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CosmicVibration 
Forum Senior Member
Joined: February 26 2014
Location: Milky Way
Status: Offline
Points: 1396
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 Posted: July 14 2014 at 10:21 |
I have no shame. My actual words were: "Tales from Topographic Oceans is a marvellous album, my second favourite Yes album in fact (beaten only by the magnificent Relayer) and far better than the car-crash that is CTTE." ... and I stand by that assessment and can back it up if need be. [/QUOTE]
Well my
friend, you need to start backing it up.
LOL…
When it
comes to music it’s all about how the composition moves you. This is strictly a personal preference. A lot of the material I listen to that’s
euphoric to me is irritating and annoying to my wife. She refers to it as noise pollution. LOL…
She’ll get giddy singing to Andy Williams and Barry Manilow, meanwhile
it does nothing for me.
For me the
top 2 Yes albums are Close to the Edge and Relayer. Musically they are on par. What edges Close
the the Edge to the #1 spot are the lyrics.
Tales from
Topographic Oceans as you stated is truly a marvelous album; although I’m not
sure I would place in the #3 spot behind Relayer. To break the tie between TFTO, Going for the
One and Fragile would be tough.
If I had to
choose an ultimate composition it would probably be Close to the Edge. I love
the entire arrangement; from the long intro to the magnificent ending. The passage right after Wakeman’s organ work
where Squire hammers out chords on his base is intensely exhilarating.
How could
you not be enraptured by Close to the Edge? I’m sorry that you don’t get off on CTTE as I
do. But I’m sure there’s other music
that moves you that probably doesn’t do it for me. Perhaps Andy Williams?
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Dayvenkirq
Forum Senior Member
Joined: May 25 2011
Location: Los Angeles, CA
Status: Offline
Points: 10970
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Posted: July 14 2014 at 10:30 |
 AtomicCrimsonRush wrote:
TFTO is playing now on our local radio Edge Radio FM! |
 ... Probably a single edit of a track, right? ... That would never happen here in the States.
Edited by Dayvenkirq - July 14 2014 at 10:33
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M27Barney
Forum Senior Member
Joined: November 09 2006
Location: Swinton M27
Status: Offline
Points: 3136
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Posted: July 14 2014 at 14:12 |
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I actually think that Progressive rock is far more appreciated in the US. of A - than here in the North of England.....It's all fecking northern soul , pop sh*te , madchester, the Smiths, Morrissey and the freakin beatles.....
In fact I reckon we have four progressive rock fans in a population of nearly 12 million....
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Stereolab
Forum Senior Member
Joined: June 22 2014
Location: NorCal
Status: Offline
Points: 126
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Posted: July 15 2014 at 00:29 |
In the middle of listen #2. Liking this MUCH better now... and I'm not even on any mind-altering substances! It's complex and layered in ways I just didn't see the first time.
I applaud the band (well, Anderson) for taking a risk and changing course after putting out so many classic albums. Heck, after Fragile and CttE what was the chance they could have topped those two with another album in exactly the same vein? Throwing a curveball was indeed the right choice.
Edited by Stereolab - July 15 2014 at 00:29
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richardh
Prog Reviewer
Joined: February 18 2004
Location: United Kingdom
Status: Offline
Points: 27956
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Posted: July 15 2014 at 00:54 |
Dayvenkirq wrote:
richardh wrote:
Sadly I have no idea what that comment is meant to mean so i can't respond
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I believe Dean is saying there are elements of rock music on the album.
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there are on any prog albums. Don't think that was an argument but rather a given.
Siberian Khatru is the most basic track on the album as it relies on riffing. The usual argument is that it drags down the album a notch but to me its just not a natural 'closer' and that's its only weakness. I love CTTE because its so perfectly balanced but then that is just my opinion (although I guess I am not alone). As the NO1 PA album it is there to be shot at 
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chopper
Special Collaborator
Honorary Collaborator
Joined: July 13 2005
Location: Essex, UK
Status: Offline
Points: 20029
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Posted: July 15 2014 at 06:28 |
richardh wrote:
Dayvenkirq wrote:
richardh wrote:
Sadly I have no idea what that comment is meant to mean so i can't respond
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I believe Dean is saying there are elements of rock music on the album. |
there are on any prog albums. Don't think that was an argument but rather a given.
Siberian Khatru is the most basic track on the album as it relies on riffing. The usual argument is that it drags down the album a notch but to me its just not a natural 'closer' and that's its only weakness. I love CTTE because its so perfectly balanced but then that is just my opinion (although I guess I am not alone). As the NO1 PA album it is there to be shot at |
I have to agree that Siberian Khatru is a weaker track than the other two but that's not surprising given that the other 2 tracks are amongst the greatest prog songs ever recorded (in fact I rate "And You and I" as the pinnacle of prog).
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Kazza3
Forum Senior Member
Joined: November 29 2009
Location: Australia
Status: Offline
Points: 557
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Posted: July 15 2014 at 06:37 |
I understand it has strong competition on that album, but I've always thought Siberian Khatru was absolutely phenomenal. So many clever little turns.
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Gerinski
Prog Reviewer
Joined: February 10 2010
Location: Barcelona Spain
Status: Offline
Points: 5154
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Posted: July 15 2014 at 07:51 |
Stereolab wrote:
In the middle of listen #2. Liking this MUCH better now... and I'm not even on any mind-altering substances! It's complex and layered in ways I just didn't see the first time.
I applaud the band (well, Anderson) for taking a risk and changing course after putting out so many classic albums. Heck, after Fragile and CttE what was the chance they could have topped those two with another album in exactly the same vein? Throwing a curveball was indeed the right choice.
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Glad to hear that, I hope that it will still keep on growing with more listens, as it did to many of us (although not all by the look of things).
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Michael678
Forum Senior Member
Joined: June 02 2013
Location: United States
Status: Offline
Points: 2466
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Posted: July 15 2014 at 08:11 |
Gerinski wrote:
Stereolab wrote:
In the middle of listen #2. Liking this MUCH better now... and I'm not even on any mind-altering substances! It's complex and layered in ways I just didn't see the first time.
I applaud the band (well, Anderson) for taking a risk and changing course after putting out so many classic albums. Heck, after Fragile and CttE what was the chance they could have topped those two with another album in exactly the same vein? Throwing a curveball was indeed the right choice.
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Glad to hear that, I hope that it will still keep on growing with more listens, as it did to many of us (although not all by the look of things). |
ikr, lol; it happened with me and it could happen with anyone else.
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Progrockdude
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Dean
Special Collaborator
Retired Admin and Amateur Layabout
Joined: May 13 2007
Location: Europe
Status: Offline
Points: 37575
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Posted: July 15 2014 at 12:49 |
Dayvenkirq wrote:
richardh wrote:
Sadly I have no idea what that comment is meant to mean so i can't respond
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I believe Dean is saying there are elements of rock music on the album.
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I believe richard questioned my use of "rock songs" when referring to the three primary songs that Yes used to construct the title track of Close To The Edge, inferring that all rock has to be Heavy or Hard rock. If he doesn't know what the Rock in Progressive Rock is meant to mean then I don't understand his initial  emoticon following the quoted phrase 'rock songs'.
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richardh
Prog Reviewer
Joined: February 18 2004
Location: United Kingdom
Status: Offline
Points: 27956
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Posted: July 15 2014 at 15:03 |
Dean wrote:
Dayvenkirq wrote:
richardh wrote:
Sadly I have no idea what that comment is meant to mean so i can't respond
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I believe Dean is saying there are elements of rock music on the album.
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I believe richard questioned my use of "rock songs" when referring to the three primary songs that Yes used to construct the title track of Close To The Edge, inferring that all rock has to be Heavy or Hard rock. If he doesn't know what the Rock in Progressive Rock is meant to mean then I don't understand his initial emoticon following the quoted phrase 'rock songs'. |
I was trying to read between the lines of your comment. I thought you were inferring that they were a bit 'simplistic' and not all that 'progressive'.
''Rock'' to me means straight ahead not messing around and no nonsense. I assumed perhaps wrongly that rock when it ventures beyond the set 'rock n roll' boundaries becomes something else. I suppose drawing a line is impossible.
So what I am saying is that those individual sections are interesting enough to stand on their own and don't become interesting to me because they are being linked together.
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M27Barney
Forum Senior Member
Joined: November 09 2006
Location: Swinton M27
Status: Offline
Points: 3136
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Posted: July 15 2014 at 15:08 |
Best be careful Rick, he's armed with similes, Metaphors and maybe even has a hidden bit of Litotes and if your really bad he'll drop his Satire and go straight for his Schadenfreude...then you'll be sorry 
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SteveG
Forum Senior Member
Joined: April 11 2014
Location: Kyiv In Spirit
Status: Offline
Points: 20604
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Posted: July 15 2014 at 15:09 |
All I know is that I was listening to TFTO at a friend's house one day and punk rock the next. Not good.
Edited by SteveG - July 15 2014 at 15:11
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Dean
Special Collaborator
Retired Admin and Amateur Layabout
Joined: May 13 2007
Location: Europe
Status: Offline
Points: 37575
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Posted: July 16 2014 at 12:18 |
richardh wrote:
I was trying to read between the lines of your comment. I thought you were inferring that they were a bit 'simplistic' and not all that 'progressive'.
''Rock'' to me means straight ahead not messing around and no nonsense. I assumed perhaps wrongly that rock when it ventures beyond the set 'rock n roll' boundaries becomes something else. I suppose drawing a line is impossible.
So what I am saying is that those individual sections are interesting enough to stand on their own and don't become interesting to me because they are being linked together. |
I avoid writting between the lines, it leads to far too much misinterpretation, I'm so verbose in my writting you could read War and Peace between the lines if you wanted too.
There is nothing inherent in the word "rock" that limits its format or structure ( as opposed to 16-bar blues for example), and there are more than enough examples of rock songs that are not straight ahead not messing around and no nonsense outside the world of Prog to make their appearance in Prog an unremarkable event. I recall I said: albeit good rock songs. If those three songs had been kept as individual tracks on the album, including the reprise/medley to close side one we would still be praising CTTE as a great Prog album. I just don't think segueing them together and calling it an 'epic' creates something that is greater than the sum of the parts.
As someone has already observed, the real gem on the album is You And I ... That's the real multi-part symphonic Prog epic, that's the real archetypical Yes epic that would reach its peak with Gates of Delirium. CTTE is three good rock songs and a lazy medley by comparison.
Edited by Dean - July 16 2014 at 16:45
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Dean
Special Collaborator
Retired Admin and Amateur Layabout
Joined: May 13 2007
Location: Europe
Status: Offline
Points: 37575
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Posted: July 16 2014 at 12:20 |
M27Barney wrote:
Best be careful Rick, he's armed with similes, Metaphors and maybe even has a hidden bit of Litotes and if your really bad he'll drop his Satire and go straight for his Schadenfreude...then you'll be sorry |
How droll. Silly me for assuming that 'car crash' was a common British idiom.
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Gerinski
Prog Reviewer
Joined: February 10 2010
Location: Barcelona Spain
Status: Offline
Points: 5154
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Posted: July 16 2014 at 14:22 |
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I guess that only a hardcore Prog fan or a classical musician would classify The Solid Time Of Change as a "rock song". Most of the people I know would certainly not.
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M27Barney
Forum Senior Member
Joined: November 09 2006
Location: Swinton M27
Status: Offline
Points: 3136
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Posted: July 16 2014 at 14:50 |
Are you German?
It's called - Humour....
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Dean
Special Collaborator
Retired Admin and Amateur Layabout
Joined: May 13 2007
Location: Europe
Status: Offline
Points: 37575
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Posted: July 16 2014 at 16:17 |
M27Barney wrote:
Are you German?
It's called - Humour.... |
Humour? Don't make me larf. 
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Dean
Special Collaborator
Retired Admin and Amateur Layabout
Joined: May 13 2007
Location: Europe
Status: Offline
Points: 37575
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Posted: July 16 2014 at 16:44 |
Gerinski wrote:
I guess that only a hardcore Prog fan or a classical musician would classify The Solid Time Of Change as a "rock song". Most of the people I know would certainly not. |
What is it then? Serious question... If it is not a f#cking rock song then what the f#ck is it?
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Tales From Topographic Oceans
we are not exactly talking Black Sabbath or Deep Purple