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MAY 1998
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Source: Publiczny Dostep do Internetu
http://www.pdi.net/~eristic/yes/mind_drive_review.html
Yes: "Mind Drive": An Interpretative Review of the track from "Keys to Ascension 2"
By Christopher Currie
I remember a particular complaint voiced several months ago regarding "Awaken". Someone remarked that one point at which the song fails as a
composition is the "Farewell, farewell" section which, where you expect a climactic, emotionally charged upward movement, just dissolves and fades
instead, evoking the feeling of lacking, incompleteness, something missing or wasted. I also remember responding to the effect that the observation
was correct but the conclusion faulty: it is, IMO, the very point of the "Farewell" moment to bring up the feelings of loss, or deprivation, or
longing - this creates an unresolved tension there that is very much the tension of a real-life moment of a final "farewell".
In a similar vein, here's how and why the pieces of "Mind Drive" fall into place for me. This is not from the point of view of music theory but from
the perspective of how I'd go about interpreting the song if it were a Whitman poem and a.m.y. my Am-Lit class :) I will start by trying to derive
the "thrust" of the song from the lyrical content; following that, I will relate the thrust to the musical (structural) and emotional developments.
"Mind drive" is the process of reaching "ascension" and the force that propels consciousness towards the goal. I would interpret "Ascension"
itself as a "heightened" state of mind, that of artistic creation [see the "Ascend and create" section of lyrics]. Various metaphors are used to refer
to that desired state, for instance:
* "You get the heaven you need, you get to heaven now" in the opening part; also "bliss"
* variations on "dancing" (itself a graceful process of heightened awareness of the self and enjoyment)
* "whole[-ness]", a feeling or being completed or perfected, consummated. This is especially interesting, as it relates also to the composition
itself, picking its own parts and bringing them towards the final, though fleeting, state of perfection. The wholeness is also enlightenment: "For
the love of love / And the answers, too", purification: "They will bring the rain, / They will shine the light" and clear, unbiased perception:
"Through the eyes of child".
* "It will transfer you home" (the sought state is also the original place one comes from, associating comfort and familiarity)
A separate lyrical thread communicates the various prerequisites - conditions and actions required for the ascension to occur. These seem to
have both internal and external sources. For example:
* "Don't forget to seek out the world" (openness to the outside world, the theme of seeking common to Jon's lyrics)
* "Just as long as you have control, holding the fire" and "Just as long as you get to keep this point of your desire" (self-explanatory;
self-control, concentration and pursuit of the singular theme; compare also "pushing for the mind drive, drive", the concentrated effort, reinforced
through the repetition)
* "Wait as it will come to you" (not contradicting the conscious pursuit above, another condition for attaining ascension appears to be patience and
expectation, although there seems to be no element of chance involved: "it will come")
Such are the elements which combine to "create ascension". As the song illustrates the dynamic process of "ascending", let's now look at how it is
embedded in the general structure of the piece.
The first thing easily observed is that "Mind Drive" oscillates between high and low energy points; the high point being the "drive" (or
"ascension") theme; the low point, the meditative theme of relaxation
("they will being you rain" etc.). As such, this simplest organization mirrors both a common medidation-enhancing technique (breathing in and
holding the breath; breathing out, releasing the tension) and a prolonged physical or mental labor (brief periods of concentrated effort followed by
moments of relaxation).
Seen from a distant perspective, the whole song mirrors the process of ascension: after the introspective opening, we are given a flash - a hint -
of the "mind power", which the song becomes a process of regaining. Basically, "Mind Drive" moves in the upward direction throughout.
However, in "Mind Drive" this bare-bones order is tuned to an altogether finer structure. Two major points here:
1. What I've called the "relaxation" theme is by no means an emotional flat-line. Instead, it starts up slow and gentle ("They will bring you
rain") to gradually build up, gaining a little of the rhythmical energy of the "drive" theme ("Dancing on the moon, digging it out"). It then falls
back to the low energy stand-by level ("In the night of nights"), only to start the upward movement again ("Dancing, dancing moon").
When the relaxation theme returns later on in the song, it does so in a somewhat compressed form: it is shorter, slightly faster to begin with, and
marked by a more pronounced rhythm and some added vocal ornamentation.
A very primitive diagram of the structure of the relaxation theme might be drawn thus; with time on the vertical scale and with the length of the line
relative to the emotional or expressive energy:
==
==
===
====
=====
==
==
===
======
=======
=========
These are of course enclosed within the much more energetic "drive" lines,
not shown here. The point here is only to show, roughly, the smaller,
internal pulse (itself gaining in strength) that occurs within the major
pulse-based structure of the whole piece.
2. A yet unmentioned theme occurs prominently within the song at least
twice. It is first introduced as Steve Howe's opening, flowing guitar solo
and returns later in the "And so it comes to this now". Its use within the
composition is actually quite interesting: its first entry evokes a
pleasantly relaxing, reflective mood - with a touch of expectation, as the
sound texture fills with other instruments and the section proceeds ever so
gently towards the introduction of the "drive". As such it is perhaps not
particularly remarkable in itself, its sheer perfect beauty falling clearly
beyond the scope and expressive skills of this author's verbiage ;)
When this introductory theme returns, however, precisely in the middle of
the song, it reaches a whole different level of achievement, though. It
proceeds very slowly and so would appear to be the lowest energy point of
the whole song; yet in fact it bears an enormous emotional charge. Upon the
mild, yet slightly unsettling texture of keyboard washes and delicate bass
line, Steve Howe overlays his introverted guitar solo - similarly quieted
yet swayed by an undercurrent of unresolved tension. Anderson's vocal is,
too, powerful and restrained at the same time, and in the mix it seems to
be coming from afar, suggesting solitude. All these aspects together seem
too well-focused to be merely incidental.
The lyrics in this section are perhaps Jon's most masterful achievement
since "Awaken", as his expansive positive energy is kept in check by the
element of control mentioned before (control itself associates "drive" as
conscious guidance). Especially poignant - and poised! - is the "bliss that
/ holds down the fire" line. Control, restraint, are of critical importance
at this point for the ascending mind - this is the "entry" point, this is
where the ascension, previously only alluded to, properly begins. This is a
plateau, the final hold-back moment before the final effort leading to
culmination. (Note the relatively sharp percussion sounds immediately
following it: this is the "we're getting serious now, hold on" moment,
reinforced seconds later by the powerful keyboard+guitar duet in the
foreground.)
The "relaxation" theme returns, but this time for a short while only and in
an up-tempo variant, concluding with "entering the mind drive" and making
way for the culmination now.
I said "culmination" rather than climax on purpose. It has been remarked in
an earlier a.m.y. thread that "Mind Drive" seems devoid of a proper
climactic section - and, in a way, it is. However, this should not be taken
as a criticism, precisely the opposite is intended. Here is my attempt at
incorporating that aspect of the song into the bigger picture of the
composition.
When the "drive/ascension" theme is first introduced, it concludes with a
short section that does not reoccur when the theme itself returns at the
end of the song. This little chant, the simple, repetitive lyrical
construct, may in fact be used as the actual key to, well, ascension:
"Ascend and create,
ascend and create,
Ascend and create
Ascension!"
Ascension, in this light, is the process of attaining the goal, as well as
the goal in itself. The means is the end, there is no final "product". So
with the song: the final "ascension" section is not a newly created
component but a reworking of the original "ascension/drive" motive. This is
was far as you get; but now the original motive is embellished, richer and
more powerful than at the beginning (note the final keyboard solo). Hence,
perhaps, the feelings that the song has no well-defined climax: the song is
the climax, or rather, the seed of climax has been there from the very
start of the song, it is in no way separate from the process of attaining
it. A useful analogy might be made to the "bootstrap loading" process of
simply pulling oneself up, changing one's level or mode of operation, where
the resources come from and stay within - rather than pulling oneself up
towards a unity with something else (in that sense the drive is not sexual
and "Mind Drive" is evidently not a love song :) This idea is also
reinforced through am interesting qualifier used for describing the state
of ascension: "independently whole" - it seems opposite to the usual "one
with the universe" motive; "Mind Drive" accentuates self-containment and
self-sufficiency of the ascending mind.
There is nothing beyond it - just the infinite space in which the final
playful keyboard ditty vibrates and echoes. Mind drive is its own
gratification.
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