GOING FOR THE ONE Ultimate Album Playlist

[PeterCologne]

Lots of different views about the production, I just like the complex and etheral production of the original Going For The One-title-track and the tight arrangement but still with a lot of swing of Parallels. I still detect new aspects when I isten to it.

On the other hand I think the criticism of burying the rhythm-work into the mix counts much more for Awaken which I always found too slick and emotional done like this. I wished they had done it with the more jazz-rocking approach of Relayer.

[carlmarx38]

too many overdubs, too much pipe organ, etc. The clips of Chris laying down the backing vocals on Parallels and GFTO sound so much cleaner than the final product.

Agreed..............The tapes of "Parallels" with regular organ instead of pipe organ are pretty good (if you can get past the "Spinal Tap" moment discussing the color of their trousers for the next tour !!)

too bad the instrumental version of "Parallels" wasn't on the reissue !

[Ash Armstrong]

The overall sound of Going For The One disappointed me from when I first heard it: thin, distant, fogged in by reverb, indistinct bottom end, pushed to the point of distortion in the treble. Everything sounds so far away; whether it's vinyl, cassette, numerous CD versions, irrespective of how good the sound system one has is (very good thanks), it isn't a well-engineered album. I love the music, with the exception of the title track with the tuneless wailing steel-guitar overkill which hurts my ears, but I tend to prefer live performances of it.
Awaken from Wembley 78 is terrific, as is the Keys version. Turn of the Century from Keys too. Parallels and Wonderous Stories from Yesshows, Awaken from House of Blues with Igor is great, as are Birmingham and Montreux from 2003. Nothing really from after 2004 hits the same heights.

[Davy]

I don't like the studio version of Parallels, either. All those GFTO tracks sound way too over-produced to me; too many overdubs, too much pipe organ, etc. The clips of Chris laying down the backing vocals on Parallels and GFTO sound so much cleaner than the final product.

[Mr. Holland]

The Yesshows version of Parallels is great IMO.

[carlmarx38]

Points taken......but AFAIK the original Master Tapes for GFTO are in fact lost (if current sentiment/facts are to be believed), hence the lack of any Steven Wilson current (or future) involvement.

[PeterCologne]

What are you talking about, was just listening to "Parallels" on my Bose system in my car tonight....I can hardly hear the drums.........do you have the Japanese HD version or some other "secret remix" I don't know about ? I will also add that the best version of the title track is (don't laugh, I know all the criticism of this release and I agree with a lot of it) actually "Keys To Ascension 2".......although this one is a very close Second :

(unfortunately the complete "Lugano 2004" show has never been released on audio-only AFAIK......oops just found a boot of it on SoulseekQT....downloading now !)

The drums in Parallels are quite embedded in the mix, that's true, but they are very busy nevertheless and around 3:30 there seem to be even percusssion-instruments, it gets really wild, and there is the bass allover, also woven into the mix, but rhythmically interesting. Actually it works at best on headphones here. The whole thing is such a tight mix, there is a lot of friction that let sparks fly. Any live version I know did not satisfy me. And Parallels was the first Yessong ever I heard in a concert at my first Yesshow in November 77.

Almost the same with Going For The One, but I liked the 2004 version, it's much simpler than the studio-alchemy, but it rocked really well and has still some swing.

[carlmarx38]

Absolutely, hard to imagine to listen to it with JD when you can have JA.

But how much yesfans can differ I even more see here because the studio version of Parallels is IMHO a masterwork of arranging and production with some of the tightest sparkling rhythm-performances, most of all the middle part, and some of the most mind-blowing vocal-arrangements. .

What are you talking about, was just listening to "Parallels" on my Bose system in my car tonight....I can hardly hear the drums.........do you have the Japanese HD version or some other "secret remix" I don't know about ? I will also argue
that the best version of the title track is (don't laugh, I know all the criticism of this release and I agree with a lot of it) actually "Keys To Ascension 2".......although this one is a very close Second :

(unfortunately the complete "Lugano 2004" show has never been released on audio-only AFAIK......oops just found a boot of it on SoulseekQT....downloading now !)

[PeterCologne]

Well I finished the playlist, but I forgot how lame the sound is on the GFTO studio stuff, the drums are practically inaudible on "Parallels"......need to find a good Live version of that song for my final mix......I honestly may end up going with a Jon Davison version, check this one out...."In the Round" , Westbury, NY :

Noooooo. Don’t do it. There’s gotta be like 100 On Forgotten Yesterdays in the GFTO tour to choose from. Any JA version is better than a JD version.

Absolutely, hard to imagine to listen to it with JD when you can have JA.

But how much yesfans can differ I even more see here because the studio version of Parallels is IMHO a masterwork of arranging and production with some of the tightest sparkling rhythm-performances, most of all the middle part, and some of the most mind-blowing vocal-arrangements. All that counts also for the studio version of the title track Going For The One. Both songs belong to the very few Yessongs that really never unfolded their grace on stage to me. And that is me saying who likes it when Yes experiment with studio-versions on stage and who really loves the YesF-version of Awaken.

[Gtkgasman]

Well I finished the playlist, but I forgot how lame the sound is on the GFTO studio stuff, the drums are practically inaudible on "Parallels"......need to find a good Live version of that song for my final mix......I honestly may end up going with a Jon Davison version, check this one out...."In the Round" , Westbury, NY :

Noooooo. Don’t do it. There’s gotta be like 100 On Forgotten Yesterdays in the GFTO tour to choose from. Any JA version is better than a JD version.

[carlmarx38]

Well I finished the playlist, but I forgot how lame the sound is on the GFTO studio stuff, the drums are practically inaudible on "Parallels"......need to find a good Live version of that song for my final mix......I honestly may end up going with a Jon Davison version, check this one out...."In the Round" , Westbury, NY :

[carlmarx38]

I know...but you wrote Tony Banks era....

Well yeah Tony Kaye/Peter Banks.......also known as the "Peter Kaye" era 😁

[Mr. Holland]

1969-1971 (yes, taaw, tya)

I know...but you wrote Tony Banks era....

[carlmarx38]

tony kaye era??

1969-1971 (yes, taaw, tya)

[Mr. Holland]

I've been going through the YES Catalogue in recent weeks, making my own Playlist / CD's of my favorite YES albums (perhaps to delay the inevitable listen to THE QUEST, whose digipak CD still sits proudly and undisturbed in my Dining Room LOL). I've already done discs for the "Tony Banks Era" (everything cool and awesome from the first 3 studio albums)
and FRAGILE (including all the cool Steven Wilson rarities as well as some awesome LIve versions).

Skipping CTTE for now (I'm still overwhelmed by all the Progeny Live versions !), as well as TFTO and RELAYER (waiting for confirmed RELAYER Live Tour dates of course).

Which brings me to GOING FOR THE ONE......the one Classic album from the "Main Sequence" to not get the Deluxe Edition / Steven Wilson treatment (something about not being able to find the Master Tapes ?)

What would you put on your own Ultimate Album Playlist for GFTO ? Live renditions from Any Era are allowed, as well as Good-sounding Rehearsal takes (which we at least have on the 2004 Rhino Reissue). Or good-sounding out-takes (like "Vevey" or "Montreux's Theme").....but no crap-sounding demos allowed.

Tony Kaye era??