Official Yes Top 50 Countdown Thread! - #14-12 Revealed!

[HOF]

Going for the One - 39. I think this is only up this high because it has a chorus that stuck in my head. Having listened to this album again since ranking, it's easily the worst thing on the album but I did not rank it accordingly. My bad!

Turn of the Century - 40. And this is one that I should have ranked higher. It is such a quiet song without a readily identifiable melody, so that made it hard for me to even remember what it was when I was ranking it. But having revisited, the guitar work here is really lovely, and when I really sat and listened it opened itself up to me a bit. It is still a bit meandering, but it's a beautiful song regardless.

The Revealing Science of God - DNR. However, I think this is probably the track I enjoyed the most off Tales? Hard to say really.

[Stadler]

122 - Onward
119 - Sound Chaser
96 - Homeworld (The Ladder)
88 - Mood For A Day
86 - Leave It
81 - Mind Drive
72 - City Of Love
68 - The Remembering (High The Memory)
65 - The Fish
63 - The Ancients (Giants Under The Sun)
57 - I Am Waiting
56 - To Be Over
51 - Ritual



50 - Fly From Here
49 - Long Distance Runaround
48 - Parallels
47 - Changes
46 - Lock
45 - No chance in hell
44 - Slim chance
43 - Does It Really Happen?
42 - No chance in hell
41 - No chance in hell (though, oddly, may be referenced by technicality)
40 - No chance in hell
39 - Hold On
38 - No chance in hell
37 - I've Seen All Good People
36 - Cinema
35 - No chance in hell
34 - Slim chance
33 - Perpetual Change
32 - Slim chance
31 - Endless Dream
30 - Into The Lens
29 - No chance in hell
28 - It Can Happen
27 - Future Times/Rejoice
26 - Owner Of A Lonely Heart
25 - Release, Release
24 - No chance in hell
23 - No chance in hell
22 - Lock
21 - The Calling
20 - Hearts
19 - No chance in hell
18 - On The Silent Wings Of Freedom
17 - The Revealing Science Of God (Dance Of The Dawn) Would have said "lock", but starting to have doubt...
16 - Lock
15 - Love Will Find A Way
14 - Lock
13 - Final Eyes
12 - Lift Me Up
11 - Slim chance at this point
10 - Wonderous Stories
9 - Tempus Fugit
8 - Lock
7 - Lock
6 - Lock
5 - Lock
4 - Going For The OneHmmm... not sure; I'm thinking "no"
3 - Lock
2 - Lock
1- Turn Of The Century Lock

Yeah, it it my day, innit?

The Revealing Science of God is my favorite song off of Tales; I love it.  I love the intro, I love the melody and I love that this is the one song that the band really seems to gel on on that record.

Going For The One - I get it, tastes, but the criticisms just don't resonate with me.   Okay, there's slide guitar... but the rest of the song is quintessential Yes, and I just love the swirling nature of the end of that song.  I believe it's a bookend of sorts for Awaken, that ends in a similar way, with the connotation of "up" and "rising".  I just love that positivity.

Turn Of The Century - My favorite song off my favorite record.  I sent this as an example of "beauty" in a roulette earlier this year and I stand by it. What a composition; I just love how the story is told in lyrics... and how effortlessly the music tells the same story.

[pg1067]

13. Turn of the Century (5). One of Yes' most beautiful works. I also like the fact that Alan White had a big hand in writing this song, while there's no real drum part to speak of. As a drummer, I think that is really cool!

From what I read, he came up with a lot of the chord progressions on the piano and also wrote the vocal melody.

[Orbert]

Turn of the Century is amazing.  When I first heard it, I was in high school and had no idea about Faust or Pygmalion or any of the other literary works that people say "Oh, so it's like..."  For me, the story was brilliant and truly touching.  It still brings tears to my eyes when I listen to it.  The music tells the story as much as the lyrics, which was the intention.  During the break, you can hear the music and magic building, and then the moment of transformation.  Howe's guitar goes from plaintive and sad, to tentative, to absolutely jubilant.  What a great song.

[DTwwbwMP]

50. Future Times / Rejoice (#17)
49. Cinema (N/R)
48. City of Love (#52)
47. Mood For a Day (N/R)
46. Lift Me Up (#14)
45. Homeworld (N/R)
44. I Am Waiting (#51)
43. Leave It (#41)
42. The Ancient (N/R)
41. Does It Really Happen (#55)
40. Final Eyes (#40)
39. The Fish (#54)
38. Love Will Find A Way (#53)
36. It Can Happen (#34)
36. Release, Release (#15)
35. Fly From Here (N/R)
34. The Calling (#20)
33. Hearts (N/R)
32. Hold On (#16)
31. Mind Drive (#21)
30. On The Silent Wings of Freedom (N/R)
29. Into The Lens (N/R)
28. Onward (#13)
27. Ritual (N/R)
26. Endless Dream (#38)
25. The Remembering (N/R)
24. Changes (#28)
23. Perpetual Change (BIG F'up here. Somehow I left off list   Would've been #20 for me)
22. Owner of a Lonely Heart (N/R HATE THIS SONG!)
21. Parallels (#6)
20. Wonderous Stories (#1 )
19. Long Distance Runaround (#8)
18. To Be Over (#35)
17. Tempus Fugit (N/R)
16. Sound Chaser (N/R)
15. I've Seen All Good People (#10)
14. Going for the One (#9)
13. Turn of the Century (#23)
12. The Revealing Science of God (N/R)

[KevShmev]

I didn't participate, but have been reading this with a bit of curiosity.  With all respect to those who like them, it makes me a little sad to see what I consider bottom feeders from the 70s (On the Silent Wings of Freedom, Going for the One - I could go 100 songs deep with a Yes list and not list either of those) finishing higher than fantastic 80s and 90s songs like Hearts, It Can Happen, The Calling and Leave It, but oh well.  I do like seeing The Revealing Science of God finish so high. While the rest of Tales is still somewhat of a mixed bag for me (some amazing moments amongst the mess), that song has aged for me as being one of their very best.  Good to see Turn of the Century get a high finish as well. That has always stood out to me as being the best song by a wide distance from GftO.

[HOF]

I can’t understand not liking On The Silent Wings of Freedom. It’s got such a great groove and unlike many 70s Yes songs is just an effortless, pleasant listen. At the least it feels like it should be uncontroversial. On an album that is oddly controversial, that’s the one song that feels like it should have pleased most Yes fans.