You know what, tales is the best yes album - Progressive Rock Music Forum

I don’t care what rick wakeman said or about length or anything, I will die on this hill. The album from start to finish is brilliant and just out of this world.

5 stars easily for me

Edited by dougmcauliffe - October 12 2019 at 09:39

Since taste is a subjective, personal affair, many people might like something you hate, or hate something you love. I personally like Tales, it's a great album, with a lot of fantastic music to enjoy. That being said, the general opinion seems to differ, but that's something I don't really care about much.

The remastered longer version is clearly in the top five symphonic prog releases of all time and anybody who says different is clearly a pop loving anti-prog knob muffin...

I agree that Tales is one of my favorite albums. It takes time to really get it, and if you don't have the time, then you won't get it. I agreed with the majority at one time, and wasn't a big fan, but over the years, I have really grown to appreciate it.

I think Wakeman's complaint was that there were sections and times when certain members were underutilized, especially during the recording process, and he felt he had nothing to do while others were trying to fine tune certain sections. The four tracks tend to focus on different instruments, so he felt sometimes that he was wasting his time and not contributing enough to the album. I know there is the story that he ate a curry during a performance, maybe he was hungry. But I think the fact that he left the band for a while after the tour shows that he was displeased with the over the top-ness of it all, and rejoined the band when the songs became shorter.

Anderson later admitted that he pushed Wakeman too hard because Anderson was unsatisfied with one of the keyboard solos and kept after him to get it right. Later that same day that he left, Wakeman found out that his solo album "Journey to the Centre of the Earth" entered the UK chart at number 1.

+1

Dellinger wrote:

Left because Yes music was becoming too much over the top... says the man that released Jourey to the Center of the Earth and Myths and Legends (and played the last one on ice with a skate show). Oh, and I do love Myths and Legends, easily more than Tales. About the Curry incident, I have read Wakeman telling the story, and if I remember correctly, his tech man was asking him what would he have for dinner (Rick thinking about after the show), and a while later he comes with the curry in the middle of the show. And well, he ate it.

In GOR's own words:

In those days, I used to have my roadie actually lying underneath the Hammond organ throughout the set. If anything went wrong he could try to fix it. Also, he could continually hand me my alcoholic drinks.

We'd often have a little chat and on this particular evening in Manchester, I thought he said: 'What are you doing after the show?'

'I'm going to have a curry,' I replied. 'What would you order?' It seemed a strangely specific question but I didn't have much else to do so I told him. 'Chicken vindaloo, pilau rice, half a dozen poppadums, bhindi bhaji, Bombay aloo and a stuffed paratha.'

About 30 minutes later, I started to get this distinct waft of curry. I looked down and my roadie was lying there holding up an Indian takeaway. 'What's that?' I asked.

'You said you wanted a curry.' 'No. I said I wanted a curry after the show...' However, it smelled really good so he passed up the little foil trays and I laid this lovely spread out on top of the keyboard and ate it.

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/tvshowbiz/article-1045969/Yes-original-Spinal-Tap-says-Rick-Wakeman-Seventies-prog-rock-supergroup.html#ixzz1Ss5rspNu

I am not a Robot, I'm a FREE MAN!!

I choose to suffer being labeled an anti-prog knob muffin: 5 stars is almost 3 too much in this case. The Ancient is fine, The Revealing Science of God is more or less ok, or let's say it was before the glorious vocal intro was utterly ruined by the synth soundscapes that popped up in later releases. The Remembering is enjoyable in the 9-14 minute range and the other 15 minutes are just tedious and Ritual goes nowhere which is Nirvana for some.

Edited by someone_else - October 12 2019 at 15:25

I absolutely agree! And like already mentioned, Chris Squire AND Rick Wakemans solo albums are awesome, too!

Change grants all interrelated pathways of every single object and all combinations of events and time-essences and it's reversed exceeds it upon being possible at any place, time or referential point

I think "Revealing Science of God" is as good as anything Yes has recorded. The other 3 sides have their moments, both great and bland, but don't live up to Side One.

PROGMATIC

I appreciate that it is an uncompromising as any prog album ever released , certainly for the time and what people considered to be 'prog' at the time. It is what was meant to be. Personally though I have a short attention span for someone that loves prog. I don't actually enjoy classical music all that much and that is probably a bit of a problem regarding this. I love the over the top nature of prog and especially a bombastic approach. This album is just far too restrained and tastleful for me to enjoy it that much. Gates of Delirium on the other hand just nailed it!

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