TALES FROM TOPOGRAPHIC OCEANS

This is the album that divides the "sorta prog fans" form the "true believers". I will say that I think CTTE is ever so slightly better, but CTTE is not a double album or nearly so daring. This is a prog album for the faithful, by the best prog band at their height of power.

What some critics call excess, or pretentious, I call daring, groundbreaking, complex, and emotionally heart-wrenching. This album is 120 minutes of demanding listening experience that rewards the faithful in ways no other prog album ever has.

I have been listening to this album for 33 years and I still find new musical expressions to marvel at. To say this album rewards multiple listenings is a gross understatement, and I'm not sure anyone can truly "get" this album unless they have listened to it for years. It's an experience that grows with you. This may truly be the most PROG album ever. I have always been suspect of those who claimed to be prog fans, but dismissed this album. This is the litmus test, as far as I'm concerned. GET IT.