TALES FROM TOPOGRAPHIC OCEANS

I may just be the only one living on this rock in space we call Earth that neither loves nor hates this album. Within this mess of a double-album there is about 40 minutes of really great music....40 minutes of really great music that would have made an awesome *single* album. What were these guys thinking? Soft Machine and Tangerine Dream already did the 2 LP/4- songs routine. Unfortunately for them, Yes were much more popular. TD would only become more well-known years later, while Softs always remained a cult band. This is the first album with Alan White on drums and here he is rather rusty. His playing on Relayer was an improvement. Either way, he's no Bruford. A trend that starts on this album, which I don't like at all, is that Squire's bass is starting to get pushed back in the mix. On all the previous albums Squire's bass was IN YO FACE!

I was never the biggest fan of Wakeman, with or without Yes. I think The Yes Album and Relayer were the groups best albums...coincidence? He sounds bored here. This sonic mess is the bastard child of Anderson/Howe and it shows. This album single-handedly ruined the reputation of this once great band. To most people, Yes is either: a) that pop band from the '80s who did "Owner Of A Lonely Heart", or b) that dinosaur band from the '70s who made that self-indulgent mess called Tales From Tomato Onions. The most annoying thing about TFTO is that it actually contains some of the bands best recorded moments...mixed with a whole lotta crap. Really, 90% of "Revealing" is awesome; 75% of "Ritual" is great; 50% of "Remembering" is memorable; and about 10% of "Ancient" is tolerable.

The thing about "The Ancient" is that it's nice to see Yes try and be all out-there and avant; the problem is...they're not good at it! (Save that kinda thing for bands like Crimson, boys). I really wish this whole album was edited to hell and made into a single album. Keepers: the synth solo in "Revealing"; and the "at all...at all" part in "Ritual". So, this will not get anything more or less than 3 stars from me.