Music / Going for the One

"Taken in time, taken so high, to touch, to move, listen to life."

"Like leaves we touch, we see
We will know the story
As autumn calls we'll both remember
All those many years ago"

—"Turn of the Century"

Going for the One is the eighth album by English Progressive Rock band Yes, released on 15 July 1977 through Atlantic Records. After the tour in support of their last album Relayer, Swiss keyboardist Patrick Moraz left the group, and Rick Wakeman returned to the group after having departed the group in the aftermath of Tales from Topographic Oceans over creative differences. Sales have reached gold status in both the UK and the US within a month, and even as Punk Rock was starting to dominate the British music landscape around the time, Going for the One managed to reach #1 in the country's album charts.

Supported by the singles "Wonderous Stories" and "Going for the One".

Tracklist

Side one

1. "Going for the One" (5:30)
2. "Turn of the Century" (7:58)
3. "Parallels" (5:52)

Side two

1. "Wonderous Stories" (3:45)
2. "Awaken" (15:38)

Principal members:

• Jon Anderson: lead vocals, harp
• Steve Howe: guitars, backing vocals
• Chris Squire: bass, vocals
• Rick Wakeman: piano, electric keyboard, church organ, Polymoog synthesizer, choral arrangement ("Awaken")
• Alan White: drums, percussion

I beg to leave, to hear your wonderous tropes:

• Epic Rocking: "Turn of the Century" came close to reaching eight minutes, while "Awaken" goes for fifteen and a half, with "Parallels" a few seconds away from reaching six minutes.
• Holy Pipe Organ: "Parallels" and "Awaken" both prominently feature a church organ, recorded at a church in Vevey, Switzerland.
• Longest Song Goes Last: The album closes out with a fifteen-minute "Awaken".
• Self-Deprecation: In the final verse for "Going for the One" has this for Jon Anderson's tendency for Word Salad Lyrics:
  "Now the verses I've sang don't add much weight
  To the story in my head, so I'm thinking I should go and write a punchline
  But they're so hard to find in my cosmic mind
  So I think I'll take a look out of the window."
• Title-Only Chorus: "Going for the One".

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