This album is phenomenal, but it takes patience and perseverance to properly penetrate its prodigious potential (and no, I never apologise for excessive alliteration)!. Ignore those who are down on this record, and see for yourself. :D
10 years! saw the shows. took the bait. 10 years later, my buddy says: "but... it's the best thing they ever did..." and I gave it new ears. It's got what Tibetans call terma- a message of clarity direct from nature. It's also got Alan White, who provided large-scale rhythmic structures, most obviously in The Ancient's many asymmetric poly-rhythms
What I always liked about this song is that there is so much space for Howe and Wakeman to play their parts without getting in each other's way, or without things ever getting muddy. Squire and White form a nice tight pocket that drives the song along. And there's still more than enough room for the vocals and all the harmonies.
I like the way you do not stop the music and explain at at the time something "grabs you",but rather signal things. Then analyse later. These reaction channels do make me reappraise albums, and give a listen to albums that I hadn't previously liked that much. Also ,I think the time of day ,or my mood at the time can make a difference to how I like or dislike an album.Anyone else find this? i feel I now appreciate this album more now.
Totally agree (with all your points). I like this format of listening then appraising the piece. I’ve been watching this and some other channels and Justin has re-connected me with so much of the music from my younger days. There’s something about watching others experience the music as opposed to making the effort to dig out an old album and listen to it yourself. I bought this album around 1975 and loved it for years but it eventually got put aside with so many others until I discovered them again. Yes it does depend on the time of day or mood as to how you take the music in, I’m usually best at the end of the day. Cheers.
What a brutal time for everyone, particularly my generation! The list of legends like Chris Squire and E. V. H. is growing, yesterday the great Chick Corea left the stage for the Great Gig in the Sky. His catalogue is huge,but perhaps you could play something from Bitchs Brew in honor of the Romantic Warrior. R.I.P. Chick, Peace Justin.
I'm a huge Chick fan, my choice would be some Elektric Band, 'Got A Match' comes to mind. So many great ones. Or 'Song To The Pharoah Kings' from Return To Forever, that one is epic. RIP Chick.
Damn straight. And how many times do we meet someone and Yes comes up and when The Revealing Science of God is mentioned, we spontaneously together break into that opening chant?
@@JustJP Yeah I just did. You have a great approach to this music. I wanted to say "wait for the 3rd and 4th side”, but already must have recorded those. I'm sure you had a great time. For me this album just added a new part in my life. I put it beside the reading of Dune from Frank Herbert (although there a few other prog albums I relate to that book). My teenage times, with lot of friendship, love and nature. It moves me each time I listen to it. And Steve Wilson did a superb job on that (I'm glad I got that one, some nice alternative versions on it).
Yes, Justin. Sit back, lay back, and relax. And let them take you on this journey. Get over the analyzing, the appraisal of elements, the want to understand. Just marvel at the scenery, the undulating scapes, the movement on the sides, the colours. There's no one climax coming, there're highs and lows, wild and calm patches - and you are only in the first of four stretches. Follow the stream, fish, and enjoy.
The very first time I heard this Album, was 'Live', at Leicester’s 'De Montfort Hall', in its entirety, on the 26th Nov' 1973. It was less than 2 weeks before the Album was officially released on 7th of December, 1973. I was just 17 years old. Imagine that. And I’d already been a fan for 3 Years. I remember reading in the Music Papers I used to have, ‘Sounds’ and the ‘New Musical Express’, they said it was a big gamble that ‘Yes’ were taking, playing the whole Album Live, as some of the earliest Shows on the ‘TFTO’ Tour, were pre the Album coming out. So, as a 17 year old, there with my friends, standing right at the front, near the Stage, we were mesmerised, watching and listening, open mouthed in amazement, so close to our Musical Heroes. Almost within touching distance of Jon, Chris, Rick, Steve and Alan. It was mind blowing, scintillating to see. I’ll never forget that night. The Roger Dean style Images we all had on previous Album sleeves and the Posters all over my bedroom walls, had come to life, on Stage, before our very eyes! And we were blown away at the performance and the musical sounds from ‘TFTO’! I couldn’t take my eyes off Jon, there just above me on Stage. We were transported to another world. It was incredible. We were also lucky enough to get the whole of the ‘Close To The Edge’ Album that night too. With ‘Roundabout’ as a encore. So what a Show that was! But when I bought the ‘TFTO’ Album, just a couple of weeks later, I took it home and had a extra special smile on my face. Because, I knew what was coming! Incredible. And I’ve always Loved it. I still get goosebumps at the Opening Section of ‘The Revealing Science Of God’, as Jon’s voice comes in and the Music builds up to that amazing Crescendo! Fabulous. Awesome. Mind blowing! Just my own personal feelings, of course. Hope you didn’t mind me sharing that. Love your passion for the music, reactions and comments. 🎶❤️🎶
Yep that's quite an abrupt ending, but it's only the first movement. I queued up at the record shop to buy this vinyl double album and remember going to my friend's house to unwrap it and sit through the whole thing in one sitting voraciously reading the lyrics and absorbing the artwork. It's a tougher listen than Close to the Edge and Relayer maybe (the two studio albums it came between) and this first side is probably the most accessible, but it is such a wondrous journey and it's such an ambitious and skilful album in many ways that only become apparent with multiple listens. They were experimenting with sounds on the edge of the limited technology they had and it is a sonic delight. Strangely enough, complex though the whole structure is, it shows how skilled Yes were at writing reasonably simple and appealing SONGS which are scattered throughout this album and form the backbone to the numerous instrumentals and soundscapes. They know how to write a chorus that lifts the spirit. I always found it incomprehensible that Wakeman hated this - it contains some of his finest ever work in my opinion. Thank you for sharing the time to relive this amazing album. I love it!! By the way I have NO idea what that sound is - wold love to know...
I find it hard to believe Wakeman didn't like it also. This is more in the vein of his solo stuff. Very emotional and creative. Maybe it wasn't what he was looking for in 'Yes'.
@@rp89d28 Howe and Anderson pretty much came up with the majority of the ideas for the album. I think he just felt he couldn't contribute as many ideas as he wanted to.
Nice to see you reacting positively to this beautiful, groundbreaking work (especially after all those years of hearing how "pretentious" and "meandering" it is from low-IQ rock critics) and hope you appreciate the next three unique musical journeys. After the "Roundabout" 45rpm edit and parts of "Yessongs" this was my real introduction to Yes and, as a novice prog fan at the time, I was utterly blown away. It's an incredible, breathtaking, almost incomprehensible musical accomplishment. And interesting to know that, except for the stodgy Rick who split off to indulge in actual musical pretentiousness on his own, this is Yes veering headlong into the trailblazing and truly progressive "Relayer" (a word first used in TFTO's second movement). Only Rick's subsequent return to the band and their desire to please less adventuresome rock critics and fans would halt this forward progression with the water-treading, backward-stepping "Going For The One", a harbinger of their decline.
Having listened to Yes for 30 years and attended dozens of concerts over the years, it makes me really happy watching someone react to my favorite band as they hear a song for the first time. I enjoy hearing your insight and will be catching up on your videos.
This whole album is just an emotional trip. Even if one can’t follow the lyrics, the way Yes brings the music together is enough to make a grown man/woman cry.
Pure Yes...such musical richness .....check out thier live version off of Yesshows...it’s pure gold....a note on the Topographic experience as a whole..let’s say your on safari..travelling a path through the brush..someone stops and says..” hey...if we veer off the path here and cut our way through that brush..there’s a whole other landscape over there to discover...the folks who say..”no..best we just stay on the path and not stray...THOSE are the ones who don’t appreciate this great album....cheers from Canada!
This is not my favorite album of theirs but it's one of my favorite songs. Another great example of the way their songs flow. Some bands it seems like they say "here's 6 parts we can stick together". But YES song parts somehow grow into each other. The changes seem very natural. And brave to try and reason out the lyrics. Jon's words to me have always conveyed "feeling". An impressionist painter with words. Very easy to to make your own decisions about the mood and meaning of the song.
I bought this album back around 1981 (vinyl back then) and listened to the whole thing with a couple buddies, who were also into Yes. We listened to all four sides in one sitting and I was instantly in love with it. My buddies, not so much. I loved everything about it: the music, the lyrics, the vocals, the atmospheres, Roger Dean's artwork and the gate sleeve with all the lyrics and graphics. I was instantly hooked. But I know lots of Yes fans didn't care for it because they were expecting another _Close To The Edge._ And some of those fans only got into the album decades later and now consider _Topographic Oceans_ to be some of the best music Yes ever did. Nice reaction, Justin and congratulations on the 13k!
Love this album. It is intimately linked to my time as a student at the University. I had bought that album but rarely listened to it on my record player, as I shared an appartment at that time and my roommates were not so much into progrock. So I recorded it on a cassette. It was an excellent because it filled completely the 2x45 min without gaps nor cuts. This made an ideal cassette for the autoreverse walkman I had and that I would listen to on my way in the morning and in the afternoon to and from campus. As I had a good 50 minute walk you can imagine that the music was an important backdrop of it. Topographic Ocean is therefore now associated forever in my mind with my daily walks in the north part of Metz where I studied.
You have to remember that the triple live album Yessongs came in between Close to the Edge and Tales, and Alan White played most of the tracks on that. So you could consider that his introduction to the fans, and what kind of drummer he was going to be and how the band was going to be with him. I believe that the vast majority of the song writing credit goes to Anderson and Howe on this album. They definitely composed and mapped out the songs. But I'm sure Squire, Wakeman, and White contributed parts.
That live album is epic! I owned it on vinyl, bought it on cd, sold the vinyl, now I'm back into vinyl, but they haven't re-released it on vinyl. The art work alone is stellar, and perhaps, with Genesis Second's Out, the best live album ever produced.
@@MyCrazyDogs32 that's hard to argue! If I remember correctly Bruford and White are on that album, and Bruford does a drum solo on one of the songs. I haven't listened to it in a while because the sound quality on the cd is not good, but the record was great. I played that album over and over!
@@jimschroeder1176 You are correct. Bruford played on Perpetual Change (drum solo) and Long Distance Run Around/The Fish. Alan White played on everything else. Even though I would have loved to hear Bruford on the entire album (which may not have been possible for the CttE songs,) I really like what White brings to songs like Heart of the Sunrise, I've Seen All Good People, and especially Siberian Khatru. The fact that he is a very talented rock drummer really shines through, even though I prefer Brufords quasi-jazz rock drumming, as it is more nimble and complimentary.
I have to recommend the 2015 Yes release called Progeny: Highlights From Seventy-Two for those who are unhappy with the sound quality of Yessongs, or those who are about to purchase another copy of Yessongs. Brian Kehew baked and digitized the reel-to-reel tapes from the Yessongs tour and remixed them. The mix is noticeably superior to the original live album. You won’t be disappointed if you add this to your collection.
That moment when the raging keyboard solo slows and returns to the vocals....always gives me goosebumps. Haven't listened to your comments yet,as song is still playing. I really hope you enjoyed this.
Yes!! Congrats dude! You’re warmth, insights, and excellent taste got you to 13k! :) We appreciate the love tho ;) This is the first Yes album I heard and I actually distinctly remember that day! It was 1997 I was in grade 7 and listening to a lot of grunge and metal which annoyed my stepdad so one night he gave me a new set of really really good headphones and handed me Tales on CD and said test these out with this album! I put it in crawled onto bed turned the lights off and had my mind blown and the rest is history! They’ve since become my favourite band! I do want to address the Wilson remixes. I appreciate they exist but this is the ONLY one that was absolutely necessary as the original mix is really muddy.
Jamie Muir who was percussionist in King Crimson with Bill Bruford on the Larks Tongues and Aspic album was invited to Bill's wedding. Jon Anderson also came. Jamie told Jon about about the book that he reading that was effecting him deeply. Jon decided that that would be the next Yes project.
Congratz. I remember when i was 17-18 maybe i had a phase with a friend where the first thing we asked when we met was always which of the 4 sides we listened today first. But that was already over 40 years ago, and 2 years ago i found out that he already died quite young 10 years before, while before he was a university professor for a while. So RIP my old friend and may The Revealing Science of God be with you 😉 Oh and you skipped one of the most beautiful vocal sections (imho) on the second listening, thats the "Getting over overhanging trees, let them rape the forest They might stand and leave them clearly to be home Getting over wars they do not mean, we charm the movement suffers Call out all our memories clearly to be home" part, damn i love that sooo much 😍 The side we listened to the least was "Nous Sommes du Soleil". And for the lyrics, i never really understood them, and i don't even tried, in the end its sometimes maybe better if english is not your native language so you can just enjoy vocals as an instrument and that is mostly totally fine for me, if its a band with a good vocalist of course.
Charlotte was such a small town at the time of this release that I may well have been the only person I know who had it. I immediately set it to memory, enjoying it more with each listen. Certain sections in each song are particularly sweet. I could tell by your expression that the same parts here struck you too. Philip Glass and Ravi Shankar also wrote a masterpiece based on the four ages Yogananda references, called "Prashanti", which is also committed to memory. In fact, the early commitments to Yes and other complex literature created neural pathways which has proven useful all my life, and I know the same will be true for you. Your commentary and Stephen's magic and headphones made this better than prior listenings. The next song is a personal favorite.
This is almost the litmus test for Yes: as you can see there are many who do not appreciate this album! I'm constantly switching allegiance between this, CTTE and Fragile ask their best work, I may have heard this more in the last year than the other two albums. It plays a lot faster than 81 minutes, it's amazingly packed.
Although "Tales..." is my favorite YES album, I acknowledge that "Close To The Edge" is their best overall, and it happens to be my second favorite YES album.
It's actually a litmus test within the litmus test. This is the album(s) that separates the "I'm a hardcore Yes fan" from the "I can recite all of the lyrics from Tales" Yes fans.
Lots of emotions for me, listening again this song of my youth. I think this first side is the best of the album . Howe is wonderful here, so imaginative and versatile. He keeps you interested all the time. Anderson's voice is so smooth and emotional, and Wakeman's parts are so catchy and full of mystery. Squire is majestic. The song is so well settled, and especially based on slow parts, full of sensibility. A musical delight.
Its hard to find good live boots of 1974 , but on these shows , Steve Howe improvises quite a bit . Thats when you hear how many ideas are floating around within the structure of the song . IT CAN BE PLAYED IN DIFFERENT WAYS ! All 5 guys are drug drenched gurus . THANK YOU CHRIS SQUIRE !
this album's lyrics synthesize a language from several clear mythologies- from the Central-European Passion Plays to bits of solar astronomy from several eras, all within a ground fusing the Tibetan story of the lotus-born, rainbow-bodied Padmasambhava - the earliest Vedic narratives of spiritual transmigration (which Anderson referenced as 'shastras' in his reading of 'Autobiography of a Yogi') - and the love of you, everyone
Great song and a perfect introduction to the album. Good shout on the climax/ crescendo areas being less bombastic than on Close To The Edge. That, I think, is because this I’d really to be viewed as one piece of music in four parts. The true climax comes at the conclusion of Ritual (Nous Sommes du Solei). Enjoy the voyage!
First of all, congratulations Justin. Second, allow me to explain my experience with this album. I was introduced to Yes around the age of 14 by my older and cooler cousin. I dove headfirst into Fragile, Close to the Edge, The Yes Album, Relayer, Yessongs. But I was strangely intimidated by Tales. I didn't go near it for several years. When I did finally approach it, this song was one that I liked. I didn't love it right away, but I definitely liked it. I'm not sure what it lacked, probably driving guitars, but overall it has a pleasant sound. Well, over the years this album and in particular this song grew on me. It's now one of my favorites. But it takes time and repeat listens. Not as slow and beautiful as To Be Over or And You And I, nor as hard driving as Close to the Edge or Gates of Delirium, but somewhere in the middle. I love it. Looking forward to the next installment.
Thanks, Justin. I agree that there are some uneven parts on Tales. But, I have to say, if you took everything people love about Yes; gorgeous harmonies, signature time changes, flawless transitions, swirling, intricate, and challenging melodies and rhythms, and distilled all of that into one piece, you would have The Revealing Science of God. It took me 30 years and countless listens to fully realize it, but along with CTTE, and The Gates of Delirium, my favorite Yes of all time. Thanks for sharing this masterpiece.
Excellent! Glad you went with the Wilson mix. Usually I would opt for the original Offord mixes on the other albums, but Topographic suffered from a murky production and Wilson addressed that issue. Alan White did contribute to the compositions on this album. Some chord progressions etc. and the percussion ensembles of the last two pieces on the album. This song is lovely and takes you on a journey. The music on this album might not come across as immediate as CTTE or Relayer, but it's every bit as good. Just takes a bit more time to digest...
My daughter is almost 8 and when she was an infant I'd dance with her in my arms to put her to sleep. Its still one of her favorite songs. But her absolute favorite is Mind Drive. We use it for our alarm clock in the morning.
i am never one to promote recreational drugs but i can only say that when i was young and experimental i listened to this entire album while approaching the upper atmosphere. i can only say that this album is incredible straight as can be but when you are in a great mindset and in an altered state it takes on some rather interesting dimensions. it is kind of like wearing scuba gear. you can swim under the sea without the gear but when you put the scuba gear on things go up a few levels. if experimenting is still in your wheelhouse then... i leave it to you to decide.
Sitting in my 67 Dodge Coronet with my 8 track going full blast before class in the college in 1974 with my friends. A little herb going on. Such a mellow time in my life. Never been that relaxed in my life since. Trying to get back there without the herb. lol. Thanks JP for doing this! Nice analysis! Appreciate you. Been waiting for "Tales" Appreciate your style of just using your motions and expressions. Thanks.
Regarding the lyrics, this song is about the perspective of God creating the universe and the realization ultimately that man is God experiencing itself subjectively. The sound of the music with the lyrics tells you whats happening. Listen when they say "sun shower seasons. Life flower reasons." Its God creating those things as the music picks up and becomes more epic sounding. He is trying to relay a feeling, a profound realization that you can't quite put into words. An experience beyond words.
Congratulations on the milestone JP, much deserved. I originally purchased this album the day it was first released in the USA. It was overwhelming, it took a long time for me to appreciate this record for what it is. When I first heard these songs I was disappointed that they didn't all amaze me like Close to the Edge did. But now I hear them and realize these songs, with so much time to tell their stories could relax a bit more, stretch out, and develop more fully. Not better, but different and satisfying if you give them the space. This is my favorite of the four pieces, I've been listening to them in preparation for your review and I appreciate them all. It's an amazing ride, enjoy.
From Wiki: Yes frontman Jon Anderson devised the concept album during the band's 1973 Japanese tour when he read a footnote in Autobiography of a Yogi by Paramahansa Yogananda that describes four bodies of Hindu texts about a specific field of knowledge, collectively named shastras: the śruti, smriti, puranas, and tantras.
There was big fanfare for introducing this on FM radio . It came off on radio as very slow tempo with next to zero hooks. Then, with time on better equipment and better headphones this piece evolved and became something that begged oft repeated listenings. To be honest the music of these bands, Yes, Genesis, ELP and Gentle Giant sound better today than back in the day. I was fortunate to see this live and it was an incredible experience. Some very vocal fans didn't like it and were impatient to move onto recognizable songs. The vocals rang from the rafters that night and that is what stuck. Incredible vocal performances. Even on a not so good night somebody always seemed great enough to carry them through. On that night it was Jon Anderson. Had they bit off more thn they could chew? Of course not they were Yes. Rick Wakeman left the first time later that year. Notice the Mellotron fills. Brilliant as orchestration. Mellotron as an instrument was only ten years out of the box.
Tales is a Journey a gorgeous Journey that relaxes you and shows you how Yes changes with every album! Tales is my most listen Yes record i listen to it every night!
The Revealing Science Of God is one of the very best Yes compositions. Congratulations on reaching your subscriber goal and on finally hearing this album.
Congrats on the 13k. Tales was my favorite Yes fan as a young kid in the late 80's, it really spoke to me cause I lived right near an ocean. Nowadays I'd say Close to the Edge is my number one favorite Yes album but Topograhic would certainly be number two in my top five Yes albums. You're in for a wild ride when you get to the first half of track three. Have fun!
Gonna listen at work and hear analysis after work. Can’t be late today. Congrats on 13! Yessies are in heaven. My wish is a song from Chick Corea’s album Mad Hatter, “ The Woods” to hear how special this guy was. RIP my brother. Take care everyone, mask up pls, find some me time and relax, Peace and Yes Music
the best aspect of Yes is the play between the three longest running members: Jon anderson, Steve Howe and Chris squire! Jon's high pitch and Chris' lows are the ultimate sound experience. and Steve's wonderful Guitar manipulations make all of YES so Awesome!
Congrats on reaching 13k! - I've always found this album to be an acquired taste. Parts of it I liked immediately, parts of it took me a few listens, and some of it I still just can't quite get in to, at least not without a lot of patience. Side one is one that I liked immediately. It's not as good as Close to the Edge but it has a nice flow to it. I haven't listened to the entire album in a long time so I'm going to be interested to see your reactions (and mine) to the remainder. Here's hoping that you get to 15k soon as well!
Special album for me. First time I saw Yes was on the Tales tour in 1973 at the Manchester Free Trade Hall (UK, 1973). Opened with all of the Close To The Edge album, then all four sides of Tales with Roundabout as an encore. I was on an absolute high for over a week afterwards and friends at school must have thought I was on something! Still has massive emotional impact. And Rick's scorching and searing Moog solo at the end of Revealing still amazes me to this day...
Yay!! Finally we have reached 13K and consequently your reaction to one of the greatest prog rock albums. Congrats! I remember when this came out in the 70s. I bought the album before I had heard it, I knew it would be good. The album artwork by Roger Dean is phenomenal. His artwork on an album lets me know it's going to be a good album. My friends and I dug the shit out of this. It takes you on an intense, pleasurable spiritual journey. . Wakeman and Howe play such cool parts in this. I love Rick Wakeman's attention to detail. The little "chirp" that comes at 10:53, on the 4th beat of every measure, is such a good accent . And his Mellotron parts are rich and sweet. Steve Howe's choice of guitar notes, his tone, and his timing are very jazzy at times and very rocked out at times. Steve Howe had a massive collection of fine vintage guitars, and he used them all I think on this one! A lot of different guitar tones, all beautiful. Squire and White play such intricate and appropriate rhythms. And Jon Andersen's vocals are intelligent and mysterious; his voice is so delightful and harmonious. I read that his choice of words is done as much for artistic and rhythmic effect as for meaning. This blends classical, choral, jazz, rock and pop so well. I love the section that comes in at 20:30. Very intense, like a whirlwind. Alan White's snare work at the end, about 23:25, is so darn tasty. All in all this album really shows all the members playing together so melodically and tasty. A fine addition to your catalog Justin. As usual your analysis was insightful and enjoyable.
For me is the pinnacle of Yes creation. Wakeman is crucial on this entire project. I don´t care about critics (internal or external). How many great composers were really satisfied with their own works? do you really know? I only know that this full album takes me by the hand since I had 16 (that was in 1974!!) and helped in my spiritual connection with the Universe. I seriously believe that symphonic rock divides before and after Tales. It´s the top. Justin, congrats with the 13K! I have waited all my life for this moment : you reaction! haha. I love when you can´t hide your surprise with what you´re hearing, and I love your technical explanations also, in this case I agree with with you according the constant interaction between Howe and Wakeman. No matter what anyone say, I will always believe this is the best rock album ever recorded, by the best musicians and how they flow together. You know what came after this, but when you put yourself back in 1973...it literally blew our minds. By the way, it´s heretic to me to compare a part of this with a part of....Los Endos? (1976) perhaps that little fragment sounds similar but, come on! haha. Lyrics: Keep on mind that conscience could be seen as the "light" and as we know, conscience creates reality. As spieces, we all came from the ocean.
When I first got the Tales album, I got it on cassette and it had no lyrics with it. This was before internet and I listened over and over to that opening to make out the lyrics. Musically it is stellar. Peace.
Congrats to 13k! Love this song. It really feels like sailing on musical waves throughout the album. Can't wait for Remembering next. It may not be their perfect/best song but it's my favourite.
Interesting that you mention "jazzy sounding" around the 33 minute mark. The band played a few dates with The Mahavishnu Orchestra and they (especially Jon if I remember right) were not only impressed with them but envious of their ability to play the same songs with different improvisations from night to night. Yes always structured their music so tightly, always being able to hit those rhythmic changes by the musical set ups. If you listen to the live versions of these songs they stay VERY close to their initial recordings.
You can hear the McLaughlin influence on the guitar part in TO BE OVER . Some of Steve Howe's best playing . Of course , both guys are insane , and were not afraid to practice a lot .
When I was a teem in the late 80's, we didn't have the UA-cams and reactors to introduce us to classic prog like this, we had to sort through our parent's collections...and we didn't have these fancy-schamncy Steve Wilson remixes, all clean and pristine; no, we had to listen to warbly 8-tracks and warped vinyl...kids today got it easy... :)
I always took very good care of my TFTO vinyl LP - never brought it to parties. And when I got separated from it when I moved away to college, I was grateful to my sister for keeping my record collection safe in her possession and giving it back!
@@bobholtzmann Parties? What are those? 🥳☹️So sad that kids don’t get to have those experiences we did. Bringing records to parties to listen to was a luxury that no one knew would fade away in the midst of a pandemic. I feel sad for my teenaged boys who don’t get to experience what it was like to hang out with 10-20 friends, lying on the floor with huge speakers on both sides of the room, incense burning, mood lighting and candles burning in the Chianti bottles, listening to albums like this one and critiquing it into the wee hours. Lucky ones we were, for sure.
Oh my Justin, congrats on 13,000 and celebrating it. It is your insight and true appreciation of all types of music that has gotten you to this point. Again thank you for being so very good to my ears.
Glad to see you got to Topographic Oceans. Looking forward to your review of the next 3 sides. After T.O., please PLEASE check out Yes's "That That Is" from their 1996 release, Keys to Ascension. This is their last, truly prog-ROCK piece, before the band broke up. You described here how Yes hit a "higher gear" in Siberian Khatru (my favorite). TTI demonstrates the band's journey from Close to the Edge's more "Classical" Progressive influence into a truly 'ROCK' Progressive creation, at a "WAY higher gear". Classically, each distinct movement of the piece slowly builds, transitions, and builds again. It all combines in the last movement to a very satisfying Rock Crescendo, that may have been a bit lacking in their early albums. BTW - I saw Yes play the entire "Tales" album live at Winterland S.F. in 1973, and became a life-long Yes fan. A few years ago, my wife and I happen to meet Jon Anderson just before he gave a talk at the Grammy Museum in LA. Jon was so kind and gracious. When I mentioned how much I enjoyed that 1973 show, Jon shared with us that his son was born that night, and what that night meant to him. Oh my, what a moment!
No-one else sounds anything like this, I haven't heard this for years. I play a lot of Yes but I never get round to hearing this album even though I like it. I was struck by how well I knew it and the phenomenal rhythms throughout.
Same here! I had not heard it in years, in part because it does require some time commitment to play it, but admittedly because some of the negativity surrounding it infected my own recollections of the album. As it turns out, not only were the critics wrong, but it's amazing how much clearer this album side is to me now, after all these years, and how easily every lyric and section came flowing out of my memory bank. It sounds even better now, than the last time I played it. So glad to be sharing this "moment" with you and JP! :)
Firstly Justin. Fantastic. You've been great especially thanks during a time people need to connect in difficult times, and you've been there and so well deserved. Congratulations. :) "If" my memory serves me right, this was the first album in history that sold over 1 million copies on pre-orders alone...including myself. A mate of mine and me use to like singing the opening lyrics "Dawn of life.." to this to see how spot on we could get it even at 3am at a Knebworth Concert in a field. What I've always loved about this album is that it doesn't need to go over the top to try to prove something, it's like a spread out journey. As such less becomes more so when waiting for those moments they really notice.
CONGRATS JP!!! TFTO finally. I liked your description, Howe playing over Wakeman, "like skipping stones across a quiet stream". I used to play this album set regularly for years. For all the critics of TFTO, who maybe expect the same tight composition of CTTE, they will be disappointed. But letting them breathe with a double album, as you say, creates compositions that then require the listener to breathe too, be chill. Its an experience, sit back and enjoy, drift through, and endure the moments you think are superfluous if that's what it takes, its still worth the time set aside to listen to this transformative musical work, Its timeless, like all great art. It is still rare and beautiful music done right in between their two powerhouse albums.
My first time hearing this as well. I must say your reaction and my reaction are almost identical. Jon's lyrics seem strictly written for singing. I'm not sure how well they function on a page. But his way of singing certain words with the instrumental and vocal harmonies gets them off the page and floating around the house headed skyward, which is more important for him than if they make concrete sense. He reminds me of a Tolkein elf. This piece is very composed, but feels very freeform and at first I had a hard time wondering if it was episodes of noodling or something more interesting. My end thought is it's something more interesting.
If I got it right Anderson took care of the sound of the lyrics he wrote and in doubt which word to use he decided to take the one that sounded better to him in the context.
Absolutely something more interesting. I don’t agree with those who say there is too much filler. Once you get to know it you can see that everything has its place and purpose.
From Wiki: Yes frontman Jon Anderson devised the concept album during the band's 1973 Japanese tour when he read a footnote in Autobiography of a Yogi by Paramahansa Yogananda that describes four bodies of Hindu texts about a specific field of knowledge, collectively named shastras: the śruti, smriti, puranas, and tantras.
Some parts seem like noodling , but every note is in place . Rock fans who are into MORE THAN A FEELING by BOSTON dont get this . You have to listen with more attention . Its well worth the extra attention .
Steven Wilson did a really nice job with this, especially the drums. They were pretty flat and compressed into the background on the original Atlantic mix.
I didn't have the patience for this one when I was a young lad. But I have grown to really like it now with life experience and more patience. Perspective is key!
Bravo félicitations im happy for you you deserve it. Continue your great réaction with joy and happyness like you do we appreciate you to share the music that we feel deep in our heart and soul. I discover this album with you un the way you analyse it . Have a Nice beatifull Day JP.
Loosely quoting Wakeman: "I must've been wasted all the time, for this". He was so upset with the direction of this album that he literally drank himself out the whole time and still managed to shine. Congrats for 13K, and thanks for this! :)
"Drank himself out the whole time", I dig a lot of this album, but think 4 songs on 4 sides became self indulgent. Bruford said it was a little too sunny for him. We can see where he went next.
@@123agidee_2 Not their strongest for sure, but definitely not mediocre, although I feel there's too much filler material. It was too ambitious, and came out short of expectations. I think it would have fared better being a single album instead of a double. Like, ditch "The Remembering" and "The Ancient" (but keep the wonderful "Leaves of Green" part) .
@@avantprog6902 It might have stemmed from a journalist who said "the only thing they haven't done is put the bible to music" to witch Anderson said "why not? We can do it!" (YesYears interview). Bruford said "I was tired of arguing for days whether we should play an F or an F# on that beat. With King Crimson, you just had to know". Such a legend.
When I first listened to this, I was frustrated with the languid pace, the slower moments and kind of just wanted the band to let rip. When they did it was great, but as the years went by I began to appreciate the quieter moments, and also the intricate musicianship, especially how Howe and Wakeman work together. There are a couple of moments in the song where Howe and Wakeman get to freak out, and the fact that they are very brief moments actually compliments the more laid back nature of most of the track. Squire does indeed have a great tone on his bass here, especially the first few notes after Jon's introductory vocal...complimented of course by Whites drums. I also love the mellotron sounds on this track, rarely does a mellotron actually duplicate the sound of an instrument convincingly, but here it certainly does.
"You're not supposed to follow along, you're supposed to FEEL along". You hit it exactly right. The lyrics go beyond words and thought. They are intended to be LIVED while you hear them. The song represents our inner guide, the inner teacher. All of the experiences we go through are meant to teach us lessons to grow and mature from. But, unless we get this fact, then we are beaten by the experience. With his message in this song, Jon is encouraging that we look to all that we encounter from our intuitive sense instead of through our intellect. It takes several listenings of his lyrics, sometimes decades worth, to even begin to explain the meaning to ourself, much less to anyone else. I've writren essays on several of his songs (I call the series of essays "Yessermons") because I have spent 30 years of listening to most of his words repeatedly in meditation with an open mind and, most importantly, an open heart. I am one of those who, as you point out, allowed his work to "change (my) life". It cettainly has had an important impact, at least.
Congrats on 13k Justin. Probably my fourth fav album after the three that preceded it. This track is beautiful and to me represents an evolution in their sound and structure as you’ll hear as you listen to the tracks to come. Whether that’s good or bad is a matter of opinion of course but I feel that it’s a very important album in Yes’ discography and for Prog in general.
Great reaction Justin. Count me among those who are fans of this album. I've really looked forward to you getting into it and I hope that you like the other 3 songs. Reading the comments, I was struck by all those complaining about critics trashing it. The only contemporary review of it that I ever read happened to be in one of my dad's Playboy magazines from that time period - no, I did not sneak looks at them for the articles ;-) - but I remember this review. It was a short but favorable review of the album. It noted the ambitiousness of the music and how the group was trying to take rock music to another level. I can't remember the exact words of the last sentence of the review, but it was something along the lines of: "On this album, Yes is trying to move rock beyond A wop bop a loo bop a lop ba ba." I thought it was such a funny line that it's stuck with me after all these many years.
@@dalebaker9109 Same ! Genesis : Selling England by the Pound • Greenslade : Bedside Manners are Extra • Led Zeppelin : Houses of the Holy • Jethro Tull : A Passion Play • King Crimson : Larks' Tongues in Aspic • Wishbone Ash : Wishbone Four, and so on !!!
@@dalebaker9109 oh how I agree. One of my favorite band. And i had the chance to interview Dave Lawson recently through mail. He is a great guy. And a great vocalist.
Happy to see you tackle Tales from Topographic Oceans. Musically it can be a lot to tackle but it is really worth it. Masterful stuff. Good review of the album. Your analysis were thoughtful and considered the complexities.
This album is phenomenal, but it takes patience and perseverance to properly penetrate its prodigious potential (and no, I never apologise for excessive alliteration)!. Ignore those who are down on this record, and see for yourself. :D
Took me about a year to fully get into all of it and hum along to.
Yes exactly. It took me 1 listen to like the chorus but the song as a whole.. 5 times maybe? 10 for the album possibly?
@@MistinIndia yeah, I'm sure it took me listens into double figures to get the whole album.
10 years! saw the shows. took the bait. 10 years later, my buddy says: "but... it's the best thing they ever did..." and I gave it new ears. It's got what Tibetans call terma- a message of clarity direct from nature. It's also got Alan White, who provided large-scale rhythmic structures, most obviously in The Ancient's many asymmetric poly-rhythms
Alan Enticott , WOW! That ‘s a lot of P’s....
In 1974 my girlfriend back then and I made this album our bible and we would listen to all of it at night with candlelight. Yeschurch.
Sounds awesome dude. Great memory for you.
💒
This was like church for me too🙏
This was like church for me too🙏
This was like church for me too🙏
What I always liked about this song is that there is so much space for Howe and Wakeman to play their parts without getting in each other's way, or without things ever getting muddy. Squire and White form a nice tight pocket that drives the song along. And there's still more than enough room for the vocals and all the harmonies.
Very true, they have nice dynamics
Everytime I hear this song I'm always hearing something I hadn't noticed before
I'm the same way with Gates of Delirium. And this song, of course.
Thats the fun of it!😁
Hell i still hear new things in Roundabout after 50 years! That's what makes YES music so phenomenal!
Always after 49 years
I like the way you do not stop the music and explain at at the time something "grabs you",but rather signal things. Then analyse later.
These reaction channels do make me reappraise albums, and give a listen to albums that I hadn't previously liked that much. Also ,I think the time of day ,or my mood at the time can make a difference to how I like or dislike an album.Anyone else find this?
i feel I now appreciate this album more now.
Ty so much pooter, I definitely agree that time of day/mood will affect your thoughts and feelings towards the music
Me too. But, on the matter of Yes, I've always enjoyed their music, it borders on classical. Saw them too '72.
Totally agree (with all your points). I like this format of listening then appraising the piece. I’ve been watching this and some other channels and Justin has re-connected me with so much of the music from my younger days. There’s something about watching others experience the music as opposed to making the effort to dig out an old album and listen to it yourself. I bought this album around 1975 and loved it for years but it eventually got put aside with so many others until I discovered them again. Yes it does depend on the time of day or mood as to how you take the music in, I’m usually best at the end of the day. Cheers.
@@Young_Jim Good to know,and happy listening with more music to come.
@@paulhansberry8168 Wish I could have seen them in their prime.They still tour though.
Topographic Oceans is a masterpiece. Love every song.
What a brutal time for everyone, particularly my generation! The list of legends like Chris Squire and E. V. H. is growing, yesterday the great Chick Corea left the stage for the Great Gig in the Sky. His catalogue is huge,but perhaps you could play something from Bitchs Brew in honor of the Romantic Warrior. R.I.P. Chick, Peace Justin.
I'm a huge Chick fan, my choice would be some Elektric Band, 'Got A Match' comes to mind. So many great ones. Or 'Song To The Pharoah Kings' from Return To Forever, that one is epic. RIP Chick.
Strong opening to this double-album. I would wager many hardcore Yes fans probably know the lyrics of the opening chant by heart...
Damn straight. And how many times do we meet someone and Yes comes up and when The Revealing Science of God is mentioned, we spontaneously together break into that opening chant?
Me! lol
We know them by heart but don't understand a word.
@@BaldJean What happened to *this* song, we once knew so well?
I know 'em
Finally. I couldn't wait anymore : proof, I'm the 6th comment :-D. This really my favorite album of all times and genres…
Haha hope you enjoy!
I must have waited about 6 months for this moment!
@@salsalzman2325 Haha excellent I should have found that one !!!
@@JustJP Yeah I just did. You have a great approach to this music. I wanted to say "wait for the 3rd and 4th side”, but already must have recorded those. I'm sure you had a great time. For me this album just added a new part in my life. I put it beside the reading of Dune from Frank Herbert (although there a few other prog albums I relate to that book). My teenage times, with lot of friendship, love and nature. It moves me each time I listen to it. And Steve Wilson did a superb job on that (I'm glad I got that one, some nice alternative versions on it).
Totally agree. Best rock album of the seventies...
The entire album, for me, is the perfect balance between the technical and musical aspects of Yes
Yes, Justin. Sit back, lay back, and relax. And let them take you on this journey. Get over the analyzing, the appraisal of elements, the want to understand. Just marvel at the scenery, the undulating scapes, the movement on the sides, the colours. There's no one climax coming, there're highs and lows, wild and calm patches - and you are only in the first of four stretches. Follow the stream, fish, and enjoy.
Thanks.......Revealing is my personal "YES MASTERPIECE"
The very first time I heard this Album, was 'Live', at Leicester’s 'De Montfort Hall', in its entirety, on the 26th Nov' 1973.
It was less than 2 weeks before the Album was officially released on 7th of December, 1973.
I was just 17 years old. Imagine that. And I’d already been a fan for 3 Years.
I remember reading in the Music Papers I used to have, ‘Sounds’ and the ‘New Musical Express’, they said it was a big gamble that ‘Yes’ were taking, playing the whole Album Live, as some of the earliest Shows on the ‘TFTO’ Tour, were pre the Album coming out.
So, as a 17 year old, there with my friends, standing right at the front, near the Stage, we were mesmerised, watching and listening, open mouthed in amazement, so close to our Musical Heroes. Almost within touching distance of Jon, Chris, Rick, Steve and Alan.
It was mind blowing, scintillating to see. I’ll never forget that night.
The Roger Dean style Images we all had on previous Album sleeves and the Posters all over my bedroom walls, had come to life, on Stage, before our very eyes! And we were blown away at the performance and the musical sounds from ‘TFTO’!
I couldn’t take my eyes off Jon, there just above me on Stage. We were transported to another world. It was incredible.
We were also lucky enough to get the whole of the ‘Close To The Edge’ Album that night too. With ‘Roundabout’ as a encore.
So what a Show that was!
But when I bought the ‘TFTO’ Album, just a couple of weeks later, I took it home and had a extra special smile on my face.
Because, I knew what was coming! Incredible.
And I’ve always Loved it. I still get goosebumps at the Opening Section of ‘The Revealing Science Of God’, as Jon’s voice comes in and the Music builds up to that amazing Crescendo! Fabulous. Awesome. Mind blowing!
Just my own personal feelings, of course. Hope you didn’t mind me sharing that. Love your passion for the music, reactions and comments. 🎶❤️🎶
You'll love this album more with every listen.
Yep that's quite an abrupt ending, but it's only the first movement. I queued up at the record shop to buy this vinyl double album and remember going to my friend's house to unwrap it and sit through the whole thing in one sitting voraciously reading the lyrics and absorbing the artwork. It's a tougher listen than Close to the Edge and Relayer maybe (the two studio albums it came between) and this first side is probably the most accessible, but it is such a wondrous journey and it's such an ambitious and skilful album in many ways that only become apparent with multiple listens. They were experimenting with sounds on the edge of the limited technology they had and it is a sonic delight. Strangely enough, complex though the whole structure is, it shows how skilled Yes were at writing reasonably simple and appealing SONGS which are scattered throughout this album and form the backbone to the numerous instrumentals and soundscapes. They know how to write a chorus that lifts the spirit.
I always found it incomprehensible that Wakeman hated this - it contains some of his finest ever work in my opinion. Thank you for sharing the time to relive this amazing album. I love it!!
By the way I have NO idea what that sound is - wold love to know...
For me face 2, the Remembering is the most accessible, I have the feeling. My favorite is the 3rd… The Ancient
I find it hard to believe Wakeman didn't like it also. This is more in the vein of his solo stuff. Very emotional and creative. Maybe it wasn't what he was looking for in 'Yes'.
Yes, Rick is great on this album, and it's hard to imagine him not liking this music as he's playing it so well!
@@rp89d28 Howe and Anderson pretty much came up with the majority of the ideas for the album. I think he just felt he couldn't contribute as many ideas as he wanted to.
I'm pretty sure that sound is made with keyboards.
Nice to see you reacting positively to this beautiful, groundbreaking work (especially after all those years of hearing how "pretentious" and "meandering" it is from low-IQ rock critics) and hope you appreciate the next three unique musical journeys. After the "Roundabout" 45rpm edit and parts of "Yessongs" this was my real introduction to Yes and, as a novice prog fan at the time, I was utterly blown away. It's an incredible, breathtaking, almost incomprehensible musical accomplishment. And interesting to know that, except for the stodgy Rick who split off to indulge in actual musical pretentiousness on his own, this is Yes veering headlong into the trailblazing and truly progressive "Relayer" (a word first used in TFTO's second movement). Only Rick's subsequent return to the band and their desire to please less adventuresome rock critics and fans would halt this forward progression with the water-treading, backward-stepping "Going For The One", a harbinger of their decline.
Right. I hate to go negative about Yes, but Rick - asshole! Imagine how far they could have gone.
Amen! So perfectly expressed. Thank you, from all of us whose sentiments you echo!
It boggles my mind how many YES fans don't like this album. Heaven and Earth I get. Tales? No clue. This music is great.
My favourite album by them so I must be an absolute oddity.
@@redlioness6627 it's my 5th favorite.
Do you have a list for everything? Lol!🤣
@@jeffschielka7845 😛
@@Lightmane Spent the last 2 days catching up on JP's YES reactions. He really does a fantastic job!😎
The synth solo in this song is one of my favorites from Rick Wakeman
very much akin to Journey to the Center of the Earth.
It's the shortest 20 minute song out there.
I like JP's reaction to the song not continuing anymore - what, it's over already?
@@bobholtzmann Exactly my reaction on first hearing back when it came out
Having listened to Yes for 30 years and attended dozens of concerts over the years, it makes me really happy watching someone react to my favorite band as they hear a song for the first time. I enjoy hearing your insight and will be catching up on your videos.
Ty Susan! Hope youre having a good day!
This whole album is just an emotional trip. Even if one can’t follow the lyrics, the way Yes brings the music together is enough to make a grown man/woman cry.
I bought the album on the day it came our, for about 3 pounds, roughly six dollars in 1973. I've lived with it ever since and it makes perfect sense.
Pure Yes...such musical richness .....check out thier live version off of Yesshows...it’s pure gold....a note on the Topographic experience as a whole..let’s say your on safari..travelling a path through the brush..someone stops and says..” hey...if we veer off the path here and cut our way through that brush..there’s a whole other landscape over there to discover...the folks who say..”no..best we just stay on the path and not stray...THOSE are the ones who don’t appreciate this great album....cheers from Canada!
Yesshows & Drama were the current albums on offer when I got into Yes. I was 12 years old at that time....🚬😎
SORRY!...the live version I was refering to is off of Keys to Ascension...
@@steveobrien9937 YESSHOWS has RITUAL with Moraz on keys .
This is not my favorite album of theirs but it's one of my favorite songs. Another great example of the way their songs flow. Some bands it seems like they say "here's 6 parts we can stick together". But YES song parts somehow grow into each other. The changes seem very natural. And brave to try and reason out the lyrics. Jon's words to me have always conveyed "feeling". An impressionist painter with words. Very easy to to make your own decisions about the mood and meaning of the song.
I bought this album back around 1981 (vinyl back then) and listened to the whole thing with a couple buddies, who were also into Yes. We listened to all four sides in one sitting and I was instantly in love with it. My buddies, not so much. I loved everything about it: the music, the lyrics, the vocals, the atmospheres, Roger Dean's artwork and the gate sleeve with all the lyrics and graphics. I was instantly hooked. But I know lots of Yes fans didn't care for it because they were expecting another _Close To The Edge._ And some of those fans only got into the album decades later and now consider _Topographic Oceans_ to be some of the best music Yes ever did. Nice reaction, Justin and congratulations on the 13k!
I remember way back in the 70's,the whole album was featured on BBC Radio 3,a British radio channel for classical music.A classic.
Love this album. It is intimately linked to my time as a student at the University. I had bought that album but rarely listened to it on my record player, as I shared an appartment at that time and my roommates were not so much into progrock. So I recorded it on a cassette. It was an excellent because it filled completely the 2x45 min without gaps nor cuts. This made an ideal cassette for the autoreverse walkman I had and that I would listen to on my way in the morning and in the afternoon to and from campus. As I had a good 50 minute walk you can imagine that the music was an important backdrop of it. Topographic Ocean is therefore now associated forever in my mind with my daily walks in the north part of Metz where I studied.
This music fills me with so much warmth. When the cold winter months are wearing me down, I often turn to this album.
You have to remember that the triple live album Yessongs came in between Close to the Edge and Tales, and Alan White played most of the tracks on that. So you could consider that his introduction to the fans, and what kind of drummer he was going to be and how the band was going to be with him. I believe that the vast majority of the song writing credit goes to Anderson and Howe on this album. They definitely composed and mapped out the songs. But I'm sure Squire, Wakeman, and White contributed parts.
That live album is epic! I owned it on vinyl, bought it on cd, sold the vinyl, now I'm back into vinyl, but they haven't re-released it on vinyl. The art work alone is stellar, and perhaps, with Genesis Second's Out, the best live album ever produced.
@@jimschroeder1176 Yessongs is probably my favorite album of all time. Not just live, but over all.
@@MyCrazyDogs32 that's hard to argue! If I remember correctly Bruford and White are on that album, and Bruford does a drum solo on one of the songs. I haven't listened to it in a while because the sound quality on the cd is not good, but the record was great. I played that album over and over!
@@jimschroeder1176 You are correct. Bruford played on Perpetual Change (drum solo) and Long Distance Run Around/The Fish. Alan White played on everything else. Even though I would have loved to hear Bruford on the entire album (which may not have been possible for the CttE songs,) I really like what White brings to songs like Heart of the Sunrise, I've Seen All Good People, and especially Siberian Khatru. The fact that he is a very talented rock drummer really shines through, even though I prefer Brufords quasi-jazz rock drumming, as it is more nimble and complimentary.
I have to recommend the 2015 Yes release called Progeny: Highlights From Seventy-Two for those who are unhappy with the sound quality of Yessongs, or those who are about to purchase another copy of Yessongs. Brian Kehew baked and digitized the reel-to-reel tapes from the Yessongs tour and remixed them. The mix is noticeably superior to the original live album. You won’t be disappointed if you add this to your collection.
That moment when the raging keyboard solo slows and returns to the vocals....always gives me goosebumps. Haven't listened to your comments yet,as song is still playing. I really hope you enjoyed this.
Yes!! Congrats dude! You’re warmth, insights, and excellent taste got you to 13k! :)
We appreciate the love tho ;)
This is the first Yes album I heard and I actually distinctly remember that day! It was 1997 I was in grade 7 and listening to a lot of grunge and metal which annoyed my stepdad so one night he gave me a new set of really really good headphones and handed me Tales on CD and said test these out with this album! I put it in crawled onto bed turned the lights off and had my mind blown and the rest is history! They’ve since become my favourite band! I do want to address the Wilson remixes. I appreciate they exist but this is the ONLY one that was absolutely necessary as the original mix is really muddy.
Jamie Muir who was percussionist in King Crimson with Bill Bruford on the Larks Tongues and Aspic album was invited to Bill's wedding. Jon Anderson also came. Jamie told Jon about about the book that he reading that was effecting him deeply. Jon decided that that would be the next Yes project.
I feel any album, or song, should be heard from the original recordings first.
Loving your reviews JP, congratulations on your 13k!
Congratz. I remember when i was 17-18 maybe i had a phase with a friend where the first thing we asked when we met was always which of the 4 sides we listened today first. But that was already over 40 years ago, and 2 years ago i found out that he already died quite young 10 years before, while before he was a university professor for a while.
So RIP my old friend and may The Revealing Science of God be with you 😉
Oh and you skipped one of the most beautiful vocal sections (imho) on the second listening, thats the
"Getting over overhanging trees, let them rape the forest
They might stand and leave them clearly to be home
Getting over wars they do not mean, we charm the movement suffers
Call out all our memories clearly to be home"
part, damn i love that sooo much 😍
The side we listened to the least was "Nous Sommes du Soleil".
And for the lyrics, i never really understood them, and i don't even tried, in the end its sometimes maybe better if english is not your native language so you can just enjoy vocals as an instrument and that is mostly totally fine for me, if its a band with a good vocalist of course.
That's awesome. Nous Sommes du Soleil is (usually) my favorite side, but of course, it depends on the day.
Its a soul cleansing album, all together as a whole
Charlotte was such a small town at the time of this release that I may well have been the only person I know who had it. I immediately set it to memory, enjoying it more with each listen. Certain sections in each song are particularly sweet. I could tell by your expression that the same parts here struck you too. Philip Glass and Ravi Shankar also wrote a masterpiece based on the four ages Yogananda references, called "Prashanti", which is also committed to memory. In fact, the early commitments to Yes and other complex literature created neural pathways which has proven useful all my life, and I know the same will be true for you. Your commentary and Stephen's magic and headphones made this better than prior listenings. The next song is a personal favorite.
A true masterpiece. Your reaction after the opening was very close to mine but mine was in Dec. 1973. Been hooked ever since.
This is my FAVORITE song of all time. Most people just don't get it...
This is almost the litmus test for Yes: as you can see there are many who do not appreciate this album! I'm constantly switching allegiance between this, CTTE and Fragile ask their best work, I may have heard this more in the last year than the other two albums. It plays a lot faster than 81 minutes, it's amazingly packed.
Although "Tales..." is my favorite YES album, I acknowledge that "Close To The Edge" is their best overall, and it happens to be my second favorite YES album.
All true YES fans adore this , and ignore the 80's dreck . Sure , TOPOGRAPHIC has some weak moments , but not many ...
It's actually a litmus test within the litmus test. This is the album(s) that separates the "I'm a hardcore Yes fan" from the "I can recite all of the lyrics from Tales" Yes fans.
Lots of emotions for me, listening again this song of my youth. I think this first side is the best of the album . Howe is wonderful here, so imaginative and versatile. He keeps you interested all the time. Anderson's voice is so smooth and emotional, and Wakeman's parts are so catchy and full of mystery. Squire is majestic. The song is so well settled, and especially based on slow parts, full of sensibility. A musical delight.
Its hard to find good live boots of 1974 , but on these shows , Steve Howe improvises quite a bit . Thats when you hear how many ideas are floating around within the structure of the song . IT CAN BE PLAYED IN DIFFERENT WAYS ! All 5 guys are drug drenched gurus . THANK YOU CHRIS SQUIRE !
this album's lyrics synthesize a language from several clear mythologies- from the Central-European Passion Plays to bits of solar astronomy from several eras, all within a ground fusing the Tibetan story of the lotus-born, rainbow-bodied Padmasambhava - the earliest Vedic narratives of spiritual transmigration (which Anderson referenced as 'shastras' in his reading of 'Autobiography of a Yogi') - and the love of you, everyone
Great song and a perfect introduction to the album. Good shout on the climax/ crescendo areas being less bombastic than on Close To The Edge. That, I think, is because this I’d really to be viewed as one piece of music in four parts. The true climax comes at the conclusion of Ritual (Nous Sommes du Solei). Enjoy the voyage!
First of all, congratulations Justin. Second, allow me to explain my experience with this album. I was introduced to Yes around the age of 14 by my older and cooler cousin. I dove headfirst into Fragile, Close to the Edge, The Yes Album, Relayer, Yessongs. But I was strangely intimidated by Tales. I didn't go near it for several years. When I did finally approach it, this song was one that I liked. I didn't love it right away, but I definitely liked it. I'm not sure what it lacked, probably driving guitars, but overall it has a pleasant sound. Well, over the years this album and in particular this song grew on me. It's now one of my favorites. But it takes time and repeat listens. Not as slow and beautiful as To Be Over or And You And I, nor as hard driving as Close to the Edge or Gates of Delirium, but somewhere in the middle. I love it. Looking forward to the next installment.
Thanks, Justin. I agree that there are some uneven parts on Tales. But, I have to say, if you took everything people love about Yes; gorgeous harmonies, signature time changes, flawless transitions, swirling, intricate, and challenging melodies and rhythms, and distilled all of that into one piece, you would have The Revealing Science of God. It took me 30 years and countless listens to fully realize it, but along with CTTE, and The Gates of Delirium, my favorite Yes of all time. Thanks for sharing this masterpiece.
Excellent! Glad you went with the Wilson mix. Usually I would opt for the original Offord mixes on the other albums, but Topographic suffered from a murky production and Wilson addressed that issue. Alan White did contribute to the compositions on this album. Some chord progressions etc. and the percussion ensembles of the last two pieces on the album. This song is lovely and takes you on a journey. The music on this album might not come across as immediate as CTTE or Relayer, but it's every bit as good. Just takes a bit more time to digest...
My daughter is almost 8 and when she was an infant I'd dance with her in my arms to put her to sleep.
Its still one of her favorite songs. But her absolute favorite is Mind Drive. We use it for our alarm clock in the morning.
Good review JP. No spoilers but you'll be hearing some of the themes in this song
again later in the Album. In a very satisfying way, I might add.
i am never one to promote recreational drugs but i can only say that when i was young and experimental i listened to this entire album while approaching the upper atmosphere. i can only say that this album is incredible straight as can be but when you are in a great mindset and in an altered state it takes on some rather interesting dimensions.
it is kind of like wearing scuba gear. you can swim under the sea without the gear but when you put the scuba gear on things go up a few levels. if experimenting is still in your wheelhouse then... i leave it to you to decide.
Sitting in my 67 Dodge Coronet with my 8 track going full blast before class in the college in 1974 with my friends. A little herb going on. Such a mellow time in my life. Never been that relaxed in my life since. Trying to get back there without the herb. lol. Thanks JP for doing this! Nice analysis! Appreciate you. Been waiting for "Tales" Appreciate your style of just using your motions and expressions. Thanks.
This is an incredible track .The soundscapes created by each band member is a masterclass in composition.
The beep beep sound is Rick on his Minimoog. Short stabs.
I was thinking that was the Hammond B-3, but not 100% sure....we need to see some live footage.
Maybe its the unnatural clarity of the Wilson remix, but I winced each time it came up, like some one was sticking a pin in my eye on every bar.
@@bigmanpigman3436 I dig it.
Regarding the lyrics, this song is about the perspective of God creating the universe and the realization ultimately that man is God experiencing itself subjectively.
The sound of the music with the lyrics tells you whats happening. Listen when they say "sun shower seasons. Life flower reasons." Its God creating those things as the music picks up and becomes more epic sounding.
He is trying to relay a feeling, a profound realization that you can't quite put into words. An experience beyond words.
Congratulations on the milestone JP, much deserved.
I originally purchased this album the day it was first released in the USA. It was overwhelming, it took a long time for me to appreciate this record for what it is. When I first heard these songs I was disappointed that they didn't all amaze me like Close to the Edge did. But now I hear them and realize these songs, with so much time to tell their stories could relax a bit more, stretch out, and develop more fully. Not better, but different and satisfying if you give them the space. This is my favorite of the four pieces, I've been listening to them in preparation for your review and I appreciate them all. It's an amazing ride, enjoy.
It took me years to appreciate Tales. Now it’s my favorite album ever!!!
From Wiki: Yes frontman Jon Anderson devised the concept album during the band's 1973 Japanese tour when he read a footnote in Autobiography of a Yogi by Paramahansa Yogananda that describes four bodies of Hindu texts about a specific field of knowledge, collectively named shastras: the śruti, smriti, puranas, and tantras.
There was big fanfare for introducing this on FM radio . It came off on radio as very slow tempo with next to zero hooks. Then, with time on better equipment and better headphones this piece evolved and became something that begged oft repeated listenings. To be honest the music of these bands, Yes, Genesis, ELP and Gentle Giant sound better today than back in the day. I was fortunate to see this live and it was an incredible experience. Some very vocal fans didn't like it and were impatient to move onto recognizable songs. The vocals rang from the rafters that night and that is what stuck. Incredible vocal performances. Even on a not so good night somebody always seemed great enough to carry them through. On that night it was Jon Anderson. Had they bit off more thn they could chew? Of course not they were Yes. Rick Wakeman left the first time later that year. Notice the Mellotron fills. Brilliant as orchestration. Mellotron as an instrument was only ten years out of the box.
Tales is a Journey a gorgeous Journey that relaxes you and shows you how Yes changes with every album! Tales is my most listen Yes record i listen to it every night!
The Revealing Science Of God is one of the very best Yes compositions. Congratulations on reaching your subscriber goal and on finally hearing this album.
Ty so much for sticking around and enjoying the vids!
Congrats on 13k :D I cannot wait for you to get to the Lamb.
Congrats on the 13k. Tales was my favorite Yes fan as a young kid in the late 80's, it really spoke to me cause I lived right near an ocean. Nowadays I'd say Close to the Edge is my number one favorite Yes album but Topograhic would certainly be number two in my top five Yes albums. You're in for a wild ride when you get to the first half of track three. Have fun!
A masterpiece. My favourite Yes album (although Close to the Edge is obviously tighter and more focused).
Gonna listen at work and hear analysis after work. Can’t be late today. Congrats on 13! Yessies are in heaven.
My wish is a song from Chick Corea’s album Mad Hatter, “ The Woods” to hear how special this guy was. RIP my brother.
Take care everyone, mask up pls, find some me time and relax,
Peace and Yes Music
Have a good day at work!
@@JustJP
It’s bring JP to work day!
Thought it was pretty chill, science of G is chill yo.
the best aspect of Yes is the play between the three longest running members: Jon anderson, Steve Howe and Chris squire! Jon's high pitch and Chris' lows are the ultimate sound experience. and Steve's wonderful Guitar manipulations make all of YES so Awesome!
The weird sound you've mentioned is Wakeman's keyboards haha.
Congrats on reaching 13k! - I've always found this album to be an acquired taste. Parts of it I liked immediately, parts of it took me a few listens, and some of it I still just can't quite get in to, at least not without a lot of patience. Side one is one that I liked immediately. It's not as good as Close to the Edge but it has a nice flow to it. I haven't listened to the entire album in a long time so I'm going to be interested to see your reactions (and mine) to the remainder. Here's hoping that you get to 15k soon as well!
Special album for me. First time I saw Yes was on the Tales tour in 1973 at the Manchester Free Trade Hall (UK, 1973). Opened with all of the Close To The Edge album, then all four sides of Tales with Roundabout as an encore. I was on an absolute high for over a week afterwards and friends at school must have thought I was on something! Still has massive emotional impact. And Rick's scorching and searing Moog solo at the end of Revealing still amazes me to this day...
Yay!! Finally we have reached 13K and consequently your reaction to one of the greatest prog rock albums. Congrats! I remember when this came out in the 70s. I bought the album before I had heard it, I knew it would be good. The album artwork by Roger Dean is phenomenal. His artwork on an album lets me know it's going to be a good album. My friends and I dug the shit out of this. It takes you on an intense, pleasurable spiritual journey. . Wakeman and Howe play such cool parts in this. I love Rick Wakeman's attention to detail. The little "chirp" that comes at 10:53, on the 4th beat of every measure, is such a good accent . And his Mellotron parts are rich and sweet. Steve Howe's choice of guitar notes, his tone, and his timing are very jazzy at times and very rocked out at times. Steve Howe had a massive collection of fine vintage guitars, and he used them all I think on this one! A lot of different guitar tones, all beautiful. Squire and White play such intricate and appropriate rhythms. And Jon Andersen's vocals are intelligent and mysterious; his voice is so delightful and harmonious. I read that his choice of words is done as much for artistic and rhythmic effect as for meaning. This blends classical, choral, jazz, rock and pop so well.
I love the section that comes in at 20:30. Very intense, like a whirlwind. Alan White's snare work at the end, about 23:25, is so darn tasty. All in all this album really shows all the members playing together so melodically and tasty. A fine addition to your catalog Justin. As usual your analysis was insightful and enjoyable.
YES is one the pioneer Prog bands which never disappoints with their Great musicianship ☝️❤️ thanks for the reaction JP ☝️
For me is the pinnacle of Yes creation. Wakeman is crucial on this entire project. I don´t care about critics (internal or external). How many great composers were really satisfied with their own works? do you really know? I only know that this full album takes me by the hand since I had 16 (that was in 1974!!) and helped in my spiritual connection with the Universe. I seriously believe that symphonic rock divides before and after Tales. It´s the top.
Justin, congrats with the 13K! I have waited all my life for this moment : you reaction! haha. I love when you can´t hide your surprise with what you´re hearing, and I love your technical explanations also, in this case I agree with with you according the constant interaction between Howe and Wakeman. No matter what anyone say, I will always believe this is the best rock album ever recorded, by the best musicians and how they flow together. You know what came after this, but when you put yourself back in 1973...it literally blew our minds. By the way, it´s heretic to me to compare a part of this with a part of....Los Endos? (1976) perhaps that little fragment sounds similar but, come on! haha. Lyrics: Keep on mind that conscience could be seen as the "light" and as we know, conscience creates reality. As spieces, we all came from the ocean.
When I first got the Tales album, I got it on cassette and it had no lyrics with it. This was before internet and I listened over and over to that opening to make out the lyrics.
Musically it is stellar.
Peace.
Congrats to 13k!
Love this song.
It really feels like sailing on musical waves throughout the album.
Can't wait for Remembering next.
It may not be their perfect/best song but it's my favourite.
Interesting that you mention "jazzy sounding" around the 33 minute mark. The band played a few dates with The Mahavishnu Orchestra and they (especially Jon if I remember right) were not only impressed with them but envious of their ability to play the same songs with different improvisations from night to night. Yes always structured their music so tightly, always being able to hit those rhythmic changes by the musical set ups. If you listen to the live versions of these songs they stay VERY close to their initial recordings.
You can hear the McLaughlin influence on the guitar part in TO BE OVER . Some of Steve Howe's best playing . Of course , both guys are insane , and were not afraid to practice a lot .
I can't wait for you to achieve 15k
Then the lamb, isn’t Justin in for a little treat there.
Me too!
You've been waiting all these years for lamb! A mass of a victim!!!
When I was a teem in the late 80's, we didn't have the UA-cams and reactors to introduce us to classic prog like this, we had to sort through our parent's collections...and we didn't have these fancy-schamncy Steve Wilson remixes, all clean and pristine; no, we had to listen to warbly 8-tracks and warped vinyl...kids today got it easy... :)
I still prefer the vinyl to the clean and pristine sound. I guess if that's all you listened to, you can't help but prefer it.
😅
I always took very good care of my TFTO vinyl LP - never brought it to parties. And when I got separated from it when I moved away to college, I was grateful to my sister for keeping my record collection safe in her possession and giving it back!
@@bobholtzmann Parties? What are those? 🥳☹️So sad that kids don’t get to have those experiences we did. Bringing records to parties to listen to was a luxury that no one knew would fade away in the midst of a pandemic. I feel sad for my teenaged boys who don’t get to experience what it was like to hang out with 10-20 friends, lying on the floor with huge speakers on both sides of the room, incense burning, mood lighting and candles burning in the Chianti bottles, listening to albums like this one and critiquing it into the wee hours. Lucky ones we were, for sure.
You forgot putting a small coin on the stylus head so the needle wouldn't jump when it hit a scratch :-)
Oh my Justin, congrats on 13,000 and celebrating it. It is your insight and true appreciation of all types of music that has gotten you to this point. Again thank you for being so very good to my ears.
Happily Lynn! Ty so much
Glad to see you got to Topographic Oceans. Looking forward to your review of the next 3 sides. After T.O., please PLEASE check out Yes's "That That Is" from their 1996 release, Keys to Ascension.
This is their last, truly prog-ROCK piece, before the band broke up. You described here how Yes hit a "higher gear" in Siberian Khatru (my favorite). TTI demonstrates the band's journey from Close to the Edge's more "Classical" Progressive influence into a truly 'ROCK' Progressive creation, at a "WAY higher gear". Classically, each distinct movement of the piece slowly builds, transitions, and builds again. It all combines in the last movement to a very satisfying Rock Crescendo, that may have been a bit lacking in their early albums. BTW - I saw Yes play the entire "Tales" album live at Winterland S.F. in 1973, and became a life-long Yes fan. A few years ago, my wife and I happen to meet Jon Anderson just before he gave a talk at the Grammy Museum in LA. Jon was so kind and gracious. When I mentioned how much I enjoyed that 1973 show, Jon shared with us that his son was born that night, and what that night meant to him. Oh my, what a moment!
No-one else sounds anything like this, I haven't heard this for years. I play a lot of Yes but I never get round to hearing this album even though I like it. I was struck by how well I knew it and the phenomenal rhythms throughout.
Same here! I had not heard it in years, in part because it does require some time commitment to play it, but admittedly because some of the negativity surrounding it infected my own recollections of the album. As it turns out, not only were the critics wrong, but it's amazing how much clearer this album side is to me now, after all these years, and how easily every lyric and section came flowing out of my memory bank. It sounds even better now, than the last time I played it. So glad to be sharing this "moment" with you and JP! :)
Firstly Justin. Fantastic. You've been great especially thanks during a time people need to connect in difficult times, and you've been there and so well deserved. Congratulations. :) "If" my memory serves me right, this was the first album in history that sold over 1 million copies on pre-orders alone...including myself. A mate of mine and me use to like singing the opening lyrics "Dawn of life.." to this to see how spot on we could get it even at 3am at a Knebworth Concert in a field. What I've always loved about this album is that it doesn't need to go over the top to try to prove something, it's like a spread out journey. As such less becomes more so when waiting for those moments they really notice.
My favorite side of TO.
Great majestic song!!!
Yes was at the zenith of their progressive prowess.
CONGRATS JP!!! TFTO finally. I liked your description, Howe playing over Wakeman, "like skipping stones across a quiet stream". I used to play this album set regularly for years. For all the critics of TFTO, who maybe expect the same tight composition of CTTE, they will be disappointed. But letting them breathe with a double album, as you say, creates compositions that then require the listener to breathe too, be chill. Its an experience, sit back and enjoy, drift through, and endure the moments you think are superfluous if that's what it takes, its still worth the time set aside to listen to this transformative musical work, Its timeless, like all great art. It is still rare and beautiful music done right in between their two powerhouse albums.
Hats off to the producers for being up to the task. An incredible journey.
My first time hearing this as well. I must say your reaction and my reaction are almost identical. Jon's lyrics seem strictly written for singing. I'm not sure how well they function on a page. But his way of singing certain words with the instrumental and vocal harmonies gets them off the page and floating around the house headed skyward, which is more important for him than if they make concrete sense. He reminds me of a Tolkein elf. This piece is very composed, but feels very freeform and at first I had a hard time wondering if it was episodes of noodling or something more interesting. My end thought is it's something more interesting.
If I got it right Anderson took care of the sound of the lyrics he wrote and in doubt which word to use he decided to take the one that sounded better to him in the context.
Exactly! This album always reminds me of the LOTR trilogy! Jon is a cute Rivendell elf!! 💙💙
Absolutely something more interesting. I don’t agree with those who say there is too much filler. Once you get to know it you can see that everything has its place and purpose.
From Wiki: Yes frontman Jon Anderson devised the concept album during the band's 1973 Japanese tour when he read a footnote in Autobiography of a Yogi by Paramahansa Yogananda that describes four bodies of Hindu texts about a specific field of knowledge, collectively named shastras: the śruti, smriti, puranas, and tantras.
Some parts seem like noodling , but every note is in place . Rock fans who are into MORE THAN A FEELING by BOSTON dont get this . You have to listen with more attention . Its well worth the extra attention .
This is my favorite song from this great album. So many cool moments and I love the lyrics as well.
Steven Wilson did a really nice job with this, especially the drums. They were pretty flat and compressed into the background on the original Atlantic mix.
I didn't have the patience for this one when I was a young lad. But I have grown to really like it now with life experience and more patience. Perspective is key!
So true Jay!
Bravo félicitations im happy for you you deserve it. Continue your great réaction with joy and happyness like you do we appreciate you to share the music that we feel deep in our heart and soul. I discover this album with you un the way you analyse it . Have a Nice beatifull Day JP.
Loosely quoting Wakeman: "I must've been wasted all the time, for this". He was so upset with the direction of this album that he literally drank himself out the whole time and still managed to shine.
Congrats for 13K, and thanks for this! :)
I get where he’s coming from. I mean it isnt their strongest album. Its like good ideas floating in a mediocre pool
"Drank himself out the whole time", I dig a lot of this album, but think 4 songs on 4 sides became self indulgent. Bruford said it was a little too sunny for him. We can see where he went next.
@@123agidee_2 Not their strongest for sure, but definitely not mediocre, although I feel there's too much filler material. It was too ambitious, and came out short of expectations.
I think it would have fared better being a single album instead of a double. Like, ditch "The Remembering" and "The Ancient" (but keep the wonderful "Leaves of Green" part) .
As much as I love and respect Wakeman, I think he was wrong about his feelings on this.
@@avantprog6902 It might have stemmed from a journalist who said "the only thing they haven't done is put the bible to music" to witch Anderson said "why not? We can do it!" (YesYears interview).
Bruford said "I was tired of arguing for days whether we should play an F or an F# on that beat. With King Crimson, you just had to know". Such a legend.
Been waiting for this since you put it up on the board. I love this whole thing so, so much.
CONGRATS JP!! YESSS!! This is awesome!
When I first listened to this, I was frustrated with the languid pace, the slower moments and kind of just wanted the band to let rip. When they did it was great, but as the years went by I began to appreciate the quieter moments, and also the intricate musicianship, especially how Howe and Wakeman work together. There are a couple of moments in the song where Howe and Wakeman get to freak out, and the fact that they are very brief moments actually compliments the more laid back nature of most of the track. Squire does indeed have a great tone on his bass here, especially the first few notes after Jon's introductory vocal...complimented of course by Whites drums. I also love the mellotron sounds on this track, rarely does a mellotron actually duplicate the sound of an instrument convincingly, but here it certainly does.
"You're not supposed to follow along, you're supposed to FEEL along". You hit it exactly right. The lyrics go beyond words and thought. They are intended to be LIVED while you hear them. The song represents our inner guide, the inner teacher. All of the experiences we go through are meant to teach us lessons to grow and mature from. But, unless we get this fact, then we are beaten by the experience. With his message in this song, Jon is encouraging that we look to all that we encounter from our intuitive sense instead of through our intellect. It takes several listenings of his lyrics, sometimes decades worth, to even begin to explain the meaning to ourself, much less to anyone else. I've writren essays on several of his songs (I call the series of essays "Yessermons") because I have spent 30 years of listening to most of his words repeatedly in meditation with an open mind and, most importantly, an open heart. I am one of those who, as you point out, allowed his work to "change (my) life". It cettainly has had an important impact, at least.
Agree with every word, this is the way to appreciate jon's lyrics.
So beautifully explained, yes, yes, yes (no pun intended)!
There are some great tracks coming up, this was very welcome. Onwards and upwards with your subs, great work so far!
Once every few years I listen to this album in its entirety and I always hear it a bit differently. Love it every time though.
I was thinking the same as you, about Wakeman really shining in this song. His synth parts later on were unreal!
Congrats on 13k Justin. Probably my fourth fav album after the three that preceded it. This track is beautiful and to me represents an evolution in their sound and structure as you’ll hear as you listen to the tracks to come. Whether that’s good or bad is a matter of opinion of course but I feel that it’s a very important album in Yes’ discography and for Prog in general.
I love exploring the places Yes music takes me to. Right after loving the journeys to such places.
Great reaction Justin. Count me among those who are fans of this album. I've really looked forward to you getting into it and I hope that you like the other 3 songs. Reading the comments, I was struck by all those complaining about critics trashing it. The only contemporary review of it that I ever read happened to be in one of my dad's Playboy magazines from that time period - no, I did not sneak looks at them for the articles ;-) - but I remember this review. It was a short but favorable review of the album. It noted the ambitiousness of the music and how the group was trying to take rock music to another level. I can't remember the exact words of the last sentence of the review, but it was something along the lines of: "On this album, Yes is trying to move rock beyond A wop bop a loo bop a lop ba ba." I thought it was such a funny line that it's stuck with me after all these many years.
1973; the best year for the music I love !!!
I can’t disagree with that at all Chris, a lot of my favourite albums date from there.
@@dalebaker9109 Same ! Genesis : Selling England by the Pound • Greenslade : Bedside Manners are Extra • Led Zeppelin : Houses of the Holy • Jethro Tull : A Passion Play • King Crimson : Larks' Tongues in Aspic • Wishbone Ash : Wishbone Four, and so on !!!
@@Rowenband I have always said this, greenslade are the most underrated band of all time. They can hold their own with anyone
@@dalebaker9109 oh how I agree. One of my favorite band. And i had the chance to interview Dave Lawson recently through mail. He is a great guy. And a great vocalist.
@@Rowenband I would have love to have talked to them.
Great stuff. Congrats on the 13K, well deserved.
Happy to see you tackle Tales from Topographic Oceans. Musically it can be a lot to tackle but it is really worth it. Masterful stuff. Good review of the album. Your analysis were thoughtful and considered the complexities.