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'Tales from Topographic Oceans' - Fusions of Wonder

Yes Looking Beyond the Horizon!

By Steven ShinderPublished 5 years ago 11 min read
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Tales from Topographic Oceans album cover art by Roger Dean.

After Yes had a successful tour in support of Close to the Edge (well documented on the Yessongs live album and video and the Progeny box set), Jon Anderson (vocals), Steve Howe (guitar), Chris Squire (bass), Rick Wakeman (keyboards), and Alan White (drums) recorded an album that went a step further than Close to the Edge. Some might say that this next album went over the edge, but others (myself included) would call this a favorite Yes album and a great achievement in the history of the band.

Inspired by Paramhansa Yogananda's Autobiography of a Yogi, Anderson worked with Howe to write lyrics that sometimes felt abstract but were translated well through the music that the whole band wrote. According to an interview in the Classic Artists: Yes documentary, Anderson thought of the title Tales from Tobographic Oceans, but then changed it to Tales from Topographic Oceans after discussing it during dinner with Atlantic Records' Phil Carson and Nesuhi Ertegun.

Produced by Eddy Offord and released on December 7, 1973, Tales from Topographic Oceans ended up with four songs that were each around twenty minutes long. While there have been claims of there being padding on the songs, it can be difficult to argue that case when the musicianship is so strong. It is not an album that can be recommended lightly to listeners who are just starting to dip their toes into the Yes discography, but it is well worth it once one eventually gets to the destination that is Tales from Topographic Oceans.

A music video for "The Revealing Science of God" from Jon Anderson's YouTube channel.

1. "The Revealing Science of God (Dance of the Dawn)"

For 30 years, the album simply dove right into the words "Dawn of light lying between / A silence and sold sources." But the 2003 reissue by Rhino Records reintegrated a two-minute intro that sounds windy for a bit and has a gentle note play every now and then. I prefer this latter edit, and here's why: Yessongs (the video) began in a similar manner, with windy sound that adds an air of mystery before bringing us into the meat of a song.

One might even say that the intro for "Revealing" has a vibe akin to that of "The Firebird Suite" at the beginning of Yes concerts. The audience hears the slower opening notes of that, and they wait for the show to begin. The opening lyrics of "Revealing" come at a steady pace and then pick up a bit as the music begins to intensify, similar to how "The Firebird Suite" picks up as the band members arrive on stage. Essentially, the opening lyrics and the intro beforehand feel like a prologue or a dawn of a new day, and then the instrumental section before "Talk to the sunlight caller" feels like the exciting beginning of a set list.

But of course, the opening words are enough to excite an audience, as evidenced by the crowd's excitement on the live album Keys to Ascension that was recorded in 1996, the first time that "Revealing" was played live since 1974. Yes continued to perform it on the 1997-1998 Open Your Eyes tour. And in 2002, the lyrics were preceded by a minute-and-a-half of Wakeman playing notes from the song, which, again, gave a feel of a prelude to the dawning light. Yes would not perform "Revealing" again until their 2016, where they simply started with the opening lyrics again. They performed it over the next two years, and a recording is available via the live album Topographic Drama – Live Across America.

But getting back to the contents of the song, there is a sense of unity in the music. Even when the words "I must have waited all my life for this moment" are sung, there are multiple voices sharing the moment against the prog rock backdrop. The "I" and "my life" are changed to "we" and "our lives" a bit later. Squire and Howe's voices make certain verses feel fuller. White's drumming adds energy to the "Starlight" and "Skyline" sections. It feels very appropriate.

Interestingly, the music is slower during the sections where "They move fast" is sung. These parts are great moments of reflection upon nature, with Wakeman's synthesizer sounds adding spaciness. He is especially impressive after the "Old fighter's past" lyrics. In a studio run-through present on the 2003 Rhino reissue, the lyrics were weaved between Wakeman's bits here. During the Fragile sessions in 1971, Yes actually recorded the two-and-a-half minute "All Fighter's Past," which included Wakeman playing bars of what would end up on "Siberian Khatru."

As if to give the feeling of a day coming to an end or even coming full circle, the song ends with words being sung softly as they were when it began.

"The Remembering (High the Memory)"

"The Remembering" begins with another mention of silence: "As the silence of seasons on." The music is like a gentle sea caressing a boat on a peaceful day. "While the moments start to linger" fits with a song like this that feels slower than the others on the album and depicts the feeling of dwelling in memories. There is a return of the words "They move fast / They tell me" from the previous track. But we are reminded that this is an "Alternate tune." And in keeping with the ongoing theme of singing of summer, "The Remembering" includes the words "In the days of summers so long."

After "Alternate ways," the musical journey takes us through moments of uncertainty, going through the unknown. White's drums make their presence more known in the "Out in the city running free" section. The music gets welcoming and whimsical, especially with regards to Howe's guitar during the "Don the cap" section. It is like looking back fondly on happy memories.

"Relayer / All the dying cried before you" and subsequent lines bring the next album Relayer to mind if you've heard it, especially the war-filled "The Gates of Delirium." In fact, the somewhat heavy music during those lines could fit nicely within that song. "The Remembering" even includes the words "Sail the futile wars they suffer." The synthesizers really sail the soundscape, culminating in another "Stand on hills of long forgotten yesterdays."

Several verses later, the synthesizer drifts mysteriously around the ship on which we sail. Squire's bass is hauntingly sublime during this instrumental section. And then the vocals bring us back into positivity, with mentions of "Rainbows" and "Sunlight." After the last "Alternate tune," there's a reprise of guitar notes that appeared toward the end of "Revealing." And then we get more positive words, followed by mysterious music bringing the voyage to a close.

Yes took all four songs from this album on the road, but there came a point when the band felt that they needed to drop one side of the album from the set list. After the Detroit show on February 28, 1974, "The Remembering" was removed from the set. According to reports on Forgotten Yesterdays, it was performed at two shows at the end of May 1976. Though it has not been performed by Yes live since then, "The Remembering" is certainly not forgotten by fans.

3. "The Ancient (Giants Under the Sun)"

Alan White begins "The Ancient" with his cymbals, and then he drums ritualistically. Howe's guitar feels as if it is carving a valley in a search for relics of the past. In keeping with a pattern of "R" titles, perhaps "The Relics" might have been fitting. But "The Ancient" is still a great title.

Once the singing starts, we have the words, "As one with the knowledge and magic of the source / Attuned to the majesty of music / They marched as one with earth." Then the keys sound reminiscent of "Revealing." What follows this is a listing of words that all seem to be related to the sun. By and large, "The Ancient" feels like it is more instrumental than the other songs. At one point, Howe provides what sounds like a lick of "Siberian Khatru." Squire's bass works well in unison with the drumming. When the drumming intensifies, it really does feel like there are giants marching and drumming under the sun. Some might feel as though the music meanders, but others would be in awe at the eccentricity of the composition.

As the music calms down, we get three verses that conclude the sun god-related events. And then the song moves into the "Leaves of Green" section, which has been performed on its own simply on guitar or accompanied by vocals in various concerts over the years. For the Yes50 Tour in 2018, the three verses that preceded it were sung to keep it fresh. The studio run-through that appeared on the 2003 Rhino reissue included strangely different instrumentation during this section. The words that perhaps stand out most during "Leaves of Green" are "Where does reason stop and killing just take over? / Does a lamb cry out before we shoot it dead?" It harkens back to the themes of "Survival" from the first Yes album. Once "Leaves of Green" ends, the music feels as though it is ascending upward into space as it fades out.

4. "Ritual (Nous Sommes Du Soleil)"

There is a lot of great bass-work from Squire throughout "Ritual." In fact, drum and bass journey hand in hand, showcasing the strength of the rhythm section. The the guitar comes in, followed by the keyboards adding an enigmatic vibe. When the scat singing comes in, there is more of a whimsical feel. As the music calms down, there are guitar notes that appeared on sides A and B.

The words "Nouse sommes du soleil" translate to "We are of the sun." Very in keeping with the themes of this album. We are also reminded of the wars that take place in life, perhaps both externally and internally. We hear words that would become titles of Jon Anderson solo songs via the verses "Hurry home as love is true" and "Change we must as surely time does." "Hurry Home" would become the title of a song on his 1988 solo album In the City of Angels and then get reworked with an orchestra for his 1994 album Change We Must. As for the song "Change We Must," it would be recorded by Jon & Vangelis in 1986 for their Page of Life album. Though that album came out in 1991, prior to the Change We Must album, the Jon & Vangelis version of the song would not appear on Page of Life until the 1998 US release.

Continuing on this tangent of connections, the words "Sent as we sing our music's total retain" brings "Total mass retain" from "Close to the Edge" to mind. And with the hindsight of the 1997 song "Tron Thomi" by Esquire (a band led by Chris Squire's first wife Nikki Squire), one might wonder whether the closing lyrics "It didn't matter at all" may have been intentionally or unintentionally inspired by "As they don't seem to matter at all." Both are repeated in their respective songs. But of course, one can enjoy "Ritual" without thinking about these connections, as it is a power source on its own.

The intense drum section toward feels out of this world. The keyboards feel intentionally discordant, almost as if lighting a place on fire. It feels as though there is a swelling of chaos, or perhaps some sort of obscure dancing ritual that may seem alien to those who have not been initiated. It is a treat to see various band members drumming together in the live setting, displaying the might of their musicianship.

The drumming fades away as Howe's guitar fades in, bringing us back to the ground. Keys and bass add sentimentality as Anderson sings of love and home. Even though we may be on the earth, perhaps the sun can be considered home. The guitar brings back a bit of "Revealing" as it goes through twists and turns, a bit of a war-like feeling that would be present on side A of the next album. War may continue, but so does life. The light of the sun fades out for the night, but it will dawn again.

Following the Tales from Topographic Oceans Tour, Yes kept performing "Ritual" live until the end of their 1976 tour. A recording from that tour that ended up on the live album Yesshows was a little more than a half hour long. Anderson would sing a minute of the ending on The Ladder Tour in 1999, but the band did not perform the full song live again until their 2000 Masterworks Tour, the set list of which was voted on by the fans online. In 2001, it was backed by an orchestra on the Yessymphonic Tour. And they performed it again for their 35th Anniversary Tour in 2004, with the Roger Dean sets being lit up during the drumming section just like in the 1970s. And, of course, it was brought back in 2016 along with side A and "Leaves of Green."

Conclusion

Tales from Topographic Oceans is a lot to take in. It was so ahead of its time. I once played some of it in a friend's car and had him guess what year it was recorded. He guessed 2002 and was surprised to discover that it came out way back in 1973. Even if it had not been released until today, it would still sound mindblowing, for lack of a better word. The content of the album would inspire the first of various occasions of Rick Wakeman leaving Yes, but he would come back to play some of it every now and then. The album is held in high regard by many Yes fans regardless, refusing to fade into complete obscurity.

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About the Creator

Steven Shinder

Author of fantasy horror comedy novel Lemons Loom Like Rain, which is available on Amazon. You can also read excerpts at stevenshinder.com and check out facebook.com/StevenShinderStorytelling.

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