GOING FOR THE ONE

"Going For The One" is the eighth studio album of Yes and was released in 1977, after a break for solo activity of their band's members. It's very interesting to note that this album marks the return of their previous and best keyboardist Rick Wakeman, who had departed in 1974, in the aftermath of the controversy of their sixth studio album "Tales From Topographic Oceans" released in 1973, which was the most controversial album of the group and which was also one of the most controversial progressive albums ever. This was only possible because of the departure of Patrick Moraz, their last keyboardist who only participated on their previous seventh studio album "Relayer" released in 1974, which made a terrific work on that album. This made that this album comes up, in my humble opinion, with their best line up, with the exception of their drummer Alan White. Despite I love very much of the working of White, I prefer Bill Bruford, which is for me, one of the best drummer of the 70's, and which he is also one of the best progressive drummers ever.

After working with Roger Dean on almost all of the covers of their albums, Yes have chosen to this time, Hipgnosis, to create the artwork for "Going For The One". The album's cover features the Century Plaza Towers in Los Angeles, also known locally as the Twin Towers. Unlike the Twin Towers in New York, fortunately, these twin towers still exist today.

"Going For The One" has five tracks. The first track is the title track "Going For The One". It was written by Jon Anderson and is one of the two hardest songs on the album. It shows a typical truly classic's Yes song, completely overwhelming with a terrible guitar and keyboard workings, very well accompanied by a very dynamic bass and drumming works with the continued presence of the Anderson's voice. This is a great opening for this magnificent album. The second track "Turn Of The Century" written by Anderson, Steve Howe and White is a very beautiful ballad, and is also, one of the most beautiful songs ever made by Yes. It's a typical calm and very emotional song released by the group with a fantastic acoustic guitar work by Howe. It represents one of the greatest musical moments on the album. The third track "Parallels" written by Chris Squire, is with the title track, the other hardest song on the album. It's also another typical Yes' song, where we can clearly see the Squire's hand. This is a song with a very powerful rhythm and with great individual guitar and keyboard works, once more very well accompanied by the Anderson's voice. Usually it's considered the Achilles heel's of the album, but I don't think so. For me, this is also another great Yes' song. The fourth track "Wonderous Stories" written by Anderson is a typical Anderson's song. It's a very beautiful ballad with great vocals and also with beautiful instrumental parts. It's the smallest song on the album and is quite fascinating that a band with such musical complexity, like Yes, can be able to introduce so much complexity into in such shortest song. This is typically a song made to be released as a single. The fifth track "Awaken" written by Anderson and Howe is one of their greatest masterpieces and is also the great jewel of the album. This is my third favourite song of Yes, behind "Close To The Edge" and "The Gates Of Delirium". Curiously, both Anderson and Wakeman said that this is their favourite Yes' musical piece of music ever. It's even more curious the fact that despite Wakeman doesn't have written the song, he mentions that he believes that this is the Yes' most paradigmatic piece of music ever. Anyway, this is a perfect Yes' song, completely overwhelming with the individual and fantastic musical workings by all band's members. I think that it's perfectly fair to detach the fabulous keyboard work of Wakeman on this track. Sincerely, I believe that it represents their best musical performance on the band, which is even more fantastic because, as I said before, he isn't one of the composers of this unforgettable musical piece of music.

Conclusion: "Going For The One" is one of my four favourite studio albums of the band, behind "Close To The Edge", "Tales From Topographic Oceans" and "Relayer". This album is perhaps the most overlooked item in the Yes' catalogue and is unfortunately with "Tales From Topographic Oceans" one of the two most underrated masterpieces released by them. "Going For The One" is, in my humble opinion, the last greatest studio album released by Yes. However, there's no doubt that the most part of the Yes' fans adore this album. The final result were classic songs like the epic "Awaken", the majestic "Turn Of The Century", the gorgeous and melodic "Wonderous Stories", the heavy prog rock "Parallels" and the driving rock ability of the title track. "Awaken" still remains as one of the favourite songs of the band and the fans, until today, and remains as one of the best and most spectacular epic lengthy progressive songs ever recorded. "Going For The One" is one of Yes' defining musical moments and the last of the albums of their golden era. With this album, Yes wrote one of the finest and most glorious musical pages of the progressive rock.

Prog is my Ferrari. Jem Godfrey (Frost*)

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