TALES FROM TOPOGRAPHIC OCEANS

This one, is the most complex album by Yes. They got their maximum expression in composition in Tales (as in CTTE and Relayer too). Here, in Tales, the symphonism way of composition achieves its highest point: the counterpoint isn't capricious but it's really deep and complex; there are diversity of sonorities and textures. Also, there are some melodic motives which are recurrent from the beginning to the end of this album.

How to describe the songs? I don't know... First, I have to say there are only 4 songs, very long songs. The first time you listen to Tales, it maybe seems too long, but Yes guys took the time to develop the ideas. I think if you listen to Topographic oceans just twice or three times you will not like it, because is almost imposible to take the album concept for the first times. It's like if you read a long and deep book: the second time you read it, you understand more details and you take the concept better than the previous time.

The Revealing Science Of God - Dance Of The Dawn opens the album strongly. Highlights: the beginning is a 'crescendo' of the voices and instruments. This part is the same that in the coda but there it's re-harmonized and re-arranged. The 'na na na' parts and the keyboard solo. The Remembering - High The Memory is probably the quietest song (with some strong parts, too). The acoustic guitar is awesome, the mini-moog solo is incredible. The Ancient - Giants Under The Sun is a very eclectic and strong track with 'semi-tonal' parts, and a beautiful acoustic song. Ritual - Nous Sommes Du Soleil: the 'grand finale', an ecstatic song. The percussion solo is really awesome. Great ending...

TFTO has a lot of sides to analyze. For me, it's one of the 3 or 4 most perfect masterpieces of symphonic rock. I don't undertood why many people don't like it. From 1970 to 1974, Yes has an incredible wealth of inspiration, and 'Topographic Oceans' was the most intricate product of that. I can't to describe completely the music with words, so listen to Tales from Topographic Oceans... 7, 8, 9 times at least. For me 5 stars...

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