TALES FROM TOPOGRAPHIC OCEANS

Yes' Tales from Topographic Oceans is perhaps the most INFAMOUS prog album of all time. It is the album where critics and even many prog fans say that the genre has gone too far?it was bloated and pretentious. On the other hand, some people say that this is the pinnacle, the finest prog album ever. Rick Wakeman left Yes after the associated tour (where he famously ate Curry onstage as a protest), because he was not a fan of the album, but as we know, he'd return before too long. He said, and I paraphrase, "Topographic Oceans is either an album that you love or hate and I didn't love it." For me, I think I'm a bit more in between. I am a level 4, of course, having heard it many times. As I'm sure you probably know, this album is a double album with 4 side-long epics. While I have opinions going into this, I am going to give it a fresh listen and take a deep dive.

Track 1 ? The Revealing Science of God (Dance of the Dawn)

The album is based on a footnote that Jon read in a book called the Autobiography of a Yogi, that describes the four Shastras (sacred texts) of Hindu Spirituality. This song is based on the first one, which is called "Shruti" which are scriptures that are "directly heard" or "revealed". The track begins with Jon chanting with some sparse instrumental backing, and it builds as more harmony parts enter. The way the parts are built represent the texts being "revealed" one by one. At around 1:30, the chanting ends and Wakeman's keyboards lead the way for the band to enter with a steady rhythm. Howe then plays a bit of lead guitar and then the keys do a bit more. The verse begins at around 3 minutes in. The chorus hits at around 4:25 with nice harmonies ("What happened, to this song, we once knew so well?.") Another verse and chorus cycles through, though with different lyrics. I love how they overlap the harmonies on the word "moment". The rhythm changes at around 7 minutes. By around 7:45 things get quiet and an ascending riff begins to develop (the riff had been hinted at earlier in the song as well). First Howe plays the ascending tune on the guitar, and then Wakeman takes over on keys while Howe does a bit of laid-back soloing over it. Jon begins singing again at around 9:45 ("They move fast?") Shortly afterward the "Getting over overhanging trees" section begins. Wakeman & Howe play intertwining fills as we proceed. Just after the 11-minute point, the tempo increases. Wakeman plays a piano fill that reminds me of a melody in Heart of the Sunrise, a couple of albums back. Just before 12 minutes the rhythm shifts again and Howe takes over on guitar. Squire has some nice bass rhythms here along with Alan White's drumming (this is his debut Yes studio album, but he also played on the live classic Yessongs prior to this one.) At the 13-minute point, the music gets quiet and drops down to some Howe guitar arpeggios. Wakeman takes over on synth at around 13:45, before Jon starts singing again ("And through the river?") At around 15:15, they begin building the ascending riff from earlier again, this time though they build a crescendo which peaks at 16:35. Then, despite his criticism, Wakeman plays one of his greatest solos in a Yes song. After the solo they return to the "They move fast," and the "Getting over?" themes. The song reaches a climax at around 19 minutes returning to the "Whaaaat Happened?" theme. The song concludes with chanting similar to the intro. One of the 2 strongest sides of the album in my opinion.

Track 2 ? The Remembering (High the Memory)

This movement is based on the "Smriti"?That which is remembered. Howe & Wakeman create a dreamy vibe on their instruments at the start of this one. Harmony vocals emerge at around 40 seconds. The rhythm shifts at around 2:30. By 4:40 the music takes a more dramatic mystical turn. Wakeman, Squire and Alan White create a bit of a veil then the vocals return. At 5:50, though, the vocals become a bit stronger and the tone is a bit brighter. Just before the 7-minute point, Jon sings "Staaaand, on fields of long forgotten yesterdays" then they begin a rhythmic vocal section. The veil comes back up just before the 8-minute mark, then Wakeman plays a mellow solo. At 9:10 Howe plays acoustic instruments and starts a folky, upbeat, major key section. That section ends at the lyric "other Skylines" at around the 10-minute mark. Squire has some nice bass parts here. At 10:37 the more rockin', odd- metered "Relayer" (which would become the title of the next album) section begins. But a minute later, they go back behind the veil again. The folky part returns at just before 12 minutes. We begin rockin' again just after the 13- minute mark. Wakeman takes a solo at around 13:45. Excellent bass again from Squire at around 14:30 before Jon, once again, "Stands on fields of long forgotten yesterdays." The veil comes back up at 15:45. This time it stays up for nearly 2 minutes before the rhythm returns for the closing vocal sections of the song. There is some nice mellotron behind Howe's solo at 19:30. The veil returns to close out the tune.

Wakeman has said he felt like some parts of the album were "padded" to make them longer; I feel like he is referring to this side in particular. I read that at one point in the recording process, the album was too long for a single album, yet too short for a double album. They were given the tracks to make it a single or extend some to make it a double. Obviously, they chose to extend. It is very apparent to me on this track. I like a lot of things in this song but it gets a bit dull and repetitive at times.

Track 3 ? The Ancient (Giants Under the Sun)

This movement is based on the "Puranas" which means "Of ancient times". We begin with some cymbal crashes. Then they go into a percussive rhythm over which Steve meanders on slide guitar and regular electric. Occasionally they pause as an accent. Mellotron comes in at around 3:15 and things settle down for a moment. Then Alan & Chris play accents while Steve has sustained notes. Vocals start in harmony around 4:15. Rick and Steve play overlapping melodies. At around 5:10 Steve plays a fill reminiscent of Siberian Khatru from the previous album. The rhythm shifts at around 6:05. Steve plays melodic lines which are interrupted with vocals saying translations of the word sun in varying languages. At around 7:00 Howe plays a quirky riff and Alan & Chris create a bit of a marching rhythm behind it. At around 7:30 it returns to the "sun" section. At around 8 minutes Wakeman can be heard playing a variation of the ascending melody in the Revealing Science of God underneath the cacophony that the rest of the band is creating. At 8:20 things settle down again with sustained keyboards with a steady beat on instruments I can't determine underneath. Just after 9 minutes, Alan begins playing a rhythm that matches Steve's quirky one from earlier while Steve plays solos on top. Squire's bass has a cool effect on it at around 10 minutes. I hear keyboard swells in the left channel I've never noticed before during this section. Nice drum fill from White around 11:55. There are accents in the rhythm section that we will hear again later. At around 12:30, the cacophony comes to a close and Steve switches to classical guitar while harmony vocals begin. This is the most enjoyable part of the track to me. Howe plays a beautiful classical guitar solo that can stand on its own. At around 14:40 Jon begins to sing the "Leaves of Green" section. Squire and Howe join on vocal harmonies. I really like the harmonies at 16 minutes. Wakeman joins with some mellotron in the background. Howe goes back to soloing at around 17 minutes. At around 17:40 he begins playing a steel guitar melody then the accents that we'll hear later bring us to the closing which has swirling delays and echoes.

Honestly, I'm not crazy about the first ⅔ of the track. I appreciate it more now than I used to, but I rarely pull up The Ancient on its own, as I might do with RSOG or the upcoming Ritual. I really only listen to it if I'm playing the album as a whole, or if it comes up randomly on a shuffled playlist as I often do. The closing classical section is absolutely beautiful. I like a bit of chaos here and there in Yes music (as in the opening of Close to the Edge), but 12:30 of it is a bit much for me.

Track 4 - Ritual (Nu Sommes du Soleil)

This movement relates to the "tantras" or rituals. This begins with a Squire bass solo and accents from the band. By 20 seconds in the band is playing a moderate rhythm and Howe plays a solo over the top. There is a brief interlude then the solo resumes. After another interlude, one of the main themes begins, with Jon doubling the instrumental melodies with wordless vocals. Alan & Chris lay down a tight-odd meter rhythm. At 3 minutes Howe has some nice strident guitar chords then the rhythm resumes. Squire gets a fuzz bass feature, then the music calms down with a dreamy section. Howe plays a tune at around 4:20 that is reminiscent of Close to the Edge. At 5:23 Howe plays some chords that take us into the main vocal section. I love Jon's vocals here on "Nu sommes du soliel, we love when we play." Rick's mellotron here adds a nice touch to the sound. I love the harmonies at around 7:15 where they sustain the notes. This happens again around 8 minutes in. The rhythm changes around 8:30. Dramatic vocals bring us back in ("Maybe I'll just stand a while?") I love the reference back to "Close to the Edge" when they sing "our music's total retain." I also enjoy the build up at around 10:30 ("at all?) Just after 11 minutes the rhythm drops out and Squire is featured on bass with some dreamy accompaniment. Then we start rockin' just after the 12 minute point. We lock into a 5-8 groove and Squire keeps soloing until around 12:45. This section has some of my favorite Yes proggy moments. Things begin building at around 13:30 while Howe takes a great solo. Then a pause at 14:10, a few seconds of cacophony follow, then the percussion feature begins at 14:20. Alan White gets to show why he was hired with a great short drum solo, before beginning a tribal beat. At around 15:15 Wakeman starts building a mellotron sound into the picture. Then percussion takes over again that builds up to a mighty climax at 16:54 with a Howe cadenza following. He then starts playing a beautiful arpeggiated guitar part with Squire playing a nice countermelody and Wakeman adding some nice piano. Jon joins in with sublime vocals at 17:35. The interplay between Howe, Wakeman & Squire is simply gorgeous. The music weaves through Jon's vocals splendidly. Just before the 20-minute point, Alan comes back on drums and the band plays a gentle rhythm for Howe to solo over which keeps increasing in intensity until the 21-minute point which has some gentle sounds on which the song concludes. This is definitely the showcase track of the album for me. One of Yes' finest epics.

OVERALL IMPRESSIONS:

While I am not as disparaging as Rick Wakeman is when it comes to this album, I do feel he has a point about padding, especially in tracks 2 & 3. Track 1 is strong and track 4 is incredible. That said tracks 2 & 3 have their good moments. If this album had been recorded in the age of CDs, it might have clocked in at around an hour and, in my opinion, would have been better for it. I know that this is sacrilege to some, but that's what I think. So, If I rank track 1 at a 4.5, track 2 at 3.75, track 3 at 3, and track 4 at a 5, it averages to. Just over 4 stars. I'll be kind and bump it up to 4.25 out of 5 for sheer ambition.

Clicking 4, but really 4.25.