Tales from Topographic Oceans

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Tales from Topographic Oceans
Tales from Topographic Oceans cover
Front cover of the Roger Dean designed album sleeve
Studio album by Yes
Released December 14, 1973 (UK)
January 9, 1974 (U.S.)
Recorded August–October 1973
Genre Progressive rock
Length 81:15 on original release, 83:42 on 2003 re-release (without bonus tracks), 124:34 (with bonus tracks' length included)
Label Atlantic
Producer Yes and Eddie Offord
Professional reviews
Yes chronology
Yessongs
(1973)		 Tales from Topographic Oceans
(1973)		 Relayer
(1974)
Back cover
Back cover

Tales from Topographic Oceans is the sixth studio album by British progressive rock band Yes. It is a double album, released on Atlantic Records in December 1973 in most of the world and in January 1974 in North America.

Contents

[edit] Concept and history

The album's concept, a two-disc, four-piece work of symphonic length and scope (based on the Shastric scriptures, as found in a footnote within Paramahansa Yogananda's book Autobiography of a Yogi), was their most ambitious to date.

On release it received notably hostile reviews. Gordon Fletcher in his review in Rolling Stone described it as "psychedelic noodling". Chris Welch in Melody Maker described it as "Brilliant in patches, but often taking far too long to make its various points, and curiously lacking in warmth or personal expression" [1]

It has become a record of debate among Yes fans, with one side believing that it is way too excessive and obscure, while others believe that it is one of the band's masterpieces. Despite acquiring a reputation as an example of the worst excesses of "prog rock", Topographic Oceans became the band's fourth consecutive gold album.


[edit] Discord

There was also dissatisfaction with the album from one of the band members, Rick Wakeman, who at one performance showed his distaste for the album by downing tools and eating a curry on stage during the performance of one song from the album. This infamous incident was a spur to Wakeman leaving the group, to be replaced by Patrick Moraz, who appeared on the following album, Relayer.

Part of Wakeman's unfavourable attitude towards the album stems from the fact that vocalist Jon Anderson and guitarist Steve Howe constructed the bulk of the album entirely on their own (as the liner notes suggest), leaving the remaining three members with relatively little to contribute (which the liner notes dispute). The complaints about Anderson and Howe's studio behaviour were not unprecedented: drummer Bill Bruford had left the band for King Crimson a year earlier for similar reasons, and stories abound of Anderson and Howe putting tiles in the studio to simulate the acoustics of a bathroom, while Wakeman, in frustration, spent much of the time playing darts.

The album reached #1 in the UK album chart and also went into the U.S. Top 10, even going gold in both countries from advance orders, before any fans had ever heard the content. Despite this, many Yes fans and casual listeners remain divided over whether or not this was one of the group's stronger works.

Despite Rick Wakeman's reservations about the album, other members disagreed: Steve Howe in particular stated that some of his best guitar work was to be found on Tales from Topographic Oceans. Even Wakeman, in interviews, mentioned that he enjoyed some of the musical content of "The Ancient," and Wakeman has performed "The Revealing Science of God" and "Ritual" with the band often in the years since.

[edit] Track listing

Concept and lyrics by Jon Anderson and Steve Howe, except as indicated. Music credited to Anderson, Howe, Chris Squire, Rick Wakeman and Alan White.

[edit] Side one

  1. "The Revealing Science of God (Dance of the Dawn)" – 20:25 (original album) (22:22 on 2003 remaster)

[edit] Side two

  1. "The Remembering (High the Memory)" – (Lyrics by Yes) 20:38

[edit] Side three

  1. "The Ancient (Giants Under the Sun)" – (Lyrics by Anderson/Howe/Squire) 18:35

[edit] Side four

  1. "Ritual (Nous Sommes du Soleil)" – 21:37

Tales from Topographic Oceans (Atlantic 80001) reached #1 in the UK. It also reached #6 in the U.S. during a chart stay of 27 weeks.

A special promotional "banded for airplay" version of the 2 LP set was sent to US radio stations by Atlantic Records in 1974. This was done to try to increase radio exposure as most radio stations did not want to air such long songs. This promo version divided the long tracks into 3 to 5 minute sections which were clearly marked on the record to assist disc jockeys. This promo version is now quite collectible.

The album was remastered and reissued on Rhino Records in 2003 with two bonus tracks:

  • Dance of the Dawn (studio run-through) - 23:35
  • Giants Under the Sun (studio run-through) - 17:17

In addition, the remaster includes a two minute intro to "The Revealing Science of God" that was edited from the original 1973 release.

[edit] Personnel

[edit] Charts

Album

Year Chart Position
1973 UK Albums Chart 1
1974 Billboard Pop Albums 6
1974 Norway's album chart 8

[edit] Certifications

Organization Level Date
RIAA – U.S. Gold February 8, 1974
BPI – UK Gold March 1, 1974

[edit] Reissues

1988 - Atlantic - CD
1994 - Atlantic - CD (Remastered)
2003 - Rhino - CD (Remastered with Bonus Tracks)

[edit] Influence

[edit] External links and sources

v • d • e
Yes
Jon Anderson | Chris Squire | Steve Howe | Alan White
Former members
Studio albums
Live albums
Compilations
Video releases
Box sets
Related Articles

[edit] References

  1. ^ - Adrift on the Oceans, Chris Welch, Melody Maker, December 1st 1973