defend the indefensible: TALES FROM TOPOGRAPHIC OCEANS, by YES

like, i enjoyed it pretty much throughout, but uh

it's 7 hours long?

yep

jesus

defend the indefensible: TALES FROM TOPOGRAPHICAL OCEANS, by YEP

i mean...i normally enjoy a record more and more when i'm familiarised to its narrative...this is gonna take a bit more work than usual, but it's work i'm prepared to put in

Louis has never heard any Black Sabbath albums yet he will listen to tales from topographic oceans?

good luck louis. it's been years and years and years and i've never been able to feel all of tales . . . but side 2, side 2! that matches up with any of the other epics from around then. too bad they couldn't have edited the other sixty minutes down into something as enjoyable. still, give them points for ballsiness . . . i mean, an 80 minute long suite? that's ridiculous. and somebody was gonna do it so may as well have been them. and then bouncing back with an album as essential as relayer after going a little too far over the top with tales remains a pretty impressive move

This album is not at all bad.

It's a cliche, I know it, but this is like the ultimate example of an album that would have been a great single album. Actually, had this been a single album consisting only of side 1 and side 4, I would have ranked it as my favourite Yes album, ahead of "Close To The Edge". The parts in-between have their moments too, and this is a great album as is even, but they are a bit patchier than the first and last side and are dragging things down a bit.

I suppose Jon Anderson disagrees with me regarding the single album thing, but then, he is the only person in the entire world who understands the "concept" this album is supposed to be built upon.

I'd rather put on this album than Close to the Edge most of the time. This is the best Yes album to space out to. The atmosphere on this album is completely original and the music is talented.

9:10 into The Remembering (High the Memory) (part 2) is absolutely beautiful. Hell, there's a lot of stunning parts in that song like "out in the city running free" verses. And everytime a joyful/pop-like verse comes along on Topographic Oceans, it is always sung beautifully tot the accompaniment of amazing balearic-prog instrumentation.

The Ancient (Giants Under the Sun) (part 3) gets tons of points for its funkiness and percussion. The acoustic bit at the end (when Jon is singing) wins tons of points for evocation of hippie bliss.

I don't have to put up a case for any of this album, but part 1 is my favorite. Had part 2 and 3 never been created I would be sorely missing out on a great deal of Topographic Oceans (and part 2 might be better than part 4).

The Ancient (Giants Under the Sun) (part 3) gets tons of points for its funkiness and percussion.

I guess that is part of why I don't like it so much. Too much funk, too much emphasis on percussion. :)

figured I had to tackle this one sooner or later. I agree with 90% of this thread - it doesn't deserve its critical reputation. I was prepared to be put off by the sheer complexity or whatnot but in reality a lot of it is soft and melodic, occassionally rocking out (sadly not as much as i'd like), with some real poppy moments too. I don't think that it can be cut to one LP but I agree with the 60 minute suggestion - there's definitely some padding here (especially on "The Ancient", which is the side I'm not really sold on)

side two holds up with "close to the edge" and "gates of delirium". that's the only bit i ever go back to. that said, yes in general don't deserve their critical reputation

I was prepared to be put off by the sheer complexity or whatnot but in reality a lot of it is soft and melodic

This is the main issue I have with the album, in all honesty. I think of all of Yes' works up until Relayer, this album is the only one I could consider to be quite boring. There's some good ideas in there, but there's way too many parts that seem to meander and it just fails to hold my interest for very long. There's certainly nothing as catchy as 'Roundabout' on here, but nor is there any kind of full-on assault like 'Sound Chaser'.

I have a 7" single I believe to be the longest example of one (ROundabout/And you and i)

It's enough for me to know Yes and I are not going to be pals.

That's interesting: I didn't know those two songs were ever released on the same single. They're from different albums. I thought "Long Distance Runaround" was the B-side of "Roundabout"?

Yeah, both sides play at 33, and "And you and i" is the a-side..

.. it's a UK pressing.

There's certainly nothing as catchy as 'Roundabout' on here, but nor is there any kind of full-on assault like 'Sound Chaser'.

I think the catchy/more ferocious bits are there but they're used a lot more sparingly - TfTO is really more about atmospherics in that regard. In fact I think my one major gripe about this album is that Squire's bass isn't turned far up enough, as he gets a lot of great bits that are just straight up hard to hear.

http://www.discogs.com/Yes-And-You-And-I-Roundabout/release/2307699

The full unedited versions of both too, it seems!

that must sound like garbage!

YES RULES

noodle vague OTM

I can't imagine any Yes fan not grooving the hell out of the bit 13 minutes into "The Remembering"...the "relayeeeerrrr" bit

Feels like it takes an eternity before that bit crops up.

an eternity in a roger dean coverscape

I think some of the parts in the first track are among the best things they ever did.

This bit...

"Skyline teacher
Warland seeker
Send out poison
Cast iron leader"

...is astonshing and I wish the song had developed that part more, they could have made an incredible entire album based around variations of that part.

I agree with Rick Wakeman that the album has great parts but is mostly filled with padding, he says they were overeager to fill space of 4 vinyl sides. The band and many fans have said that they reworked the songs for live performances in the 80s or 90s(?) and onward and that those versions are much better.

I'm curious/excited/worried about Jon Anderson's newest thing. He wanted to do a sprawling sequel to Olias that is possibly going to be 3 hours long. But he has been releasing it in parts as digital singles; the reception to the first parts has been mixed but promising.

I've always wanted to hear prog albums that were several hours long because the uninformed cliche was that prog bands do incredibly long albums (but they really arent any longer than a regular rock bands and double albums arent really that common) and that idea excited me because I love enormous epic music. Easier said than done, TftTO is a classic example of not having enough good parts to fill all that time.

this thread got me checkin out the yes cds in fopp today but they wanted just a bit too much for my stingy pocket (ie £5 for fragile when i only wanted to pay £3) - so i contented myself w/ reading prindle's yes page instead, didn't realise what a gigantic fan he was of em - got me regretting i didn't pick up some of those cds now oh well

only yes fan i know thought it was all over after time and a word (their second alb?) - i sampled a side of it once and didn't get on w/ it but we shall see...

I agree with Rick Wakeman that the album has great parts but is mostly filled with padding, he says they were overeager to fill space of 4 vinyl sides. The band and many fans have said that they reworked the songs for live performances in the 80s or 90s(?) and onward and that those versions are much better.

i wouldn't say "mostly" - again I'd be much in favor of a 60 minute version of this (which may rank up with the best of Yes's work, really), and yes the live versions certainly do rule (the insane take on "Ritual" on Yessongs is probably their wildest moment outside of Relayer.

only yes fan i know thought it was all over after time and a word (their second alb?) - i sampled a side of it once and didn't get on w/ it but we shall see...

now this is a truly weird opinion - Time and a Word is an interesting artifact and I think "No Experience Necessary..." is sort of a precursor to Squire's awesome running bass sound - but I dunno if I'd count someone who thinks The Yes Album as being their downfall a real Yes fan, so to speak

I did find it amusing that Prindle loved these guys, while Starostin was a bit indifferent

the title track may be their best early track besides "survival" but yeah the yes album is the one to start with. shine your wings, forward to the sun

Relayer still remains my go-to disc whenever I want a Yes fix.

have come fully around to the Noodle Vague worldview re: Awaken being their finest hour

NONETHELESS, The Yes Album is their best album (by far) and Gates Of Delirium is also wonderful. And You And I is much, much better than Close To The Edge, is that album's problem

i have no problem with any moment on that album. it is all one long wondrous khatru

i think CTTE is quite ponderous myself. the first 2 minutes and the bit immediately after the quiet organ passage with the insane videogame bass are superlative but i find myself loving the rest less and less. but there's a lot of YES and everyone's bound to have their favourites

i have no problem with any moment on that album. it is all one long wondrous khatru

― reggie (qualmsley), Tuesday, July 16, 2013 10:22 PM (10 minutes ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

God yeah, Close To The Edge is devoid of filler IMO.

favorite passage in CTTE -- after wakeman's church organ solo and then it goes all math into the fourth movement. the sound between the notes relates the color to the scenes! holy shit!

well yeah that bit is a masterpiece, just amazing music. whole song shudda been like it really. kinda explains why i'm shifting more towards magma in my old age

Now that it's all over and done
Now that you find, now that you're whole

*sexy bass groove*

seasons will pass you by
now that you're fine, now that you're whole

Does anyone truly believe that Jon Anderson "gets down", though?

Anyone else think Tormato is seriously underrated? I watched the Classic Artists Yes documentary (about 4 hours long) and heard parts of it, wondering why the members barely said much about it (Relayer is also not talked about much at all)because the clips sounded so catchy.
I bought the version with the bonus tracks and I think it is tremendous fun, and although I wouldnt call it their 3rd best album, it is the one I'm 3rd most likely to play (but I only have Yes Album, Fragile, CLose To The Edge, TotTO, Relayer, Going For The One, Tormato and Magnification, so I've got a lot to catch up on, hope it will be worth it). I might be wrong but I feel as if the cover and the title have made people have a certain attitude to it (the cover actually doesnt bother me much)but it's so much fun!

Yeah, I've noticed the band members seldom talk about Relayer. I'm really unsure as to why. I mean, sure it's the only Yes studio album to feature Patrick Moraz, but from what I've read he was brought into the recording long after the material for the record has been written, and just fitted his parts around what was already there? I dunno, I just can't think of a reason why they wouldn't go into much detail over an album which is very much a fan favourite.

depends which incarnation of the band is being interviewed i guess, their inter-relationships seem more fractious and subject to politics than most

It was the the entire history of band members apart from Rabin interviewed individually, only 4 or 5 years ago. I've heard the some members say it is a crowning achievement, or at least "Gates Of Delirium" (which really dominates most peoples thoughts of the album). It is a pretty good documentary, there is some brutal honesty, Bruford says the present version of the band may as well be a tribute band, Tony Kaye has an unpleasant story to tell about the live Yes Union gigs (which includes meeting Billy Connoly) which other members insist didnt happen the way Kaye remembers and a sound tech guy mocks their 80s pop era.

That legendary quote from Rick Wakeman about how Union should have been called Onion springs to mind... "because it made (him) cry"... heh heh heh...

Sorry I meant Peter Banks, not Tony Kaye.

I was that at LA show on the Union tour where the Peter Banks story took place. Weird gig, but all eight playing on "Awaken" was pretty transcendent.

Anyone else think Tormato is seriously underrated? I watched the Classic Artists Yes documentary (about 4 hours long) and heard parts of it, wondering why the members barely said much about it (Relayer is also not talked about much at all)because the clips sounded so catchy.

it's really an odd duck. it's their first album since Time and a Word that keeps things relatively short (or - nothing over 8 minutes!) and it definitely feels like an attempt to modernize their sound in some really weird and clueless ways. there are a lot of chirpy melodies, a straight good times rock n' roll song ("Release, Release"), and "Arriving UFO", which is one of the most unintentionally hilarious songs ever. plus "Circus of Heaven", equally bizarre. Oooh, and they attempt disco too, and it's every bit as terrible as you can imagine. it really is the sound of a band that either tried to reach a new audience and fell on its face, or just one that wanted to just toss something off that was different from the sidelongs they'd been doing for their last four albums. It actually is quite catchy in spots - the first and last tracks are classic Yes, and the more "off" tunes are at least mighty entertaining. I like it!

What they did say in the doc was that the concept was to do an album with no unified thread, and that was the reason for the back cover with all band members looking in a different direction. I think they had mixed feelings about that in retrospect but I would have liked a few more albums like that.

this album rules and everyone who hates it sucks

― american bradass (BradNelson), Wednesday, August 7, 2019 8:32 AM (four years ago) bookmarkflaglink

she's still right

This is easily a top 50 of all time for me and by far my favorite Yes album

I like the 2003 mix of this (with the two minutes or so of tweedling at the beginning, before the vocals come in).

That two minutes is CRUCIAL!

Originally omitted from the LP at Ahmet Ertegun's request, as if a little bit of atmospheric guitar and wind sounds would be the final straw for the Yes audience.
With that intro intact, there is a mirror image of the last seconds of the album; though there's something to be said for the drama of the LP version, starting right with the vocal.

I heard the dramatic start-from-zero version first, but I still like the 2003 version better.