Going for the One is perhaps the most overlooked item in the Yes catalog. It marked Rick Wakeman's return to the band after a three-year absence, and also a return to shorter song forms after the experimentalism of Close to the Edge, Tales from Topographic Oceans, and Relayer. In many ways, this disc could be seen as the follow-up to Fragile. Its five tracks still retain mystical, abstract lyrical images, and the music is grand and melodic, the vocal harmonies perfectly balanced by the stinging guitar work of Steve Howe, Wakeman's keyboards, and the solid rhythms of Alan White and Chris Squire.
Four decades after its release, this is still the most controversial record in Yes' output. Tales from Topographic Oceans was the place where Yes either fulfilled all of the promise shown on their previous five albums or slid off the rails in a fit of artistic hubris, especially on the part of lead singer Jon Anderson and guitarist Steve Howe, who dominated the composition credits here. Actually, the group probably did a bit of both here across 80 minutes of music on a fully packed double-LP set; the group's musical ambitions were obvious on its face, as it consisted of four long songs (really suites) each taking up a side of an album, and each longer than the previous album's side-long "Close to the Edge."
Overlooked German band with great love for 70's progressive rock, led by (professional chemist) Arne Schaefer, also leader of the side-project Apogee. They were formed at the dawn of the 90's by Schaefer and drummer Stefan Maywald, who were members of the new wave band ''Vague Venture''. Keyboardist Ekkehard Nahm saw Scahefer playing at a solo concert and meant to be the third member of the band's early years. The Frankfurt-based trio recorded their debut in 1994 with Schaefer playing basses, guitars and handling the vocals.
As Schaefer is a devoted fan of Peter Hammill, plenty of the material is song-based without lacking in instrumental intensity…