When Tales was released I queued up at my local record store and bought my first edition of that album. When YES toured to support this album I purchased my ticket as soon as it was available. I saw them on their Fragile Tour, as well as Close To The Edge, so I was a regular YES fan to be in attendance. The critics began lambasting the extensive album by calling it too long with a confusing subplot within the conceptual reason for the album. I was an environmental activist during my teen years, and I still support environmental causes to this day at age 67. The conceptual reason behind this album is completely environmental, so it received a thumbs up from me instantly. When the band hit the stage in the venue where I saw them (the Spectrum arena in Philadelphia), I was on the second level of the stadium just above the band, and the sound production was outstanding. Jon Anderson was dressed in white, so he was easy to spot on stage, and I can recall Rick Wakeman was clad with a long red sequinned cape, very like the one he wore when I when I saw him perform his Journey To the Centre of the Earth concert. The music, with long jams featuring the tremendous talents of each band member, was an absolute delight. There were no "hits" from this concept album, but there was a deliberate request from the band to respect our planet, as mentioned by Jon Anderson before the finale and encore. Those who wish to critique this album as just being a bloated exercise by egotistical multitalented musicians are full of sh*t. That garbage punk rock and disco showed up a few years after this triumphant album, so the trend chasers followed the 3 chord tripe played by a bunch a over-stimulated cretins who revelled in calling themselves that nickname (may it be on their musical epitaph). I still prefer hearing extended music with sublime meaning, over three chord tripe to secure a hit for the record companies to cash in.
As a Yes fan for 40 years (OMG), I could never get into TFTO. I tried to get into it many,many times and I just couldn't feel the music,for whatever reason. I was brought up on The Yes Album and CTTE. Loved Fragile,Relayer,GFTO. I remember buying TFTO, opening up the gatefold and reading the liner notes. I got side one and the otherworldly feel of side 3,but felt disconnected from the overall experience. Then I came across your channel and your frequent references to this album. Your love for it shines thru every time and it convinced me to give it another listen. My God,thank God I did!! I was immediately hooked (I hadn't listened to it for at least 10/12 years). I fell under it's spell from the opening lyrics,with Jon,Steve and Chris never sounding better. I played the album straight thru,once then twice,and I'm playing it every week now. That was about a year ago and the best thing about it was I felt like a wide eyed,long haired kid again. That was as a direct result of me watching your videos and I'd like to thank you for this positive experience. I love your reviews,your love of music,your in depth research,your wit and self-deprecating humor. Keep up the great work and LONG LIVE PROG.
I totally agree with you that it’s a conceptual masterpiece, but one that requires the proper time and place in order to get the most out of a single listen.
As you hardly can listen to Beethoven in a daily basis, but you recognize the greatness of his works, so is this album. I wonder what the musical critics of 20th century would say about those works we nowadays recognize as masterpieces. For me, this is the only true rock symphony
I was born in Caracas and never learned English until 1977-78. So, when I first listened to this album a few years before that I had no idea what the lyrics were about, nor did I care for it. It's the music that took my soul. I mean, what can you compare to this in the entire history of Rock n' Roll? It's absolutely mesmerizing and a trip around the universe, really. I'm so glad Yes stepped outside the boundaries to explore a world of their own.
I was13 when this album was released and already a Yes fan thanks to two older brothers who were into Prog and what I consider to be many other great acts of that period, Rory Gallagher etc...I introduced a school friend to this album and he was hooked from the instant I put side one on the turntable. Previously he was unaware of Yes as were so many of my contemporaries of that time. I didn't see them play this live but my brother did at Birmingham Town Hall. One Yes show I so wish I had been privileged to see. A simply marvellous album though I have to admit that sometimes sitting through the whole of "The Ancient" is a challenge, but rewarded by the beautiful "Leaves of Green" section towards the close. There is no other recording like it, nor I expect will there ever be. Thanks for a very interesting review and explanation of the album
It takes alot of balls to record an album like this ; I doubt that we'll see its like again. Some people will see it as overblown but I have enjoyed it for decades, along with many others. Rick really needs to give it more credit.
The first half of The Ancient is really very special. Steve Howe once described it as two pieces of music with separate time signatures and in different keys played on top of each other. It is hard to listen to for many and might be the most hated part of the album. However, to me it feels like the very heart of the album. I like to believe side 3 illustrates dying and rebirth as evaporation and rain. The same water cycle imagery is found in Close to the Edge, but Wakeman's organ in CTTE is here replaced by Howe's slide guitar. In the Ancient, death is agonizing, ancient cultures struggle to rise, human consciousness can be a painful search for transcendence. Finally the raindrops fall and wash away the memories of past cycles. Is the movement in the head? I am neither religious nor a masochist, but I find incredible beauty in this musical depiction of suffering and grace. This is worthy of Stravinsky, John Coltrane, Michael Tippett. Yet any condensed commercial version of TFTO would certainly leave this out. Just because many people don't get it doesn't mean it isn't a masterpiece.
Well done. The best analysis I've seen or heard on this incredible album. I always say this is an island album for me. I still play it regularly to this day.
@@Magnetron33 You think I'm alone? Quite a while back sitting in a YES concert at Wembley with all the other 50 somethings and it's all going well. And then they announce they'll do some TFTO. The mood cooled. I swear a section of the audience started talking amongst themselves until it passed. So yes. WE.
@@alanbeaumont4848 A real YES fan would never do that. Those of us that have been there for every realease from 1970 on would not do that. It took me a little longer to get accustomed to it, but the thought and energy put into makes it one of their best FOR ME. I don't insist that you or anybody likes it. but I do insist I love it.The Remembering is one of the greatest pieces they ever did! Cheers!
About the cover and the star patterns. Starting on the far right is Aquarius, symbolizing the age of Aquarius we will soon be entering. Then moving left the zodiac sign of each band member. Jon-Scorpio, Chris-Pisces, Steve-Aries, Rick-Taurus, Allan-Gemini. One other interesting thing is the rock formation on the far right matches up with the rocks on the back cover of their next album Relayer.
At the end of Fragile came the beauty that is Heart Of The Sunrise, a blueprint for what was to follow with Close To The Edge. For me, they then didn't put a foot wrong through the eight sides of vinyl to the end of Relayer. And right in the middle was this incredible, inventive and magnificently played double album. There's really nothing else like it in rock music.
Growing up in Northern Colorado in the 1960s and 1970s, there weren't many prog fans, but happily, many of us managed to connect with each other. TFTO was released during my middle year of high school, and it had an immense impact on me. While most of my classmates spent their hard-earned money on their first car, I purchased what was, at the time, an expensive stereo-$650! My music tastes were eclectic; Classical, Baroque, Jazz, Prog, Folk, Rock, Soundtracks, and Musicals (from my active love of the stage). I approached TFTO as a symphony and still do. It remains a favorite. It certainly isn't a piece for "cloth-eared nincompoops." I enjoyed your review very much!
I’ve had this on LP for several years but have never managed to properly connect with it. Your video has inspired me to give it another listen when I have the time to give it my full attention and do it full justice! Thank you
I'd suggest only listening to Revealing Science of God and Ritual. They're the strongest tracks on the album. The other two meander too much and become boring, which isn't typical of Yes songs. I think the album Squire wanted to make included only the two songs.
I saw them 3 nights in a row on that tour. One of the most memorable experiences of my life. It took me time absorb but once I did, it became a masterpiece to me.
A really enjoyable video. Thanks for the mention. Also, great to see you branching out and incorporating sound and images more in your videos. I liked the glass 3/4 full quip. Very much how I view it myself. A 3/4 full glass of my favourite drink. Cheers.
Because so often we're in agreement on many albums and bands I'll have to give this another hard listen. I remember this album coming out and thinking Yes has lost the plot. Perhaps 50 years later I'll finally get it. A good thoughtful video as always.
I seriously think that you should have a regular slot on BBC Radio 6 Music or suchlike. Your dissertations and delivery style are impeccable. Thank you for another superb video, Barry.
Rick pointed out that today it could be edited onto a single CD. I got it the day it came out and have listened to it countless times while I was supposed to be doing my homework. Sides 1 and 4 both work brilliantly live but I have a soft spot for Side 2. Steve plays so well on this album.
I have watched and enjoyed your videos for some time. I really appreciate the care with which you explain the concepts behind this landmark album. Is there padding? Certainly, but the highlights throughout really do show Yes at their peak. Thanks again for giving it the time and respect it deserves. BTW, would love to see you show off those great paintings I always notice in the background. Peace, Eric
I agree with others that one has to be in the right space. I listened to again for the first time after a lot of people dismissed it when going through a bad time several years ago and it became part of my mental recovery in the late 2010s ,it placed me in a more receptive space for other things. The power of music cannot be underestimated and it kindled my interest and appreciation of other music forms. My first passion is rock but occasionally something else just hits the passion point, this is one for me (despite its imperfections). Thank you for a great channel!
This is a wonderful review of this fantastic album! I know Tales.. since I was 22. I listened the album in the following 40 years a lot of times but the revelation was when I listened the Steven Wilson remix !!! It was like I listened it for the first time.Steven made a fabulous job! I am happy you made this review of one of the greatest prog albums of all time.Thank you My respect
Never had the soul to appreciate Yes when I was younger, but the sonic beauty of the group plus Jon Anderson's unique instrument has earned a new disciple.
I have to say I didn't take to this release at all when it appeared and only heard it a couple of times since, only once to "give it another chance". You've encoraged me to give it another chance, maybe I misjudged it. Thanks.
This album is a conceptual masterpiece that no one has been able to duplicate. Even with the lacking third movement, it's just a masterful work of musical art that draws you in to each movement, with the final movement "Rituals" powerful rhythmic war between Squire and White. Powerful and masterful. You must listen to this on a superior sound system to really hear the mastery of this album.
Tales is a fabulous double album. Side 3 (The Ancient) was probably the only track I would skip when the album was first released. However, I appreciate that track more today than I did back in the day. Yes hit the motherlode between 1970 and 1974. Every new release more epic than the previous. however, It was just not humanly possible to maintain that level of intense musicianship and craft after that. Yes deserve their title of classic musicians. We should all be grateful and appreciate that most wonderful period of time when Yes were at the very top in creative artistry.
At last a serious critical review of this transcendent album! It’s my favourite Yes album, but for the last 50 years it’s been a “guilty pleasure” as it was almost instantly ridiculed by my friends in the 70’s “how can you even compare it to Slade’s new album!”….Thanks for providing me with a little bit of redemption !!!
I first heard it in 78 when I was 17 and was seriously disappointed. About 10 years ago I gave it another chance and was hugely impressed. But I have to be in the right mood. Fantastic keyboards: only time I've ever heard Mellotron marimba!
For years I recognized The Revealing and Ritual as the masterpieces that they are, but I would tend to skip The Remembering and The Ancient when playing Topographic. Then when the Steve Wilson remixes were released I started to listen to all 4 sides regularly and now I see sides 2 and 3 as integral parts of the whole work. Jon Anderson also remarked about his desire to do a single disc remix of Topographic and maybe that will be the version that finally makes Rick Wakeman happy. Topographic is like any great work of art, it can be unwieldy and difficult at first but it rewards repeated listening and engagement. There's a reason this album is still being discussed and debated 50 years later!
An incredible achievement. An album that needs to be approached with respect and reverence. Close the door, turn down the lights and take a journey. Not for commuting or car trips, nothing pop or easy about. It requires concentration and attention.
Because of the year it came out and my age at the time, it was the first Yes album I bought. It seems to me about as far out as Yes ever got, although "Sound Chaser" might be that. Always a huge favorite, I never noticed the "padding" because I grew up with it.
I remember clearly that day in early 1974 I first put needle to vinyl and held the gatefold in my hands. Music that demands either your absolute attention or complete indifference. I chose the former. We ARE of the sun.
Hey, all you 'Topographic Oceans' lovers out there, please remember that the finest edition to date of this masterpiece is the one remastered by Dan Hersch and Bill Inglot for Rhino in 2003. It has the whole original introduction in 'The Revealing Science of God' (not included in the standard edition) and a lot more, including two delightful studio run-through bonus tracks. And by the way, don't miss also the 2009 japanese edition of Yessongs mixed by Isao Kikuchi, who took the sound of this live gem to the place it deserves amongst all Yes music lovers! Cheers!
Best review of Tales I have seen, Tales is absolutely my most listened album by Yes. Funny I always say Relayer is my favorite, but the one I listen most often is Tales. I tend to play it at night with the light off and let me relax to its beauty.
I was 19 when I bought this on cassette during a Spring Break Weekend back in '89 at a mall in Destin, FL. My friend and I experienced this album for the first time on the beach around three in the morning and were treated to a dazzling heat lightning show over the Gulf. Being under the influence of powerful psychedelics only enhanced this journey so this album has always found a special place for me regardless of its own hubris.
I was about to leave for college when I bought this album and I didn't have a record player coming with me so I put it on and taped it with the volume turned all the way down so that I could relish it on my drive up. I was not disappointed it is a freaking enormous masterpiece
A great album, Barry and one of my favourites. Loved the first 2 sides, but could never get on with The Ancient: Giants under The Sun. To my mind, Ritual comes alive on Yesshows. What a fantastic live version of that track. The dear departed Alan White is superb.
Absolutely love the album. I first landed the double CD and didn't hear it until I was down with a bad flu at which point I heard it back to back 4 times. It is an absolutely incredible experience and if I have 80 odd minutes free, this is my go-to album.
Still my favorite album of ALL TIME. It could be that you had to be there, but if you were a 17-year-old boy in 1974, it opened up a whole musical/spiritual world. Relayer is also great, and probably more focused, but this one moves me more.
It's all about context for me. There was an inevitability about TFTO with Yes growing in skill, stature and performance all that energy and talent had to have somewhere to go. It typifies the growth of Yes and that no two Yes albums are the same and for me in hindsight it was a natural progression. I've never worried too much about the 'meaning' just concentrated on the changing melodies, superb playing and 'tone poems' of Jon Anderson's lyrics. To try and understand what he was on about is pointless. I think it's aged really well and in future years will be unearthed and revered as a piece of classic art. Although I didn't hear it until 1977 I have never tired of it and never will. Bring on the Atmos version!
I was 18 yrs old when I got this album, it mesmerized me, and I didn't know why at the time. Fifty years later I understand this album and love it more every year. My favorite Yes album, not as a performance album, but a soulful, spiritual album that was very underrated by many Yes fans.
I love it since 1st purchased unheard in 1974. Still blows me away. I don't care much for the tantric texts or whatever they are but it gives a structure to the opus. Yes at their best!
“Revealing Science of God” is magnificent throughout…”Ritual” is also epic. I’m not so keen on the other 2 sides. This album divides opinion with Yes fans. It has some magical moments but, is bit of a plod elsewhere. I seem to remember there was a promotional hot air balloon advertising the album upon its release…how cool is that !
If sides one and four had been released as a single album, it would have stood right along side the previous three "golden era" Yes albums. Having said that, I must add that there are more than a few magic moments on sides two and three.
Nice presentation Mr. B, of an album that is as difficult as it is different. I thought for sure you had reviewed it before, but looking through your video catalogue, I guess not. You have been a busy B and I noticed some gems in there that I will have to go back and watch.
One of the best prog albums of cause. Although there is one album I will bring to my grave and that is Relayer, for me the Masterpiece of them all. However there is one album mostly unknown and deserving recognition that I would like to recommend to all prog fans and that is an album by an Italian band, Maxophone-Maxophone. This album is a very special little gem with potential to become a favorite in your collection. (There is an English version available) Love and peace to all.❤ Special thanks to Barry
Big fan of it (since the '70s), but IMO, you can't be in a hurry...You have to be willing to invest the listening time to enjoy it. And, I think, in the intended order too...
A spot on review, I agree totally with all you have to say about this masterpiece. I bought it on release and later heard most of the tracks on the Relayer tour at the Southampton Gaumont in '75... wow, that was SOME concert! Not sure condensing the double down to a single disc, maybe one and three quarters? On second thoughts, leave it alone, it's wonderful as it is!
Further comments! On the 2003 remaster of TFTO 2 bonus tracks are included, a version of The Revealing labeled “Dance of the Dawn - Previously Unissued” and a version of Of the ancient labeled “Giants under the sun - previously unissued” Both are intriguing and different. But in the version of the revealing, sandwiched between one of Rick’s keyboard solos near the end of the track is an instrumental version of “all fighters past” in the fast tempo played during the fragile sessions.
Really enjoyed this! The album certainly has some great passages, but yes, half the length would have been much better. I haven't heard some of their recent live reworkings of part - may try to catch them next time!
The wonderful guitar motive from Steve 9:18 initially starts on the first word, 'Dawn...'. He's very slowly swelling in the motif that Rick then plays when everyone comes in - in the example you played. It's only when I sat and learned the guitar part that I noticed this. Live, he often plays both parts along with the keys. Listen to what he's playing while Jon and Chris are singing the intro. Have you noticed it before?
The most beautiful music ever recorded. Elegant. Graceful. Genius. Dredging up the crap that "the band doesn't like it" is utter B.S. and totally meaningless. History is LOADED with great art that the artists themselves didn't like.
Great album. For music to be truly progressive any band has to stretch itself, push the boundaries and Yes certainly did that. And if, in the opinion of some, (Wakeman included) they don't quite achieve musical nirvana, well they had a bloody good go at it! I love a bit of Rick, seen him live many times on his various solo tours. But I think he has his eye on the main chance and has come and gone when it suits him (or his management, Yes management being a bit of a murky area). That said Ricks musical contribution to yes has been immense over the years. I suppose that this debate will rage until we're all pushing up the daisies and all that's left is Taylor Swift fans. God help them. Or god bless them depending on your point of view.
I loved it since the day it was released. The concert was magical. It was Jon and Steve’s pinnacle, but not the band’s. As I’ve said for 40 years and echoed recently by Rick, had it come out in the digital age with 12-15 minutes removed it would stand with their best if not surpass CTTE.
For years I felt this to be a pretentious bloated mess. For me it has grown more gracefully than many a Yes album and I find myself drawn back to it more and more. A fifty year gestation period for me! Quite remarkable really
Each to his or her own of course, but I have tried for years and even decades to like this album and still think it is a pretentious bloated mess. Nice album cover though.
It is a slow grow and I think, along with other Yes fans, I have watched it steadily move up my list of favorite Yes albums to be in the top 3-5. It does feel like the end of a chapter in the band and the start of a new one.
One of the greatest albums of all time!
When Tales was released I queued up at my local record store and bought my first edition of that album. When YES toured to support this album I purchased my ticket as soon as it was available. I saw them on their Fragile Tour, as well as Close To The Edge, so I was a regular YES fan to be in attendance.
The critics began lambasting the extensive album by calling it too long with a confusing subplot within the conceptual reason for the album. I was an environmental activist during my teen years, and I still support environmental causes to this day at age 67. The conceptual reason behind this album is completely environmental, so it received a thumbs up from me instantly.
When the band hit the stage in the venue where I saw them (the Spectrum arena in Philadelphia), I was on the second level of the stadium just above the band, and the sound production was outstanding. Jon Anderson was dressed in white, so he was easy to spot on stage, and I can recall Rick Wakeman was clad with a long red sequinned cape, very like the one he wore when I when I saw him perform his Journey To the Centre of the Earth concert.
The music, with long jams featuring the tremendous talents of each band member, was an absolute delight.
There were no "hits" from this concept album, but there was a deliberate request from the band to respect our planet, as mentioned by Jon Anderson before the finale and encore.
Those who wish to critique this album as just being a bloated exercise by egotistical multitalented musicians are full of sh*t. That garbage punk rock and disco showed up a few years after this triumphant album, so the trend chasers followed the 3 chord tripe played by a bunch a over-stimulated cretins who revelled in calling themselves that nickname (may it be on their musical epitaph).
I still prefer hearing extended music with sublime meaning, over three chord tripe to secure a hit for the record companies to cash in.
Amen!
As a Yes fan for 40 years (OMG), I could never get into TFTO. I tried to get into it many,many times and I just couldn't feel the music,for whatever reason. I was brought up on The Yes Album and CTTE. Loved Fragile,Relayer,GFTO. I remember buying TFTO, opening up the gatefold and reading the liner notes. I got side one and the otherworldly feel of side 3,but felt disconnected from the overall experience. Then I came across your channel and your frequent references to this album. Your love for it shines thru every time and it convinced me to give it another listen. My God,thank God I did!! I was immediately hooked (I hadn't listened to it for at least 10/12 years). I fell under it's spell from the opening lyrics,with Jon,Steve and Chris never sounding better. I played the album straight thru,once then twice,and I'm playing it every week now. That was about a year ago and the best thing about it was I felt like a wide eyed,long haired kid again. That was as a direct result of me watching your videos and I'd like to thank you for this positive experience. I love your reviews,your love of music,your in depth research,your wit and self-deprecating humor. Keep up the great work and LONG LIVE PROG.
I totally agree with you that it’s a conceptual masterpiece, but one that requires the proper time and place in order to get the most out of a single listen.
As you hardly can listen to Beethoven in a daily basis, but you recognize the greatness of his works, so is this album. I wonder what the musical critics of 20th century would say about those works we nowadays recognize as masterpieces. For me, this is the only true rock symphony
I was born in Caracas and never learned English until 1977-78. So, when I first listened to this album a few years before that I had no idea what the lyrics were about, nor did I care for it. It's the music that took my soul. I mean, what can you compare to this in the entire history of Rock n' Roll? It's absolutely mesmerizing and a trip around the universe, really. I'm so glad Yes stepped outside the boundaries to explore a world of their own.
The sheer bravery and audacity of The Ancient still gives me goosebumps.
I was13 when this album was released and already a Yes fan thanks to two older brothers who were into Prog and what I consider to be many other great acts of that period, Rory Gallagher etc...I introduced a school friend to this album and he was hooked from the instant I put side one on the turntable. Previously he was unaware of Yes as were so many of my contemporaries of that time. I didn't see them play this live but my brother did at Birmingham Town Hall. One Yes show I so wish I had been privileged to see. A simply marvellous album though I have to admit that sometimes sitting through the whole of "The Ancient" is a challenge, but rewarded by the beautiful "Leaves of Green" section towards the close. There is no other recording like it, nor I expect will there ever be. Thanks for a very interesting review and explanation of the album
The Remembering is my favorite song on the record. The finale is possibly the very best music they ever did along with Awaken.
I agree, 2 of my favorites also
Absolutely. The climax of 'The Remembering' counts for me as one of Yes' finest moments. Totally underrated by the fanbase.
Yes, yes, yes!
It takes alot of balls to record an album like this ; I doubt that we'll see its like again. Some people will see it as overblown but I have enjoyed it for decades, along with many others. Rick really needs to give it more credit.
Probably, and criminally, the most overlooked track of their entire career….such a right shame it was dropped fairly early on from the live shows
My favorite Yes. So good! I wore out the vinyl when it first came out, I just turned teenaged and just wow!
I too had to but another copy
And live they played it brilliantly
@@ronfisher5259 It was otherworldly!
Topographic Oceans, the album that broke prog. Love it.
I love this album, and play it once or twice a year to better simulate a " first time listen".
The first half of The Ancient is really very special. Steve Howe once described it as two pieces of music with separate time signatures and in different keys played on top of each other. It is hard to listen to for many and might be the most hated part of the album. However, to me it feels like the very heart of the album. I like to believe side 3 illustrates dying and rebirth as evaporation and rain. The same water cycle imagery is found in Close to the Edge, but Wakeman's organ in CTTE is here replaced by Howe's slide guitar. In the Ancient, death is agonizing, ancient cultures struggle to rise, human consciousness can be a painful search for transcendence. Finally the raindrops fall and wash away the memories of past cycles. Is the movement in the head? I am neither religious nor a masochist, but I find incredible beauty in this musical depiction of suffering and grace. This is worthy of Stravinsky, John Coltrane, Michael Tippett. Yet any condensed commercial version of TFTO would certainly leave this out. Just because many people don't get it doesn't mean it isn't a masterpiece.
Tales is a wonderful album.. so many fantastic melodies and ideas.. maybe a very short trimming here and there, but not much. A genuine prog classic.
Well done. The best analysis I've seen or heard on this incredible album.
I always say this is an island album for me.
I still play it regularly to this day.
My appreciation of this album raised to a whole new level after hearing Steven Wilson's 5.1 mix. Suddenly it became possibly my favourite Yes album.
It is a Masterpiece...4 wonderful side long tracks. Every prog/rock fan should love this album.
And yet we don't.
@@alanbeaumont4848 We?
@@Magnetron33 You think I'm alone? Quite a while back sitting in a YES concert at Wembley with all the other 50 somethings and it's all going well. And then they announce they'll do some TFTO. The mood cooled. I swear a section of the audience started talking amongst themselves until it passed.
So yes. WE.
@@alanbeaumont4848 A real YES fan would never do that. Those of us that have been there for every realease from 1970 on would not do that. It took me a little longer to get accustomed to it, but the thought and energy put into makes it one of their best FOR ME. I don't insist that you or anybody likes it. but I do insist I love it.The Remembering is one of the greatest pieces they ever did! Cheers!
@@Magnetron33 And yet they did. You asked. I told you.
My favorite album ever!!! EVER!!! Do you hear me, Barry?
Greetings and salutations to you...
I hear ya Scott! I agree 💯 percent! I love this album so much I made a hand drawn poster about it and put the image I created on a shirt!
@@richardmorgan1588Nice one.
Tales inspired me, to write some lengthy poetry, about my awakenings to spirituality.
About the cover and the star patterns. Starting on the far right is Aquarius, symbolizing the age of Aquarius we will soon be entering. Then moving left the zodiac sign of each band member. Jon-Scorpio, Chris-Pisces, Steve-Aries, Rick-Taurus, Allan-Gemini. One other interesting thing is the rock formation on the far right matches up with the rocks on the back cover of their next album Relayer.
At the end of Fragile came the beauty that is Heart Of The Sunrise, a blueprint for what was to follow with Close To The Edge. For me, they then didn't put a foot wrong through the eight sides of vinyl to the end of Relayer. And right in the middle was this incredible, inventive and magnificently played double album. There's really nothing else like it in rock music.
Growing up in Northern Colorado in the 1960s and 1970s, there weren't many prog fans, but happily, many of us managed to connect with each other. TFTO was released during my middle year of high school, and it had an immense impact on me. While most of my classmates spent their hard-earned money on their first car, I purchased what was, at the time, an expensive stereo-$650! My music tastes were eclectic; Classical, Baroque, Jazz, Prog, Folk, Rock, Soundtracks, and Musicals (from my active love of the stage). I approached TFTO as a symphony and still do. It remains a favorite. It certainly isn't a piece for "cloth-eared nincompoops."
I enjoyed your review very much!
I’ve had this on LP for several years but have never managed to properly connect with it. Your video has inspired me to give it another listen when I have the time to give it my full attention and do it full justice! Thank you
I'd suggest only listening to Revealing Science of God and Ritual. They're the strongest tracks on the album. The other two meander too much and become boring, which isn't typical of Yes songs. I think the album Squire wanted to make included only the two songs.
I saw them 3 nights in a row on that tour. One of the most memorable experiences of my life. It took me time absorb but once I did, it became a masterpiece to me.
A really enjoyable video. Thanks for the mention. Also, great to see you branching out and incorporating sound and images more in your videos. I liked the glass 3/4 full quip. Very much how I view it myself. A 3/4 full glass of my favourite drink. Cheers.
As a major yes fan, it took me a few years to really appreciate it. But now it's in my top 3 of their albums. Great video as ever.
I love TO. And I am with the album from very beginning of its existence.
The greatest rock album ever made.
Progressive rock*
Very nicely and evenly interpreted. What an epic sonic adventure this album is. Truly top of their form.
Thank you🙏🏻
Wow, I was just telling an old friend of mine about your channel and your love for Tales and here you post a video about the album.
I can't imagine my life without listening to this album for the last 50 years.🤩
Because so often we're in agreement on many albums and bands I'll have to give this another hard listen. I remember this album coming out and thinking Yes has lost the plot. Perhaps 50 years later I'll finally get it. A good thoughtful video as always.
A very influential album - helped usher in the era of punk. Quite an accolade.
Is a masterpiece, but I've found mainly only musicians get the whole idea. Great job!
I seriously think that you should have a regular slot on BBC Radio 6 Music or suchlike. Your dissertations and delivery style are impeccable. Thank you for another superb video, Barry.
Love the album. Excellent, informative video as usual. Specially interesting what Hackett said about it. Many fine comments here.
Rick pointed out that today it could be edited onto a single CD. I got it the day it came out and have listened to it countless times while I was supposed to be doing my homework. Sides 1 and 4 both work brilliantly live but I have a soft spot for Side 2. Steve plays so well on this album.
I would edit out NOTHING
I have watched and enjoyed your videos for some time. I really appreciate the care with which you explain the concepts behind this landmark album. Is there padding? Certainly, but the highlights throughout really do show Yes at their peak. Thanks again for giving it the time and respect it deserves. BTW, would love to see you show off those great paintings I always notice in the background. Peace, Eric
They are my wife's paintings, she's the artist
Would you please do this for more albums. I love this style of video! And the focus on the “album” instead of the artist!
I agree with others that one has to be in the right space. I listened to again for the first time after a lot of people dismissed it when going through a bad time several years ago and it became part of my mental recovery in the late 2010s ,it placed me in a more receptive space for other things. The power of music cannot be underestimated and it kindled my interest and appreciation of other music forms. My first passion is rock but occasionally something else just hits the passion point, this is one for me (despite its imperfections). Thank you for a great channel!
I've loved this album from the first time I listened to it the week it came out. Great talk.
This is a wonderful review of this fantastic album!
I know Tales.. since I was 22. I listened the album in the following 40 years a lot of times but the revelation was when I listened the Steven Wilson remix !!!
It was like I listened it for the first time.Steven made a fabulous job!
I am happy you made this review of one of the greatest prog albums of all time.Thank you
My respect
Never had the soul to appreciate Yes when I was younger, but the sonic beauty of the group plus Jon Anderson's unique instrument has earned a new disciple.
I prefer Fragile and C TT Edge, but I think Tales is a great, beautiful album. From its conception to the different movements. Just great.
I have to say I didn't take to this release at all when it appeared and only heard it a couple of times since, only once to "give it another chance". You've encoraged me to give it another chance, maybe I misjudged it. Thanks.
This is my favourite album of all time even though Close to the Edge is probably a better album. The Steven Wilson remix is also a favourite
This album is a conceptual masterpiece that no one has been able to duplicate. Even with the lacking third movement, it's just a masterful work of musical art that draws you in to each movement, with the final movement "Rituals" powerful rhythmic war between Squire and White. Powerful and masterful. You must listen to this on a superior sound system to really hear the mastery of this album.
Tales is a fabulous double album. Side 3 (The Ancient) was probably the only track I would skip when the album was first released. However, I appreciate that track more today than I did back in the day. Yes hit the motherlode between 1970 and 1974. Every new release more epic than the previous. however, It was just not humanly possible to maintain that level of intense musicianship and craft after that. Yes deserve their title of classic musicians. We should all be grateful and appreciate that most wonderful period of time when Yes were at the very top in creative artistry.
Love the album but need to be in the right mood to listen to it.
For me, any mood is the right mood.🤩
Thats why we all don't own red cars.
At last a serious critical review of this transcendent album! It’s my favourite Yes album, but for the last 50 years it’s been a “guilty pleasure” as it was almost instantly ridiculed by my friends in the 70’s “how can you even compare it to Slade’s new album!”….Thanks for providing me with a little bit of redemption !!!
Chicken Karma...very good Barry. Superb review of an album that i enjoy but still find difficult to wade through in one sitting even after 50 years.
This is my favourite album of all time. Was delighted to hear the medley they played live on their 'classic tales of yes' tour.
I first heard it in 78 when I was 17 and was seriously disappointed.
About 10 years ago I gave it another chance and was hugely impressed. But I have to be in the right mood.
Fantastic keyboards: only time I've ever heard Mellotron marimba!
This is one of two Yes albums I regularly listen to. I have all the albums Chris Squire played on so that pretty much says that it's a great record!
I couldn’t agree with you more. My favourite YES. A masterpiece. ❤
There's was always a great single album in here, and 9 years later the same could be said of Sandinista
For years I recognized The Revealing and Ritual as the masterpieces that they are, but I would tend to skip The Remembering and The Ancient when playing Topographic. Then when the Steve Wilson remixes were released I started to listen to all 4 sides regularly and now I see sides 2 and 3 as integral parts of the whole work. Jon Anderson also remarked about his desire to do a single disc remix of Topographic and maybe that will be the version that finally makes Rick Wakeman happy. Topographic is like any great work of art, it can be unwieldy and difficult at first but it rewards repeated listening and engagement. There's a reason this album is still being discussed and debated 50 years later!
An incredible achievement. An album that needs to be approached with respect and reverence. Close the door, turn down the lights and take a journey. Not for commuting or car trips, nothing pop or easy about. It requires concentration and attention.
It's great you're back in the office! 😊
I love it. Some of the beautiful and melodic musical passages ever written are on this album.
No disagreement or discussion in my listening room. Perhaps the best Prog Rock album ever and on my heavy rotation list since its introduction.
Excellent video, and also my fav Yes album... Top marks Barry
Because of the year it came out and my age at the time, it was the first Yes album I bought. It seems to me about as far out as Yes ever got, although "Sound Chaser" might be that. Always a huge favorite, I never noticed the "padding" because I grew up with it.
I remember clearly that day in early 1974 I first put needle to vinyl and held the gatefold in my hands. Music that demands either your absolute attention or complete indifference. I chose the former. We ARE of the sun.
Hey, all you 'Topographic Oceans' lovers out there, please remember that the finest edition to date of this masterpiece is the one remastered by Dan Hersch and Bill Inglot for Rhino in 2003. It has the whole original introduction in 'The Revealing Science of God' (not included in the standard edition) and a lot more, including two delightful studio run-through bonus tracks. And by the way, don't miss also the 2009 japanese edition of Yessongs mixed by Isao Kikuchi, who took the sound of this live gem to the place it deserves amongst all Yes music lovers! Cheers!
Best review of Tales I have seen, Tales is absolutely my most listened album by Yes. Funny I always say Relayer is my favorite, but the one I listen most often is Tales. I tend to play it at night with the light off and let me relax to its beauty.
I was 19 when I bought this on cassette during a Spring Break Weekend back in '89 at a mall in Destin, FL. My friend and I experienced this album for the first time on the beach around three in the morning and were treated to a dazzling heat lightning show over the Gulf. Being under the influence of powerful psychedelics only enhanced this journey so this album has always found a special place for me regardless of its own hubris.
I was about to leave for college when I bought this album and I didn't have a record player coming with me so I put it on and taped it with the volume turned all the way down so that I could relish it on my drive up. I was not disappointed it is a freaking enormous masterpiece
A great album, Barry and one of my favourites. Loved the first 2 sides, but could never get on with The Ancient: Giants under The Sun. To my mind, Ritual comes alive on Yesshows. What a fantastic live version of that track. The dear departed Alan White is superb.
Great album, very original and definitely a grower. It's just not what anyone is expecting on their first listen.
Let's say I prefer a collection of pearls to a canister of coloured water. But it's still very interesting and enjoyable.
Absolutely love the album. I first landed the double CD and didn't hear it until I was down with a bad flu at which point I heard it back to back 4 times. It is an absolutely incredible experience and if I have 80 odd minutes free, this is my go-to album.
Still my favorite album of ALL TIME. It could be that you had to be there, but if you were a 17-year-old boy in 1974, it opened up a whole musical/spiritual world. Relayer is also great, and probably more focused, but this one moves me more.
It's all about context for me. There was an inevitability about TFTO with Yes growing in skill, stature and performance all that energy and talent had to have somewhere to go. It typifies the growth of Yes and that no two Yes albums are the same and for me in hindsight it was a natural progression. I've never worried too much about the 'meaning' just concentrated on the changing melodies, superb playing and 'tone poems' of Jon Anderson's lyrics. To try and understand what he was on about is pointless. I think it's aged really well and in future years will be unearthed and revered as a piece of classic art. Although I didn't hear it until 1977 I have never tired of it and never will. Bring on the Atmos version!
A total masterpiece!
I was 18 yrs old when I got this album, it mesmerized me, and I didn't know why at the time. Fifty years later I understand this album and love it more every year. My favorite Yes album, not as a performance album, but a soulful, spiritual album that was very underrated by many Yes fans.
Me too. It actually gets better with time, like a fine wine
I love it since 1st purchased unheard in 1974. Still blows me away. I don't care much for the tantric texts or whatever they are but it gives a structure to the opus. Yes at their best!
I'm with you Barry. I've grown to love this album! And a cheeky Clinton Baptiste reference at the end to top it off. Marvellous
“Revealing Science of God” is magnificent throughout…”Ritual” is also epic.
I’m not so keen on the other 2 sides.
This album divides opinion with Yes fans. It has some magical moments but, is bit of a plod elsewhere.
I seem to remember there was a promotional hot air balloon advertising the album upon its release…how cool is that !
If sides one and four had been released as a single album, it would have stood right along side the previous three "golden era" Yes albums. Having said that, I must add that there are more than a few magic moments on sides two and three.
Nice presentation Mr. B, of an album that is as difficult as it is different. I thought for sure you had reviewed it before, but looking through your video catalogue, I guess not. You have been a busy B and I noticed some gems in there that I will have to go back and watch.
One of the best prog albums of cause. Although there is one album I will bring to my grave and that is Relayer, for me the Masterpiece of them all. However there is one album mostly unknown and deserving recognition that I would like to recommend to all prog fans and that is an album by an Italian band, Maxophone-Maxophone. This album is a very special little gem with potential to become a favorite in your collection. (There is an English version available) Love and peace to all.❤ Special thanks to Barry
i know this is your favorite! i only listened to it recently and did enjoy it.
Big fan of it (since the '70s), but IMO, you can't be in a hurry...You have to be willing to invest the listening time to enjoy it. And, I think, in the intended order too...
A spot on review, I agree totally with all you have to say about this masterpiece. I bought it on release and later heard most of the tracks on the Relayer tour at the Southampton Gaumont in '75... wow, that was SOME concert! Not sure condensing the double down to a single disc, maybe one and three quarters? On second thoughts, leave it alone, it's wonderful as it is!
TALES OF TOPOGRAPHIC OCEANS is an Epic Masterpiece!! SPECTACULAR!!
YES❣️The greatest band on this or any other planet❗️🪐🪐🪐🛸🛸🛸⭐️⭐️⭐️👍😎
Excellent review. You have made me want to go and listen to it in its entirety. Thanks! Paul in Oz
Hope you enjoy it!
@@classicalbum I am listening to it (again) right now ;-) with an awakened consciousness as to the album's relevance.
Further comments!
On the 2003 remaster of TFTO 2 bonus tracks are included, a version of The Revealing labeled “Dance of the Dawn - Previously Unissued” and a version of Of the ancient labeled “Giants under the sun - previously unissued”
Both are intriguing and different. But in the version of the revealing, sandwiched between one of Rick’s keyboard solos near the end of the track is an instrumental version of “all fighters past” in the fast tempo played during the fragile sessions.
YES... Many many great albums , but personally for me their finest hour (and twenty minutes) 😍
Really enjoyed this! The album certainly has some great passages, but yes, half the length would have been much better. I haven't heard some of their recent live reworkings of part - may try to catch them next time!
The wonderful guitar motive from Steve 9:18 initially starts on the first word, 'Dawn...'. He's very slowly swelling in the motif that Rick then plays when everyone comes in - in the example you played. It's only when I sat and learned the guitar part that I noticed this. Live, he often plays both parts along with the keys. Listen to what he's playing while Jon and Chris are singing the intro. Have you noticed it before?
The most beautiful music ever recorded. Elegant. Graceful. Genius.
Dredging up the crap that "the band doesn't like it" is utter B.S. and totally meaningless. History is LOADED with great art that the artists themselves didn't like.
I only have 4 copies,one of my fave albums ever.
Great album. For music to be truly progressive any band has to stretch itself, push the boundaries and Yes certainly did that. And if, in the opinion of some, (Wakeman included) they don't quite achieve musical nirvana, well they had a bloody good go at it! I love a bit of Rick, seen him live many times on his various solo tours. But I think he has his eye on the main chance and has come and gone when it suits him (or his management, Yes management being a bit of a murky area). That said Ricks musical contribution to yes has been immense over the years. I suppose that this debate will rage until we're all pushing up the daisies and all that's left is Taylor Swift fans. God help them. Or god bless them depending on your point of view.
I loved it since the day it was released. The concert was magical. It was Jon and Steve’s pinnacle, but not the band’s. As I’ve said for 40 years and echoed recently by Rick, had it come out in the digital age with 12-15 minutes removed it would stand with their best if not surpass CTTE.
Thanks for a great review of the best rock band's Master creation!
Music, that will be listened to and appreciated for centuries to come.
It’s by far my favorite Yes album. And one of my all time favorites in any genre
For years I felt this to be a pretentious bloated mess. For me it has grown more gracefully than many a Yes album and I find myself drawn back to it more and more. A fifty year gestation period for me! Quite remarkable really
Each to his or her own of course, but I have tried for years and even decades to like this album and still think it is a pretentious bloated mess. Nice album cover though.
Sit tight. I wasn’t expecting it to creep up on me
It is a slow grow and I think, along with other Yes fans, I have watched it steadily move up my list of favorite Yes albums to be in the top 3-5. It does feel like the end of a chapter in the band and the start of a new one.