Tales from Topographic Oceans

[Mr. Holland]

Lets act "Journalists". Put your review of this album in here......

[Amy]

Well, I'd say this thread certainly deserves some replies. I noticed you did one of these for just about every album! I was on when you posted them and it was hysterical to see them all pop up! It's the second time I've seen someone sign on at night and just start popping away at the "musical poll" type stuff - and it's still just as funny!! (No offense intended! I think it's great!)

Anyway, I digress.....Tales is one of my favorite albums now. I listen to it daily. If I don't, I am not whole. I still have a soft spot for The Remembering, but the entire album is beauty to behold. When I entered this site in February, I cannot even repeat what I thought about Tales and Relayer, because it is so embarrasing. Basically, I remembered not being fond of them at all; but I hadn't listened to them in 30 years. I was convinced to give them another listen (and quite easily convinced, which still surprises me), which I did. I purchased both CD's and I haven't been able to stop listening to them since.

I think Tales is one of their greatest works. I have said this before; it is in a class by itself. I feel the same about Relayer and I find it hard to compare both of these albums to anything else. They really stand alone. (Am I allowed to talk about Relayer on this thread?)

That's my brief summary without picking apart the music....one bar at a time! Maybe another night.

[yesyadda]

Git it. Hear it. Dig it.

[Mr. Holland]

Tales from Topographic Oceans to me is an album with two faces. On the one hand it's the Yes album were the guys really pushed all the limits of what was to expected of a band. For them there were no boundries in what could en should be done. On the other hand by not placing any boundries on themselves at all, they at some points went over the top with this album.
I can't help but feeling that some of the songs were really pushed to the 20 minutes limit, instead of naturally evolving towards it. I'm not saying they were, because I wasn't there, but it feels that way to me, when I listen to the album in one piece.

The first song on the album is to me also the best one. The Revealing Science of God is a beautifully structured piece of music, were just everthing seems to be right, everthing seems to be in the right place from beginning to end. It graps you by the throat from the very first second and doesn't let go untill the last notes fade away. A highlight in Yes musical history.

The Remembering is my least favorite track of the album. I'm a bit of a rhythm section man and in this piece there are to long passages of music that hardly seem to carry any rhythm section, it's to quiet and all ready a few minutes into the song I get destracted by almost anything that can destract me. It's not bad or anything, because there are almost no Yes songs I classify as bad, but it is certainly not one of my favorites.

The Ancient is a song that has grown on me for the last six monts. It is by far the most experimental song on this album and probably even of all Yes songs. Steve really shines on this track and so do Alan and Chris. The thing is however, that as much as I respect the playing on this song and recognize it's great value from that point of view, the song fails to grap me on any emotional level, well except for the "Leaves of Green" passage which is really beautiful. I feel kind of numb listening to the rest of it. I'm not overcome by very possitive feelings, nor by negative feelings and that's why it is also a strange song to me, because most of the times you feel either one or the other listening to music.

Ritual is an absolutely stunning track. I love the studio version, but I love the Symphonic version even more. There is such an intensity, such energy coming from this song. It so totally surrounds you. You're sucked into this song and when the songs ends it always leaves me with this totally blasted away feeling. Truely an amazing piece of music.

So, there you have it, kind of a half/half album for me. Tales to me is moments of shear brilliance together with moments that don't work for me at all........

[yesyadda]

I'd make a terrible journalist. Great review Mr. Holland. Tales is in fact my favorite and near and dear to my heart for so many reasons.

[Faceintheplace]

Tales Brings Yes Even Closer to the Edge

Yes' newest work is also their most ambicious to date. This time they've decided to do a double album with one song per side. I found that because of the complexity and powerfulness of the music it was able to keep my attention for the entire 84 minutes. "The Revealing" instantly reminds me of some of the more subtle moments in Close to the Edge. Rick Wakeman comes very much to the forefront, especialy during a mindbending solo near the end of the piece. "The Remembering" is the only instance I could find where a little tightening might have helped, but overall I enjoyed the folk nature of this piece and the continuing of themes and sounds Yes had perviously used on "All Good People." "The Ancient" literally flored me, until Jon Anderson's voice came in I thought I might have accidentaly put on King Crimson's new one by mistake. "The Ancient" is very much a Steve Howe Howe showcase, displaying both his sharp biting angular guitar leads and his masterful acoustic playing. The conclusion to "Tales" is also one of the best tracks on the album, "Ritual" utalizes several key and dynamics changes, before evolving into an astounding bass solo and percussion blitzkrieg. All this complexity eventually disolves into a single keyboard drone at the end. "Tales From Topographic Oceans" is a very imaginative work, leaving me wondering what Yes will have up their sleeves for us next time.

[Amy]

"Tales From Topographic Oceans" is a very imaginative work, leaving me wondering what Yes will have up their sleeves for us next time.

My psychic senses tell me "IT WILL ROCK!!"

[Ryan]

ah, well, i guess i'll give it a shot

well this is one heck of an album. four songs, 80 minutes long. I like to think of it as a symphony, with four movements. Anyways, its starts off with some chanting stuff. And its actually very good chanting stuff. Then it kicks into the actual song part, with some beautiful synths courtousy of rick wakeman. The lyrics are gourges (i really wish i knew how to spell that, sorry) and thought provoking. And, well, the first song is pretty much perfect. it builds up to a really powerful climax at the end of the song "what happened to the song we once knew so well" ah. so powerful. and then the very end ends with the way it began. chanting stuff. The next movenment starts off in 7/4, but it sounds so smooth you can barely notice the goofy time signiture. This song does not have barely any percussion, with the exception of alan bangin on a few toms, untill the relayer part. and i have a kind of short attention span and i am a little bit bord untill then. But once that part arives it is all good. and then it builds up to a even more powerful climax than RSOG did. when the rest of the music drops out and they sing "and i do think very well" oh man! so good!

so ends disc one. Er, i mean sides one and two, sorry. On with the review

okay. So the Ancient starts of with some cool mysical drums, and then the xylaphone thing or whatever rick is playing kicks in. and then steves starts slidin' away on his guitar and it seems a little out of place. but whatever. Yeah, the go on with the song and jon starts chanting i think sames for the sun in differennt languges, except he has to sweet and pretty of a voice to be trying to sing like he is. i am not to fond of this part. But, the acoustic guitar part comes on and everything is good. I mean really good. Steve is amazing. and the rest of the song is really good from here onwards, though the niiiiiiiight. on... er, whoops sorry. just saying onwards got that stuck in my head. okay. The last song is terrific. Its the best song YES has every done with maybe the exception of CTTE. i dunno. They're both so good in there own way its hard to pick a favourite. haha. i like spelling it the english way. Anyhoo it starts off a little slow nad then is kind of slow and dreamy for the first four minutes, and takes you to another place. I mean really; it can put you in a trance. Then the nous som duciel lay or whatever part starts and is very pretty. Some people say the song goes down hil after the first four minutes. Hah. they're crazy. its just gettin' started. Pretty soon we have the "our love seems like/love seems like a fiiiiiii-iiiiiiiiiiiiiii-iight" part, which i love. and then a couple verses of that are done and then it reprises the main them from RSOG. ohh mannnn. oh mannnnnn! orgasm in my ears!! its beautiful and fits in perfectly. Then onward through the night to the "At all part" which by now is hurting my ears because i have my headphones turned up to thirty which you must have them turned up to for it to be thouroly enjoyed, but i don't mind. it hurts but its beautiful. Then it slows down a bit. I have time to catch my breath. Otherwise i may have had a heart attack. Thankyou YES. then the whistle blows and it gets a little more upbeat and eventually carrys you into the atmospheric weird drum breathing part. I love this part. it goes on for a while and then goes back into the nous som duciel lay part. and then ends with some cool building back up agian.

what an album. I mean, its spectacular. If you don't like it, you suck

[Ryan]

hah. that was my longest post ever.

[bandit1200]

Buy it.................. if only for Ritual, I've not heard ANYTHING better than this, from ANYONE.........EVER

[swib]

Can we see the boys pushing the limit on a tour doing The remembering and or The Ancient?/????

Wake me when they start.

Diane

[Grima]

Ryan,
that was great and time well spent. I had a great laugh reading your review of the album. I'll definatly turn up the head phones next time I listen.
Fred

[paulovajao]

Well it is a 4 movement Opus,extremely well doneproduced, i was a kid when it was released,didn´t payed to much attention then but now i lent it from my father´s collection with his consent,he´s not the kind of man to let me put his hands on his all vinyls collection,but since from the magnificent artwork the music in it,superb!