TALES FROM TOPOGRAPHIC OCEANS

This work is complex, difficult and this probably explains why it was and is still often so misunderstood. With its intertwined themes, elaborate structures, this music is a maze where one is sometimes groping before opening new doors to splendid perspectives : a ignited solo of Wakeman (Revealing Science of God), waves of ethereal keyboards (The remembering), a deep bass evoking the forces of the earth (Ritual), a tumultuous guitar announcing "the gates of delirium" (The ancient), etc.

And, of course, there are so many sublime vocal harmonies : the introduction of "Revealing science of God" has remained for me for 32 years (I was 13 in 1973), the most exciting introduction of a progressive rock track, although Yes created a lot of other great introductions ("Heart of the Sunrise", "Roundabout," "Awaken", "Machine Messiah" ...).

To my mind, "Tales from topographic oceans" is the absolute masterpiece of Yes, his monument, even before "Close to the edge", because of the inventiveness that the group expresses in it and the exceptional musical richness that this work offers us.

The group had the ambition to make a quadruple album where each song would have seen its duration doubled. This would have certainly valued "the remembering" which suffers from some repetitions. Some more expanded instrumental passages would have provided useful variations. But the other three epic tracks have a perfect consistency. That's the reason why we don't have to regret too much the fact that we will never know the extraordinary work that would have been.

I can easily understand why a lot of people, even prog lovers, consider "Tales" pretentious, perhaps boring. But real Yes lovers can not dislike this work. 6/5? really !