Author Topic: The Yes Discography: Mirror to the Sky (2023)  (Read 88925 times)

0 Members and 1 Guest are viewing this topic.

Offline Jaq

  • Posts: 4050
  • Gender: Male
  • Favorite song by Europe: Carrie.
Re: The Yes Discography: Relayer (1974)
« Reply #175 on: July 11, 2012, 04:37:11 PM »
Yeah, it doesn't hold up to much scrutiny once you get to the 80s for Kaye.  :lol
The bones of beasts and the bones of kings become dust in the wake of the hymn.
Mighty kingdoms rise, but they all will fall, no more than a breath on the wind.

Online Orbert

  • Recovering Musician
  • EZBoard Elder
  • *****
  • Posts: 19225
  • Gender: Male
  • In and around the lake
Re: The Yes Discography: Relayer (1974)
« Reply #176 on: July 11, 2012, 05:21:26 PM »
(Of course, some say that he never actually played on those albums, so...)

Offline Jaq

  • Posts: 4050
  • Gender: Male
  • Favorite song by Europe: Carrie.
Re: The Yes Discography: Relayer (1974)
« Reply #177 on: July 11, 2012, 06:16:21 PM »
I wasn't going to muddy the waters of this stretched comparison any further by mentioning that  :lol
The bones of beasts and the bones of kings become dust in the wake of the hymn.
Mighty kingdoms rise, but they all will fall, no more than a breath on the wind.

Offline Metro

  • DTF Resident Sloth
  • DTF.org Alumni
  • ****
  • Posts: 3048
  • The Sloth Rules
Re: The Yes Discography: Relayer (1974)
« Reply #178 on: July 11, 2012, 09:19:40 PM »
Relayer is the best damn thing Yes ever did.

That's all I have to say on the matter.

Online Orbert

  • Recovering Musician
  • EZBoard Elder
  • *****
  • Posts: 19225
  • Gender: Male
  • In and around the lake
The Yes Discography: Yesterdays (1975)
« Reply #179 on: July 11, 2012, 11:39:28 PM »
Yesterdays (1975)


(front and back covers - click for larger views)

There were plans at one point to release the album with two different covers, but it was eventually decided to make one the front and one the back.  The front cover contains a reference to the Time and a Word cover, and the back cover actually comes from a painting that Roger Dean already had completed.

Jon Anderson - Vocals
Peter Banks - Guitar, Vocals
Bill Bruford - Drums
Steve Howe - Guitar, Vocals
Tony Kaye - Keyboards
Chris Squire - Bass, Vocals
Rick Wakeman - Keyboards

----------

America
Looking Around
Time and a Word
Sweet Dreams
Then
Survival
Astral Traveller
Dear Father

Up to this point, Yes had put out seven studio albums in seven years.  Not particularly unusual in those days, but when you consider that one of those was a double album, and just how much music goes into a Yes album, you can understand that the band needed a break.  They took a two-year break, during which time all five members released their first solo albums.  (Rick Wakeman, their prolific on again, off again keyboard player, released his third and fourth albums as well as a movie soundtrack during this time).

Still, this left Atlantic Records with no new music from one of their biggest-selling bands, so Yesterdays was created to fill the void.  It is an odd album, leading off with a then-rare track from the Fragile lineup, filled out with selected songs from the first two albums (some of which are alternate versions), and closing with an unreleased track, "Dear Father", also from the original lineup.

Promotional albums featuring different bands from a particular label were rather popular in those days.  Because the label already owned the rights to the songs and the bands, they were relatively cheap to produce, and if you knew one or more bands that had songs on the album, you might buy it and thus become exposed to several more new bands.  The Age of Atlantic was followed by The New Age of Atlantic and it was this second promotional album which featured one of the first songs recorded by Yes after Rick Wakeman had joined the band, their amazing 10-minute cover of Paul Simon's "America".

Yes didn't have many unreleased tracks in those days; most every song they recorded made its way onto an album.  The only two exceptions were included here.  And while it's not clear why the remaining songs were all from the first two albums, it may be because those first two were before Yes were really well known, and Atlantic felt that they could use a sales boost.

In November 1975, Chris Squire released Fish Out Of Water and Steve Howe released Beginnings.



Fish Out Of Water has some great songs, is very prog, and is practically a lost Yes album.  Chris' high voice is well-known to Yes fans and is similar to Jon's, so it's no surprise that his lead vocals are quite good, and to give it an even more Yeslike sound, Bill Bruford plays drums and Patrick Moraz provides the keyboards.

Beginnings is an excellent showpiece for Steve.  Both Alan White and Bill Bruford appear on drums on various tracks, and Patrick Moraz appears on keyboards, but overall the album is not really very prog, although to be fair that's clearly not the intention.  There are solo guitar pieces, other instrumentals, and some actual songs.  I'm sorry to say, but Steve is fine as a background vocalist, but perhaps should reconsider doing lead vocals on his solo albums.

1976 saw the release of Alan White's Ramshackled.  Jon Anderson and Steve Howe both appear on this album.  It is the only one of the solo albums from this period that I've never heard, so I can't really comment on it (but I've heard that it's not great).



Right behind Ramshackled was Patrick Moraz's The Story of IThe Story of I is a concept album with some songs and a lot of instrumental work, mostly keyboards, somewhere between early electronica and new age.  At the time, it was quite groundbreaking, and I know a lot of people who really enjoy it, but I have a bit of trouble with it.  I only first heard it a few years ago, and maybe it's because it sounds rather dated by today's standards.  No other Yes members play on this album.



The last of the solo Yes albums from this period was Jon Anderson's Olias of Sunhillow.  Most people consider either this album or Chris Squire's Fish Out Of Water to be the best of the lot.  Olias of Sunhillow tells the story inspired by the cover of Fragile and concluded on Yessongs.  The "earth" (not capitalized) is going to explode, and Olias the shipbuilder builds The Moorglade to take his people to a new world.  No other Yes members play on this album, but that's because Jon plays all the instruments and sings all the vocal parts himself.  Oddly, although Roger Dean did all the paintings which inspired the story, he was not asked to provide the cover for this album.



Just as Yes took a break at this point and fans were given all this to fill in the gap, I'm taking one too.  I'm going on vacation, so no more Yes Discography updates for a while.  I might be able to post if the place where we're going has wi-fi, but I don't know.
« Last Edit: June 22, 2015, 05:21:28 PM by Orbert »

Offline Nel

  • Humorless Bore
  • Posts: 2450
  • Gender: Male
Re: The Yes Discography: Yesterdays (1975)
« Reply #180 on: July 11, 2012, 11:57:28 PM »
Always wanted to get into the Yes members' solo albums, but the sheer amount of them by each member is a bit overwhelming. Any recommendations?

As for live albums... never listened to any of them. I don't really go for live albums unless a band has done something to really distinguish the songs from their studio versions. It's nothing against Yes, live albums are just generally not my thing.
Hire me. I'm talentless but malleable.

Offline The Letter M

  • Posts: 15490
  • Gender: Male
Re: The Yes Discography: Yesterdays (1975)
« Reply #181 on: July 12, 2012, 12:17:52 AM »
As for live albums... never listened to any of them. I don't really go for live albums unless a band has done something to really distinguish the songs from their studio versions. It's nothing against Yes, live albums are just generally not my thing.

So...have you listened to Yessongs then?! The songs are a bit longer, some are a LOT longer, with improvised sections/jams, some with extended solos, some with jammy-outros. It's a great mix of material and the band really comes alive with the awesome and unique interpretations of the songs, especially the four from The Yes Album!

-Marc.
ATTENTION - HAKEN FANS! The HAKEN SURVIVOR 2023 has begun! You can check it out in the Polls/Survivors Forum!!!

Online Orbert

  • Recovering Musician
  • EZBoard Elder
  • *****
  • Posts: 19225
  • Gender: Male
  • In and around the lake
Re: The Yes Discography: Yesterdays (1975)
« Reply #182 on: July 12, 2012, 07:21:00 AM »
Always wanted to get into the Yes members' solo albums, but the sheer amount of them by each member is a bit overwhelming. Any recommendations?

Fish Out Of Water by Chris Squire - Song-based, but pretty proggy.  Some longish tunes (11 1/2 minutes and 14 minutes)
Olias of Sunhillow by Jon Anderson - Not really prog, but very good songs.
The Six Wives of Henry VIII by Rick Wakeman - All instrumental, keyboard-driven prog.
Any Steve Howe solo album has a mix of styles.

As for live albums... never listened to any of them. I don't really go for live albums unless a band has done something to really distinguish the songs from their studio versions. It's nothing against Yes, live albums are just generally not my thing.

I'll second Marc's recommendation.  Yessongs has Yes at their peak, expanding upon the original arrangements and somehow keeping things tight yet loose at the same time.  Yesshows is similar.  The live versions of "The Gates of Delerium" and "Ritual" are mind-blowing.  It's amazing to hear what these guys could do live.
« Last Edit: July 12, 2012, 12:06:04 PM by Orbert »

Offline Woodworker1

  • Posts: 84
Re: The Yes Discography: Yesterdays (1975)
« Reply #183 on: July 12, 2012, 11:57:58 AM »
Good thread.  I'm a huge Yes fan.  I'm 36 years old; been listening to Yes ever since my parents introduced me to them in junior high school.

Relayer is my favorite Yes album.  I'm not saying it is their best album on a technical level, just my favorite due to the extended instrumental section on "The Gates of Delirium".  It also contains my favorite Steve Howie solo on "Sound Chaser" (it starts at the 3:00 mark).

Offline Jaq

  • Posts: 4050
  • Gender: Male
  • Favorite song by Europe: Carrie.
Re: The Yes Discography: Yesterdays (1975)
« Reply #184 on: July 12, 2012, 12:06:10 PM »
Despite owning more albums by Yes than any other band in my collection, this period is a black hole for me. I'll just use this opportunity to praise the hell out of their cover of America; that's one of the best examples ever of a band tackling a song and truly making it their own I know of. The discussion when this thread resumes should be interesting to say the least. Watch with wonder as I defend Tormato!  :lol
The bones of beasts and the bones of kings become dust in the wake of the hymn.
Mighty kingdoms rise, but they all will fall, no more than a breath on the wind.

Online Orbert

  • Recovering Musician
  • EZBoard Elder
  • *****
  • Posts: 19225
  • Gender: Male
  • In and around the lake
Re: The Yes Discography: Yesterdays (1975)
« Reply #185 on: July 12, 2012, 12:10:23 PM »
People should feel free to continue discussing any albums covered so far, or even future ones.  I'm just letting people know that I'll be gone (after tonight) and I wanted to get the Yesterdays post out there before I left.

Online Kwyjibo

  • Worse troll than Blabbermouth
  • Posts: 5998
  • Gender: Male
Re: The Yes Discography: Yesterdays (1975)
« Reply #186 on: July 13, 2012, 06:08:48 AM »
Going back to Relayer, this is the last great album of the classic Yes. I think up to this album they sound very consistent even though they changed the drummer, the guitarplayer and the keyboardist (twice). Sure you can hear the differences as each musician brings his own style to the table, nonetheless Yes were able to create their own sound.

While I think that Relayer (the track) is great, I find Sound Chaser a bit too hectic at times and To Be Over is just nice.
And the comparison to Close To The Edge has to be made, because the similarities are too great not to notice. You have the epic on side one (which in both cases is also the album title), you have the rocker and the mellow piece on side two, although on Relayer the rocker comes first. For me CTTE wins this in every aspect, but Relayer is still high on my Yes list.
Must've been Kwyji sending all the wrong songs.   ;D

Online Orbert

  • Recovering Musician
  • EZBoard Elder
  • *****
  • Posts: 19225
  • Gender: Male
  • In and around the lake
The Yes Discography: Going for the One (1977)
« Reply #187 on: July 18, 2012, 05:28:08 PM »
Going for the One (1977)


(click for full version)

Jon Anderson - Vocals, Percussion, Harp
Steve Howe - Guitars, Vocals
Chris Squire - Bass, Vocals
Rick Wakeman - Keyboards
Alan White - Drums, Percussion

----------

Going for the One
Turn of the Century
Parallels
Wonderous Stories
Awaken

After a break of nearly two and a half years, Yes was back.  As with so many events in Yes history, there are many versions of what happened regarding the departure of Patrick Moraz and the return of Rick Wakeman on keyboards.  Patrick Moraz was with them when the sessions began; the album itself was recorded in his native Switzerland.  Patrick is thanked in the liner notes and has claimed in interviews that he helped write some of the music (even though he is not credited), but at some point he and the band parted ways.  The decision was made by the remaining members to contact Rick Wakeman and see if he would be interested in returning to Yes.  Communications between Rick and the band, and between the band, their management, and their P.R. departments, all crossed, and Rick got a phone call asking if he'd like to return to Yes at about the same time he heard on the news that he had already done so.

Going for the One marked the return of Yes to shorter songs, relatively speaking.  The album contains five songs, including two singles.  "Wonderous Stories" reached #7 on the U.K. charts and the title track reached #24.  Yes also chose not to go with a Roger Dean painting on the cover, for the first time since The Yes Album.  The cover instead was designed by Hipgnosis, best known at the time for their Pink Floyd covers.  The classic Yes logo, created by Roger Dean, appears on the cover.

This album is not, however, without a healthy serving of Yes indulgence.  Two of the songs, "Parallels" and "Awaken" feature Rick Wakeman playing the pipe organ at St. Martins Church in Vevey.  In Switzerland, it is possible to rent telephone lines for dedicated use, so Yes (who also produced the album themselves) did just that.  Microphones were set up in the church where Rick played the organ, and the sound was sent over the telephone lines to the recording studio a few miles away.  "Awaken" also features the St. Martins Church choir, and Jon Anderson on harp.  Jon considers "Awaken" to be their masterwork.

----------

This album and Close to the Edge constantly fight it out for my favorite Yes album.  This is largely because "Close to the Edge" and "Awaken" are constantly battling for favorite Yes song.  If ever there was a statement of the pomposity and pretentiousness of prog rock, it is here where electric guitars and Moog synthesizers play alongside pipe organ, church choir, harp, and triangle.

As much as I love Yes' longer songs, I have no problem with their shorter songs.  I love every song on this album, from its weird title track featuring Steve doing rockabilly and pedal steel, to the beautiful "Turn of the Century" with its introspective middle section, "Parallels" with a rock organ solo played not on Hammond but on pipes, to the sheer audacity and brilliance of "Awaken".  Jon Anderson has said that he considers this album and the song "Awaken" to be the absolute apex of the band's output, and it's hard to find fault with that statement.  They were going for the one.

And finally, the cover always makes me think of the line "Lost in the city..." from "Heart of the Sunrise" off of Fragile.
« Last Edit: June 22, 2015, 05:22:54 PM by Orbert »

Offline Jaq

  • Posts: 4050
  • Gender: Male
  • Favorite song by Europe: Carrie.
Re: The Yes Discography: Yesterdays (1975)
« Reply #188 on: July 18, 2012, 07:21:53 PM »
I believe I read somewhere that one of the reasons that Rick Wakeman rejoined Yes was that they'd started writing songs again-think it was in the liner notes for the CD reissue of Going For The One, in fact. At any rate, that's a fair summary of the album. The band had worked through the wild, free-form improvisational style that I personally thought they weren't as good at as they thought they were and had started to focus on making memorable, tight songs again. Going For The One felt like the band had realized that what prog had become, both in music and image, had gotten a little out of hand, hence the shorter songs and the replacement of Roger Dean's artwork for a more "modern" and less mystical look. Prog needed to change a little, to learn the power of restraint on occasion, and this album is perhaps the best example of a band doing that from the 70s prog movement.
The bones of beasts and the bones of kings become dust in the wake of the hymn.
Mighty kingdoms rise, but they all will fall, no more than a breath on the wind.

Offline KevShmev

  • EZBoard Elder
  • *****
  • Posts: 41963
  • Gender: Male
Re: The Yes Discography: Yesterdays (1975)
« Reply #189 on: July 18, 2012, 07:39:08 PM »
Good album, but I've never thought it was all that like a lot of Yes fans do.  I'll take everything from The Yes Album through Relayer over it by a wide margin, as well as the main three Rabin albums, Drama and The Ladder.  Turn of the Century and Awaken are both really good, but the other three songs, none of which are bad, don't do a lot for me.  Plus, the sound of this album annoys me; it is way too high on the treble and way too low on the low end. 

Offline Perpetual Change

  • DTF.org Alumni
  • ****
  • Posts: 12264
Re: The Yes Discography: Yesterdays (1975)
« Reply #190 on: July 18, 2012, 07:44:13 PM »
Yes, this is pretty much my favorite Yes album. I was floored the first time I heard "Parallels" as a download on progarchives. Then I eventually got the record, and discovered "Awaken" which pretty much says it all. I really love the simpler songs on this album too, though. "Wonderful Stories" is a nice little tune and "Turn of the Century" is just so sincere and sentimental. I love it. 

Offline The Letter M

  • Posts: 15490
  • Gender: Male
Re: The Yes Discography: Yesterdays (1975)
« Reply #191 on: July 18, 2012, 07:53:40 PM »
Going For The One has a certain beauty to it that isn't present on their other albums. It's a great mix of varying styles that is still essentially Yes. You have a couple of rockers, a couple of ballads, and (what perhaps might be their definitive) epic, "Awaken", which is almost unlike anything they had done up to that point. Probably one of my favorite Yes albums.

-Marc.
ATTENTION - HAKEN FANS! The HAKEN SURVIVOR 2023 has begun! You can check it out in the Polls/Survivors Forum!!!

Offline jammindude

  • Posts: 15236
  • Gender: Male
Re: The Yes Discography: Going for the One (1977)
« Reply #192 on: July 18, 2012, 11:49:37 PM »
To me, THIS is Yes' masterpiece.  Even moreso than CttE.   Stunning album from start to finish.   To go from this to Tormato...one of the biggest "falling off in a single album" in the history of rock.   

But GftO is just... You know what?  There aren't enough amazing adjectives.   I'd need to go to a thesaurus.   
"Better the pride that resides in a citizen of the world.
Than the pride that divides when a colorful rag is unfurled." - Neil Peart

The Jammin Dude Show - https://www.youtube.com/user/jammindude

Online lonestar

  • DTF Executive Chef
  • Official DTF Tour Guide
  • ****
  • Posts: 29696
  • Gender: Male
  • Silly Hatted Knife Chucker
Re: The Yes Discography: Going for the One (1977)
« Reply #193 on: July 18, 2012, 11:56:21 PM »
The title track is my least favorite, I love all the others. Wondrous Stories and Turn of the Century are beauty personified, as only Yes can do. Parallels is a great song. Awaken would put up a good fight for the no. 1 spot on my Yes list. I went to about 8 shows before finally getting to see it live. My girlfriend at the time(not a Yes fan btw) could never understand why I was crying.(incedentally, it was also the show where I saw The Revealing Science of God live). The closing lines of Awaken,"like the time I ran away, turned around, and you were standing close to me" trancends and transects my life on multiple levels.

Offline Nel

  • Humorless Bore
  • Posts: 2450
  • Gender: Male
Re: The Yes Discography: Going for the One (1977)
« Reply #194 on: July 19, 2012, 12:12:29 AM »
I bought it years ago, and only when we got to the Relayer discussion did I give it my full attention. So, barring "Awaken", which I have loved for years, my view is mostly a "just heard it" review.

Like Lonestar, the title track is my least favorite. It's not necessarily bad, but it doesn't really stand out in Yes' catalog. Turn Of the Century has a pretty cool instrumental section in the middle of it, but other than that I don't find it interesting. Rest of the album is great. Parallels is solid to me, even if I found the organ a bit cheesy at first, it really does take the stage by the second half of the song. Wonderous Stories, well, I've already liked that from radio. Just a nice little song that moves the album along, to... one of Yes' best songs. many fans put Awaken in their #1 slot, and it was that that made me listen to it years ago. I love this song. Definitely in my top 5 Yes songs. Admittedly, I like the very epic first section (the build up, and the part that starts up about a minute and thirty seconds into the song) more than the rest, but the whole thing is fantastic.

Extra innings time. The copy I have is remastered with bonus tracks, so... I like Montreux's Theme, the rest is meh.

EDIT: I suppose I now have to listen to Tormato to get ready for the next round. Sigh...  :lol
Hire me. I'm talentless but malleable.

Online Kwyjibo

  • Worse troll than Blabbermouth
  • Posts: 5998
  • Gender: Male
Re: The Yes Discography: Yesterdays (1975)
« Reply #195 on: July 19, 2012, 12:34:27 AM »
Good album, but I've never thought it was all that like a lot of Yes fans do.  I'll take everything from The Yes Album through Relayer over it by a wide margin, as well as the main three Rabin albums, Drama and The Ladder.  Turn of the Century and Awaken are both really good, but the other three songs, none of which are bad, don't do a lot for me.

With a little fix for me, that's exactly what I think about it.

After the great run of albums that started with The Yes Album through to Relayer this is for me the first record that's only good instead of great.
Must've been Kwyji sending all the wrong songs.   ;D

Online Orbert

  • Recovering Musician
  • EZBoard Elder
  • *****
  • Posts: 19225
  • Gender: Male
  • In and around the lake
Re: The Yes Discography: Going for the One (1977)
« Reply #196 on: July 19, 2012, 06:58:05 AM »
I've described the story of "Turn of the Century" to people and they say "Oh, like in Faust?" or some other story.  I've never read Faust or any of the other great works in literature where an artist creates a likeness of someone and it comes to life, but apparently there are a few of them.  But since the idea was new to me and I was still an impressionable teenager, the song brought me to tears.

He's a sculptor; he spends his days working his craft while his lady dances and sings.  They're happy just to spend their time together, even if there isn't a lot of interaction.  He's working on a likeness of her, but she gets sick during this time and dies before he can finish it.  Heartbroken, he cannot bring himself to work again.  Time passes, and eventually he finds the strength to finish the sculpture, putting everything he has into it, the memory of every line, every curve, every detail.  You can hear it in the music, how the time passes as he works, and you can hear the magic building... building... until the statue comes to life.  Steve's guitar takes off, playing those jubilant, triumphant runs.  They are together again.  Holding hands in the sun, spending their autumn years together.

There are a handful of songs I can put on when I need a good cry.  This is one of them.  What a beautiful, amazing piece of music.

Offline Priest of Syrinx

  • Feeding my Narpets
  • Posts: 539
Re: The Yes Discography: Going for the One (1977)
« Reply #197 on: July 19, 2012, 02:13:17 PM »
Not Faust, but the story of Pygmalion in Ovid's Metamrphoses is of a sculptor who falls in love with his sculpture, and the statue thru the grace of Venus comes alive.

Pygmalion is the inspiration for the George Bernard Shaw play of the same name, and that was made into the musical My Fair Lady.

Anyhoo, I've been enjoying your Yes commentary immensely.
It's the Internet.  Everything everybody says, no matter how factual-sounding, is opinion.

Online Orbert

  • Recovering Musician
  • EZBoard Elder
  • *****
  • Posts: 19225
  • Gender: Male
  • In and around the lake
Re: The Yes Discography: Going for the One (1977)
« Reply #198 on: July 19, 2012, 02:59:43 PM »
Thanks, I'm having a good time writing it all.  And thanks for the correction, though I seem to think I've been corrected on that point before, yet for some stupid reason Faust sticks in my head.

Online lonestar

  • DTF Executive Chef
  • Official DTF Tour Guide
  • ****
  • Posts: 29696
  • Gender: Male
  • Silly Hatted Knife Chucker
Re: The Yes Discography: Going for the One (1977)
« Reply #199 on: July 19, 2012, 03:54:34 PM »
I've described the story of "Turn of the Century" to people and they say "Oh, like in Faust?" or some other story.  I've never read Faust or any of the other great works in literature where an artist creates a likeness of someone and it comes to life, but apparently there are a few of them.  But since the idea was new to me and I was still an impressionable teenager, the song brought me to tears.

He's a sculptor; he spends his days working his craft while his lady dances and sings.  They're happy just to spend their time together, even if there isn't a lot of interaction.  He's working on a likeness of her, but she gets sick during this time and dies before he can finish it.  Heartbroken, he cannot bring himself to work again.  Time passes, and eventually he finds the strength to finish the sculpture, putting everything he has into it, the memory of every line, every curve, every detail.  You can hear it in the music, how the time passes as he works, and you can hear the magic building... building... until the statue comes to life.  Steve's guitar takes off, playing those jubilant, triumphant runs.  They are together again.  Holding hands in the sun, spending their autumn years together.

There are a handful of songs I can put on when I need a good cry.  This is one of them.  What a beautiful, amazing piece of music.
Thanks so much for this.  I have heard this song a million times, but it sounds brand new to me now.

Offline Mladen

  • Posts: 15203
  • Gender: Male
Re: The Yes Discography: Going for the One (1977)
« Reply #200 on: July 19, 2012, 03:58:06 PM »
I'm not that crazy about Going for the one, but I still quite like it. For the first time since Fragile, the band went back to not filling the album with epics. However, this album proved that epics are still their strength. Awaken is stellar, it's very moving and remains a fan favorite to this day. It would certainly make it to my top 10 Yes songs, and Rick Wakeman delivers some of the most beautiful melodies he's ever played.

Out of the shorter ones, I really enjoy the title track, it just plain rocks. Parallels remains one of my least favorite Yes songs. It's not exactly terrible while it's still listenable, but it's a definition of a bland song, it offers absolutely nothing memorable or even remotely interesting.

Overall, I'm fine with giving this album a listen every now and then, but I don't do it too often.

Online Orbert

  • Recovering Musician
  • EZBoard Elder
  • *****
  • Posts: 19225
  • Gender: Male
  • In and around the lake
Re: The Yes Discography: Going for the One (1977)
« Reply #201 on: July 19, 2012, 04:35:38 PM »
Parallels remains one of my least favorite Yes songs. It's not exactly terrible while it's still listenable, but it's a definition of a bland song, it offers absolutely nothing memorable or even remotely interesting.

A rock organ solo played not on a Hammond, but on an actual church pipe organ, recorded over the phone to a studio miles away, is not even remotely interesting?  And he doesn't just play a Hammond solo on a pipe organ, he plays it the way you play a pipe organ; listen to the phrasing, his use of the dual manuals.  That's classical training.

I'll give you that the solo itself is a bit stiff and clunky, because pipe organs are not meant for rock solos, but I'm pretty sure that this is the first time anyone had ever tried it, and I don't think it's been done since.  That's gotta be worth some points, or at least "remotely interesting" doesn't it?

Offline KevShmev

  • EZBoard Elder
  • *****
  • Posts: 41963
  • Gender: Male
Re: The Yes Discography: Going for the One (1977)
« Reply #202 on: July 19, 2012, 04:44:07 PM »
I like the organ in Parallels, but the rest of the song is pretty run of the mill, IMO.  Not a bad song, but just doesn't stand out or do much for me.

Offline FreezingPoint

  • Posts: 230
  • Gender: Male
Re: The Yes Discography: Going for the One (1977)
« Reply #203 on: July 19, 2012, 05:52:35 PM »
As a new poster to the forums, and as a long time Yes fan, I have to say that this thread is immensely good. I really enjoy hearing people's thoughts and more information on all the Yes albums throughout the years. It has also caused me to listen to some of these albums again with a fresh outlook.

For whatever reason, Going for the One does not get a lot of play time when I am in the mood for classic Yes. This and Tales seem to get overlooked by me, though I know why I don't listen to Tales much. With Going for the One, I always remembered the title track, Turn of the Century (thanks for the background on this!) which I loved, and Wondrous Stories. This thread inspired me to take a new listen to the album, and I am quite glad I did. I really don't know how I passed over "Awaken". What a great track. I think the best part about it is that when it is over, you think that much more time as passed than just 15 minutes, because it is such an epic track.

I did also notice a couple of other things when listening to this album again. Sections of it really remind me of other later albums that Yes band members would go on to make. Steve's acoustic guitar playing in Turn of the Century reminds me of Toe the Line by GTR, of which he was a member, and also the piano and instrumental section that starts around 4:00 of Turn of the Century reminds me of bits of the Anderson Bruford Wakeman and Howe album.

Looking forward to the rest of the albums!
avenuex.bandcamp.com

Offline ColdFireYYZ

  • Posts: 1167
  • Gender: Male
Re: The Yes Discography: Going for the One (1977)
« Reply #204 on: July 19, 2012, 07:09:11 PM »
This album and Close to the Edge constantly fight it out for my favorite Yes album.  This is largely because "Close to the Edge" and "Awaken" are constantly battling for favorite Yes song.  If ever there was a statement of the pomposity and pretentiousness of prog rock, it is here where electric guitars and Moog synthesizers play alongside pipe organ, church choir, harp, and triangle.
Those are my 2 favorite Yes albums as well. I'd say that my favorite Yes song is Close to The Edge and my favorite album is GFTO. Both are practically tied for first.

Offline pain of occupation

  • DT.net Veteran
  • ****
  • Posts: 1341
  • Gender: Male
  • DTF Official Thread Killer
Re: The Yes Discography: Going for the One (1977)
« Reply #205 on: July 19, 2012, 09:35:52 PM »
Going for the One is the Yes album that didnt quite win me over despite a number of attempts and (mostly) kept me from further exploring the later catalog.

its been a while, so i cant say much, though i did revisit the title track and closing track the other night when i had a free 20 minutes...and im gonna say something controversial bout the title track. it pains me to even say it: the title track is pretty killer and rocking, but steve howe (cant believe im saying it) ruins it for me. the leads near the end of the song mostly dont fit and theyre also too loud in the mix. there, i said it. sorry fans of the song/album. and my dearest apologies to steve howe. still love you, bud.

Online Orbert

  • Recovering Musician
  • EZBoard Elder
  • *****
  • Posts: 19225
  • Gender: Male
  • In and around the lake
Re: The Yes Discography: Going for the One (1977)
« Reply #206 on: July 19, 2012, 10:03:42 PM »
A lot of people don't care for the title track, so don't feel like you have to apologize.  Towards the end, when they're doing the thing where they repeat phrases and build up to the big finish, his wailing adds to the insanity for me.  But I can see how Steve's crazy "soloing over everything" can be a distraction.

One thing about Yes is that their instruments don't play "normal" roles all the time.  Steve is playing leads and countermelodies at least as often as he plays chords, maybe even moreso.  Chris' bass lines are almost the same thing; he's all over the place down there, not just playing a bassline, but practically adding another melody.  I love their uptempo stuff where everyone's going nuts and it all somehow works.  But again, I can see how some people would find it a turnoff.

Also, the sound and production on this album isn't the greatest.  I know I've mentioned this upthread, but back in those days, it just didn't matter, or not nearly as much.  For one thing, vinyl is naturally warmer sounding.  Cheapo turntables such as were common in the 70's and 80's didn't have a lot of high end reproduction, so that brashness wasn't nearly as in-your-face as it is today, with everything remastered on CD and sounding crystal clear.  In fact, I'd say that the brightness may have been intentional.  A lot of bands made some really good, really mellow sounding albums, and that's great, then Yes come along with lots of "Ahhh-ahhh!" and cymbals and bells and harps and really, people didn't know what to think.  To me, this album sounds very "live" even though it's a studio album.  You can hear everything.  I've listened to Going for the One with the treble turned down a bit, and it's still really clear and helps balance things.

Offline Mladen

  • Posts: 15203
  • Gender: Male
Re: The Yes Discography: Going for the One (1977)
« Reply #207 on: July 20, 2012, 03:49:07 AM »
A rock organ solo played not on a Hammond, but on an actual church pipe organ, recorded over the phone to a studio miles away, is not even remotely interesting?  And he doesn't just play a Hammond solo on a pipe organ, he plays it the way you play a pipe organ; listen to the phrasing, his use of the dual manuals.  That's classical training.

I'll give you that the solo itself is a bit stiff and clunky, because pipe organs are not meant for rock solos, but I'm pretty sure that this is the first time anyone had ever tried it, and I don't think it's been done since.  That's gotta be worth some points, or at least "remotely interesting" doesn't it?
I wasn't aware of that. It's a very original idea, but it wasn't executed that well, at least for my taste. I don't care if he played it on a washing machine, nothing about it touches me, it doesn't even rock. I admire it, but I don't like it.

Online Orbert

  • Recovering Musician
  • EZBoard Elder
  • *****
  • Posts: 19225
  • Gender: Male
  • In and around the lake
Re: The Yes Discography: Going for the One (1977)
« Reply #208 on: July 20, 2012, 07:27:58 AM »
That's fair.  It's not a great solo, but one of the things about prog that I've always found attractive is that prog bands are willing to try crazy things like this.  I find the very idea of combining pipe organ and electric guitars interesting.  Rick is not a jazzy, bluesy type of rocker.  He's almost not even a rocker, despite almost 50 years in the business.  He comes from classical, same as me and probably most other keyboard players, since most of us started with piano lessons when we were kids.

Listen to a Rick Wakeman solo.  There are never any blue notes.  No sevenths or ninths.  No R&B at all.  He has somehow adapted his classical training into something that works in rock and roll.  The recently deceased Jon Lord of Deep Purple may have helped pave the way for that, bringing his classical chops (think "Highway Star") to people's ears, even though he obviously had his R&B side (everything else).

Anyway, I didn't mean to give you so much shit; I just was taken aback by someone saying that there wasn't anything remotely interesting about the song.  I like the song itself, but what they're doing on it I find amazing.  It's like J.S. Bach rose from the grave and played the solo.  Doesn't quite work, but works well enough, and bonus points for doing it in the first place.

Offline ytserush

  • Posts: 5376
  • Like clockwork...
Re: The Yes Discography: Going for the One (1977)
« Reply #209 on: July 21, 2012, 03:23:26 PM »
Solid and certainly better than Tormato, but I still prefer the Rabin years and some of what came after that to Going For The One.