TALES FROM TOPOGRAPHIC OCEANS

Tales from Topographic Oceans is probably the most controversial album by Yes, and many of the fans are indefinitely divided about how great or bad the material on this album is. This album is my personal favorite. This album is highly ambitious, consisting of 4 tracks running for just over 80 minutes, and contains some of the most appropriately elaborate compositions done by Yes.

Every part of all of these tracks flow seamlessly into each other so perfectly, and the variations never seem random or disjointed. The whole album is a true progressive rock symphony. I honestly don't know why Yes fans are so divided on this album, because it sounds just as accessible as Close to the Edge or Fragile. It's only over twice as long as those two albums. The themes on each track are very memorable. Another big difference in this album is the overall spaciness that definitely fits with the album title. Given the length of the album, you'd probably expect lots of pointless meandering; you'd also be wrong. There is no meandering on this album and everything builds from soft to loud appropriately. I refuse to detail each track because of the length, but this is definitely a masterpiece in the Yes catalog and my personal favorite.

This is definitely an album to check out, and a listening experience that you won't forget. Absolutely breathtaking.