TALES FROM TOPOGRAPHIC OCEANS

I do not understand why some fans of prog. rock hate this album. It is not pretentious. It was my first full-length studio album by Yes(after the compilation Classic Yes). Of course it was not love at first listening , but after a several time it "clicked". An extraordinarly beautiful and uplifting album , with really oceanic soundscapes and breathtaking vocals. For the latter,. the opening composition is the best showcase. This album shows Yes at their most experimental, along with the successor of this album, the also fantastic Relayer. The band incorporates different sound from the world, (especially from India and South America), some jazz fusion to enrich their trademark symhonic prog sound. The experimental nature of the album is the most notable on the Ancient, which is the most "difficult" track of the catalogue of the band. It's hard to pinpoint one highlight of Tale, actually all 4 tracks are highlights, however sometimes I feel The Remembering a little bit too long. Although it would be interesting to know how would this album look like if there was a possibility of the CD format at that time. Hats off to Steve Howe for his "extended " soloing! His acoustical guitar playing on The Ancient is amazing. This is actually mainly his album, and of course Jon Anderson's. Maybe Jon could have find a better inspiration than Yogananda, the original ancient Hindu writings are muc more valuable, or a more recent author like Sri Ramakrishna or Sri Ramana Maharsi stand miles above Yogananda. But this does not ruin the musical experience, this is an album that is really able to lift you above the gruesome banalities of the so called everyday life, if you give the chance this gem. I would not say that this album is perfect(What or who is perfect in this world BTW?), but if something is essential for any serious prog listener, thaht is Tales from Topographic Oceans.