Yes- The Remembering (First Listen) 

YES, this song is literally melody heaven, I can't even fathom why some people call this the worst track or filler etc. It's literally 20 minutes of pure bliss.

Nobody does musical euphoria quite like Yes. Damn, that was good.

I think this is one of their better albums. And I do think very well...

I think Tales is Yes ultimate masterpiece where they gave free reign to their musical vision.

Possibly their greatest track, such beauty. Makes CTTE look like child's play.

Don’t know how old you are JP but when this album came out when I was 19-all I remember is lying on my bed with headphones on listening to all four pieces and just being transported somewhere and to this day I do not know where. I do remember It was hard to come back.........anyone else feel that ?

The Remembering is a beautiful experience.

The Remembering is my favorite of the four sides. It's full of pleasing melodies, but also has some of Chris Squire's best contributions to this epic on it. All four sides have moments/passages you look forward to, but The Remembering has enough of them to make me go to it first when I want me some Tales.

Wakeman wasn’t unhappy with HIS performance; he was just unhappy with the whole album concept which was basically Jon and Steve’s “ baby” and the other band members just had to add their inputs. Rick thought that at least five minutes of “padding” could have been cut from each track.

There are passages in this that are the equal of anything by Mozart, Beethoven or Brahms, and someday all of the Yes members will join those Legends for a GRAND JAM OF JOY!!!!!!!

11:00. Now we go soaring! Sailing the skies....winds allow, other skylines.... Relayer.... all the dying cried before you.... Squire on the bass, Alan on the drums.... my God do I love this! I graduated high school in 73 and some friends and I spend a glorious summer playing this wherever and whenever we could. So this album will always be special to me.

Squire's "rapid picking" - i.e., tremolo picking, is a really effective way for the bass guitar to mimic the part a timpani would play in an orchestra. Great way to build or sustain tension, and as a substitute for percussion when the regular drumkit is absent.

I'm just floating on air when I listen to this. So beautiful.

Those ‘ocean’ sections are heartbreakingly beautiful. This is the Water side of the double album. Side 4 could be the Fire side, for me the 1st side is Earth, so side 3 Air then! Wakeman uses a smal portable pipe organ on this album called a Positif. It’s a little out of tune but adds such a texture to the Leslie guitars and crotales. This is a side that improves every time I hear it.

Wakeman didn't like it at the time, but has since softened on it . Best orchestrations he ever did on ANYTHING. Thanks Rick!

This band makes me want to cry. It's the BEAUTY in everything they do.

On reflection this is probably my favorite of the four pieces, I think it has the best melodies, the best vocals and harmonies and some great musical passages. It's very upbeat, very positive. It's an extremely pleasant listen.

My favourite song on this album. I love the build up at the end... one of the best Yes endings. According to Alan White, there was a whole section that he wrote the chord progression for on guitar. He also wrote the spacy keyboard moog parts. When it came to playing them live, Wakeman didn't learn it properly and this caused much friction, particularly between himself and Jon.

I remember when “The Remembering” clicked for me. I couldn’t stop listening to it because something was telling me to keep going again and again, and then wow, it hit. I got it. And it was like flood of emotions. The ending power is up there with the most powerful Yes moments. Wonderful review, as usual. You are wonderful in what you do.

Breathtaking is my only comment.

I'd heard quite a bit of Yes by the time I was 16 back in '77 - but it was Tales from Topographical Oceans that made me fall in love with the band that year. Got turned on to Relayer shortly after, and to this day these decades later, these are still my favorite Yes albums. Each of the 4 songs on this album always felt like rituals and mantras to me. Like what religion must have been in its earliest form - devotion expressed through acts of generated beauty. Yes, like all my favorite bands, sounds utterly unique. In other words, one could never mistake a Yes song for another band.

Your visceral description was perfect! Squire's playing a big acoustic bass on those mellow parts. Nobody knows what Wakeman is talking about. From my point, he was busy having success on his solo work and probably PRE-occupied & wasn't writing as much for TALES. He thought there was filler in it. I COMPLETELY DISAGREE AND LOVE EVERY EMOTIONAL MOMENT MOMENT MOMENT OF THE TALES MAGICAL ODYSSEY FROM A-Z. There is so much going on in this music!!! Revealing reveals life and creation . THE REMEMBERING is about the dreamy innocence, nostalgia of the past & times forgotten remembered & cherished. Noticed how it starts like a LULLABY! some want to overlook this side but I can't EVEN imagine why. An ocean breeze of undulating waves sails within this dreamlike work of art. 'STAAAAAAAND ON HILLS OF LONG FORGOTTEN YESTERDAYS' iT sooooo EMOTIONAL.. Sorry LOL I get swept away! haha

Life emerged from the ocean... This song represents our collective remembrance of that event.

@Just JP. Born in 1960. Introduced to Yes in 71 by my elder brother and sister along with many other things in musical genres. Bought this album on its release in 73 with my hard earned extorted pocket money from my parents. Blown away by Dance Of The Dawn. The Remembering took a couple of listens then I was hooked. The Ancient took a while and still my least favourite section. Ritual is amazing. Never understood the haters of this album. Long but beautiful

I always thought this was a subtler piece than The Revealing Science of God but damn, now I feel like the end of this song is actually far more climactic and it’s actually a pretty substantive song. The Ancient is gonna be interesting - the most dissonant one on the album, but has this great primal earthy sound to it. Also I still can’t believe how insightful you are about these songs after one listen. You have an incredible ear (and memory!)

Those who prefer progressive rock with an emphasis on the 'rock' tend to dislike these gentler interludes. But I love your insight that this 'rocks' in a different way, like a boat on the waves. They are masters of suspense and building towards emotional release, and of organic tempos rather than digital rigidity. Howe brings lots of great acoustic as well as electric work to this track (he plays renaissance lute on the little passage with the lyric about "seagulls pages"). Squire's bass is amazingly inventive here although not in your face. The end of track has a tremendous sense of both arrival and yearning to go further, which is a real signature of the best Yes music to me. (Yes, Anderson wanted the next album called Relayer to make a link with his lyrics on this song).

Could be my favorite song from the album. Ritual is a close one too.

I'm loving this more than I could ever imagine. I've been happly married for 33 years and have 2 grown up kids, but I've known this album for a lot longer than that! Love hearing JP's comments too. Great channel JP.

I always understood why the critics didn't like it much, but Wakeman was just being a butt- he does that sometimes. He felt it was too experimental, which is exactly what some of us love so much about it. For myself and many other Yes fans, it was a gift from on high. The Remembering is an enormous accomplishment, the gentleness and delicacy with such instrumental precision is something I'd never heard anywhere else, and not since really. I'll always love The Revealing Science of God for the lyrics and how Jon uses his voice as an instrument, but they are all parts of the same body. The next two are amazing as well.

Don’t know if it’s the SW remix but this was like hearing the song for the first time. Such rich vocals. The way they weave in and out of the various motifs is wonderful. And the “Awaken” moment? Amazing! Glad you’re doing this, JP. I

Offords production is incredible on this. He was criticised for not reigning them in. He was like a 6th member. He ran the mix live on the tour. Best live mix I have ever heard

The Remembering is Yes perfection. The climax is so powerful spiritually. I love Alan White's subtle shifts throughout.

My favorite song of this album, and one of my favorite of Yes. Some of Chris high points and one of the best epic finales along with Awaken.

Relayer, All the Passion Spent on One Cross, Relayer, We advance We retrace our story, FAIL SAFE NOW.

I've been listening to this song since I bought Tales about 30 years ago. This is the first time I truly enjoyed listening to it! I never liked the album, but I love Yes, so I keep giving it a listen every so often and it's slowly growing on me, especially lately. I think I've listened to it at least 2 times over the past month.

Of the 4 tracks, I think that this one is the most well-crafted. I also think it has the most transparent transitions. This was my favorite track on the album for a long time. More on that with your next TFTO vid...

That "Don the cap" section in this piece I consider amongst the greatest stuff YES ever did. Too bad it only lasts a couple of minutes! Interesting that you like this better than side one. Not many people would say that as of the four sides this one is usually accused as being the most padded of the four. Whatever the case, this is still my favorite album of all time.

Wakeman was more so In disagreement with the concept of the album than his performance. Most of the band wasn't entirely on board with the concept either. I do love this song, i think it's really underrated and gets forgotten a little when discussing Tales in my experience. I've been enjoying the vids thus far and can't wait for you to listen to Ritual. Thanks again for the vids Justin!

What I totally love about this album is like films. There are those films blink and you miss what is going on, that bores the absolute hell out of me. Then there are films like Gerry Anderson's "Thunderbirds are Go" where the whole opening of the film is the assembly of the Rocket Zero X and in real time it doesn't give a damn how long it takes, no short cuts which makes it awesome. We live in a World of the impatient, and it's albums like this that is for the patient. No way should this album be more slick or shorten in any way or means. Loads of mood switching on and off. It's perfect as it is.

I totallyagree with your review Justin! The Remembering is my favorite track on the album, with wonderful atmospheres between all the members,with Rick as my favorite!

I love that you try to find meaning in the lyrics. I admire your tenacity, despite the fact that Jon has stated many times that he picks words and phrases for how they sound, abandoning meaning and even grammar if necessary, to get the right sound texture to carry the notes. It's better than singing 'la la la'.

I agree. This is my favourite movement. I love the way you laughed through the whole song. That's bliss. Love.

This is my favorite track from the album. The outro gets me every time.

This song is a perfect example of how deeply spiritual these guys can get. They were “WOKE” on a DEEP level

Yes love this song. As you say the transitions are beautiful. There's such a reflective feel to it until you're suddenly swept away in the changes. Completely addicting to me. Really glad you enjoyed it so much Justin.

I'm 62 years old. I remember when this album came out, back in 1973 - i was a 14 year old, in the 8th grade. For me, it was truly transformative. The "enlightened critics" despised it. I always thought this album was treated unfairly. To this day, I consider it wonderful.

My favorite "movement" of the entire album. This is not a perfect album, maybe too long ad self indulgent, but especially this piece is something that nobody had done before, mixing progressive and a sort of proto new age

I'll never forget the time when I was in Atlanta, GA back in 1996, and was listening to the Classic Rock radio station one Saturday night and the DJ goes, "So, I'm going to play one of my favorite prog songs ever..." And he played The Remembering in its entirety! It's amazing how in those days DJs had the freedom to play the music they love!

_Force the bit between the mouth of freedom_ _Didn't we learn to fly_ _Remember to sail the skies_ _Distant suns_

The Stephen Wilson remixes finally did this album justice, revealing the expansive beauty of both the compositions and the playing. It’s much easier to “get” the record in his mix. And I agree, the climax of The Remembering is a real “Awaken” moment. The mix of an endlessly rising chord sequence, mellotron choirs, cosmic lyric incantations, and searing guitar solos on top put it in the same category (and is even better IMHO) as that more revered Yes epic.

This was and still is their greatest album I still get goosebumps when I hear it

A few days ago, prepping us for the Tales journey, you asked which of the four movements (I mean, let's be real, this really *is* a rock symphony) was our favorite. Over the lifetimes (two of my youngest daughter's lifetimes) that I've been listening to Tales, that choice has shifted around. The third--The Ancient--always took fourth place. Until a couple months ago, when it gained a lot of ground for some reason that I cannot explain. The Remembering never really stood out for me ... until about two weeks ago. Throughout most of my adult life I've not taken the time to listen to music the way I did in my youth, which was to put the headphones on, check out of the world, and just listen. I did that with Remembering and it brought me to tears. It's just. so. Joyous. And, I agree, very nautical. Because my first attempts to make sense of the lyrics were utter failures, in the two lifetimes I've been listening to Tales, I've never tried to penetrate the hard shell of their mysterious meanings. However, thanks to your analyses, some ideas are forming in my head. The feeling I get from the first movement is that it represents the tale of our emergence from a preliminary life (or world, or ocean) into our current life (or world, or ocean). The second movement tells the tale of our longing to remember that preliminary life, but finally focusing on moving forward in this one. (I'll let your thoughts on three and four help me fit them to my sensibilities. I like collaborating...) Again, I'm loving this to pieces. Thanks for sharing with us. (Psst! CITY BOY...)

This album is not that accessible, and that's what one of the things I like about it. Yes has often had detractors that couldn't get the lyrics. For instance, in the song "Starship Trooper" there's the line "Take what I say in a different way and it's easy to see that this is all confusion" that addresses that. I prefer lyrics that are a bit deeper than "I want to rock and roll all night and party every day" The end of this track is one of the most satisfying resolutions of any of their songs.

About time you got to this. Saw this tour just after I got out of high school. Love Ricks mellotron. So good. Life changer for me. So good live! Glad you get it!

"Out in the city running free Sands of companions sides that be The strength of the meeting lies with you Wait all the more regard your past School gates remind us of our class Chase all confusion away with us Stand on hills of long forgotten yesterdays Pass amongst your memories told returning ways As certain as we walk today We walk around the story Out in the city running free Days pass as seconds turn the key The strength of the moment lies with you" Jon Anderson I wrote this in the very few year books owned by people who asked me to sign way back in '81. Being a fan of Yes, Tolkien and D&D did not make for a wide group of friends then. It did make for a depth of friendship that if any one of them need anything from me i would give with both hands. P.S. my law teacher who i wrote this in was sure i wrote this beautiful words... I made sure she knew it was Jon all the way!

After buying Close to The Edge, for years I thought Yes always played with an orchestra. I finally discovered it was Rick Wakeman on the mellotron. This song shows Wakeman at his finest…...

My least favorite tack on the album but, since I really like them all, that’s not a huge distinction. The Don the Cap section is my favorite part of this one. I really can’t wait for tomorrow’s video. The Ancient is usually peoples’ least favorite track...I love it the most.

Those transition pieces were one of the things rock critics complained about--Yes were being too esoteric, too spacey, too pretentious. (After the lambasting given to "Relayer" partly because of these slow "contemplative" passages, Yes themselves would eliminate them from subsequent songs.) One critic said the whole album was "such a dumbass, boring idea that it could only have been made by a bunch of homely vegetarians like them." Another described Alan White as just another "plodder." And Steve Howe was derided for taking rock guitar as far away from its original blues roots as possible. That's the kind of anti-prog nonsense we prog fans had to put up with back then. How wonderful, then, to have new listeners giving this great music a new appreciation today. As for this piece in particular, I find it as much of a showcase for Chris Squire's voice as for Jon's (I LOVE Chris' voice) and I think the climax is one of the most gloriously beautiful and triumphant sequences in any kind of music.

I really enjoy you smiling while listening to this. I know I always get goosebumps and I'm 72 and Fragile was my first listen.

This is the highlight from TFTO, Without The Remembering, no Awaken, not a dead second in this song. @ J.P. You are referring to J-M. Jarre, I am thinking of classical composers from Scandinavia, such as Jean Sibelius and Edvard Grieg :)

The Voice as Instrument...Words as Sublime Sound Vibrations.......Song as Eternal Awareness of Bliss........Transmission Reaching Out to Other Worlds and Echoing Back Both Eternal and Momentary...............

It struck me...just now...that is is the most beautifully complex vocal piece on the album...Anderson is a vocal genius.....I loved hearing this again...and like much of Yes’ music....it STILL continues to grow on me....thanks for that Justin...cheers from Canada

I tried to get into this album about twenty years ago and failed (although I was a fan of most other 1970's Yes). At the time I thought that the crescendos weren't climactic enough. But as an older person now it does appeal much more in a mellow, wistful kind of way. Thanks for the opportunity to hear it again. I liked 'The Remembering' more than 'Revealing Science' too. Cheers.

I really love the interaction between acoustic and not-acoustic here and all the changes. Oh man this album works on so many different levels. Each part is just amazing. I honestly could not choose one particular side if my life depended on it. Will play the whole album again after you finish your comments on this. Thanks for doing Tales! Glad you like it too and are willing to do the whole thing ☺️ This song boring??? No way, so many interesting things happening here. But that counts for all 4 movements! You're so right about that part where it sounds like Awaken. Their climaxing of this song is just awesome. The lyrics of this song stick with me better than from the first song and I love singing along with this a lot (in private though). Good review.

Great stuff from YES as always Prog at its best ☝️❤️ thanks for the reaction JP ☝️

This is the one piece on this work that has absolutely grown on me over the years. It is like going on a journey. Towards the end I think they are just driving on all thrusters. Beautiful.

Have a listen to the album 'Anderson Bruford Wakeman Howe' from 1989. It really has some great moments.

Thanks for this and the analysis. You are spot on. Yes, the music reminds me of water (just wait for side 4 ! ). I'm 67, but heard this back in college when I was introverted, and didn't know who I was. This may sound crazy, but it (and other Yes' songs' lyrics) helped me find myself. I needed advice and tried to find meaning in everything. Lessons for life: "Whispers of clay - alternate ways," things can be different. Try things a new way...? "I reach over [take a picture] and the fruit of life stands still." (I was a photography major.) For a shy guy: "The strength of the meeting/moment and the strength of you seeing lies with you." Shy people don't think this way... So, this was something new for me. “Imagine all the glorious challenge [and just imagine what YOU can do!]"

Totally agree about Rick's contribution to this side, although apparently Steve had to fill in some parts where the keyboards didn't get done. There are so many good things on this track. The story is that Wakeman used to send out for curries during Topographic gigs. The press reception in the UK was mixed, but I think the album sold well.

Wakeman was probably unhappy because the whole album is more or less a Howe/Anderson idea. Rick himself was more into making his own solo albums so there you go. This track is Chris Squires best bass work. according to hilmself. Wonderfull chill out music in the first half, followed by Yes's best 10 minutes, imo.

I’ve been in the “Side 2 is my favorite” boat for quite a long time. I’m impressed that your video doesn’t have a bunch of pausing, commenting, and restarting. That’s a helluva long piece to watch someone else listen to. You definitely listened to it deeply, based on your comments and replays after your first listen through. I really appreciate this video. I’ve always felt kind of alone in my fanboydom for the Remembering. I wish someone could tell me where/when Chris Squire said this was his best bass work in Yes. I only recently heard that. Good call on Howe’s guitar work throughout the track, he really shows his range on this one.

After hearing this album sooo many times, this song has grown to be my favorite. It’s probably the most subtle but it both builds up and plateaus so beautifully

Typically I drown out the meaning of Anderson's lyrics, appreciating the instrument and his technique and emotion. Not on Tales, not on The Remembering- here he's brilliant. There's several astonishing moments where he closes verses with extraordinary power - "FAIL SAFE NOW!" And of course the final release of "Surely, surely." I know, few singers could be remembered for those.

A great analysis Justin. Really appreciate the time and thought you put into reviewing this wonderful album.

Thanks JP. I'm enjoying the listening and your reviews. The comments are interesting and it is enjoyable to read how this album has affected lives. "Ritual" is my wifes favourite song of any musical group, so we tend to listen to that song more than the other three. I am enjoying this thus far, very nostalgic. The timing of your release of these songs is perfect. It almost never snows here (even though I am in Canada) but this morning we have 8 inches with another foot expected. I'll just stay inside and binge watch your videos.

I love that you mention the pausing...Yes are masters of silence...for effect...for a respite...or of the stripped-back sections where, if a pin dropped you would be able to hear it; and the pause...the pause that introduces a new voice, or new instrument, or heralds a change of direction, or, just gives you a second or so to absorb what you've just heard. The time between the notes...

Great review JP and glad you liked it. As regards Rick's supposed comments it should be pointed out that he had released his first album 'The Six Wives ...' in early '73 and was no doubt working on the next one 'Journey to the Centre ...', released in '74. Probably the reason for not being on Relayer. He always seemed to enjoy getting a reaction from people but I think a lot maybe apocryphal. I like his early albums but sometimes the keyboards were too much. I think his best work was with Yes. I love this album, this track being my favourite. However, I think the album was meant to be listened to as a whole - but who had/has the time. Hence some tracks are liked more than others. Maybe with the lock down people may have some spare time.

Great review, Justin. Loved your reactions. As a big Yes fan, for me, TFTO is an album I go to every now and then and it never lets me down. I tend to be of a mind to hear a certain side and just listen to that side. It's not my favourite Yes album but in my opinion TFTO has some of the most powerful, beautiful and sublime musical moments Yes ever recorded. It's a bold and hugely ambitious album and it paid off for Yes as it went to #1 in the UK and #6 in the US. Hard to imagine music as experimental and ambitious as this being so commercially successful. I think over the years TFTO has grown in estimation from hated by everybody (except dyed in the wool Yes fans), to a testament to bands throwing off the shackles of what is expected of them and boldly striking out for those musical pastures we might not know of yet.

Tales is my all time YES favorite. It is a musical journey and has such wonderful soundscapes. It is great to have a work where the band can develop the theme and take you places so different. However it does take some time and effort to get into. But if you take that time, effort and concentration you will be well rewarded. So many people who are in a hurry they cannot do that, they like 2 min noodles. The secret is to break it up and focus on each movement. Get an appreciation for each movement then put it together. That is the approach you are taking. I have listened to Tales hundreds of times and it is still so fresh and amazing even after nearly 50 years. A better way to listen is laying back in a chair in a dark room with good headphones without any distractions. Really great review and thank you so much for taking this epic work on. It is not easy but I can tell you are not a 2 min noodle type with music. Tales is not just a song it is a journey.

When I first got into Yes in the early 80's (81-82), I had never been exposed to the 15+ minute "Epics" until Close to the Edge and Gates of Delirium. When I got Tales on vinyl, I wore out my needles playing this whole album over and over. The Remembering is my absolute favorite off this album, followed by The Revealing Science of God, The Ancient, then Ritual (my least favorite "epic" from Yes). I'm really enjoying this journey, remembering my own journey revealing the ancient love I have for the ritual of listening to this album...

Probably the part I like most.

In an interview, Wakeman felt that certain parts were getting "bled to death", and this was an album he could never get into. When he reunited years later, he was asked if he would be willing to do Tales on the tour. He said he could now put a different spin on his parts, but still not his favorite. I don't know what he could do to improve it, but I would love to hear what he did.

Listen to this 2 or three times. You won't be able to get it out of your head. Addictive. Good luck.

I remember me being a young fan of Yes: from 1972, being 13 years old. So many listening hours on my attick-room. Parents (logically in these times) didn't understand my choice of music. In early 1977 me and my father (just pensioned, marine-man) were in a music shop. He searching albums for himself (classical), me searching for Yes and Genesis, being 17, not much to spend. He suddenly asked: what's that LP in your hands? Topographic Oceans. You like it? I hope so! He bought me the album, I listened and listened (so perfect!). Two months later he asked: What about that Album? Like it very much! Let me here, he said. Listened to "The revealing Science of God" with headphone and said: good choice, sounds like the complex music I like. Such a great moment that was. Three months later he died cause of cancer beneath his brain. This album was my last direct, emotional personal contact with him. So "The Remembering" as, of course, the other songs on this album, are special for me for I think 44 years. And not only emotional: an album from a band trying to evolve and searching for new paths. That's gr8!

The Remembering is arguable my favorite "song" from the album - although I normally listen to the entire album at a time. I don't get water or ocean on this song - they are sailing the skies - so I get flying. Sailing the skies ties in with the flying ship from the Fragile album cover art.

Kudos to Stephen Wilson. While many songs of youth were heard from radios, the good stuff got pumped through headphones, or speakers pressed against the head. I had this sucker memorized within a year of its release, because progressive music always rewarded the close listening. But even after all that close listening, I never noticed some of the choral work which Mr. Wilson was able to bring forward, to my ear and mind's delight. This is my favorite of the four, but I like different parts of each one. When listening to this song, as you did, it is good to don the thinking cap, and close your eyes, imagining all the glorious challenge that lay before you, perhaps locked away from others. Distant suns at best. Thanks for your insights. They also added to my appreciation of this oft' maligned masterpiece.

All 4 songs are amazing... The most listened and played live by yes are the book ends... The Revealing and Ritual. But I am with you The Remembering is my favorite... The strength of the Moment Lies with You.. with me and all of us.

This is my fave on the album, Ritual is right there too. The ending of this song is phenomenal. Never get tired of it. Great vid. Cheers

I love the entire album! The most visionary music of its day and still is

Justin...so very glad you liked The Remembering. You are totally right...even if the word was about Wakeman being unhappy with this album he contributes masterfully. His workings are exquisite. I very much enjoy the calming interludes as well...they give it spacing. One of the reasons I am not crazy about some more modern progressive bands (I won't name names to keep the peace) is that they try cramming so much in. Here Yes gives it a chance to breathe! Lyrical note: Relayer All the passion spent on one Cross Yep. Jon Anderson may be deeply involved with way out cosmic and philosophical thoughts but that one line I think brings it home. He was thinking...I give him a lot of credit for what he brings to the table.

You won’t remember, but I told on your, ‘The Revealing Science Of God’ reaction, all about my first ever listen to the whole of this Album. It was ‘Live’, at my hometown venue, in November 1973. I was aged 17 and it was 2 weeks before the Album was released, when I then bought it. I’ve loved it all, ever since then. I’m sure I heard Rick say he’s ‘come round’ a little regarding it, in more recent times? Not everyone’s cup of tea, but a true Masterpiece, in my own view. 🎶❤️🎶

“The Remembering” is a bit uneven (when it’s slow, it’s slooow), but the best parts are among the best of the entire album. My favorites are the folky piece (“Don your cap and close your eyes...”) is introduced, the instrumental section after “Fail safe now!” (especially when the ‘Relayer...’ theme is doubled on synth and choir mellotron-it’s like sun coming out through the clouds :) ), and the concluding climactic section (“alternate view, sunlight”), where Squire’s bass digs down and climbs upwards from the depths...

Hi Justin, I loved your reaction and comments. I have listened to Topographic Oceans for 30 years and have listened to it over 5000 times (without exaggeration) and this is my favorite movement by far. The evolution towards the climax and its construction is great, it generates a lot of suggestive images. Regards, Máximo

This is a well arranged song! I always discover different things with it! This time, I realized that there are two basic themes -- 1)Wakeman's beautiful flowing sea, the Topographic Ocean, is always returned to after 2)Anderson sings about sailing the skies and seeking to rise above the earth. Constant back and forth dichotomy between those two themes, and the song does end with the Topographic theme. Supposedly as I read later, The Topographic Ocean, as displayed on the cover, is the hidden layer of Mankind's history, which according to Jon, is told to us through the Relayer. When Wakeman was embarking on his big solo career with A&M Records (Journey to the Center of the Earth was released at that time), there were undoubtedly some pressure for him to leave Yes, because re-learning all of the synth chords for putting Tales on tour was too much. Also, Anderson wanted the group to go vegetarian on tour and avoid drinking, which was probably the breaking point for Wakeman. Still, a solid album for Wakeman - even his small piano parts on Tales are so uplifting!

While Yes was recording “Tales”, Rick Wakeman recorded with Black Sabbath on the song Sabbra Cadabra. Sabbath invited Wakeman to be a permanent member of the band. They all decided that heavy-metal was too guitar oriented and not ready for someone like Wakeman. Wakeman is still good friends with Ozzy Osbourne and the other original members of Sabbath to this day.

I mentioned this the other day but it might have been an old video. Loving the prog stuff, try the excellent It Bites. Might I suggest the title track from 'Once Around The World' or anything from 'Eat Me In At.Louis'. Francis Dunnery's guitar work is outstanding. Enjoy the weekend and keep on spreading the prog ✌️

Referring to the complete album: Isn't that sound quality stunning? It was recorded in 1973. It is so transparent, every instrument is clearly loacatable. I think, this is worth a mention. Today we take it for granted, but in those times it was truly amazing, for such complex music.

Justin, you just listened to my personal favorite song from the album! It is a Beautiful Epic!!! NEVER Boring! Some their FINEST vocals and Harmonies. It's kind of like a Sonic Lullaby. Thanks for the Great reaction of this Masterpiece!!!

So right about the boat on the ocean. The tempestuous sounds of the synth plus the wind of the cymbals makes for a ship sailing through a storm and finally arriving at port. I've always felt that this song is the precursor to Jon Anderson's "Olias of Sunhillow" album.

And, allow me to add, this is the only song on Topographic Oceans that I haven't seen live. I saw Ritual on the Masterworks tour, as well the the Steve and Jon excerpt from The Ancient, and I saw The Revealing Science of God in 2003. That was a real treat seeing the actual band that recorded the song playing it 30 years later. And I think back to seeing Anderson and Squire doing a tiny excerpt from Ritual during the Big Generator tour in 1987, and chuckle to remember Anderson saying "That was from an old song," which would have been 14 years, at the time.