Yes’s Tales from Topographic Oceans (1973): A Disorganized Review
PROG GIRL SUMMER: PART 6/25
i thought “oh this is only 4 songs long. it will be a quick and easy listen!”
WRONG
anyway the beginning reminded me of the opening sequence of final fantasy vii. maybe im just videogame pilled but i feel like Yes does have a videogame sort of feel to some of their music ? anyhow its very cinematic
i keep on thinking how classical their music feels so far. structurally it’s very very very classical to me, just with some guitars and guys singin. also i love jon andersons voice. perfect for the music
i did my laundry while listening to this album. ngl while i liked the music and it was a journey for the ears i Probably wouldn’t reach for this in casual listening just because of how insanely long the songs are - it’s not something i would just wanna sit down and put on casually to listen to music unless i was like studying or drawing or doing a Long Task.
i feel like i liked CTTE more just for the naturey elements of it too. while this was good and had great bass and synth i just preferred albums like CTTE and Fragile over it 😭 somebody else on progblr told me that this was a “notorious album” and now i can see why
never mind “The Ancient” just came on and im ready to take back some of my negative statements now. ok christopher i see you. i hear you. i am actively rescinding my hesitance and negativity about this album so far. yes christopher…………yes…………….
this guitar is some random friggin nonsense bro 😭😭 what even is this bruh this album weird as freak (lightheartedly) 😭😭😭
how do they even remember how to play this live 😭😭😭😭 this is just some random type crap……i fear im laughing my butt off right now at some of the random sounds they just be doing
yeah ngl while i wanted to love this, i probably would not reach for this to listen to every day cuz it feels very soundtracky and very lengthy in a way i wasn’t a hundred percent sold on, but i liked it enough i might would put it on for an afternoon of some studying or Task doing while im in university
however chris’s bass was a big highlight of this album, i quite appreciate his bass and it’s a standout feature for me!
TIERLIST THUS FAR:
1. Close To The Edge
2. Fragile
3. Yes
4. The Yes Album
5. Time and a Word
6. Tales from Topographic Oceans
FAVOURITE SONGS: “The Ancient”
PERSONAL RATING: 5/10. objectively good prog-wise and nicely done musically, but just not something i personally would reach for a lot. didn’t strike me the same as other Yes has - and that’s ok :) they’ve got an abundance of music and there’s something different for everybody