SOUL GRABBING!! YES - AWAKEN REACTION 

I adore watching you react to Yes. You get it!! It moves your soul. Too many people don’t even give Yes a chance. They stop at Pink Floyd, and think that’s the top of the hill. It’s not. Not downing PF, just putting Yes where they belong.

The 3-minute buildup before the final verse is probably the most powerful piece of Prog Rock (and Rock in general) ever created. No sampling, no Autotune, no drum machines. Just sheer talent on the highest level. I saw Yes perform this epic twice at Madison Square Garden in August of 1977. It's very satisfying to see it appreciated today. Thanks for posting. 👍🎶

I'm not a very spiritual person, but this song has always brought me closer to the very nature of our universe than I can ever hope to attain. Pure, shameless ear and soul candy.

Here I am again, holding back the tears 💖 such joyous music. It is other worldly

One of the best songs ever composed. It doesn’t get any better than this. Thanks for understanding.

Yeah, your a Yes fan. Welcome.

“High vibrations go on”…. My favorite words…means that I will be going on a musical journey!

"Like the time I ran away And turned around And you were standing close to me" has to be one of the most beautiful lyrics ever written. So glad you liked the song!

Decades ago I was working in a office. One the ladies there always had the local classical music station playing in her office all the time. I walked by and heard Awaken by Yes. I stopped in my tracks. Wow, Yes being played on the radio on a classical station!

This is what 5 Virtoso musicians can create ! Can we get to heaven being mere mortals Yes says YES we can be there. Chris Squire plays a 3 neck bass in live performances! amazing

Such a beautiful journey - spiritual, ethereal, majestic, controlled power, stark periods of near-silence with those angelic percussions and layers of weaving instruments and Jon Anderson's crystal clear, angelic voice shining through. A masterpiece! My favourite Yes piece...marginally!

Yes music will outlive us all. Centuries from now, in some off-world colony, they will still be listening to YES, and watching YES concerts in 16K holographic displays with multi-channel sound. This is what they mean by CLASSIC ROCK, and classical music. We still listen to music for strings, piano, vocal, and brass and woodwinds, from centuries ago Europe.. Good art stands the test of Time, and Jon Anderson is a living legend, a gift from Creation to us Earth-humans. Long live YES!

You've fallen into the YES rabbit hole my man, don't expect to ever get out.

Mr. Rick Wakeman! One of the finest pianists of the 20th & 21st century. He recorded the church organ in an actual cathedral 10 miles from the studio. They recorded him via telephone lines. Have seen it numerous times live and he is incredible. Check out some of his solo stuff…and he’s still touring!

Strongly recommended from the same album: Turn of the Century. Beautifull!!

Yes blows my head off every time! And it gives me goosebumps!

My soul leaped for joy when I heard this masterpiece in 1977. I played this day and night and 44 years later I still get goosebumps. Jon's ethereal voice and lyrics, Wakeman's keyboards, Howe's guitar together with Squire's bass and White's rhythmic drumming take you to a higher level of awareness.

Back in the 70s we thought they were from another planet

Even though I’m an atheist I find this song is divine and heavenly.

One the most intense masterpiece ever conceived of human being ,not only of Yes group,no doubt,and i'am a huge fan of Genesis and ELP,but this track is something of special for my taste and for my soul,soooooooooo heavenly,i cry every time i listen that masterpiece,thanks sooooo much this bunch of genius.from Treviso Italy Cattarin Luciano

🙏Amen, best there is, YES.

Like the time I ran away, turned around and you were standing close to me. I think of a very young child running away and their parents following to protect them. The best line in the song to me. For you it may be something quite different and that is the glorious thing about this song.

I appreciate you. As Nancy Johnson says, "you get it", you understand and connect to the true masters of music of our generation. Jon Anderson, Steve Howe, Rick Wakeman and all other mates that have contributed to the genius of Yes. They've given us such an escape to explore our inner most being to connect to the soul of the spirit of music. It is so comforting to see the youth travel back in time to appreciate what we grew up on and understand what it is that shaped our lives and soul. Love, love, love.

😊 You say it should be played In Heaven-when I believe Jon is trying to reach people to be Awakened to a higher power…beyond what we perceive as mortals…So it’s his song to bring the audience and listeners to a higher sense of awareness that there is …More❤

Nothing by them or anyone else in rock draws from the tradition of classical sacred music as powerfully. They take it into modernity and beyond. Exultant and cosmic waves of counterpoint and cascades of shivering geometric overtones permeate. After they sing "farewell," and even though the piece is beyond any single faith, the organ benediction and recessional is an evocative nod to the Christian musical tradition of their education, training, and youth. The overpowering climax that follows summons the classical tradition of symphonic sacred masterworks and then looks beyond. The counterpoint is of a different nature than that of Master J.S. Bach, but no less powerful. Good reaction, Pope! You made an old musician happy... In the old days, it was a great joy to invite friends to come and turn on to 'new' music together. Though I knew them and I don't know you, your vibe is true. Stay on the journey. "Life without music is a mistake!" "Master of soul Set to touch All impenetrable youth Ask away That thought be contact With all that's clear Be honest with yourself There's no doubt No doubt"

you nailed it... a song to be played in heaven.. and I've been listening to it since 1977... and now you are experiencing it across 40 years... how about that...

i bought this album in 1977 and it still is one of my favourites

The absolute pinnacle of music-making in the last half-century at least. I can't think of anything more Majestic

POPENYCO - you do the best reactions to YES of all the people who react . You get it !

Honestly, I want this song at my funeral. It's such a celebration of wonder

Prog on brother

11:13 - 12:50 siempre siento que jon esta orando al cielo y explicando la belleza, la locura, la grandeza de la vida, tambien veo tristeza de que si fuera todo diferente a como esta el mundo hoy. esa seccion de la cancion que al final steve rompre con su solo de guitarra es una de las armonias vocales y musicales mas hermosas que la musica nos ha regalado, siempre toca mi alma y me hace llorar. yes forever. gracias por tu reaccion..

the organ church sound is just….aweeeeeeessssoooommmmmeeeeee!

Many a fan have stated this song brought them to God. It's a masterpiece.

"If I have ever heard a song that was meant to be played in heaven..." YES!!! Right on, man!

Chris Squire plays a 3 neck bass live ! this is a masterpiece ! can we be in heaven if we are mere mortals ? This is what 5 virtuoso musicians can create.

I was a preteen when I first heard this; blew my little mind! I'm so glad 💖

In a fairly short period of time, you’ve developed a really good understanding and appreciation of prog rock It’s a great credit to you and I continue to enjoy watching your journey unfold 🙂

May the Source bless you Jon Anderson and your voice, and whoever wrote this

The most uplifting music ever. Thank you Jesus! and Yes.

I would've loved to been in that Swiss church when Rick Wakeman shook it's floorboards recording that amazing pipe organ. No synthesizer could come close....

You´re right, music for heaven. Wakeman plays a church organ 30 miles away from the studio! Incredible! Now you need to react The Revealing Science of God and The Remembering...where the ends meet

Another absolute MASTERPIECE from Yes. You need to just let this song flow over you and enjoy where it takes you! Thanks for posting it man, you are batting 100% with Yes.

This is probably their Masterwork even though there are others. The culmination of relentless recording and touring and Wakemans return. This is a Masterpiece. These sound even more amazing as time passes or as we pass through it, Happy Holidays to all!

Awaken. One of YES' many masterpieces. I feel it's the best song ever made by any band ever. Just magical!

This songs beginning sounds like Heaven..... 45 years later, and it still gives me chills... Anderson is the best Prog Rock Vocalist of all time!!! Derek Schulman of Gentle Giant might be the runner up.. WE=mc2

Musical perfection. A better piece of music has never been written, and executed.

Heavenly. That's a good way to describe it. You got it right on target. It's a spiritual masterpiece. The lyrics, the vocals, the grandiose music, the church organ, it's perfect. I think God must have inspired this creation.

in some interview Jon Anderson says his performance of "Awaken" with Todmobile is one his favorites - check it out, Jon Anderson + Todmobile, it's really outstanding ("Awaken", "Roundabout", and one or two more iirc)

Pope, very close to the same reaction I had when I first bought this album when it came out in 1977. I was 17 years old. Otherworldly. Then of course I went to my third Yes concert ( I had seen the 75 and 76 shows beforehand), the first day of school to see them do this live, also in 1977. The people in the Milwaukee high schools just loved this stuff when it came out. No Party ever said no to YES. Rock On!

And then you finnally reach a place of beauty and wonders to stay there beyond time beyond anything known. Spirits sharing the Very Source in this masterpiece

This bass is absolutely insane

Yes was a 70s rock band with 4 of the top notch musicians. For a rock band their compositions were also symphonic. Very different from other bands. They put on a great concert

Indeed, the music of Yes does grab you and it will NEVER let you go. It will be a touchstone for you from here on out. Not all music needs to aspire to this, but Yes music will be a benchmark, a bar by which you will assess much other music. Welcome to the family.

I notice that you are listening to these selections on earbuds. That certainly accentuates the separation, but Awaken is one from the YES repertoire that benefits from being played through high quality speakers properly placed in a room that accommodates substantial volume. In that environment, the music will, to quote from another YES classic, "rearrange your liver to the solid mental grace". You will feel it in your gut as the walls, the air and your entire body all resonate together.

awaken is a miracle

What an Amazing song from Yes....There is So much going on in this song....A True Musical Masterpiece....A Timeless Song for The Ages.

Used to lay in my room as a teen with headphones listening to this album and that song in particular over and over 🤗❤

Best band, ever. Period.

Yes is great band excellent reaction greetings from COSTARICA 🇨🇷

you ever cry and feel happy? this song has done it to me

Imagine if Mozart, Beethoven, Bach, etc. we’re alive today!!! They’d be writing stuff just like this!!! Enjoy your trip down the rabbit hole!!!😀

Sometimes tears flow when I listen to this song. It's all good.

"Meant to be played in heaven." Your words young man and well said. Thank you for your heartfelt and deeply genuine reaction to a piece of music that did the same to me over 40 years ago.

So glad you did it this way. Now and only now, it's time for 'Gates of Delirium'. Remember, it's a musical representation of Tolstoy's 'War and Peace' in 3 parts. Preparation for batlle, the battle itself and the aftermath of the battle. Enjoy 😊

That is singer Jon Anderson playing the harp. You need to watch the live version from Montreux 2003. Pure perfection! The thumbnail photo for the video shows keyboardist Rick Wakeman in a sequined cape.

Haha!! Listen to "Gates of Delirium". That's a journey to "War and Peace ", from which you’ll never come back!!

Magical isn't it.. first time I saw this live, I had the chills the whole time (1977-LA Forum)

My eyes are full of tears of joy.

So very happy to see your reaction to this, as I too had the same reaction when I first heard Awaken in 1977 (back in my early 20's). Like most all of Yes's music, the more you listen to it, the more you'll like it. It's a joyful journey of discovery as you become more familiar with each instrument in each song. After 50 years of listening and seeing many live shows, I still enjoy Yes's music as I have from the start. Welcome to the world of Yes! May you enjoy it as well for the next 50 years!!

Still enjoy it myself like you after 50 years of knowing this music!

I love the way powerful music literally moves you. You listen with your whole body and soul. You have the gift 😊

Absolutely sublime no more to say

Negli anni 70 si sperimentava e la cultura musicale era immensa. Gli Yes sono il mio gruppo preferito da sempre ma c'erano anche i Genesis, i Jethro Tull, i Pink Floyd, ma anche musicisti italiani come la PFM, il Banco del mutuo soccorso, le orme e tanti tanti altri. Bravo Pope. Continua così a regalarci queste perle

It is a real joy for this 59 year old to watch your young brain cells frying in some kind of painful ecstasy as you suffer the mind bending task of unraveling the staggeringly wonderful and relentless onslaught of perfectly tangled genius ideas!! 👍

An epic beautiful masterpiece is Awaken. I can tell you really dug it. It gets into your skin, your soul. Is good stuff yes.

I am having this song played at my celebration of life ceremony!!

After listening to this song for over 40 years, I have not yet heard a song that can lift me closer to God than this one can. If it doesn't touch your heart then nothing will. Popenyco, you have been touched. It is hard to believe that it was written and recorded by mere mortals.

Soul music comes in many forms, including Yes.

My favorite Yes song.

I loved your reaction. So fitting for this masterpiece.

I can't get enough of the RU-vid videos of people reacting to Awaken for the first time. I only wish I could go back in time and witness my response when I first heard it. Without a doubt, one of the greatest prog masterpieces of all time. 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 all being Past all mortal as we Here we can be (He can be here) (Be here now) Here we can be Suns | High | Streams | Through Awaken gentle mass touch (Gentle mass touch) Awaken gentle mass touch (Gentle mass touch) Strong | Dreams | Reign | Here Awaken gentle mass touch (Gentle mass touch) Awaken gentle mass touch (Gentle mass touch) Awaken gentle mass touch (Star | Song) Star | Song | Age | Less Awaken gentle mass touching (Gentle mass touch) Awaken gentle mass touching (Gentle mass touch) Awaken gentle mass touching Touching... Touching... Touching... Workings of man Set to ply out historical life Reregaining the flower of the fruit of his tree All awakening All restoring you 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 Workings of man Driven far from the path Rereleased in inhibitions So that all is left for you All is left for you All is left for you All is left for you NOW... Master of images Songs cast a light on you Hark thru dark ties That tunnel us out of sane existence In challenge as direct As eyes see young stars assemble Master of light All pure chance As exists cross divided In all encircling mode Oh closely guided plan Awaken in our heart Master of soul Set to touch All impenetrable youth Ask away That thought be contact With all that's clear Be honest with yourself There's no doubt No doubt Master of time Setting sail Over all our lands And as we look Forever closer Shall we now bid Farewell farewell... 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 Like the time I ran away Turned around and you were standing close to me Like the time I ran away Turned around and you were standing close to me

Ladies and gentlemen Chris Squire and Yes the greatest show on earth. Saw Yes 36 times. This symphonic piece will last for centuries. I think you should get into their rock and roll tunes and u should start with Release Release off Tormato. Enjoy the ride!

Soul Grabbing indeed. I must have reacted to this masterpiece very similar to the way you did all these years ago when I first heard it. Your appreciation of this music was a joy and a pleasure to watch. One of my favourite RU-vid reactions EVER.

Hey, I just remembered something. You are definitely someone who will also enjoy Yes's 1973 album "Tales from Topographic Oceans". A concept album (2 LP's) in which each side of the record is a song. Critics find it too lengthy, but I take off into other worlds every time I hear it.

Best adjective ever for this masterpiece. Heavenly. You nailed it.

One of my concert bests. 1979 in Toronto. In the Round Tour.

Okay, I commented on Long Distance Runaround and said I'm glad you heard it, but I take that back, I'm glad you heard THIS.

Rick Wakeman on keyboards. Check out Rick Wakeman live in Buenos Aires, and the song 'Merlin the Magician' during which he does a handheld keyboard duel with his son, Adam. It is awesome.

As inspired as any works by Handel or Bach. This is awesome and uplifting art. Few other contemporaries can hit the spiritual highs of Yes. in its best years.

You brought tears to my eyes when I saw your reaction to first hearing John's voice.

Discovered Yes in the 80's but treasure the music they made in the 70's. It is, as you say, timeless and remains fresh after many decades of hearing it.

this is one of favorite Songs , first hear it back in 77 at 20 years old ............

BORN AGAIN, ROCK 💫❤️💯🔥🇺🇸🙏🌞☀️

For you to enjoy this music so thoroughly and enthusiastically shows me you have a sophisticated musical ear and that you appreciate complex and challenging music. . Well done. .

Okay, you are ready for The Gates of Delirium, I can't wait to see your response. It has intense dynamic extremes, it shows a more aggressive side and also some of the most sublime and beautiful moments of their whole career. A close second to Close To The Edge.

To see someone else *get* this TITAN of a tune is the best. Nothing makes me feel like this piece of music does.

Definitely in my top five songs ever recorded...

These are the songs we learned as kids reading the lyrics on the sleeve, blowing out the speakers til the windows burst.

Exactly! You get it. Try the rest of that album, it's all amazing.