The Story of I

After the success of Relayer, Yes next made a decision that each member would make a solo album. The Story of I is the first solo album by Patrick Moraz. By the time the album was released, Moraz was still touring with Yes, but he was let go by the band in late 1976, during the Going for the One recording sessions in Switzerland. The album is based around a story, written by Moraz himself, of a massive tower in the middle of a jungle. The tower lures people from all over the world to go inside it because it is the only place where they can fulfill their dreams and ambitions. Those who enter the tower are faced with increasingly difficult challenges as they ascend, and their emotions and experiences are broadcast for the entertainment of those who remain outside the building. All those who enter must ascend until they reach the top, where attendants push them out onto a diving board to dive to their deaths. Their bodies are then reconstituted inside a similar underground building where, according to the story "the reconstituted diver will experience the inverse of the previous conditions." However, a variation of the norm occurs: Two people in the tower fall in love and decide to take the final dive together. As the lovers step off the diving board, they are carried off by their love and vanish into the skies. Since the album's title cannot be typed on any standard keyboard, it has come to be known as The Story of I. The origin of this title is unclear, since the phrase "The Story of I" does not appear on the album or its packaging. Moraz received the inspiration for the album's concept while riding an elevator in a newly built hotel in the United States. The text of the album's story in fact initially calls the fictional building a hotel. Moraz wrote the story as an allegory for life and the afterlife. Moraz invited Robert Moog (inventor of the Moog synthesizer, which Moraz had used extensively through his career) to the recording sessions, and Moog spent three weeks with Moraz, making considerable contributions to the synthesizer sounds used on the album. ==Reception==

The Story of I was chosen as the album of the year by Keyboard Magazine. Allmusics retrospective review praised the album's blending of styles, finding in the various tracks "hints of funk and marimba, Caribbean and South American styles, and even flamenco, all guided by Moraz's whirlwind keyboard playing." They also made special note of Andy Newmark's drumming and the strong variety of instruments, and concluded, "The Story of I is a refreshing twist from this progressive craftsman and can sincerely be appreciated by all audiences." ==Track listing==

As explained by the liner notes, the album is broken up into 14 tracks for the listener to more easily follow along with the concept, but consists of a single song. Some of the tracks are further divided into sub-sections. The song's music and the French lyrics on the "Intermezzo" section were written by Patrick Moraz, and the English lyrics were written by John McBurnie. {{Track listing :a. "Impact" (3:31) :b. "Warmer Hands" (3:31) :c. "The Storm" (0:52) :d. "Cachaça (Baião)" (4:07) :e. "Intermezzo" (2:49) :f. "Indoors" (3:44) ::I. "Interaction" (1:37) ::II. "Imps' Dance" (2:07) :g. "Best Years of Our Lives" (3:59) :h. "Descent" (1:43) :i. "Incantation (Procession)" (1:51) (includes a brief piece of a field recording of Amazon Indian music) :j. "Dancing Now" (4:38) :k. "Impressions (The Dream)" (2:49) :l. "Like a Child in Disguise" (4:05) :m. "Rise and Fall" (5:34) ::I. "Degenerescence of Love Theme No III" (0:41) ::II. "Magic Preparation Dance" (1:24) ::III. "The Last Call to Destiny" (1:10) ::IV. "The Final Push from the Imps onto the Diving Board" (2:19) :n. "Symphony in the Space" (2:56) ==Personnel==

• Patrick Moraz – keyboards, backing vocals, alpine horn, marimbaphone, additional percussion, arrangements, orchestrations, production • John McBurnie – lead vocals • Vivienne McAuliffe – lead and backing vocals • Ray Gomez – electric guitars • Auguste De Anthony – acoustic and electric guitars • Jeff Berlin – bass • Alphonse Mouzon – drums (a–g) • Andy Newmark – drums (h–n) • Jean-Luc Bourgeois – gongs, tam-tams • Jean Ristori – engineer, cello, acoustic string bass • Philippe Staehli – tympanis, percussion • Rene Moraz – tap dance, castanets • Chris Penycate – engineer ;The Percussionists of Rio de Janeiro • Gilson de Freitas – leader • Paulinho Braga – drums • Hermes – tumba • Chico Batera – various percussion • Gordinho and Claudio – surdos • Bezerra – corte • Doutor – ripique • Nenem – cuica • Jorginho – pandeiro • Wilson – ganzá • Geraldo Sabino – frigideira • Risadinha – reco-reco • Jorge Garcia – agogo • Marcal, Luna, and Elizeu – tambourines ==Charts==

• Sections of the album were used as background music in the first radio series of The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, e.g. Cachaça (Baião) used as a loop behind the news bulletin about Zaphod Beeblebrox stealing the Heart of Gold spaceship in Fit The Second. ==Notes==