Quoting Logan...

 

"Part of Wakeman's unfavourable attitude towards the album stems from the fact that vocalist Jon Anderson and guitarist Steve Howe constructed the bulk of the album entirely on their own (as the liner notes suggest), leaving the remaining three members with relatively little to contribute (which the liner notes dispute). The complaints about Anderson and Howe's studio behaviour were not unprecedented: drummer Bill Bruford had left the band for King Crimson a year earlier for similar reasons, and stories abound of Anderson and Howe putting tiles in the studio to simulate the acoustics of a bathroom, while Wakeman, in frustration, spent much of the time playing darts."

 

 

Also - TFTO is a slow-burner - you'll never get it on one listen, so recommending people to hear it before buying is not a great idea. It took me 30 years to "get" TFTO.

Often first impressions are a good sign - if an album doesn't click on the first two or three spins then perhaps it never will, it's the "Old Grey's Whistle Test" that they use to use in Tin Pan Alley in the 50s. Prog changed all that and I think some albums, like TFTO are not instant hits - then some albums are not worth the effort, there is the law of diminishing returns - ELP's Tarkus does that for me - no matter how much I listen to it, my rewards lessen with each listen - perhaps TFTO is your Tarkus, perhaps it will never click with you. What's your view of Relayer? I think it surpasses CTTE in form, composition, technical ability and overall completeness - even though it is not as "easy-listening" and accessible.

 

I don't know how Wakeman actually felt about the album before it was recorded - he was certainly disparaging of it after its release.

 

 

What?  I have no idea what you're on about.

 

 

and while I'm here - why is this in Just For Fun?

Of course I read your post, I was puzzled as to who this "we" were. However, I noticed a few days ago that your TFTO review contained some possible misinformation and this thread reminded me of that, so it was a good opportunity to comment upon it. If I cannot agree with your premise for not liking an album I couldn't possibly make a recommendation - hence my adjoining Relayer question, which we have now ascertained you do not like as much as CTTE, hence any recommendations I make will miss the mark by a fair degree.