Unlimited Streaming
Listen to this album in high quality now on our apps
Start my trial period and start listening to this albumEnjoy this album on Qobuz apps with your subscription
SubscribeEnjoy this album on Qobuz apps with your subscription
Digital Download
Purchase and download this album in a wide variety of formats depending on your needs.
Decades after its release, Tales from Topographic Oceans is still the most controversial record in Yes' output. This was the place where Yes either fulfilled all of the promise shown on their previous five albums or slid off the rails in a fit of artistic hubris, especially on the part of lead singer Jon Anderson and guitarist Steve Howe, who dominated the composition credits here. Actually, the group probably did a bit of both across 80 minutes of music on a fully packed double-LP set. The musical ambitions of Yes were obvious on its face. It consisted of four long songs (really suites), each taking up a side of an album, and each longer than the previous album's side-long "Close to the Edge." And Tales had a jumping-off point that was as far advanced in complexity and density as Close to the Edge had been out in front of its predecessor, Fragile (and all of this obviously made The Yes Album seem like basic rock & roll). Anderson, by virtue of his voice and lyrics, is the dominant personality on Tales, and his fascination with Eastern religion is fully manifest, as never before (or since). Confronted by song titles such as "The Revealing Science of God" and a concept derived from the Buddhist Shastric scriptures, the casual listener might have felt in need of both a running start and a sheet of footnotes: Yes keyboard player Rick Wakeman clearly felt something along those lines, since he decided to exit the group while making this record. And yet, Tales contains some of the most sublimely beautiful musical passages ever to come from the group, and develops a major chunk of that music in depth and degrees that one can only marvel at, although there's a big leap from simply marveling to wholeheartedly enjoying. If one can grab onto it, Tales is a long, sometimes glorious musical ride across landscapes strange and wonderful, thick with enticing musical textures; it offers the Yes fan the chance to be a true "astral traveler." Apart from one percussion break by Alan White that doesn't come off (if there had to be a Yes album with a percussion solo, why couldn't it have come along when Bill Bruford was in the band?), the music never falls flat, and it's a pity that Wakeman couldn't appreciate the richness and vitality he brought to the album. Meanwhile, Anderson and Howe get to work within an extraordinarily wide range of musical voices. In another reality, perhaps the gorgeous, folk-like passages on Tales would have spawned songs of four or five minutes, but here they are, woven into these long-form pieces, and if one can take the plunge into these particular sonic oceans, and comfortably stay under long enough, it's a journey that will reward. But it's not a trip that everyone -- nor even every Yes fan -- is going to take, especially not too soon after discovering the album.
© Bruce Eder /TiVo
You are currently listening to samples.
Listen to over 100 million songs with an unlimited streaming plan.
Listen to this playlist and more than 100 million songs with our unlimited streaming plans.
From 12,49€/month
Jon Anderson, Producer, Acoustic Guitar, Percussion, Lead Vocals, Writer - Yes, MainArtist - Chris Squire, Producer, Bass Guitar, Backing Vocals, Writer - Eddie Offord, Producer, Engineer - Rick Wakeman, Producer, Keyboards, Writer - Steve Howe, Producer, Guitar, Backing Vocals, Writer, Sitar - Alan White, Producer, Drums, Percussion, Backing Vocals, Writer
© 1973 Atlantic Records ℗ 1973 Atlantic Recording Corporation
Jon Anderson, Producer, Acoustic Guitar, Percussion, Lead Vocals, Writer - Yes, MainArtist - Chris Squire, Producer, Bass Guitar, Backing Vocals, Writer - Eddie Offord, Producer, Engineer - Rick Wakeman, Producer, Keyboards, Writer - Steve Howe, Producer, Guitar, Backing Vocals, Writer, Sitar - Alan White, Producer, Drums, Percussion, Backing Vocals, Writer
© 1973 Atlantic Records ℗ 1973 Atlantic Recording Corporation
DISC 2
Jon Anderson, Producer, Acoustic Guitar, Percussion, Lead Vocals, Writer - Yes, MainArtist - Chris Squire, Producer, Bass Guitar, Backing Vocals, Writer - Eddie Offord, Producer, Engineer - Rick Wakeman, Producer, Keyboards, Writer - Steve Howe, Producer, Guitar, Backing Vocals, Writer, Sitar - Alan White, Producer, Drums, Percussion, Backing Vocals, Writer
© 1973 Atlantic Records ℗ 1973 Atlantic Recording Corporation
Jon Anderson, Producer, Acoustic Guitar, Percussion, Lead Vocals, Writer - Yes, MainArtist - Chris Squire, Producer, Bass Guitar, Backing Vocals, Writer - Eddie Offord, Producer, Engineer - Rick Wakeman, Producer, Keyboards, Writer - Steve Howe, Producer, Guitar, Backing Vocals, Writer, Sitar - Alan White, Producer, Drums, Percussion, Backing Vocals, Writer
© 1973 Atlantic Records ℗ 1973 Atlantic Recording Corporation
Albumbeschreibung
Decades after its release, Tales from Topographic Oceans is still the most controversial record in Yes' output. This was the place where Yes either fulfilled all of the promise shown on their previous five albums or slid off the rails in a fit of artistic hubris, especially on the part of lead singer Jon Anderson and guitarist Steve Howe, who dominated the composition credits here. Actually, the group probably did a bit of both across 80 minutes of music on a fully packed double-LP set. The musical ambitions of Yes were obvious on its face. It consisted of four long songs (really suites), each taking up a side of an album, and each longer than the previous album's side-long "Close to the Edge." And Tales had a jumping-off point that was as far advanced in complexity and density as Close to the Edge had been out in front of its predecessor, Fragile (and all of this obviously made The Yes Album seem like basic rock & roll). Anderson, by virtue of his voice and lyrics, is the dominant personality on Tales, and his fascination with Eastern religion is fully manifest, as never before (or since). Confronted by song titles such as "The Revealing Science of God" and a concept derived from the Buddhist Shastric scriptures, the casual listener might have felt in need of both a running start and a sheet of footnotes: Yes keyboard player Rick Wakeman clearly felt something along those lines, since he decided to exit the group while making this record. And yet, Tales contains some of the most sublimely beautiful musical passages ever to come from the group, and develops a major chunk of that music in depth and degrees that one can only marvel at, although there's a big leap from simply marveling to wholeheartedly enjoying. If one can grab onto it, Tales is a long, sometimes glorious musical ride across landscapes strange and wonderful, thick with enticing musical textures; it offers the Yes fan the chance to be a true "astral traveler." Apart from one percussion break by Alan White that doesn't come off (if there had to be a Yes album with a percussion solo, why couldn't it have come along when Bill Bruford was in the band?), the music never falls flat, and it's a pity that Wakeman couldn't appreciate the richness and vitality he brought to the album. Meanwhile, Anderson and Howe get to work within an extraordinarily wide range of musical voices. In another reality, perhaps the gorgeous, folk-like passages on Tales would have spawned songs of four or five minutes, but here they are, woven into these long-form pieces, and if one can take the plunge into these particular sonic oceans, and comfortably stay under long enough, it's a journey that will reward. But it's not a trip that everyone -- nor even every Yes fan -- is going to take, especially not too soon after discovering the album.
© Bruce Eder /TiVo
About the album
- 2 disc(s) - 4 track(s)
- Total length: 01:22:38
- Main artists: Yes
- Label: Rhino Atlantic
- Genre: Pop/Rock
© 1973 Atlantic Records ℗ 1973 Atlantic Records. Marketed by Rhino Entertainment Company, a Warner Music Group Company.
Improve album informationWhy buy on Qobuz...
-
Stream or download your music
Buy an album or an individual track. Or listen to our entire catalogue with our high-quality unlimited streaming subscriptions.
-
Zero DRM
The downloaded files belong to you, without any usage limit. You can download them as many times as you like.
-
Choose the format best suited for you
Download your purchases in a wide variety of formats (FLAC, ALAC, WAV, AIFF...) depending on your needs.
-
Listen to your purchases on our apps
Download the Qobuz apps for smartphones, tablets and computers, and listen to your purchases wherever you go.