TALES FROM TOPOGRAPHIC OCEANS

Oh dear. That is all I have to say for this album, as it is a massive downfall in Yes history. Undoubtedly, The Yes Album, Fragile and CTTE were masterpieces, and won most Yes fans out there, but this particular album was a waste of space. OK, it has its moments, e.g. the opening 2 minutes (bar the ridiculous chanting at the beginning) of the first song, the guitar solo in the middle, and the main vocal harmonies in Ritual, but overall it's a good idea gone horribly, horribly wrong. I would have appreciated it more if they'd have taken the good bit6s of this album and woven them into Relayer in places because the length, pretentiousness and tunelessness of Tales are beyond measure. A waste of time, money and talent in my opinion. Even Wakeman got pissed off at this album!