Album Discussions: Tales From Topographic Oceans

I'd place it in my top 5 Yes albums, which is saying a lot since I love Yes for the most part.  I like "Revealing Science of God" the best - when it hits the refrain, "What happened...." it's a real emotional moment.  Chris Squire and Steve Howe sound really great throughout the album, very daring and emotive parts they play.  Wakeman and White seem just a tad disengaged to me, but it doesn't hurt the music really.

lazland wrote: Yes, you should - it's very good

Done

Thanks for convincing me

infandous wrote: I had the great fortune to purchase and listen to the album (in 1994) before anyone told me it was supposed to be a self indulgent, overreaching load of bollocks    Actually, one friend did suggest that he was hesitant to listen to it because he was afraid Yes had gone too far with that one.  But other than that, I didn't know it was supposed to be controversial and that even Yes fans had trouble liking it. I wasn't sure what to make of it the first few listens, but one day while I was canvassing neighborhoods for a citizens group I did work for at the time, I couldn't get the melody from one of the tracks out of my head ("What happened, to this song, we once knew so well?"....etc.).  It quickly became my favorite Yes album of them all.  Relayer supplanted it for a couple of months, but it was quickly back in rotation. For me, it's just an amazing piece of work.  Great melodies in abundance,  but not always repeated like they would do on earlier albums.  Incredible atmospheres that seemed to always fit the theme of the piece.  Howe's guitar playing is consistently great.  Despite his unhappiness with the album, Wakeman plays some of his most beautiful atmospheric synth parts ever.  Even the lyrics I feel are beautiful (I actually began to think that Anderson was really a Christian because of a lot of those lyrics........despite the whole album be based on a book by a Yogi).  It's bascially more of an experience than an album.  It's the rare album for me where the phrase "musical journey" actually applies and isn't just a cliche. But really, it's an emotional response that defines my love of the album.  Something I can't easily put into words.  It was the perfect album at the perfect time for me.  I hardly ever listen to it now, as I listened to it so consistently for at least 5 years (and broke it out a few times a year for the next 5).  My review of the album is far more objective than what I've written here, and I've considered rewriting it completely.  When I reflect, 15 years after hearing it for the first time, I am sympathetic to a lot of the criticisms.  It could have been a great single album of 4 10 minute tracks.  The rest of the band could have held Steve and Jon back a bit, injected their own ideas more.  But none of that happened, thankfully.  But I can understand people not liking it nowadays (back then, I couldn't imagine why I seemed to be the only one of all my friends who loved the album so passionately). Anyway, it will always be one of my favorite albums and I will always give Yes credit for ignoring the expectations of their fans and the press and just doing whatever the hell they wanted.  It does seem like a love it or hate it type album and I'm sure that is why.  Personally, I like it more than Close To The Edge and Fragile, as complete albums (though there are individual tracks I prefer over any of the tracks on Tales......Heart of the Sunrise and Siberian Khatru specifically). Well, I've rambled on too long it seems.  I guess I should have made this my review of the album.  Maybe I still should?

Yes, you should - it's very good

I had the great fortune to purchase and listen to the album (in 1994) before anyone told me it was supposed to be a self indulgent, overreaching load of bollocks    Actually, one friend did suggest that he was hesitant to listen to it because he was afraid Yes had gone too far with that one.  But other than that, I didn't know it was supposed to be controversial and that even Yes fans had trouble liking it.

I wasn't sure what to make of it the first few listens, but one day while I was canvassing neighborhoods for a citizens group I did work for at the time, I couldn't get the melody from one of the tracks out of my head ("What happened, to this song, we once knew so well?"....etc.).  It quickly became my favorite Yes album of them all.  Relayer supplanted it for a couple of months, but it was quickly back in rotation.

For me, it's just an amazing piece of work.  Great melodies in abundance,  but not always repeated like they would do on earlier albums.  Incredible atmospheres that seemed to always fit the theme of the piece.  Howe's guitar playing is consistently great.  Despite his unhappiness with the album, Wakeman plays some of his most beautiful atmospheric synth parts ever.  Even the lyrics I feel are beautiful (I actually began to think that Anderson was really a Christian because of a lot of those lyrics........despite the whole album be based on a book by a Yogi).  It's bascially more of an experience than an album.  It's the rare album for me where the phrase "musical journey" actually applies and isn't just a cliche.

But really, it's an emotional response that defines my love of the album.  Something I can't easily put into words.  It was the perfect album at the perfect time for me.  I hardly ever listen to it now, as I listened to it so consistently for at least 5 years (and broke it out a few times a year for the next 5).  My review of the album is far more objective than what I've written here, and I've considered rewriting it completely.  When I reflect, 15 years after hearing it for the first time, I am sympathetic to a lot of the criticisms.  It could have been a great single album of 4 10 minute tracks.  The rest of the band could have held Steve and Jon back a bit, injected their own ideas more.  But none of that happened, thankfully.  But I can understand people not liking it nowadays (back then, I couldn't imagine why I seemed to be the only one of all my friends who loved the album so passionately).

Anyway, it will always be one of my favorite albums and I will always give Yes credit for ignoring the expectations of their fans and the press and just doing whatever the hell they wanted.  It does seem like a love it or hate it type album and I'm sure that is why.  Personally, I like it more than Close To The Edge and Fragile, as complete albums (though there are individual tracks I prefer over any of the tracks on Tales......Heart of the Sunrise and Siberian Khatru specifically).

Well, I've rambled on too long it seems.  I guess I should have made this my review of the album.  Maybe I still should? 

Yes superior in many respects to CTTE in my opinion. The 4 side long epics all providing complexity, balance and pure vintage prog. It was remarkable that after this great album they still managed Gates of Delirium, another side long classic.

^The Hokey Cokey" maybe?

Edited by Snow Dog - June 12 2009 at 12:48

I don't listen to it much anymore because it's been in my collection for so long and has already been listened to so many times.  What do I like about it?  The cover art.  The side long tracks.  Their first (and only?) two LP studio effort.  It's the Rodney Dangerfield of Yes albums.  For me, everything from The Yes Album through to Going For The One are essential Yes and five star worthy.

I wrote novels listening to this album.

It is my favorite album of all time, the one I would haul with me to that fabled desert island if I only got one.

Much of the time I can't bring myself to listen to it because it's so amazing.

Finnforest wrote: One of the greatest ever, in my top 5 for sure.  The definition of progressive rock.  So much better than CTTE.

One of the greatest ever, in my top 5 for sure.  The definition of progressive rock.  So much better than CTTE.