howe. Around the 7:00 minute mark some nice chimes, flutes and recorders begin to play. Rick plays some ambient organ melody as well. This song is really uplifting. Sounding almost spiritual. The spiritual sensation is heightened when some angelic voices begin to sing in the background. My only complaint is that Chris Squire's bass is too buried in the mix. This entire album could use more of his presence. Perhaps a remix of the album is in order? Besides Chris Squire's bass, the only real issues for me are the first song and awful album cover (nothing Roger Dean couldn't fix). Many folks have stated that this is the last great Yes album and I'm inclined to agree. This album is also a bit of a "grower". I didn't like it instantly like I did Fragile or Close to the Edge, but it is an improvement over Relayer. An essential purchase for any proghead.

The return of Rick Wakeman, and the three year hiatus was over. After two far out albums, Tales from Topographic Oceans and Relayer, Yes scaled back the ambitions a notch or two with Going For The One. GFTO is a mixed bag and it seems to be a the last of the great Yes albums of the classic era. I say mixed bag because two of the tracks hint at a more rock flavor (Going For The One and Parallels) while 2 others are more classical influenced (Wondrous Stories and Awaken). Even though the flow of the album is somewhat disjointed by the contrast of the styles, the material is strong throughout and at times comes close to the heights of The Yes Album - Close To the Edge era Yes. The production is a little unclear and sloppy, but not bad. So Yes ends their classic era with a great album, not quite as great as their best but there are moments that are among the best. The 15 minute "Awaken" is worth the price alone and at times, I think it could stand side by side with Close To The Edge.

A Strong 4 stars. Yes will release some good stuff after this but this is where their essential works end.

For the longest time, I had a hard time appreciating this album. I thought it was too dense and it never really left an impression on me after I would listen to it. But I kept at it because I love Yes so much and I wanted so bad to love this album. I would listen to other people talk about how great of an album it was, and I just couldn't agree. To me, it didn't have the greatness of Fragile, Close to the Edge, Relayer and even Tales...I even grew to love some of their later albums like The Ladder and Gates of Ascension before I actually grew to understand this album. Somewhere along the way, I can't quite pinpoint where, I fell in love with this album. Now, I don't understand why I didn't love it like I do now. It is true that it is very dense. It is almost like the amazingness of the album is buried a little deeper on this one. But now I rate it up there as being almost (not quite) as good as the other albums I've mentioned. There is only one track on here that bothers me and that is "Parallels". I still can't get that one to leave any impression on me.

So, I think the understanding of this album came when I really listened to the title track, the one that starts of the album. It starts with a very straightforward rock and roll guitar hook with a boogie bass. The first time I realized this, I thought, wow, I've never realized this before. It was like the little bit of light that had to shine through the density of the album that admitted me into it's embrace. It is a heavy song and the straightforward rock sound is quickly replaced with the true progressive sound of the band. I just love the pedal steel guitar that drives the song throughout. At first that sound was annoying to me, before my ears were opened to the album, but now I can't imagine the song done any other way. Anderson says the song is about sport, mostly inspired by horse racing and also by a trek down the Grand Canyon in "a rubber dinghy" as he puts it. Next comes the emotional and exquisite "Turn of the Century". I really don't know how this song slipped past me for so many years as being one of the most beautiful tracks sung by Anderson. It has suddenly become one of my most favorite Yes tracks, of which there are many, but it's amazing how it just seemed to spring out of nowhere when I was let in to the understanding of this album. The 3rd track is "Parallels" and for some reason, this one just refuses to pierce my soul like the other songs on the album have been able to. It was written by Chris Squire for his solo album "Fish Out of Water" but it was left off because of time constraints. Yes performed it for this album and so it was included here. But, unfortunately, for me it weakens the album and is the reason why the album only garners 4 stars from me. No matter how I try, I just can't find the love for this track.

The 4th track is "Wonderous Stories" which, even though it was written as a single, still manages to carry the magic of the great Yes songs. It is the least dense of the songs here being mostly acoustic and also a testament to Jon Anderson's vocals. Short and sweet. The final track on the original album is "Awaken" which is the epic song of the album at over 15 minutes. The band had decided to make shorter tracks for this album to make it somewhat more accessible, which I don't really consider it accessible any more than any of their other masterpieces. I don't know if the production made this album more dense, but it was still a big seller despite this, but to me, and also in my personal experience, it was very inaccessible for the longest time. Anyway, back to the last track....This one is more similar to the epic works that came before this album. There is time on here for each member to shine through, but the person that shines through the most here is Rick Wakeman, who, Thank the Gods, came back to the band for this album. Wakeman plays the keyboards, specifically the organ, from a remote location and it was recorded over high definition telephone lines. It is simply amazing that they were able to get the sound they did from this recording technique, because the sound is excellent. The Wakeman solo here is beautiful as you would come to expect from him. He also leads the choir that was put together for that part of the song. How in the world did I miss this before?

Wakeman was originally only going to be a session musician for this album, but, after firing Moraz because, according to Anderson, he just wasn't "playing like he was involved". When Wakeman returned to record with the band, he was amazed that the band had lightened up so much, that he felt that he had more in common with them than before and that they were easier to work with, plus the fact that they had moved past the health food kick they were on previously. He said that they all had done some growing up to do, probably even himself more than any. Anyway, it was good, at least for a short time, to have him back again.

The other complaint I have about this album is one that also made it hard for me to understand the album and that is Chris Squire's amazing base is underplayed in the album, it's not pushed to the front with the other instruments as it had been in the past. I miss that a lot. I think it's interesting that the reason for one less star here is both because of Squire, one from the track that he wrote (too much involvement) and the other because there isn't enough of him in the mix (not enough involvement). Be that as it may, I at least now consider this an excellent album not where before, I even had a hard time calling it good. There are some excellent tracks here that, despite the flaws, make this close to being essential, but not quite. But at least now I appreciate the album and even love hearing it where before I could barely tolerate it and only listened to it because it was Yes and I only wanted to understand it. Now I do. At least I can give it the 4 stars it really deserves, but there are places where it is 5 star material, just not consistently enough.

By the way, the bonus tracks on the reissue do not really add to the album as far as making it better or worse. The tracks are interesting however because you can hear the development of the music and they can be fun to listen to once in a while, but only once you are more familiar with the official versions that they represent.

After "Relayer" was released in 1974, YES had gone through five years of progressive rock superstardom and were completely burned out from all the recording, all the touring and most of all each other. They decided to recharge their batteries and take a lengthy break from each other so they could all focus on solo albums, thus during the time span between "Relayer" and this eighth studio album GOING FOR THE ONE, there were many solo albums released and a 1976 Solos Tour Of North America. Once again YES changed their musical vision and after the two super complex and challenging albums that preceded they decided to simplify a bit with shorter songs more akin to the earlier days of "Fragile" and "The Yes Album." The only exception is the monstrous "Awaken" that runs well over fifteen minutes.

After only one album with Patrick Moraz it was decided that his contributions no longer gelled with the band's overall sound and he was asked to leave. Originally asked to be a sit in session musician, Rick Wakeman returned only to find he and the band had come full circle and reached common grounds again allowing him to regain his seat as progressive rock's number one symphonic prog keyboardist. So the reunion of Jon Anderson, Chris Squire, Steve Howe, Alan White and Wakeman was complete and they headed off to Switzerland to record this wonderful album.

"Relayer" took me a long time to get into because of its complexities but GOING FOR THE ONE took me a while to get into for the opposite reason. I found this album to be too simple. It has much more accessible song structures compared to pretty much every that came before except maybe the very first two albums but somehow these melodic rockers managed to weasel their way into my head and wouldn't let me be, so i succumbed to their charm over time and now i find this to be a very satisfying album although this is truly the beginning of a decline because it doesn't come close to the magical era lasting from 1970-74. I now love every song on here except "Wonderous Stories" which is one that no matter how hard i try it makes me cringe!

Beginning with the raucous rocking title track that sounds a little country with all the slide-guitar action, the album starts off on a good note by keeping the tracks somewhat accessible while not jettisoning the progressive tendencies. This is a trend they would continue from hereon as the band adapted to the changing musical realities the world was experiencing, however this is still very much progressive rock and held its own against the new explosion of punk, pop, arena rock and disco that was conquering the world by this time. The album still sailed up the charts and loyal fans consumed it with glee.

While the first three tracks: the title track, "Turn Of The Century" and "Parallels" are somewhat catchy and poppified progressive rock songs that are guitar heavy with Wakeman eschewing his classical keyboards for more complimentary hard rock embellishments, "Wonderous Stories" is a whiney little ballad that totally rubs me the wrong way and is the first sign that the glory days of YES have waned. The highlight is the extraordinary "Awaken" that very much is a blast from the past with its long drawn out melodic developments showing the band doing what it does best, that is create blissful extended instrumental behemoths that segue into different styles and sections and that always work in tandem with the vocals. This track shows Wakeman conjuring some of the most beautiful church organ runs behind Squire's unique bass line walks up and down the scales. The song has an addicting chord and rhythmic structure and the lyrics are sublime. If the rest of the album was like "Awaken" this would be yet another masterpiece.

GOING FOR THE ONE was the beginning of a new era for YES. They would never return to the glory of their past and instead follow in the path of what is going on with the simplified song structures found here with mixed results. While this album blows away the gazillions of lesser bands of any era, it still comes up short as being one of the greats of the YES discography in my world, but for what it is and compared to what would come down the road in the 80s and 90s, it still ranks high in their discography but just shy from peaking into the classic era. Still though GOING FOR THE ONE is a unique little listen as it has a distinct sound from any other YES album and is one that can easily seduce you into its magical universe.

After the heretofore-uncharted musical waters of Relayer, Yes proceeded to tour behind the album for almost two years, with a break in between so all five members could record their own solo albums. At the end of 1976, Yes decided to pack their bags for Montreux, Switzerland (ostensibly on a tax holiday) to record their next album. Despite the fact they were recording in then-current keyboardist Patrick Moraz's home country, he was let go in favor of his predecessor, Rick Wakeman, who the band felt could contribute more to the material (even though Moraz claims to have already written parts of the album). Almost overnight, the old Yes lineup of Anderson/Howe/Squire/Wakeman/White (and the one that has proven to have the most longevity out of all of them) was back in business.

I think of this album as Yes coming back down to Earth after the space-trips of Relayer. I understand where some would think that this is something of a letdown in that context, but the way I see it is, there was really nowhere else for Yes to go after their excursions with Moraz. So they decided to go back to the "old" way of doing things and, lucky for us, found that they still had some as-yet untapped creative juices flowing, which must have been inspiring for them (certainly for the fans). As Rick says, everyone involved had changed for the better in his absence, including he.

The title track, with Alan White's count-off, signals Yes' most straightforward rocker in years?maybe ever, since Bill Bruford wasn't exactly famous for playing this sort of thing. A certified classic this is, with Steve Howe's steel guitar providing a running commentary throughout the 5 1/2 minutes and Jon Anderson stretching, stretching, stretching his vocal range to great effect. The lyrics, unusually for Yes, are partly inspired by outdoor sports such as river-rafting and horse racing and are some of Anderson's more direct for the band. Rick's keyboards are in full force here, with the debut of a new instrument, the Polymoog, which provides one of my favorite Yes moments ever?the contrary-motion, full-keyboard chromatic runs in the break at the end of Steve's solo. I also love the bell-like tones at the end vamp section (notably at 3:38) that remind me of some older video games from my childhood. (This is probably the same instrument; not sure.)

This track also has a touch of reverb or some other subtle effect which is a hallmark of the production of the entire album. Being that it was recorded in the mountains of Switzerland, this album has a very "cozy" sound, avoiding the trappings of the disco age in which it was released (1977) and enveloping the listener in what I call the "sound blanket" effect. This album definitely sounds like its environment?the Alps?for the sense of wonder it inspires whenever I listen to it (I also get this same impression when listening to Beethoven's late piano sonatas?they sound like the Alps to me).

"Turn of the Century," supposedly a more "emotional" endeavor for Yes, describes a sculptor immortalizing his beloved in stone before, and after, the time of her death (which apparently was relatively quick). Although the lyrics certainly have a deep quality to them, sorry to say I've never been a great fan of this one. This is largely a feature for Howe, which isn't a bad thing by any means, but neither Squire nor White have terribly much to do here (apart from White's vibraphone and glockenspiel near the beginning of the instrumental section around 3:50), and overall the piece seems to lose focus about halfway through and drown in its own vulnerability. I realize I'm in the minority here (as this is a fan fave), but to be fair, the first couple of minutes are lovely; I just wish I could appreciate it more.

"Parallels" picks up steam immediately though. This was apparently a holdover from Chris Squire's Fish Out of Water album a couple years earlier, but it's so obviously a Yes song to me (and to many others, I'm sure) that I simply can't imagine him doing a solo version of it (which I'm not sure he ever did anyway). One unusual, although great, aspect of this tune is the fact that the main riff is driven by the pipe organ at St. Martin's church in nearby Vevey (which was also used for the end section of "Awaken"); Rick outdoes himself yet again and even makes that instrument rock in his solo. The whole track has a great energy to it, helped out again by the production and a solid groove set down by Chris and Alan. Steve comes to the fore and pushes himself as well. Dig the full-band hit at the end of the bridge on "STRONG!", right after the single-note guitar crescendo that had been building for about two seconds beforehand. I love it!

One word about "Wonderous Stories" (another personal favorite) before I actually review the track: Under the standard rubric of the English language, this song would be?and, in the eyes of some, should have been?called "Wondrous Stories" (without the "e" on the first word). That fact used to bug me for a long time until I realized that the misspelling was on purpose, to accommodate Anderson's sung melody (because it wouldn't have worked otherwise). Anyway, on to the actual song, which is a great example of Yes going back to the early days by writing shorter tunes (at 3:45, this is right in line lengthwise with some of the Time and a Word material). This is a wonderful little tale in which Jon engages in study with one of his gurus and listens to stories of his?the guru's?spiritual enlightenment (at least that's how I interpret it). Steve strums on Portuguese 12-string acoustic guitar and Rick once again breaks out his Polymoog (which apparently was not a terribly reliable instrument even by analog synth standards). Beautiful stuff, with nary a misplaced note.

For the last track, "Awaken," it seemed as though Yes weren't done doing the "epic" thing yet; at 15 1/2 minutes, it's by far the album's longest track. It also seems as though every Yes fan, as well as just about anyone who ever had anything to do with the band, loves this track without reservation. Myself, I really like about half of it and find the rest to be unfocused and rambling. The first four minutes or so are the most rewarding; Rick's piano intro sets the mood perfectly (the upper-register send-off in octaves after the synth pad entrance never fails to make me grin), and Jon's "High Vibration" vocal intro is cushioned beautifully by the aforementioned synth pads and Steve's volume-swelled and echoed guitar. The track suddenly switches gears for another one of my favorite Yes moments, the "Awaken Gentle Mass Touch" choruses in 11/4 time; Alan's ghosted snare figures behind the instrumental section are a great subtle touch and another example of how solid he was in his prime (imagine if Jeff Porcaro played prog rock!). Steve's solo rides over some of the band's most inspired playing here; Alan then proceeds to superimpose another, more conventional rhythm over the last vocal line. So, so great.

It's really too bad that most of the rest of the piece is (to my ears) rather hacky. The circle-of-fifths exercise is explored at only its most basic level on the next section, "Workings of Man," although it's developed more fully on "Master of Images" at around 11 minutes. Unfortunately, before we get to that, we have to sit through a quiet and rather lengthy waltz-time section, outlined mostly by Rick and Steve (and Jon's harp), that may sound nice and all but doesn't really go anywhere. After a couple of "Master" choruses, the piece goes into another dimension with Rick's Bach-like solo on church organ (the church organ tracks were recorded live with the band through high-fidelity telephone wires and completed in about 10 minutes by "One-Take Wakeman"), which rides out the final chorus under another appearance from Steve's steel guitar. Eventually, we reach a peaceful and satisfying conclusion with the reprise of "High Vibration" and some additional lyrics over the same chord changes. At least the album ends with a strong couple of minutes.

The remaster by Rhino/Elektra contains seven bonus tracks that, much like the remastered debut album, almost fill up all the available CD space at 79:38 or thereabouts. The first one, previously released on the Yesyears box, is "Montreux's Theme," an instrumental full-band exercise (with Jon playing rhythm guitar) that I feel is good enough to have been on the original album, say as a prelude to "Awaken"; it's certainly in keeping with the tone of much of the material and wouldn't have hurt the continuity of the album one bit. We also get the full version of "Vevey," previously unheard, which features more of Rick's pipe-blasting against Jon's gentle harp. Wakeman's time in Montreux would prove very fruitful and productive, as he was simultaneously recording his Criminal Record album (to my ears his best-ever solo effort), which also prominently featured Squire and White in supporting roles. Speaking of Squire, his solo bass version of "Amazing Grace" is next; the song itself is always a pleasure to hear and Squire offers an interesting look at it, much like Jaco Pastorius would do with "America the Beautiful" a few years later.

The remaining four tracks are basically just rehearsal takes of most of the album's songs. The title track is done only by the core trio (Howe, Squire, White) and seems tamer in comparison with the finished product. So, too, does "Parallels," but at least there are some cool bits in it towards the end and White grooves more solidly than ever (again in a Jeff Porcaro sort of way). We also get a shorter, more focused "Turn of the Century" and "Awaken" (here known as "Eastern Number" or "Numbers" depending on which pressing you have) to finish it off. I don't really count bonus tracks in the overall rating of any album, but the extra 40 minutes contained herein paint a more complete picture of what Yes was up to in 1976-77.

Overall, I think Going for the One is a very good continuation of the Yes story, not least because it shows the band streamlining their sound to a certain extent (at least for three out of five songs anyway). The songs sound fresh for the time, the sound quality is airy yet warm, and the cooperation between band members is the best for this line-up so far. There's a good reason many fans see it as standing with the best of the 70s material (although my reasons are apparently different than others') and I would definitely recommend this as a "lower-first-tier" Yes album. Also, male backside or no male backside, and Roger Dean or no Roger Dean, that triple-gatefold cover with the Century Plaza Towers in the foreground is pretty sweet, eh? 4 stars out of 5.

I was at college, when this one came out I have been enjoying "Fragile", "Close To The Edge", "Tales" and "Relayer" for years. And then came "Going for the One": the first thing I say (by seeing the artwork) was "Where is Roger Dean?" and then I listen to it and it began that terribly simple rock and I went: "WTF?" It was terrible to me: "Where is MY Yes?" (Maybe it's difficult to understand to someone who knew all the stuff years later). In fact, "Yes" never was the same after that. (There were worst things like "Drama" and the Rabin thing, but this was kind of "?") Even today is difficult to me to listen to "Awaken", (a great work) being buried in all the other light stuff). "Turn of the Century" and "Wondering stories" are nice songs, but I never understood "Going for the one" or "Parallels", What they wanna sound like? Absolutely is an album I don't listen to. Two years ago "Yes" make a tour playing entirely "Close to the Edge", "Going for the One" and "Yes Album", to me it was a irregular experience: the first 20 minutes where wonderful, next 20 where great, then came "GFTO" and I just relax (kind of break). Really don't like this.

Review Nº 74

"Going For The One" is the eighth studio album of Yes and was released in 1977, after a break for solo activity of their band's members. It's very interesting to note that this album marks the return of their previous and best keyboardist Rick Wakeman, who had departed in 1974, in the aftermath of the controversy of their sixth studio album "Tales From Topographic Oceans" released in 1973, which was the most controversial album of the group and which was also one of the most controversial progressive albums ever. This was only possible because of the departure of Patrick Moraz, their last keyboardist who only participated on their previous seventh studio album "Relayer" released in 1974, which made a terrific work on that album. This made that this album comes up, in my humble opinion, with their best line up, with the exception of their drummer Alan White. Despite I love very much of the working of White, I prefer Bill Bruford, which is for me, one of the best drummer of the 70's, and which he is also one of the best progressive drummers ever.

After working with Roger Dean on almost all of the covers of their albums, Yes have chosen to this time, Hipgnosis, to create the artwork for "Going For The One". The album's cover features the Century Plaza Towers in Los Angeles, also known locally as the Twin Towers. Unlike the Twin Towers in New York, fortunately, these twin towers still exist today.

"Going For The One" has five tracks. The first track is the title track "Going For The One". It was written by Jon Anderson and is one of the two hardest songs on the album. It shows a typical truly classic's Yes song, completely overwhelming with a terrible guitar and keyboard workings, very well accompanied by a very dynamic bass and drumming works with the continued presence of the Anderson's voice. This is a great opening for this magnificent album. The second track "Turn Of The Century" written by Anderson, Steve Howe and White is a very beautiful ballad, and is also, one of the most beautiful songs ever made by Yes. It's a typical calm and very emotional song released by the group with a fantastic acoustic guitar work by Howe. It represents one of the greatest musical moments on the album. The third track "Parallels" written by Chris Squire, is with the title track, the other hardest song on the album. It's also another typical Yes' song, where we can clearly see the Squire's hand. This is a song with a very powerful rhythm and with great individual guitar and keyboard works, once more very well accompanied by the Anderson's voice. Usually it's considered the Achilles heel's of the album, but I don't think so. For me, this is also another great Yes' song. The fourth track "Wonderous Stories" written by Anderson is a typical Anderson's song. It's a very beautiful ballad with great vocals and also with beautiful instrumental parts. It's the smallest song on the album and is quite fascinating that a band with such musical complexity, like Yes, can be able to introduce so much complexity into in such shortest song. This is typically a song made to be released as a single. The fifth track "Awaken" written by Anderson and Howe is one of their greatest masterpieces and is also the great jewel of the album. This is my third favourite song of Yes, behind "Close To The Edge" and "The Gates Of Delirium". Curiously, both Anderson and Wakeman said that this is their favourite Yes' musical piece of music ever. It's even more curious the fact that despite Wakeman doesn't have written the song, he mentions that he believes that this is the Yes' most paradigmatic piece of music ever. Anyway, this is a perfect Yes' song, completely overwhelming with the individual and fantastic musical workings by all band's members. I think that it's perfectly fair to detach the fabulous keyboard work of Wakeman on this track. Sincerely, I believe that it represents their best musical performance on the band, which is even more fantastic because, as I said before, he isn't one of the composers of this unforgettable musical piece of music.

Conclusion: "Going For The One" is one of my four favourite studio albums of the band, behind "Close To The Edge", "Tales From Topographic Oceans" and "Relayer". This album is perhaps the most overlooked item in the Yes' catalogue and is unfortunately with "Tales From Topographic Oceans" one of the two most underrated masterpieces released by them. "Going For The One" is, in my humble opinion, the last greatest studio album released by Yes. However, there's no doubt that the most part of the Yes' fans adore this album. The final result were classic songs like the epic "Awaken", the majestic "Turn Of The Century", the gorgeous and melodic "Wonderous Stories", the heavy prog rock "Parallels" and the driving rock ability of the title track. "Awaken" still remains as one of the favourite songs of the band and the fans, until today, and remains as one of the best and most spectacular epic lengthy progressive songs ever recorded. "Going For The One" is one of Yes' defining musical moments and the last of the albums of their golden era. With this album, Yes wrote one of the finest and most glorious musical pages of the progressive rock.

Prog is my Ferrari. Jem Godfrey (Frost*)

Awaken!

Signalling a clear intent to shift back toward the mainstream (and thus radio play) while maintaining a foothold in complex progressive music, GFTO comes across as lighter but also somewhat fresher than the albums they had released beforehand. Whereas Tales and Relayer took effort and dedication to listen to (but well worth the effort), GFTO mostly came easy. "Wondrous Stories", "Turn of the Century" and the title track all made it onto the radio, earning Yes new fans as well as money. While I personally prefer Relayer and Tales, I admit that GFTO has a cheerful, positive vibe, and is easy to listen to. But like other art-rock bands who were trying to both maintain their reputations while making onto the radio, here Yes includes an extended almost-side-long track in similar format to their other epics, the beautiful "Awaken". This is one of their very best compositions, and sees Yes create another truly unique and innovative piece of music. It is the focal point of the album, and while over many years (and many more listens) the other tracks have lost some of their appeal, Awaken remains still up there in the upper echelons of special pieces of music - it has not lost any of its magic for me, even after a gazillion listens. I give this album 8.1 out of 10 on my 10-point scale, which translates to 4 PA stars.

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.

What a glorious return of the 'glitter-caped-vintage-keyboard-wizard' Rick Wakeman! No more jokes about chicken- curry snacks, no more cardboard cows in the studio, no, only happy faces, room for everybody. So wonderful Swiss city Montreux welcomed an inspired Yes that went into the studio and made a masterpiece named Going For The One. And how ironical, in 1977 no punk band reached the #1 position, but Yes did!

1. Going For The One (5:30) : Pure prog 'n' roll, fueled by exciting work on the steel guitar by Steve Howe, powerful vocals by a very happy Jon Anderson and sparkling Grand piano and Polymoog runs by Rick Wakeman, what a sensational start!

2. Turn Of The Century (8:58) : First a dreamy climate with tender acoustic guitar, warm vocals and soaring keyboards, then gradually the atmosphere turns into compelling. Enjoy the sparkling Grand piano, sensitive electric guitar and the sumptuous eruption with howling electric guitar and dazzling Grand piano runs, wow!

3. Parallels (6:52) : Glorious church organ, angelic vocals, powerful bass, fiery electric guitar and flashy Polymoog runs, in this song Yes delivers great dynamics, excellent ideas and virtuosic musicianship. It was written by Chris Squire and that's obvious, what a stunning bass play.

4. Wonderous Stories (3:45) : The Yes single that reached #7 in the UK charts, including a nice videoclip. What a wonderful contrast between Wakeman his electronic Polymoog flights and Howe his acoustic Portuguese 12-string guitar (the vachalia, also used in Your Move) in this dreamy gem, so tastefully arranged.

5. Awaken (15:38) : One of the best epic compositions, so varied, compelling and loaded with virtuosic play and great musical ideas, from the Grand piano intro and fiery electric guitar (evoking Roundabout) to the mindblowing break with church organ (some Close To The Edge drops) and bombastic eruption featuring a female choir (no Mellotron!), church organ and powerful electric guitar, goose bumps.

Bonus tracks on my 2003 remaster edition : tracks 6-8 from YesYears (2001) and tracks 9-12 previously unreleased.

6. Montreux's Theme (2:38) : A mellow track with jazzy guitar.

7. Vevey (Revisited) (4:46) : Nice work on harp by Anderson and church organ by Wakeman, it epitomizes the renewed friendship between them.

8. Amazing Grace (2:36) : The USA anthem on distorted bass guitar, I wish this will be played during a Major League Baseball game!

9. Going For The One (Rehearsal) (5:10) : Very embryonal, the fiery electric guitar (instead of steel guitar) is in the vein of Howe his Relayer sound.

10. Parallels (Rehearsal) (6:21) : No sparkling version, no church organ, only a strong steel guitar solo and a short bass solo, pure melodic rock.

11. Turn Of The Century (Rehearsal) (6:58) : Another very embryonal version, without the wonderful acoustic guitar and piano, what a great final result on the album!

12. Eastern Numbers (Early version of "Awaken") (12:16) : In this version the focus is on Howe his electric guitar, how amazing that this led to one of Yes their most acclaimed epics.

Late 1977 I witnessed the GFTO tour, what a pleasant pompous progrock party: Steve Howe with his 'guitar museum', Chris Squire with his huge triple-neck bass and Rick Wakeman with his array of keyboards put on three different levels, the perfect celebration of a masterpiece!

I'm having no luck at retrieving my former Cylli Kat account. So, I'm posting a few of my old reviews, Hope this is okay with everyone. Originally posted 2011-11-16 with considerable, necessary editing 8-22-2018.

To me, this is the ONE...

For whatever reason, this album has, and continues to so enrapture me...

From the opening count in and unabashedly enthusiastic riff on Steve's pedal steel guitar opening on the title track to the almost ambient ending of "Awaken", this album blew my mind and heart straight to the weeds... This album hit me like a freight train smashing through a feather pillow at 100 miles per hour... I get tongue-tied when trying to talk about this album. There are albums that are great in and of themselves, and then, there are songs and albums that are awesome due to the memories associated with them. For me, Going For The One has all the elements of both: A wonderous story ;) of an album during a wonderous time in my life.

After the perhaps not so successful endeavor that was "Tales From Topographic Oceans" (Which incidentally, turned out that I was the one person that actually loved and was seriously influenced by), to the overly bombastic, maybe overly pretentious "Relayer" (Which I also desperately love), came this absolutely gorgeous, wonderful, ecstatically BEAUTIFUL album. I will TRY to do a reasonable song by song review...

Going For The One: From the opening count in, where you can almost hear the anticipatory joy in Jon's voice, comes Steve with a most unexpected figure on the pedal steel, which just grows into this freakin', joyful MONSTER of celebration! Silly? Yes. Pretentious? Yes. Overblown schlockiness? YES!!! Okay, I'll grant you all of that... But it remains such supremely awesome, joyful FUN!!! This is, after all, YES! Jon writes "Tone Poems"; this is not necessarily supposed to make sense!!! Chris Squire's background vocals are just so engaging and perfect in this song... I just cannot help but feel hopeful, enthused and connected with life after hearing this song...

Turn of the Century: NOTHING other than the falsely attributed "Adagio for Organ and Strings" by Tomaso Albinoni, has EVER hit me like this song did in 1977... Still, to this day, this song puts such a frog in my throat. The story is an overly-romanticized tale of a love that can make the inanimate come to life... Exceedingly silly perhaps, but overwhelmingly GORGEOUS. Every last note of this song hits me like a mule kick to the forehead... Hearing (and learning how to play) this song was such a defining event in my life... For me; it was an eargasm and a half... Steve's descending and ascending runs up and down the modes of the major scale may be fairly straightforward, but it still remains SO moving and effective... And here again, Chris Squire's background vocals, Rick's keyboards, and the understated (but critical in importance) percussion of Alan White are just so incredibly effective in propelling this song into the stratosphere of greatness (in my opinion, at least). This remains to this day my favorite song of all time. Okay, I'll admit, there are technically better, more complicated, more demanding, more sophisticated pieces of music; but this song really touched my heart, and it remains as such an overwhelming influence on my playing...

Parallels: Fresh on the heels of his solo album comes a leftover from the "Fish Out of Water" sessions which the band really liked and here provided a really great vehicle to showcase the playing and compositional skills of Chris Squire. Alan starts the festivities off with some tuned percussion and the song is soon taken over by Rick utilizing the organ at St. Martin's Church in the town of Vevey, Switzerland (piped in via a telephone line). Great playing, and as always the vocal harmonies are fantastic. A thoroughly enjoyable rockin' romp!!!

Wonderous Stories: Please, don't even start with me on how "awful, vapid, inane, insipid" and "bad" this song is. Because I think that you're absolutely, entirely WRONG! If you think this sucks, then perhaps you have entirely missed the point of this delicate, spiritual showcase. This is a wonderful ode of the human spirit longing for the touch of God in one's life. Sweet, somewhat melancholy, and yet imminently hopeful, but not to the point of being sappy. Certainly this is not "Close to the Edge", but it remains a plaintive, honest call of the longing of the human heart to find (and connect with) something beyond (and larger than) oneself.

Awaken: YeeGolly, where do I begin?!?!?!? From the opening figures of Rick's playing all the way through this song... What an adventure... THIS (like King Crimson's "In the Court of the Crimson King") is in my opinion, EXACTLY what progressive is all about: Adventurous, groundbreaking, fulfilling... And yet, it leaves you wanting MORE!!! This song is like a comfortable reclining chair to me... Steve Howe's guitar solo is also something of particular note here, absolutely fantastic!

I am harboring no illusions; I know that my words could never convey to you the love that I have for this album. My hope is that perhaps through my words, you will be convinced to take the time to check this album out for yourself and maybe just allow yourself the opportunity to fall in love with it like I have...

Your actual mileage may vary, Not for use with all Hot Wheels® sets, children, please get your parents' permission before calling...

Grace and peace, Cylli (Jim)

As far as I'm concerned, Yes could be forgiven for failing to top their 1974 fusion-rock masterpiece Relayer. After their 1974-1975 tour, the members of the band worked on solo projects rather than immediately regrouping for another Yes album. Singer Jon Anderson's Olias of Sunhillow, keyboardist Patrick Moraz's The Story of i, and guitarist Steve Howe's Beginnings each were decent solo debut albums, while Fish Out of Water, by bassist Chris Squire, was as good as many Yes albums, both before and after its 1975 release. The band reconvened in 1976 for another tour before focusing on the follow-up to Relayer. Others know the history better than I, but at some point after the tour Moraz was fired from the band and replaced by former Yes keyboardist - - and successful solo artist - - Rick Wakeman.

In hindsight this seems like a poor decision, as Relayer, the only Yes album with Moraz, was so much better than Tales from Topographic Oceans (1973), Going for the One (1977), and Tormato (1978) - - the three 1970s albums by the Yes lineup of Wakeman, Anderson, Howe, Squire, and drummer Alan White. But at the time it was announced, the re-hiring of Wakeman probably sounded like a good idea. There's also been a strong implication that the band was going to fire Moraz regardless of whether they could get Wakeman back.

But they did get him back, and the result was Going for the One, which was as different from Relayer as Relayer was from Tales. The five-song Going for the One replaced much of its predecessor's jazziness and experimentation with more radio-friendly rock and pop. "Going for the One," "Wonderous Stories," and "Parallels" range from 3:45 to 5:52, and, along with the eight-minute "Turn of the Century," represent an attempt to return to a level of accessibility along the lines of The Yes Album and Fragile. Unfortunately, these more accessible songs aren't of the same quality as the average song on either of those albums. "Going for the One" and "Parallels" are pleasantly melodious but unnecessarily long; "Turn of the Century" is a bit more progressive, but it fits the progressive-rock stereotype of gratuitous and self-important solemnity. And by Yes standards, "Wonderous Stories" is pretty flimsy.

But the underwhelming first 25 minutes of Going for the One is substantially mitigated by "Awaken," The fifteen-and-a-half-minute track which closes the album. "Awaken" has been called the band's final epic, the Last Great Yes song, and so on. I'd argue that this is incorrect, citing "Machine Messiah" (1980), "I'm Running" (1987), "Mind Drive" (1997), and the "Fly From Here" suite (2011). But it is a great song. Among Yes songs, "Close to the Edge" is probably closest in terms of structure, although "Awaken" also has some similarities with "Mind Drive." While "Awaken" doesn't achieve the heights of "Close to the Edge" or "The Gates of Delirium," both its crescendo and its coda rank among Yes's very best.

On the whole, Going for the One is a fair Yes album. Its pieces don't hang together the way the songs on Tales or Relayer do, but the songs on the first side ("Going for the One," "Turn of the Century," and "Parallels") aren't bad, And "Awaken" is a Yes classic. A good, but not essential album.

I like to think of this beautiful record as a celebration of a coming- of-age era for Yes. It marks the return of Rick Wakeman. I acknowledge the complex musicianship found on 1974's Relayer with Patrick Moraz! The jazz fusion influence was just great! Whether it saw confused fans or not, I don't know, but it is a very experimental and well thought out record. I also praise the band for taking a year off in 1976 for each member to release a solo album. Taking that time off is integral in making sure that everyone has their space and can come back to the band refreshed, which I attribute to the success and feeling of rebirth for Yes on Going for the One. Each track on this album has a feeling of youthfulness and eagerness in everyone's playing.

Regarding the songs, the title track is a great moment for Steve Howe as he plays the slide guitar for the duration of the whole song. The musical and lyrical structure are more concise and straightforward, but that does not take away from the way the song flows. "Turn of the Century" is a great acoustic piece. It sounds like there is a reverb effect on the instruments, which compliments the gentle nature of the song. I admire the fact that Alan White received a writing credit on this track. His tuned percussion playing is subtle compared to his usual style of playing but it works well in the context of the song. There is a great blend and combination between guitar and keyboards in this song. "Parallels" once again showcases Wakeman's trademark prowess for keyborading on the church organ. It's a masterpiece if you ask me. "Wondrous Stories" is such a lush and soothing single. I respect that Yes decided to release it as a single. And then of course, the epic track "Awaken." The whole band basks in its richness as the song moves through its twists and turns and parts.

Even though Going for the One marked a return to a more commercial sounding record, it still earns its spot in my mind as a Yes masterpiece. The same goes for the album cover. Hipgnosis designed that cover and, although it doesn't have the trademark fantastical Roger Dean artwork, it works nevertheless.

Overall, this is an album that deserves to be recognized as a celebration of Yes. Well done!

YES or how to start again 3 years after strong discussions in the group, how to give a strong signal to your audience? 1. Going for the One starts rock boogie, as if it were another band; a few moments and the Yes sound comes back, Rick is present again, that reassures the fan section; the eponymous title with Steve as a real frontman from now on who uses many sounds and who sets the tone; the choirs still present and Rick who lets his keyboards swirl, it's already not bad even if seeing 'small' titles can make you cringe 2. Turn of the Century for the title that I fell in love with on first listen; a guitar arpeggio on a vocal that would be a cappella... without, a soft nursery rhyme, Jon also shows whatever people say that he is THE VOICE of YES too; a warm crescendo, a dreamlike rise that vibrates, simple but beautiful; the piano arpeggio comes to intrude for a time and allows us to imagine a cathedral break... we wait, ah it swells a little, but no we won't get it; the sound remains on the same measure, just high enough to keep us alert; YES is no longer the YES we knew before, now we are moving into a more concentrated prog rock, to try our hand at radio editing, to develop our fan base? 3. Parallels... bam the YES of yesteryear comes back, who was afraid? the symphonic tune, the keyboards, the guitar, the bass, the drums, everything is in place... yes I confirm it's more concentrated, quicker to get into the titles, but what a pleasure too; the air in trance with a guitar in front which fills your ears, Rick must have transplanted a 3rd hand, the keyboard is more present; go solo from Steve not the guitar hero, but the guitar who draws faster than his shadow; go keyboards to donf; what to remember... rock; symphonic rock, solos in every corner of the room to have the prog signature, that was also the goal, to show that after the eternal chorus-verse there was a life... prog lives quite simply, not given to everyone, especially not to those who spoke during the intros, who arrived just to listen to the verse, in short another time when respect still existed, where we did not excessively criticize what we personally could not do. .. 4. Wonderous Stories for the radio edit, short, simple, catchy and absolutely not showing what the group could do with its instruments, the paradox; for those who don't know, they look like simple beginners trying their hand... 5. Awaken... that's it, have you changed your face? the title, alone on its face, to see if YES still has some prog blood flowing; ethereal latent intro before the passage of the second, it rises, it swells, come on the nervous guitar break, the notes falling from the neck, it plays loudly, don't forget that we are dealing with heavy stuff, Steve is one guitarists who are the least recognized, the most criticized and I'm sure... the most jealous; he is able to make you go away, forget time like in 'Matrix'... in short a surge of organ notes and Jon takes the helm again, finally the microphone; 6'30 and the prog opening that we were already expecting on the first side; bells, go Oldfield in resonance, oh there the organ, warm, the Mellotron, oh there the crescendo, oh there it smells of the title OMNI (yes well I know that too!!), so the organ, the cascade of notes who fall from the keyboards, ah Rick is there; ah yes ah what else to write when you achieve excellence? a 12/10 of course but it's not expressive enough to express the musical beauty that arrives...Steve, Rick come on let's go; well one of the variations this moment when I enjoy it the most (yes I too don't like using this word vulgurus but that way if a lunch reads me, he will be distraught to see that we were enjoying it well before the time) ; well Jon is back, the dreamlike moment is now imprinted in your head for 'forever'; we arrive at the end and we are treated to more choirs here to increase the emotion even more; the finale will be in a decrescendo like waves turning back suddenly.

Summit.

They reached a summit, and how. Yes is about illumination, epiphany, divinity, ecstasy, awekening, glory and lots of pretty things shining in kaleidoscopic dances. They want to blow your mind, to expand it. They want to bring you to space and navigate through giant nebulas and quasars, showing you the colours of an universe so big.

Everything here falls into place, making the same recipe even more effective, if a thing is possible. It's big, it's glorious, it's millions of dopamine particles slowly landing on your cortex, bringing tears in my eyes on a few occasions.

It's the same as Close to the Edge but with even more galactic grandeur, more gazing from the tallest mountain on Earth, more of cryptical concepts of ultimate Awekening. If I may add, they injected more finger-snapping moments as I may categorize this album as the most accessible (read 'girl-friendly') album of the first phase.

If you can tell your woman how much you love her in a Jon-Anderson-style (Turn of the Century), she'll be yours forever....or think you're joking. It's that impressive.

It's enough 'Divine' for me, my brain needs a flippin' break.

Rick Wakeman's presence was always very important to me in defining the group's musical proposal. After his departure after the extensive Tales From Topographic Oceans (1973), he returns 4 years later, and gives him an influence and nuances from the keyboards that have contributed to Yes being considered one of the standards of the progressive. Although he does not sign the compositions, generally in the hands of Anderson, Howe and Squire, his contribution gives them a unique solidity and textures.

And so Going For The One brings us the extraordinary Awaken, with its splendid 15 minutes, a surreal and mystical composition, in my opinion it is one of his best songs of all time. From the start with Wakeman's piano, the intermission with Wakeman and Squire himself on bass in an endless trance, accompanied later by Howe's mastery of guitars, giving way to epic instrumentation and a quiet ending to the Anderson's hand. Turn Of The Century, for its part, evokes lags in the Tales From Topographic Oceans, a beautiful work that tells us of a sculptor who makes a statue to honor his beloved, deceased, who later comes to life. Both Howe on guitars (acoustic and electric) and Wakeman on keyboards, both are superb. Parallels, with those church organs, The Wonderous Stories, a short, upbeat and very typical Anderson song in its most positive way, and Going for The One with that Howe hardrock riff, complete this album, the latest one of the most representative works of Yes in its progressive symphonic facet. Indispensable work for any fan of the group.

Review #50

I've heard this album several times since I started listening to Progressive Rock (back in 2009) and I've tried really hard to appreciate it but the result is always the same: I got more and more disappointed; yes, Rick WAKEMAN came back, but that didn't give anything special to the album.

"Going for the one" starts with an awful country-styled guitar that would sound good maybe in a George HARRISON album but not in a YES album.

"Turn of the century" is a quiet acoustic song but not acoustic with great passages and beautiful arrangements: acoustic boring, it's a song that I can't wait for it to end; I feel a huge urgency to switch to the next song.

"Parallels" sounds interesting at the beginning, like if it's going to be a very nice song in the vein of "Relayer" but the music doesn't change at all in the almost seven minutes that it lasts and sounds as if we were at a church on Sunday.

A-side = total waste

"Wondrous stories" is actually an improvement: WAKEMAN's keyboard sounds really stingy and annoying, but other than that is a good song with nice vocal arrangements.

"Awaken" Finally, a great song! This song is the only reason why I'll give a two stars rate instead of one. Nice piano entrance, then some very harmonized vocals and later a well-played Hard Rock of bass, guitar, and drums; a middle part with a whole change of rhythm, more intense and violent that ends with sweet tiny bells, then more nice organ arrangements by WAKEMAN and then the Hard Rock starts again. The song ends with a very soft harmonic arrangement of keyboards and cymbals.

B-side = good, but not enough

If you don't know this album my recommendation will be, keep the last song and throw the rest to the garbage.

SONG RATING: Going for the one, 2 Turn of the century, 1 Parallels, 1 Wonderous stories, 3 Awaken, 4

AVERAGE: 2.2

PERCENTAGE: 44

ALBUM RATING: 2 stars

It was July of 1977 and a group of us recent high school -graduate and college-bound students anxiously waited for the new Yes album. It seems silly now, but the almost three year hiatus between Relayer and its successor was interminable. In December of 1976, we learned, what at the time seemed against all odds, Rick Wakeman had returned to Yes! We can only expect the unexpected . . . . Then an even more interminable period stretched on into 1977.

Interest was heightened with the emergence of the location of recording, Switzerland, and certain details involving a church organ connected to the studio by a phone line. But, at the time, with our expectations so high, we were 'a tough crowd to please.' Somehow, after titles like Close to the Edge, Tales from Topographic Oceans, and Relayer, Going for the One seemed too commercial or pedestrian. Nevertheless, with its 'pedestrian-like' title and obviously not a Roger Dean album cover, the new album emerged in early July of 1977. In the ensuing weeks, we spent a substantial amount of time in our parents' vehicles, listening to the new album on cassette tape, conducting what could be likened to a musical vivisection.

In retrospect, in Vevey, Switzerland, Anderson, Squire, Howe, Wakeman, and White created this progressive edifice in the setting within which, in the 19th Century, Henry James placed his novella, Daisy Miller. In the novella, the old world through the character of Winterbourne meets the new world through the character of Daisy Miller. Similarly, old recording techniques meet the new in the use of the church organ joined by phone line to the recording studio. In our so-called 'information age' of the 21st Century, this may seem hardly noteworthy. But, in 1976-77, this was very suggestive of many means of communication we take for granted today.

Also, upon reconsideration, the album cover presents more than a casual glance would yield. With the central figure's exposed Tuchus, even the 'Yes freaks' referred to the album as 'Going for the Buns.' But, consider the five separate lines or pathways that all meet in the central figure, who, in his 'birthday suit' could represent Adam before the Fall. Do the five members of Yes meet in this 'natural man,' 'Albion,' confronting the modern, urban world? The Romans gave the island of Great Britain the name, 'Albion,' and later William Blake referred to the totality, not just of Britain, but all of humanity as 'Albion.' Maybe, after all, Going for the One is not such a pedestrian title.

Back to our musical 'vivisection.' After his dynamic and multi-faceted percussive roles on Tales from Topographic Oceans and Relayer, Alan White's role on Going for the One seemed somewhat 'tamer.' In the summer of 1977, we focused on 'Parallels,' finding ourselves less than impressed with the song's percussion. One critic referred to White's performance as 'metronome-like.' Now, 43 years later, it would appear this would be one of White's most disciplined performances, 'anchor-like.' Then, there was 'Wonderous Stories' on which, ostensibly, there was 'no' percussion. Well, it was 1977 and the days of murky analogue discs and cassettes. Today, I hear a decision that Squire and White may have made regarding 'Wonderous Stories'' rhythm section. Relying on the overt, driving power of Squire's bass, it seems to me that White opted to focus on a plethora of cymbals, minimizing the drums.

At the time, our group of friends readily acknowledged the substance of 'Turn of the Century'; one could truly point to this piece as an exemplar of Symphonic Prog. But, here again, we questioned White's role. Again, retrospect is helpful. Here, White's role is multi-faceted, extending to tuned percussion. Like the song itself, the percussion builds in intensity as the song progresses. Following 'Turn of the Century's' middle, development section, the entire band accelerates the proceedings, with White focusing on the tympani and cymbals. As the piece ends, Howe delivers his customarily excellent acoustic guitar with White in strong support on the vibraphone.

On 'Going for the One' and 'Awaken,' it's fair to state my old friends and I judged White's performance as 'dynamic' as we had come to expect. But, we were still a tough crowd to please . . . . In August of 1991, my late wife and I had the good fortune to see the Union Tour at the Woodlands Pavilion in the Woodlands, TX. All things considered, this was the finest concert I've ever seen. And its penultimate moment occurred as the eight members reached the climax at the end of 'Awaken'; one could perceive an almost transcendent smoke rising from the stage. In the 1991 documentary filmed in conjunction with the beginning of the Union Tour, Jon Anderson cites 'Awaken' as his favorite Yes piece. It's hard to disagree. I'd simply like to add 'And You and I' to that distinction. To this day, I like to remark that, 'besides the Beatles, Yes is my favorite band.' However, in the spirit of pursuing the One, the 'real' list extends further and deeper over our human experience.

Eighth studio album by YES, with Rick Wakeman rejoined the band replacing Patrick Moraz, and therefore the band returned to the 'Tales from Topographic Ocean' line up. The band change the concept towards a bit more accessible music, compared to preceding albums. But wait .. it does not mean the songs are shallower, at least not those in this album. For me, the band can maintain a great deal of beautiful complexity in relatively shorter compositions.

The opening track 'Going For The One' has a vibrant intro (with a bit of rock'n'roll feel) that sets the mood of the entire song. Steve Howe's pedal-steel guitar playing in the entire song is very impressive and gives this song a distinct feature. My favorite moment in this song is that closer to the end, the song is getting more and more intense (pretty much contributed by increasingly aggressive pedal-steel guitar melody) but then suddenly changes in a nice lick to conclude the song.

'Turn of The Century' is one of my favorite YES songs. It has a heart-warming tone with great guitar playing by Steve Howe both acoustics part in the first half of the song, and electric guitar-vocal duet part at the end of the song. Although this song has a ballad pace, Steve Howe can still demonstrate his virtuosity in a splendid way. A nice alternate version of this song is also performed by Steve Howe with Annie Haslam in the tribute album 'Tales from Yesterday'.

'Parallels' is perhaps my least favorite in this album. The instrument sections are nice but it does not have strong theme to be elaborated. 'Wonderous Stories' is a short but killer song, and is one of YES signature songs. The vocal harmony in the chorus is great. Rick Wakeman's keyboard fills, unique timbre from Steve Howe's Portuguese guitar in the intro and electric guitar fills at the end of the song are great.

'Awaken' is the epic composition in this album, with great theme and structure that has some signature styles of Rick Wakeman (including the unique sound of church organ) who composed a great keyboards work and also arranged the choral passages in this song. I love the Howe-Wakeman duets that scattered throughout the song.

This is indeed a good and strong album, with the band try a new look (well .. this applies as well to the artwork which is no longer Roger Dean's unique surreal landscape). In my opinion, this is a good introduction for those who want to know the band, as this is a bridge between former artistically more complex and later more accessible albums.

I think it's appropriate to say this album is real milestone in their history. I followed them until early 1980's, got the vinyls and collected those in CD thinking "I'll listen those songs with zero scratches"... now I miss those noises with much more sound fidelity!

But I was astounded these days when I watched on Youtube the Going for the One Sessions 1976 with 3 parts. One thing is to enjoy Awaken and other is to see those young guys making rehearsals from it, along with the other songs and full of jam sessions. This is history!

part1: Awaken from tuned percussion to grand finale; Steve performance on Turn of the century; many fun interactions .

part2: jam with Rick and Jon on harp; jam with Alan and Chris; Steve rehearsals; Wonderous Stories clip; Steve pedal steel guitar details on Going for the One; Rick adjustments on final part of Awaken; Parallel instrumental in Vevey church with pipe organ.

part3: A complete Parallel's rehearsals with a brief spot on cristalline 2nd voice from Chris; Going for the one, here again Squire's 2nd voice ; everyone with a percussion in Awaken; again Squire conducting Parallels instrumental; jam with Rick and Jon on harp; Steve classical guitar end on Turn of the century.

(Male) bare-ass! I have no problem with it at all, actually, butt I don't think I got down with it as much when I first became aware of this record, and prog in general, which is now over six years ago(!)

Pushing that asside, I may have also grown to like the rest of the cover art a bit more as well, but overall it doesn't work as YES art. Where did Dean go? The lines jerking around the skyscrapers reminds me of a new wave aesthetic, and it just turns me off in this case. How about adapting the album art into a mocumentary about nudist city dwellers circa 2177 and NOT have Yes do the score? Okay

I think I actually like Parallels' jerky organ lead thing, because they're meant to be kinda funny? I don't trust this record. The production gives off synthonic prog vibes instead of symphonic prog. Not my thing

Review - #10 (Yes - 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!"

What an incredible array of good albums were released in 1977, my god!

Title track and opener Going for the one kicks off with a powerful classic rock and roll vibe, slide guitars include?until the symphonic prog inevitably takes over and remind us that in fact we are listening to YES and all its unique elements, from Anderson's high pitch vocals to White's flawless drumming, with chaotic Wakeman introducing his first raving licks and Squire leading the band with his precise and elegantly rapid bass lines. Howe's tone is simply his best to date (meaning until 1977 if not ever!) and thankfully will be kept throughout the whole record, perfect! I think the melodies here are very catchy and guarantees the listener's interest, strong opener track. Turn of the Century it's a dreamy and beautiful track, teasing with traditional folk music and some atmospheric moods, or what I alike to call atmospheric prog. Is the longest track on side A bit not an epic by any means, just classic sounding YES with a mellower feel, very Howe sounding even though Alan is credited as a co-writer here, but percussion is barely present. Squire lifts up the tempo with Parallels, funky symphonic beauty allowing every member to imprint their unique touch maybe as a prologue of the direction that Squire was going to and future sound for the band. Howe and Wakeman sound incredible together in every sense, layers and layers of symphonic battling between two amazing musicians and a perfect match in Anderson & Squires's vocal harmonies, what a duo. No complexity here, no Relayers or Topographic, just pure symphonic rock masterfully played by one of the most important lineups of prog history. To my ears, perfection, type of prog I really enjoy. Anderson's Wonderous Stories was released as the first single for this album in September 1977 and opens side B of the vinyl. Kind of following the steps of Turn of the Century is another very atmospheric track with tones of synths, guitars and raw percussion, experimental sounds that blend together like magic, sorcerers brewing without boundaries to create music worth sharing with every living being in the galaxy, precious and eternal. Howe sounds immense, virtuoso like no one else, brilliant and unrepeatable. An accurate way of leading the second half of the record to the masterpiece epic by geniuses Anderson and Howe, Awaken. Clocking almost 16 minutes Awaken is the last track, sound and tempo that we crave from the band portraying the innegable influence this music had (will have) in so many other rock and prog bands in the world, specifically symphonic and eclectic prog bands. It sounds complex but familiar, melodic but dramatic, chaotic but perfectly balanced, it sounds like classic YES! Rick Wakeman will leave the band after this album (for some time) but hi was sure to leave his unique print, specially in this track, all he does here is perfection and every sound and layer of sounds created give life to his band mates's creation, outstanding! I love the instrumental moment halfway thru, brings me back to normal breathing! I recover myself from the organ overdose thanks to Howe's enchanted guitar licks and Anderson's mystical vocals, and they were all so good together, I'm just glad their music will last forever and it's there at reach for everyone to enjoy! "Master of soul set to touch all impenetrable youth, ask away, that thought be contact with all that's clear Be honest with yourself There's no doubt, no doubt Master of time, setting sail over all of our lands, and as we look forever closer, shall we now bid Farewell, farewell", and it just masterfully fades away. The End!

This album is another example of the notion that you shouldn't simply follow the bandwagon. Yes didn't cease to make great records after Close to the Edge, as I was made to believe. Relayer and Going for the One are prime examples of Yes at its best. I can imagine not everyone likes the apparently straightforward rockers like Going for the One. But the joy and the mastery is so apparent. I love it.

Going for the One - A Yes rocker. As straightforward as Yes could be those days. There's plenty of complexity to be found. Love it! 8.5/10

Turn Of The Century - Howe and Wakeman shine on this track. Anderson sings his heart out. Love it. 8/10

Parallels - Another energetic, rocking track with everyone on full cylinders. 8.5/10

Wonderous Stories - A mellow but also energetic and inspired track. The musical craftsmanship shines, as always. 8.5/10

Awaken - Everything you want from a Yes classic. A journey. Masterfully played, powerful on all fronts. Section after section, the trip is amazing. 9.5/10

I like the energy and passion that is apparent on this album. And I like every track. I hesitated to give it the highest score. I decided to change my rating from 4 to 5.

"Going for the One" marked the return of the great Rick Wakeman to the Yes line-up after a few years of absence, where he was longed for despite managing to release a good album like "Relayer".

Back in 1977 symphonic rock was facing a time of change after the genre's heyday had passed, and Yes decided to release a short, more song-oriented album.

The style is more rock and less convoluted than in "Relayer" or "Tales from Topographic Oceans", which although it denotes a lack of depth, makes listening quite pleasant.

Special mention deserves the work of Rick Wakeman, my favorite in his entire career with the band.

Best Tracks: Turn of the Century (beautiful Howe guitars for a delicate and well-done song) and Awaken (the best instrumental work on the album, with special mention again for Wakeman's grandiloquent keyboards, which bring to mind the best moments from "Close to the Edge")

My Rating: ****

I don't do much classic album reviews due to how I wanna look towards the future of progressive rock and see what it's all about rather than dwell on the past. However right now I do feel like going back in time a bit. Yes' discography is a wild ride, especially in the 70s. They are a very complex band that has a long and complicated history. In fact, out of any classic progressive rock band, they got it pretty rough, especially in the 80s and 90s. It's a complex world for Yes, both in their history and their music. The reason why I wanted to do this review is mostly cause I wanted to, and also because I relistened to Awaken which made me wanna relisten to this album again. It's just to have a little fun and re-experience a pretty good album.

The album starts with its title track, Going For The One. This song mixes the interesting complex musicianship of the band's other works back in the 70s while also shifting towards a more accessible sound. Obviously this accessibility would later lead to the band's fall from grace, but here it does sound rather good, if not a little cheesy, especially with Rick's piano playing. I'd say this is a perfectly acceptable title track for Yes standards, since everything is on point, with a little mix of something new in the mix. Overall pretty good stuff.

Turn of the Century is up next. Opposite from the title track, this is a spacey, acoustic ballad with little to no drumming or percussion. It takes a more laid back approach, going for a more spacious mix, almost like building an empty room. Everything doesn't go too complex in the song, but it does lead to the more symphonic side of Yes that many Prog heads like myself really appreciate. However I feel like this song simply goes a little too long for comfort. I do like the little solo near the 5 minute mark, but after that I feel as though it is merely stalling to where the song starts to feel boring near the end point. Not a bad song, just can get a little tedious.

Parallels combines the more pop rock feel of Going For The One and combines it with the symphonic stylization of Turn of the Century. It has a very fun sound filled with virtuosity and a fun attitude all around it, to create a great song. However this song has one thing that kinda gets on my nerves, and that is the organ playing. It is a very loud church organ that makes itself apparent in the first second. It's so loud, and as someone who likes the organ, this just feels excessive. Rick Wakeman is definitely notable for how almost excessive he is in Prog rock, as noted by some of his shows having ice skaters and thousand dollar props and sets, but he definitely isn't the type of guy to show off how good of a keyboardist he is, but I guess Parallels was the exception. I guess if you don't mind that loud organ, then this song isn't half bad, but when you absolutely hear it every second, it does get a little grating.

The next song is Wondrous Stories. What if The Beatles and Yes had a baby? Well this'll be the result, and dang is it pretty good. It's super bubbly and happy, yet showcases technical and melodic soundscapes. Basically put, this song is like you take the best of both worlds of the early 60s with the late 70s, you'll get this. It is a happy go lucky song, and I'd be hard pressed if this wasn't one of the songs that inspired the creation of the band Moon Safari, since this and that band's sound is pretty similar.

Now for the big one. Awaken is a 15 minute epic, and probably what this album is most known for. Every segment and minute are filled to the brim with virtuosity, complexity, and a compassionate feel throughout. This is definitely the band's last hooray before slowly, but surely, shifting away from their progressive roots into more pop driven (sometimes better or worse) tunes. I definitely love this track all the same, it has a ton of interesting tempo changes, moods, and an overall feeling of intrigue. This song was definitely made with love in a time where this style of music wasn't necessarily dying, but certainly losing its niche touch with the mainstream, to the point where some felt that it burnt itself out and withered into nothing. It is an awakening of the band that the times were changing, and either for the better, or for the worse.

I would not call this album a masterpiece, but I do see it as an important album from the band because it marked the tail end for the band's more complex sound that'd shift around to different styles and moods throughout the coming decades. It isn't perfect, but it does have great value.

"Going for the One" is the eighth studio album coming from the prog titan Yes, released in 1977 on the Atlantic label. The album sees the return of the much beloved keyboardist Rick Wakeman and the departure of Patrick Moraz who played the keyboard on the previous album, "Relayer", in 1974.

While I would not rank the album among the band's very best efforts such as "Close to the Edge", "Fragile" and "The Yes Album", I still consider this an essential piece of Yes's discography. Honestly, it is pretty difficult for me to rank the album on a five-star scale, and giving it four stars feels a bit weird, but let's just say that it is a strong four-star rating. I will continue on this later in the review.

While "Relayer" released two and a half years earlier had prominent elements of jazz fusion, "Going for the One" sees a return of the band's symphonic sound, this time with Rick Wakeman's keyboards and organ taking up a lot of space. Apart from the final song (which I am really looking forward to talking about), the songs are way more straightforward than on, say, "The Yes Album", and sacrifice elaborate, complex song structures in favor of more symphonic, dynamic soundscapes. The album has both moments of floaty, atmospheric arrangements and energetic, kick-ass ones. I have already mentioned Wakeman's work, but Steve Howe's guitar also contributes heavily to the atmospheric sound, and I should also mention Jon Anderson's vocal performances; some of his best work can be found on this album. Chris Squire's bass playing does not disappoint either, although his bass is not as prominent as on earlier albums. While Alan White's drumming gets left out in many places, he conveniently fills out the space with pitched percussion in some spots.

The opening track which shares the title with the album (5:32) perfectly demonstrates the approach to more direct songs. It opens with a Chuck Berry-ish riff, the band then launches itself into an energetic, symphonic frenzy, like a rocket shooting itself off into space fueled by Rick's delightful keyboards and heavy acoustic piano and Jon's sky-reaching vocals, not to mention Steve's epic shredding in the middle and at the end of the song. Overall, I would say this song has a more "jammy" feel than most of Yes's songs. An amazing opener to the album nevertheless.

"Turn of the Century" (7:55) takes a wild turn from the opener, going into more spacey territories. The song is incredibly soothing and atmospheric. The song is mostly built upon - surprise surprise - Rick's keyboards, as well as Jon's vocals. You could honestly remove all the other instruments and keep only Rick and Jon, and the song would not lose too much of its character. Steve's guitar work plays a big role nevertheless, with an acoustic in the first half and an electric in the second. The drums take up almost no space, being reduced to only cymbals in the second half of the song, and some pitched percussion. You do not hear songs like this from Yes very often, but they did a good job at pulling this one off.

"Parallels" (5:53) settles for a similar approach as the opening track in some ways. It is another tune characterized by the energetic, chaotic feel and sounding improvised in some parts. My complaint about this song is how it is mixed. I feel like Rick's organ takes up way too much space at the cost of all the other instruments, especially Alan's drums. I am not as bothered by it now as I was before, but my rating would still move closer to five stars if it was not for this issue. A decent song nevertheless.

"Wonderous Stories" (3:49) is another floaty tune. This one almost feels ritualistic or pagan in a way, with the drums having a more prominent role than in "Turn of the Century" albeit still keeping themselves in the background, and Rick imitating a flute with his keyboard. Steve plays a very important role too, creating a foundation with an acoustic guitar. The song manages to be atmospheric and in my opinion does a better job at keeping a good balance between all instruments than "Turn of the Century".

"Awaken" (15:31) is one of the best prog tracks of all time and the very best song Yes has ever made. I could honestly just say that and finish off the review. To be honest, this track is the reason it feels weird to give the album any less than five stars. I could really go on for an eternity about how great this song is, and for the sake of my sanity, I will keep my breakdown of this song fairly brief. Let's begin with the piano intro, which is among my favorite piano intros in prog also including "Can You Understand" by Renaissance and "Firth Of Fifth" by Genesis. The next part launches you straight into heaven with Steve going absolutely crazy on his guitar and amazing drum work from Alan, not to mention, once again, Rick's work. Rick takes one step further in the next part, where he goes berserk on the church organ. This part feels like you are on a pirate ship on a stormy sea. Then comes the dreamy part, which makes you feel like you are floating around in space. The pitched percussion does God's work for this part. I have not mentioned Jon yet, but his vocals are fantastic throughout the entire song, but that is nothing unique about this song.

While not all fans of Yes like this record, I feel like it keeps a lot of its key Yes characteristics while also being its own thing entirely. Whatever you think of the other tracks, "Awaken" alone makes the whole thing worth listening to.

After the bloated white elephant and the somewhat rather abrasive Relayer, Yes well and truly returned to form with Going For The One. With the return of Rick Wajkeman in the fold , fans would have expected a great album especially now that Jon Anderson was coming up with more straightforward songs and they were not let down, Going For the One is a truly great album.The five tracks featured are all excellent and there is absolutly no filler.The opening Title track isa enegetic pop-rocker witha memorable hook and some fine slide guitar from Steve How,"Turn of The Century" is a moving song about a man who makes a sculpture of his recently deceased wife which then appears to magically come to life.I must admit it is a relief when Anderson's lyric actually mean something rather than his usual aerie fairy nonsense.Chris Squire's "Parallels" is a great big fat prog rocker with a titanic church organ providing the central riff. "Wonderous Stories" is a lovely little folk-pop-witha catchy chorus number with just enough keybpard flourishes to make it truly memorable.And finally the epic "Awaken" which takes up most of side 2.It truly is a superb slice of long-form progressive rock easily on par with 'Close To The Edge" The production on this album is just about perfect. Yes managed to streamline their playing making the music gutsier than ever but somehow while retaining their core sound. An absolute masterpiece-5 stars

Yes' 1977 album "Going for the One" is a stunning work of progressive rock that in the latter half of the 1970's. It showcases the band's instrumental prowess and songwriting skills. With a lineup that includes Jon Anderson on vocals, Steve Howe on guitar, Chris Squire on bass, Rick Wakeman on keyboards, and Alan White on drums, Yes delivers a masterful performance that combines intricate melodies, complex rhythms, and soaring vocals.

The album opens with the title track, a seven-minute that features a stunning guitar solo from Steve Howe and a memorable chorus that showcases Anderson's distinctive vocals. "Turn of the Century" is another standout track, with its haunting piano intro and lush harmonies that evoke a sense of nostalgia and longing. I always loved this track.

Other highlights include "Parallels," a dynamic song that features intricate guitar and keyboard interplay, and "Awaken," a 15-minute opus that builds to a powerful climax with its soaring vocals and symphonic instrumentation. Awaken is definitely be considered one of the best epics from the 70s.

While "Going for the One" may not be as well-known as some of Yes' other albums, it is a testament to the band's musical prowess and their ability to create complex, yet accessible, progressive rock. With its intricate arrangements, stunning performances, and memorable melodies, this album is a must-listen for any fan of the genre.

Overall, "Going for the One" is a near masterpiece of progressive rock that deserves to be recognized as one of Yes' finest albums. While it may not be perfect, with a few weaker tracks scattered throughout, its strengths far outweigh its flaws. I would highly recommend this album to any fan of progressive rock, and give it a solid 4 out of 5 stars!