Finally starting to go through the backlog of videos I haven't had time for the past two weeks. We'll have to agree to disagree, Scot. I like Tales, but as I'm sure you know, Olias is my all time favorite complete album, with side 2 of Going For The One being my favorite album side.
@@TheProgCorner Kinda? I personally do see some lingering jazz fusion sound influence from Moraz on Relayer in Awaken, while more of a Vangelis/Jarre influence on Olias.
Tales is amazing…R.I.P. Chris and Alan. I couldn’t tell you HOW many hours I’ve spent listening to this with headphones on. THE greatest band of all time in my opinion.
It never ceases to amaze me how much of a wide scope of people totally enjoy Yes music. From those that have no musical training, to scholars in the field. Their talents were off the charts.
I have a very emotional connection to this song, it really resonates deeply, it bring me to tears time and time again. The music is just heavenly, delicate, powerful at the same time.
I was going to say the same thing. The Remembering and To Be Over make me cry, along with Gilmour's Harmony solo in Dogs, every freakin' time even when I try to hold back. All three are these songs are on my "Death Bed PlayList." I hope I have enough time to listen to'em all when the bell tolls for me. Not kidding as morbid as that sounds. These Prog Rock songs, like Firth of Fifth (Seconds Out version), One for the Vine, Blood on the Rooftops, Heart of the Sunrise (Yessongs version), Xanadu, Jerusalem, Turn of the Century, are emotionally heart-wrenching in all their beauty. I want to experience that beauty on my way out of existence. I'm glad that masters like Doug and Rick Beato appreciates this music as much as I do. It's only Symphonic Rock but we like it.
@@adinfinitumprogrock I totally get what you're saying here... The Remembering and To Be Over - it's quite a pair. Two of my absolute favourites too. Do you know this version of the To Be Over final part from Jon's live set sometime around '82 I think? It's absolutely gorgeous, just his voice and the piano - magic. I'm glad you also mentioned Turn of the Century, Jerusalem and One for The Vine - these too do this for me (as do many other Banks' compositions in Genesis - The Lamia, Seven Stones, Guide Vocal, Undertow). Beautiful stuff
"Stand on hills of long forgotten yesterdays Pass amongst your memories told returning ways As certain as we walk today Press over moments leaving you"
The Remembering (High the Memory)" is the second movement (adagio), and as the word "adagio" implies, the whole piece is "relaxing". Some people often give up on "Tales from Topographic Oceans" after this song, but if you listen to this song as an "adagio", your impression of it will change. This is literally a "rock symphony" by YES!
Very interesting idea! I feel that Yes fans who don't seem to "get" Tales may fail to see two things: first, rather than consisting of four separate and independent pieces of music (four "Close to the Edges", so to speak) this really works to its full extent as one continuous piece of music in four sections. Secondly, this is a different album from both those which preceeded it and those which would later follow it - possibly the most singular of all Yes albums - and that means that one has to approach it in a different manner than the others (rather than simply drawing a comparison with, say, Close to The Edge on the basis of what one liked about that album). In other words - this needs to be set in a category of its own (I tend to think of it as a journey through an unknown (oceanic?) world: one has to be open to any encounter). In short: I think you're right on the money with that perspective of looking at it as a symphony :)
@@georgesonm1774 That's right. Listening to "TFTO" carefully, I noticed that it has a structure similar to that of Beethoven's symphonies. 1st movement is Allegro, sonata-like progression. 2nd movement is an adagio with a slow progression 3rd movement is a scherzo with a humorous, fast tempo progression 4th movement is again an Allegro, and motifs from the 1 - 3 movements are scattered in the up-tempo progression. The characteristics of these movements are on fitting with the music of "TFTO". That is why I thought this album is one work with four pieces.
I was blessed to see TALES Live in full. At the time the experience was like no other, deeply emotional & quite the Revelation. Of course we were teens in early 74 indulging in mind expanding substances which only helped to open wide our Chakras. But I've gotten such delight from now having watched several first time Reactions to The Remembering and hearing the overwhelming high praise. This and Side 3 were the 2 that received the most criticism from the dissenters who because of their own lack of understanding could not appreciate the brilliance that was YES at this time. YES were ahead of their time and many could not comprehend the intricacies of their brilliance. So it's a joy to hear all the great accolades for a song that deserves them. It completely begins as a lullaby that sets you adrift from the ebb & flow of the shore onto the waves to the deep ocean towards the vast horizon. Truly a magical experience. Great Reaction !!!!!!!!!
So do I. When it came out in 73, I could not find an access to it and found it somehow boring. The more I listened to in the last 50 years (!) the more I loved it.
Some of the finest keyboard work ever recorded. Rick Wakeman creates textures and atmospheres that cause one to run out of superlatives. No more true than on this side, especially the second half. It is a testament to Rick's consummate professionalism that he could play so brilliantly on a project that he admitted he did not even like.
@@lymangreen5020 Yes, I would guess that too - synths and keyboard setups in the mid-seventies were much bigger and more unwieldy than just six or seven years later - when Patrick Moraz toured with the band two years later he had 24 keyboards arranged on two stage levels - and it was much less easy to reproduce the exact same sound in a regular, "patched" way. I figure Wakeman would have found it easier if he'd had a Prophet 5 and later-generation samplers at hand, but those were still a couple of years into the future in 1973/74. His work on this song, and on the entire album, is simply amazing!
I got into yes when I was I a band in the 1970's. Our van driver used to play the Yes Album as we went to gigs. We all thought it was fantastic. I brought it and followed up with Tales. I was stunned by how different this was. It took some getting into but I think it is the pinnacle of prog. Sit in a darkened room and play it from beginning to end it is a meditative journey. The lyric "I must have waited all my life for this moment", is spiritually up lifting. I think some fans find it difficult because it is the whole soundscape that is important not just guitar and keyboard solo's. This is more like a classical symphony and should be treated as such. This music will be play 100 years from now.
As someone who has been an aspiring musician for going on 50 years and who is still struggling to learn the craft the fact that these guys were in their 20s blows me away. And that's just the musical side of things. The philosophical side with the lyrics and subject matter of this album is also pretty darned amazing. I love Tales From Topographic Oceans. It is a staggering achievement in my opinion.
The same happened with Genesis- 1969-1978 Era. Damn! They were extremely young to be developing that deeply prog music. What a talented bunch of musicians!
Thanks Doug, I needed that. I takes a meditative person to allow this album to simply wash over them. Again and Again. 49 years later and I realize it was these very Tales that started me on my meditation ways. The criticisms of this Master Work seem to wane with the years and the 10,000th listen. People eventually succomb. Plus you astutely noticed that despite Rick Wakeman’s drunken dallies he completes this album as no one else could. Alan White shines in a later movement. Nous Sommes Du Soleil.
According to Rick he was bored from having too much down time, which is understandable. I’m sure The Ancient was a little out of his wheelhouse. It was the tour that was really the last straw. (Look up the curry incident). At the end, he announced he was leaving, his solo album Journey to the Center of the Earth hit No 1, and he had his first heart attack. Rock on Rick!
Heineken bottles galore on the grand on tour, Rick is a master orchestrator and these are the best rock orchestrations ever recorded, I think Rick has softend on the album over the years. It is what it is and I have always loved it just as it is.
@Wayne Cox - I so fully agree with your statement that I have little to nothing to add! This masterpiece definitely benefits from a "meditative" approach to listening, and rewards the listener for that - a thousandfold! And yes, Rick didn't like the album but he shines on it doing things he rarely does on other albums (harmonically weird Crimson - style mellotron washes, ambient, beautiful backround parts incorporating a myriad fantastic sounds, etc). Plus, none of his solo works comes close to the inventiveness, emotional depth, quasi-orchestral intricacy and melodic beauty as those characterizing Tales. It's really hard to compare Tales to other Yes works such as Close or Fragile - it's a completely unique creation, in its own league
Thank you so much Doug.....I love this album so much and it was good to share it with you. I'm glad you liked it. The album will grow on you. I am only 52 years ahead of you !
"The Remembering" has always been my favorite piece from "Tales". I used to use it to go to sleep back in the dorms in the 80s. I tried the same more recently, but since it's on my phone and plays the whole album, "The Ancient" blasts me awake.
Doug, you may want to do The Ancient and Ritual soon after this. Seriously. This sets up the final 2 movements of the entire album. It’s truly phenomenal what was achieved in expression here by them. This was a wonderful treat to feel your joy on this beautiful second movement.
The vinyl of TTO was a 1975 Christmas gift from my sister, who only knew that I liked the band. I immediately put it on 8-track (!) and listened repeatedly while cruising. It took a couple of listens to know it well enough to anticipate the themes, harmonic shifts, and rhythm changes. “Ritual” is still one of my favorite pieces of music because of how the piece pulls all the themes together, but I never would have been able to appreciate it without absorbing the entire work. Glad you enjoyed it. I’ll look forward to you getting through to the end! 😅
My friend got me into Yes at age 13. We heard TYA, Fragile, CTTE and Yessongs and I was hooked. When Tales came out, I bought it and loved it. His sister took us to my first Rock concert. They played most of Tales and it was a fantastic concert. In the 70s, Yes was untouchable, live. Very few of the numerous top billed acts that I saw in the 70s could match the live performances of Yes in terms of both complexity and reproduction of their studio sound. It's one thing to play straight ahead, radio friendly, Hard Rock in a live venue and sound great. But, sounding anything like a 70s Yes album in concert was a bit like performing a magic trick. It's one of those things that you can only fully appreciate in retrospect after seeing many other live bands. At the time I was just like, "Yeah, that's Yes, live. So, what? They're totally bitchen. Of course they always sound as great as their albums". It never dawned on me that they were pulling off a stunning, jaw dropping, amazing feat of musicianship every night. I thought, they were just being Yes.
Well, well said re. live Yes, especially in the '70s. Experiences almost impossible to describe, and even they were never quite the same afterward although they came very close a few times. I was too young for the Tales tour alas but fortunate enough to discover them in time for the 1978 Tormato tour, plenty astounding in its own right - 1st ever in the round with full 360 degree suspended sound system by any 'rock' band if I recall correctly. They played almost no Tales unfortunately, just a short segment of "The Ancient" as part of what's often called The Big Medley, but all of Tales' power was there in that small fragment. Wishing I'd also seen them in '76 with Moraz, whose interpretation of Tales material was IMO even better than Wakeman's as several recordings attest.
@@lestatler9551 Nice! I saw Yes in the round during the Tormato tour. Great concert. I saw them with Peter Frampton, Gary Wright and Gentle Giant. Patrick Moraz played keyboards on that tour. They called it their Solo Albums Tour, but oddly enough, by the time I saw them, their setlist had been stripped of almost all of the solos. It was mostly a collection fan favorites from The Yes Album, Fragile, CTTE, Tales and Relayer. It was pretty funny watching all of the bubble gum chewing, little teeny bopper girls, who came to scream, cry and drool over Peter Frampton. When Yes played Gates of delirium, you could immediately tell who came to see Yes and Gentle Giant and who came to see Gary Wright and Peter Frampton. Half the crowd was vibing hard to Gates and the other half looked totally stunned and confused. Eventually, Yes won the crowd over with their more accessible hits. Gentle Giant was treated more like background music, they never really won over the other half of the audience like Yes did. The Frampton Comes Alive album was huge, so I'm probably being very generous by calling half of the crowd Prog fans. We were probably more like a third or a quarter of the crowd. Don't get me wrong, Frampton and Wright were both absolutely great, but the drastic contrast with the other two Prog bands was strange. I guess that's why Yes usually headlined alone with no opening act. This was Frampton's headlining period and I have to say he deserved it.
@@skybluemarshall High the memories, so to speak. Reading yours a pleasure, thanks for sharing them. Familiar I am with the '76 "Solos" tour via recordings/research and Wakeman partisans will auto-da-fe me for this, but Moraz was always my favorite Yes keys player and one of my biggest dying regrets will be never having seen Yes with Moraz. You were so fortunate. Wakeman absolutely fantastic of course and I love every note/sound from him, but quite objectively Moraz was a better player technically and more creative overall. What he did for example with the Tales material under discussion was incomparable, and [recordings of] it actually helped me appreciate TFTO itself more. Most anyone in this thread will be familiar with at least one Moraz' "Ritual" performance and they speak for themselves. What few will have heard is Moraz doing "The Remembering". They only played it live once or twice, on that same incredible '76 tour and it was dropped early like the solo pieces. No full concert recordings of that have surfaced, although a handful of poor to awful sounding audience captures do exist of early shows without it and they're worth hearing despite the muddy sonics. The one Moraz "Remembering" recording I know of was made during a pre tour rehearsal in a nearly empty venue in Lititz, PA, as you may know long Yes' preferred location for such with N. America tours. Someone in the tiny and very lucky rehearsals audience brought in a Tandy or other cheap recorder and the sound quality as bad as you'd imagine, almost unlistenable, but hearing that "Remembering" alone worth it. So are the many solo pieces rehearsed actually, but of all the live "Rememberings" I've heard that '76 arrangement was the most astounding and fascinating. If you've heard it you know, if not it's a free download here: forgotten-yesterdays.com/downloads.asp?ftype=1&qtourid=7&qdownloadid=307, and here: forgotten-yesterdays.com/downloads.asp?ftype=1&qtourid=7&qdownloadid=308 . I have the "Relayerman" version, the other one may sound better or worse, I don't know. Your mention of the bubblegum Frampton fans incidently reminds me of the Lititz rehearsal 'audience'. Maybe a dozen of them, they went nuts for "Sound Chaser" and rightfully so but just politely clapped for "Remembering" and the equally amazing new solos arrangements. Presumably these were also more Yes-familiar. Agreed Frampton and Wright were great in their own ways. '78 tour - absolutely the best concert sound I've heard from anyone including Yes and even decades later with 'better' technology. Needless to say great Yes performance as well and Tormato [like TFTO] just got better live.
Among the many great recapitulations in this arrangement is 5 measures of the the riff underlying the first verse on side 1, which occured about 2 minutes and three seconds before the end of this side. One of Yes great strengths on this and other long pieces is how they bring back elements, often in modified form and unpredictable locations.
"Tales" is probably my favorite album of all time. I just get lost when I put it on. I was so glad when CDs came out so I didn't have to come out of my trance and turn the vinyl over.
I’ve followed you channel for quite some time now, never having commented before but I must now share a great and thankful appreciation for what you bring to the great language that is music. I’m thankful for the sharing of your knowledge of music and how you explain the intricacies of it. It’s a joy to watch your videos. Thank you for all you do. Beat wishes.
"Like a dreamer all our lives are only lost begotten changes We relive in seagull's pages" This lyric is a reference to the 1970 book Jonathan Livingston Seagull by Richard Bach. It was a hugely popular book that by the end of 1972 had sold a million copies. It's a fable, a simple to understand story about reincarnation written for the West which had hardly ever heard of the concept before. Not surprisingly, it made it into Yes' song "The Remembering" in 1973. If the liner notes say that the Topographic Oceans is the mind's eye, then the mind's eye can travel from lifetime to lifetime through reincarnation, a theme that is common to other works by Jon Anderson, and common to things he has said in the press.
You remind me of my brother. It's a good thing. He was a classical composer, passed some years ago. He'd do the same thing to all rock with me. Thanks for the memories
I could see Yes fans arguing among themselves about the merits of this thing and I'm kind of intrigued by it, but it's not a fun listen over the hour it takes. It's got parts, it never really forms a tune in the way CTTE, Gates, Awaken does (or Hearts or Endless Dream, frankly). Thing is a buzz kill. I'm mystified that anyone would call it the greatest album ever.
@@colinburroughs9871 sure it would seem that way if you don’t understand it. You have to realize that you are listening to a 4-movement rock symphony, complete with a classical style “slow movement” (The Remembering) and a scherzo (The Ancient). When this album was pieced together, somebody, my guess is Howe or Offord or maybe even White, understood classical symphonic structure and executed it brilliantly. You need to give it a lot of time and patience and even study if you want to fully appreciate it and even begin to understand why we would confidently label this as the greatest album ever created. Honestly, Close to the Edge, as wonderful as it is, is mere child’s play in comparison. I suggest listening to classical music, particularly Beethoven’s symphonies, and gaining an appreciation for that, and Tales from Topographic Oceans will start to make more sense to you. It is a challenge, but well worth it because the reward is life changing.
@@bachmibm Hey, thanks for the thoughtful reply. I'm not sure I could convey "getting it" without devolving into cliches or getting into the weirdness that is psychedelia and how Yes deliberately catered to that and how that may or may not affect one's perceptions on the depth of the content (some say it's vital, some eschew any drug reference, some are kind of in the middle, some are like "huh?"). The emphasis on the structure is a interesting nugget as that's an avenue of appreciation. I don't feel that the arrangements or recuring themes quite hit the mark I suppose. Yes music being immediate/not academic is where the divide might be. To be blunt, I've noticed that fairly scientific/math/smart people stick up for Tales in the prog community the most.
I was 13 when this album appeared... together with Jon's Olias nothing made a deeper impact on me... and I'm still in tune with these great works, listening, feeling like an ageless teen... :-)
I heard Topographic Oceans live, in its entirety, before I heard the album, even before it was released in fact. That was in November 1973. I got the LP as a Xmas present a month later. It's just an astonishing creative achievement. The Remembering is my favourite piece of Yesmusic, a status in my regard that it achieved quite early on, and has only consolidated over the years. How it soars at the climax! Wonderful.
I watch, being a musician myself, your channel. I think your analisis over the spectrum is the best on TouTube. Lots to learn here, TY. More Piano playing when doing these :)
Thank you Doug! This album is so important in the history of Prog. I always gain a bit more insight into the songs during your reactions and it's very gratifying to see this music getting the recognition it deserves from someone like you. The critics hated this album, but Yes fans always knew better.
When i was a teen ager, yes kind of lost me here. Now im 68 and love this entire creative epic of music. This is real masterpiece. Much more than rock.
Doug, you will fully appreciate this album when you have listened the four sides and you are able to recognise the themes of one side hidden in the other sides. You found the relayer theme in this song, but you didn’t notice the first side themes in it, for example when it gats to E major for the first time as you pointed out, and at least once more before it. And then there are glimpses of the fourth side, which is the more famous one. It’s beautiful! I really love this album and this song in particular, though its beauty is less visible than the first’s and the fourth’s. Prepare for the third side, which is the more divergent and strange… 😅
There is so much here, no one's going to catch it all on the first listen...but yes (!), there are a ton of callbacks and foreshadowings of various themes and sounds on this album...including to earlier records (I think Howe quotes a phrase or two from "Siberian Khatru" on the third side...).
This is my favorite Yes song period. Best lyric, "Don the cap and close your eyes imagine all the glorious challenge...". I really like the three over two that Alan White is playing on the ride cymbal and the snare during that section. Maybe the most natural 3 over 2 feel ever recorded - IMO. Thanks Doug!
I saw them perform this at The Rainbow in 1974. Unforgettable. One of my favourite albums of all time. Wake man was and is the greatest keyboard player.
This sublime 2nd movement of Tales is indeed very nearly perfect. I'm saddened that too many listeners are unwilling to devote their sustained relaxed attentiveness such as Doug demonstrates here to allow the magnificence of the music to take them. If you do this, you will (I did) also find that it's a "quick 20 minutes". But a listener who wants cheap thrills and snappy hooks (no drums/percussion until almost 6 minutes in, as Doug noticed) will find the time passing all too slowly. - - - - - - And - on further listenings - the connections! to among the various parts of this movement, and between this movement and the other three. Again, magnificent!
Thank you for featuring this one Doug!! This is another piece that I can sit back and just get ‘lost’ in and separate from the daily grind. Whenever I hear Steve Howe’s opening guitar riff (the F to G arpeggios) it takes me away to another place and time and that single note swell Rick plays. Then those vocals come in. In only the way Yes can do. It can be a challenging listen the first few times through but it’s rewarding after you get to know it.
The ending section is one of Yes's most majestic...second only to that of "Awaken" off "Going For The One"....Awaken is one of the most sublime works of music in all of rock...
I've always thought of this album as a prog rock symphony; 4 distinct movements following more or less the classic symphonic form, reoccurring themes, etc. Love this album. Not the most accessible to most music fans, but still an amazing piece of work.
I have listened to this album many times but your analysis Doug has revealed yet more detail in the composition. It is quite extraordinary how this band in their mid-20's can construct such a masterpiece.
Great analysis, Doug! I look forward to you continuing this album. The next one, "The Ancient," is by far my favorite from the album, and I think you will really dig the second half of that song.
Agreed about the symphonic sensibilities part... this track is so lush it's hard to believe these guys were so young when they wrote it. All of them with different musical influences. The vocal harmonies in the middle section "Distant suns.. will we reach..." are INSANE. I studied voice for years in my younger days, sang many a soprano I and Soprano II choral part and I still have to work to sort out the different layers in those harmonies. It's a stunning track and my favorite on this album. Check out Steven Wilson's remix of this album, it's a different perspective for sure.
Doug, this is one of my very personal favorite songs by Yes! The soundscapes created by the synths/keyboards, and it has some of the finest singing/harmonies they have ever done. And Squire's amazing fretless basswork!!!! Thank you for your great review of this masterpiece! I always refer to this song as a Symphonic, Epic Lullaby!!! The Beauty of it is just Incredible!
One of their most stunning pieces. Only And You and I and Awaken connect with my spirit the way this does. The album really shows everyone what an incredible drummer Alan was. This is a real true Masterpiece
Symphonic. Absolutely! To me it’s one of the best they’ve ever written, definitely in my top five. I love how Jon taught himself to play so many instruments like the flute here, the guitar In Relayer and harp in Awaken all without TH-cam! I appreciate, Doug, your instruction on keys and major and minor chords, all things I learned a million years ago. I used to be able to discern the keys but now I can only tell you the time period in which Classical pieces were written and usually by whom. I play the clarinet, yawn, and want to learn how to play the flute. So many prog groups have a flute player. Yep, Rick didn’t like this album, but I don’t get why. It is phenomenal! And yeah G is high for me. I used to be able to hit it, but not anymore. I sing with Jon and Steve Walsh to keep my F!
When this album came out, my friends and I used to get into discussions about which of the four sides was the best. The Remembering was, and still is, my pick. I’ve been listening to this since it was first released. It’s very complex, and it took many, many listens to piece the thing together in my mind. And with each listen I hear something new! Your comments helped bring another dimension to this for me. Thanks so much. As you give this repeated listens, two things will stand out to you: 1. The climax of the piece, after the last ethereal mellotron section, is the best ending they’ve ever composed and performed. And we all know how great Yes was at composing endings. It’s just breathtaking. Whenever I listen to this track, I ALWAYS stop, close my eyes, and let the climax just take me away. 2. The melody at the end is one of the most beautiful melodies the band ever produced.
Yes fan for 30+ years here. I've always been fascinated with their masterful use of odd time meters, but in such a way that they don't sound odd at all. This piece has some choice use of 7 in it, in particular the section beginning at 4:31 in 7/4 (phrased as 3/4 + 4/4). 14:56 and 17:27 ("Relayer") is another 7/4 section phrased in a similar way (also a similar phrasing to the 7/4 in Peter Gabriel's "Solsbury Hill"). My favorite part of 'The Remembering' is at 18:02 which has Steve and Rick in 7/4 while Chris and Alan are in 7/8. A classic Yes rhythmic maneuver reminiscent of a section of their 1970 tune 'Perpetual Change' where Steve (re)layers a 7/4 riff over a chaotic 7/16 rhythm section riff.
Usually people who appreciate and love progressive rock indicate this album as an example of boring and self-indulgent music stuff. I think this is a first example of rock music over the boudaries, towards New Age territories. Really unique, really different.... Really difficult maybe, but beautiful. Most of the people think this tune is the weakest of the album. This is my favorite, the most meditative and imaginative
I used to think it was the weakest, or the least memorable, for like 15 years. Then all of the sudden it clicked and now it's probably my favorite yes song. It's so beautiful and mantric, yet so intricate and powerful. Such an underrated album it kills me.
From all I've read, and in my own opinion, Side 3 is considered by far the weakest of the 4 sides. The least melodic, and the most discordant and repetitive song. Sure keeps Rick busy, though. That being said, the last 5 minutes, the " leaves of green" section is among the most beautiful Yes ever recorded. Differing opinions is what makes the world go 'round though. Peace, brother!
It's a powerful piece. Wakeman's keyboards kind of tie it together, and those interludes with Synths/Mellotrons are compelling and prove effective in terms of transitions. Lots of sounds and harmonic twists. Very strong vocals from Jon, as usual, and Chris.
Yes. He may not have cared much for this album and he didn't play any ripping solos on The Remembering but Rick's keys are so crucial to this tune. He is wonderful on this.
Thank you, Doug, for sailing on this ocean, The Remembering was my fav of the 4 sides when I was young & listening intensely to this record (& Beethoven’s symphonies as well) and hearing it again makes me really miss Alan and Chris.
I’m so glad you got to this one, it’s a slow burn song that makes you work but I think it’s their absolute best song. Full of lines and musical phrases that catch your ear and mind and make you say “wow!” Relayer We advance, we retrace our story Jon’s singing is just beautiful, Chris is so subtle but still holding down the bottom end with the fretless bass, and what CAN’T you say about Rick’s keys? And it’s all topped off with a crescendo that’s at least as joyous as Awaken’s.
I'm kinda torn between this one and Ritual but Remembering might be more of a total package, whereas for me Ritual has the most beautiful passages in it but is also somewhat less accessible at times.
I'm so glad someone else feels the same about this song! If I were to choose a favourite Yes song, it would be either this or And You And I with To Be Over as a close third (and my rational part chiming in: "Close to the Edge"! "Gates!") :)
@@georgesonm1774 My close second is Awaken, with Gates, Revealing, and And You And I rounding out my top 5. Although, it seems that whichever one I’m listening to at the time is more of a first among equals. They’re all just so amazing and moving.
@@jbassguy571 I still haven’t been able to get into The Ancient or Ritual, but that’s probably due to me and not the songs. The Ancient especially is so different that it’s hard to stretch my mind out in the right direction to perceive the song.
@@philsmith2444 I know what you mean - in my case these songs do tend to swap places on these "top" lists pretty easily - indeed, they are all so great :) sometimes my favourite one to listen to is the live "Big Medley" (from Tormato tour) where they just mix all these (at times pretty underrated) songs together - it's also a stunning display of live musicianship. As to the Ancient - yeah it's probably the most difficult one.. I only got to actually liking it a couple years ago and I've had the album for like 20
I’ve seen Jon sing live on stage in Yes, ARW, Anderson & Wakeman and solo. I’ve never heard him hit a bum note. Once met him. He’s a really nice man too and we are from the same part of the world, East Lancashire in England.
I, too am a composer/musician and this has always been my favorite piece of Tales. I love the chord changes, the atmosphere, the vocal harmonies, the lyrics. And I agree that is has very unique orchestral sensibilities. Especially when performed by the mellotron strings. Though I'm clearly in the minority, it's nice to know I'm not crazy.
I've enjoyed your analysis and your play by play of the chord structure. And like many of us, we still dig the lyrics, but don't fully understand them. This track has a special place in my heart. It was the one that I always return to. It is the special quality of that "ancient" sound that it has. And the returning lyric of "Stand on hills of long forgotten yesterdays". It always gets to me. And of course, Steve Howe's quirky guitar lines and Chris Squire's mastery of melodic language.
Tales from Topographic Oceans is my go to album for shoveling snow in the winter season. It gives a sort of meditative work mode, wich allows me to shovel snow for the 1,5-2 hours it takes me to do the work. 🤗It's my favourite Yes album and I probably listen to it about 150 times during the winter season (wich here is from November-April).
There was a revival of English folk music around this time with bands like Steeleye Span (Gaudate and All around my hat) which delved into a medieval style , it could have influenced the Remembering in part.
Thank you, Doug, this was wonderful. TfTO is one of my favorite things of all time; a desert island album for sure. I've also spoken about the album, and you made many of the same observations that I did, such as the rootless, drifting feel of the alternating IV-V chord pattern (along with the alternating 3 and 4 beat patterns). You could almost make an analogy to a classical four-movement symphony on a Mahlerian scale, with this being the adagio, followed by the intense and fiery scherzo of side 3. I could tell that you felt left up in the air by the way they ended on the A chord...well if you were to proceed to the next side, you'd hear how (after a series of percussive flourishes), they drop you into a fierce, mechanical ostinato in D minor, so it's almost like a cadence crossing the movements. Now THAT'S symphonic.
Sim Doug, Rick estava entediado com este album, mas o trabalho que ele fez com os teclados neste album, especialmente nesta música é uma obra de arte, obrigado pela sua análise!!!
Doug, your’s is probably the most convincing interpretation of this album’s title I’ve ever heard. And for the record. This is one of my favourite Yes albums. Rick’s keyboards might have sounded subtle back in the day. To me, they sound just right. But, man, I’ve been listening to this album for more than forty years and I still find it so rich and powerful it deserves being a dignified place in Yes’ discography. Greetings from Mexico!
Thanx Doug! Did you know there is a Steven Wilson Remix of this album? And must say of all what he has done, including his own work, this remix I think is the biggest achievement he brought to music. His mix very much opens up details lying there hidden in the original mix. Took me some time to learn to appreciate the full album and it’s spacious flow, the live version of Ritual on their Symphonic Live DVD was a major first step to bring the music to life, and the SW mix really pushed it to the top of my fav Yes music! Amazing work and still growing on my even after years of listening.
Thank you Doug - this is one of my most beloved Yes pieces and it was a great pleasure to watch you react to it and explain some of its twists and turns. I also encourage you to go back to it a couple times - it's one of those pieces which really rewards repeated listens with all its intertwining and recurring motifs (BTW - the moment when, as you said, they land in E is lifted directly from The Revealing - an example of how bits of music reappear throughout the whole album - most notably in the last piece, Ritual). Fun fact: this was Chris' favorite bass part and the synth melody from Rick is one of Jon's favorite bits of Yes music. I thoroughly recommend a great fan documentary on Tales which surfaced on YT a couple days ago (it includes an explanation for the album title). Can't wait for your reaction to The Ancient - strap on for that one because it's probably the craziest one (but also one the most fascinating) in Yes catalogue!
This is one of their prettiest songs. Rick saved their asses twice. On Tales when they had a collection of really nice but disjointed tunes. And then later on Going for the One when the entire effort was in the dumpster halfway through the recording. Wakeman is masterful at transitions and giving musical direction. Yes released some of the demo recordings of the Going for the One material. They shouldn't have, it was very telling.
Always enjoy your Yes reactions. I'm impressed that anyone could only listen to one side and wait a whole year to listen to the second side. I don't know how you can wait for the third side too long. This is a favorite. I think most of the dissing of this song, and album, was from fans who followed Wakeman, and just took his word for it. He may not have put his 100% in it because he didn't feel much about the theme, but that's on him. The band as a whole, plus Eddie Offord produced a unique masterwork in the world of Rock music.
This is my favorite track on this favorite album! Do not go on a three hour tour without this album, something to play it on and a solar panel ~ just in case you land on a desert island ~ TY Doug!!
Tales From Topographic Oceans is my favorite album of all time. Any band. Any era. Any genre!!!
Finally starting to go through the backlog of videos I haven't had time for the past two weeks. We'll have to agree to disagree, Scot. I like Tales, but as I'm sure you know, Olias is my all time favorite complete album, with side 2 of Going For The One being my favorite album side.
@@IllumeEltanin Tales, Olias and Awaken all kind of swim in the same pond, don't they!?
@@TheProgCorner
Kinda?
I personally do see some lingering jazz fusion sound influence from Moraz on Relayer in Awaken, while more of a Vangelis/Jarre influence on Olias.
Remembering is my favourite song from this album
Agree. Up there with Verdi's Requiem.
This is undoubtedly the greatest, the most adventurous Double album of all time!!!
I think that title belongs to The Lamb
@@nectarinedreams7208 it belongs to both surely
What about Zappa's Uncle Meat or Roxy and Elsewhere albums?
I have to add Chicago Transit Authority to the list.
@@FreeBrunoPowroznik ayo nice pic fam
Tales is amazing…R.I.P. Chris and Alan.
I couldn’t tell you HOW many hours I’ve spent listening to this with headphones on.
THE greatest band of all time in my opinion.
The greatest band with their greatest masterpiece. I love Magnification also which is highly underrated.
And both Alan and Chris are absolutely fantastic throughout the whole album - as is every member of the band. Masterpiece
@@georgesonm1774 there best playing by far
...And Peter...
Peter banks...
It never ceases to amaze me how much of a wide scope of people totally enjoy Yes music. From those that have no musical training, to scholars in the field. Their talents were off the charts.
I have a very emotional connection to this song, it really resonates deeply, it bring me to tears time and time again. The music is just heavenly, delicate, powerful at the same time.
I was going to say the same thing. The Remembering and To Be Over make me cry, along with Gilmour's Harmony solo in Dogs, every freakin' time even when I try to hold back. All three are these songs are on my "Death Bed PlayList." I hope I have enough time to listen to'em all when the bell tolls for me. Not kidding as morbid as that sounds. These Prog Rock songs, like Firth of Fifth (Seconds Out version), One for the Vine, Blood on the Rooftops, Heart of the Sunrise (Yessongs version), Xanadu, Jerusalem, Turn of the Century, are emotionally heart-wrenching in all their beauty. I want to experience that beauty on my way out of existence. I'm glad that masters like Doug and Rick Beato appreciates this music as much as I do. It's only Symphonic Rock but we like it.
Perfeito.Sinto o mesmo!🇧🇷
It hits me the same way Alfredo. Well said.
@@adinfinitumprogrock I totally get what you're saying here... The Remembering and To Be Over - it's quite a pair. Two of my absolute favourites too. Do you know this version of the To Be Over final part from Jon's live set sometime around '82 I think? It's absolutely gorgeous, just his voice and the piano - magic. I'm glad you also mentioned Turn of the Century, Jerusalem and One for The Vine - these too do this for me (as do many other Banks' compositions in Genesis - The Lamia, Seven Stones, Guide Vocal, Undertow). Beautiful stuff
"Stand on hills of long forgotten yesterdays
Pass amongst your memories told returning ways
As certain as we walk today
Press over moments leaving you"
The Remembering (High the Memory)" is the second movement (adagio), and as the word "adagio" implies, the whole piece is "relaxing".
Some people often give up on "Tales from Topographic Oceans" after this song, but if you listen to this song as an "adagio", your impression of it will change.
This is literally a "rock symphony" by YES!
That would make The Ancient the scherzo movement? That's... fitting, I think. (Not that I know much about classical forms.)
Very good, When you put it like that, it works.
Very interesting idea! I feel that Yes fans who don't seem to "get" Tales may fail to see two things: first, rather than consisting of four separate and independent pieces of music (four "Close to the Edges", so to speak) this really works to its full extent as one continuous piece of music in four sections. Secondly, this is a different album from both those which preceeded it and those which would later follow it - possibly the most singular of all Yes albums - and that means that one has to approach it in a different manner than the others (rather than simply drawing a comparison with, say, Close to The Edge on the basis of what one liked about that album). In other words - this needs to be set in a category of its own (I tend to think of it as a journey through an unknown (oceanic?) world: one has to be open to any encounter). In short: I think you're right on the money with that perspective of looking at it as a symphony :)
@@georgesonm1774 That's right.
Listening to "TFTO" carefully, I noticed that it has a structure similar to that of Beethoven's symphonies.
1st movement is Allegro, sonata-like progression.
2nd movement is an adagio with a slow progression
3rd movement is a scherzo with a humorous, fast tempo progression
4th movement is again an Allegro, and motifs from the 1 - 3 movements are scattered in the up-tempo progression.
The characteristics of these movements are on fitting with the music of "TFTO".
That is why I thought this album is one work with four pieces.
@@carlburke1625 Yeah, I think so, too.
I was blessed to see TALES Live in full. At the time the experience was like no other, deeply emotional & quite the Revelation. Of course we were teens in early 74 indulging in mind expanding substances which only helped to open wide our Chakras. But I've gotten such delight from now having watched several first time Reactions to The Remembering and hearing the overwhelming high praise. This and Side 3 were the 2 that received the most criticism from the dissenters who because of their own lack of understanding could not appreciate the brilliance that was YES at this time. YES were ahead of their time and many could not comprehend the intricacies of their brilliance. So it's a joy to hear all the great accolades for a song that deserves them. It completely begins as a lullaby that sets you adrift from the ebb & flow of the shore onto the waves to the deep ocean towards the vast horizon. Truly a magical experience. Great Reaction !!!!!!!!!
I've heard this a thousand times. I still get a lump in my throat 💜
👋👋👋❤️❤️❤️
👍👍👍
So do I. When it came out in 73, I could not find an access to it and found it somehow boring.
The more I listened to in the last 50 years (!) the more I loved it.
Goosebumps again for me at the reprise of themes from side one, where Doug says it lands on E. It never fails. The whole album never fails.
Some of the finest keyboard work ever recorded. Rick Wakeman creates textures and atmospheres that cause one to run out of superlatives. No more true than on this side, especially the second half. It is a testament to Rick's consummate professionalism that he could play so brilliantly on a project that he admitted he did not even like.
I agree!! I have heard that Rick Wakeman is reported to have had difficulties reproducing some of the sounds and textures in this section.
@@lymangreen5020 Yes, I would guess that too - synths and keyboard setups in the mid-seventies were much bigger and more unwieldy than just six or seven years later - when Patrick Moraz toured with the band two years later he had 24 keyboards arranged on two stage levels - and it was much less easy to reproduce the exact same sound in a regular, "patched" way. I figure Wakeman would have found it easier if he'd had a Prophet 5 and later-generation samplers at hand, but those were still a couple of years into the future in 1973/74. His work on this song, and on the entire album, is simply amazing!
I got into yes when I was I a band in the 1970's. Our van driver used to play the Yes Album as we went to gigs. We all thought it was fantastic. I brought it and followed up with Tales. I was stunned by how different this was. It took some getting into but I think it is the pinnacle of prog. Sit in a darkened room and play it from beginning to end it is a meditative journey. The lyric "I must have waited all my life for this moment", is spiritually up lifting. I think some fans find it difficult because it is the whole soundscape that is important not just guitar and keyboard solo's. This is more like a classical symphony and should be treated as such. This music will be play 100 years from now.
One might think this is the paramount music of a lifetime, but they all were in their 20s. Hard to believe, but true. Amazing!
I've always found that astounding
As someone who has been an aspiring musician for going on 50 years and who is still struggling to learn the craft the fact that these guys were in their 20s blows me away. And that's just the musical side of things. The philosophical side with the lyrics and subject matter of this album is also pretty darned amazing. I love Tales From Topographic Oceans. It is a staggering achievement in my opinion.
The same happened with Genesis- 1969-1978 Era. Damn! They were extremely young to be developing that deeply prog music. What a talented bunch of musicians!
Thanks Doug, I needed that. I takes a meditative person to allow this album to simply wash over them. Again and Again. 49 years later and I realize it was these very Tales that started me on my meditation ways. The criticisms of this Master Work seem to wane with the years and the 10,000th listen. People eventually succomb. Plus you astutely noticed that despite Rick Wakeman’s drunken dallies he completes this album as no one else could. Alan White shines in a later movement. Nous Sommes Du Soleil.
According to Rick he was bored from having too much down time, which is understandable. I’m sure The Ancient was a little out of his wheelhouse. It was the tour that was really the last straw. (Look up the curry incident). At the end, he announced he was leaving, his solo album Journey to the Center of the Earth hit No 1, and he had his first heart attack. Rock on Rick!
In The Ancient the rhytmic sectiin also gets highlights, along the frantic guitar by Howe.
Heineken bottles galore on the grand on tour, Rick is a master orchestrator and these are the best rock orchestrations ever recorded, I think Rick has softend on the album over the years. It is what it is and I have always loved it just as it is.
@Wayne Cox - I so fully agree with your statement that I have little to nothing to add! This masterpiece definitely benefits from a "meditative" approach to listening, and rewards the listener for that - a thousandfold! And yes, Rick didn't like the album but he shines on it doing things he rarely does on other albums (harmonically weird Crimson - style mellotron washes, ambient, beautiful backround parts incorporating a myriad fantastic sounds, etc). Plus, none of his solo works comes close to the inventiveness, emotional depth, quasi-orchestral intricacy and melodic beauty as those characterizing Tales. It's really hard to compare Tales to other Yes works such as Close or Fragile - it's a completely unique creation, in its own league
@@georgesonm1774 Well stated!
Thank you so much Doug.....I love this album so much and it was good to share it with you. I'm glad you liked it. The album will grow on you. I am only 52 years ahead of you !
"The Remembering" has always been my favorite piece from "Tales". I used to use it to go to sleep back in the dorms in the 80s. I tried the same more recently, but since it's on my phone and plays the whole album, "The Ancient" blasts me awake.
Doug, you may want to do The Ancient and Ritual soon after this. Seriously. This sets up the final 2 movements of the entire album. It’s truly phenomenal what was achieved in expression here by them. This was a wonderful treat to feel your joy on this beautiful second movement.
I spent many hours listening to this song on headphones and letting the soundscape just wash through me.
Yeah there's definitely an ambient quality about this song, not only the keyboard interludes but also the lulling opening verses
TFTO is, in my opinion, the Pinnacle of Yes music.
We could argue the TFTO is to prog music what the 9th Symphony is to Classic music. The pinnacle, the ultimate achievement.
Agreed
Agreed
Absolutely agrre
Unanimous!
The vinyl of TTO was a 1975 Christmas gift from my sister, who only knew that I liked the band. I immediately put it on 8-track (!) and listened repeatedly while cruising. It took a couple of listens to know it well enough to anticipate the themes, harmonic shifts, and rhythm changes. “Ritual” is still one of my favorite pieces of music because of how the piece pulls all the themes together, but I never would have been able to appreciate it without absorbing the entire work. Glad you enjoyed it. I’ll look forward to you getting through to the end! 😅
"through to the end" - KISS Christine Sixteen
@@robertmccoy9901 ha ha ha! From an entirely different galaxy…
My friend got me into Yes at age 13. We heard TYA, Fragile, CTTE and Yessongs and I was hooked. When Tales came out, I bought it and loved it. His sister took us to my first Rock concert. They played most of Tales and it was a fantastic concert.
In the 70s, Yes was untouchable, live. Very few of the numerous top billed acts that I saw in the 70s could match the live performances of Yes in terms of both complexity and reproduction of their studio sound.
It's one thing to play straight ahead, radio friendly, Hard Rock in a live venue and sound great. But, sounding anything like a 70s Yes album in concert was a bit like performing a magic trick. It's one of those things that you can only fully appreciate in retrospect after seeing many other live bands.
At the time I was just like, "Yeah, that's Yes, live. So, what? They're totally bitchen. Of course they always sound as great as their albums". It never dawned on me that they were pulling off a stunning, jaw dropping, amazing feat of musicianship every night. I thought, they were just being Yes.
Well, well said re. live Yes, especially in the '70s. Experiences almost impossible to describe, and even they were never quite the same afterward although they came very close a few times.
I was too young for the Tales tour alas but fortunate enough to discover them in time for the 1978 Tormato tour, plenty astounding in its own right - 1st ever in the round with full 360 degree suspended sound system by any 'rock' band if I recall correctly. They played almost no Tales unfortunately, just a short segment of "The Ancient" as part of what's often called The Big Medley, but all of Tales' power was there in that small fragment.
Wishing I'd also seen them in '76 with Moraz, whose interpretation of Tales material was IMO even better than Wakeman's as several recordings attest.
@@lestatler9551 Nice! I saw Yes in the round during the Tormato tour. Great concert. I saw them with Peter Frampton, Gary Wright and Gentle Giant. Patrick Moraz played keyboards on that tour.
They called it their Solo Albums Tour, but oddly enough, by the time I saw them, their setlist had been stripped of almost all of the solos. It was mostly a collection fan favorites from The Yes Album, Fragile, CTTE, Tales and Relayer.
It was pretty funny watching all of the bubble gum chewing, little teeny bopper girls, who came to scream, cry and drool over Peter Frampton. When Yes played Gates of delirium, you could immediately tell who came to see Yes and Gentle Giant and who came to see Gary Wright and Peter Frampton.
Half the crowd was vibing hard to Gates and the other half looked totally stunned and confused. Eventually, Yes won the crowd over with their more accessible hits. Gentle Giant was treated more like background music, they never really won over the other half of the audience like Yes did. The Frampton Comes Alive album was huge, so I'm probably being very generous by calling half of the crowd Prog fans. We were probably more like a third or a quarter of the crowd.
Don't get me wrong, Frampton and Wright were both absolutely great, but the drastic contrast with the other two Prog bands was strange. I guess that's why Yes usually headlined alone with no opening act. This was Frampton's headlining period and I have to say he deserved it.
@@skybluemarshall High the memories, so to speak. Reading yours a pleasure, thanks for sharing them.
Familiar I am with the '76 "Solos" tour via recordings/research and Wakeman partisans will auto-da-fe me for this, but Moraz was always my favorite Yes keys player and one of my biggest dying regrets will be never having seen Yes with Moraz. You were so fortunate. Wakeman absolutely fantastic of course and I love every note/sound from him, but quite objectively Moraz was a better player technically and more creative overall. What he did for example with the Tales material under discussion was incomparable, and [recordings of] it actually helped me appreciate TFTO itself more.
Most anyone in this thread will be familiar with at least one Moraz' "Ritual" performance and they speak for themselves. What few will have heard is Moraz doing "The Remembering". They only played it live once or twice, on that same incredible '76 tour and it was dropped early like the solo pieces. No full concert recordings of that have surfaced, although a handful of poor to awful sounding audience captures do exist of early shows without it and they're worth hearing despite the muddy sonics.
The one Moraz "Remembering" recording I know of was made during a pre tour rehearsal in a nearly empty venue in Lititz, PA, as you may know long Yes' preferred location for such with N. America tours. Someone in the tiny and very lucky rehearsals audience brought in a Tandy or other cheap recorder and the sound quality as bad as you'd imagine, almost unlistenable, but hearing that "Remembering" alone worth it. So are the many solo pieces rehearsed actually, but of all the live "Rememberings" I've heard that '76 arrangement was the most astounding and fascinating.
If you've heard it you know, if not it's a free download here: forgotten-yesterdays.com/downloads.asp?ftype=1&qtourid=7&qdownloadid=307, and here: forgotten-yesterdays.com/downloads.asp?ftype=1&qtourid=7&qdownloadid=308 . I have the "Relayerman" version, the other one may sound better or worse, I don't know.
Your mention of the bubblegum Frampton fans incidently reminds me of the Lititz rehearsal 'audience'. Maybe a dozen of them, they went nuts for "Sound Chaser" and rightfully so but just politely clapped for "Remembering" and the equally amazing new solos arrangements. Presumably these were also more Yes-familiar. Agreed Frampton and Wright were great in their own ways.
'78 tour - absolutely the best concert sound I've heard from anyone including Yes and even decades later with 'better' technology. Needless to say great Yes performance as well and Tormato [like TFTO] just got better live.
My absolute favorite yes album
Among the many great recapitulations in this arrangement is 5 measures of the the riff underlying the first verse on side 1, which occured about 2 minutes and three seconds before the end of this side. One of Yes great strengths on this and other long pieces is how they bring back elements, often in modified form and unpredictable locations.
"Tales" is probably my favorite album of all time. I just get lost when I put it on. I was so glad when CDs came out so I didn't have to come out of my trance and turn the vinyl over.
I’ve followed you channel for quite some time now, never having commented before but I must now share a great and thankful appreciation for what you bring to the great language that is music. I’m thankful for the sharing of your knowledge of music and how you explain the intricacies of it. It’s a joy to watch your videos. Thank you for all you do. Beat wishes.
Ditto.
"Like a dreamer all our lives are only lost begotten changes
We relive in seagull's pages"
This lyric is a reference to the 1970 book Jonathan Livingston Seagull by Richard Bach. It was a hugely popular book that by the end of 1972 had sold a million copies. It's a fable, a simple to understand story about reincarnation written for the West which had hardly ever heard of the concept before. Not surprisingly, it made it into Yes' song "The Remembering" in 1973. If the liner notes say that the Topographic Oceans is the mind's eye, then the mind's eye can travel from lifetime to lifetime through reincarnation, a theme that is common to other works by Jon Anderson, and common to things he has said in the press.
I have always wondered what imagery was being cooked up here. Really grateful that you shed this light
You remind me of my brother. It's a good thing. He was a classical composer, passed some years ago. He'd do the same thing to all rock with me. Thanks for the memories
This is the greatest album ever created.
Hard to argue with that
Absolutely agree.👋👋👋
I could see Yes fans arguing among themselves about the merits of this thing and I'm kind of intrigued by it, but it's not a fun listen over the hour it takes. It's got parts, it never really forms a tune in the way CTTE, Gates, Awaken does (or Hearts or Endless Dream, frankly). Thing is a buzz kill. I'm mystified that anyone would call it the greatest album ever.
@@colinburroughs9871 sure it would seem that way if you don’t understand it. You have to realize that you are listening to a 4-movement rock symphony, complete with a classical style “slow movement” (The Remembering) and a scherzo (The Ancient). When this album was pieced together, somebody, my guess is Howe or Offord or maybe even White, understood classical symphonic structure and executed it brilliantly. You need to give it a lot of time and patience and even study if you want to fully appreciate it and even begin to understand why we would confidently label this as the greatest album ever created. Honestly, Close to the Edge, as wonderful as it is, is mere child’s play in comparison. I suggest listening to classical music, particularly Beethoven’s symphonies, and gaining an appreciation for that, and Tales from Topographic Oceans will start to make more sense to you. It is a challenge, but well worth it because the reward is life changing.
@@bachmibm Hey, thanks for the thoughtful reply. I'm not sure I could convey "getting it" without devolving into cliches or getting into the weirdness that is psychedelia and how Yes deliberately catered to that and how that may or may not affect one's perceptions on the depth of the content (some say it's vital, some eschew any drug reference, some are kind of in the middle, some are like "huh?"). The emphasis on the structure is a interesting nugget as that's an avenue of appreciation. I don't feel that the arrangements or recuring themes quite hit the mark I suppose. Yes music being immediate/not academic is where the divide might be. To be blunt, I've noticed that fairly scientific/math/smart people stick up for Tales in the prog community the most.
Finally! I’ve been waiting for you to get back to Tales since you did Revealing Science Of God. This is Yes’s best album imo, a true masterpiece
This album is a masterpiece. The deepest one by Yes, it's a spiritual experience not only Music
I was 13 when this album appeared... together with Jon's Olias nothing made a deeper impact on me... and I'm still in tune with these great works, listening, feeling like an ageless teen... :-)
I heard Topographic Oceans live, in its entirety, before I heard the album, even before it was released in fact. That was in November 1973. I got the LP as a Xmas present a month later. It's just an astonishing creative achievement. The Remembering is my favourite piece of Yesmusic, a status in my regard that it achieved quite early on, and has only consolidated over the years. How it soars at the climax! Wonderful.
I watch, being a musician myself, your channel. I think your analisis over the spectrum is the best on TouTube. Lots to learn here, TY. More Piano playing when doing these :)
Thank you Doug! This album is so important in the history of Prog. I always gain a bit more insight into the songs during your reactions and it's very gratifying to see this music getting the recognition it deserves from someone like you. The critics hated this album, but Yes fans always knew better.
I Totally Agree With Your Description of The Remembering. It became my Favorite, along with Side 4 . Thanks For Sharing Your Knowledge With Us.
"half way through, and the percussion has been understated"..2 seconds later, Alan White starts slamming and kicking!!
When i was a teen ager, yes kind of lost me here. Now im 68 and love this entire creative epic of music. This is real masterpiece. Much more than rock.
Doug, you will fully appreciate this album when you have listened the four sides and you are able to recognise the themes of one side hidden in the other sides. You found the relayer theme in this song, but you didn’t notice the first side themes in it, for example when it gats to E major for the first time as you pointed out, and at least once more before it. And then there are glimpses of the fourth side, which is the more famous one. It’s beautiful!
I really love this album and this song in particular, though its beauty is less visible than the first’s and the fourth’s. Prepare for the third side, which is the more divergent and strange… 😅
There is so much here, no one's going to catch it all on the first listen...but yes (!), there are a ton of callbacks and foreshadowings of various themes and sounds on this album...including to earlier records (I think Howe quotes a phrase or two from "Siberian Khatru" on the third side...).
This is my favorite Yes song period. Best lyric, "Don the cap and close your eyes imagine all the glorious challenge...". I really like the three over two that Alan White is playing on the ride cymbal and the snare during that section. Maybe the most natural 3 over 2 feel ever recorded - IMO. Thanks Doug!
I saw them perform this at The Rainbow in 1974. Unforgettable. One of my favourite albums of all time. Wake man was and is the greatest keyboard player.
The remembering is one of the most perfect Yes pieces.
The most
This sublime 2nd movement of Tales is indeed very nearly perfect. I'm saddened that too many listeners are unwilling to devote their sustained relaxed attentiveness such as Doug demonstrates here to allow the magnificence of the music to take them. If you do this, you will (I did) also find that it's a "quick 20 minutes". But a listener who wants cheap thrills and snappy hooks (no drums/percussion until almost 6 minutes in, as Doug noticed) will find the time passing all too slowly.
- - - - - -
And - on further listenings - the connections! to among the various parts of this movement, and between this movement and the other three. Again, magnificent!
Hi Doug, Like I've been sayin', Yes IS the deeper water... Beautiful piece, and totally love their powerful endings.
Thank you for featuring this one Doug!! This is another piece that I can sit back and just get ‘lost’ in and separate from the daily grind. Whenever I hear Steve Howe’s opening guitar riff (the F to G arpeggios) it takes me away to another place and time and that single note swell Rick plays. Then those vocals come in. In only the way Yes can do. It can be a challenging listen the first few times through but it’s rewarding after you get to know it.
The ending section is one of Yes's most majestic...second only to that of "Awaken" off "Going For The One"....Awaken is one of the most sublime works of music in all of rock...
Ritual is my favorite song from that album. All of the songs are great. The album never gets old.
Exactly, I think this will still be heard for centuries to come. Beautiful compositions never age.
Side 4 will blow you away! It’s as good as side 1 ! It kicks ass !
I've always thought of this album as a prog rock symphony; 4 distinct movements following more or less the classic symphonic form, reoccurring themes, etc. Love this album. Not the most accessible to most music fans, but still an amazing piece of work.
Thanks , Doug. Great words on this song which still holds so much all these years later.
I have listened to this album many times but your analysis Doug has revealed yet more detail in the composition. It is quite extraordinary how this band in their mid-20's can construct such a masterpiece.
Great analysis, Doug! I look forward to you continuing this album. The next one, "The Ancient," is by far my favorite from the album, and I think you will really dig the second half of that song.
Agreed about the symphonic sensibilities part... this track is so lush it's hard to believe these guys were so young when they wrote it. All of them with different musical influences. The vocal harmonies in the middle section "Distant suns.. will we reach..." are INSANE.
I studied voice for years in my younger days, sang many a soprano I and Soprano II choral part and I still have to work to sort out the different layers in those harmonies.
It's a stunning track and my favorite on this album. Check out Steven Wilson's remix of this album, it's a different perspective for sure.
Doug, this is one of my very personal favorite songs by Yes! The soundscapes created by the synths/keyboards, and it has some of the finest singing/harmonies they have ever done. And Squire's amazing fretless basswork!!!! Thank you for your great review of this masterpiece! I always refer to this song as a Symphonic, Epic Lullaby!!! The Beauty of it is just Incredible!
Love that ending, brings me chills.
Imagine being 17 and seeing this entire album in concert.
I don't have to imagine it! I saw them in Denver on this tour.
Mind. Blown!
One of their most stunning pieces. Only And You and I and Awaken connect with my spirit the way this does. The album really shows everyone what an incredible drummer Alan was. This is a real true Masterpiece
The Remembering is my favorite track on Tales. This whole album is an orchestral piece.
I think that the first 10 minutes of this song is amongst the most beautiful that Yes have ever done. It is wonderful.
Symphonic. Absolutely! To me it’s one of the best they’ve ever written, definitely in my top five. I love how Jon taught himself to play so many instruments like the flute here, the guitar In Relayer and harp in Awaken all without TH-cam! I appreciate, Doug, your instruction on keys and major and minor chords, all things I learned a million years ago. I used to be able to discern the keys but now I can only tell you the time period in which Classical pieces were written and usually by whom. I play the clarinet, yawn, and want to learn how to play the flute. So many prog groups have a flute player. Yep, Rick didn’t like this album, but I don’t get why. It is phenomenal! And yeah G is high for me. I used to be able to hit it, but not anymore. I sing with Jon and Steve Walsh to keep my F!
This reminds me of a symphony. One of my favorite Yes songs Tales my favorite album.
When this album came out, my friends and I used to get into discussions about which of the four sides was the best.
The Remembering was, and still is, my pick. I’ve been listening to this since it was first released. It’s very complex, and it took many, many listens to piece the thing together in my mind.
And with each listen I hear something new!
Your comments helped bring another dimension to this for me. Thanks so much.
As you give this repeated listens, two things will stand out to you:
1. The climax of the piece, after the last ethereal mellotron section, is the best ending they’ve ever composed and performed. And we all know how great Yes was at composing endings. It’s just breathtaking. Whenever I listen to this track, I ALWAYS stop, close my eyes, and let the climax just take me away.
2. The melody at the end is one of the most beautiful melodies the band ever produced.
Yes fan for 30+ years here. I've always been fascinated with their masterful use of odd time meters, but in such a way that they don't sound odd at all. This piece has some choice use of 7 in it, in particular the section beginning at 4:31 in 7/4 (phrased as 3/4 + 4/4). 14:56 and 17:27 ("Relayer") is another 7/4 section phrased in a similar way (also a similar phrasing to the 7/4 in Peter Gabriel's "Solsbury Hill"). My favorite part of 'The Remembering' is at 18:02 which has Steve and Rick in 7/4 while Chris and Alan are in 7/8. A classic Yes rhythmic maneuver reminiscent of a section of their 1970 tune 'Perpetual Change' where Steve (re)layers a 7/4 riff over a chaotic 7/16 rhythm section riff.
When anxious or feeling lost, I sail these seas, absorb the lore and the structure recalls me.
Usually people who appreciate and love progressive rock indicate this album as an example of boring and self-indulgent music stuff. I think this is a first example of rock music over the boudaries, towards New Age territories. Really unique, really different.... Really difficult maybe, but beautiful.
Most of the people think this tune is the weakest of the album. This is my favorite, the most meditative and imaginative
I used to think it was the weakest, or the least memorable, for like 15 years. Then all of the sudden it clicked and now it's probably my favorite yes song. It's so beautiful and mantric, yet so intricate and powerful. Such an underrated album it kills me.
From all I've read, and in my own opinion, Side 3 is considered by far the weakest of the 4 sides. The least melodic, and the most discordant and repetitive song. Sure keeps Rick busy, though. That being said, the last 5 minutes, the " leaves of green" section is among the most beautiful Yes ever recorded. Differing opinions is what makes the world go 'round though. Peace, brother!
👋👋👋
Absolutely! My fave side, though I love the rest.
It's a powerful piece. Wakeman's keyboards kind of tie it together, and those interludes with Synths/Mellotrons are compelling and prove effective in terms of transitions. Lots of sounds and harmonic twists. Very strong vocals from Jon, as usual, and Chris.
Yes. He may not have cared much for this album and he didn't play any ripping solos on The Remembering but Rick's keys are so crucial to this tune. He is wonderful on this.
Ya no se qué más decir sobre Yes!! Son de otra Galaxia!! ❤️❤️❤️✨✨
Thank you, Doug, for sailing on this ocean, The Remembering was my fav of the 4 sides when I was young & listening intensely to this record (& Beethoven’s symphonies as well) and hearing it again makes me really miss Alan and Chris.
Tales has got to be my favourite Yes album. It's just so... over the top.
I’m so glad you got to this one, it’s a slow burn song that makes you work but I think it’s their absolute best song. Full of lines and musical phrases that catch your ear and mind and make you say “wow!”
Relayer
We advance, we retrace our story
Jon’s singing is just beautiful, Chris is so subtle but still holding down the bottom end with the fretless bass, and what CAN’T you say about Rick’s keys? And it’s all topped off with a crescendo that’s at least as joyous as Awaken’s.
I'm kinda torn between this one and Ritual but Remembering might be more of a total package, whereas for me Ritual has the most beautiful passages in it but is also somewhat less accessible at times.
I'm so glad someone else feels the same about this song! If I were to choose a favourite Yes song, it would be either this or And You And I with To Be Over as a close third (and my rational part chiming in: "Close to the Edge"! "Gates!") :)
@@georgesonm1774 My close second is Awaken, with Gates, Revealing, and And You And I rounding out my top 5. Although, it seems that whichever one I’m listening to at the time is more of a first among equals. They’re all just so amazing and moving.
@@jbassguy571 I still haven’t been able to get into The Ancient or Ritual, but that’s probably due to me and not the songs. The Ancient especially is so different that it’s hard to stretch my mind out in the right direction to perceive the song.
@@philsmith2444 I know what you mean - in my case these songs do tend to swap places on these "top" lists pretty easily - indeed, they are all so great :) sometimes my favourite one to listen to is the live "Big Medley" (from Tormato tour) where they just mix all these (at times pretty underrated) songs together - it's also a stunning display of live musicianship.
As to the Ancient - yeah it's probably the most difficult one.. I only got to actually liking it a couple years ago and I've had the album for like 20
Loved Tales from first hearing.
Magical album and so beautiful.
I am glad you picked up on Rick's Keyboards... to me one of my favorite pieces of music he worked on... His atmospheric effects makes the song...
Tales! my favorite album of all time. So profound!
Underrated album..so beautiful and dreamy...all the best....cheers
I’ve seen Jon sing live on stage in Yes, ARW, Anderson & Wakeman and solo. I’ve never heard him hit a bum note.
Once met him. He’s a really nice man too and we are from the same part of the world, East Lancashire in England.
Amazing voice, and yes, I’ve heard he’s a really approachable, nice guy.
I, too am a composer/musician and this has always been my favorite piece of Tales. I love the chord changes, the atmosphere, the vocal harmonies, the lyrics. And I agree that is has very unique orchestral sensibilities. Especially when performed by the mellotron strings. Though I'm clearly in the minority, it's nice to know I'm not crazy.
My first and favorite yes album. After almost 50 years I still hear something I had missed before.
I've enjoyed your analysis and your play by play of the chord structure. And like many of us, we still dig the lyrics, but don't fully understand them. This track has a special place in my heart. It was the one that I always return to. It is the special quality of that "ancient" sound that it has. And the returning lyric of "Stand on hills of long forgotten yesterdays". It always gets to me. And of course, Steve Howe's quirky guitar lines and Chris Squire's mastery of melodic language.
This album is my music bible! A MASTERPIECE!☺️
the greatest decade of rock and prog 65 thru 75
Wonderful to share your appreciation of this epic track.
Doug, your description of their use of topography as a metaphor is probably better than any the band members themselves have offered.
Thank you for finally getting back to YES
Tales from Topographic Oceans is my go to album for shoveling snow in the winter season. It gives a sort of meditative work mode, wich allows me to shovel snow for the 1,5-2 hours it takes me to do the work. 🤗It's my favourite Yes album and I probably listen to it about 150 times during the winter season (wich here is from November-April).
23:53 "alternate tune"
"what are you talking about, Jon?"
"ALTERNATE TUUUUNE!!"
There was a revival of English folk music around this time with bands like Steeleye Span (Gaudate and All around my hat) which delved into a medieval style , it could have influenced the Remembering in part.
Thank you, Doug, this was wonderful. TfTO is one of my favorite things of all time; a desert island album for sure. I've also spoken about the album, and you made many of the same observations that I did, such as the rootless, drifting feel of the alternating IV-V chord pattern (along with the alternating 3 and 4 beat patterns). You could almost make an analogy to a classical four-movement symphony on a Mahlerian scale, with this being the adagio, followed by the intense and fiery scherzo of side 3. I could tell that you felt left up in the air by the way they ended on the A chord...well if you were to proceed to the next side, you'd hear how (after a series of percussive flourishes), they drop you into a fierce, mechanical ostinato in D minor, so it's almost like a cadence crossing the movements. Now THAT'S symphonic.
Sim Doug, Rick estava entediado com este album, mas o trabalho que ele fez com os teclados neste album, especialmente nesta música é uma obra de arte, obrigado pela sua análise!!!
Thank you, this record is wonderful!
Doug has already reacted to it.
I'm totally with you on the topography of the ocean's BOTTOM! The memories!
Doug, your’s is probably the most convincing interpretation of this album’s title I’ve ever heard. And for the record. This is one of my favourite Yes albums. Rick’s keyboards might have sounded subtle back in the day. To me, they sound just right. But, man, I’ve been listening to this album for more than forty years and I still find it so rich and powerful it deserves being a dignified place in Yes’ discography. Greetings from Mexico!
“I don’t hear a ton of out front keyboard on this.”
Right before what might be Rick’s BEST keys.
Looking forward to the next two Songs and your reaction. Greetings from Germany ✌🏼
Thanx Doug! Did you know there is a Steven Wilson Remix of this album? And must say of all what he has done, including his own work, this remix I think is the biggest achievement he brought to music. His mix very much opens up details lying there hidden in the original mix. Took me some time to learn to appreciate the full album and it’s spacious flow, the live version of Ritual on their Symphonic Live DVD was a major first step to bring the music to life, and the SW mix really pushed it to the top of my fav Yes music! Amazing work and still growing on my even after years of listening.
Thank you Doug - this is one of my most beloved Yes pieces and it was a great pleasure to watch you react to it and explain some of its twists and turns. I also encourage you to go back to it a couple times - it's one of those pieces which really rewards repeated listens with all its intertwining and recurring motifs (BTW - the moment when, as you said, they land in E is lifted directly from The Revealing - an example of how bits of music reappear throughout the whole album - most notably in the last piece, Ritual). Fun fact: this was Chris' favorite bass part and the synth melody from Rick is one of Jon's favorite bits of Yes music. I thoroughly recommend a great fan documentary on Tales which surfaced on YT a couple days ago (it includes an explanation for the album title). Can't wait for your reaction to The Ancient - strap on for that one because it's probably the craziest one (but also one the most fascinating) in Yes catalogue!
I just love how you identify these key changes on the spot. By number. Love it!
This is one of their prettiest songs. Rick saved their asses twice. On Tales when they had a collection of really nice but disjointed tunes. And then later on Going for the One when the entire effort was in the dumpster halfway through the recording. Wakeman is masterful at transitions and giving musical direction. Yes released some of the demo recordings of the Going for the One material. They shouldn't have, it was very telling.
Thanks for doing The Remembering Doug. I'm glad you enjoyed it and I enjoyed hearing your thoughts about it.
Que maravillosa obra la Yes de los años 70....el lenguaje y sus diferencias (español ingles) no es un obstaculo para disfrutar de la musica
Si porque hasta los que hablan inglés no saben lo que dice Jon Anderson 😂😂😂
This is an astounding piece of art!!!! I am always amazed everytime I hear The Remembering.
Always enjoy your Yes reactions. I'm impressed that anyone could only listen to one side and wait a whole year to listen to the second side. I don't know how you can wait for the third side too long. This is a favorite. I think most of the dissing of this song, and album, was from fans who followed Wakeman, and just took his word for it. He may not have put his 100% in it because he didn't feel much about the theme, but that's on him. The band as a whole, plus Eddie Offord produced a unique masterwork in the world of Rock music.
Hey Doug! You have to react to Rick Wakeman solo albums like Center to the earth ot Six Wives. Thanks for this listening U R a genious
absolutely agree w/ u ,MAESTRO DOUG , ,,AND I THINK THIS PIECE IS THE PENULTIMATE MASTERPIECE BY THIS SUBLIME 'CLASSICAL' ROCK BAND ......potente 789
This is my favorite track on this favorite album! Do not go on a three hour tour without this album, something to play it on and a solar panel ~ just in case you land on a desert island ~ TY Doug!!