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Tales from Topographic Oceans is the sixth studio album by English progressive rock band Yes, released as a double album on 7 December 1973 by Atlantic Records. It is their first studio album to feature drummer Alan White, who had replaced Bill Bruford in the previous year.
Frontman Jon Anderson devised the album's concept during the 1973 Japanese tour, when he read a footnote in Autobiography of a Yogi by Paramahansa Yogananda that describes four bodies of Hindu texts about a specific field of knowledge, collectively named shastras: the śruti, smriti, puranas, and tantras. After pitching the idea to guitarist Steve Howe, the two developed an outline of the album's themes and lyrics which led to the group's decision to produce a double album containing four side-long tracks based on each text, ranging between 18 and 21 minutes.
Keyboardist Rick Wakeman was openly critical of the concept and felt unable to contribute to the music that had been written, creating friction between himself and the rest of the group.
Songs
"Side one was the commercial or easy-listening side of Topographic Oceans, side two was a much lighter, folky side of Yes, side three was electronic mayhem turning into acoustic simplicity, and side four was us trying to drive the whole thing home on a biggie."
Tales from Topographic Oceans contains four tracks, or "movements" as described by Anderson, that range between 18 and 22 minutes. The lyrics were written by Anderson and Howe, and all band members are credited for composing the music. Its liner notes feature a short summary written by Anderson of how the album's concept is expressed in a musical sense.
"The Revealing Science of God (Dance of the Dawn)" is based on the shruti class of Hindu scripture which Yogananda described as scriptures that are "directly heard" or "revealed", in particular the Vedas. Regarding its title, Anderson said: "It's always delicate to start talking about religious things ... [the track] should have just been 'The Revealing'.
But I got sort of hip." The track was originally 28 minutes in length, but six minutes were cut due to the time constraints of a vinyl. Howe's guitar solos on the track, performed on a Gibson ES-345, were influenced by his belief that Frank Zappa performed lengthy solos "because the audience wanted it. I was thinking at one stage, "I'll do that. They'll love it". Anderson was inspired to open the track with voices that gradually build from listening to Gregorian chants.
"The Remembering (High the Memory)" relates to the smriti, literally meaning "that which is remembered".
Yogananda wrote the smritis were "written down in a remote past as the world's longest epic poems", specifically the Mahabharata and Ramayana, two Indian epic poems. Anderson described it as "a calm sea of music" and aimed to get the band to play "like the sea" with "rhythms, eddies, swells, and undercurrents".
The track includes a keyboard solo that Anderson wrote: "bring[s] alive the ebb and flow and depth of our mind's eye". Anderson ranked the solo as one of Wakeman's best works.
Squire described his bass playing on the track, done on a fretless Guild bass, as "one of the nicest things" he has done, ranking it higher than his playing on some of the band's more popular tracks. He called it a very successful piece of musical arrangement.
White came up with the chord basis of an entire section of the song on the guitar, which he does not play confidently, but Anderson told him to play the part repeatedly to him until he could grasp it. Howe plays a Danelectro electric sitar, lute, and acoustic guitar on the track.
"The Ancient (Giants Under the Sun)" is attributed to the puranas, meaning "of ancient times", which contain eighteen "ancient" allegories. "Steve's guitar", wrote Anderson, "is pivotal in sharpening reflection on the beauties and treasures of lost civilisations."
The lyrics contain several translations of the word "Sun" or an explanation of the Sun from various languages.
Howe felt the opening section amazes him to this day, thinking how the band could "go so far out" He plays a steel guitar and a Spanish Ramirez acoustic guitar, and described it as "quite Stravinsky, quite folky". To help achieve the right sound he wanted out of his guitars, Howe played several recordings by classical guitarist Julian Bream to Offord as a guide. The track ends with an acoustic-based song which later became known as "Leaves of Green".
"Ritual (Nous sommes du soleil)" relates to the tantras, literally meaning "rites" or "rituals". Anderson described its bass and drum solos as a presentation of the fight and struggle that life presents between "sources of evil and pure love".
Howe is particularly fond of his guitar solo at the beginning, which to him was "spine-chilling ... it was heavenly to play", and uses a Gibson Les Paul Junior. Howe's outro guitar solo was more improvised and jazz-oriented at first, but the rest of the group felt dissatisfied with the arrangement.
Anderson suggested that Howe pick several themes from the album and combine them, which Howe did with "a more concise, more thematic approach".
During one of Wakeman's absences from the studio, White came up with the piano sequence for the closing "Nous sommes du soleil" section.
Side one
1. The Revealing Science of God (Dance of the Dawn) - 20:25
Side two
1. The Remembering (High the Memory) - 20:38
Side three
1. The Ancient (Giants under the Sun) - 18:35
Side four
1. Ritual (Nous sommes du soleil) - 21:37
Yes
- Jon Anderson – lead vocals, harp, percussion
- Steve Howe – guitars, electric sitar, lute, backing vocals
- Chris Squire – bass guitar, backing vocals
- Rick Wakeman – keyboards
- Alan White – drums, percussion
Production
- Yes – production
- Eddy Offord – engineering, production
- Bill Inglot – sound production
- Guy Bidmead – tapes
- Mansell Litho – plates
- Roger Dean – cover design and illustrations, band logo
- Brian Lane – co-ordination
- Steven Wilson – 2016 Definitive Edition mixes
Notes
Release: 1973
Format: 2LP
Genre: Progressive Rock
Label: Atlantic Records
Catalog# ATL 80001
Vinyl: Excellent
Cover: Excellent (Gatefold)
Prijs: €20,00
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