Yes Survivor 2023 - Going For The One - FINAL ROUND!

[The Letter M]

Going For The One
Turn Of The Century
Awaken

Round 3's Results:
Turn Of The Century 2 (15.4%)
Wonderous Stories 11 (84.6%)
Total Members Voted: 13

03. Wonderous Stories
04. Going For The One
05. Parallels

Given the landslide results, this round is going up early.

-Marc.

[Mladen]

Awaken. Turn of the century is just too gorgeous and moving. 

[romdrums]

Voting for Turn of the Century only because Awaken has quite honestly saved my life a few times.  Both of these songs are amazing, though.

[DTA]

Awaken

[jammindude]

I’m of the same opinion as Jon Anderson in thinking Awaken is their all time masterpiece.

Turn

[pg1067]

This is like Metropolis 1 v. Learning to Live.

Turn of the Century is utterly amazing, but Awaken is Awaken.

[Dave_Manchester]

They are both masterpieces, but Awaken has that extraordinary crescendo finale, so I voted for TOTC.

[Kwyjibo]

Awaken

[HOF]

Some day I need to put this album on in a quiet house with no distractions to see if I can identify what everyone seems to love about it. Awaken is the only thing that’s ever grabbed me from it. Only other memorable track is Wondrous Stories, which I still don’t really care for.

[jammindude]

Some day I need to put this album on in a quiet house with no distractions to see if I can identify what everyone seems to love about it. Awaken is the only thing that’s ever grabbed me from it. Only other memorable track is Wondrous Stories, which I still don’t really care for.

Admittedly, the production makes it difficult.

This album is almost like Master of Puppets with St Anger’s production. Accordingly, you have to squint a bit.

[Kwyjibo]

Some day I need to put this album on in a quiet house with no distractions to see if I can identify what everyone seems to love about it. Awaken is the only thing that’s ever grabbed me from it. Only other memorable track is Wondrous Stories, which I still don’t really care for.

Or there isn't that much to love. I think it's a good record but far from being great and Awaken is (imo) one of their weaker epics. And the sound and Howe's guitar playing don't add to it. But I know a lot of people hold it in high regard. I guess that's just tastes for you.

[Stadler]

Some day I need to put this album on in a quiet house with no distractions to see if I can identify what everyone seems to love about it. Awaken is the only thing that’s ever grabbed me from it. Only other memorable track is Wondrous Stories, which I still don’t really care for.

Admittedly, the production makes it difficult.

This album is almost like Master of Puppets with St Anger’s production. Accordingly, you have to squint a bit.

I think you both know this is my favorite album of all time.  I've even had the privilege and honor of talking with Jon (it's very much a "Jon Anderson" record) about it briefly.

I respect Jammin, and it's an opinion, so just as valid as anything I'm going to say, but...  I hear "production" all the time about this record, and I don't hear it.  Yes, generally, has a tendency to be muddy - that's Eddie Offord and Chris Squire colluding - and this is the one record pre-YesWest that is NOT.  In fact, I think this album presages the YesWest sound in a lot of ways.   

I think this is perfect in every way, INCLUDING the sound.  The separation, the clarity...  It is a bright album, but that moment in the second half of TotC when Chris Squire kicks in with that octave bass line is one of Yes's finest hours.  The only concession I will give to the sound is, it can be very unforgiving of the system you listen to it on.

[pg1067]

Some day I need to put this album on in a quiet house with no distractions to see if I can identify what everyone seems to love about it. Awaken is the only thing that’s ever grabbed me from it. Only other memorable track is Wondrous Stories, which I still don’t really care for.

Admittedly, the production makes it difficult.

This album is almost like Master of Puppets with St Anger’s production. Accordingly, you have to squint a bit.

I think you both know this is my favorite album of all time.  I've even had the privilege and honor of talking with Jon (it's very much a "Jon Anderson" record) about it briefly.

I respect Jammin, and it's an opinion, so just as valid as anything I'm going to say, but...  I hear "production" all the time about this record, and I don't hear it.  Yes, generally, has a tendency to be muddy - that's Eddie Offord and Chris Squire colluding - and this is the one record pre-YesWest that is NOT.  In fact, I think this album presages the YesWest sound in a lot of ways.   

I think this is perfect in every way, INCLUDING the sound.  The separation, the clarity...  It is a bright album, but that moment in the second half of TotC when Chris Squire kicks in with that octave bass line is one of Yes's finest hours.  The only concession I will give to the sound is, it can be very unforgiving of the system you listen to it on.

For me, it's really only two of the songs:  GFTO and Parallels.  The steel guitar on GFTO and the organ on Parallels are harsh, shrill, grating and exhausting to my ears.  I don't hear any production issues on TOTC, Stories or Awaken, which is interesting since Awaken uses the same church pipe organ.  I listen to Parallels on Yesshows, and I LOVE it - PARTICULARLY the organ/synth - but the album version grates.  I don't really care for the title track at all, but it's at least listenable on Yesshows, whereas I often find myself unable to get through the album version and will fast forward to the sweet relief of TOTC.

[DTA]

Yeah the title track is brutal production-wise. I love the song but during the ending part that repeats it gets increasingly busy and shrill. Tough to enjoy sometimes

[pg1067]

Yeah...a lot of this was discussed in the earlier round threads for GFTO.  Aside from the production, the ending is interminably repetitive.  It rivals some of the Maiden songs that get the same criticism.

[Stadler]

Yeah...a lot of this was discussed in the earlier round threads for GFTO.  Aside from the production, the ending is interminably repetitive.  It rivals some of the Maiden songs that get the same criticism.

Yeah the title track is brutal production-wise. I love the song but during the ending part that repeats it gets increasingly busy and shrill. Tough to enjoy sometimes

Respect, always, but that's the part I like best. There are all these references to "circles" in that song - "cross around the track", "the truth of sport plays rings around you", "roundabout" - that to me the circular ending is part of the message.

It's in part about the chase, the brutality and the demand, of the chase.  You have all that swirling, repeating, then the one key part:
Moments decide
Moments delight
Moments in flight
Talk about sending love

It's about finding the truth, the love in the moment DESPITE all that has come before.

I didn't ask him, but if I had the chance again I would ask Jon if that was a concept album.  Even if it isn't, that album, more than any other I know marries the words and music in a way that is transcendental.  That mid-section of TotC, culminating in the band in full flight as Roan experiences the coming to life of his love... I've heard that 100's of times and I get shivers every time.  TofC is, to my mind, the pinnacle of Yes, and their real masterpiece.  Awaken is great, but it's a mess compared to TofC, IMO. 

[pg1067]

Respect, always, but that's the part I like best. There are all these references to "circles" in that song - "cross around the track", "the truth of sport plays rings around you", "roundabout" - that to me the circular ending is part of the message.

It's in part about the chase, the brutality and the demand, of the chase.  You have all that swirling, repeating, then the one key part:
Moments decide
Moments delight
Moments in flight
Talk about sending love

It's about finding the truth, the love in the moment DESPITE all that has come before.

I didn't ask him, but if I had the chance again I would ask Jon if that was a concept album.  Even if it isn't, that album, more than any other I know marries the words and music in a way that is transcendental.  That mid-section of TotC, culminating in the band in full flight as Roan experiences the coming to life of his love... I've heard that 100's of times and I get shivers every time.  TofC is, to my mind, the pinnacle of Yes, and their real masterpiece.  Awaken is great, but it's a mess compared to TofC, IMO. 

I don't know if you're right about that, but that doesn't necessarily make it appealing to the listener.  Imagine if there were two minutes of enharmonious scraping of guitar strings in the middle of the song that was said to represent something that ties in to the story.  Or just imagine the nearly interminable ending of DT's Misunderstood.  If you enjoy it, that's great, but this repetition, coupled with the shrill guitar sounds on the song, just doesn't do it for me.