This Day in Music History: Yes/Going for the One (07/22)

On this day in 1977, Yes released their eighth studio album, Going for the One. Produced after each member of the group released a solo record, the album marks the return of keyboardist Rick Wakeman (RW!), who departed in 1974 over musical differences in Tales from Topographic Oceans (1973). The band returned to producing shorter songs, unlike Tales and Relayer where the tracks range from nine to almost 22 minutes.

After their extended break, the band regrouped in Switzerland in late 1976. 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, and using church pipe organ on "Parallels" and the extended track, "Awaken".

"Parallels" was originally intended for use on Chris Squire's solo album Fish Out of Water, but left out due to a combination of space constraints and a sense that the song didn't quite fit in.

After many successive album covers with Roger Dean, Yes (who also produced the album entirely by themselves) instead commissioned Hipgnosis (known for designing album covers for Pink Floyd and Led Zeppelin) 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. Personally, I think Yes and Roger Dean go together and this was a bad decision.

I have previously covered this album in more depth here: Side One, Side Two.

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This Day in Music History: Anderson Bruford Wakeman Howe (06/20)

On this day, June 20th 1989, Anderson Bruford Wakeman Howe released their self titled album, using the Blue Desert painting by Roger Dean as the cover. This is a spin off from the group Yes, composed of all "former" members at the time.

This is also THE album. Yes, THAT one. My desert island CD. The Relationship Story soundtrack. And the precursor for the Union album "disaster". I wish everyone owned this and appreciated it the way I do. I guess it was just a special time, and a special place, and a special person...

I have covered this album in much more detail, giving my personal feelings about each song in previous posts here (Side One) and here (Side Two)

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Friday and the Random 10 (Homebrew Edition)

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Music Monday: Yes/Fragile (Side One)

OMG! Fragile! I've been waiting to get to this one. This is one of my desert island albums. To me, this is when YES became YES. After upgrading guitar by Steve Howe on their last album, they upgraded keyboards a million times over with Rick Wakeman. Fragile is an album with four group efforts along with solo pieces from every member of the band. This is also the first time they used graphic artist Roger Dean to do their covers. I mean, look at it! (oh, that's what's on that t-shirt you wear all the time...) All the album covers from here on out tell a continuing story, beginning with the fragile planet here cracking up and exploding.



 He also did illustrations inside the album covers as well.

Now, on to Side 1 of the music. I was cruising some old country back roads in my old Plymouth Valiant, just enjoying some quiet weekend time when this first song came on the radio. I was captivated and had to find out who it was. This started my fascination with Yes.

Friday and the Random 10 (That's Why We Are Here Edition)

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Friday and the Random 10 (Heartbreaker Edition)

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This Day in Music History: Yes/Keys to Ascension 2 (11/03)

As a follow up to the previous album from a year earlier, Yes released Keys to Ascension 2 on this date in 1997. It also followed the same format as its predecessor having live tracks with new studio tracks. Also, more Roger Dean ya'll:

Like the first seven tracks on the previous album, the first six tracks on Keys to Ascension 2 were recorded live in San Luis Obispo, California in March 1996. The second disc features studio recordings made in November 1996. Rick Wakeman wanted these studio tracks to be released with Jon Anderson's working title Know, with the disc of live tracks thrown in as a bonus. Wakeman's preference was not honored and by the time Keys to Ascension 2 was released, he was no longer in the band (again).

This Day in Music History (10/28): Yes/Keys to Ascension

Keys to Ascension is a double album by the British progressive rock group Yes and was released on this date in 1996. The last time Jon Anderson, Chris Squire, Steve Howe, Rick Wakeman and Alan White had worked together on officially released studio recordings was 1978's Tormato. It is the band's fourth live album and fifteenth studio album. Yes, it's one of those live albums with new studio material that they create to make you spend more money.

Friday and the Random 10 (Nuclear Atomic Edition)

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This Day in Music History (09/20): Yes/Tormato and Yes/The Ladder

On this day in music history, Yes was at it again (they love the month of September apparently) with not one, but two different albums released on this date.

First, in 1978, Yes released Tormato, which had a few decent ideas, but overall was basically crap.

The original album title was to be Yes Tor, referring to a geological formation in southern England. The photographs taken by Hipgnosis for the album cover were seen as so unimpressive that Rick Wakeman (RW!), in frustration, threw a tomato at the pictures. The cover and title were adjusted accordingly. No, really. That's how it got its name.

Friday and the Random 10 (AudioVisions Down Under Edition)

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This Day in Music History: Yes/Magnification (09/10)

Magnification is the nineteenth studio album by progressive rock band Yes, released on this day in 2001 (December 4th in the US). It was the band's first album of the new century, and their second with a full orchestra (the first being Time and a Word from 1970 which I previously covered here and here). It marked the band's last studio album to date with vocalist Jon Anderson.

Before I go on with the history, I just want to point out that this is a fantastic album that should have gotten more attention. Unfortunately the release date of 09/10/01 did a lot of damage to any possible record sales as the world changed on that day.

Friday and the Random 10 (To The Runner Edition)

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Friday and the Random 10 (You Wish All Musicals Were This Good Edition)

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Still not ashamed...

Friday and the Random 10 (Abacab Edition)

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Friday and the Random 10 (Musicatto Edition)

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One of the most underrated albums of the 80's.

Friday and the Random 10 (Snowblind Edition)

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JY is a bad mofo.

Friday and the Random 10 (Your Move Edition)

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Great album by Tommy Shaw and Jack Blades.

Friday and the Random 10 (Neal Schon's Afro Edition)

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Afros are cool

This Day in Music History:Yes/Drama (08/22)

Released on this day in 1980, Drama is the tenth studio album by British progressive rock band Yes. It is also the first Yes album without vocalist Jon Anderson (gasp!).