Shoot High, Aim Low

[Gabriel]

Greetings fellow Yesfans!

I've decided to make a topic on this fantastic song since i'm really egar to know what you lot think of it. As for me, I think its one of their best ever songs, it has such an atomsphere to it and the tune and lyrics are fantastic. Its one of those songs that you could listen to when driving along an open road at sunset if you get what I mean. Its beautiful.

Apart from wanting your opinion on the song guys, what do you lot think its about? I'm not too sure myself, i'm guessing its about war/peace but i'm eager to hear your own views on it!

Thanks ;)

[1yesfan]

I had a live verion of this tune. I LOVED the way they ended the tune. Howe do I count the ways that I miss Rabin!!!

[Gabriel]

Mate, I cant wait to hear the live version! I'm awaiting a live show anytime now from Silent Wings and i've heard good things about how they end it, I cant wait!

[R'tanys]

I'm sure this one just smokes live. As for the studio version, I always thought this one would work really well in a film. Either a road movie or a suspense thriller involving lost and/or stranded people. It really suggests summer road trip to me.
As a whole, I think it's one of the strongest tracks on BG.

[yesrolfer]

I think it is the best song on BG. Love Jon's voice and lyrics, sounds like a good/evil,war/peace philosophy to me.
I am interested in others opinions of the meaning in this song.

[yesyadda]

One of my faves, hands down.

I used to be quite the dart player. I'd tell my team "shoot high - aim low".

[Gabriel]

It really suggests summer road trip to me.

Dude, thats totally what images I had in my head when I first heard it! Dont it just? The way the tune moves so majestically along with the gorgeous lyrics really crops up images of the open road.

Any other thoughts on this song?

[GoD57]

As a stone cold Trooper, I must admit this is my favorite Rabin tune. I'm listening to RSOG right now, but BG will go to work with me.
Thanks for bringing this up!

Bill

[Gabriel]

Nice one mate! Pleasure! I was hoping i'd get some good replies and I was pretty certain no one made a topic on this song already so i'm chuffed to bits so many people have replied :)

Anymore thoughts on what the song is about anyone? any other comments all welcome I love to hear peoples views!

[nightliner]

My second favorite Rabin era Yes song...Endless Dream being number one.

The ending of the live version is really cool. I hope that someday they convince Steve to do this one live.

[Sheerah]

This song has always kicked major a$$!!!!

I LOVE this song. Always have, always will.

I remember when I first bought the album (CDs were not around yet), I would play this song over and over again, with the headphones on, blowing my eardrums out, playing the air drums.

It's still one of my all time favorite songs - Yes or non-Yes.

I don't think it's about war. I think it might be about employing life's stragegies and how things turn out.

[bataisflow]

Never been one of my favorites, and I never understood why everyone loved it so much. I like it but, I think it is fairly boring to be honest. I'm Running is my favorite off BG. Anyway just an opinion.

[Rick N Backer]

I love it too. Infact, I really like BG a lot. There's a lot of good stuff on there. I'm Running is my favourite. It has many old time Yes influences in there for me. It's just the album cover that's crap!

I try and separate the Rabin era by thinking of it as a different (but very good) band in its own right.

For me the Rabin years were only spoiled by a lack of touring in the UK. We never got Yes on either the BG or Talk tours, which considering their recent touring of their homeland, was shameful.

[Gabriel]

Good to see so many positive views on this song, and I like the additional explination about the song up there too.

I cant believe Yes didnt tour the UK during the BG tour!! That seriously must have been a blow...

[Rick N Backer]

I cant believe Yes didnt tour the UK during the BG tour!! That seriously must have been a blow...


That's putting it mildly. BG and Talk both sold well here (comparitively speaking) and for Yes not to tour was an insult. There was a big gap between 1984 and 1991 with no Yesshows in the UK, then another huge gap until 1998. I think Yes lost sight of their roots back then.

[Gabriel]

That sucks mate, I cant believe they didnt tour in the Talk tour as well..I could have swarn I saw them down for Wembley or something..I must have got mixed up with Union's tour.

Anymore opinions on Shoot High anyone? I'm interested in particular what your thoughts are on the subject on the song..does anyone have any idea what the 'blue field' reference is? Or the actual title of the song?

[snnrissrvd]

"blue fields" is a reference to Nicaragua, as Jon explains in Tim Morse's "Yesstories."

"Shoot High, Aim Low" is definitely one of the best tracks on _Big Generator_ -- one of the best Rabin/Anderson collaborations.

Kevin
http://www.cdbaby.com/caffrey

[leqin]

That's putting it mildly. BG and Talk both sold well here (comparitively speaking) and for Yes not to tour was an insult. There was a big gap between 1984 and 1991 with no Yesshows in the UK, then another huge gap until 1998. I think Yes lost sight of their roots back then.

IT wasn't a insult, it was worse than that and they ought to hang their heads in shame and be glad that so many of us kept the faith when there were no sites like this and Yesworld to at least keep us in touch with what was happening in the Yes world.

As for 'Shoot High, Aim Low' - it was great on BG and one of my favorite 80s songs and the studio run through version is even better, but then it hasn't been released yet so you'll have to take my word for it until Rhino or Yes allow it to be released... whenever that is.

[Gabriel]

Thanks for the comment on the blue fields up there mate; anywhere I can see that full interview? I dont know what'Yesstories' is since i've only been into the band for a few months sorry for my naiveness.

Studio run-through eh? Sounds good to me mate, do you think Rhino, realistically, will remaster BG?

[leqin]

Thanks for the comment on the blue fields up there mate; anywhere I can see that full interview? I dont know what'Yesstories' is since i've only been into the band for a few months sorry for my naiveness.

Studio run-through eh? Sounds good to me mate, do you think Rhino, realistically, will remaster BG?

'Yesstories' is a book by Tim Morse - try the website http://www.nfte.org/yesstory/

It isn't a case of WILL Rhino remaster BG - I have a copy of the remastered version in front of me now and it would have been released in the last batch of remasters and was going to be released before Yes said no.

[leqin]

Thanks for the comment on the blue fields up there mate; anywhere I can see that full interview? I dont know what'Yesstories' is since i've only been into the band for a few months sorry for my naiveness.

Studio run-through eh? Sounds good to me mate, do you think Rhino, realistically, will remaster BG?

'Yesstories' is a book by Tim Morse - try the website http://www.nfte.org/yesstory/

It isn't a case of WILL Rhino remaster BG - I have a copy of the remastered version in front of me now and it would have been released in the last batch of remasters and was going to be released before Yes said no.

[ANTIOCH]

I recall reading that Trevor had some lyrics to the melody and Jon wrote apart from him and when they put them together, they liked how each played off oneanother.

[Gabriel]

It isn't a case of WILL Rhino remaster BG - I have a copy of the remastered version in front of me now and it would have been released in the last batch of remasters and was going to be released before Yes said no.

I must have missed something then! Thats great to hear...when will it be released? Does anyone have any clue? Thanks for the link btw mate!

[Q]

I listened to it recently on a road trip, and I agree with most of the remarks made above - it is a highlight of the Rabin era (along with I'm Running) and represents an effective re-working of Yes's compositional style.

Side notes: Alan came up with the three-chord pattern; the boomy drums were recorded during the "Italian castle" phase of the album's creation; it is Rabin's favorite track from BG, as well.

[Gabriel]

You listened to it on a road trip eh mate? did it work well at all?

Those comments about the drums were cool, I didnt know about that. Pleased to hear that Rabin liked it, he always did seem pretty enthusiastic towards it when he talked about it in interviews. Why on why didnt they play more BG material after the tour for the album? Only Rhythm of Love survived :(

[leqin]

I must have missed something then! Thats great to hear...when will it be released? Does anyone have any clue? Thanks for the link btw mate!

You haven't missed anything Gabriel - if you have a copy of all the albums that Rhino have released as remastered, which is all of the studio albums through to 90125, then you have everything that it is possible to buy and everything that it appears, at the moment, will ever be released. Unfortunatly it looks as if Rhino are going to halt the remastering of all Yes past works at 90125, which imho is a shame but... there's always hope

Last year, in January to be exact, the band supplied to Rhino the material that they wanted included on the CTTE and Tales remasters and, so far as CTTE was concerned, that was the material that Rhino included with the remastered version you can get in the shops. But that wasn't the case with the Tales material, because in January the band handed to Rhino the studio run through versions of 'The Revealing Science of God' and 'Ritual' and then later on they changed their minds and took it back off Rhino and replaced 'Ritual' with the studio run through of 'The Ancient'. I know this is true because I have a CDR copy of both of those albums in their intended layout for the remastering with 'Ritual' and not 'The Ancient'.

Likewise when Rhino came to remastering Tormato, Drama and 90125, they were also handed material for Big Generator and then at a later date the band said no don't release it and give it us back, but by then I had a CDR copy of all those albums in their intended remastered condition, so - just like 'Ritual' last year - this year I have a copy of Big Generator that hasn't been made available to the public and could very well never be made available even though Rhino have fully remastered it. To be perfectly honest I think its a crime not to release it, because it blows the ATCO copy out the water and corrects every issue such as low gain etc etc that people quoted against the BG album since it was released.

So you haven't missed anything and neither has anybodyelse and neither have I because I also have every single one of Rhino's remasters - and - I also happen to be a very lucky Yes fan who's got to hear music by the band that hasn't been released yet and may never be allowed out of the vaults ever again.

[Jackaranda]

I had a live verion of this tune. I LOVED the way they ended the tune. Howe do I count the ways that I miss Rabin!!!

I couldn't agree more. I had an 88 concert from Westwood One and this song was much better live, imho. Tony Kaye was outstanding.

[Dances w/PURPLE]

great post legin.

[BrianD]

With regard to the lyrical meaning of Shoot High, Aim Low, early versions of it are less obscure with Jon singing about 'the fields of Nicaragua'. It didn't quite sound right, the final version with the obscure references sound better. Jon also spoke about the songs meaning during his intros on the BG tour as can be heard from weeds of that tour.

[leqin]

great post legin.

One 'aims high, shoots low' to please - no problem dances - I seem to recall in a Steve Howe interview I read quite recently that they touched on the subject of the remasters and Steve was sort of... when reading it I had to go back and read that paragraph again because what Steve was quoted as saying in reply to a question didn't ring true because it made it sound as if Rhino weren't that sure what they wanted to do and it made it sound as if Rhino had been given freedom to wander through the vault picking what they wanted to use in the extra material that was included with the remastered albums.

Sorry but even if your a hero Steve and even if that was a incredibly bad quote on what you said mate, neither of those things are true - the band have controlled what material is included and have even changed their minds which material they want to be used and it is they who appear to have halted the remastering process and not Rhino because Rhino have already done all the work they need to do on Big Generator and its Yes who said don't release it.

[Gabriel]

Thanks for the information legin, i'm pleased to know I didnt miss out on anything. Shame that they didnt decide to release it, as you say it blows the original copy out of the water!

About the meaning of Shoot High, Aim Low I read some things about it on 'forgotten yesturdays' and it seems its releated to war and peace as I thought. Not too sure though.

[BrianD]

Thanks for the information legin, i'm pleased to know I didnt miss out on anything. Shame that they didnt decide to release it, as you say it blows the original copy out of the water!

About the meaning of Shoot High, Aim Low I read some things about it on 'forgotten yesturdays' and it seems its releated to war and peace as I thought. Not too sure though.

You have to remember when this song was written. In the mid 80s the Reagan administration involved itself in the civil war in Nicaragua - out of that came the Contra scandal with the illegal funnelling of CIA funds to one of the warring parties - and the role of Oliver North in organising it all.

So that is the tie in between war, peace and Nicaragua.

[Gabriel]

Thanks for that mate, its cleared up alot for me! I had no idea that a civil war took place in Nicargua so that fits in with the blue fields thing and everything else by the look of it.

[leqin]

Hee hee - I've always taken most of what Jon say's about the lyrical content he writes with a great big pinch of salt, because quite often whatever he says doesn't square with the words be sings.

As example - CTTE is supposed to be about Siddhartha the character in Hermann Hesse's novel and yet the only element from the novel that appears within the lyrics of CTTE is the river and there is no seasoned witch and no lady in her white lace and there is no bloke busy pointing at the sky revealing all the human race, so one could very well ask the question exactly how on earth can CTTE be about Siddhartha, even if Jon read the book, because if it was wouldn't it contain lyrics about a prince leaving home and wouldn't it mention the prince being accompanied by his best mate and wouldn't it talk about a woman who prostitutes herself and the prince taking a fancy to her and thinking to himself hey I wouldn't mind myself a bit of that and then wouldn't it include something about him finding a job and saveing up the money and then him having himself some of that and blah blah blah.

I ain't knocking him and I think he is one of the most wonderful human beings on the face of this planet, but quite often things he says don't add up even if you stretch imagination so out of shape you wouldn't even recognise it.

Nicaragua - I haven't heard the early version you refer towards Brian, but like all Yes music I would love to get my lug holes round it. The version of 'Shoot High, Aim Low' that was put forward for inclusion on the Big Generator remaster doesn't even mention that country, but it does mention one particular place even if its a good distance away and its more famous for its beach.

Shoot High, Aim Low
Studio run through version

In the blue sedan we never got much further
We were all alone we didn't need much more
With a touch of love and a sense of need
Well we looked around the promenade
And the people all we're singing.

Shoot high break low
Aim an' shoot low
Break high let go
Shoot high aim low

With a steel guitar and the love you give me
Well we sat for hours on the Malibu sand
Then the light grew dark and the secret code
So we packed the place with brutal rest

Lookout!

Shoot and break low
Aim an' shoot low
Break high let go
Shoot high aim low

Let's go

In a blue sedan we never got much further
We packed our bags and we we're gone again
With the sun so hard on the endless highway
We we're all alone we didn't need much more
We we're all alone we didn't need much more

Nothing you can say
Takes me by suprise
I've heard the secrets
And sing of love

I think of love as everything

[BrianD]

I'm not very good at transcribing lyrics, but the opening line of the alternate version is

We hit the coast in Central America

[Gabriel]

Man, those lyrics are totally different to the version they ended up with! Nice one mate, thanks for posting it; very interesting!

[Jacaranda]

Yes, my fav song off BG. TR mentioned it was one of the high points with Yes when he finished and listened to this particular song for BG.

I have a CD with the BG demos on it, with 2 early versions of this song. The first has Jon's parts removed with Jon singing Trevor's parts! The second version is interesting because it has Jon starting the song with "We hit the coast of Central America..." and singing all the parts of the song. At the end is a added verse sung in harmony that got cut from the final version.

I have the live version too; great ending on it, like it was mentioned. Has a build up at the end that reminds me of the Beatles ending on "Day in the Life".

[Gabriel]

I would love to hear one of those early versions oneday; they sound great! I'm missing out here I think.

I hope the show I traded comes through soon to hear the live version!

[Gabriel]

Well, my BG show arrived today [Thank you silent_wings!] so I'm going to listen to it tonight; I cant wait to hear it!

[Craig Leonard]

Great information fellow YES fans! As a recent convert to the band, I'm really enjoying the quality of the posts here. Great insight, and an obvious love of the band's music. Quite unlike some other boards (Jethro Tull for example) where many of the posts ae personal attacks and one-upmanship.

[Gabriel]

Thanks mate its glad to know you think highly of us and the posts here :) We love Yes music and talking about it is a passion you could say!

[ANTIOCH]

From recollection, I believe the song was written with both Jon & Trevor writing lyrics for it. When they got together, they liked the way eachothers lyrics played off of oneanother and used this to create a wonderful lyrical counter-point.

[Gabriel]

Yup thats what I heard too mate; they seemed to like how it went and so they told two sides to a story through the song; Jons being the real world and Trevors being a dream like state of what it should be like. Something like that anyway!