Very under rated Yes record. Next to Relayer it's probably their most adventurous. At least that's how I used to look at it.
They were on to something. This is to Yes what Trespass is to Genesis, a very fine sophmore effort. The strings don't bother me like they seem to with many people. It's a very special album in their catalog and imo one of their most under rated even by so called hardcore Yes fans.
Do not suffer through the game of chance that plays....always doors to lock away your dreams (To Be Over)
It's certainly not their easiest record, but it's part of that trilogy, though easily the weakest of the three. Wondering makes up for a lot, as does Place to SurviveOriginally Posted by ItalProgRules
That said, I'd take it over many so-called prog classics!
"Always ready with the ray of sunshine"
Especially that "Meurglys" second half... YEEUCK!
Be a loyal plastic robot for a world that doesn't care... Frank Zappa
"Place To Survive" is the ONLY song I ever heard on Classic Rock radio.
Be a loyal plastic robot for a world that doesn't care... Frank Zappa
Must have been some late night prog show or something. I've never heard ANY VDGG on classic rock radio. I've also never heard any Camel, Nektar, PFM or Gentle Giant. The only prog bands(not counting the most obvious)I've ever heard on classic rock radio were Focus, King Crimson(and even pretty rare for me to hear them)and Renaissance.
Do not suffer through the game of chance that plays....always doors to lock away your dreams (To Be Over)
WXRT, a *major* Chicago radio station, broadcast a 2 hr special on VdGG in '09, but that caused me to believe the earth had rotated off its axis.
Back on topic, I neglected to mention that Time is not only my fave Yes album, but one of my fave albums, period.
I'd disagree in that for me Trespass is more analogous to Yes, in that both were bold mission statements that were hampered by indifferent production and lack of experience/maturity. I consider Nursery Cryme to be Genesis' real sophomore effort, and I have to give it the nod in terms of moving the needle over TaaW. While TaaW shows Yes moving forward as writers and players, the use of strings -- though well done -- smacked a bit of desperation ("Hey, everyone else is doing it.") Genesis felt no need to pander to the current trend of putting an orchestra on your album (which IMO was actually getting a bit stale by 1970), but instead saw what was working in their identity and pushed it even harder. Yes wouldn't arrive at that place until The Yes Album, which for me then leapfrogs Genesis' real third effort: Foxtrot. Again IMO.
But don't get me wrong -- as I said earlier every Yes album from the 70s has its charms and TaaW is one of them. Especially "Astral Traveller" -- it absolutely kills.
My problem with the album. But it's still good.
I want to dynamite your mind with love tonight.
In context, I think that solo totally works. It's awkward and depressing and wrong; it fits the lyrics. Out of context, yeah it's pretty much unlistenable.
I want to dynamite your mind with love tonight.
A really vital album for them. By the next one a lot of grit (and some balls) got polished off. Chris' bass tone was never raunchier than here either. The strings don't bother me.
I love both of Yes' first two albums. Squire is monstrous in his playing, it bends my mind that he was playing that strong at such a young point in Yes' career. I actually prefer the debut album a little bit. "Looking Around" is such a great keyboard romp! And "Something's Coming" is also fantastic, though I don't know if it ever was officially on either of the first two albums?
Brufatal?For me Mind Drive is brutal. And fatal at the same time
(As in "no Bruf at all"?)
Always been one of my favorites, the remaster is great too with lots of good bonus cuts
Familiarity breeds contempt... I like to pull this one out simply because I'm not burned out on it. Plus, Tony's organ sound gives me a chubby, and I personally think the strings are great.
I always thought that Harold Land and Visions Of Angels sound similar to each other. Btw, A Time And A Word is one of my fave Yes works as well. I love the orchestration.
My enjoyment of Yes starts at The Yes Album. Though the first two certainly have their moments.
Please don't ask questions, just use google.
Never let good music get in the way of making a profit.
I'm only here to reglaze my bathtub.
After reading through this thread I gotta say I'm surprised by the overwhelming positive response to this release. TaaW has always held a special place for me. Granted I didn't buy it the day it was released but as I explored Yes' catalog album by album this was one of those that came to me pretty early. First was TYA (reel to reel recording) then I bought Tales, then I heard Yessongs on cassette on a camping trip summer of '74. I want to say I heard Relayer before TaaW. Jon's voice always jumps out at me on this release and of course Bruford and Squire rock on the big 4 (Then, No Opportunity, Astral Traveler, The Prophet... even Sweet Dreams is a catchy pop song. Not to leave Kaye or Banks out because Kaye is the one who really brings this album together with his keyboards. Much more prominent than anything he contributed to on TYA. And of course until I bought Yesterdays I had never heard Dear Father which was from this same album. Flip side of TaaW single if I recall.
I believe Somethings Coming was one of Yes' first singles, it showed up on the Box set first then on the Rhino re-releases it was included with the debut album. Great song...
Agree Dear Father is wonderful.. I've got a "recording" simply titles "Yes' outtakes" where they included about 6 different versions of just about every song from TaaW. I remember listening to it one fall while I was splitting wood in my back yard. About an hour plus of this repetitiveness, but for some reason in that setting I managed to enjoy listening to the "subtle" differences of each take. Also included with that recording was some outtakes from CTTE sessions which were very cool.
))
I find the S/T debut to be vastly superior to "Time and a Word." Better songs and better production. Glad you love it though.
Fragile, the yes album and close to the edge were my faves for years but I tend to enjoy time and a word more these days. Dear father is a cool bonus track. There's a couple of songs which are a bit dated eg then, clear days and astral traveller but the rest is cool
It's all dated, happily. The date is not a shame for sure.are a bit dated eg then, clear days and astral traveller but the rest is cool
Never been that keen on it. The orchestration bogs the material down IMHO, it sounds sharper on the BBC sessions to me. The better tracks are an advance on the debut, particularly 'Then' and 'Astral Traveller'.
Agree the BBC sessions bring a lot of this material to the surface. Assuming this was Pete's project since he has repeatedly dished the final versions w/ orchestra etc. on Time and a Word.
Bruford's fastest drumming on any Yes album by far.
What I like most about this album is not the orchestra but the bass. It is a bit less trebly than on most Yes albums but you hear it above all the other instruments and yet it somehow has a softer, cleaner tone than on The Yes Album. I've always been rather disappointed that you don't hear Peter Banks as much on TaaW. He doesn't have much to do (except on Everydays) but to throw in a lead once in a while. He isn't really featured.
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