Going for the One
In 1977, with England still in the throes of the punk explosion, and art-rock becoming a decidedly unfashionable commodity, the longstanding progressive-rock institution Yes was making some of the most inventive and energetic music of its career onGoing for the One. The album--which marked the return of star keyboardist Rick Wakeman to the band--features the FM hit "Wondrous Stories," one of frontman Jon Anderson's most limpid acoustic ballads. Elsewhere, the propulsive title track and the hyperactive "Parallels" find the band flirting with dissonance, belying Yes's image as a hidebound dinosaur. Elsewhere, the 16-minute "Awaken" ranks with the band's most ambitious long-form extravaganzas.--Scott Schinder