1977 Rock Epic, Lasting Nearly 16 Minutes, Remains a Classic 49 Years Later

Yes ended Going for the One, their 1977 album, with “Awaken.” The track runs nearly 16 minutes, and many fans still call it a “masterpiece.”

By August 1975, Yes had wrapped their tour in support of their seventh studio album, Relayer. The lineup at the time featured vocalist Jon Anderson, bassist Chris Squire, guitarist Steve Howe, drummer Alan White and keyboardist Patrick Moraz.

Afterward, the band took a break, but that didn’t mean the music stopped. Each member worked on a solo album before the band reunited for the Solo Albums tour.

In October 1976, Yes had relocated to Montreux, Switzerland, where they began recording their next studio album at Mountain Studios. 

Two months into the recording process, Moraz was suddenly fired from the band. The decision came as a shock to him.

Anderson later explained that Moraz “just wasn’t playing like he was involved,” adding that his sound wasn’t “too good, and that affected his vibe … it was obvious that he just wasn’t getting off on what we were doing.”

However, Moraz said he left because of “the enormous psychological pressures at the time within the group.” He added, “I felt there were a few things going on that I didn’t know,” and “unfortunately some people did not play the game fair.”

The band soon turned to Rick Wakeman, who had left Yes in 1974 following disagreements over their album Tales from Topographic Oceans. Yes manager Brian Lane and business partner Alex Scott brought him back to contribute to Going for the One, initially as a session musician.

When he arrived in Switzerland, he was shocked by how much everyone had changed. “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,” he said, per Single of the Week.

As writing continued, the album began taking on a new sound. Most tracks leaned shorter, but “Awaken” became one of the band’s most ambitious works.

The nearly sixteen-minute track started with a guitar riff Howe couldn’t stop playing. Anderson kept hearing it through his hotel room door, and eventually started singing lyrics over it. 

“I teamed up with Steve Howe every time I could,” Anderson told Louder Sound, looking back on the songwriting process. 

“I remember very clearly, on the way to breakfast, hearing Steve play a guitar phrase in his room. I had breakfast and he was still playing it. So I opened the door and said: ‘Can you change the key there, Steve?’”

He continued, “So he did, and I started singing: ‘Workings of man set to ply out historical life, regaining the flower of the fruit of his tree…’ It just popped out.” 

When Going for the One was released, it became a hit, reaching No. 1 in the U.K. and No. 8 on the U.S. Billboard 200.

Fans today still discuss the album, and “Awaken’s” role in its success. On Reddit, one user discussing the song wrote, “I think Awaken is, by most fans, considered a masterpiece.”

“The last minute or so, especially Howe’s guitar trill at the end… every time, it hits me so wistfully. I stop and close my eyes and dream for a moment,” another shared of their experience listening to the track.

“I’m a huge Yes fan, and Awaken easily remains my all-time favorite song of theirs. It showcases everything they do musically amazingly,” a third wrote, while another declared, “It is the best song of all time.”

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