Yes - Tales from Topographic Oceans
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Free Music Notes for Tales from Topographic Oceans
Free Music Review: ones who hear...
Hit: 5 Stars
Hi all,
The easiest way to say this is... Some people hear music, and some people listen to music. Yes has always been a "Thinking mans Band" (along w/others). I saw Tales At the garden in NYC.It was great to see the pure genius of this special evening.(Tales is so intricate and difficult to reproduce live)
Tales is really several songs put together by yes. I can't speak for anyone but I can say if you LISTEN to music you will find this album wonderful. What a great follow up to close to the edge!
Free Music Review: A "progressive rock" work of art, from the masters...
Hit: 5 Stars
Long before the progressive rock band "Yes" began to deteriorate into a more pop/hits band with various original members coming and going, in other words, in Yes's most creative era, came perhaps their greatest overall work. In the spirit of "Close to the Edge" and "Fragile" and "Relayer" and "Going for the One," "Tales" is a double album made up of four main "pieces/songs," each approximately 20 minutes long. While Yes had previously tackled non-FM radio friendly, long and intricate, powerful musical ideas, "Tales" is without a doubt their most significant contribution to this whole genre of great, lengthy progressive art-rock attempts. As would be Genesis's "Lamb Lies Down on Broadway," Pink Floyd's "Dark Side of the Moon," and The Who's "Quadrophenia," but to name a few.
This is really just about the only real progressive rock "symphony" ever created however, in the way it is presented. There are four "movements" here, each complete in their own way, but when the four are put together, this work remains to this day, the closest any mere "rock" band ever came to matching the greatest purely classical music composers (and their own symphonies) in the history of music itself. High praise, Yes! And so well deserved.
"Tales" is not for everyone, whether a casual or devoted "Yes" fan. It takes musical ideas and lyrical compositions beyond anything the mostly original lineup had ever offered before or since. Misunderstood and under-appreciated after its release and for many years afterwards, this is, when all is said and done, probably the band's greatest work. Each of the four parts take many twists and turns, and hold within a life of their own, constantly switching from long lyrical adventures to strictly instrumental, to intricate vocal harmonies, and almost all of it is done in brilliant counterpoints and tempo changes, none of it ever predictable. Utilizing early synth sounds and techniques, it is such a complex and historically important work that it may fly way over the heads of first time Yeslisteners, and may even eventually become tiresome to a lot of ex-Yes fans who have come to see it over time as overly pretentious and Yes at their most self-indulgent. If there were any one effort of progressive rock in general (like Genesis's "Lamb" especially) which demands repeated listenings to fully appreciate its true genius however, this is it.
Aside from the extra tracks in this version of Tales, the four, original parts of this four part Yes symphony remain the essence of it all, and they are:
The Revealing Science Of God Dance Of The Dawn
Starting rather slow but speeding up fast with obscure lyrics from the get-go, and a slowly building harmonic, music and effects background, which turns into all instrumental and then more voice and combinations of musical styles typically Yes, from past and future works. There is no "rush" here to fit into any pre-conceived time frames, so both the music and voice parts take their sweet time, and while demanding patience upon first time listeners, there are riches yet to be had in this, only the first quarter of the work. The music speeds up as do the lyrics, only to swell back into slow, rather minimal joys, of the type only Yes ever really did well among most progressive rock attempts. The early synthesizer sounds and traditional instruments blend wonderfully, and Jon Anderson brings it all about in many beautiful new age parts interrupted by faster, but just as compelling and involving instrumental only sections. A great start and introduction to what may just be Yes's greatest work ever.
The Remembering High The Memory
Continuing from alternating slower, more reflective parts to lead into more instrumental dominated diversions, while again taking its time to develop themes and ideas more deeply than previous and later efforts, echoes of Yes's best efforts won't disappoint fans, especially those of such classics as Fragile and Close to the Edge. All of it must be taken in stride, but there are rewards musically throughout, and a lot of the latter parts will predict future Yes classics such as can be found in Relayer, and especially in the epic "Awaken" from the Going For The One album.
The Ancient Giants Under The Sun
Without a doubt the strangest quarter of Tales is this, with an emphasis on instrumental, there are new sound effects being constantly introduced, and while this part may demand the most patience to develop from the other parts to fully enjoy, like the other parts, it continually flows in a glorious whole. And various themes here again refer back to earlier parts. The classical guitar parts here shine especially.
Ritual Nous Sommes Du Soleil
Again, beginning with an emphasis on the instrumental, soon, vocals and lyrics slowly take charge, and lead later to incredible and faster combinations of so many sounds, all featuring great keyboards, effects, and plaintiff yearning and attempts to wrap it all up with Anderson's vocals. Jon sings, "We Love When We Play..." and it becomes obvious that this whole work is just all about that. An album made by Yes, basically for Yes, and anyone else who finds value in it all, much the better.
Not for everyone, "Tales" will always remain Yes's finest contribution to the very idea of "progressive rock," in all of its, at times, seemingly pretentious, but ultimately satisfyingly wonderous overall achievement. This is surely a masterpiece which demands repeated listenings to fully appreciate its unique, simple and complex, musical beauty. I can't recommend it enough, and it will always be on my short list of CD's to be stranded on a desert island with. Every listening consistently brings something new to the mix, and this is a piece of music art, without doubt.
Free Music Review: Tales from Topographic Oceans
Hit: 5 Stars
I am just filling out my CD library with titles I used to have in album format and through the years have lost or they have gotten unplayable. Great album though.Free Music Review: The remastering is worth it
Hit: 5 Stars
Yes' double album "Tales from Topographic Oceans" is still the 'mammoth' that Jon Anderson referred to it as. It's slight that anyone will change their mind about it as it gets repressed and remastered over the years. This is an album to love or to hate, very little middle-ground exists. I love it. I keep coming back to it with naivety about what pop/rock can be outside of bass-drums-guitar and find myself liking it so much more than I did in the past. Likewise, detractors of the excessive side of prog rock, or of prog rock in general, will continue to hate this long-winded behemoth that almost brought Yes to an artistic dead-end. What I want to address is the mastering.
You may think that mastering does not make a difference in two editions of the same album, and you would be right part of the time. In the case of something be remastered ten years after its release, I've tried very hard to detect a difference only to find them almost identical. But sometimes it really does make a difference. A huge difference. I do not own the first CD pressing of "Tales" (my brother does), but I did load it on to my computer alongside the files I ripped from my copy of "Close to the Edge" that I purchased in 1991. So there they were, the first CD pressing of old Yes next to a remastered "Tales" from 2003 right next to each other. I don't like using superlatives, but...wow. Whoever engineered this who thing sure earned his/her pay. The difference is breathtaking, not only because of the boost, but because it's such a clear boost with no dynamics lost. Trust me, if you are both an audiophile and a Yes fan, this will stun you flat. Compared to those editions from over 15 years ago, this stuff sounds better than great.
There is an extra two minutes of drifting, ambient music at the start of "The Revealing Science of God" on this remastering. Jon Anderson starts singing "Dawn of the light..." around 1:57, if that makes any difference to you. It makes me wonder if we will ever hear the 28 minute version that was the original draft of the song. Anyone know if that was recorded?
The liner notes are a nice touch, discussing the important of "Tales" with members of Yes while not over-trumpeting its legendary status. Members weary from the recording sessions such as Chris Squire and Rick Wakeman suggest that they have made peace with this monster of an album and that it wasn't quite the misstep that critics over the years have branded it as.
There are some bonus tracks on disc two, ("The Ancient" is shifted from disc two to disc one, as you can see) two studio rehearsals. If anything, they help me to appreciate the finished product much more than I normally would. They sound pretty rough and ragged by Yes standards and only point to the capabilities of Eddie Offord as a producer.
"Tales" remains the same album it always has; big, bloated and beautiful. This latest edition helps focus a brighter light on it. And that light makes a big difference, if you ask me.
Free Music Review: Love it or leave it--few are indifferent to this album
Hit: 4 Stars
Fresh off the success of the previous blockbuster, 'Close to the Edge' (1972), Yes returned the following year with 'Tales From Topographic Oceans' (which I will refer to as 'Tales' from now on). Greatly attracted to and inspired by some Schastic scripture, Yes lead singer and lyricist Jon Anderson decided to embark upon an extremely ambitious project. Enthusiastic about the possibilities of this was band mate (guitarist) Steve Howe who, in the company of Anderson, would spend long, candlelit evenings writing out the music. Notably absent from these sessions was the continually-estranged (keyboardist) Rick Wakeman, who saw this project as the epitome of "pretentious" and "overwrought". Regardless, the band soldiered on, creating a double concept album.
The lineup had changed slightly since the previous album. Stating that he felt that the band could never do better than 'Close to the Edge', former drummer Bill Bruford defected to King Crimson. His replacement was Alan White, a friend and fan of the band for some time. The other members, however, remained together as such: Jon Anderson (vocals), Steve Howe (guitar), Chris Squire (bass), and Rick Wakeman (keyboards).
But what about 'Tales'? It is perhaps the single most polarizing album ever put out by Yes, or perhaps even in progressive rock in general. There are people who swear by this album, and just as many it seems who absolutely hate it. As I said in the title, few are truly indifferent. First of all, it's *long*. While there are only four tracks, each exceeds twenty minutes in length. Second of all, it's esoteric, even by Yes standards. 'Tales' is a dense and enigmatic work to say the least. Musically, it's long-winded and often through-composed. There are elements of repetitive reinforcement, but for the most part each track is an isolated affair. Instrumentally, while the usual suspects are featured (Mellotron, Hammond organ, et al), they are used in a variety of unique manners. Often times, the music has a "tribal" or "primitive" cast. I'll admit this is annoying at times, particularly because of all the progressive rock bands, Yes retained the most of the typical 60's "let's all hold hands and love one another" tripe. It is ironic, then, that Anderson's attempts at "holistic" music that brings people together instead created one of the most marked rifts between fans of the genre at any time in the decade.
As mentioned above, Wakeman made no secret how much he detested this album. During one live performance, he famously ate curry while playing the keyboard parts one-handed until he was forced to commission the other hand for solos. While Anderson and Howe set up elaborate, pastoral studio sets that would not have looked out of place at a Gabriel-era Genesis concert, Wakeman pretty much twiddled his thumbs and sulked. Paradoxically, I would have to say he did some of his best keyboard work for this album, even though he often complains about his lack of input. The Mellotron in particular was used masterfully, in a showing almost equal to something Tony Banks of Genesis might have done. Obviously, though, it wasn't enough because Wakeman took a hiatus from the band after this album.
I'll spare you the usual track-by-track review, as words really fail me on this album. You'll just have to hear it and decide from there whether you like it. If you really like Mellotron and Moog, you will likely find enjoyment in this album simply from that perspective. It is really a wonderful study in keyboard work, even if Rick Wakeman doesn't think so. Also, I would have to say that I much prefer Alan White's work on this album to that on the following 'Relayer' release in 1974. The drumming on 'Tales' has a much more immediate atmosphere than that on 'Relayer', which seems a bit recessed and laid back. Watch out, though; Alan White differs from Bill Bruford with drum fills that *just don't quite work*. The first of these is right after the driving Moog bass note at timecode 3:28 in "The Revealing Science of God". Of course this is just my humble opinion, and after hearing the whole thing a few times it sounds less jarring and even deliberate, but the first few times I heard it I just couldn't shake the impression that this was a mistake. Please don't get me wrong; Alan White is an excellent drummer. I just don't personally like his work as much as that of Bill Bruford.
Jon Anderson's vocals are impeccable as usual, and the layered harmonies thereof can truly inspire chills. The playing by the rest of the band is no less excellent; after all, it *is* Yes we're talking about here. Even the production, though it sounds a little rougher here than for the previous two albums, contributes to an atmosphere of sonic perfection. The climaxes of the first two tracks are some of the most powerful music Yes has ever released, particularly Wakeman's fantastic Moog solo in "Revealing Science" and the glorious layered vocals at the end of "The Remembering". I must say that I don't care for the final two tracks nearly so much as I like the first two, but to each his own, I suppose. At the end of the day, I regret that I could not offer a particularly unique perspective on this album. It's certainly good (on the strength of the first two tracks), but I would not consider it one of the band's best works. 'Close To The Edge', 'Relayer', and 'Fragile' would all rate above it in my opinion, with 'The Yes Album' nipping closely at the heels of 'Tales'. As with 'Relayer', this is purely a fans' album; listeners new to the band should try 'The Yes Album', 'Fragile', and 'Close To The Edge' (and in that order) before they even consider 'Tales'. As I noted in my 'Relayer' review, I'm not trying to sound like a condescending prog snob. I just want to save prospective buyers some time and money.