HiRez Poll Yes - TALES FROM TOPOGRAPHIC OCEANS [DVD-Audio/Blu-Ray Audio]

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Rate the DVD-A/BDA of Yes - TALES FROM TOPOGRAPHIC OCEANS

  • 6

    Votes: 0 0.0%
  • 5

    Votes: 0 0.0%
  • 4

    Votes: 0 0.0%
  • 3

    Votes: 0 0.0%
  • 2

    Votes: 0 0.0%
  • 1: Poor Content, Surround Mix, and Fidelity

    Votes: 0 0.0%

  • Total voters
    122
I'm very curious to know from those intimately familiar with this album if they agree that SW has made some really significant changes to some things far beyond what he usually does and if you hear some of the things I mentioned in my review- if I described them adequately, which is difficult. I know how much perception plays a part in "hearing" music, and too be honest, I can't be sure what I experienced really happened that way. It was truly like an altered reality. It could be my great expectations created some kind of perceptual change similar to expectation bias- but even more-so...

And as far as the movement goes, I wonder if my having omni-polar fronts and bi-polar rears exaggerated or even created effects that weren't intended.

Any feedback greatly appreciated.

Oh, by the way, one thing I forgot to include in my review. I highly recommend this to anyone anywhere near to sitting on the fence, in case that wasn't clear...

And to those of you who've ordered and yet to receive, Godspeed to your packages!
 
While I've loved this album since I first owned it in perhaps 1978, it's never got to the stage where I am totally familiar with every note. So for me I can't say much about how it compares with the original release. OK, one or two things are clearly different but all for the better in my opinion.

For such a long piece of complex 'difficult' music this is just ridiculously enjoyable. It does everything I want from a surround mix. Its clarity is faultless. While I only rarely give 10/10, no other score would be fair. Worth the long wait? Of course it was.
 
Just a magnificent piece of writing! So descriptive and so accurate! Many things I was planning to express (so forgive me if you hear echoes in my review) and said so well. Your passion is evident (and well placed) and the buzz from the music comes through in your words. What an experience, eh? Thanks for your effort.

Sidenote: Your prose is so fine, it's a shame to harm it's legibility by using flow of consciousness formatting (i.e. one long paragraph). The line break is your reader's friend... (Just a small criticism on some wonderful writing)

Ha! Thanks for your comments... Advice and feedback taken, line breaks added. Cheers!
 
The Long version:

While this was only the 4th Yes album I ever bought, it was the Yes album that took the longest to click with me; but once it clicked, it connected hard. I'm very familiar w/ it through many listens on many different formats. Like most all Yes (but this album even more-so), the music is very lush, layered, inter-weaving, dynamic and complex- all qualities that lend themselves to a great surround mix. And boy has Mr. Wilson delivered, as he always does- but even more-so. As much as I love his Yes re-mixes, I'd rate GG's Power and Glory and Tull's Aqualung and his best to date that I have. This exceeds those imo. It is also the most that he has ever departed from the original work- in many ways (see below). I believe he utilized, to fantastic success- a great amount of artistic freedom on this project. I can feel his passion in the music, right along w/ the band (and the band includes Eddie Offord, who is an invaluable and intrinsic part of this music).

While there are many striking aspects of this audaciously ambitious work, one thing that has always stood out to me about it is TONE. The variety of tones on every instrument on display in this album is staggering. It's like Yes wanted to expand their musical palette so they could have as many hues available as possible to paint the vast auditory landscapes they wished to create. The keyboards obviously have almost infinite tones, but also on this album, Wakey's presets are all spot-on (unlike some later years). It's amazing how great he sounds on an album he despises and dislikes playing. Howe's uses different guitars and effects to achieve an awesome array of sounds and textures. Squire uses effects to vary his tones throughout and Alan bangs away on a vast variety of toms, cymbals, gongs, all manner of percussion. And then there's the many shades possible with those 3 harmonizing voices. Yes was all about pushing the envelope- and one of the things they pushed here was how unique and how many different tones they could convey.

And it those tones where Maestro Wilson weaves his magic. He has a way of taking most of these many different tones and make them really sing: it's like he takes what's there and makes it... even more-so. A really fluid guitar line, of which Howe weaves many, becomes even more liquid. An edgy guitar seems to expand it's bite. A vibrating cymbal seems to shimmer more. A floating keyboard chord seems to hover and even vibrate in a large space. A vocal becomes 4 dimensional- Jon's solo part is present in the front and the rear at the same time; it's not pulled out into the room, it's doubled in a different space (one of the liberties he took w/ the original material beyond what he usually does- but it works to great effect).

But here's another way he deviates from the original much more than usual (if hardly at all in most cases). Some of those tones, while they sound similar- and better- also sound significantly different. I don't know if they're a different edit or he uses some EQ, but some of those tones are changed quite a lot. The most I noticed them was in The Remembering. There's one part somewhere around the 13:00 mark where there's a crescendo that is the same in nature but I swear the texture of the guitar is completely different. It makes for a more dynamic build-up, but it jarred me with it's difference (I think it works great- just wasn't expecting it).

There's another spot where's Squire's bass has the exact same rhythm and pitch, but again the tone is vastly altered. The beginning of the Ancient (which brought a huge shirt-eating grin to this stoic old face) echoes it's cymbals all around you to great effect, but in it's expansiveness changes the basic character of that element. It's already been noted by others that he uses a completely different edit of Squire's bass lines in Ritual and of Wakeman's solo in Revealing.

Steven has made changes in tone in this 5.1 mix that seem to go against his usual philosophy of staying as true to the original as possible. He's taken liberties with some fundamental sounds, but the results don't change the basic character of the music as a whole- they just make those parts stand out even more. Part of that effect is the result of being able to separate the elements, as in all good surround mixes; part of that effect is from the added clarity he always achieves in his re-mixes; but a lot of that effect is that his choices in altering these tones seems to give them more immediacy and presence. Bravissimo Maestro!

Another area where SW exceeds his usual practice is in the amount of motion inherent within the soundfield. He generally eschews much panning between speakers in favor of just keeping a full, robust, well-filled sphere of sound. But in this mix, there's an amazing amount of motion. I'm not referring to pans between channels, though there is a slight amount of that, usually with Rick's keys and Alan's percussion. If that kind of motion is macro-motion, what I'm talking about is micro-motion: motion within a limited part of the soundfield. For example, there are some of Steve's flowing lines that seem to expand and contract as the motion around a speaker mimics the flowing of the line. There are keyboards that seem to not just hover over an area, but swirl intensely as they hover. The shimmer of cymbals I referred to earlier seem to come from some micro-motion. They don't just echo, they expand. Whatever instrument, any sustain or decay seemed to last longer and have more weight; every musical element of this mix seems to be somehow reinforced.

This mix is filled with micro-motion which again gives more presence to the elements. Everything is expanded and taken to it's limits. I believe SW has ignored his usual philosophy for re-mixing and instead adopted Yes' philosophy from this album: push the boundaries; exaggerate the extremes to the farthest possible point before reaching over-saturation. It's a gem in it's execution and almost mystical in its synergy. This was the album Yes always wanted to make; this is the mix Mr. Wilson always wanted to create. And the result is the absolute pinnacle of recorded music, imo.

I could go on about the many examples of sublime beauty present in this album that have been strengthened by SW's magic, such as the haunting variety as we get over over-hanging trees to the heart-rendering variety that is Steve's guitar that brings such sweet relief following the climax of that thunderous, brilliant cacophany that is the climax of the whole journey. But I've already gone on too long- which is apropos of this album, but in my case the criticism would be warranted, whereas with the album it's not.

Suffice it to say, I was thrilled, chilled and completely fulfilled by this experience. I'm not afraid to say that I teared up as the last notes died down.

I truly believe that SW feels more proud of this re-mix than any he's ever done- as well he should. I also feel sure that the pain we felt when this was temporarily shelved was nothing compared to what he endured; I bet it drove him crazy having this creation but being powerless to get it to those who could appreciate it's glories. This was always one of the albums he most wanted to work his surround magic on. He worked passionately over a three year period and his efforts paid off in spades. I don't know if he asked for and received, or he just took great artistic license with this, but the freedom he's shown in making bold choices hearkens back to the 70's music industry (more parallels) and the results are mind-blowing.

Thank you Mr. Wilson. You've taken a gem and not only made it shine unimaginably brighter, but also revealed all of of it's facets in brilliant relief. Bravissimo indeed.

Now THERE'S a review!!! Loved it - and spot on throughout. You captured exactly how I feel about this wonderful release. (And with line breaks too. Ha!)
 
Now THERE'S a review!!! Loved it - and spot on throughout. You captured exactly how I feel about this wonderful release. (And with line breaks too. Ha!)

LOL! You set the bar bro; I just had to top it! But seriously, this thing just has me so juiced I have all this Topographic energy that has an excellent avenue of release in discussing the "source." Still flying high, getting ready for my 2nd dose shortly.
 
The Ancient was a song I never liked, although the acoustic guitar part with
wonderful vocals at the end is superb.
You said it and I agree. This track seems to struggle to fill a whole LP side.
But the set as a whole is great. For me it was good it was available as DVD-A. And while I'm at it, I'll mention that the 5.1 MLP on the DVD-A is 48kHz and not 96 as is told in the booklet. That is not a complaint however.
From this set the second CD will get an occasional play as it contains the extra track "Dance of the Dawn" and the new "single" edits that are not on the DVD's.

Glad to have those Yes DVD-A's with the Steven Wilson mixes.
 
This is what I've waited for.
I played it every day since I got it and other discs have to wait right now.
The mix is not compressed, fresh and the use of the rears is nearly perfect.
The Ancient was a song I never liked, although the acoustic guitar part with
wonderful vocals at the end is superb.
In surround mode now I even like the whole track!

The other songs are big cinema!
Steven Wilson....thank you very very much! You did it! :)

10!

You said it and I agree. This track seems to struggle to fill a whole LP side.
But the set as a whole is great. For me it was good it was available as DVD-A. And while I'm at it, I'll mention that the 5.1 MLP on the DVD-A is 48kHz and not 96 as is told in the booklet. That is not a complaint however.
From this set the second CD will get an occasional play as it contains the extra track "Dance of the Dawn" and the new "single" edits that are not on the DVD's.

Glad to have those Yes DVD-A's with the Steven Wilson mixes.

Your mind seemed to have stopped early or skipped a line. His point was that the new mix has allowed the whole track to finally click w/ him.

And his point is exactly the kind of thing I hoped SW's magic would bring to this album. Ever since this album clicked for me, which took a fair while, I've loved the Ancient. It's Yes at it's most raw and wild, not just breaking the rules but ripping them to shreds and then dancing in the confetti, it's only real sibling the feral Sound Chaser, but whose untamed romp resolves into a guitar and voice duet (though not w/o sweet subtle accents from the others) whose beauty is of such a depth to it delights and warms from within the very soul. At least that's my story and I'm sticking to it.

But on an album already ignored by many, I knew the Ancient was the most disliked and controversial, but I also knew the rich treasures to be unlocked once it clicked.

Congrats Imachine on that bolt sliding solidly into place. It's a great feeling, huh? And you just popped your cherry w/ it, so the ride is just beginning!

Ge, I hope you don't give up on the track and I hope it clicks for you. I guarantee had somebody seen me while I was listening to it, they'd have def thought me bonkers. Between maniacal grins and constantly breaking out into fits of laughter, amused on an absolutely cosmic level: How the HELL can they do that? To even think up that line/riff, rhythm, melody, sound, each one individually something unheard of, obviously no one had ever taken that crazy tack before- so many individual instances of outrageous creation- but then to fit them together LIKE THAT! No U di-ent. Just constantly "how did you make that sound?" "I can't believe how good that (one element) sounds! And the percussion is chasing that line around like that?"

It was just like ceaseless forms of amazement all over the place- look over there... no over there... It was just so delightful I couldn't help but break out in laughter. It was Ritual that got the tears ready to flow by the end. But enough is too much already. Regardless of whether TA clicks for you, glad you're lovin the rest.
 
I'm very curious to know from those intimately familiar with this album if they agree that SW has made some really significant changes to some things far beyond what he usually does and if you hear some of the things I mentioned in my review- if I described them adequately, which is difficult. I know how much perception plays a part in "hearing" music, and too be honest, I can't be sure what I experienced really happened that way. It was truly like an altered reality. It could be my great expectations created some kind of perceptual change similar to expectation bias- but even more-so...

And as far as the movement goes, I wonder if my having omni-polar fronts and bi-polar rears exaggerated or even created effects that weren't intended.

Any feedback greatly appreciated.

Oh, by the way, one thing I forgot to include in my review. I highly recommend this to anyone anywhere near to sitting on the fence, in case that wasn't clear...

And to those of you who've ordered and yet to receive, Godspeed to your packages!

I know this album inside out and I have to agree with all of your observations, with one possible exception. I always thought that SW's aim was to keep his mix as close as possible to the spirit and character of the original, rather than as close as possible to the original mix itself.

I'm on my nightly Tales visit, currently in The Ancient (still keeping its place as my surprise favourite on this 'new' album). I'm noticing new things all the time, and I'm not sure if this is due to new edits, different takes, or purely this mix moving the instrument balance compared to what I'm used to. This is one thing that i love about this SW Yes series. I know Yes albums so well that I rarely listen to them now. But this series has made them fresh to me again, and made me want to dive back into this wonderful music as I used to do regularly. :sun

Excellent review of yours by the way, very eloquent (y)
 
Oh God!!! Oh God!! Oh God!!!...... Splooge!!! :music :teleport: :worthy :wave I believe after all these years of listening in surround I just had my first real EARGASM! No doubt in my mind, TFTO existed for this moment Moment MOMENT!

YES: Tales From Topographic Oceans DVD-Audio. Score: X, 拾, ፲, Ten no matter how you write it this is a solid 10! (the only way this could be improved for me is if the on screen could be given the GG - The Power and the Glory treatment with lyrics and moving (Roger Dean) elements on screen, now that would be an easy 11!)

And for what it's worth....I always liked the Ancient...tho even more now (y)

Will be listening to the Blu-Ray version soonly. (I suspect it will be a 10 also...jus' sayin')
 
Had a long drive for work today - so gave the DVD-a discs (yes - I splurged on this and the BD-A!) a spin in my in-car surround system. OMG!!!! Couldn't be happier. So glad I have the long drive home again tomorrow. Yay!
 
I know this album inside out and I have to agree with all of your observations, with one possible exception. I always thought that SW's aim was to keep his mix as close as possible to the spirit and character of the original, rather than as close as possible to the original mix itself.

I'm on my nightly Tales visit, currently in The Ancient (still keeping its place as my surprise favourite on this 'new' album). I'm noticing new things all the time, and I'm not sure if this is due to new edits, different takes, or purely this mix moving the instrument balance compared to what I'm used to. This is one thing that i love about this SW Yes series. I know Yes albums so well that I rarely listen to them now. But this series has made them fresh to me again, and made me want to dive back into this wonderful music as I used to do regularly. :sun

Excellent review of yours by the way, very eloquent (y)

Thank you for your kind words. And your eloquence as well. I so totally agree w/ your 2nd paragraph and couldn't have said it any better. Hey, you, get outta my head! And that's exactly the kind of feedback I asked for right after my review, from someone with your level of intimacy. And sounds like you're in a similar place; I hear all these differences from the well-known, but I don't know... just HOW does he do that. Which provides a great parallel of all the times you can say that about the band themselves. It's magic, I tells ya. Maybe we'll never know how...


Your nightly Tales visits! Awesome! I sense a common theme of many of us who keep coming back for more- which is something I rarely do. Granted, I'm just about to end my 1st day w/ this (No way was I sleeping last night after the roller coaster ride) and I've just had 2 listens. But I get the feeling that for some of us, after 1st exposure, we've changed our measurement of time to the duality of Time elapsed since last playback and Time remaining until next launch.

Anyway, I'd like to invite you- and any other interested souls- to gather in DMJ's Tales Reality thread in the BR section to discuss some finer points of this album which wouldn't be appropriate for a poll thread. I'm soon off to slumberland, but I'll be there tomorrow to see who might have left a tasty Tales tidbit. Hope to see you- and plenty of you all- there.

Oops- forgot your initial point. While I can't say for sure one way or the other- and it may be mostly semantics- my understanding of it was that he tried to stay as close as possible to the original mix. But I could easily be wrong. All I know, is that this re-mix has way more differences in the details than any mix of his I have (not that I have a majority of them). I did get some feedback over at SHF though where a member informed me that on KC's Lizard, SW displays a similar amount of freedom to deviate from the mix, which he was freely granted by Mr. Fripp. I feel pretty strongly that SW was pushing his own limits on this mix, unconstrained by anything but his excellent judgment and the fact that it happened once before kinda validates that's what this is- if that makes any sense???
 
Oh God!!! Oh God!! Oh God!!!...... Splooge!!! :music :teleport: :worthy :wave I believe after all these years of listening in surround I just had my first real EARGASM! No doubt in my mind, TFTO existed for this moment Moment MOMENT!

YES: Tales From Topographic Oceans DVD-Audio. Score: X, 拾, ፲, Ten no matter how you write it this is a solid 10! (the only way this could be improved for me is if the on screen could be given the GG - The Power and the Glory treatment with lyrics and moving (Roger Dean) elements on screen, now that would be an easy 11!)

And for what it's worth....I always liked the Ancient...tho even more now (y)

Will be listening to the Blu-Ray version soonly. (I suspect it will be a 10 also...jus' sayin')

Excellent. And the merry-go-round of happy campers keeps spinning... Not so sure we needed such explicit sound effects for your eargasm, but aint no nits bein picked here. Glad u got Nut, ya big nut. As for the Ancient and your description- that's an ever-recurring theme in this release that I tried to highlight in my review: and even more-so!
 
Can't stop listening to this!!

Love the tambourine in the LR during the guitar solo in TRSOG. This is such a bad ass mix. Goddamn!!
 
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Excellent. And the merry-go-round of happy campers keeps spinning... Not so sure we needed such explicit sound effects for your eargasm, but aint no nits bein picked here. Glad u got Nut, ya big nut. As for the Ancient and your description- that's an ever-recurring theme in this release that I tried to highlight in my review: and even more-so!

Maybe a little over the top but it was an Earfelt appraisement of my experience. ( besides haven't been with a woman for a while, so music is my only lover...sad but true, and I swear there are no nits on me to be picked :mad:@: )
 
Maybe a little over the top but it was an Earfelt appraisement of my experience. ( besides haven't been with a woman for a while, so music is my only lover...sad but true, and I swear there are no nits on me to be picked :mad:@: )

LOL Now you're cookin w/ gasoline! Way to raise your game.

And unfortunately, I can totally empathize w/ you re: music as lover. Same situation currently and in my life's fractured experience, woman have always let me down, sooner or later (many more sooner), whereas Music is always there there for me, waiting with cuddling arms.

In my case though, it may be cuz I sold my soul; as a teenager, riding around in a buddy's car, sipping deeply those first sweet draughts of freedom, a lil experimenting w/ the forbidden flower, as the music builds to a feverish pitch, a delicious sense of paranoid fills my gut and is magnified by the thundering bass, I stare straight into the void w/ the abandon afforded usually only to ignorant youth, I am engulfed by the darkness when Robert screams out "Let the music be your master. Will you heed the masters call?" I enthusiastically shout out YES! and the darkness recedes. Whoa! This is some great shit man!

So, that may explain why it's just me an my honey music. But I must say, she's been an unfailingly kind mistress.
 
So w/ all the finger-flapping I've been doing, I forgot to actually vote. Just did. Who are these heathen who voted an 8 and a 9. Let's get 'em! j/k

I would love to see this skyrocket right to the top of the poll, right where ME thinks it belongs! 18votes- how many does it take to get into the poll?
 
Wow! These reviews have me worn out. Just got word that mine's on the way (was back-ordered @ ImportCD). Not nearly the wait I was expecting. Looking at the positive side, back orders mean brisk sales and I'm still hoping for GFTO sometime soon.
 
This album is totally new to me (Don't judge me DennisMooreJr! I have no lupins!), so I'll need many listens before I vote.

It's different, to my ears. More open and ethereal than previous albums. I like it, but I need time to digest.

I'm digging it so far.
 
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