GOING FOR THE ONE

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).

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