Going for the One

Artist: Yes
Label: Atlantic / Wea
Category: Music

Average customer rating:

Format: Original recording reissued
Media: Audio CD
Number Of Discs: 1

UPC: 075678267024
EAN: 0075678267024
ASIN: B000002J1H

Release Date: 1994-08-16

Going for the One

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Tracks:

Going For The One
Turn Of The Century
Parallels
Wonderous Stories
Awaken

Similar Items:

The Yes Album
Tormato
Relayer
Tales from Topographic Oceans
Fragile

Amazon.com

In 1977, with England still in the throes of the punk explosion, and art-rock becoming a decidedly unfashionable commodity, the longstanding progressive-rock institution Yes was making some of the most inventive and energetic music of its career on <I>Going for the One</I>. The album--which marked the return of star keyboardist Rick Wakeman to the band--features the FM hit "Wondrous Stories," one of frontman Jon Anderson's most limpid acoustic ballads. Elsewhere, the propulsive title track and the hyperactive "Parallels" find the band flirting with dissonance, belying Yes's image as a hidebound dinosaur. Elsewhere, the 16-minute "Awaken" ranks with the band's most ambitious long-form extravaganzas. <I>--Scott Schinder</I>

Customer Reviews:

Yes' "parallel universe".......2005-12-16

There's a fine line that separates enthusiastic followers of a band from the hardcore fans. Often, crossing that line involves taking a chance on a lesser known work. I had been a fan of Yes since 1982, but it wasn't until I rediscovered "Going for the One" eight years later that I joined the diehards.

Of course, I was already familiar with their classic works - "The Yes Album," "Fragile," "Close to the Edge." I had seen Yes twice on the "Big Generator" tour and had even attended a couple of conventions. But nothing prepared me for the epiphany I would experience upon listening to "Going for the One."

The title track's bluesy guitar blast opens the record, signaling that this will be a very different Yes album. Jon Anderson's self-effacing lyrics ("It's so hard to find in my cosmic mind") directly rebut criticism that Yes' music had become too pompous. While the title track most overtly signals Yes's new direction, the gentle "Turn of the Century" does so more discreetly. Yes builds this exquisite song to a moving climax without employing drums or synthesizers; in fact, drummer Alan White plays tuned percussion and is listed as a co-writer. If "Parallels," a pipe organ-driven rocker vaguely reminiscent of "Yours Is No Disgrace," hews the closest to the classic Yes sound, it does so more succinctly than past efforts, clocking in at under 6 minutes instead of the usual 9 or 10. Yes has metaphorically entered a parallel universe, unencumbered by past successes, critical barbs or fan expectations.

"Wonderous Stories," which begins the record's second half, captures Anderson's flair for tales of fantasy. It may seem anti-climactic after the similarly textured "Turn of the Century," but its brevity makes it an effective prelude for the grand finale, "Awaken." This 15-minute epic runs the gamut of musical textures: from a solo piano intro to full 5-piece rock, then to an ambient, minimalist middle section, back to full band in a majestic, extended crescendo, and finally to a gentle, dreamy coda. The individual movements segue from one to another seamlessly, representing a perfection of the long form Yes pioneered on works like "Tales from Topographic Oceans." Jon Anderson considers this his own favorite Yes song, and with the possible exception of "And You And I," I'm inclined to agree.

So what took me so long to discover "Going for the One?" Maybe I was deterred by the lack of Roger Dean cover art; I'm not sure. In any case, my belated interest was well timed. The next year, eight members of Yes joined forces for the "Union" tour, with the centerpiece of their concert being none other than "Awaken." I had jumped on the diehards' bandwagon just in time to fully appreciate Yes' own rediscovery of their sleeper masterpiece.

Turn of the 21st Century.......2005-07-04

I have all the Yes recordings that an ordinary listener can ever hope to listen to.
This is Southeast Asia reviewing musical artwork from Europe, and what do you expect? Thousands of colors, and these songs' colors which emanate from my loudspeakers and headphones heal.
Heal they did and still do.
"Turn of the Century" sounds so Catholic as it painted an image of cloistered aura. This is the 21st century now,and all Yes music was designed for the time we are living in now.
Yes is as positive as their name ought to be.

Go For It!.......2005-03-20

It's a sign of how much things have changed in rock music, that back in the 70's if a popular band went more than a year or two without a new album, it was considered a comeback if they did a new one. Adding to the comeback tag for Yes's Going For the One was the return of wayward keyboard player Rick Wakeman.

After 1974's Relayer, Yes had gone their seperate ways to work on solo projects, then the punk/new wave movement broke and the writing was on the wall for the classic prog era. The band had dropped hints prior to its release that the record would tone down the excesses of the past and make some concessions to the new wave. In actuality it did little of the former and none of the latter. Going For the One is in retrospect just a solid if unspectacular entry in Yes's 70's discography, and one of the better late-era prog albums.

I remember quite liking the title track as a teenage prog fan, but these days I find the song almost unlistenable due to Steve Howe's out of control slide guitar. Howe is an enormously talented musician, so this was a very rare misstep.

Things take a huge turn for the better on the poignant "Turn of the Century" featuring some killer acoustic work from Howe. Jon Anderson's lyrics are poetic yet tell a literate story, and it's a touching one. Chris Squire's "Parallels" is a hard-charging rocker marred only by Wakeman's decision to use a church organ where a good old Hammond should have been. Still it just may be my favorite track on the record, with some truly energetic jamming.

"Wonderous Stories" was a rather half-hearted attempt at a radio hit, but is harmless enough in it's mellow acoustic way. That leaves the closer, a good old Yes epic. The band almost always excelled at the long-form stuff and "Awaken" does not disappoint. At 15 1/2 minutes it's only slightly trimmed from the old side-long epics and runs through a variety of motifs, key and tempo changes. Wakeman is said to have hated Alan White's percussion interlude but I like it. It's unique in the Yes discography.

"Turn of the Century" "Parallels" and "Awaken" are great enough to earn Going For The one 4 stars in my book.

Just can't get into it..........2005-03-19

I've been a huge fan of Yes since high school in the 80's and own most of their material. I've seen the band live a handful of times and have an appreciation for the changes and different phases of the band. I even enjoy some of their newest material. That being said, I find Going For the One to be a bit boring and disapointing, and I find most of the rave reviews on Amazon quite baffling. I bought the album after reading some of those rave reviews and being a little familiar with a couple of the tunes but after owning it for about five years I can honestly say that, after REALLY trying to get into it initially, I just don't listen to it very much. It took several repeated listens for me to properly enjoy Tales from Topographic Oceans, and the enjoyment has stuck, but I had no such luck with Going for the One. Turn of the Century is a beautiful piece and mere parts of Awaken do it for me, but on the whole I consider this one a back-burner album compared to the incredible groudbreaking work that came in the roughly eight years before it's release. I wouldn't really recommend this album to anyone except for fans who just can't get enough, but they should be ready for a bit of a letdown. Definitely not recommended for beginners.

The Best Progressive Rock Album Ever Created.......2004-07-02

Going For The One is in my opinion the greatest prog-rock album of all time. I became a Yes fan in the mid 70's and have followed them over the years. This album is the highlight of their collective creativity. The musicianship, the artistry, and the passion in this album have never been equaled by them or any other rock band before or since. From the opening title track to the masterpiece Awaken, this album is sublime.

Music Album:

Music Album

Music Album

Music CD

Barney Kessel, Vol. 3: To Swing or Not to Swing ~ Barney Kessel

Rest Stop ~ Bill McHenry

Works ~ Bill Frisell

Percussion and Bass ~ Jo Jones

Wave of Sorrow ~ Mikhail Alperin & Arkady Shilkloper

Gostoso E Sambar ~ Doris Monteiro

Novo Aeon ~ Raul Seixas

Los Mejores Guitarras ~ Paco de Lucia, Andres Batista, Manol Sanlucar

Golden Best ~ Ruiko Kurahashi

Jihi No Suteishi ~ Scope-Type