Going for the One is the eighth studio album by the English progressive rock band Yes, released on 12 July 1977 by Atlantic Records. After taking an extended break in activity in 1975 for each member to record and release a solo album, and completing their subsequent 1976 tour, the band members became tax exiles and relocated to Montreux, Switzerland, to record their next studio album at Mountain Studios. During the early writing and rehearsal stages, keyboardist Patrick Moraz was dismissed from the group following creative and psychological pressures. This marked the return of former keyboardist Rick Wakeman, who had left Yes in 1974 to pursue a solo career after differences surrounding the band's ambitious concept double album Tales from Topographic Oceans (1973).
The album represents a major shift in the band's musical and aesthetic style. In a departure from the extended or conceptual tracks that dominated their previous four studio albums, Going for the One features shorter, more direct, and accessible songs written primarily by Jon Anderson, Steve Howe, and Chris Squire, with the exception of the fifteen-minute closing track "Awaken". The album was solely produced by the band themselves, marking a formal split from their longtime producer and engineer Eddy Offord alongside the hiring of a new engineering team. It also marked the end of their long-standing collaboration with cover artist Roger Dean, as the band commissioned Hipgnosis to create a stark, geometric design. Musically, the record introduces unique instrumentation, including Howe's use of a vachalia and pedal steel guitar work, Wakeman's use of a Polymoog synthesiser, and a church organ recorded via a telephone line from nearby Vevey.
Going for the One received a positive response from music critics, who welcomed the band's energetic return to more melodic simplicity, though the stark design of the Hipgnosis sleeve drew mixed retrospective commentary. It was a major commercial success, reaching number one on the UK Albums Chart for two weeks, number eight on the US Billboard 200, and peaking within the top ten across several European charts. Two singles were released to promote the album: the title track and "Wonderous Stories", the latter of which reached number seven in the United Kingdom to become the band's highest-charting single in the country. The album achieved gold certifications from both the British Phonographic Industry (BPI) and the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) within a month of its release. The album has since been remastered and reissued multiple times—most notably in 2003 with previously unreleased tracks—though the disappearance of the original multi-track tapes ultimately prevented a high-resolution surround-sound remix.
Background
In August 1975, Yes concluded their 1974–1975 tour of the United States, Canada, and the United Kingdom in support of their seventh studio album, Relayer (1974). The line-up at the time comprised lead vocalist Jon Anderson, bassist Chris Squire, guitarist Steve Howe, drummer Alan White, and keyboardist Patrick Moraz. Seeking a change in momentum, the group decided to take an extended hiatus so each member could record and release a solo album. Following these individual projects, they regrouped for the 1976 North American tour, which featured some of the highest-attended performances of the band's career. By October 1976, the band members had opted to become tax exiles and subsequently relocated to Montreux, Switzerland, to record their next studio album at Mountain Studios, marking the first time Yes recorded an entire studio album overseas. Upon their arrival, the group discovered that Emerson, Lake & Palmer were still utilizing the facility to record Works Volume 1 (1977) and were running over schedule. As a result, Yes was forced to secure a temporary rehearsal space nearby for several weeks, a period in which a substantial amount of the writing and arranging for their new material was completed.
During the first two months of these writing and rehearsal sessions, Moraz separated from the band—a development he later stated was unexpected. Anderson recalled that the keyboardist "just wasn't playing like he was involved", noting that his sound was not "too good, and that affected his vibe ... it was obvious that he just wasn't getting off on what we were doing." Conversely, Moraz attributed his departure to internal friction, stating months later that he left because of "the enormous psychological pressures at the time within the group... I felt there were a few things going on that I didn't know ... Unfortunately some people did not play the game fair, although the final decision was taken by all members." This internal shift cleared the way for the return of former keyboardist Rick Wakeman, who had originally left Yes in 1974 over artistic differences surrounding their ambitious double album Tales from Topographic Oceans (1973). Wakeman, whom Moraz had originally replaced, was initially invited to play on Going for the One strictly as a session musician by Yes manager Brian Lane, who also managed Wakeman, and business partner Alex Scott. Although Wakeman had built a successful solo career, by mid-1976 he faced mounting financial difficulties after his tour earlier in the year only achieved its minimal targets. His interest in working with the band again was piqued after hearing a tape containing early rehearsal versions of "Going for the One" and "Wonderous Stories". Upon arriving in Switzerland, Wakeman noted a profound shift in the band's interpersonal dynamics, observing: "We began relating to each other for the first time. I think we had all grown up and became much more mature. Maybe I had to grow up more than them."
Wakeman's status quickly shifted from session contributor to permanent member during a subsequent party hosted by Montreux Jazz Festival founder Claude Nobs. At the gathering, Lane and Squire successfully convinced Wakeman to rejoin full-time, arguing that the band would struggle to find a suitable touring keyboardist capable of replicating his intricate arrangements. However, Lane omitted the fact that he had already leaked the news of his official reinstatement to the music press. Wakeman only discovered the finality of his return when he saw himself featured on the front cover of the 4 December 1976 issue of Melody Maker.Wakeman, Rick. YesYears documentary (1991)
Recording
The album was recorded from October 1976 to April 1977. In a departure from their previous four studio albums, Yes recorded Going for the One with new engineering personnel, having parted ways with Eddy Offord, who had engineered their studio albums and mixed their live sound since 1970. Following the Relayer tour, Offord felt the band's musical style had become "a bit stale" and believed a split was necessary to allow him to work with other artists. Consequently, Yes hired recording engineer John Timperley, who was assisted by David Richards. For the first time in their career, the album was solely produced by the band members themselves. The sessions also marked the first engineering credit for Yes's future live sound mixer Nigel Luby, who recalled that he "did little more than watch and acquaint myself with the equipment." Squire later recalled that the tracking sessions involved numerous heated arguments regarding the use of echo effects, as the group members were deeply divided over its application.
The recording sessions reflected a deliberate shift in the band's musical direction. Having constructed Tales from Topographic Oceans and Relayer around extended, conceptual tracks, Yes decided to scale back their approach to record shorter, more accessible songs that critic and band biographer Chris Welch described as "user friendly". Howe recalled an instance where the band had begun arranging a five-minute introduction to a song before scrapping it, realising that "there are more ways of getting into songs [...] it was time to go back". Howe noted that several tracks originated from ideas left over from other eras of the band's history, specifically "Turn of the Century" and portions of "Awaken". Conversely, Squire stated that other sections were almost entirely improvised in the studio, including the extended keyboard movement in "Awaken" and various closing instrumental solos.Cashbox 1977, p. Y4. Anderson emphasised this lighter studio atmosphere: "The album is a kind of celebration [...] Over the last two or three years we've been experimenting a lot and we're happy to have been given that chance. [...] We've come back to a happier medium. [...] If we wanted another 'Tales' concept we would have gone in that direction, but we needed to relax for a while—a little more laughing and jive."
In addition to the primary tracking at Mountain Studios, "Parallels" and "Awaken" feature the pipe organ of St. Martin's Church in the nearby town of Vevey. The band initially considered using a mobile recording studio unit on location, but Timperley persuaded them to rent a high-fidelity telephone line instead, allowing the organ's audio signal to be fed directly back into the studio mixing console. For "Parallels", the tracking was performed live with Wakeman playing inside the church while the rest of the band performed simultaneously at the studio. On "Awaken", the church organ was completed as an overdub. Wakeman described the remote recording experience as "absolute magic". He also updated his keyboard rig for the sessions by introducing a Polymoog, a polyphonic synthesizer, which supplemented his traditional array of the Mellotron, Hammond organ, RMI Electra Piano, and Minimoog.
Songs Side one "Going for the One" was originally written by Anderson roughly two to three years before the album was recorded. Although he had presented the song to the group at the time of writing, the other members opted against recording it, and the piece was discarded. Squire later rediscovered the track on a rehearsal cassette tape and brought it into the studio, where the band chose to develop it further. Howe performs on a dual-neck Fender steel guitar throughout the entire track—an instrument he had introduced to the band on Close to the Edge—and derived the song's musical introduction from slide riffs he played during sound checks on the 1976 tour. Lyrically, Anderson was inspired by an array of disparate concepts, including professional sports, horse racing, a film he had seen about navigating the Grand Canyon river on a rubber dinghy, and the idea of a cosmic mind. Years later, Howe reflected on the track as a highly dynamic piece of music that remained an underrated and underplayed element of the band's repertoire.
"Turn of the Century" is credited to Anderson, Howe, and White, representing the only track on the album to feature White as a co-writer. The narrative lyrics tell the story of a sculptor named Roan, whose wife dies during the winter; in his deep grief, he carves a lifelike stone statue of her that eventually comes to life. Anderson drew the narrative idea from Puccini's opera La bohème, with additional inspiration from the Greek mythological figure Pygmalion. The arrangement was considerably shorter in its early form, but as the band expanded the structure, Anderson suggested the arrangement should convey the story musically before he applied the lyrics. White composed the song's initial chord sequences on piano and wrote the foundational vocal melody, which Anderson adopted for the final lyric. The piano chords were later expanded in specific movements by Howe, and White designed the closing climax where the percussion incorporates timpani. The opening acoustic minutes of the track subsequently became one of Howe's favorite musical pieces recorded by the band.