Tales from Topographic Oceans

This came out when I was in junior high school, always been aware of it but never too interested. The 60 yo me loves it. Over the years, developing interests in classical, electronic, prog, and very long tunes, have set me up to really enjoy this now. Plus, it's $5.

Lifelong Yes fan, but not here. Too much excess for me. First cut is the best. I would like to hear this remixed with less midrange to make the synths sound less tinny. Also, I don't think this new music works without Bill Bruford. Alan White was a good rock drummer but not an odd-time signature kind of guy. It just doesn't have the same feel. I would have liked to have seen what Bruford could have done with this material. I think if he had stayed for this one that he would have left after this one.

I HAVE BEEN ASKING ITUNES TO OFFER MAGNIFICATION AND THE ORIGINAL 2011 FLY FROM HERE. IF MORE YES FANS ASK, ITUNES WILL LISTEN. I LIKE ALL 4 SONGS FROM TALES FROM TOPOGRAPHIC OCEANS, MY FAVORITE IS THE RITUAL. I LOVE THE BASS AND THE GUITAR LEADING INTO THE DRUMS......

1. The Revealing Science of God (The Dance of the Dawn): Easily the best song on the album!!! One of Yes’s best songs, period. The vocal harmonies, Chris’s bass, Howe’s guitar, White’s drumming, and Wakeman’s keyboards blend perfectly in this epic masterpiece. 2. The Remembering (High the Memory): Overall, a good track. It can be a bit boring at times, but for the most part it is really good. Kind of like track one, but less intense. 3. The Ancient (Giants Under the Sun): Worst track on the album. It’s essentially an 18 minute guitar solo with some vocals thrown in here and there. While Howe’s playing is admirable, it gets old after a bit, and leaves you wanting to hear the rest of the band. When the rest of the band does come in, it’s only briefly and underwhelming. 4. Ritual (Nous Sommes du Soleil): This track is the second best on the Album. Much like the first track, it has a perfect blend of the five members. The only down side is Alan White’s drum solo towards the end. And It’s just a personal preference thing. Some may enjoy it, I just think it sounds a bit out of place. Song ranking: 1. The Revealing Science of God 2. Ritual 3. The Remembering 4. The Ancient Conclusion: Many say that this album is a prime example of prog rock gone too far, and I see their point. It is a bit excessive and a little self indulgent at times. But it still manages to be a pretty good album. “The Ancient” is the only bad song on the album (I realize that means 1/4 of the album is bad). However, Tracks 1 and 4 are so good that it definitely makes up for it. Honestly, if Yes just released a single LP with just those two tracks, it would go down as a prog masterpiece right up there with CTTE, 2112, and DSOTM.

Good album!

Tales from Topographic Oceans is a very underrated album in the prog rock realm. 1. The Revealing Science of God. The best song on the album and it is my favorite song. 2. The Remembering. I feel this song is a little too long and kind of drags. Don't get me wrong, it is a great song and I love everything about it. 3. The Ancient. A very underrated song. 4. Ritual. Another great song. Almost as good as track 1.

Don't be so quick to dis this album. All of Yes' 70s albums are really good, some better than others. 1. Revealing Science of God/ Dance of Dawn Honestly by far the best song on Tales From Topographic Oceans, literally every bit as good as Close to the Edge, Fragile and The Yes Album. One of the BEST Yes' songs. 2. The Remembering/ High the Memory For me this song and Ritual can be placed at either 2nd or 3rd. They pretty much balance each other out. I really like them and people need should give it another shot. 3. The Ancient/ Giants Under the Sun I am a huge Yes fan, but I don't touch anything post-Tormato. That is where it ends because john Anderson and Rick wakeman left. Anyway........As much as I don't want to say it The Ancient is kinda boring. Their is not very much singing and your constantly listening for any exciting parts but unfortunately don't succeed in finding any. 4. Ritual/ some weird words Yeah

Not for the faint of heart!!! Classic YES!!!!!

Yes were an exceptional, dynamic band with so much musical chemistry. So many people call this album the peak of their progressive powers. I can't say I hate it because I do quite like "The Revealing Science of God", but saying I like it would be lying because this album is utterly boring. Most of the time it sounds like they're just making it up as they go along and they're desperate to meet the 20-minute mark and fill up space on one side. The album lacks the wonder and charisma found on Fragile and Close to the Edge that gave Yes a name for theirselves. So if you're new and just starting to listen to Yes, I recommend you check out Fragile and CTTE because in my opinion, they're much better albums that display their musical powers, and then come back here and listen and judge for yourself.

This is either the album that Yes reasched the peak of their powers or where they completely lost it, depending on your point of view. Personally, I see both points of the story. Forget for a moment the ridiculous concept behind this album. You can read about that elsewhere. Let's focus on the actual music. Side 1, The Revealing Science of God, is probably the best of the four. It's closest in feel to the Close to the Edge album and actually has enough hooks to keep you interested through all 20 minutes. Sides 2 and 3, The Remembering and The Ancient, respectively, just aren't of the same quality. No matter how many times I listen to it I find my mind wandering for spells during these songs, occasionally drawn back in by an interesting section before it wanders off again. Fortunately for Yes, they pulled it back together on Ritual (Side 4 on the original vinyl), assuming the listener has made it that far, though even that has some parts that tend to meander. The worst thing I can ever say about an album is that it seems to have no direction, and for large chunks of this album unfortunately that appears to be the case. Even worse is that one of the most memorable moment from the album is a horrific drum solo from the otherwise rock-solid Alan White. Not for the faint of heart, and if you find 90125 to be your favorite Yes album then avoid this at all costs!