Love for Tales from Topographic Oceans

M27Barney wrote: richardh wrote: Wakeman had a problem with so called 'padding' and recently said the vinyl format menat that the four tracks had to be all about 20 mins long while if recorded now one could be 12 minutes , another 27 minutes and so on. He has a point I think. Still you have to take it for what it is. A unique slab of seventies prog.Sometimes I enjoy it , sometimes it bores me rigid. I think...it's about time someone did a re-vam and extend it out to two CD's worth (160 mins)...I once went to see a prog band called "Daga-band" - sort of ELP outfit - They opened with a 30 minute organ/mellotron/moog jam that lasted 30 mins - called "paraplasma" I recall....Thats prog..... Grey Boynton was the keyboardist I think....

I seem to remember Daga Band vaguely although I don't think I've seen them live. I have seen Noddy's Puncture who had a keyboard player that dressed like Keith Emerson circa 1970. They were quite fun.

Edited by richardh - September 27 2012 at 01:46

I love the guitar solo Steve Howe plays on "The Ancient" where he is using a Classical nylon string guitar. I believe it is one of his most creative solos. For years I found myself listening to all 4 sides of Topographic during snow blizzards. It seemed very fitting when I was trapped in a house, a Holiday Inn, or using headphones when riding on a bus. I remember sitting by a window watching the snow pound and letting the album play. It was an amazing experience. I always tried to imagine what Vangelis would have added to the project. Although Rick Wakeman did a fine job with atmospheric sounds ...I still wanted to hear what Vangelis would have chosen to add into the compositions.

Ambient Hurricanes wrote: I'm just listening to it for the first time right now, and enjoying it quite a bit.

Dayvenkirq wrote: . moshkito wrote: TFTO is just NOT a pop song! If song is what you want ... ciao baby! YES will never be for you except for 2 or 3 songs! ... and honestly? ... that's not progressive at all! I have to ask: How is that?

I would really advise you not to waste your time, Dayve. I have tried to have discussions with Moshkito before.

HarbouringTheSoul wrote: Ehn, it's okay. Sometimes I quite enjoy it, other times it feels like the silliest album ever recorded. I feel that this a good record for people who just want to get lost in the sound, but I'm not really one of those people. This is also the album where they started to become quite messy sound-wise, which is kind of a bummer considering they were the tightest band on earth just one year prior. I blame the absence of Bill Bruford, who seemed to keep the other guys' meanderings in check.

Edited by moshkito - September 26 2012 at 16:12

All 4 sides are amazing.....Fantastic work by Yes...For me it flip-flops with CTTE as my fav Yes album. The gatefold is just brilliant too.....

tried to listen to this the other night.  i always considered a favorite, but man, it does not hold up at all.  i'd love to see a remixed version of this making each song about 10 minutes shorter.  sorry, i know that's sacrilege.

Edited by zumacraig - September 26 2012 at 11:54

Not my fav Yes record, but I was quite impressed with the constant quality of the songs (except Nous Sommes du Soleil, I was a bit bored by it). Count me in with the TfTO lovers :)

😁 it's true. This album is every bit as layered as a classical symphony. I mean it's as I said, you gotta be in the right head space to listen to it. You drift off here or there you'll get lost and it may ending up just sounding like complex noise. I recommend LSD if your a person who has trouble focasing. Close your eyes and the music will help you see some pretty amazing things....I am not kidding.

cstack3 wrote: Epignosis wrote: moshkito's post made me think of this: If Beethoven or someone earlier could hear Tales from Topographic Oceans, what might they think? A spiritual incantation initially- but what then?  Great discussion!  I think Bach & Beethoven would have especially loved "Revealing Science of God," Brahms or Handel would have liked "The Remembering," Mahler and Holst the bombastic "The Ancient," and perhaps a Russian like Tchaikovsky "Ritual" for its grand dramatic elements!   We could discuss this for days over drinks!  I think they would have particularly been impressed by the amount of music that five fellows could generate with the technology!  Imagine any of the classical composers with a Mellotron!!