Tales from Topographic Oceans - Yes Album Listening Guide

Tales from Topographic Oceans has been described as progressive rock's biggest and most difficult work. The story that surrounds its creation, challenging reception and troublesome but ground-breaking tour deserves careful and painstaking attention. In this book, Kevin Mulryne delves more deeply than ever before into the world of Yes in 1973. Combining original research with interviews of band members and technical staff, he has discovered myriad fascinating stories.

Jon Anderson and Steve Howe steered the band to create this masterwork but Rick Wakeman, Chris Squire and Alan White added their own unique and essential ingredients to elevate the music into the stratosphere. From its mystical conceptual basis to its breathtaking instrumental, vocal and arranging virtuosity, Tales from Topographic Oceans stands as the pinnacle of Yes' progressive achievements.

Over the four sides of this epic album, beautifully illustrated by Roger Dean, Yes achieved a work of musical creativity rarely if ever matched, before or since. Once the album was finished, the band went on the road to support it with a huge tour, featuring the first large-scale Roger and Martyn Dean stage scenery that paved the way for the concert spectaculars of the late 20th and 21st Century. The technical team Yes surrounded themselves with proved to be some of the greatest innovators of live music and many of them continue to break barriers today.

This is a listening guide that places the iconic album in its true context for the first time - prepare to be amazed!