Your last listen

[antonio66]

Yes 'Tales from Topographic Oceans' (1973)



Found a nice 2nd-hand LP copy this morning and am giving it a spin.

'Topographic Oceans' is one of those love-it-or-hate-it records that splits opinions - for some it is a Himalayan peak of Prog perfection, for others a Marianas Trench of overblown pompous boredom.
Rick Wakeman disliked it and, for concerts, had special wooden blocks with nails set in to hold down keyboard chords while he ate takeaway curries (smuggled onstage by the roadies) from under his cape.

Older now (and maybe not wiser but more patient) it's finding a new place in my appreciation. After the monumental precision of 'Close to the Edge' there was no way to improve on that - so a totally different approach was needed and 'Tales' was just what Yes had to do at that moment. A double LP comprising a single work spread out over 4 side-long sections.

Mainly written by Anderson and Howe, the music is very much guitar-based with the lyrics searching for spiritual enlightenment. It could be a recipe for a New-Age drone-out but Chris Squire and new-boy Alan White do their best to inject some rhythmic backbone into proceedings, and Wakeman's Moog solos are inspired (when he is allowed to let rip).

Still, there are sections that are just too long and drawn-out to hold one's attention properly, but the good bits are certainly worthwhile. Putting this work into its perspective in the Yes story, now it fits and I can begin, grudgingly, to like it.

Well done in finding a good copy of this, I thought this as classic Yes, an album I still love today, and a good recording. I remember getting my LP12 Lingo'ed, and it really made a difference to this album, making a lot more sense of it. It was a 'touch' difficult to enjoy the live performance of this album since the album had not been released before the tour!
You mention 'Talk' Fretless, an album I never listen to along with Big Generator, I will have to give Talk another listen, but Big Generator, nah.

[Fretless]

Yes '2 Originals' (1973)



Bargain 2nd-hand find; this is a 2LP set that combined the first two Yes albums ('Yes' & 'Time and a Word') for the European market.

A fresh listen reveals both to be far better than I remember them. Really enjoyable and a pleasant surprise.

The same batch brought Yes 'Tormato' - still a clunker for me - and 1980's 'Yesshows' live set which has some magnificent moments, 'Gates of Delerium' is particularly good with Patrick Moraz storming through some great synth solos.

[CN211276]

Genesis - From genesis to revelation

[antonio66]

'Fretless' Time and a Word was a great album, again I still enjoy it today, the first Yes album I don't listen to, will have to give it a go again. Yesshows is another I don't listen to, the recording was so bad I could barely listen to it but I love Tormato and saw them live at Wembley Arena with the revolving stage, unlike CN I didn't find it gimmicky but thoroughly loved the show, one of the best ever shows I've been to.

[CN211276]

The Beatles - Sgt Pepper

[CN211276]

You may find it hard to believe - but I wasn't much of a Yes-fan back in the 70's; the only album that I liked then was 'Going for the One'. It was only after 'Drama' and '90125' that I started to look back into their earlier output.

Yesterday, I had a long (by Dutch standards) run down to Maastricht and back in the car and amused myself with a marathon Yes-session working my way through some of their later albums from a variety of lineups:

'Fly From Here' (2011)
'Fly From Here - Return Trip' (2016)



Whilst Yes were checking through the archives for extra tracks for a reissue series, some partly-completed songs were found that dated from the 'Drama' sessions, These so excited the group that they pulled Trevor Horn and Geoff Downes back in to rework and extend these into the 20-minute 'Fly From Here' suite with some extra songs added to create an album. A singer, Benoit David, was found in a Canadian Yes-tribute band, this caused a problem with the fans - basically because the guy simply wasn't Jon Anderson. The album didn't sell well.

Five years later, Trevor Horn still regarded this project as unfinished business and got the boys back into the studio, he remixed and polished up the whole album, adding new lead vocals himself along with a couple of new songs. This was then issued as 'Fly From Here - Return Trip'. Sadly it didn't get much attention either.
This is a pity because it is a wonderful record, recalling the very best of the 'Drama'-era Yes. Pundits in 1980 suggested that the group be renamed 'The Yeggles' or 'Bus' when the Buggles came on board - and 'Fly From Here' does have quite a strong Buggles-sound. Which is a good thing. The first version struggles with a passable singer and a rather muddy mix, the re-recording is crisp and energetic, with Horn's vocals fitting the dreaming innocence of the material perfectly. A really superb record that could have made a real impression if it had come out as a follow-up to 'Drama'.

[CN211276]

Yes 'Heaven & Earth' (2014)



Yes were still a going concern in the 2010's and writing new material, time to record a new album to remind the world that they were still around. Squire, White and Howe kept hold of Geoff Downes and pulled in seasoned singer Jon Davidson from US proggers Glass Hammer. Another old Yes-member Billy Sherwood came along to help with recording and mixing, with big-name producer Roy Thomas Baker overseeing the project.

Right, 'Heaven & Earth' is NOT a great Yes album, it is quiet and introspective on the whole, lacking fire and guts. The songs are pleasant and a bit airy-fairy (Jon Anderson would have been proud!). On the positive side the playing is precise and sensitive, with Davidson's voice being given room to shine. Again the fans were disgruntled because he (also) wasn't Jon A. but he has since proved himself to be a solid replacement.

This would be Chris Squire's final studio album with Yes and his growling, rumbling, olympic-speed bass is still a biting foundation to their sound. 'Heaven & Earth' is pleasant, if not essential, but serves as a taster for the following 'The Quest' which is a powerful record truly worthy of the stature of such a classic band.

[CN211276]

Kaelidoscope - Dive into yesterday

[CN211276]

I'm not out of my Yes-phase yet - and I'm sure there will be a collective sigh of relief around HFS when I finally move on, but ...

'Symphonic Music of Yes' (1993)'



... here is an oddity worthy of some attention.

Looks on the surface like a symphony orchestra playing corny rearrangements of classic rock numbers doesn't it? But appearances can be deceptive and what you get here are Jon Anderson, Steve Howe and Bill Bruford backed by the LSO and English Chamber Orchestra in tasteful settings arranged by David Palmer (Jethro Tull), with the recording and mixing being done by none other than Alan Parsons himself.

This is a blast through the Yes songbook done in a fresh and approachable way with enough rockin'-out coupled with quiet pastoral passages to appeal to all music lovers. Steve Howe's acoustic guitar plays a major role here and is impeccably presented, Bruford's drumming is crisp and precise with Tim Harries from BB's Earthworks band doing a fine job on bass.

The recording is an audiophile delight - certainly on the double-LP set that arrived this week (on sky-blue vinyl!) and another recommendation of high-quality music where you can just sit back and enjoy.

[CN211276]

The Beatles - The magical mystery tour
Yes - Fly from here - return trip