Yes, “Montreux’s Theme” from ‘Going For the One’ (bonus track, 1977): YESterdays

Yes’ Going For the One-era “Montreux’s Theme” is two and a half minutes of suspended joy.

The instrumental, recorded in late 1976 or early 1977 and written by Yes sans Rick Wakeman, builds on a jazzy Steve Howe electric guitar riff which is set in contrast to a prominent and equally jazzy Chris Squire bass pattern. Also prominent are Alan White’s accent cymbals, and touches of very restrained keyboards.

The song builds toward an opening verse that doesn’t materialize. According to Steve Howe in his liner notes from Anthology 2, “Montreux’s Theme” features Jon Anderson on rhythm guitar and no keyboards.

In any case, the song could have made a stirring intro to a Yes prog-epic. Too bad, we’ll have to be satisfied with the versions available on the second Howe anthology and on Going For the One, where Yes’ extended take served as a bonus track for the 2003 reissue.

YESterdays is a multi-writer, song-by-song feature that explores the unforgettable musical legacy of Yes. Click here for an archive of the series, which was founded by Preston Frazier.

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Preston Frazier

Preston Frazier is a bass-playing lawyer living in Atlanta. He is the author of 'Toto: The Band, Not the Dog,' a look at his favorite band. Frazier hosts the music-focused Slang of Ages Podcast and regularly writes about his favorite music on slangofages.com. He can be reached at [email protected]; follow him on Twitter: @slangofages.

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