Rank: Tales From Topographic Oceans

(That's the same riff that De La have just looped on "The Grind Date" btw. Yes = fountain of all modern pop?)

some great quotes here, and an anguished hate-letter to the record from a big fan of the band

1.Miles Davis - Agharta
2.Soft Machine - Third
3.Miles Davis - Dark Magus
4.Lou Reed - Metal Machine Music
5.Tangerine Dream - Zeit
6.Yes - Tales From Topographic Oceans

"What, on the other hand, is the point of the boring, repetitive, aimless, extraneous music on Tales, other than to fill up each side of an album?"

The answer is Relayer.

I listened to this at work today and my neighbor said it sounded like a video game.

The 11 minute mark of Revealing is so : 0

http://wallpaperbackgrounds.com/Content/wallpapers/misc/unknown/tales-from-topographic-oceans-misc-35171.jpg

as certain as we walk today

I need to make a stronger dive into TFTO ("Constant doors will open eyes"), but the opening 20 seconds of "Nous Sommes Du Soleil" would be the most awesome "walking up to the plate" music for a baseball player ever. Hell, the only songs that I feel come close are "Timebomb" by The Old 97s, "1 Billion Dogs" by Jay Som, or "Queen" by Perfume Genius.

Tales has great moments throughout, though I mostly return to it for the "Nous sommes du soleil" moments on Ritual. I don't think it really detracts in their 70s career, nor that it is all that ridiculous, despite its symbolic image of the ivory tower of prog rock.
Another sun-explosive Yes moment is of course Awaken.

alternate truth / alternate view / surely surely