Tales From Topographic Oceans

It took me a long, long time to get into TFTO, then one day, it just clicked.

The album takes a bit of committment, as it's not an album I find you can listen to a single track (side?) at a time - it works best when listened to as a single piece of music.

Sure, there are production value issues (what early 1970's album did not have these at one stage or another?), and yes, there is enough padding to fill several large cushions, but it has all the hallmarks of a progressive rock masterpiece:

1 - No tracks, just 'movements'
2 - Ridiculous time signatures
3 - Lyrics that even 4/5's of the band didn't understand
4 - Solos for everyone
5 - Central concept based on obscure eastern text

How can you not like that?

There is a reason why the Tales artwork hangs on my wall. It remains one of my most beloved albums. When I am in a Tales mood, I love sitting down with it, having one of those funny smelling cigarettes and just becoming wrapped up in it. Moments of such incredible beauty from a band who were in the middle of a creative spurt that lasted for several years. And really, how incredible is the "Leaves Of Green" section of "The Ancient"? In short, an album that divides the fans right down the middle and I am happy to be on my side.

"And I do think very well... that the evenings take you silently..."

Syntharachnid wrote: flowerchild wrote:  My dear! "Tales from Topografic oceans" is IMO the best recorded piece of art in any genre EVER! It is in EVERY way far SUPERIOR to "Close to the edge" and I think "Close to the edge" is one of the best albums I've heard. That is how fantastic "Tales from Topografic oceans" is to myself and many with me, it's simply the ultimate progressive piece of music ever written. Can probably never become better! Thanks Agreed.

Agreed!!!   

Sometimes I think that many devotees of progressive rock are fairly non-discriminating in some ways; the more experimental an album is, the better it is.  By this standard, TFTO is indeed one of the greatest albums ever, because there is a lot of experimentalism and novelty in there, that's for sure.

But that ignores that it has arguably the worst production/engineering of any Yes album (other than the beginning two).  It also ignores the frequent clumsy transitions between themes or sections in songs.  It also ignores that there are long sections that ramble on for FAR too long, and some themes that are frankly substandard are caried to their full, and unfortunate, fruition.  Add to this that there is an excessive amount of what I like to call "w**king," primarily by Steve Howe (witness his interminable pedal steel "solo" on "Ritual."  My God.).  In general, while the lyrical conept of the album is innovative and intersting, the specifics of the lyrics often fall flat (witness my "Nous somme du soleil/we love when we play" comments in the lead off post.)

So if what floats your boat is original concepts and sheer compositional balls, then I'll grant you TFTO as a masterpiece.  If you ask that bands execute their brilliant ideas well, like I do, then you'll look at Tales as a clumsy face-plant.  In other words, brilliance ain't worth crap if it is clumsily executed.

My gut feeling is that Yes got far too ambitious after CTTE.  This is not necessarily a bad thing, if they had put the time and work into TFTO that they put into CTTE.  But TFTO contains twice the amount of music with FAR more ambitious composition, and from what I hear they spent a fraction of the time actually rehearsing and recording.  Well, it shows.  What could have been genius ended up being quite mediocre.  And I give it that high a rating only because of the bravery and creativity in the ideas expressed there.  Like I said, the execution stank.

Zargus wrote: Tales From Topographic Oceans is the best prog album ever! if you dont like it you dont like prog, it has everything that a great prog album shuld have. Prog yust dont get any beter then TFTO!   And i have never hade any problems geting in too any of yes albums it will take some lisen to understand all its greatness, but like me you shuld love it right away.

...but in all honesty...


The Gates of Delirium is my top Yes track.

marktheshark wrote: Tony R wrote: The-Bullet wrote: In you call playing the whole of both Ritual and The Revealing as "excerpts" that is ... when...... Hey Tony, who are these 2 wingnuts you got pictured here? Relatives?

No,they appear in the final installment of Star Wars. The are the bastard offspring from an illicit union between Amidala and Jar Jar Binks!

tuxon wrote: Maybe they should have called it "Over The Edge" but I still like it.   (4 stars in my rating, one for each part)

One star for each part is about right...

Great musicianship and composition isn't worth much if you can't pull it together and produce a coherent whole.

It has its moments. Revealing Science of God is pretty good.

I like prog rock, so it follows that I likw or at least have no problem with long tracks, but this album is twice as long as it needs to be IMO. There is lot of filling and f*cking about. It could have been condensed, infact it should have been scrapped and re-recorded in a more listernable form.

Close to the Edge is better. It's a masterpiece IMO, and the best album they ever done by a long way.

Tales From Topographic Oceans is the best prog album ever! if you dont like it you dont like prog, it has everything that a great prog album shuld have. Prog yust dont get any beter then TFTO!  

And i have never hade any problems geting in too any of yes albums it will take some lisen to understand all its greatness, but like me you shuld love it right away.