Yes - Going For The One and Tormato. Yes experts what say you?

Discussion in 'Music Corner' started by stax o' wax, Jul 13, 2017.

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  1. stax o' wax

    stax o' wax Forum Resident Thread Starter

    Location:
    The West
    In what will now become a series of threads on albums by great bands that are possibly dismissed or unloved by some of the fan base. I would like to hear your thoughts and opinions on these two.

    Once again I find myself surprised that some Yes fans have dismissed these two albums, or flat out dislike them.

    I can find a tremendous amount to like about both of these efforts even though they are not the quintessential Yes albums and I am very grateful they exist.

    Has time and space changed your opinion on these?

    How long has it been since you gave these albums a serious listen?

    Your thoughts please.
     
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  2. brimuchmuze

    brimuchmuze Forum Resident

    ON Tormato, they said it all here (still open)

    Yes - Tormato hatred

    GFTO is not in the same category.
     
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  3. stax o' wax

    stax o' wax Forum Resident Thread Starter

    Location:
    The West
    I realize they two albums may not be on the same level of regard... but as they are back to back releases and not always held in the same regard as the early 70's releases lets discuss both of them.
     
  4. George Co-Stanza

    George Co-Stanza Forum Resident

    Location:
    America
    Yes is a top 10 all-time band for me.

    Going for the One is good, but the sound of it sucks. It is too high and trebly, with almost no fat, bottom end. Chris Squire's bass has no punch as a result, and Steve Howe's guitar tone is dreadful at times. Turn of the Century and Awaken are good tunes, regardless.

    Tormato I do not like at all. I remember hearing it way back in the day and thinking, "I never thought a Yes album could sound ugly."

    To me, both albums are essential only if you are a huge Yes fan and need (almost) everything.
     
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  5. Andersoncouncil

    Andersoncouncil Forum Resident

    Location:
    upstate NY
    I think GFTO is held in very high regard by serious Yes fans. Tormato not as much, but I love about half of it.
    Future Times/Rejoice, Don't kill the whale, Onward, and Silent Wings of Freedom are great! I think it gets a bad rep due to Wakeman's overpowering keyboard sounds, but that doesn't bother me.
     
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  6. Andersoncouncil

    Andersoncouncil Forum Resident

    Location:
    upstate NY
    ...and I'll take Tormato over later Yes albums like Union, Talk and Open Your Eyes ANY DAY.
     
  7. varispeed

    varispeed what if?

    Location:
    Los Angeles Ca
    I've always and only liked 4 songs on GFTO, but I LOVE those 4 songs. Plus the band was on fire on that tour, with Steve ripping through Awaken on a Ric 12 string and the band still young and obviously rejuvinated with Rick's return. A great album and a great tour to support it.

    Tormato, to me, was.... and is... a car out of gas. I w-o-u-l-d like Onward if Steve would've laid off playing that stupid guitar riff so much through it. But, oh well. Tormato also brings up memories of the car-out-of-gas tour the band did at that time too.... the one where they played in the round every night on that revolving stage.

    I still listen to the four songs I like from Going for the One. I haven't listened to Tormato since I first bought it in 79 or whatever it was.
     
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  8. Thievius

    Thievius Blue Oyster Cult-ist

    Location:
    Syracuse, NY
    Overall I like them both very much even though Tormato has some problems. Arriving UFO and Circus of Heaven aren't very good.
     
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  9. Paulo Alm

    Paulo Alm Forum Resident

    Location:
    In The Light
    While not as great as what had come before, I think Going For The One and Tormato are solid albums with plenty to enjoy.
     
  10. Tristero

    Tristero In possession of the future tense

    Location:
    MI
    Going For The One is a solid effort, though they were pulling back from the more adventurous progressive sound by this point, which I suppose was inevitable by this stage. As noted above, the production is dodgy, but the material is good, albeit a little safe. It may not be regarded as one of their all time classics, but 'twas no disgrace either, so I don't think it really fits the theme of your thesis.

    Tormato is a poor album any way you slice it, their weakest to date. Where GFTO delivered a more convincing streamlining of their sound, Tormato stumbles badly. There are a few decent tracks, but even those don't even come close to rivaling their best work. The band was unraveling and unfocused by this point. Anderson's songwriting takes a nosedive, with increasingly cheesy, obvious lyrics. The musicianship lacks the fire and invention of old and the tonal choices don't work well for me overall, particularly Wakeman's synths. It has a thin, unengaging sound. Some diehard fans may be able to find favorable things to say about it, but the consensus is clear.

    I listen to Drama more than both of these albums, which comes across like a breath of fresh air after Tormato, bringing a renewed sense of purpose.
    And that's putting it kindly.
     
    Last edited: Jul 14, 2017
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  11. Instant Dharma

    Instant Dharma Dude/man

    Location:
    CoCoCo, Ca
    Circus is awful. And they played it on the tour. And they released a live version.
     
  12. Endymion

    Endymion Forum Resident

    Location:
    Germany
    I like both albums and listen to them quite often.
    "Going For The One" is a bona fide classic. It has one of the Top 3 Yes songs, "Awaken" , and several strong shorter tracks.
    "Tormato" isn't nearly as good of course and I perfectly understand people not liking it.
    Personally I like its quirkiness an weird sound. I think "Future Times / Rejoice" and "Madrigal" are very good and I like "Don't Kill The Whale" despite it's cheesy lyrics. I find something to enjoy in all the songs.
    I take "Tormato" over every Yes album post "Big Generator" with the possible exception of "Fly From Here".
     
  13. SonicBob

    SonicBob Forum Resident

    Location:
    West Virginia
    I've never had much issue with Going for the One, in some ways, it felt like a return to Yes Album/Fragile structure, going back towards more conventional song lengths; although Awaken is quite the closer, at over 15 minutes, but Wonderous Stories, Parallels and the title cut are the more accessible tracks to be found here. Turn of the Century is one of those cuts that every time I hear it, I pick up something new.

    Tormato is one half of a decent album, I think the band were uncertain of how to adapt to changing trends and again, were trying to keep the song structures shorter and more user friendly. Some songs just don't cut it, such as Release, Release and Circus of Heaven, while more favored material such as album opener, Future Times/Rejoice and the closing numbers, Onward(a beautiful Squire original) and On the Silent Wings of Freedom, show the band still had continuity in step with the traditional Yes sound. I actually like most of Arriving UFO, even though it does falter a bit as a proper Yes number; its kinda corny, sure, but I think it's a little humorous too. The bonus material on the '04 remaster is great to have and I'm surprised that some songs weren't chosen such as Picasso, Some Are Born, High and Countryside. I think had they finished some songs like High and Countryside with the proper arrangements, Tormato could've been a much more rewarding Yes album.
     
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  14. dkmonroe

    dkmonroe A completely self-taught idiot

    Location:
    Atlanta
    I don't claim to be a "Yes expert" but what the hell. I'm an interested listener.

    I bought Tormato when it was released in '78. It was my first Yes album and my first experience of Yes apart from "Roundabout" which I was familiar with from some K-Tel comp. I LOVED Tormato. It was just so different, so magical and imaginative. Of course, most of Yes is even more so but I had no knowledge of it. So a little Yes goes a long way.

    These days I still enjoy Tormato although I recognize that it doesn't reach the heights of Fragile or Close To The Edge. I even like "Circus Of Heaven." I don't really care for "Don't Kill The Whale" ("Dig it! Dig it!":rolleyes:) or "Release Release." I really like "Madrigal."

    Shamefully, I never really learned to appreciate Going For The One. I like "Awaken", but I never really liked the rest of it. Maybe it was my LP copy - I finally got rid of it after I realized that it just didn't sound good compared to ANY of my other Yes LP's. I'll probably give it another try some day.
     
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  15. jon9091

    jon9091 Master Of Reality

    Location:
    Midwest
    Going For The One-I remember reading the prerelease interviews with the various band members, and they would "we've really gone back to our Fragile sound". Well, I expected it to sound like Fragile, and it didn't...so I was pretty dissapointed for a long time. Eventually, I grew to like it, with a few caveats. Steve Howe's slide guitar towards the end of the title track is just down right annoying. It's like a toy you gave your kid at Christmas that you instantly regret because it makes this obnoxious wailing siren sound. Awaken is the big epic here, and as good as it is musically, melodically, it just doesn't come close to anything from the trio of TYA, Fragile and CTTE. Wondrous Stories is great and the rest is ok, but it's nothing really special. Whoever designed the cover was very cheeky, but what's a Yes album without a Roger Dean cover?

    Tormato-Some albums are just destined for the cut out bin. I believe they shipped this one with three different covers.... drill hole, corner clipped, and saw cut. I have a saw cut myself. I've never bothered searching out the other two.

    Chris Squire's-Fish Out Of Water is far better than either one of these, and sounds a lot more like a classic Yes album.
     
    Last edited: Jul 14, 2017
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  16. Dusty Chalk

    Dusty Chalk Grounded Space Cadet

    What? GFTO is a masterpiece, and is considered by the average Yes fan as as highly as the big ones from the 70s (Yes Album, Fragile, and Close to the Edge).

    This is just a wrong statement, WRT GftO.
     
  17. 131east23

    131east23 Person of Interest

    Location:
    gone
    I didn't see Yes until the Tormato tour. I was a teenager in the 70's and Tormato was mysterious to me and fun to discover. I love it. Maybe it's a sentimental thing, but "On the Silent Wings of Freedom" is top notch.

    Also, hard to imagine any Yes fan having issues with songs like Awaken and Turn of the Century. Awaken is the last truly GREAT thing they did. It's as good as anything else they have recorded.
     
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  18. getitgoin

    getitgoin Forum Resident

    Location:
    LA, CA, US
    I liked both albums a lot back in the day, and I still enjoy them today. Parallels was a particular favorite.
    But I have to say sometime Steve's guitar tone on GFTO sounds like fingernails on a chalk board to me.

    BTW - I once worked in one of the buildings on the GFTO cover.
     
    Last edited: Jul 14, 2017
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  19. Gavinyl

    Gavinyl Remembering Member

    GTO still sits on my shelf, gets played every few years. Tormato is long gone....
     
  20. Snow2

    Snow2 Forum Resident

    Location:
    Long Eaton
    I feel that Going for the One is the last great Yes album (not quite up to close to the edge or Relayer brilliance).

    The title track is a real blast of fun and energy.
    Turn of the Century is an absolute beauty where Steve Howe really excels.
    Parallels is a great Chris Squire number that has great rock on a church organ!
    Wondrous stories was a pretty little ditty
    Awaken is a fantastic epic - nearly up there with other classic epics Gates of Delirium, Close to the Edge and The Revealing Science of God.

    The album in short is superb (IMHO)

    But Tormato…oh dear…… I can not recall being so disappointed by any other album as this one. It comes across like a bunch of ideas (some good) that were never fully worked out. Howe and Wakeman in places seem to be having a personal duel to see who can play the most notes at any given time. The songs are not good enough compared to the band's really high standards. It is not a bad album (the openers for instance are quite catchy) but Tormato is such a let down compared to the previous series of classics (the run of albums from The Yes album to Going for the One is pretty hard to match!).

    Though the band have released some excellent songs since Tormato (Machine Messiah, Homeworld, That, That is, etc) I don't think the band ever truly recovered from Tormato. But what a great run they had…some of the greatest albums ever made - for which I am really grateful!
     
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  21. Bought them when they were first released. Like em both.
     
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  22. Endymion

    Endymion Forum Resident

    Location:
    Germany
  23. Holy Diver

    Holy Diver Senior Member

    Location:
    USA
    I'm not too familiar with these albums, but I do like Wonderous Stories. I used to play it on Classic Yes.
     
  24. Norbert Becker

    Norbert Becker Senior Member

    Location:
    Philadelphia PA
    You bring that up as a negative when it may have been the greatest tour they ever did!?
     
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  25. Say It Right

    Say It Right Not for the Hearing Impaired

    Location:
    Niagara Falls
    Unwise decision to abandon Roger Dean cover designs.
     
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