Tales from Topographic Oceans.

[KeithieW]

Many of my friends here on the Moon will know of my love and admiration for this album. I couldn't imagine life without it.

Now it seems that Andy from "The Tangent" feels the same.

See this "review" by Andy from The Tangents own site. It makes for some interesting reading.

http://po90.com/tangent/tales.htm

[Hawksun]

Wow...

That's what I really call a fan.

But Close will forever be my Yes favorite. :D

[Rick and Roll]

Many of my friends here on the Moon will know of my love and admiration for this album. I couldn't imagine life without it.

Now it seems that Andy from "The Tangent" feels the same.

See this "review" by Andy from The Tangents own site. It makes for some interesting reading.

http://po90.com/tangent/tales.htm

My show on 7/16 and 7/17 will be all Tangent:thumbsup:

[RogorMortis]

Funny when I read Andy's review there are so many things I feel the same too from the same period.

I'm not a musician though so I don't have that grail to go for, but I keep buying loads of other CD's in the hope I can get the same satisfaction when I received TFTO on the 27 december 1973 together with Gentle Giant (Glasshouse) and Greenslade. Those were the days.........

[Rick and Roll]

getting those when they first came out are priceless memories I'll never have...I always thought 72,73,74 was the classic period in musical history..

[ricb]

tales was always my fav. it talked to me. and i understood.

to me, it is all quite clear and concise. a story that began not of this realm, yet, of which said story this realm has been duly affected by.

'Young christians see if from the beginning, Old people feel it, that's what they're saying."

i have honestly believed that "one child knows the secret and can say it."

always have, always will.

-----

haven't been around lately...new job, new band same health issues. other than that...i'm still vertical y'all!! :notsure:

[kirk]

We share a love for that album Keith.
Even some of the gang at Yesfans aren't into it,
or understand it.

My all-time favorite Yes song though, is Awaken.
It's sort of like sonic drugs.

K

[Yesspaz]

I really like the album. It's not my favorite, and I think I'd like it more if say, one side from it was spread out over four albums with shorter stuff. Say, "Revealing" with side two of Tormato and "Remembering" with side one..., etc. I don't listen to it nearly as much as I do Relayer, Going, Tormato, Close, Keys, Ladder, etc. I think the reason is that while it's, in Jon's words, "immaculate," it really is an exhausting album to digest whole. There are a lot of 4-song double albums - Tangerine, Godspeed, and Soft Machine come to mind quickly - yet none of these are as packed as Tales. They can wash over you, but you have to focus on Tales. That intensity of focus for that long will wear you out. Whenever I listen to Tales, I always find myself (and don't take this the wrong way) cleansing my palatte right after with something simple and heavy, simple and atmospheric, or something rootsy. It's like I've been up in the stratosphere too long and I need to get reacquainted with the earth beneath my feet (or after spending a day at a museum I need to watch Futurama for a while). A good chaser after Tales is a CCR album.

Each individual song is wonderful, but as a whole they can be a bit much.

[KeithieW]

Interesting comments from my Moonbuds too.

Funnily enough, kirk, as an individual track "Awaken" gets my vote too. However as an album it will always be Tales.

Indeed, spaz, it's a big listen but worth every effort. I never feel drained I feel uplifted. I listen to individual sides from time to time especially Ritual, but the experience of listening to the whole is something that stays for a long time.

"Hold me my love, hold me today, call me 'round. Travel we say, wander we choose, love tune. Lay upon me, hold me around lasting hours. We love when we play. We hear a song. Alter our returning. We drift the shadows and course our way back home."

Beautiful and profoundly moving music.

[teermin8r]

What an interesting article you've found Keithie. Makes you want to break out the cd again...... I think I will. :D

[Andyyyy]

getting those when they first came out are priceless memories I'll never have...I always thought 72,73,74 was the classic period in musical history..

Don't feel too bad Rick. I was around in those days and managed to miss many great concerts. Why? I dunno! I guess I was just "getting" prog in general in the late 70s early 80s. So I missed all Mahavishnu Orch concerts and didn't see Yes till probably mid 80s. Now I see stuff like Bruford/Berlin/Stewart on U Tube and cry cause I never saw them live either (though there is to be a DVD of that out shortly).

As to Tales...it's one of my least played LPs. I dunno, maybe I'll play it again and "get it" this time. I just was kinda neutral about it. I always love The Album, Close to the Edge and others, but Tales somehow eluded me...

[Rick and Roll]

well we've done this several times, what's one more?

I like the Wakeman piece on Tales the best. May be the best song he's ever written. As a whole, the record is demanding, for sure. But I listen to it rarely, preferring Open your Eyes...

ok that last part was a joke....

My fav Yes song is Awaken, but Siberian Khatru is close on its heels.

[progdirjim]

Argh! What is it about Awaken? That is easily the worst "epic" Yes has ever put out. Argh!!!!!!

Boring, boring, boring. Put that and "Echoes" together, and you've got enough material for a good 5 minute song...

:shootmeno :shootmeno :shootmeno

[Yesspaz]

As to Tales...it's one of my least played LPs. I dunno, maybe I'll play it again and "get it" this time.Best way to get into it is to listen to just one cut at a time over and over. Treat it like a one-song EP. My advice anyway.

Argh! What is it about Awaken? That is easily the worst "epic" Yes has ever put out. Argh!!!!!!

Boring, boring, boring. Put that and "Echoes" together, and you've got enough material for a good 5 minute song...What is it about Awaken? It's the best freaking song EVER! That's what!!!:p Just as Jon said, "It's everything I could ask for from a group of musicians in this life." Immaculate!

[kirk]

getting those when they first came out are priceless memories I'll never have...I always thought 72,73,74 was the classic period in musical history..

My first copy of TFTO was a pink 8-track.:haha:
The bad thing is, I remember the track changes, which
weren't always at the beginning of a song.

[QUOTE] PDJ- Boring, boring, boring.

Jim, Jim, Jim......:jawdrop:

K

[roger]

my musical listening (and owning) history is a strange one, and today, I heard for the first time (!) (it's playing right now) "Awaken", and I am blown away. amazing. huge.

sonic drugs, indeed, kirk.

play it again...

[kirk]

If you didn't this time, read the words while tracking.
"Master of images, songs cast a light on you..." whew!

Talking keyboards- Rick's on the grand pipe organ in
the cathedral at Vevay Switzerland, w/ the choir backing on the finale.

This piece makes me want to drop into the lotus position.

Enjoy!

Kirk

[KeithieW]

This piece makes me want to drop into the lotus position.

Enjoy!
Kirk
My joints don't allow me that pleasure any more so I just idiot dance my way to heaven......:yougo

[kirk]

You need some Gluosamine/Chondritin, my friend!
Ommmmm.........

K

[Rick and Roll]

You need some Gluosamine/Chondritin, my friend!
Ommmmm.........

K

I take that!:yougo

Roger, between that admission and the Hassellhoff viseo, PDR's got two strikes on you!:hooboy:

[kirk]

Keith, correct me if I'm wrong, but Britain has more restrictive laws
when it comes to supplements.
I have Brit friends that talk me out of Valerian, Melatonin
because they can't buy it locally.

K

K

[roger]

Roger, between that admission and the Hassellhoff video, PDR's got two strikes on you!:hooboy:

uh oh. better watch my a$$, eh? :knowing:

[DanWilde1966]

Think that Tales is a hugely overrated album. I've never really been able to get into it it, despite the wise advice offered above. I think the problem with it is that... (retreats to the bunker...)... it's not actually that good. Wakeman loathed it, even as he was doing it: "Tony's Topographic Go-Kart" was his reference to it. LP 1, side 2 is for me the best cut on the record. I'll take or leave the others tracks. It does not compare favourably to any of the other 1971-1974 releases. Much has been written about Close to the Edge, but the towering Yes achievement for me is Relayer. It's peerless, IMO.

[Rick and Roll]

Think that Tales is a hugely overrated album. I've never really been able to get into it it, despite the wise advice offered above. I think the problem with it is that... (retreats to the bunker...)... it's not actually that good. Wakeman loathed it, even as he was doing it: "Tony's Topographic Go-Kart" was his reference to it. LP 1, side 2 is for me the best cut on the record. I'll take or leave the others tracks. It does not compare favourably to any of the other 1971-1974 releases. Much has been written about Close to the Edge, but the towering Yes achievement for me is Relayer. It's peerless, IMO.

No retreat needed...a good opinion.

[DanWilde1966]

No retreat needed...a good opinion.Many thanks. This seems like a highly civilised forum; I may well stick around here for a while!

[roger]

This seems like a highly civilised forum;


hahahahaha!

:haha:


welcome, Dan!

[Thor]

I thought his review and observations of this Yes masterpiece were spot on.
he is a little confused about the meaning of many of the lyrics... yes Jon could babble a bit,
but those words he wrote were fully inspired by Hindu philosophy, rishi study and the writings
of Sri Paramahansa Yogananda. http://www.yogananda-srf.org/py-life/index.html
and his book Autobiography of a Yogi... http://www.yogananda-srf.org/ay/index.html

Jon even briefly mentions the book in the Tales liner notes, even though he references the wrong page numbers...
he says he was influenced by a footnote. It is clear by the lyrics that Jon read the whole book to be so inspired.

I highly recommend reading it.

[rick_wakeman]

Argh! What is it about Awaken? That is easily the worst "epic" Yes has ever put out. Argh!!!!!!

Boring, boring, boring. Put that and "Echoes" together, and you've got enough material for a good 5 minute song...

:shootmeno :shootmeno :shootmeno

i really love Awaken like many ones in here. The fact that Rick Wakeman said he doesn't like this album would somewhere mean that he loves it. He is a 70s artist. It's just like an improvisational album and he doesn't like it to be shown as an album i guess. That's why he always try to add many stuffs each time he plays one of the 4 songs.
this album is a prog rock fight among many prog rock listeners and critics. Some are adoring it as i do, some hate it.:hrm: we're all Rick_Wakemen...