Yes' 'Don't Kill The Whale' - Your Thoughts

So I'm listening to a random playlist this afternoon and Yes' 'Don't Kill The Whale' begins to play. I've always enjoyed the track, but have never come across another song specifically about saving whales (unless there's a 'Free Willy' track I'm not remembering at the moment). I tried to find a little history about the Yes track online, but Wikipedia has nothing. I did stumble across an article on Rolling Stone's site that states:

"Once upon the 1970s, the Save the Whales movement was a massive, unavoidable mainstream cause. British prog-rockers Yes capitalized on it with 1978’s Tormato, which includes a languid, disco-inflected rant against those who are “killing our last heaven beast.” Their lyrics are uniformly and hilariously overwrought, but the finest couplet has to be, “In the wake of our new age to stand for the frail/Don’t kill the whale.” In a time when Brit punk was at its ferocious apex, Yes’s tinny keys and imploding imagery was decidedly… not punk."

I'd like to know your thoughts about this track and it's subject matter. Do you enjoy it? Anyone else have any additional information about its composition, or remember the "Save the Whales" movement mentioned in the RS article? I was born in the mid-70's so have no first had account of this chapter in history.

 

I dig it!

 

lame

that and Circus of Heaven really bring down Tormato

I don't hear any "disco" elements

Greenpeace was a critical part of the 70s Save the Whale program
Activists continue to support this worthy cause

many took small dingy rafts and daringly drove right up in front of the whaling boats trying to divert them from the whale pods

 

I think Rolling Stone nailed it, which they rarely do.

Listened again just now...That track is not for me... Now I'm gonna clean Fragile and cleanse the palate...

 

There is a weird but (I think) brilliant song by It Bites, ‘Hunting The Whale’, which you may or may not enjoy...

 

My favorite thing in the song is Howe's quoting of the trad English round "Hey Ho, Nobody Home" in the solo.

 

It must be inspiring music, whatever it is. I haven't killed any whales in nearly 65 years. And truth to tell...I may not kill any in the near future, as far as I can tell.

Congratulations, Yes.

 

I bought the single when it came out (in picture sleeve as above bw/Abilene). I liked it then, and still do. I have no problem with some of the more to-the-point songs on GFTO and Tormato. It was possible to like this and punk!

Trevor Horn famously hated it when he heard it on the radio!

 

I've always loved the song, especially the live version on Yesshows, which has just a bit more punch to it. It certainly is a relic of its time, but the melody is great and Howe's guitar playing is fantastic.

This was a particular favorite when I was a kid, but I could never figure out what the heck they were chanting at the end. It wasn't until I was much older and bought it on CD (I only had Tormato on 8-track when I was younger) that I found out they were saying "Cetacei", the Latin word for whales.

I do remember the Save the Whales movement, but nothing in particular really stands out at the moment.

 

I sure do remember the “Save the Whales” movement - I was a Greenpeace volunteer in the 70s. “To the Last Whale” by Crosby & Nash is another song from that era (1975).

 

Brilliant. Manages to marry Anderson's abstract lyricism with the pointed message so as to remain artistic and not fall into diatribe. Powerful bass, edgy guitar fills and breaks surrounding a tautly ornamented keyboard interlude, and beautifully harmonized Anderson/Squire vocals. Really distills what was great about Yes to a single length track better than anything else they tried.

OK it's no CTTE - it is the opposite project composed of the same elements and done just as well.

Unfortunately the last gasp of the classic lineup as an ongoing concern. I so wish this had been the big hit that would have kept them going.

Also where I came in as my first arena concert was Yes in the Round at the Philly Spectrum in ~June 79. The beginning of 40 years of attending large scale concerts (~600 shows with 2500 or more attending) that I expect ended with Santana & Doobie Bros in Aug 2019.

 

Another song specifically about saving the whale: Nik Kershaw´s "Save the Whale".

 

Always loved this song. Not a fan of Tormato at all though.

 

I think the bass is great as well, especially that initial "bwow" at the beginning of the song. Sounds like a wah-wah was used on the bass. I'm assuming that one or more of the members of Yes were into the 'Save The Whale' movement, or at least environmentalists on some level?

 

I believe at least Anderson and Howe were vegetarians which is consistent with being sympathetic towards animal rights and environmentalism. And this song is certainly evidence on its own that they were sympathetic to the Save The Whales movement.

Stands alongside the Partridge Family, Star Trek and Free Willy as its most prominent pop culture celebration.

 

I never knew until watching this video how close to the fretboard Chris Squire picked the strings on his bass. Also, I hate when the cameraman focuses in on a guitarists picking hand (Steve Howe in this video), instead of the fretboard hand.

 

Who else at first thought Enya's 'Orinoco Flow' was "Save the whale, Save the whale, Save the whale"?

 

Thanks. That's not a bad track

 

I didn't before, but now that you mention it, I can totally hear those lyrics LOL. What is she saying there? Sail away?

 

Yes, I love the bass on this too.

 

Then there's this whale of a song:

 

Yes, sail away...

 

Some lovely whaley goings-on in this by Judy Collins...... not sure if it's a 'save the whale' song though.

 

Here's a little whale saving music for you all. One of my favorite organizations!

 

Not sure if this one counts...