Tales From Topographic Oceans

[MasterCylinder]

I've been listening (a lot) lately to the old release from YES...............a remastered version that sounds very nice. I remember buying this album upon it's first entrance into the US during January of 1974.
I had seen YES play live during 1973 with new drummer Alan White and was excited to obtain their next release.............not that I didn't miss Bruford.

Remember the double album vinyl release with four songs ?

Disc 1
1. "The Revealing Science of God (Dance of the Dawn)" 20:25
2. "The Remembering (High the Memory)" 20:38
Disc 2
3. "The Ancient (Giants under the Sun)" 18:35
4. "Ritual (Nous sommes du soleil)" 21:37


Here is a quote from Steve Howe :

"Side one was the commercial or easy-listening side of Topographic Oceans, side two was a much lighter, folky side of Yes, side three was electronic mayhem turning into acoustic simplicity, and side four was us trying to drive the whole thing home on a biggie."

My take :
Tracks 2 & 4 = good;
Track 3 = atrocious;
Track 1 = beautiful : the saviour of the whole album.

Critics did not like this "mess"...........some say this is the thing that drove Wakeman away.

[Mr MidFi]

Interesting. I know this album's history and reputation pretty well... but oddly enough, I don't think I've ever listened to any of it. Not even a little bit.

Maybe I'll pick it up the next time I'm at my local used record store, and give it a whirl. Why not?

[ForeverAutumn]

Interesting. I know this album's history and reputation pretty well... but oddly enough, I don't think I've ever listened to any of it. Not even a little bit.


Same here. Which is pretty amazing when you consider that my brother is one of the biggest Yes fans on the planet. I should give it a whirl as well.

[MasterCylinder]

Interesting. I know this album's history and reputation pretty well... but oddly enough, I don't think I've ever listened to any of it. Not even a little bit.

Maybe I'll pick it up the next time I'm at my local used record store, and give it a whirl. Why not?

It's pretty far out there -- based on the Shastric scriptures -- see below :

The album's concept, a two-disc, four-piece work of symphonic length and scope (based on the Shastric scriptures, as found in a footnote within Paramahansa Yogananda's book Autobiography of a Yogi), was their most ambitious to date. The four songs of the album symbolise (in track order) the concepts of Truth, Knowledge, Culture, and Freedom, the subjects of that section of text. According to drummer Bill Bruford in his autobiography (p. 72), former King Crimson percussionist Jamie Muir introduced vocalist Jon Anderson to Paramahansa Yogananda's work during Bruford's wedding reception in March 1973.

Be prepared to hear 1973 analog instruments and recording technology.
Personally, for me, I love the sound of the mini-Moog.

[Mr MidFi]

iTunes has 90-second samples of all 4 movements, for a total of 6 minutes. Based on that (admittedly) small sample size, my initial impression is... kinda interesting, actually. Better than expected.

[3LB]

Never heard of the album or the band.

Did they ever do anything else?

[BarryL]

My first Yes album was Yessongs, and then comes Tales. I was 14 yrs old. I loved it, especially sides 1 and 4. It was great as an album with four sides. You got 20 minutes of outrageous, incredible, mind-blowing experimental music. And it was almost worth the price just for the cover art!

Given how badly the album was panned, it could have been the end of the road for Yes, but it turned out to be the test run for perhaps their most audacious album ever, Relayer and the 20 minutes of war, chaos, and tranquility that was The Gates of Delirium.

Too bad the boys don't have much of this experimental curiousity left, although Anderson recently released a 20 minute concoction of questionable coherence under his name on iTunes called Open. I give him credit for following his muse, although the vocals are pretty shaky.

[MasterCylinder]

Never heard of the album or the band.

Did they ever do anything else?




NO !

Sincerely,
YECH

[MasterCylinder]

My first Yes album was Yessongs, and then comes Tales. I was 14 yrs old. I loved it, especially sides 1 and 4. It was great as an album with four sides. You got 20 minutes of outrageous, incredible, mind-blowing experimental music. And it was almost worth the price just for the cover art!

Given how badly the album was panned, it could have been the end of the road for Yes, but it turned out to be the test run for perhaps their most audacious album ever, Relayer and the 20 minutes of war, chaos, and tranquility that was The Gates of Delirium.

Too bad the boys don't have much of this experimental curiousity left, although Anderson recently released a 20 minute concoction of questionable coherence under his name on iTunes called Open. I give him credit for following his muse, although the vocals are pretty shaky.

Hello Barry :

Back in the day, I was a huge fan.
Beginning with the Yes Album, then Fragile, Close to the Edge, Tales, and finally, Relayer, this time period was, in my opinion, the best of the best.

While in music school, I actually transcribed TO BE OVER for a 12-piece percussion ensemble..........it truly turned out wonderful............my director had never heard it (of course) but thought it was a nice piece of work............we used it in our recitals that year (1977).

[3LB]

Classic Yes was my first Yes album (cassette). My first album proper was 90125. It was only until 10 years ago that started delving into the classic albums.

There is a languid beauty about Tales, but by the same token, its just too damn long. There are some gorgeous moments on this album, and save for one track, its a decent listen. I can visit this album only one track at a time now. Ritual is my fave track but even that one needs whittling down. Its a great live track, even with that percussion section that serves no real purpose, other than them wanting it there. Its typical of the padding that this album has. The Remembering and Revealing Science of God both are better live, in fact, I prefer the studio run-throughs on the bonus edition. The Ancient just plods, and I imagine if they weren't hell-bent on having four side-length pieces, this may have been left out.

For my money, my fave Yes is not the 20+minute epic - all of them are a stretch and would have been better pared down, even Close To The Edge.

[BarryL]

Hello Barry :


While in music school, I actually transcribed TO BE OVER for a 12-piece percussion ensemble..........it truly turned out wonderful............my director had never heard it (of course) but thought it was a nice piece of work............we used it in our recitals that year (1977).

That must have sounded great. Do you have a recording of it?

Have you heard the Yoshimatsu orchestration of Tarkus?

Look it up on iTunes if you haven't heard it.

[BarryL]

For my money, my fave Yes is not the 20+minute epic - all of them are a stretch and would have been better pared down, even Close To The Edge.

Hmmm. I thought And You And I could have used another ten minutes! Same with Siberian Khatru.

Kidding. Hard to sustain a musical concept for 20 minutes, unless you're Pat Metheny.

It works for me with Yes for Close To The Edge, Gates of Delerium and I'd count Awaken as well.

Floyd's Echoes is worth every second.

There are a handful of other album side classics that I never tire of. Supper's Ready comes to mind, and VDGG's A Plague of Lighthouse Keepers.

[MasterCylinder]

It works for me with Yes for Close To The Edge, Gates of Delerium and I'd count Awaken as well.

OMG.............I'd count AWAKEN first............what a great composition !

[MasterCylinder]

Here are the lyrics.

Anderson was out there on this one (well,..........like all the others I guess).



I need eight hits of acid just to read this :


"The Revealing Science Of God (Dance Of The Dawn)"


Dawn of light lying between a silence and sold sources
Chased amid fusions of wonder
In moments hardly seen forgotten
Coloured in pastures of chance dancing leaves cast spells of challenge
Amused but real in thought, we fled from the sea whole

Dawn of thought transferred through moments of days undersearching earth
Revealing corridors of time provoking memories
Disjointed but with purpose
Craving penetrations offer links with the self instructors sharp and tender love
As we took to the air a picture of distance

Dawn of our power we amuse redescending as fast as misused expression
As only to teach love as to reveal passion chasing late into corners
And we danced from the ocean

Dawn of love sent within us colours of awakening among the many wont to follow
Only tunes of a different age
As the links span our endless caresses for the freedom of life everlasting

Talk to the sunlight caller
Soft summer mover distance mine

Called out a tune but I never saw the face
Heard but not replaced
I ventured to talk but I never lost my place

Cast out a spell rendered for the light of day
Lost in lights array
I ventured to see as the sound began to play

What happened to this song we once knew so well
Signed promise for moments caught within the spell
I must have waited all my life for this
Moment moment

The future poised with the splendour just begun
The light we were as one
And crowded through the curtains of liquid into sun

And for a moment when our world had filled the skies
Magic turned our eyes
To feast on the treasure set for our strange device

What happened to wonders we once knew so well
Did we forget what happened, surely we can tell
We must have waited all our lives for this
Moment moment moment

Starlight movement
Reasons
Release forward
Tallest rainbow
Sun shower seasons
Life flower reasons

They move fast, they tell me
But I just can't believe that I can feel it
There's someone to tell you
Amid the challenge we look around in unison with you

Getting over overhanging trees, let them rape the forest
Thoughts would send our fusion clearly to be home
Getting over wars we do not mean, or so it seems so clearly
Sheltered with our passion clearly to be home

They move fast, they tell me
But I just can't believe they really mean to
There's someone to tell you
And I just can't believe our song will leave you

Skyline teacher
Warland seeker
Send out poison
Cast iron leader

And through the rhythm of moving slowly
Sent through the rhythm work out the story
Move over glory to sons of old fighters past

Young Christians see it from the beginning
Old people feel it, that's what they're saying
Move over glory to sons of old fighters past

They move fast, they tell me
But I just can't believe they really mean to
There's someone to tell you
A course towards a universal season

Getting over overhanging trees, let them rape the forest
They might stand and leave them clearly to be home
Getting over wars they do not mean, we charm the movement suffers
Call out all our memories clearly to be home

We've moved fast, we need love
A part we offer is our only freedom

What happened to this song we once knew so well
Signed promise for moments caught within the spell
We must have waited all our lives for this
Moment moment

Past present movers moments we'll process the future,
But only through Him we know
Send flowered rainbows

A piece apart chased flowers of the dark and lights of songs
To follow and show all we feel for and know of
Cast round

You seekers of the truth aceepting that reason will relive
And breathe and hope and chase and love
For you and you and you

[3LB]

I need eight hits of acid just to read this I'm sure he did that many to write it

and this

"cha-cha-cha CHA-CHA!"

[BarryL]

I'm sure he did that many to write it

and this

"cha-cha-cha CHA-CHA!"



I call that doing a Yes.

We have it in Roundabout, where they do "Da da, da da, da, da da da, da da da." and famously in SIberian Khatru, "Da, Da, doo da doo da, da, da, da doo doo da doo doo, da, da," etc.

Starcastle, sounding so much like yes, were smart enough to copy this technique.

[MasterCylinder]

Hmmm. I thought And You And I could have used another ten minutes! Same with Siberian Khatru.

It works for me with Yes for Close To The Edge, Gates of Delerium and I'd count Awaken as well.


After reading this yesterday, I had to listen to AWAKEN on the way in to work today............
Tension -- Resolve -- Tension -- Resolve..................classic composition.

P.S. Siberian Khatru (actually, everything from CLOSE TO THE EDGE) is some of the best stuff !

[3LB]

I call that doing a Yes.

We have it in Roundabout, where they do "Da da, da da, da, da da da, da da da." and famously in SIberian Khatru, "Da, Da, doo da doo da, da, da, da doo doo da doo doo, da, da," etc. those are awesome songs


Starcastle, sounding so much like yes, were smart enough to copy this technique.Love the first two Starcastle albums... the others would make Dennis De Young wretch




After reading this yesterday, I had to listen to AWAKEN on the way in to work today............
Tension -- Resolve -- Tension -- Resolve..................classic composition
I think Yes should have stuck to a 20min or less rule ;) The only song of theirs that's over 20min that I like is Ritual and I'd still cut out that percussion section. I do like that huge church organ in Awaken. I thought it naff in the song Parallels, but on Awaken, it still raises the hair on the back of my neck.

[BarryL]

The only song of theirs that's over 20min that I like is Ritual and I'd still cut out that percussion section.

I thought the percussion section worked well live back in 1975, where it became part of Alan White's drum solo and the rest of the band pounding away the rhythms under an incredible Roger Dean set and light show. Maybe that section was written for that purpose, i.e., insert live drum solo here.

[MasterCylinder]

I thought the percussion section worked well live back in 1975, where it became part of Alan White's drum solo and the rest of the band pounding away the rhythms under an incredible Roger Dean set and light show. Maybe that section was written for that purpose, i.e., insert live drum solo here.

+ 1

I've seen that song performed live three times and I think you have it right............

[3LB]

I did see them perform Gates and Ritual on the Symphonic DVD and I do agree, those longer songs do come off better live, but get long in the tooth for me just listening.

I wonder how Yes' third vocalists is doing these days...

[unleasHell]

I remember buying this album upon it's first entrance into the US during January of 1974.

I don't recall the exact month I bought mine, but I do recall buying the UK Import of it at the Werehouse, a MONTH or so before it was released in the US..

Sadly I never cared for it much...