MUSIC REVIEW: Yes - Going for the One

"The last hurrah of Yes' classic prog."

Until recently, Yes had always been my favorite progressive rock band. They've had their ups and downs, but when they were good, wow...they were really something. Going For The One was the band's final moment of greatness, serving as a coda for their prosperous epoch of the 1970s, which began with The Yes Album several years before. After this record, Yes never did anything as consistent or interesting.

I never liked any of Yes' work as much as Close to the Edge, but Going For The One just might be my second favorite. For the first time since Fragile, we get songs under ten minutes, and the band again shows they don't have to put together a colossal epic to write great music. The title track has a killer vocal hook and Steve Howe playing a C&W-esque riff on steel guitar (I don't think many other prog rockers used that thing). "Turn of the Century" is a wonderful, elegant ballad as only Jon Anderson can do them.

It's clear that Rick Wakeman (who's back on this album) likes the organ. There's a lot of it on this album, and it was recorded at St. Martin's Church in Switzerland. You wouldn't think an hulking organ - generally ascribed to moments of beauty and majesty - could be a rock n' roll instrument, but Wakeman turns it into one. Just listen to "Parallels." It's definitely unconventional, which is part of what makes it so interesting.

The 15-minute "Awaken" is one of the band's best epics, and that's no mean feat, because they have a lot of great ones. After the opening piano segment, it goes into the usual Yes characteristics: many layers of synths, guitars and bass playing out complex melodies in a pseudo-orchestral fashion. Anderson's lyrics are strange as always, but the diction is delightfully spiritual, and his radiant singing - love it or hate it - is critical for this evocative and spacey song. The ambient middle instrumental section before the "Master of..." lines is one of Yes' most sublime moments. Anderson's busts out the harp for some appreciated flourishes that add considerably to the atmosphere and magic of the song.

The original recording's production sometimes had problems balancing the vocals and the instruments. There were frustrating moments when it was hard to make out what Anderson was singing if you didn't already know the lyrics. So, the remastered edition is a good bet.