An introduction to the analysis of TFTO

[Roberto59]

Hi guys,

as some of you may have read I am trying and performing an analysis of this wonderful piece of music.

I have just finished to draft the introduction to this job: anybody would like to comment (but don't be too cruel)?

Here it goes:...

TALES FROM TOPOGRAPHIC OCEANS: AN ANALYSIS.


General introduction.

TFTO is a “concept-album”, i.e. a musical composition made of pieces the texts of which are linked and inspired by a sigle idea or subject.

A similar form which appeared also during the late ‘60s – early 70’s is the so called “rock opera”, which however has a different destination (theater and/or cinema representation) and a structure generally consisting of a number of pieces (instrumental or songs) of similar length to the single pieces of any other music album of that period.

In the “progressive” perspective, a concept album is made up of quite long pieces (which is a typical feature of this genre): TFTO is the first case of a double-album including four suites, each one lasting around 20-25 minutes (ie: the equivalent of a single side of a LP disc).

I personally consider this stylistic choice as a way for Yes to express the significance of their music and therefore the fact that it can be developped in ways similar to those reserved and peculiar to classical music.

Although this approach is not exclusive of Yes (I think for instance to King Crimson and also to ELP and Genesis), it is interesting to notice that since a few years before TFTO they used to (and still do) start their shows with a fragment of Stravinsky’s “Firebird suite”, to which follows (without interruption) the first song of the concert, as to underline a sort of familiarity between their music and that music, at least under the commitment and depth of intention respect.

Coming now to consider the textual and contextual contents, we have to say that the unifying idea for the whole composition comes from the division in four parts of the indic traditional sacred scriptures (shruti, smriti, purana and tantra) to each of which the text of each movement respectively refers.

The conceptual architecture is little more than an excuse (and it is Jon Anderson himself who recognizes this implicitly, writing in the sleeve notes of the record that he had been looking for some time for a theme large enough to serve as a guideline for a vast and complex composition).

In this case then the music does not spring out as expression of an inner strong inspiration, grown in time and fed by the life and experiences of the group members (or at least some of them). On the contrary, the research of an appropriate conceptual subject derives from the will to create a wide spanning musical composition and the subject is found almost by chance in a footnote of the autobiography of Yogananada Paramansha (although one could say that it may not be by chance that Jon Anderson was reading that book at that time).

I cannot help noticing here on one side a certain vagueness of the cultural foundations of this operation and on the other side the full hearted Yes approach to this work in compositive/creative terms. The result is TFTO: in my opinion a landmark in the group history and maybe not only in that one, as it manages to demonstrate how , even within that particolar commercial branch of the popular culture which is rock music, the highest levels of dedication to art can be achieved and they can be compared in some cases (TFTO is one of these) to the heights equally reached by other composers in very different and much more sophisticated and complex contexts.

Talking about the method of analysis, it is clear that the tools one would use in academic environment for a classical or contemporay piece of “serious” music are not the most suitable here. On one hand they are far too elaborate (or, if you prefer, the musical texture is much simpler compared to a symphony or a concert), on the other hand such tools would not fully catch the level of communication existing between the listeners and the composero of these pieces.

In fact, the average rock listener is not usually highly educated in music and it is not uncommon that also the musicians have no formal studies in music. For instance, in the case of Yes just one of the members of the group (Rick Wakeman) has a formal musical education background and it would be interesting to know which have been his own personal contributions both in structural and melodic terms.

A separate consideration ha sto be reserved to the arrangement: this is indeed one of the key points in progressive music fruition and it has to be taken into account in the analysis. While a classical composition is thought and written for a certain instrument or orchestral formation, the sound of which is given and independent of the author, in rock music each band and I daresay each player has either his own peculiar style (analog to a pianist individual touch) and (even more important) a distintive sound of his own.

The fact that, excluding voice and drums, the instruments are electric, allows a wide range of manipulations of the sound before it reaches the loudspeaker or the mixer. Each musician has therefore the chance of customizing the very sound of his own instrument (inserting distortions, creating new waveforms, etc.) which will have a particolar “color”, that can contribute sometimes decisively to the positive outcome of the music.

Considering all that, I have preferred to perform the analysis on the basis of the identification of the macro-structure of the single movement and of the sub-structures of its modules, highlighting only when necessary the harmonic, melodic, rythmic and dynamic details.

For similar reasons, the textual analysis goes along a similar path, by identifying within each lyrical segment the sonorities, syntactical-stylistic structures and key-words.

The two aspects (music-lyrics) are then seen together using as the main tool for this analysis the concept of syncronicity: the key musical moments identified through the analysis are used as “centers of gravity” also for the textual and content analysis. By doing so, we are somehow assuming that the lyrics are ancillary to the music: this assumption (certainly wrong in the case of Dylan or Springsteen) seems to make sense in the present context and the singing style of Jon Anderson appears to confirm that the musical content of each word is more important than its semantic one.

Having said all that, I will consider TFTO first movement by movement and coming to a global view afterwards.




See you round (those still alive)

Roberto

[RickyG]

Hi roberto,

Looks good! I think you've laid out a good premise and approach. Very reasonable and workable. I look forward to reading as it unfolds.

As I was reading I was thinking about the lyric angle and the whole idea of how much it all even really relates to the four Shastric scriptures. Or more likely how much it relates to just the footnote about the four shastric scriptures. Then I was glad to see your statement "the singing style of Jon Anderson appears to confirm that the musical content of each word is more important than its semantic one." I think this is very important to realize when analyzing the lyrics.

Jon is quoted in the Dan Hedges book saying: "The books I'd been reading about inner realization influenced me. There were a couple of gurus - Yogananda was one - and then there was Vera Stanley-Alder (The Finding Of the Third Eye), who's quite a marvelous writer. But there were a couple of people coming along and saying things that really were a load of rubbish, though I was really in there at the time. It was a large scale commitment, so when anything was said to me back then, I tended to think it was part of The Whole. I thought the music would carry the idea to the guy who works on a farm, the guy who works in a bank..."

So I think it will be important to realize that not everything he is saying in the lyrics has to do with the shastric themes. (Have you read the Vera Stanley-Adler book?) I am very curious to see how you sort it all out!

Good luck and good spirits with it all!!!

Rich

[Roberto59]

Hi roberto,

Looks good! I think you've laid out a good premise and approach. Very reasonable and workable. I look forward to reading as it unfolds.

As I was reading I was thinking about the lyric angle and the whole idea of how much it all even really relates to the four Shastric scriptures. Or more likely how much it relates to just the footnote about the four shastric scriptures. Then I was glad to see your statement "the singing style of Jon Anderson appears to confirm that the musical content of each word is more important than its semantic one." I think this is very important to realize when analyzing the lyrics.

Jon is quoted in the Dan Hedges book saying: "The books I'd been reading about inner realization influenced me. There were a couple of gurus - Yogananda was one - and then there was Vera Stanley-Alder (The Finding Of the Third Eye), who's quite a marvelous writer. But there were a couple of people coming along and saying things that really were a load of rubbish, though I was really in there at the time. It was a large scale commitment, so when anything was said to me back then, I tended to think it was part of The Whole. I thought the music would carry the idea to the guy who works on a farm, the guy who works in a bank..."

So I think it will be important to realize that not everything he is saying in the lyrics has to do with the shastric themes. (Have you read the Vera Stanley-Adler book?) I am very curious to see how you sort it all out!

Good luck and good spirits with it all!!!

Rich


Rich,


I'm glad to read such kind words from you and I hope to be able to find in the development of this work at least some interesting hints for those who like Yes and this album in particular.

It is interesting that you too underline the fact that the shastric scriptures are just a sparkle (although a big one) for the band's creative imagination: I think that TFTO lyrics are the echoes of Jon's and Steve's (who is also credited for text writing) feelings when confronting themselves with the big picture of life and its sense as conveyed to a western young man in the 70's.

I have not read the Vera-Stanley Adler book: I'll start looking for it in the web and with a bit of luck I'll be able to find a free downloadable version of it (as I did with Yogananda's one).


Thanks for your support: it is always stimulating reading from you.

Roberto

[Hed G.]

Goosd start Roberto!
I would sincerely recommend further reading on the band's opinions
and recollections of the writing/recording process, as would fit an
academical study of any classical composer. In many cases the music
does "speak for itself", but the slightly disjointed arrangements
only serve to magnify the inner turmoil surrounding this recording.
Chris Welch's book is very informative in this respect.

[Roberto59]

Goosd start Roberto!
I would sincerely recommend further reading on the band's opinions
and recollections of the writing/recording process, as would fit an
academical study of any classical composer. In many cases the music
does "speak for itself", but the slightly disjointed arrangements
only serve to magnify the inner turmoil surrounding this recording.
Chris Welch's book is very informative in this respect.


Thanks!

So I have one more book to look for in the www!

I'll try, as I believe it would be necessary at some stage in this process to ask some questions to the band members, but not being a journalist or a writer I expect it to be particularly difficult (unless someone round here can help).

Cheers

Roberto

[RickyG]

Thanks!

So I have one more book to look for in the www!

I'll try, as I believe it would be necessary at some stage in this process to ask some questions to the band members, but not being a journalist or a writer I expect it to be particularly difficult (unless someone round here can help).

Cheers

Roberto

Hi Roberto,

I know there are people around here that could talk to Chris for you. Though they would obviously need to decide that themselves and privately come forward to you. But I for one think it is a worthy and well intentioned subject.

Of course Steve and Jon are the ultimate ones to reach regarding Tales. It's really unfortunate that yesterday's radio interview with Jon fell through!! We had a couple of "Ancient" related questions prepared to ask him.

You could try writing a very simple and clearly intentioned letter to the webmasters of their sites and hopefully they would deem it worthy to forward on. It couldn't hurt to try.

- Rich

[Roberto59]

Hi Roberto,

I know there are people around here that could talk to Chris for you. Though they would obviously need to decide that themselves and privately come forward to you. But I for one think it is a worthy and well intentioned subject.

Of course Steve and Jon are the ultimate ones to reach regarding Tales. It's really unfortunate that yesterday's radio interview with Jon fell through!! We had a couple of "Ancient" related questions prepared to ask him.

You could try writing a very simple and clearly intentioned letter to the webmasters of their sites and hopefully they would deem it worthy to forward on. It couldn't hurt to try.

- Rich

Hi Rich,


good suggestion: sometimes I tend to exclude direct tries as I imagine that they would not be willing to reply to all fans questions (and I can understand it).

I will surely try when I am close to the end of the work, so that I have (hopefully) clear and specific questions to ask and not just vague and generic requests based on pure impressions.


Thanks again and I'll keep reading your posts!

Roberto

[Roberto59]

Dear friends,

for those who wish to read something guaranteed to make you sleep tight, here I go again: this is the very first part of my analysis attempt!

Let me know if it works (if it makes you sleep, I mean)!

Roberto

--------------------------------------------------------------------------

The title of the first movement is “The revealing science of God”.

The movement begins with a 55 bar intro, which should probably represent the dawn of life (if we interpret the text in a “cosmic” perspective) or the dawn of knowledge of God (if we intend it according to the suggestion of the title “Revealing science of God”).

The intro is a crescendo both in dynamic (from p to ff in bars 51-54) and in instrumental presence. It starts with just one (doubled) voice, accompanied by the bass and what I suppose to be guitar effects (but they may also be synt). As the music proceeds, synt and percussions get in (at very low volume), then a second singer (bar 18) and then drums (bar 24) and synt (33) become really present at “normal” volume.

Structurally speaking the intro is basically a monody, unfolding in a similar way to childrens’ chants or lythurgic prayers: a ternary rythm, beating on B, the dominant note of the tonality (E) indicated in the key, with just brief uplifts (a 4th or 5th) at the end of each sung segment.

The guitar part is not particularly interesting as it just embellishes (contributing to create a sort of “suspended” feeling). Much more interesting is the bass line, which in general makes a big descent from e’ to B in the first 13 bars: this creates a context of a timbric sometimes dissonant counterpoint to the voice line, generating an impression of dark, magmatic environment, perhaps as a symbolic representation of the chaotic primeval matter.
In addition the bass (despite what is printed in the sheets in my possession – the WB 1977 edition) plays in the first 12 bars just 3 different notes (at bar 1, 7 and 12) instead of the 12 reported. The part as recorded (Note: I use as reference the Atlantic remastered edition, the one not containing the extra studio run-throughs) is much more effective, in view of the overall mood of the intro, as it follows a very logical rythmic progression: it moves from “long” notes [6 bar long – from bar 1 to 12], to 1 note or chord per bar [from bar 13 to 28], to 2 per bar [from bar 29 to 40] to quick figures in 8th [to the end of intro]: an evolution from the inert motionless state of brute matter to the energy of the pulsating heart.

The first exposition of the voice theme (although it is not a real theme) ends [bar 17] on a dominant chord, as to reinforce the monodic character of the whole intro: there is no melodic-harmonic development but an indistinguished music growing in intensity to the drum explosion in the last two bars.

The reprises of the initial phrase are almost identical, differing only in lenght:
1st exposition : “Dawn of light…..whole” 17 bars
2nd exposition: “Dawn of thought…distance” 15 bars
3rd exposition: “Dawn of our power….ocean” 12 bars
4th exposition: “Dawn of love….everlasting” 9 bars + 2 final bars

Coherently with the musicl style, the lyrics follow a repetitive canon, by introducing with the same formula (“Dawn of”) four moments allegedly representative of the evolution of mankind and of knowledge, from the beginning of the physical world [Dawn of light is almost equal to the biblical “Let there be light”], to the birth of thought, of the man self-consciousness to the supreme knowledge of love.


In my opinion the sonority of the words used in the text underline each of these moments:

the first one is dominated by the sound “s”
Dawn of light lying between a silence and sold sources,
Chased amid fusions of wonder, in moments hardly seen forgotten,
Coloured in pastures of chance dancing leaves cast spells of challenge,
Amused but real in thought, we fled from the sea whole.

in the second one the sounds “t, th” are prominent
Dawn of thought transfered through moments of days undersearching earth
Revealing corridors of time provoking memories, disjointed but with purpose,
Craving penetrations offer links with the self instructors sharp
And tender love as we took to the air, a picture of distance.

in the third one the similar sounds “us, sc, x, ss, c” are highlighted
Dawn of our power we amuse redescending as fast as misused
Expression, as only to teach love as to reveal passion chasing
Late into corners, and we danced from the ocean.

and finally the fourth one has the sounds “w, ss” as key sonorities
Dawn of love sent within us colours of awakening among the many
Won't to follow, only tunes of a different age.
As the links span our endless caresses for the freedom of life everlasting.

In contextual terms, we could identify the following key words associations:

1 – light (-> vision, sight, visual, etc.)
Dawn of light lying between a silence and sold sources,
Chased amid fusions of wonder, in moments hardly seen forgotten,
Coloured in pastures of chance dancing leaves cast spells of challenge,
Amused but real in thought, we fled from the sea whole.

2 – thought (-> mind, reason, intellect, etc.)
Dawn of thought transfered through moments of days undersearching earth
Revealing corridors of time provoking memories, disjointed but with purpose,
Craving penetrations offer links with the self instructors sharp
And tender love as we took to the air, a picture of distance.

3 – power (-> strenght, force, speed, knowledge – prophane - etc.)
Dawn of our power we amuse redescending as fast as misused
Expression, as only to teach love as to reveal passion chasing
Late into corners, and we danced from the ocean.

4 – love (-> life, feelings, eternity, knowledge – sacred - etc.)
Dawn of love sent within us colours of awakening among the many
Won't to follow, only tunes of a different age.
As the links span our endless caresses for the freedom of life everlasting.


I would conclude then that the text seem to convey the suggestion of four steps of evolution from light (that reveals the matter, “creates” the physical world), to thought (searching, remembering, designing, self nurturing), to the power of consciousness (which is fast, can be source of misuse as well as of teaching, of chasing as well as of dancing) and finally to love, the love that awakens, follows, is music, caress, freedom and eternal everlasting true life.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------

And if you arrived so far: congratulations!!!

[About The Round]

I shall read every word, this is what I'm lurking here for anyway, keep on!

ATR

[RickyG]

Hi Roberto,

Keep it coming!!

I never really made any conscious note of the emphasis on "s", "t, th" "w" etc, in the four different sections. From the perspective of being a writer/composer myself I dig being aware of that sort of thing. It's an important consideration, the actual tonal musicality and sound of the words chosen - and using that as a tool for creating contrast and evolution between passages. Actually I do pay attention to that when I am writing my own lyrics. (And I've written very little since finishing my last album. Your revisitation of Tales is reawakening my desire to begin writing anew....)

I would imagine that it's an intuitive thing with Jon, and probably with most lyricists, as far as where it is being done and which sounds to bring out in any given phrase or passage. (I mean it would be too much if some etymologist came along and said that humans were using "s" sounds first, later adding "t, th" sounds, etc...!!)

~Rich

[BrianD]

Interesting reading Roberto. I note that you are basing your analysis upon the originally released version rather than the Rhino remaster that has an extra minute or so of instrumental introduction that to me provides the perfect prelude to the chant

[RickyG]

Interesting reading Roberto. I note that you are basing your analysis upon the originally released version rather than the Rhino remaster that has an extra minute or so of instrumental introduction that to me provides the perfect prelude to the chant

Yeah, I was going to mention that. That prelude is great, it really does set up the perfect mood for the chant and the whole album. Those ocean waves sound so dark and primordal. I think it's nearly two minutes long.

Actually it's very cool to be getting that prelude only now, 30 years later, as a "new" bit of music. I can also see why they decided to leave it off the original in order to grab attention right from the first words.

[Roberto59]

Interesting reading Roberto. I note that you are basing your analysis upon the originally released version rather than the Rhino remaster that has an extra minute or so of instrumental introduction that to me provides the perfect prelude to the chant

Brian,

I have been in doubt on which version to consider. Then for "sentimental" reasons I decided to consider the Atlantic version as the fundamental one.

In fact "Tales" was the very first Yes LP I bought, back in the long gone 1974, and one of the first at all in my life: when I listened to it it was a sort of revelation to me. I did not know such beautiful, not trivial, deep music could exist outside the classical area and this has somehow imprinted my musical taste in the so-called "popular" music area.

The more rational reason is that the first version is the one that probably reflects better the original feelings of the band at the time towards this work: unless we can find out that the first instrumental beginning was left out after suggestions of the record company or so. It would be interesting to have the band members personal account of this fact, to clarify.

It is my intention (if the work progresses well and not too slowly) to include at the end of it some comments on alternate and live versions, as they can help to better appreciate the whole composition process.

Thanks for reading and for your suggestions: any help is always welcome!


Roberto

[Albedo]

Roberto, this is quite interesting, I look forward to more. I never really thought about this before but I wonder if these four sections in anyway are intended to parallel evolution?


Amused but real in thought, we fled from the sea whole.

Animals evolve from ocean to land dwelling species


And tender love as we took to the air, a picture of distance.

Origin of birds and gliding animals, maybe also tree-dwelling aminals.


Dawn of our power we amuse redescending as fast as misused...
Late into corners, and we danced from the ocean.

Perhaps arboreal apes descending from trees to become bipedal primates? And the ocean again...

Then the final section, awakening- origins of human consciousness and love.

OK, that's probably not what Jon was thinking but I thought it was interesting...

Carry on!

[Roberto59]

Roberto, this is quite interesting, I look forward to more. I never really thought about this before but I wonder if these four sections in anyway are intended to parallel evolution?


Animals evolve from ocean to land dwelling species


Origin of birds and gliding animals, maybe also tree-dwelling aminals.


Perhaps arboreal apes descending from trees to become bipedal primates? And the ocean again...

Then the final section, awakening- origins of human consciousness and love.

OK, that's probably not what Jon was thinking but I thought it was interesting...

Carry on!


Well, it is interesting and I think that it is an appropriate comment: and as for another previous comment from Rich, I believe all these meanings are somehow embedded in the text.
The reason is that dealing with the origins, as the scriptures "inspired" them, Jon's and Steve's lyrics bear all such implicit links and multiple levels of interpretation. My own understanding is my own only and furthermore is twice biased: first because each of us has a life story different from the other, secondly because english is not my mothertongue, and I surely miss a lot of literary echoes and rememberings that may sparkle ideas and trains of thought (or even consciousness flows!).
Therefore please remember that I am absolutely not intending that my interpretation is the right nor the main one: it is a proposal based on my own feelings and analysis and as such would require some cross-check with the authors.

Thanks for your support and for your comments!

Roberto

[Albedo]

Well, it is interesting and I think that it is an appropriate comment: and as for another previous comment from Rich, I believe all these meanings are somehow embedded in the text.
The reason is that dealing with the origins, as the scriptures "inspired" them, Jon's and Steve's lyrics bear all such implicit links and multiple levels of interpretation. My own understanding is my own only and furthermore is twice biased: first because each of us has a life story different from the other, secondly because english is not my mothertongue, and I surely miss a lot of literary echoes and rememberings that may sparkle ideas and trains of thought (or even consciousness flows!).
Therefore please remember that I am absolutely not intending that my interpretation is the right nor the main one: it is a proposal based on my own feelings and analysis and as such would require some cross-check with the authors.

Thanks for your support and for your comments!

Roberto
There do seem to be many possible meanings embedded in the lyrics, intended or not. I think this is part of their power, to create associations in the mind that are not available in the literal text. Perhaps allowing us to feel a bit of the creativity which produced them, to the extent creativity is a result of new connections and associations. Music itself can do that in a non-verbal way; the lyrics of TFTO, CTTE and others multiply the effect using lyrics in both the non-verbal musical sense, and with rich resonances in the verbal realm. Or so it seems to me...

[RickyG]

There do seem to be many possible meanings embedded in the lyrics, intended or not. I think this is part of their power, to create associations in the mind that are not available in the literal text. Perhaps allowing us to feel a bit of the creativity which produced them, to the extent creativity is a result of new connections and associations. Music itself can do that in a non-verbal way; the lyrics of TFTO, CTTE and others multiply the effect using lyrics in both the non-verbal musical sense, and with rich resonances in the verbal realm. Or so it seems to me...

This (highlighted in bold) statement is I think the essence of the genius of Jon's best lyric writing.

[Roberto59]

This (highlighted in bold) statement is I think the essence of the genius of Jon's best lyric writing.

Totally agree!

Roberto

[Roberto59]

Dear friends,


here we go with a new issue! Hope you can find something of interest.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------
The second episode of “The revealing Science of God” consists in an initial transition (from 1’37 to 3’35, bars 56-75), which is itself divided in two parts (first one completely instrumental – from 1’37 to 3’05 bars 56-65; second one is a sung codetta – from 3’05 to 3’35 bars 65-75), a song and a final transition (from 3’35 to 6’52, bars 75-141).

The initial transition serves two fundamental needs: a descriptive one and a rythmic-harmonic one. The first one represents the passage from a dark, closed, unclear environment to a light, clear one: from primeval chaos to a world clarified by the light, a visible environment in which mankind can begin to gain knowledge of things.
On a more strictly musical side, this transition sets finally and clearly the main tone (E) of the whole movement, after a chordally (!?) raw intro: in short, it introduces the harmony in this piece of music.

As far as rythm is concerned, in bars 55-75 (1’37 – 3’35) we notice the indication “Moderately slow, with a beat”: this allows a relaxed, calm pace in tune with the descriptive intents.

The brilliances of the guitars and synt sounds are enhanced here by very light harmonic patterns, based on I-V (E-B, D-A, C-G) or I-IV (E-A-D) sequences which come to a conclusion on a series of variants of the tone main chord over the last four bars.

The bass can introduce a figure (bar 64), repeated in the last two bars of the transition and over eight of the ten bars of the codetta, that links transition and codetta without chord changes.

In a similar way, a distinctive guitar slow riff is introduced firstly in bars 74-75: this and the bass riff will resurface along the whole section, till the end of the song, as peculiar of this section.

As in the Intro, the short vocal part here is played around the dominant note (B) of the main tone, with a little variant: the repetition (bars 70-73: “Soft….mine”) is one bar longer than the first exposition and introduces the first verse of the following song. May we notice that the vocal sonorities start with a sort of metal echo and become warmer and warmer as the song progresses.

In short, this is a passage episode, in which quite liquid sounds appear as well as the first choral moments (both instrumental and vocal). The text seems to evoke a time of of personal interactions (“mine”, “talk to the sunlight”, “caller”, “mover”) with the sun in a remote (“distance”) time of unchanging spring season (“soft summer”): something similar to a mythical golden age.


The “real” song (bars 75-141, from 3’35 to 6’52) has a structure like the following:

verse + long extension A + a 6 + 3 bars
verse + extension A + b 6 + 1 bars

chorus B 8 bars

bridge C 9 bars (1 of which in 2/4)


verse + extension A + c 6 + 1 bars
verse + extension A + b 6 + 1 bars

chorus B 8 bars

bridge C 9 bars (1 of which in 2/4).


We notice (even from the first listening) the change of main tone between verses (C) and chorus/bridge (E). Moreover, the sung verses start and end on a chord (A) which is “out of tune”: all this gives the melody a sort of winding path, a deceiving and suspended character with is then solved in the chorus, quite classically structured in both haronic and rythmical terms.

However even in the chorus the vocals introduce notes “out of tune” (eg: “we once knew so well”, “caught within the spell”). It is interesting that the final words of the extensions b (“play”, “device”) are sung on the main chord of the chorus, creating a sensation of openness and fullness.

In my opinion, in this song we can see an interesting tonal contrast between melodic line and harmonic progression. The assessment of the aesthetic beauty of this contrast is obviously a subjective matter, however we can underline once again (as it happens regularly in all “TFTO” and in general in all Yes music) a master level arrangement: the bass lines and the guitar fill-ins reduce to a minimum the perception of the harmonic roughness of this piece. It is easy to prove that by simply playing the chords along with the vocal line on a keyboard: listening to this will make clear how much the musical quality of this music owes to Howe’s and Squire’s work.

I have nothing particular to underline for the rythms and percussive area.

The text: the word “moment” is the most recurring and it is also the one sung in an emphatic choral way at the end of the bridges. On the basis of this fact, I would intend the text of this song as a representation of the link between material life sensations and the perception of time. This understanding might be supported by the number of sense terms (“tune”, “saw”, “heard”, “talk”, “spell”, “light”, “see”,”sound”, ”play”, “song”, “splendor”, “sun”, “eyes”) and of those related with time (“never”, “once”, “future”, as well as the use of the past tenses).

In conclusion, we moved from a monodic intro to a sort of primeval tonal harmony, in parallel with the descriptive passage from the brute matter to a sensory life embedded in time and memory: which will be the next step?
--------------------------------------------------------------------------


Thanks for reading!

Roberto

[RickyG]

Hey Roberto,

You haven't been around for weeks.... I hope you are OK.

Looking forward to the next installment of your analysis!

[YesForSure.]

I wish you luck on your expedition. Though I don't want to read it, to me, albums Like Tales From Topographic Oceans should have different meanings to different listeners, and I wouldn't want to corrupt my natural reaction to the best peice of matter ever conceived.

[tsardaniel]

While I agree with YesForSures comment, and respect it too, I do not find my own interpretations polluted by anothers...sometimes it means nothing, sometimes it shifts my feelings a bit, and occassionally I learn something about myself from others writings!

Impressive research you are doing on this one though...for sure...keep it up!

[RickyG]

Hey Roberto,

I've been wondering where you've been. Nearly three months since your last post and you were just getting into some deep analysis. I think you would have enjoyed the "YES Philosophy" discussion we have been having about Tales...

Anyway, hope you are well... and have a good reason for disappearing!!

Peace,
Rich