All YES Appreciation Thread

I agree with Fog about White's relativity to Bruford, and the somewhat muddy production (at least on original release).

I just had a look at all the thread once again trying to find any question from you which I might have overlooked, and the only question I found was about who's performance we found most interesting in the first two albums, your favourite being Bruford's. Well, I'm not a musician nor a music critic, but I think I remember Bruford doing some interesting things in those albums. Perhaps he's more notable in this albums than on Fragile and CttE; however, I would think he really reached his full potential until he joined King Crimson. As for who's performance I find more interesting in the first two albums, it must be Anderson's singing on Harold Land.

Dellinger wrote: As to the question about Howe's recording of CttE in one take and those sessions being his favourites, I really have no idea, but perhaps on the site of Notes from the Edge, which includes many interviews, there could be an answer if you want to spend some time reading to them.

Thanks, I just wondered if you might know.  Anyone else hear of that?  I read this -- or was it heard from someone who read this?, ugh -- long before the days of the internet, somewhere in the eighties.  It was probably in some mag like Cream or Guitar Player or some such.  Oof, I can't promise I'll be able to make the time to dig way into Notes from the Edge.

I agree that Tales is padded. I go along with Dellinger that Revealing Science Of God is outstanding, and I think Ritual is top drawer. Only parts of the other two are up to that level.

Just read most of the interview, Oct 1, 1993 issue.  I do agree (as much as an outsider is able) with Howe on the greatness and depth of Topographic Oceans.  It is a grand and lengthy piece, as many of the better things have been in history.  I think it's important to allow it to be what it is; one can't judge this record using the same criteria one uses for almost any other record.  It's a big unit, it doesn't have weak "parts."  It couldn't have and shouldn't have been shorter.  It's a Bruckner symphony.  That's what I think, and just how I feel.

We know that Howe and Anderson helmed the ship on those Oceans, conceiving much of the material and the plan (how happy those writing sessions must have been!); Squire and White were seemingly willing participants; Wakeman was Wakeman and, so, was resistant though professional.

Btw, I never needed the extra minutes that showed up at the head of The Revealing in the CD remaster.  I think "Dawn of a light..." - literally the word Dawn - sung right on the root note, and that resolving major chord, are the perfect start. 

This is an intelligent record, a daring record, an unprecedented record, a moving and meaningful record, a rock and a classical record; this is a great record.  I'm out of time, gotta run.

^ I'll say again ('cause I've said or implied it elsewhere) that I was rather fortunate to, at a very young age back in the early 70s, have an older brother with a cool "prog" record collection.  I didn't start with Tales of course.  I remember looking at the breathless vinyl, its side-long tracks, and feeling unready so returning to The Yes Album and Yessongs.  But soon the curiosity was irresistible.  I was instantly fascinated with The Revealing, and it went slowly on from there.

I'll give myself credit, but only to an extent, for having "patience" enough to take in these records so completely, at a rather young age.  But then again my town and everything in it was so boring, I wasn't good at sports and didn't care to be; these records were the most wonderful thing in my little world, hands down, so of course I got into them.  Who knows whether I would have given these records all that time had they not been there then.  Perhaps not, and I shudder to think it!  (I realize more and more how completely my identity is wrapped into these 12" discs, weird.) 

Also, this patient listening led a lifelong discovery and love of classical music.  You might try classical.  It's a huge aid to hearing great constructions across huge spaces.  If you like I could make some recommendations.  Meantime, as for Tales, maybe try just listening to one side only each time you turn to the record, until you know it well, then go on to another.  You should start to see the interrelations and cycles in the music.

Alberto Muñoz wrote: Notes From the Edge Issue #0080   Here's a SH interview  and it has very interesting things like Howe praising much TOTO   Link: http://www.nfte.org/archives.aspx#I80

     For a moment I thought you were talking about the Band Toto.

Dellinger wrote: American Khatru wrote: You might try classical.  It's a huge aid to hearing great constructions across huge spaces.  If you like I could make some recommendations.  Meantime, as for Tales, maybe try just listening to one side only each time you turn to the record, until you know it well, then go on to another.  You should start to see the interrelations and cycles in the music.      Well, I do love some pieces of classical music, even though I must say I'm far from knowing a lot about it. Just a few pieces I've come along. And I do love many epic prog songs, so it's not just that I can't keep my attention to a 20+ minute song. It's just that some songs are more boring to me. It doesn't mean that I don't like the album nor that I can't stand to a whole spin of it. As a matter of fact, I would find it hard to just start it and not finish it (even though becouse of time factors I might have to end it at a different time), unless I only want to listen to Revealing Science of God, which as I have said, is by far my favourite from this album.

I didn't mean to imply that you couldn't listen that long, keeping the attention.  I caught how you said in an earlier post that you love lots of epic songs.  I guess I'm saying, to be more specific, that, to me, if a person really gets into classical and then turns back to prog, he'll find he gets more out of the listening, even if he thought he was getting as much as possible before.  As for myself, listening to all kinds of great classical helped me find smaller and smaller, and greater and greater, units of things interesting.  Also there's the art of orchestration.  I found I began to appreciate the song-length and momentary instrumentations in good prog, adding another whole level I didn't suspect in younger years, so renewing all this music I already knew!

American Khatru wrote: This is an intelligent record, a daring record, an unprecedented record, a moving and meaningful record, a rock and a classical record; this is a great record.  I'm out of time, gotta run.

lazland wrote: ghost_of_morphy wrote: American Khatru wrote: This is an intelligent record, a daring record, an unprecedented record, a moving and meaningful record, a rock and a classical record; this is a great record.  I'm out of time, gotta run.   Everytime I hear guys like you say something like this, I have to listen to Tales once again.  And then I wonder what I missed.  Tales is not nearly as bad as it's rep, and the "weaker" tracks on it (Remembering and The Ancient) aren't really as weak as people paint them as well.  But I would find it very difficult to characterize this as a masterpiece. How about characterising it as a flawed masterpiece?

I'd love to, only I don't hear the flaws.  I guess it's just another situation of things coming down to taste.  I don't mean simply liking this over that, but listening to things this way instead of that way; not to say my way is better than whoever's, just that it's my way and I will always understand my way better than that of another.  I get very into critical listening, though I unfortunately lack the critic's grammar to disinterestedly describe in words what I get.  I could only write a boring exposition of all the musical interlinks in the piece, ie. attempt to find the horse-ness in the horse (apologies to Plato and Aristotle).