Yes, 'Awaken', and the Progressive Rock Style John R. Palmer Popular Music, Vol. 20, No. 2. (May, 2001), pp. 243-261. Stable URL: http://links.jstor.org/sici?sici=0261-1430%28200105%2920%3A2%3C243%3AY%27ATPR%3E2.0.CO%3B2-F Popular Music is currently published by Cambridge University Press. Your use of the JSTOR archive indicates your acceptance of JSTOR's Terms and Conditions of Use, available at http://www.jstor.org/about/terms.html. JSTOR's Terms and Conditions of Use provides, in part, that unless you have obtained prior permission, you may not download an entire issue of a journal or multiple copies of articles, and you may use content in the JSTOR archive only for your personal, non-commercial use. Please contact the publisher regarding any further use of this work. Publisher contact information may be obtained at http://www.jstor.org/journals/cup.html. Each copy of any part of a JSTOR transmission must contain the same copyright notice that appears on the screen or printed page of such transmission. The JSTOR Archive is a trusted digital repository providing for long-term preservation and access to leading academic journals and scholarly literature from around the world. The Archive is supported by libraries, scholarly societies, publishers, and foundations. It is an initiative of JSTOR, a not-for-profit organization with a mission to help the scholarly community take advantage of advances in technology. For more information regarding JSTOR, please contact [email protected]. http://www.jstor.org Sun Dec 16 00:08:47 2007 Popular Music (2001) Volume 20/2. Copyright O 2001 Cambridge University Press, pp. 243-261. Printed in the United Kingdom Yes, 'Awaken', and the progressive rock style JOHN R. PALMER Going for the One was a good rebirth of Yes at that time, to find its feet and really know what it wanted to do. And we made 'Awaken' . . . (Morse 1996, p. 58). Since the release of their third recording, The Yes Album, in March 1971, the music of the English band Yes has been associated with the rock music substyle called 'progressive rock'.' The first two Yes albums showcase a very capable, inventive group of musicians who drew freely from the multitude of sounds around them, emulating aspects of the various musical styles they found engaging. However, it was not until they composed the works appearing on The Yes Album that the band coupled this eclecticism with a quest for originality to develop a voice highly idiosyncratic when judged against prevailing popular music styles. Subsequent albums reveal a predeliction for experimentation and expansion, and successful record sales in both the UK and US encouraged further development in the same direction. Although not members of the 'first wave' of progressive rock bands, Yes became 'codifiers' and for many, especially later detractors, the flagship of the 'progressive' fleet. Before I go on to describe and illustrate, through the analysis of a particular song, aspects of Yes's musical language, I will briefly describe the environment in which it appeared and flourished. The time was ripe for the development of progressive rock. Tendencies toward slightly longer tracks, experimentation with studio technology, and incorporation of 'unusual' instruments such as sitars, tabla, Mellotrons, recorders and Western orchestral instruments became characteristic of several earlier groups, not least important of which were the Beatles. Jimi Hendrix and Cream, called 'progressive' by contemporary writers, had stretched the boundaries of blues-based rock through instrumental virtuosity and descriptions of psychedelic experiences (Whiteley 1992, pp. 7-27; DeRogatis 1996, pp. 93-107, 183-4). The Soft Machine and other bands associated with Canterbury experimented with free-form jazz and the avant-garde (Macan 1997, pp. 12-34; Stump 1997, pp. 27-8, 33-5). Procol Harum's 1967 hit, 'A Whiter Shade of Pale', features music adapted from a work by J.S. Bach (Duxbury 1985, pp. 50-1; Middleton 1990, p. 30; Szatmary 1996, p. 195; Macan 1997, p. 168). Also, some record label executives were willing to take chances on bands that might or might not pay off.' Most importantly, a general economic prosperity in the late 1960s and early 1970s, and particularly the economic prosperity of the recorded music industry, made it possible to allow performers to record experimental music (Frith 1978, p. 121; Marshall Cavendish 1990, p. 1,563; McAleer 1995, pp. 76-159; 244 John R. Palmer Macan 1997, pp. 18,190). Founders of independent record labels established during the mid- to late-1960s tended to have similar cultural backgrounds and values to those of the progressive artists they signed, and large labels budded progressive subsidiaries, or even took the risk of picking up unconventional acts. Then as now, a burgeoning university circuit provided a forum for non-mainstream bands (Hesmondhalgh 1997, pp. 256-7; Stump 1997, pp. 72-82). This atmosphere proved conducive to a previously inconceivable amount and variety of creativity. In a 1991 interview, guitarist Steve Howe spoke of the early 1970s: The climate that we worked in was a natural progression from the climate of the sixties. Never before had there been so many opportunities for groups to put out records they wanted to make. And I suppose the producer role slipped back a little bit as far as groups starting to write and produce themselves, which is what Yes were doing. It was complete control . . . (Yesyears 1991) Bill Bruford, percussionist, concurs: 'Those were more fertile times for musicians. They were allowed to develop something . . . And record companies were run by people who liked records.' (Yesyears 1991) Fertile minds leaped headlong into these fertile times, and the characteristics of the music created by many of them strayed from those that could be considered normative in popular music. Such norms include a 4/4 metre with a repeated pattern of stresses (Moore 1993, p. 35); an ensemble made up of guitars, drums, vocalists and keyboards (Stuessy and Lipscomb 1999, pp. 20-5); song forms derived from traditional blues or a verse/refrain structure (Moore 1993, pp. 47-8); compositions of a duration appropriate for airplay, generally under four minutes in length; and the presence of voices singing lyrics about 'real life' (love, dancing and so on) (Moore 1993, p. 28). Allan F. Moore describes the typical rock texture as consisting of four layers: rhythm (generally the domain of the drum kit or other percussion), low frequencies (bass guitar), high frequencies (usually the melody, performed by a voice or an instrument) and a middle frequency range filled in by harmony (voices or instruments) (Moore 1993, pp. 31-2). While most of these norms appear in Yes music, and progressive rock in general, it is the combination of these with other, non-normative, elements that in part marks the band's style. Some of the non-normative elements listeners will find in Yes music are: extended forms, prominent instrumental passages, a colourful harmonic palette, wide dynamic contrast, motivic development, lyrics that are positive in outlook and concerned with spiritual existence, instrumental and compositional virtuosity, and a contrapuntal texture that may omit a normative 'layer'. Again, none of these is unique to Yes's output, and examples of each can be found in recordings produced before their first release. However, the consistent use of these and other non-normative elements is a fundamental feature of the Yes sound. Development and experimentation in the late 1960s and early 1970s fostered the composition of increasingly longer songs, an aspect of progressive rock that, in part, has origins in the psychedelic experiences of British hippies (Whiteley 1992, pp. 28-38; Hicks 1999, pp. 58,64). Ex-Soft Machine drummer and songwriter Robert Wyatt commented on the setting at the UFO club, a recurrent London 'happening' of great importance in the careers of many progressive rock bands: In keeping with the general ersatz orientalism of the social set-up you'd have an audience sitting down . . . Just the atmosphere created by an audience sitting down was very inducive to playing, as in Indian classical music, a long gentle introduction to a tune . . . [Ilf you've Yes and the progressive rock style 245 got a floor full of people, even the few that are listening, they're quite happy to wait for a half hour for the first tune to get off the ground. (King 1994, May 5, 1967) Pink Floyd is probably the best known example of a band that translated the timelessness of the LSD experience into music, using repetition, minimal harmonic movement and slow tempos to avoid a sense of completion (Curtis 1987, p. 290; Whiteley 1992, pp. 3, 8; Hicks 1999, pp. 64, 65). Other groups took a different approach and saw the acceptance of an expanded format as a licence to develop more intense musical material. The desire to unify extended works prompted musicians to employ techniques previously considered to be outside the realm of 'rock' or 'pop' music.3 That these composer/performers appropriated procedures (as opposed to surface elements) from numerous, disparate styles of music is evidence of their diverse cultural backgrounds (Macan 1997, pp. 144-51; Stump 1997, pp. 43-50). Because progressive rock bears similarities to the various styles from which it borrows, some of the analytical techniques used for those styles prove fruitful when applied to it as well. A few scholars have called for new methods to study both rock and popular music in general (Tagg 1982; Middleton 1990; Moore 1993).While this is clearly a necessity, certain rock substyles are more amenable than others to traditional types of analysis, as Moore (1993),John Covach (1997), Nor's Josephson (1992) and others have demonstrated. Yes and other creators of the progressive rock substyle were, consciously or subconsciously, influenced by music these techniques are designed to explain. An application of harmonic or linear analysis enhances discussion of both the inner logic of some very important rock music, and sheds light upon connections between music and lyric. Appropriations from varied repertoire contributed to a change in the role of instruments in progressive rock compositions. Instruments became more important in the overall performance and mix in relation to the voice. Richard Middleton describes what he calls the 'foregrounding' of instrumentation in The Beatles' 'Strawberry Fields Forever', released in February 1967 (Middleton 1990, p. 28). The choice of instruments for this recording (woodwind, brass, strings, Mellotron, reversed recordings of cymbal crashes), the tendency of the instruments to move in and out of the foreground of the mix, plus the presence of an instrumental coda with its use of collage, upset earlier conceptions of the relationship between lead vocal and accompaniment in rock and roll. The importance, and often primacy, of instrumentation is one of the defining characteristics of progressive rock. Furthermore, the incorporation of thematically important instrumental passages into songs increased the length of tracks to unforeseen proportions. The capacity of one side of an LP record became the limiting factor in the construction of pieces. Because of this, most extended progressive rock tracks are around twenty minutes in duration: 'Supper's Ready', appearing on Genesis's Foxtrot LP of 1972, is over twenty-four minutes long. 'Echoes', 'Shine on You Crazy Diamond' and 'Dogs' by Pink Floyd, 'A Plague of Lighthouse Keepers' by Van der Graaf Generator, 'Tarkus' by Emerson, Lake and Palmer, and The Nice's 'Five Bridges Suite' are only a few examples of 'side-length' works by some of the better-known progressive rock bands, and all of these tracks are predominantly in~trumental.~ The challenge to create both variety and unity in extended rock tracks was accepted by numerous bands, some faring better than others in their quest for coherence. Arguably, the members of Yes are among the best at producing provocative, tightly knit, extended rock tracks. Since the release in 1969 of their eponymous 246 John R. Palmer debut album, Yes have produced ten titles that are fifteen minutes or more in length, and seventeen tracks of nine to fifteen minutes5 The first of these to encompass an entire record side was 'Close to the Edge', from the album of the same name, released on 13 September 1972. In 'Close to the Edge', sections are delineated melodically, rhythmically and, to a lesser extent, harmonically. An instrumental introduction gives way to a large opening section built of two disparate verses and choruses. A vast, contrasting central section follows, which is itself sectional. Then, snippets of the introduction and a shortened version of the opening section reappear to close the nearly nineteen-minute song. Scholars have mapped different explanations of structure onto 'Close to the Edge', varying from a two-part structure to sonata form (Moore 1993, pp. 86-7; Covach 1997, pp. 9-31; Macan 1997, pp. 95-105). Less has been written about the four side-long songs comprising the album Tales from Topographic Oceans, although these pieces tend to display either an opening/departure/return format or are suite-like in constr~ction.~ On 5 December 1974, Yes released the album Relayer, containing 'The Gates of Delirium', a twentytwo-minute track consisting of four sections, the outer ones vocal, the inner ones instrumental, prefaced by an instrumental introduction. Both in the 1970s and more recently, it was unusual for a Yes band member to approach the rest of the group with a finished song, requiring only arrangement. Unlike bands built around one or two writers, Yes often developed full-length songs from a single verse, a chord progression or melody, or even a brief 'lick'. Most importantly, to one degree or another all members participated in the composition of a piece as well as in the arrangement, making for some excruciatingly long and trying rehearsals (Morse 1996, pp. 34-5,37). This has not always been the case, but it is safe to say that a Yes recording is rarely, if ever, the product of one mind. A process of 'sketching', 'drafting' and 'discarding' resulted in 'composed' pieces, assembled from sections that worked well with one another and yielded a final product that was acceptable to all. Although recent research shows that this method of composition is not unique to Yes, knowledge of the process is helpful in discussing the band's music (Fiori 1987; Harrison 1997). Nearly all of Yes's extended pieces of the 1970s have been examined to one degree or another in the secondary literature. Allan F. Moore, in Rock: The Primay Text, offers brief comments on 'Close to the Edge' in the midst of an excellent discussion of progressive rock styles (Moore 1993, pp. 86-7,107), while in his 'Signifying the spiritual in the music of Yes', Moore tenders observations on 'Close to the Edge', 'Awaken', 'The Remembering, High the Memory', 'The Ancient: Giants Under the Sun', and 'Ritual: Nous sommes du Soleil' (Moore 1996, pp. 27, 28, 32, 29,30). Edward Macan and John Covach have produced extended analyses of both the music and text of 'Close to the Edge', and Covach has also written on Tales from Topographic Oceans (Covach 1995; 1997, pp. 9-31; Macan 1997, pp. 95-105). Nors Josephson has published an incisive, albeit brief, discussion of 'The Gates of Delirium' (Josephson 1992). Also, Thomas M o s b ~(1994) and Bill Martin (1996), in book-length efforts, make feeble attempts to discuss Yes music in general. Ironically, the one extended track that has received the least critical attention is the one which Jon Anderson, co-founder, lead singer and songwriter of Yes, feels is 'the best Yes piece of music' (Morse 1996, p. 149). Released on 7 July 1977 as the closing track on the album Going for the One, 'Awaken' is in many ways the consummate Yes song; yet, it differs in structure from other extended works by Yes7 'Close to the Edge' and three of the four songs Yes and the progressive rock style 247 that make up Tales from Topographic Oceans are unified by the return of vocal passages and their respective accompaniments. In 'Awaken', however, harmonic progressions and constrasting modes play a more important role in delineating sections than do vocal lines, while short motivic units, rather than melodic phrases, unify the large-scale piece. Furthermore, the motives are generally the property of the instruments, not the voice, and development of these motives both creates variety and establishes unity with the song. In fact, the vocal lines make reference to the instrumental motives, achieving the role reversal of instruments and voice approached in 'Strawberry Fields Forever'. At 15:34 in length, 'Awaken' is 63 per cent purely instr~mental.~ Perpetual change is characteristic of Yes's membership, but the five men who assembled in Montreux, Switzerland, in late 1976 to record Going for the One represent the unit that has recorded the greatest number of studio albums together. On this release, Jon Anderson is the lead vocalist, Steve Howe the guitarist, Chris Squire the bassist, Rick Wakeman the keyboard player, and Alan White plays drums and other percussion instruments. Howe and Squire also provide vocals, and Anderson plays harp. When sessions for Going for the One began, the band had not recorded together for over two years, for it follows not a previous group album but solo efforts by each member. All five musicians have expressed a genuine satisfaction with the results and have commented positively on the recording experience (Yesyears; Morse 1996, pp. 56-7). After having produced individual albums, Yes seemed happy to return to the group creativity typical of their sessions, and 'Awaken' provides a perfect example of their compositional process. A glance at the Table, which gives the form of the entire piece, will help the reader with what follows. 'Awaken' began as the guitar riff that forms the foundation of section A, as shown in the bass staff of Example 6. Howe has said that the guitar lead beginning at 2:48 was at one time to be the beginning of the song (Morse 1996, p. 60). The Table. Large-scale structure of 'Awaken'. Section Piano intro. Intro A Time Text 'High vibration . . .' 'Suns, High . . .' (guitar lead) 'Star, Song . . .' 'Workings . . .' 'Master of . . .' Intro (reprise) Coda End 'High vibration . . .' 'Like the time . . .' Harmonic area; comments e to D begin triple metre E - 05ths, triple metre minor chords, general reduction e (bell, harp, organ) E - 05ths, triple metre final E-major chord, fade to + Emaj9, Dmaj9, Cmaj9 (C#min9)X 2 248 John R. Palmer Minor Major a: prime form 1 b: inversion c: retrograde d: retrograde inversion Example 1. Motive X: major and minor forms. chord progression of section B appeared next, and when this was fleshed out the band decided to follow it with a quiet, contrasting area beginning now at 6:42 labelled 'C' in the Table. Squire conceived the idea of following section C with material built around the chord progression of 8, but at a much slower tempo. This part ended, as it does now, with a huge close on E major that fades to silence, and at first the group considered the song finished. However, Yes had never ended a song in this manner: and sensing that more closure was necessary, they developed the passage employing major ninth chords and setting the text, 'High vibration go on . . .', to dissipate the energy of the preceding sections. It was later decided to use this material to introduce the song and round out the entire structure. The opening Employing this compopiano solo was the last part of the piece to be comp~sed.'~ sitional process, Yes produced an extended rock piece featuring internal coherence amid vivid contrast, and it is this internal coherence I describe below. The large-scale structure of 'Awaken' results, in part, from the juxtaposition of sections featuring minimal harmonic movement with those of constant, elaborate harmonic movement, as well as contrasting minor- and major-mode material. As in much English blues-derived rock and psychedelic music, areas with minimal harmonic change contain the most active melodic material." In contrast, harmonically active segments have repeated-note vocal melodies. Furthermore, recurring harmonic progressions create relationships between sections of the song that contain contrasting texts and seemingly disparate vocal melodies. Through detailed analysis it is possible both to uncover how the style of the music is achieved and to reveal the inner logic of the piece. From the very beginning of 'Awaken', it is clear that a limit has been breached, and the language is one whose syntax and grammar are unusual when judged against the norms of rock. A salient feature of the musical language of 'Awaken' is its unification through motivic manipulation. Two motives, which I have labelled X and Y, appear numerous times, and in numerous forms, throughout the song. Examples 1 and 2 give motives X and Y, respectively, as well as the various forms in which they appear. Examples l(a) and 2(a) show the motives in both their major and minor forms, with E-natural as the tonic pitch. These represent the primary or 'prime' forms of X and Y. Examples l(b) and 2(b) show possible inversions of the motives - the direction of each interval has been reversed. The retrograde forms of X and Y appear in Examples l(c) and 2(c), wherein the pitches, intervals Yes and the progressive rock style Minor 249 Major a: prime form b: inversion c: retrograde d: retrograde inversion Example 2. Motive Y : major and minor forms. and direction of the intervals are maintained, but the order of pitches and intervals is reversed. Retrograde inversions are shown in Examples l(d) and 2(d), and are derived through a combination of inversion and retrograde forms: the directions of the prime-form intervals are reversed, and the resultant form is performed backwards. Both motives, and all of their permutations, sound at various pitch levels throughout the song. RX RIX Example 3. Piano introduction. Yes introduce the motivic building blocks of 'Awaken' in the opening thirtysix-second piano passage. Motive X sounds at the outset, initially in retrograde, then retrograde inversion (see Example 3). Next, Wakeman proceeds to play the prime form of the motive nineteen times, closing the flourish with an agogically accented presentation of motive Y (see Example 4). Wakeman was able to build this portentous passage as he did because the entire song had already been completed. The vocal part of the introduction, sung by Anderson, is the most melodically active of any in the entire song and is harmonised with three major ninth chords Example 4. Closing measures of piano introduction. John R. Palmer 250 Past all mor-tal as we.- Here we can b e . Here we be.- Example 5 . Introduction: final vocal passage. that descend by step - on E, D, then C - closing on C h i n 9 the first time only. This progression appears twice, supporting two different vocal lines and texts. The melody during the second appearance of the chord progression, with its clearly defined arches, stands in stark contrast to most of the vocal material of the piece. Vocal parts in the harmonically more active sections tend to have less shape. Also, the introduction lacks an articulated pulse. Seeming to float upon the rich harmonies played without an articulated pulse, the lyrics describe a state to which the human race aspires: High vibration go on/To the sun, oh let my heart dreaming/Past a mortal as me Where can I be. Wish the sun to stand still/Reaching out to touch our own being/Past all mortal as we Here we can be We can be here Be here now Here we can be Here we be Anderson sings motive X twice in the introduction, at the very end, setting the words, '(mor)tal as we' and 'we can be' (see Example 5). In the first instance, the descent is from A through G to E - the minor form - while the second appearance is A-G#-E - the major form - both sounding over a Cmaj9 chord, making the appearance of G# more striking. Both forms appear in the piano introduction, and their immediate juxtaposition anticipates the major/minor contrast that is a prominent characteristic of 'Awaken'. After the second, 'major' sounding of the motive, the last fives lines of text occur sim~ltaneously.'~ However, the line most forward in the mix, sung by Anderson, is 'Here we be', the last syllable of which leaves the listener hanging on B-natural, the fifth scale degree (5) in the context of E minor. Seconds later, the B-natural is resolved stepwise down to E-natural in the guitar part, but such a resolution does not occur in the voice until the end of the piece, during the reprise of the introduction. The vocal melody's avoidance of the keynote of the piece suggests that the human race has not achieved its aspirations. What follows the introduction elaborates on this suggestion, as Yes infuse the music with characteristics that can be read as signs of discord. A descending E aeolian scale on the guitar introduces the A section of the piece, the sound of the electric twelve string and drum kit providing timbral contrast. The section is built on an 11-beat riff, a combination of motives X and Y, performed by Howe (see Example 6, bass clef). The rising E-F#-A is an inversion of X, its upward motion balanced by repeated, overlapping statements of Y that trace a stepwise descent from the fifth to the first scale degree, or 34-3-2-1. Although the organisation of the motives seems to make the eleven-beat passage fall into a 4+3+4 pattern, the percussion insists on 4+4+3, creating tension through rhythmic dissonance (see Example 6). This riff provides the foundation A A A Yes and the progressive rock style 251 Example 6. Section A vocal and accompaniment. for both the verses and refrain. Section A is harmonically static, with a constant E-natural in the bass and suggestions of E-minor and D-major triads. The vocal melody, however, is stepwise and has an overall rising shape. The guitar solo after the second chorus is even more harmonically static but is melodically very elaborate and active. Section A verses consist of four words each, separated by a four-word refrain. The first three words of the refrain are followed alternately by 'touch' and 'touching': Suns high streams through - Awaken gentle mass touch Strong dreams reign here - Awaken gentle mass touch(ing) Star, Song, Age, Less - Awaken gentle mass touch The rhythmic dissonance in section A (see Example 6 ) suggests we are not in tune with the 'ageless' Star Song. We must 'awaken' to the song, where 'strong dreams reign' and the sun 'streams through', but we don't know how. Furthermore, the final word of each verse and each word of the refrain reinforce the B-natural sung by Anderson at the end of the introduction, prolonging the unresolved fifth scale degree. The resultant sense of 'ungroundedness' (the failure to return to the tonic) is increased by the fact that the B-naturals are approached by a rising scale. Howe's guitar work in section A is replete with references to, and alterations of, motive Y, with an occasional reference to motive X. Several rapid, rising and descending scales lead to a brief passage emphasising the major form of Y (see Example 7, mm. 1-8). After the fourth performance of this gesture, Howe plays the major form of X (see Example 7, m. 9). A descending staccato line then leads to two 252 John R. Palmer RIY 7 - X Example 7. Section A guitar lead. accented statements of Y (see Example 7, mm. 13-15); the pitches are the same as in the motive's first appearance at the end of the piano introduction (see Example 4). In live performance, whatever decorative flourishes Howe may play between them, these statements of Y remain in place, attesting to their structural significance. The descending stepwise approach to Y from an E-natural clearly illustrates the motive's prolongation of the descent from the second (2) to the first (1) scale degree, which has been its function since it was first introduced in the opening piano passage. (As we will see, Wakeman stresses this aspect of the motive in the central part of 'Awaken'.) All the while, at first very much in the background of the mix, Wakeman performs motive X on keyboards (see Example 8).A pronounced statement of the retrograde inversion of X and repeated overlapping statements of Y return us to the E-aeolian riff and the concluding verse and refrain of part A of 'Awaken'. Yes next prepare the listener for a change from the aeolian to major mode. After the final verse and extended refrain of section A, the riff moves to B aeolian (4:40), introducing both a C# to the pitch vocabulary and a new form of motive X Example 8. Section A keyboard accompaniment to guitar lead. Yes and the progressive rock style 253 h B RIY Example 9. Modified motive X at close of section A. (see Example 9). The riff then moves back to El but the C# remains, creating E dorian. Thus, the appearance of B aeolian serves as a preparation for E dorian, which in turn is a preparation for the next statement of the riff on D major, requiring both F# and C#. The group dispenses with the inversion of X, preferring to outline a D-major triad and use Y to present an entire D-major scale. The shift to the major mode provides a transition to the B-section, the harmonic progression of which circumnavigates the circle of fifths.13 The vocal melody of this new, harmonically active section is almost static. Typically, a single melodic note is repeated over two different chords, and at two points, over four chords. For example, at 5:39 we hear the text, '. . . by his blindness to see that the warmth of his . . .',which is recited on a C-natural over the chords C, F, Bb and Eb major.14 A moment later, at 5:58, Anderson and Squire sing Workings of man driven far from the path, re-released . . .' on a B-natural, supported by El A, D and G major. The only time the vocal melody is not a series of repeated notes is at the point where Eb major sustains for four 'measures' ('being', at 5:42), just after the prolonged C-natural in the vocal. The rapid harmonic changes move in stark contrast to the static vocal melody, foregrounding the chord progression. As in section A, Yes create rhythmic dissonance by giving each layer of the musical texture a measure of autonomy. In section B, the harmony changes every measure, but the bass line implies a hypermetre of three measures, while the vocals and organ interludes imply two- or four-measure groupings (see Example 10). The central meaning of Anderson's text for 'Awaken' becomes apparent in the B section, and numerous musical devices support this meaning. In B, Anderson tells us that the human race has been led astray. He seems to call for the reunification of our spiritual essence with its origins - a return to Eden: Workings of man Set to ply out historical life Re-regaining the flower of the fruit of his tree All awakening All restoring you Some of the achievements of the human race attempt to put them back on the path toward this goal: Workings of man Crying out from the fire set aflame By his blindness to see that the warmth of his being Is promised for his seeing his reaching so clearly That such efforts are unsuccessful is shown in both lyrics and music. The opening lines of the third verse of B leave no doubt that people are not aligned with their destiny: 'Workings of maddriven far from the path'. Yes musically symbolise this less-than-optimal state of existence by shifting to a circle progression of minor triads at the end of this verse. More importantly, the insistent and regular John R. Palmer 254 5:25 Lead vocal I AIC# E Work- ings of man set D /A to 1 ply G out CIE his re - re-gain- I Bb FIC Eb l ~ I I All re - / stor - ing you. Work - ings Example 10. Section B vocal and bass. rhythms and chord changes evoke the machinising tendencies of human society, and the disparity between where people are and where they could be is illustrated primarily in the rhythmic incongruity I describe above - the hypermetre suggested by the bass line does not match that of the vocal and organ lines. Section B is devoid of motives X and Y, except for two appearances in the organ and voice at 6:10. Section B ends, slowly and quietly, on F# minor, after which the central section begins with F#s played on glockenspiel and harp. Yes's method of closure at this point is noteworthy. The constant falling-fifth chord progression renders ineffective a close solely in terms of harmony; therefore, closure is achieved through a decrease in tempo, a diminished dynamic, and thinning of instrumentation. Also, this abatement of intensity and a shift to minor triads anticipate the mode, texture and dynamic level of the subsequent section. Of all of Yes's longer pieces, 'Awaken' has the most truly developmental central section. Motives X and Y appear in various forms and are used to create all of the melodic material of a dynamically and texturally growing segment that bridges the two major vocal divisions of the piece. Comments by band members indicate that the central section was planned, not improvised, revealing that even Yes's most apparently free and improvisatory music is meticulously constructed (Morse 1996, p. 60). In this case, the music is derived from, and develops, previous sections. Repeated F#s and Gs at the opening of the middle section C provide a subtle yet unmistakable link with the preceding material of 'Awaken'. F# and G are the Yes and the progressive rock style 255 Example 11. Section C, organ. first two pitches of motive Y, as performed in both the opening piano flourish (see Example 4) and emphasised through agogic accents in the A-section guitar solo (see Example 7, mm. 13-15). Beginning at 7:40, this is supported by an ostinato figure consisting of E-natural and B-natural, played on the guitar, reminiscent of the falling-fifth chord progression in the B section. Both our familiarity with Y and the eventual underpinning of the bell and harp figure with an open E sonority make the F#/G figure sound incomplete, as the tendency of the motive to fall from G-natural (5) to the first scale degree, E-natural (i), is denied. Throughout most of section C, Yes omit the bass layer from the overall texture, eschewing one of rock music's ultimate norms (Moore 1993, pp. 31ff.; 1996, p. 27). Wakeman begins C with phrases built on brief, varied statements of motive X, the first of which I have transcribed in Example 11. As in the piano introduction, X often appears in descending chains; however, here the tempo is much slower, and the instrument is a pipe organ. The first few passages emphasise B-natural and F#, delaying the appearance of E-natural, which is eventually arrived at through motive Y. Example 11 shows Wakeman's persistent emphasis of 2 and 3 (F# and B-natural), both of which have a strong tendency to move to the first scale degree, E-natural. Aside from the A-natural in the fifth measure, the sustained tones are one or the other of these scale degrees. When Wakeman arrives at 1 through Y in m. 11, it is on a weak beat, and he quickly passes through it to rest on 3 on the next downbeat. Example 12 shows the organ part of the second such passage, with its slightly decorated statements of X. Here, too, the emphasis is on the fifth and, especially, second scale degrees. However, there is a very 5-2-1 descent in the highest notes of each phrase, fleetingly giving the listener what is prolonged in a lower octave; 2 and 1 are reinforced an octave lower. Wakeman's 3-24 descent marks the first suggestion in 'Awaken' that the spritual existence sought by the human race is attainable. From this point on, phrases end on E-natural with increasing frequency. The sense of closure is stronger here than in Example 11, in part because of the 3-2-i descent and in part because the statement of motive Y that closes the excerpt stops on E-natural on a downbeat. Furthermore, the fundamental nature of E-natural is made explicit by the appearance, during the sustained F# at the end of Example 12, of the guitar ostinato on E-natural and B-natural. Wakeman then plays a variation of the same passage, and a general increase in volume prepares for a change in organ registration. 256 John R. Palmer Example 12. Section C , organ. It is here (8:32) that Y gains prominence in the central section, performed much as it is in section A. Repeated statements of the motive are connected by a rising E aeolian scale, which climbs higher with each of its five appearances. A descending chain of X statements releases the accumulated energy, coming to rest on an E-natural. A moment later, variations of both motives are performed on both guitar and organ, and an extended organ line built of motive Y descends again to E-natural, closing the central section and introduction B'. On first hearing, B' seems unlike anything that has come before it; however, further inspection shows that it is closely related to previous material. Here, as in B, the harmonic progression traverses the circle of fifths, using the same pattern of root-position, first- and second-inversion chords. Again, the vocal melody is static, the text almost spoken and set to repeated notes, but the rhythm is more interesting than in B. The rhythm of the chord changes, too, is very different from that in the earlier section. Despite the disparity in terms of tempo, rhythm and lyric content, the foregrounding of the chord progression both here and in section B, the progression itself, and the instrumentation, all of which are unusual in the rock idiom, create a relationship between the sections so strong they can be considered parallel. Thus, I have chosen to label the 'Master of . . .' section as B'. Unlike the B section, however, B' contains no rhythmic dissonance. Percussion, bass, keyboards and guitar all follow the same pattern of chord changes in exactly the same rhythm and with the same accents. Also, the apparent rhythmic irregularity, as well as the occasional repetition of chords, blurs the tendency of the bass line to fall into threenote groups. The chords change more slowly here than in B, and in an odd rhythmic pattern: No.ofBeats: 3 5 1 2 1 3 5 1 2 1 3 5 1 2 1 Harmony: E A D G C F BbBbEbAbAbDbDbGbB The text of B' makes it clear that the resolution required by the human race is not acquired in this, our physical existence, but is possible through the help of an intermediary. An entity occupying another realm, a 'Master' of 'Images', 'Soul', 'Light', and 'Time' reminds us of a 'closely guided plan' hidden in our hearts, and Yes and the progressive rock style 257 Vocal Like I time !l esmgng :: # Bass the n,, ran --- way I I 1 rl DIE turned - I h i a C#min71E a - round and you were stand - ing ; ! C to me. Example 13. Coda vocal and bass. beckons us to 'bid farewell' to this world. This gnostic path to spiritual clarity and awareness takes us 'Past all mortal' being, as Anderson sings in the introduction. (Incidentally, the 'Master' who can show us the way is made palpable through music: 'Master of Images/Songs cast a light on you1.) Consequently, we hear none of the rhythmic dissonance here that is prevalent in Section B - all instrumental parts move in rhythmic unison supporting the recitative-like vocal. Appropriately, there is no shift to a circle progression of minor triads, as at the end of section B, and B' ends in the major mode. Like nature itself, the rhythmic pattern of accents and chord changes seems, on first hearing, unordered, providing a stark contrast to the use of the same chords in B. Now that the path has been found, the soughtafter state of peace and unity can be achieved and is represented in the return to the introduction and the coda. As in the first circle-of-fifths segment, there are no appearances of either motive X or Y. To end this section, and thus the main body of the song, Yes depart from the circle progression in order to create a grand close on E major. In the nine beats before the final arrival on E major, the organ and choir build an F# half-diminished sonority while the bass outlines a D-major triad. A plagal motion in the bass (A-natural to E-natural) supports upper voices that resolve by step to E major, and the entire mass of sound fades, giving way to the music that opens the piece. Except for the setting of 'Past all mortal as we/Here we can be', the return of the introduction is a repetition of the musical material from the beginning of 'Awaken'. In the reprise, as earlier, Anderson sings both the major and minor forms of X (constrasting G-natural and G#), but does not leap upward to a B-natural after his second descent to E. In the Coda, Anderson closes the repeated line of text with X, as does Howe on the guitar at the very end of the piece (see Examples 13 and 14). The C#min or chord that appears only once in the introduction is of primary importance at the close of 'Awaken'. Here, C# minor both terminates the second line of the introduction reprise and initiates the Coda. Changing every measure, C#rnin7 alternates with D major, while Squire, on bass, plays E-naturals and B-naturals in 258 John R. Palmer \ RIX Example 14. Close of Coda: guitar. the same rhythmic pattern as Howe does in the central section (see Example 13). The root movement of C# minor to D major is the first part of Y, and, much as in the central section, our expectations are thwarted by this partial presentation of Y: Yes never provide the implied chord built on a root of B-natural - a dominant sonority. Instead, the progression moves up to E major, satisfying the expectations set up by the implied dominant, just after Squire plays a B-natural in the midst of a D-major triad (15:14). The vocal line twice anticipates this root movement in the Coda, where Anderson sings 'ran away' on G#, A-natural and B-natural (see Example 13). When Anderson leaps up to a B-natural at the end of the introduction (1:32), just before the beginning of section A, tension results that is not resolved vocally until the return of the introduction over twelve minutes later. The setting of 'Here we can bef at 14:27 descends from 5 and employs motive X to complete the descent to i (see Example 15).This descent is reiterated in the repeated melody of the Coda, confirming the resolution both implied by the text of B' and expected, musically, since the end of the introduction. What is an unrealised aspiration in the introduction becomes an achieved state of being by the end of the piece. Both fans and journalists have long regarded Yes as a unique voice in popular music, a voice that has continued to speak despite the passing of the era that made it possible. That Yes music can claim an existence apart from the late 1960s cultural milieu with which it was initially associated is demonstrated by the fact that Going for the One (1977) was a commercial success at a time when punk was supposed to be the subculture of the day, and also by the fact that the band still records and performs. Moore asserts that 'there is not necessarily a time after which [a style] can no longer have a place. The extension through historical time so prized by art music aficionados is thus also an attribute of rock' (Moore 1993, p. 164). In order for this to happen within the rock idiom there must first be an identifiable style, something to separate a given voice from the multitude of other voices. The musical processes operative in 'Awaken' exemplify why much Yes music sounds the way it does - what constitutes the group's style. 'Awaken' exhibits many characteristics not generally considered normative in rock: extended form; prominent instmmental passages; a colourful harmonic palette; wide dynamic contrast; motivic development; lyrics that are positive in outlook and concerned with spiritual existence; instmmental and compositional virtuosity; an emphasis on linear (as opposed to vertical) writing that leads to a contrapuntal texture; major/minor mode conflict; preparation of mode or key changes; delayed resolSection: Intro. A B B' Inuo.% Coda Example 15. Delayed resolution of lead vocal. Yes and the progressive rock style 259 utions; and the creation of music that rewards active and repeated listening. These components combine to create a style at odds with accepted rock music norms, effectively constituting a substyle within the rock idiom. Although it appeared when the mainstream absorption of the progressive substyle was in full swing, 'Awaken' stands as an excellent example of a progressive rock band at the height of its powers, producing internal coherence within a variegated, large-scale structure. Acknowledgements The author would like to thank Dr Camille Crittenden and Dr Allan F. Moore for their comments on earlier drafts of 'Yes, "Awaken", and the progressive rock style'. Copyright acknowledgements 'Awaken' words and music by Jon Anderson and Steve Howe O 1977 Topographic Music, Ltd. All rights administered by WB Music Corp. All rights reserved. Reprinted by permission of Warner Bros. Publications, Miami, FL 33014. Endnotes 1. The terms 'art rock', 'progressive rock' and less often 'symphonic rockhave been applied to music by musicians under discussion here. I have chosen to employ the term 'progressive', despite its vagueness and the fact that it has taken on a pejorative connotation, because it is now the most common term in use. 2. Tony Stratton-Smith, owner of Charisma Records, has said that he expected to wait three years for Genesis to become profitable (see Gallo 1980, p. 24). 3. See Eric Tamm (1990, p. xiv) for Robert Fripp's assessment of what constitutes 'progressi;e' rock. For descriptions of progressive rock characteristics, see Middleton (1990, pp. 2732), Moore (1993, pp. 56104), Covach (1997, pp. 3-5) and Macan (1997, pp. 30-56). 4. Foxtrot (Charisma CAS 1058, 1972); 'Echoes' appears on Meddle (EM1 EMS-80322, 1971); 'Shine On You Crazy Diamond' appears on Wish You Were Here (CBS/SONY 25AP 1258, 1975); 'Dogs' appears on Animals (CBS/SONY 25AP 340); 'A Plague of Lighthouse Keepers' appears on Pawn Hearts (Charisma, 1971, CAROL 1639-2); 'Tarkus' appears on Tarkus (Atlantic, Cotillion SO 9900, 1971); 'Five Bridges Suite' appears on Five Bridges (Mercury, SR-61295, 1969). Two releases by Jethro Tull, Thick as a Brick (Chrysalis VK 41003, 1972) and A Passion Play (Chrysalis PV 41040, 1973), are series of interrelated, musically connected songs spanning over forty minutes. Of the two, Thick as a Brick displays the greater continuity. 5. Those of fifteen or more minutes are: 'Close to the Edge', 'The Revealing Science of God', 'The Remembering', 'The Ancient', 'Ritual', 'The Gates of Delirium', 'Awaken', 'Endless Dream', 'That, That Is' and 'Mind Drive'. Those between nine and fifteen minutes are: 'Yours is no Disgrace', 'Starship Trooper', 'Perpetual Change', 'Heart of the Sunrise', 'And You and I', 'Siberian Khatru', 'Sound Chaser', 'To Be Over', 'America', 'Machine Messiah', 'Brother of Mine1,* 'Quartet1,* 'Order of the Universe1,* 'Be the One', 'Foot Prints', 'Homeworld (The Ladder)' and 'New Languages' (*Anderson, Bruford, Wakeman, Howe [1989]). 6. The four songs are: 'The Revealing Science of God: Dance of the Dawn', 'The Remembering, High the Memory', 'The Ancient: Giants Under the Sun' and 'Ritual: Nous sommes du Soleil'. 7. Going for the One did very well in England: it entered the UK album charts in July 1977 and remained in the top ten for 13 weeks, reaching No. 1 in August. The album rose to No. 8 in the United States. The first song on the second side of the album, 'Wonderous Stories', was released as a single and spent seven weeks in the UK Top Twenty, Yes's first such success in their own country (McAleer 1995, pp. 156-8; 1996, pp. 198-200). 8. Passages featuring non-texted vocal sounds are classified as instrumental. 9. 'And You and I' was nearly an exception (see Morse 1996, p. 39). 10. All information on the composition of 'Awaken', unless otherwise noted, is from a personal 260 John R. Palmer interview with Jon Anderson on 8 February 1998, in San Luis Obispo, California. 11. Middleton (1990), Studying Popular Music, p. 29. Here, Middleton discusses Cream's cover of Willie Dixon's 'Spoonful'. Middleton points out that the single-chord foundation of the song 'has the effect of freeing melody and form; melodic lines are not constrained by having to fit changing chords and the form is not constrained by a particular harmonic sequence. This encourages improvisation, and at length and enables the improviser to elaborately. . . The building of extended forms over drones or very simple harmonic progressions (often two alternating chords) or riffs, was, of course, to become a staple of hard rock and "heavy metal" music, and encouraged the development of virtuosic soloists, especially guitarists.' 12. This passage provides an excellent example of what Allan Moore refers to as 'multivocality' (Moore 1996, p. 28). 13. The circle of fifths progression in 'Awaken' is years ahead of, and more complete than, that in Ozzy Osbourne's 'Mr. Crowley' (see Walser 1993, p. 80). 14. All timings are taken from the studio recording of 'Awaken' as released on disc 3 of the Yesyears compilation. A live recording of 'Awaken' has been released (1996) that is three minutes longer than the studio version. References Covach, J. 1995. 'Navigating Yes' Topographic Oceans', Progression (October-December), pp. 42-4 1997. 'Progressive rock, "Close to the Edge", and the boundaries of style', in Understanding Rock: Essays in Musical Analysis, ed. J. Covach and G. Boone (New York), pp. 3-31 Curtis, J. 1987. Rock Eras: Interpretations of Music and Society, 1954-84 (Bowling Green) DeRogatis, J. 1996. Kaleidoscope Eyes: Psychedelic Rock From the '60s to the '90s (Secaucus) Duxbury, J. 1985. Rockin' the Classics and Classicizin' the Rock: A Selectively Annotated Discography (Westport) Fiori, U. 1987. 'Listening to Peter Gabriel's "1 Have the Touch" ', Popular Music, 6/1, pp. 37-43 Frith, S. 1978. The Sociology of Rock (London) Gallo, A. 1980. Genesis: I Know What I Like (Los Angeles) Harrison, D. 1997. 'After Sundown: The Beach Boys' experimental music', in Understanding Rock: Essays in Musical Analysis, ed. J. Covach and G. Boone (New York), pp. 33-57 Hesmondhalgh, D. 1997. 'Post-Punk's attempt to democratize the music industry: the success and failure of Rough Trade', Popular Music, 16/3, pp. 255-74 Hicks, M. 1999. Sixties Rock: Garage, Psychedelic and Other Satisfactions (Urbana and Chicago) Josephson, N. 1992. 'Bach meets Liszt: traditional formal structures and performance practices in progressive rock', Musical Quarterly, 76/1, pp. 67-92 King, M. 1994. Wrong Movements: A Robert Wyatt History (Wembly) Macan, E. 1997. Rocking the Classics: English Progressive Rock and the Counterculture (New York) The Marshall Cavendish Encyclopedia of Popular Music, 1990. Vol. 14 (New York) Martin, B. 1996. Music of Yes: Structure and Vision in Progressive Rock (Chicago) McAleer, D. 1995. The All Music Book of Hit Albums (San Francisco and London) 1996. The All Music Book of Hit Singles (San Francisco and London) Middleton, R. 1990. Studying Popular Music (Philadelphia) Moore, A.F. 1993. Rock: The Primary Text: Developing a Musicology of Rock (Buckingham) 1996. 'Signifymg the spiritual in the music of Yes', Contemporary Music Review, 14/?-4, pp. 25-33 Morse, T. 1996. Yesstories: Yes in Their Own Words (New York) Mosber, T. 1994. Yes - But What Does It Mean? Exploring the Music of Yes (Milton, WI) Stuessy, J., and Lipscomb, S. 1999. Rock and Roll: Its History and Stylistic Development (Upper Saddle River) Stump, P.1997. The Music's all that Matters: A History of Progressive Rock (London) Szatmary, D. 1996. Rockin' in Time: A Social History of Rock-and-Roll (Upper Saddle River) Tagg, P. 1982. 'Analysing popular music: theory, method and practice', Popular Music, 2, pp. 37-67 Tamm, E. 1990. Robert Fripp: From King Crimson to Guitar Craft (Boston) Walser, R. 1993. Running with the Devil: Power, Gender and Madness in Heavy Metal Music (Hanover and London) Whiteley, S. 1992. The Space Between the Notes: Rock and the Counter-Culture (London and New York) Yesyears, A Retropsective. 1991. Atlantic Recording Corporation, ATCO 91644 (Video) Yes and the progressive rock style 261 Discography Anderson, Bruford, Wakeman, Howe, Anderson, Bruford, Wakpman, Howe. Arista AL85 - 90126. 1989 Yes, The Yes Album. Atlantic 19131. 19 March 1971 Yes, 'Heart of the Sunrise', Fragile. Atlantic 19132. 1 November 1971 (UK), 4 January 1972 (US) Yes, Close to the Edge. Atlantic 19133. 13 September 1972 Yes, Tales from Topographic Oceans. Atlantic 2-908. 9 January 1974 Yes, Relayer. Atlantic 19135. 5 December 1974 Yes, 'America', Yesterdays. Atlantic 19134. 27 February 1975 Yes, Going for the One. Atlantic 19106. 7 July 1977 Yes, 'Machine Messiah', Drama. Atlantic 16019. 18 August 1980 Yes, Yesyears. ATCO 91644. 1991 Yes, 'Endless Dream', Talk. Victory 383-480-033-2. 1994 Yes, 'Be the One', 'That, That Is', Keys to Ascension. CMC International Records Inc., CMC 060768208-2. 1996 Yes, 'Foot Prints', 'Mind Drive', Keys to Ascension 2. Cleopatra Records, Inc., CLP 0159-2. 1997 Yes, 'Homeworld (The Ladder)', 'New Languages', The adder. Beyond Music 63985-78046-2. September 1999 http://www.jstor.org LINKED CITATIONS - Page 1 of 2 - You have printed the following article: Yes, 'Awaken', and the Progressive Rock Style John R. Palmer Popular Music, Vol. 20, No. 2. (May, 2001), pp. 243-261. Stable URL: http://links.jstor.org/sici?sici=0261-1430%28200105%2920%3A2%3C243%3AY%27ATPR%3E2.0.CO%3B2-F This article references the following linked citations. If you are trying to access articles from an off-campus location, you may be required to first logon via your library web site to access JSTOR. Please visit your library's website or contact a librarian to learn about options for remote access to JSTOR. References Listening to Peter Gabriel's 'I Have the Touch' Umberto Fiori Popular Music, Vol. 6, No. 1. (Jan., 1987), pp. 37-43. Stable URL: http://links.jstor.org/sici?sici=0261-1430%28198701%296%3A1%3C37%3ALTPG%27H%3E2.0.CO%3B2-%23 Post-Punk's Attempt to Democratise the Music Industry: The Success and Failure of Rough Trade David Hesmondhalgh Popular Music, Vol. 16, No. 3. (Oct., 1997), pp. 255-274. Stable URL: http://links.jstor.org/sici?sici=0261-1430%28199710%2916%3A3%3C255%3APATDTM%3E2.0.CO%3B2-K Bach Meets Liszt: Traditional Formal Structures and Performance Practices in Progressive Rock Nors S. Josephson The Musical Quarterly, Vol. 76, No. 1. (Spring, 1992), pp. 67-92. Stable URL: http://links.jstor.org/sici?sici=0027-4631%28199221%2976%3A1%3C67%3ABMLTFS%3E2.0.CO%3B2-8 http://www.jstor.org LINKED CITATIONS - Page 2 of 2 - Analysing Popular Music: Theory, Method and Practice Philip Tagg Popular Music, Vol. 2, Theory and Method. (1982), pp. 37-67. Stable URL: http://links.jstor.org/sici?sici=0261-1430%281982%292%3C37%3AAPMTMA%3E2.0.CO%3B2-G
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