Going for the One
Encyclopedia
Going for the One is the eighth studio album
from the English progressive rock
band Yes
, released in 1977 on Atlantic Records
. It was produced after an extended break for solo activity from the group, and marks the return of keyboardist Rick Wakeman
, who had departed in 1974 after the Tales from Topographic Oceans
tour. His return was facilitated by the departure of Patrick Moraz
, after having only played on Relayer
, although Moraz is thanked in the credits.
Allmusic's Ross Boissoneau has described this album as "perhaps the most overlooked item in the Yes catalog". Jon Anderson
has said of the song "Awaken". "We had a hit record! I loved listening to 'Awaken', at last we had created a Masterwork" and has indicated in some interviews that he considers it to be Yes's most complete composition.
This album is a return to shorter, catchier songs after the symphonic poem
-like leanings of Close to the Edge, Tales from Topographic Oceans
and Relayer
.
in late 1976. The album was recorded at Mountain Studios
by recording engineers John Timperley and David Richards
. After constructing epic tracks for the last few years, Yes felt inspired to scale things back a bit and recorded some of their most direct and concise material since Fragile
. Wakeman also varied his sound by using the new polyphonic synthesizer out from Moog at the time - the Polymoog
(largely forsaking Mellotron
and RMI Electra Piano
) - and using church pipe organ on "Parallels" and the extended track, "Awaken" (forsaking the Hammond organ
that was a major part of both Yes's and Wakeman's sound).
and YouTube
. Clips from this video appeared on the 1991 rockumentary YesYears
. The video features jams and rehearsals of songs from the album. It also shows Steve Howe and Chris Squire covering the Bob Dylan
song "Positively 4th Street
".
Yes's return at the height of the punk
movement was an unexpectedly successful one, with Going for the One reaching the pinnacle of the UK charts and even having a Top 10 hit single with "Wonderous Stories" - something that would have been considered impossible during the days of Tales from Topographic Oceans
. Going for the One (Atlantic K 50379) reached #1 in the UK, remaining for 21 weeks in the Top 40, and #8 on the US Billboard Top 200 (Atlantic SD 19106) during a chart stay of 21 weeks.
(known for designing album covers for Pink Floyd
) to create the artwork for Going for the One. However, Dean's Yes logo was retained. The album cover features the Century Plaza Towers
in Los Angeles
, also known locally as the Twin Towers.
1994 - Atlantic - CD (Remastered)
2003 - Rhino - CD (Remastered with Bonus Tracks)
Studio album
A studio album is an album made up of tracks recorded in the controlled environment of a recording studio. A studio album contains newly written and recorded or previously unreleased or remixed material, distinguishing itself from a compilation or reissue album of previously recorded material, or...
from the English progressive rock
Progressive rock
Progressive rock is a subgenre of rock music that developed in the late 1960s and early 1970s as part of a "mostly British attempt to elevate rock music to new levels of artistic credibility." John Covach, in Contemporary Music Review, says that many thought it would not just "succeed the pop of...
band Yes
Yes (band)
Yes are an English rock band who achieved worldwide success with their progressive, art, and symphonic style of rock music. Regarded as one of the pioneers of the progressive genre, Yes are known for their lengthy songs, mystical lyrics, elaborate album art, and live stage sets...
, released in 1977 on Atlantic Records
Atlantic Records
Atlantic Records is an American record label best known for its many recordings of rhythm and blues, rock and roll, and jazz...
. It was produced after an extended break for solo activity from the group, and marks the return of keyboardist Rick Wakeman
Rick Wakeman
Richard Christopher Wakeman is an English keyboard player, composer and songwriter best known for being the former keyboardist in the progressive rock band Yes...
, who had departed in 1974 after the Tales from Topographic Oceans
Tales from Topographic Oceans
-2003 CD re-issue:A remastered edition was released in 2003, which restored a two-minute ambient section at the beginning of the album's first song. This section was deleted at the last minute before the album was originally pressed...
tour. His return was facilitated by the departure of Patrick Moraz
Patrick Moraz
Patrick Philippe Moraz is a progressive rock keyboard player. He is best known as the keyboardist for the progressive rock band Yes, from 1974 to 1976, and the Moody Blues from 1978 to 1991...
, after having only played on Relayer
Relayer
-Personnel:*Jon Anderson – lead vocals*Steve Howe – acoustic and electric guitars, vocals*Patrick Moraz – keyboards*Chris Squire – bass guitar and vocals*Alan White – drums, percussion-Production:*Produced By Yes & Eddie Offord...
, although Moraz is thanked in the credits.
Allmusic's Ross Boissoneau has described this album as "perhaps the most overlooked item in the Yes catalog". Jon Anderson
Jon Anderson
Jon Anderson is an English singer-songwriter and musician best known as the former lead vocalist in the progressive rock band Yes...
has said of the song "Awaken". "We had a hit record! I loved listening to 'Awaken', at last we had created a Masterwork" and has indicated in some interviews that he considers it to be Yes's most complete composition.
This album is a return to shorter, catchier songs after the symphonic poem
Symphonic poem
A symphonic poem or tone poem is a piece of orchestral music in a single continuous section in which the content of a poem, a story or novel, a painting, a landscape or another source is illustrated or evoked. The term was first applied by Hungarian composer Franz Liszt to his 13 works in this vein...
-like leanings of Close to the Edge, Tales from Topographic Oceans
Tales from Topographic Oceans
-2003 CD re-issue:A remastered edition was released in 2003, which restored a two-minute ambient section at the beginning of the album's first song. This section was deleted at the last minute before the album was originally pressed...
and Relayer
Relayer
-Personnel:*Jon Anderson – lead vocals*Steve Howe – acoustic and electric guitars, vocals*Patrick Moraz – keyboards*Chris Squire – bass guitar and vocals*Alan White – drums, percussion-Production:*Produced By Yes & Eddie Offord...
.
Recording
After their extended break, the band regrouped in SwitzerlandSwitzerland
Switzerland name of one of the Swiss cantons. ; ; ; or ), in its full name the Swiss Confederation , is a federal republic consisting of 26 cantons, with Bern as the seat of the federal authorities. The country is situated in Western Europe,Or Central Europe depending on the definition....
in late 1976. The album was recorded at Mountain Studios
Mountain Studios
Mountain Studios is a recording studio previously located in Montreux, now located in Attalens, Switzerland. It was owned by the rock band Queen from 1979 until 1993...
by recording engineers John Timperley and David Richards
David Richards (record producer)
David Richards is an English-born Swiss-based record producer, engineer and musician. In the Mountain Studios in Montreux, owned by the rock band Queen, and in Attalens he engineered and co-produced many albums by Queen, David Bowie and other artists. Richards also played keyboards on some records...
. After constructing epic tracks for the last few years, Yes felt inspired to scale things back a bit and recorded some of their most direct and concise material since Fragile
Fragile (Yes album)
Fragile is the fourth studio album from the English progressive rock band Yes, released on Atlantic Records. It is the first to feature keyboardist Rick Wakeman, who replaced Tony Kaye in 1971, and the first to feature cover art by Roger Dean, who would design many of the band's records.Upon its...
. Wakeman also varied his sound by using the new polyphonic synthesizer out from Moog at the time - the Polymoog
Polymoog
The Polymoog is a polyphonic analog synthesizer that was manufactured by Moog Music from 1975 to 1980. The Polymoog was based on divide-down oscillator technology similar to electronic organs and string synthesizers of the time, and this led to a certain lack of flexibility compared to later...
(largely forsaking Mellotron
Mellotron
The Mellotron is an electro-mechanical, polyphonic tape replay keyboard originally developed and built in Birmingham, England in the early 1960s. It superseded the Chamberlin Music Master, which was the world's first sample-playback keyboard intended for music...
and RMI Electra Piano
RMI Electra Piano
The RMI Electra Piano is a model of electronic piano, manufactured by RMI. Several models with varying features were produced from 1967 until 1980....
) - and using church pipe organ on "Parallels" and the extended track, "Awaken" (forsaking the Hammond organ
Hammond organ
The Hammond organ is an electric organ invented by Laurens Hammond in 1934 and manufactured by the Hammond Organ Company. While the Hammond organ was originally sold to churches as a lower-cost alternative to the wind-driven pipe organ, in the 1960s and 1970s it became a standard keyboard...
that was a major part of both Yes's and Wakeman's sound).
Sessions Video
A bootleg video of the Going for the One sessions exists and has surfaced on websites such as www.dimeadozen.org, DemonoidDemonoid
Demonoid is a website and BitTorrent tracker created by an anonymous Serb known only by the pseudonyms "Deimos" and "Zajson". The website indexes torrents uploaded by its members. Demonoid.com was ranked the 538th most popular website overall in December 2010, according to Alexa. Demonoid's torrent...
and YouTube
YouTube
YouTube is a video-sharing website, created by three former PayPal employees in February 2005, on which users can upload, view and share videos....
. Clips from this video appeared on the 1991 rockumentary YesYears
YesYears (video)
YesYears is a 1991 video retrospective of the progressive rock group Yes covering the band's entire history from their 1969 debut album through their 1991 release Union...
. The video features jams and rehearsals of songs from the album. It also shows Steve Howe and Chris Squire covering the Bob Dylan
Bob Dylan
Bob Dylan is an American singer-songwriter, musician, poet, film director and painter. He has been a major and profoundly influential figure in popular music and culture for five decades. Much of his most celebrated work dates from the 1960s when he was an informal chronicler and a seemingly...
song "Positively 4th Street
Positively 4th Street
"Positively 4th Street" is a song written and performed by Bob Dylan, first recorded by Dylan in New York City on July 29, 1965. It was released as a single by Columbia Records on September 7, 1965, reaching #1 on Canada's RPM chart, #7 on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100, and #8 on the UK Singles Chart...
".
Reception
Punk rock
Punk rock is a rock music genre that developed between 1974 and 1976 in the United States, the United Kingdom, and Australia. Rooted in garage rock and other forms of what is now known as protopunk music, punk rock bands eschewed perceived excesses of mainstream 1970s rock...
movement was an unexpectedly successful one, with Going for the One reaching the pinnacle of the UK charts and even having a Top 10 hit single with "Wonderous Stories" - something that would have been considered impossible during the days of Tales from Topographic Oceans
Tales from Topographic Oceans
-2003 CD re-issue:A remastered edition was released in 2003, which restored a two-minute ambient section at the beginning of the album's first song. This section was deleted at the last minute before the album was originally pressed...
. Going for the One (Atlantic K 50379) reached #1 in the UK, remaining for 21 weeks in the Top 40, and #8 on the US Billboard Top 200 (Atlantic SD 19106) during a chart stay of 21 weeks.
Artwork
After many successive album covers with Roger Dean, Yes (who also produced the album entirely by themselves) instead commissioned HipgnosisHipgnosis
Hipgnosis was a British art design group that specialized in creating cover art for the albums of rock musicians and bands, most notably Pink Floyd, T.Rex, The Pretty Things, UFO, 10cc, Bad Company, Led Zeppelin, AC/DC, Scorpions, Yes, The Alan Parsons Project, Genesis, Peter Gabriel, ELO and XTC...
(known for designing album covers for Pink Floyd
Pink Floyd
Pink Floyd were an English rock band that achieved worldwide success with their progressive and psychedelic rock music. Their work is marked by the use of philosophical lyrics, sonic experimentation, innovative album art, and elaborate live shows. Pink Floyd are one of the most commercially...
) to create the artwork for Going for the One. However, Dean's Yes logo was retained. The album cover features the Century Plaza Towers
Century Plaza Towers
Century Plaza Towers are two 44-story, twin towers located at 2029 and 2049 Century Park East in Century City in Los Angeles, California.Commissioned by Alcoa, the towers were designed by Minoru Yamasaki and completed in 1975. The towers resemble Yamasaki's World Trade Center in their vertical...
in Los Angeles
Los Ángeles
Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...
, also known locally as the Twin Towers.
Side one
- "Going for the One" (Jon AndersonJon AndersonJon Anderson is an English singer-songwriter and musician best known as the former lead vocalist in the progressive rock band Yes...
) – 5:32 - "Turn of the Century" (Anderson/Steve HoweSteve Howe (guitarist)Stephen James "Steve" Howe is an English guitarist, known for his work with the progressive rock group Yes...
/Alan WhiteAlan White (Yes drummer)Alan White is an English rock drummer known for his work with the progressive rock band Yes. White was also a member of the Plastic Ono Band, playing live in 1969 at the Toronto Rock and Roll Revival, which was recorded and released three months later as Live Peace in Toronto 1969...
) – 7:56 - "Parallels" (Chris SquireChris SquireChristopher Russell Edward "Chris" Squire , is an English musician, known as the bass guitarist and backing vocalist for the progressive rock group Yes. He is the only member of the group to appear on every album.-Before Yes:...
) – 5:53
Side two
- "Wonderous Stories" (Anderson) – 3:49
- "AwakenAwaken (song)Awaken is a song by the British progressive rock band Yes released on their acclaimed 1977 album Going for the One. At 15 minutes and 31 seconds it is the longest track on the album, occupying most of the second side of the LP....
" (Anderson/Howe) – 15:31
Bonus tracks
Going for the One was remastered and reissued by Rhino in 2003 with several bonus tracks:- "Montreux's Theme" (Howe/Squire/Anderson/White) – 2:38
- "Vevey (Revisited)" (Anderson/Rick WakemanRick WakemanRichard Christopher Wakeman is an English keyboard player, composer and songwriter best known for being the former keyboardist in the progressive rock band Yes...
) – 4:46 - "Amazing GraceAmazing Grace"Amazing Grace" is a Christian hymn with words written by the English poet and clergyman John Newton , published in 1779. With a message that forgiveness and redemption are possible regardless of the sins people commit and that the soul can be delivered from despair through the mercy of God,...
" (Trad./arr. Squire) – 2:36 - "Going for the One" (Rehearsal) (Anderson) – 5:10
- "Parallels" (Rehearsal) (Squire) – 6:21
- "Turn of the Century" (Rehearsal) (Anderson/Howe/White) – 6:58
- "Eastern Numbers" (Early version of "Awaken") (Anderson/Howe) – 12:16
Personnel
- Jon AndersonJon AndersonJon Anderson is an English singer-songwriter and musician best known as the former lead vocalist in the progressive rock band Yes...
: vocals, percussionPercussion instrumentA percussion instrument is any object which produces a sound when hit with an implement or when it is shaken, rubbed, scraped, or otherwise acted upon in a way that sets the object into vibration...
, harp - Chris SquireChris SquireChristopher Russell Edward "Chris" Squire , is an English musician, known as the bass guitarist and backing vocalist for the progressive rock group Yes. He is the only member of the group to appear on every album.-Before Yes:...
: bass guitarBass guitarThe bass guitar is a stringed instrument played primarily with the fingers or thumb , or by using a pick....
, vocals - Steve HoweSteve Howe (guitarist)Stephen James "Steve" Howe is an English guitarist, known for his work with the progressive rock group Yes...
: electricElectric guitarAn electric guitar is a guitar that uses the principle of direct electromagnetic induction to convert vibrations of its metal strings into electric audio signals. The signal generated by an electric guitar is too weak to drive a loudspeaker, so it is amplified before sending it to a loudspeaker...
and acoustic guitars, Spanish LaúdLaúdThe word laúd is the Spanish word for lute. It is most commonly used to refer to a plectrum-plucked chordophone from Spain. It belongs to the cittern family of instruments. It has six double courses , similarly to the bandurria, but its neck is longer...
(incorrectly listed as a "vachalia" at the time, and since as a "Portuguese guitarra"), lap steel guitar, vocals - Rick WakemanRick WakemanRichard Christopher Wakeman is an English keyboard player, composer and songwriter best known for being the former keyboardist in the progressive rock band Yes...
: pianoPianoThe piano is a musical instrument played by means of a keyboard. It is one of the most popular instruments in the world. Widely used in classical and jazz music for solo performances, ensemble use, chamber music and accompaniment, the piano is also very popular as an aid to composing and rehearsal...
, organOrgan (music)The organ , is a keyboard instrument of one or more divisions, each played with its own keyboard operated either with the hands or with the feet. The organ is a relatively old musical instrument in the Western musical tradition, dating from the time of Ctesibius of Alexandria who is credited with...
, Polymoog and Minimoog synthesizersRobert MoogRobert Arthur Moog , commonly called Bob Moog was an American pioneer of electronic music, best known as the inventor of the Moog synthesizer.-Life:...
, church organ - Alan WhiteAlan White (Yes drummer)Alan White is an English rock drummer known for his work with the progressive rock band Yes. White was also a member of the Plastic Ono Band, playing live in 1969 at the Toronto Rock and Roll Revival, which was recorded and released three months later as Live Peace in Toronto 1969...
: drumDrumThe drum is a member of the percussion group of musical instruments, which is technically classified as the membranophones. Drums consist of at least one membrane, called a drumhead or drum skin, that is stretched over a shell and struck, either directly with the player's hands, or with a...
s, percussion
Reissues
1988 - Atlantic - CD1994 - Atlantic - CD (Remastered)
2003 - Rhino - CD (Remastered with Bonus Tracks)