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Topic Closed"Tales From Topographic Oceans Sucks" Why?
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akaBona View Drop Down
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Points: 2082 		Direct Link To This Post Posted: November 21 2011 at 00:40
it's one of the greatest albums ever, no doubt about this. it's no problem to me if someone don't like it, actually couldn't care less ...
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Points: 19557 		Direct Link To This Post Posted: November 21 2011 at 00:21
Originally posted by cstack3 cstack3 wrote:

 

My only regret is that Wakeman was so tenuous on the recording, he clearly didn't like it.  Pity....

Clearly didn't like it?........That's a bit short LOL

Quote WAKEMAN: I love Yes dearly, but I didn't enjoy Topographic Oceans. At the time I actually said it was an over-padded pile of sh*t. Those were the days when things were very black and white; we weren't mature enough to sit down and discuss things. 
The truth of the matter is, I still don't like the album. There's a lot of very good things on it; there's some very good moments on it. But there's tons of padding. When we went in to do it, we had too much material for a single album. So you either made it into a double album - which means write a lot more stuff - or you just reduce the size and make it into a single album. The fact of life is, we went the wrong route and we didn't have any other material. So there was padding for days on it. And Yes had never done that and I really objected to it. Vehemently objected to it.

MORGAN: And that's why you ended up taking a walk for the first time. 

WAKEMAN: Absolutely. We've all discussed it for a long time since then, and everybody actually agrees now that if the world of CD had been with us then, that problem would never have arisen. One track might've been eleven minutes, one might've been nine, one might've been twenty-six, one might've been fourteen. They would've had their natural length. It was an album that was eventually tailored and padded out to fit four sides of an album.
 
Source: Creem Magazine
Interview with Rick Wakeman 
By Jeffrey Morgan 

He was more than expressive.....I fully agree with him

Iván
            
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Points: 901 		Direct Link To This Post Posted: November 20 2011 at 23:57
It draaaaaaaaaaaaaags. Could've been a phenomenal single LP album
I'm so mad that you enjoy a certain combination of noises that I don't
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Points: 7625 		Direct Link To This Post Posted: November 20 2011 at 23:33
Originally posted by progistoomainstream progistoomainstream wrote:

Can someone enlighten me as to why people do not like Yes' "Tales from Topographic Oceans."

Clearly, they are sick and need immediate treatment by Dr. Prog.  

Seriously, four sides of complex prog-rock composition is a big of a slog in one sitting!!  I used to play "Revealing," followed by "Remembering," and then move onto something else like "Foxtrot."  It took me a while before I got into "The Ancient" and "Ritual."  

However, it is without doubt one of the high-points in rock music composition.  Howe has said that he considers his playing on the album some of his best (I agree with him).   He used a single guitar on all four sides, a Gibson Les Paul Junior (single-pickup beginner's model).  

My only regret is that Wakeman was so tenuous on the recording, he clearly didn't like it.  Pity....
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Points: 17493 		Direct Link To This Post Posted: November 20 2011 at 22:12
I will enlighten you.

It's boring, and Anderson totally ruins it with awful singing and horrendous lyrics. Oh, and it's too long.

But that's just one opinion. Many people love that album.

Therefore, the real answer is: because music tastes are different.
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Points: 17685 		Direct Link To This Post Posted: November 20 2011 at 22:12
Easily Yes' finest work in my opinion.  Also one of the most important rock albums in my life. 
It's a beautiful day in the neighborhood...Road Rage Edition
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Points: 69 		Direct Link To This Post Posted: November 20 2011 at 22:04
The album has many incredible moments like "The Revealing Science of God", but a majority of time on the album is just spent on aimless rambling and could have been reduced in time.  I don't dislike the album it just is very flawed.  
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Points: 28057 		Direct Link To This Post Posted: November 20 2011 at 22:04
Because it is overlong, disjointed, lacking in focus, incoherent a lot of the time, rambling, and complex without much substance. The album is what, 80 minutes? I can think of a solid 3 minutes of a melody from it. I've listened to the album at least 4 times.
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Points: 32592 		Direct Link To This Post Posted: November 20 2011 at 21:53
It is the greatest album ever.  That is all.
https://epignosis.bandcamp.com/album/a-month-of-sundays
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Points: 4098 		Direct Link To This Post Posted: November 20 2011 at 21:52
It's a special album with moments of unbelievable music originality like the opening chant----also some great guitar work---and lot's of great bits--it's just a bit long--mostly on Ritual which rambles during the bass part--as a piece of music more than the other sides IMO---Listened to The Remembering live at Madison Sq Garden on YouTube recently and it was really interesting ---great guitar and keys--better keys than on the original.
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Points: 8543 		Direct Link To This Post Posted: November 20 2011 at 21:50
^ I generally feel that way about most albums over an hour long.  
I can understand your anger at me, but what did the horse I rode in on ever do to you?
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Points: 19557 		Direct Link To This Post Posted: November 20 2011 at 21:06
Because as Wakeman said, they had 45 or 50 good minutes, but Jon Anderson insisted in recording a double album, so they added material that was bellow the level.

Iván
            
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Points: 8543 		Direct Link To This Post Posted: November 20 2011 at 20:43
As with a lot of double albums and a lot of super-long CDs, I like the first half much more than the second half.  Revealing Science and Remembering are among my favorite Yes epics.  The Ancient is a little tougher to get into, although the acoustic last 6 or 7 minutes is excellent as well.  Ritual would have been better at about 10 minutes.  
I can understand your anger at me, but what did the horse I rode in on ever do to you?
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Points: 18016 		Direct Link To This Post Posted: November 20 2011 at 20:37
People dislike it because it's extravagant purely for the sake of extravagance.  I would call it "boring w**k" but somebody will get offended ;)
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Points: 320 		Direct Link To This Post Posted: November 20 2011 at 20:36
One of my all time favorite albums,  period. Probably, safe to say, my favorite album by Yes........Who cares if others don't like it. I Love it, it being a very dear album to me......
And that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord to the glory of God the Father. Phillipians 2:11
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Points: 6499 		Direct Link To This Post Posted: November 20 2011 at 20:36
Perhaps the best way to understand why some don't like it is to read their reviews.  Go straight to the horse's mouth.
The world of sound is certainly capable of infinite variety and, were our sense developed, of infinite extensions. -- George Santayana, "The Sense of Beauty"
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Points: 12794 		Direct Link To This Post Posted: November 20 2011 at 20:36
Not everyone has to have the same opinion
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Points: 6499 		Direct Link To This Post Posted: November 20 2011 at 20:35
Beats the crap out of me why the album is so hated by certain people.  I think it is an absolute masterpiece, but acknowledge it is so expansive it is not easy to get into or digest.  Alas, there is no accounting for taste, especially when we all reserve the right to like or dislike what we please (as we should).
The world of sound is certainly capable of infinite variety and, were our sense developed, of infinite extensions. -- George Santayana, "The Sense of Beauty"
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Points: 16952 		Direct Link To This Post Posted: November 20 2011 at 20:26
1* is exaggerated. 
Crushed like a rose in the riverflow.
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Points: 28427 		Direct Link To This Post Posted: November 20 2011 at 20:22
http://www.progarchives.com/Review.asp?id=13210
http://www.progarchives.com/Review.asp?id=13178
http://www.progarchives.com/Review.asp?id=37486
http://www.progarchives.com/Review.asp?id=84662

These should explain it pretty well.
I disagree by the way, it's a wonderful album.
last.fm
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