Review of Yes' Going For The One

Released 1977

"Master of soul. Master of time. Set to touch. Setting sail. All impenetrable youth. Over all our lands. Ask away. And as we look. That thought be contact. Forever closer. With all that's clear. Shall we now bid. Be honest with yourself. Farewell. Farewell. There's no doubt, no doubt."

My girlfriend and I took a trip to Plymouth from West Cornwall by bus, ostensibly because it was her birthday treat, but I'll admit now to an ulterior motive. There was such a paucity of choice for the discerning prog lover in the depths of Cornwall, that entering the hallowed halls of a city centre HMV was enough to bring tears to of joy to my eighteen year old eyes.

Before setting out, I had intended to splurge on a copy of Tales of Topographic Oceans. Holding my breath, and approaching the 'Y' racks of the Rock section, I was delighted to see a copy awaiting me. Turning it over in my hands, I was aware of a presence to my right. An oddly smelling older gentleman looked at me cautiously and said: " You might want to thing twice about that". "Why's that then?" I replied. "Have you heard any Yes before?", he queried. "Yes, I've got The Yes Album and Close To The Edge", I stated proudly. "Hmm, both good, but you need a bit more preparation before you tackle Tales". He reached forward and pulled out copies of Going For The One and Fragile. "I'd go for one of these first. Listen; you don't have to take my advice, but Yes are right up there man, and you've gotta do them in the right order or it'll bum you out. Four tracks based on shastric scriptures is a bit heavy. I'm not, like trying to patronise you man, but both of these are top dollar. Trust me".

Despite the mysterious odour, I was warming to the chap. He appeared to be genuine and I couldn't see what motivation he would have for misleading me. "Okay, thanks", I muttered.

Once he and the accompanying fragrance departed, I considered the cost difference as well as his advice. Tales was very pricey. On a whim, I took his advice and went for Going For The One.

On the bus back, my girlfriend, who had very good taste in music in the main it has to be said, glossed over the fact that I'd purchased an album adorned with the rear view of a naked man and looked over my shoulder at the lyrics inside the gate fold sleeve. "What on earth...?" I had to agree, Jon Anderson's lyrics were, as always, meaningfully meaningless. I noted that each of my three Yes albums had a different line up of musicians and wondered what impact this would have why they couldn't get on.

The first few seconds of the title track bought forth an involuntary grimace. What was this? Chet Atkins? Country? Luckily, it very quickly settled into a very respectable song which, while markedly different to both The Yes Album and Close To The Edge, was no worse off for it. The production was superb, with both Jon Anderson and Rick Wakeman's parts in particular brought to the fore with outstanding clarity. With each new Yes album, I appreciated Jon Anderson's vocal talent more and more. I know that he is quite bonkers and lives in a different mental place to most people, but his vocal talent on this album was, for me the pinnacle of his career.

Turn of The Century was a slower paced effort largely driven by the distinctive acoustic guitar of Steve Howe accompanied by grand piano and another scrotum defying vocal from Jon. Lush and lovely. Parallels showed further dexterity from yet another bank of keyboards and a sterling performance from Chris Squire.

So far, so good. Certainly more accessible than the other two Yes albums I already owned without sacrificing any prog-ness whatsoever. I was impressed.

I was surprised to learn that I recognised Wonderous Stories. I was unaware when I first heard it as a single that it was Yes. Although it was undeniably the most commercial track on the album, the quality of the playing, especially the vocal interplay between Jon and Chris was hard to fault, so I could forgive their dalliance with the charts.

The highlight of the album was of course Awaken. I have to admit though that it didn't grab me fully the first time around. I'm sure that I viewed it as the 'serious' track for the hard core fans. Whilst I could see that it was obviously accomplished, I thought that the middle section meandered a bit and subsequently lost my attention. Overall then, first time around, I was respectful of the album as a whole and chalked it up as a strong but not career defining platter.

It wasn't until many years later when I saw Yes live for the first time, that I fully appreciated the unfettered gorgeousness of Awaken. I get goosebumps on my arms now reliving the moment when my head tilted to one side, shocked, thinking; "how could I have missed this? It's stunning". Instead of being bored by the middle section, I, along with the rest of the audience (I guess) were transfixed by the harp, the delicate bass lines and building keyboard parts. The climax of the song; church organ, steel guitar and vocal meeting in perfect harmony, was transcendentally magnificent, leaving me breathless and with tears in my eyes.

Not surprisingly, I have since reappraised Going For The One as an album, with it rising higher in my estimation. I've never recaptured that magical moment when I first heard Awaken live, but, in the right frame of mind, with a decent sound system to capitalise on the excellent production, I've got close.