Imagine if we got "The Remembering"

[YesfanAndy]

I spoke about this on another thread - I hope someone in the group at least proposes "The Remembering". I've always found it odd that Jon who is such a believer of Tales and the idea of Tales, that he never suggested the band try playing "The Remembering" at any point between 96-04. Obviously he had quite a say in what they wanted to play/not play. I just found it interesting that they never once opted to try this one.

If proposed by Yes in their current state, I could see the votes going like this for "Remembering":

Chris - No
Steve - Yes
Alan - 50/50.
Benoit - Yes
Oliver - Yes

Who knows how it'd go. I'd be one happy Trooper that's for sure.

[YESOLA]

I heard Chris Squire once say it was his best bass playing job ever. I wish I could remember where i read that.

[BrianD]

Jon was talking about doing sections from The Remembering a couple of years ago.

I don't think Rick liked that track too much so that mioght have rubbed it from 2002-4.

My guess is that they resurrected Ritual, RSOG, Gates & Mind Drive during the 1996-2004 period plus of course CTTE & Awaken so maybe that was sufficient epic songs for them to focus on.

[Starguard]

I heard Chris Squire once say it was his best bass playing job ever. I wish I could remember where i read that.

I know where you read it. Give me a second and I'll find it!

EDIT: Here we go.

1976, British Rock Guitar by Dan Hedges

"One of the nicest things I think I've ever played is on side two of Topographic Oceans, "The Remembering." It's a very quiet song, and the bass playing is really gentle. I was playing a Guild fretless and though it's not a hard sound or amazingly fast, I'm prouder of that than I am about some of the things I've played that people rave about. That section starts with a very interesting chord sequence. The key shifts for every bar, and the bass line just happens to bind it all together somehow by following a weird kind of scale. It's a very successful piece of arranging, and when I hear it, I definitely feel that I couldn't have played anything righter, and one doesn't often get that feeling."

Taken from Yesstories: Yes in Their Own Words by Tim Morse, pg 47-48



:)


Did I tell you I am doing my big final high school project on Tales from Topographic Oceans?

[BillGuitar]

I heard Chris Squire once say it was his best bass playing job ever. I wish I could remember where i read that.

I know where you read it. Give me a second and I'll find it!

Page 47 of Yesstories. Chris' remarks about The Remembering...

[Starguard]

Page 47 of Yesstories. Chris' remarks about The Remembering...

See above...

[BillGuitar]

I know where you read it. Give me a second and I'll find it!

EDIT: Here we go.

1976, British Rock Guitar by Dan Hedges

"One of the nicest things I think I've ever played is on side two of Topographic Oceans, "The Remembering." It's a very quiet song, and the bass playing is really gentle. I was playing a Guild fretless and though it's not a hard sound or amazingly fast, I'm prouder of that than I am about some of the things I've played that people rave about. That section starts with a very interesting chord sequence. The key shifts for every bar, and the bass line just happens to bind it all together somehow by following a weird kind of scale. It's a very successful piece of arranging, and when I hear it, I definitely feel that I couldn't have played anything righter, and one doesn't often get that feeling."

Taken from Yesstories: Yes in Their Own Words by Time Morse, pg 47-48


Tim Morse

[Starguard]

Tim Morse

Damn. You got me.

I don't think Rick liked that track too much so that mioght have rubbed it from 2002-4.

Does Rick like any track on that album? Every recollection I've heard from him has been overwhelmingly negative. Maybe his son will like it...

[YESOLA]

Thanks for the work on that Star and Bill!!! That's where I read it!

[YesfanAndy]

Damn. You got me.



Does Rick like any track on that album? Every recollection I've heard from him has been overwhelmingly negative. Maybe his son will like it...

I think time has healed most all wounds with Rick & Tales. As recent as the Classic Artists Documentary he's said he thinks there are very good pieces of music to it, and they had too much for a single album but not enough for a double. I think by Rick playing 50% of Tales between his two latest stints (1996-97 & 2002-2004) we heard this Classic lineup play "Revealing" & "Ritual" many many times and I think the band came to an understanding with the music and recognized its importance to the loyal Yes fan base.

[Surely! Surely!]

I know where you read it. Give me a second and I'll find it!

EDIT: Here we go.

1976, British Rock Guitar by Dan Hedges

"One of the nicest things I think I've ever played is on side two of Topographic Oceans, "The Remembering." It's a very quiet song, and the bass playing is really gentle. I was playing a Guild fretless and though it's not a hard sound or amazingly fast, I'm prouder of that than I am about some of the things I've played that people rave about. That section starts with a very interesting chord sequence. The key shifts for every bar, and the bass line just happens to bind it all together somehow by following a weird kind of scale. It's a very successful piece of arranging, and when I hear it, I definitely feel that I couldn't have played anything righter, and one doesn't often get that feeling."

Taken from Yesstories: Yes in Their Own Words by Tim Morse, pg 47-48



:)


Did I tell you I am doing my big final high school project on Tales from Topographic Oceans?


Doing a major high school project on Tales is a great idea! There's an awful lot there to work with. What exactly are you focusing on?
By the way, I had read somewhere that there is a college course on YES music somewhere.
This is the kind of learning that makes your brain fire up!!!

[gathernear]

The Remembering has been pretty much ignored since the Tales tour. I would love to see it performed.

[Timmo]

I think time has healed most all wounds with Rick & Tales. As recent as the Classic Artists Documentary he's said he thinks there are very good pieces of music to it, and they had too much for a single album but not enough for a double. I think by Rick playing 50% of Tales between his two latest stints (1996-97 & 2002-2004) we heard this Classic lineup play "Revealing" & "Ritual" many many times and I think the band came to an understanding with the music and recognized its importance to the loyal Yes fan base.As I recall, he pointed out "The Remembering" as the worst example of the "padding."

Odd to me as it's some of his most gorgeous keyboard work.

Yes, it is a bit repetitious, but the ending is simply sublime, one of the best moments in YesMusic.

[soulsearcher]

Did I tell you I am doing my big final high school project on Tales from Topographic Oceans?


tell us all about it!

[Steve Mahoney]

As I recall, he pointed out "The Remembering" as the worst example of the "padding."

Odd to me as it's some of his most gorgeous keyboard work.

Yes, it is a bit repetitious, but the ending is simply sublime, one of the best moments in YesMusic.

I agree .

[oliasdoug]

I agree with all of you...The Remembering--although it took a little while to grow on me--enthralled me every bit as much as Revealing Science. I've heard Science played at 2 Yes gigs (which is fantastic); I've heard Soleil played at too many Yes gigs (I KNOW, IT'S A GREAT SONG, but it's starting to approach ho-hum status with me), I only like sections of The Ancient, which I've heard at a few Yes gigs (talk about "padding"), and I've NEVER heard The Remembering. It's like Yes's red-headed stepchild. I've never figured out what the deal is with this. The climax to the song ("Rainbow....Starlight...Tell me...Someone...") is something that I ALWAYS have to play at FULL VOLUME, and it knocks me out every bit as much as the climax on Revealing Science.

I really hope the guys will give this beautiful epic some serious consideration.

[relayeire]

As I recall, he pointed out "The Remembering" as the worst example of the "padding."

Odd to me as it's some of his most gorgeous keyboard work.

Yes, it is a bit repetitious, but the ending is simply sublime, one of the best moments in YesMusic.

I can see some of the padding, but I think The Ancient is far more padded... I love The Remembering, but due to the pace of the song I think it would only appeal to the most diehard fans...

[Starguard]

As I recall, he pointed out "The Remembering" as the worst example of the "padding."

That was in 1974 right after he had quit Yes.

"Tales from Topographic Oceans is like a woman's padded bra. The cover looks good, the outside looks good; it's got all the right ingredients, but when you peel off the padding there's not a lot there. I think it's a dreadfully padded album."

Again, from Yesstories.

He goes on to say:

"When you do albums like Topographic Go Cart, it's horrible. ... I think it sucks. ... It's like wading through a cesspool to get to a water lilly."

Rick has grown since then. I think his comments are hilariously brutal. Classic Artists: Yes is a good source, but was Rick just being polite? It's hard to tell. I think he thought the album would be an absolute disaster, but now that he understands both the fans and the band members a little more clearly, he has grown to respect.

Eddie Offord offers his comments (1995):

"That album was a really horrific album. ... At that point it was obvious that Rick became really much more outside the rest of the band. It wasn't so much musical direction... If you want the honest truth it was the fact that the whole band was into smoking dope and has and Rick was into drinking beer. He never touched pot."

It is truly fascinating how botched this album was. For something I have viewed as absolute perfection, it really is flawed. But so is the Torah, the Qur'an, the Bible. I'm not at all comparing this to a religious text, but you really can set the flaws aside for a great 80 minute ride. These guys were digging through the trashcan for edited bits of master tape haphazardly thrown away! The worst part:

Alan (1995): "We spent a week mixing side four of Topographic. We got to the end of the week and felt great that it was finally done and then Eddie Offord was not thinking straight one night and took a razor blade and cut through the master mix quarter-inch tape. It all fell on the floor in pieces and everyone went, "He did WHAT?" He took all the tape home that weekend and put it all back together on his little machine. Can you imagine how many edits there were?"



All of these quotes come from Yesstories. A damn good Yes book, if you get the chance, buy one--buy two. They're hard to come buy.

tell us all about it!

Ok. So I'm just analyzing Tales and it's reaccuring elements of Religion. The album itself is based off Shastric Scriptures found in a footnote of Autobiography of a Yogi. I'm going to talk about the cover of the album--has anyone noticed Acanthostega? It's appears to be the fossil on the rock on the far left. Acanthostega was a watershed find for evolution--one of the first tetrapods ever discovered.

And the first track on the album is "The Revealing Science of God."

I remember learning about Acanthostega in Biology and then coming home and noticing it on the album cover. I thought "Holy ----, I've almost missed something here." I know Jon just called it "Of God" to be hip (see Yesstories), but even if I am reading too much into it, this album is beautiful.

Our English teacher said our Senior Exit Project (SEXIT as I like to call it) had to be on literature. Fiction writing with legitimite criticism behind it. Well, Tales has definately been criticized, so I convinced her to let me do the project.

I was going to do CTTE, but even though it's really a bit more concise than Tales, there is something about Tales that makes me love it more. It's a treasure, it really is. People don't make music like this anymore.

Well, that's all I've got for now! When I'm finished, I'll upload my paper so you guys can check it out.

[relayeire]

Ok. So I'm just analyzing Tales and it's reaccuring elements of Religion. The album itself is based off Shastric Scriptures found in a footnote of Autobiography of a Yogi. I'm going to talk about the cover of the album--has anyone noticed Acanthostega? It's appears to be the fossil on the rock on the far left. Acanthostega was a watershed find for evolution--one of the first tetrapods ever discovered.

And the first track on the album is "The Revealing Science of God."

I remember learning about Acanthostega in Biology and then coming home and noticing it on the album cover. I thought "Holy ----, I've almost missed something here." I know Jon just called it "Of God" to be hip (see Yesstories), but even if I am reading too much into it, this album is beautiful.

Our English teacher said our Senior Exit Project (SEXIT as I like to call it) had to be on literature. Fiction writing with legitimite criticism behind it. Well, Tales has definately been criticized, so I convinced her to let me do the project.

I was going to do CTTE, but even though it's really a bit more concise than Tales, there is something about Tales that makes me love it more. It's a treasure, it really is. People don't make music like this anymore.

Well, that's all I've got for now! When I'm finished, I'll upload my paper so you guys can check it out.

that'll be fascinating... good luck with the project...

[Timmo]

I can see some of the padding, but I think The Ancient is far more padded... I love The Remembering, but due to the pace of the song I think it would only appeal to the most diehard fans...I'm weird (well, you all knew that), but I'm an "inner movements" guy.

My two faves are "The Remembering" and "The Ancient."

Although it took me 20 years to warm up to the latter, but I've grown to love its fractal dissonance, particularly the opening, with that great howling guitar. I also think it was the definite precursor to "Relayer."

[BillGuitar]

I'm weird (well, you all knew that), but I'm an "inner movements" guy.

My two faves are "The Remembering" and "The Ancient."

Although it took me 20 years to warm up to the latter, but I've grown to love its fractal dissonance, particularly the opening, with that great howling guitar. I also think it was the definite precursor to "Relayer."

:appl[1]:

Timmo, that's one of the reasons it is my fave on the album. Even as Howe said "I can't believe we went that far out."

I loved it, even as a Jung whelp.
(I was a-Freud he would say that)

[RickyG]

Our English teacher said our Senior Exit Project (SEXIT as I like to call it) had to be on literature. Fiction writing with legitimite criticism behind it. Well, Tales has definately been criticized, so I convinced her to let me do the project.

I was going to do CTTE, but even though it's really a bit more concise than Tales, there is something about Tales that makes me love it more. It's a treasure, it really is. People don't make music like this anymore.

Well, that's all I've got for now! When I'm finished, I'll upload my paper so you guys can check it out.

Sounds great!
Good luck with it.
Yes, Tales is really a treasure.
True, people don't make music like this anymore, but then they never made music like it before, either.
Tales lives in it's own universe - the supreme highest accomplishment of the progressive rock scene.
The ultimate realization of a truly expansive musical vision by a rock band.

A couple of years ago a handful of us got into a discussion and some in depth analysis of parts of Tales... it's buried in this forum somewhere. Likely either in this TFTO section or in the general "Yesmusic" section.
It might be worth digging it up and giving it a read through for ideas and perspectives.

[rememberer]

I can see some of the padding, but I think The Ancient is far more padded... I love The Remembering, but due to the pace of the song I think it would only appeal to the most diehard fans...

RSOG ain't exactly no Roundabout neither, IMHO. ;) Nor is Soon. But it would have been indescribable for any of The Remembering to have ever been played in place of any of the slower-paced acoustic set, or maybe in place of slower-paced material from Magnification at some point. Or played in entirety and rotated for Ritual and RSOG sometimes.

One of the things that's nice about The Remembering is that I really think you could at least offer representation of the most outstanding parts in a 4 or 5 minute medley. I'm not saying that only 4 or 5 minutes of it are worthwhile, I think the whole piece is just as worthy of rejuvenation as Gates was, but I think the best parts would fit together very well in other arrangements also.

It's very satisfying that Jon and Steve have both played snips in solo shows over the years, but some of those very best parts still went unattended somehow.

I dunno... It's such an amazing, beautiful piece that perpetually neglecting it is (to me, anyway) like having a Led Zeppelin concert and neglecting to play Stairway. I feel like the correct response to that would be, "Oh for God's sake, please fake a few bars at least. A nod, a wink, anything".

Stairway has been played by Page and band without anyone singing, by Page and nobody else, and as a duet without the solo break over the last 20 years. I for one am certainly glad that it was, and in fact I can't remember ever hearing anyone complain even with the circumstances.

And I've probably heard all kinds of weird reasons over the years that are supposed to explain why either masterpiece didn't get played at certain times, but getting up on stage and trying to carry on like either one had never happened at all just really seems wrong somehow.

Of course, in spite of my habitual lobbying, the present is really about what works best for the current line-up. But it would be beyond fantastic if they could make The Remembering work!

[heartofthesunrise]

I heard Chris Squire once say it was his best bass playing job ever.

True dat. I'd kill to hear this. C'mon guys, dust it off!

[relayeire]

I'm weird (well, you all knew that), but I'm an "inner movements" guy.

My two faves are "The Remembering" and "The Ancient."

Although it took me 20 years to warm up to the latter, but I've grown to love its fractal dissonance, particularly the opening, with that great howling guitar. I also think it was the definite precursor to "Relayer."

you wouldn't be you if you were "normal," Timmo! but I don't need to know about your "movements!"

(jk!)

I used to prefer sides 1 and 4, but now I am firmly in the 1 and 2 camp... always loved the eerie weirdness of The Ancient's first few minutes as well as the acoustic bit; the padding lies somewhere between...

RSOG ain't exactly no Roundabout neither, IMHO. ;) Nor is Soon. But it would have been indescribable for any of The Remembering to have ever been played in place of any of the slower-paced acoustic set, or maybe in place of slower-paced material from Magnification at some point. Or played in entirety and rotated for Ritual and RSOG sometimes.

One of the things that's nice about The Remembering is that I really think you could at least offer representation of the most outstanding parts in a 4 or 5 minute medley. I'm not saying that only 4 or 5 minutes of it are worthwhile, I think the whole piece is just as worthy of rejuvenation as Gates was, but I think the best parts would fit together very well in other arrangements also.

It's very satisfying that Jon and Steve have both played snips in solo shows over the years, but some of those very best parts still went unattended somehow.

I dunno... It's such an amazing, beautiful piece that perpetually neglecting it is (to me, anyway) like having a Led Zeppelin concert and neglecting to play Stairway. I feel like the correct response to that would be, "Oh for God's sake, please fake a few bars at least. A nod, a wink, anything".

Stairway has been played by Page and band without anyone singing, by Page and nobody else, and as a duet without the solo break over the last 20 years. I for one am certainly glad that it was, and in fact I can't remember ever hearing anyone complain even with the circumstances.

And I've probably heard all kinds of weird reasons over the years that are supposed to explain why either masterpiece didn't get played at certain times, but getting up on stage and trying to carry on like either one had never happened at all just really seems wrong somehow.

Of course, in spite of my habitual lobbying, the present is really about what works best for the current line-up. But it would be beyond fantastic if they could make The Remembering work!

BrianD and I discussed just such a thing... a bringing together of those acoustic sections "Don the cap..." etc.

[bjlevine]

During the '74 tour, didn't Chris have the Guild mounted to a stand so he could play the Ric during the middle section? I also love the way Jon and Chris flip flop their harmonies. During the big climax, Chris also does this neat little harmony where his vocals ascend in and out of unison with Jon's. A terrific piece.

[rmig68]

Did I tell you I am doing my big final high school project on Tales from Topographic Oceans?

You're going to need an assistant to pass out all the psilocybin mushrooms about an hour or so before you play it for them:angle2:

[rmig68]

I absolutely love "The Remembering." It's one of my favorite Yes songs in so many ways. I just posted last week that I feel it is way too underated amongst some of Yes' longer format songs.

...however, I'm not sure how it would translate live and this is one of few songs for me, that if Jon isn't singing it, it means virtually nothing to me.

One of the rare times that I feel only Jon can sing a particular song. Not because someone can't physically reach the notes, but in more of an introspective way.

[Surely! Surely!]

And you gotta love the exclamation of the last two lines of the song........"Surely! Surely!"