put me down for a "talk" fan also! i think it's terribly underrated.
it fits into the yes lexicon much better than "big generator" IMO.
for me, picking a fav yes epic is sort of like picking a favorite
brand of chocolate ..none of them are
too bad.
this stuff went waaay beyond "music". it was a soundtrack to
our generation, an intrinsic part of an overall movement that's
been much maligned and misunderstood since.
at the risk of repeating myself, awaken takes the prize.
not only does it epitomize progressive rock imo, but it
may be the peak for what can be accomplished w/
guitars, keys, drums, bass, period.
the production is as stunning as the work.
i have my doubts that a "prog band" (i'm beginning to hate that term)
will ever come along and top it.
i've probably owned more copies of CTTE than any of the
others, albums, 8-tracks, cassettes, cds.
IIRC, the remastered cd makes 9.
that's my story and i'm sticking to it.
p e a c e
kirk