Three years had passed since the group's last work, (“Relayer”, 1974), years that each member of the band would dedicate to their solo projects, as well as serving in a way as a detox from so many years of subsequent albums and tours. This time provided them with a well-deserved rest and allowed them to reorganize their ideas for their next recordings.
While on the previous “Relayer”, the band opted for only three extensive tracks, with inaccessible and experimental sounds, for this occasion Yes resorted to a structure of shorter tracks, with the exception of the suite “Awaken”.
Another highlight was the return of keyboardist Rick Wakeman, who came back after his solo ventures with mixed results. Therefore, the classic lineup (Anderson, Howe, Wakeman, White, and Squire) recorded together again almost four years after the double album "Tales From Topographic Oceans" in 1973. Musically, it also marked a departure from the epic instrumental developments of previous works, leaving behind the pomp, thick, enveloping textures, and grand soundscapes in favor of a more rhythmic and spontaneous sound, and more varied influences, including subtle elements of jazz, rock, and funk. This shift towards modernization is even reflected in the cover art, which, for the first time since the distant "Fragile", departs from the mysticism and fantasy of Roger Dean, this time designed by Hignopsis in a futuristic style. For the recording of this album, the band traveled to Switzerland, to Mountain Studios in Montreux and to St. Martin's Church in Vervey, where the organ parts for the tracks "Parallels" and "Awaken" were recorded. The final result is a more accessible and less pretentious sound, as demonstrated by the exquisite "Wonderous Stories", while the rhythmic "Going For The One" and "Parallels" showcase the substantial shift in the group's new sound. Meanwhile, the atmospheric "Turn Of The Century", along with the sensational "Awaken", represents the album's most progressive moments, both a clear nod to such emblematic works as "Close To The Edge", "Relayer", and "Tales From Topographic Oceans".
