Top 5 Prog Double Albums

[zombywoof]

I never really understood the universal distain for Topographic Oceans. I am NOT a big Yes fan by any stretch of the imagination, but I've never found that record any more overblown or long-winded than their other material. I've always kind of liked it, really - it's some of their most adventurous stuff. Sure, I can understand why it flys over the heads of people expecting "I've Seen All Good People" part 2, but I personally don't see why it's hated by proggers.

- A non Yes 'fanboi'

[cavgator]

I never really understood the universal distain for Topographic Oceans. I am NOT a big Yes fan by any stretch of the imagination, but I've never found that record any more overblown or long-winded than their other material. I've always kind of liked it, really - it's some of their most adventurous stuff. Sure, I can understand why it flys over the heads of people expecting "I've Seen All Good People" part 2, but I personally don't see why it's hated by proggers.

- A non Yes 'fanboi'

Ask Wakeman, or any of the band members, if they were honest. Fans weren't expecting I've Seen All Good People. They were expecting Close To The Edge, a work that had damned little fat on it. As Bruford said, they couldn't possible top that (and they haven't, IMO), and the pain to try to produce that would have been unbearable. I saw Yes on the Tales tour at the Frankfurt Festhalle, and people were sleeping on the floor. It seemed like forever to get through the album live, and I've heard the album a couple dozen times before the concert. I cannot imagine what it would have been like for the casual rock fan.

Tales From The Topographic Oceans (what exactly IS a "topographical ocean?") is bulky, ponderous and overblown, and probably epitomized the Spinal Tap vision of excess than any other prog album. They returned to form with Relayer (a bit too busy and shrill for my taste, but still miles ahead of Tales) by keeping the format relatively simple, but haven't approached it since, even though they had flashes of brilliance ("Awaken, Machine Messiah").

For overblown excess, nothing touches Tales, IMO, and the opinion of many, many others. These aren't Yes-haters, either. Many of the same folks who hate Tales love Close To The Edge and Relayer.

[grego]

The Lamb Lies Down On Broadway - Genesis
Living In The Past - JT
Focus 3
Four Letter Monday Afternoon - Out Of Focus
Quadrophenia - The Who

[klothos]

I never really understood the universal distain for Topographic Oceans. I am NOT a big Yes fan by any stretch of the imagination, but I've never found that record any more overblown or long-winded than their other material.

My problem with it is that I have a life schedule that doesn't allow me to sit down with it and take it all in with one listen.........the songs are incredibly long - and tedious in spots, punctuated with moments of self-indulgence. I could put it on any one song, listen to a verse, a chorus , a verse, an interlude, then the phone rings and my wife needs me to fix a flat tire, then my drummer calls and asks me to go in my garage and dig out his Alesis DM5 shoved in a box somewhere, then I have to cut the grass because we have unexpected company coming over, then I go in to cook for the family and company, then I shit, shower, and shave, and when I finally walk back into the room where I was listening to the album, the chorus to the song I left running magically reappears

[Trane]

T
Four Letter Monday Afternoon - Out Of Focus

finall, a second vote for this one

[hippypants]

I'd add Pink Floyd's Ummagumma & Joni Mitchell's Don Juan's Restless Daughter, & Michael Hedges Live on the Double Planet

[the winter tree]

I never really understood the universal distain for Topographic Oceans. I am NOT a big Yes fan by any stretch of the imagination, but I've never found that record any more overblown or long-winded than their other material. I've always kind of liked it, really - it's some of their most adventurous stuff. Sure, I can understand why it flys over the heads of people expecting "I've Seen All Good People" part 2, but I personally don't see why it's hated by proggers.

- A non Yes 'fanboi'

I love the album and I don't understand the negative reactions from many prog fans. I'm glad they recorded it. Sure Wakeman didn't like it, but he also has never seemed very fond of RELAYER which is another great album.

[cavgator]

My problem with it is that I have a life schedule that doesn't allow me to sit down with it and take it all in with one listen.........the songs are incredibly long - and tedious in spots, punctuated with moments of self-indulgence. I could put it on any one song, listen to a verse, a chorus , a verse, an interlude, then the phone rings and my wife needs me to fix a flat tire, then my drummer calls and asks me to go in my garage and dig out his Alesis DM5 shoved in a box somewhere, then I have to cut the grass because we have unexpected company coming over, then I go in to cook for the family and company, then I shit, shower, and shave, and when I finally walk back into the room where I was listening to the album, the chorus to the song I left running magically reappears

Outstanding post! Wakeman's opinion was by NO means a singular one. Those of us who were old enough to remember when this came out had little to say but WTF?!? As for Relayer, it was FAR better, but still, it was not the Yes we were accustomed to at the time it came out. Too spacy, too shrill, too much non-Yes sound (Howe on the Strat, too much Moraz and White, no Wakeman and Bruford).

Not saying Relayer sucked. It was GREAT! But it was NOT Yes as many of us old-timers remembered it. Emerson, Lake and Powell made a great album, but it was not ELP. The drums were NOT the same (even though Palmer replicated that sound in the 1990s)...

Back in those days, it MATTERED who was on it...

[Modry Effekt]

Top of my head : Walter Carlos - Sonic Seasonings

[WytchCrypt]

I love the album and I don't understand the negative reactions from many prog fans. I'm glad they recorded it. Sure Wakeman didn't like it, but he also has never seemed very fond of RELAYER which is another great album.

I love Tales, always have, it's my 2nd fave Yes album behind Relayer. And as far as Wakeman's opinion of it, well...that's Wakeman's opinion...just because he hates it doesn't mean I have to

[WytchCrypt]

ELP did Works, but those were more of a collection of solo efforts than a group effort. If works came out instead with:

* A group arrangement of one part of Keith's Piano Concerto (approx 7:00) - just the trio
* Fanfare For The Common Man (9.30)
* Ces't La vie (4:16)
* Pirates (14:30) - without the orchestra
* Apple Blossoms (3:56)
* Tiger In The Spotlight (4:02) - their silly song
* Watching Over You (3:54)

This album would have time out at approximately 48:00, and would have been a FAR stronger album than what was actually released. Indeed, I think it would have ranked well alongside their first five efforts.

Great idea...though I'd replace "Watching Over You" with "Hallowed Be Thy Name". I agree with you about a non-orchestra arrangement of Pirates, I would have loved to hear that song with Keith relying on Moog & Hammond - though he probably would have played the whole thing on GX-1

[bob_32_116]

I'd add Pink Floyd's Ummagumma & Joni Mitchell's Don Juan's Restless Daughter, & Michael Hedges Live on the Double Planet

I wanted to add the Joni one, but wasn't sure if it qualifies. I must say I didn't like it all that much when I first heard it, but I find myself returning to it.

[Dave (in MA)]

I love Tales, always have, it's my 2nd fave Yes album behind Relayer. And as far as Wakeman's opinion of it, well...that's Wakeman's opinion...just because he hates it doesn't mean I have to

Yeah, forgive me if I don't value the opinion of a guy who put out a bunch of albums with Ashley Holt vocals on them.

[cavgator]

Yeah, forgive me if I don't value the opinion of a guy who put out a bunch of albums with Ashley Holt vocals on them.

I cringe at Ashley Holt's vocals as well, but credibility-wise, I think Wakey has more than enough cred, as does Bruford and many others...

[JJ88]

The Lamb
The Wall
Soft Machine Third
Yeti
Back Into The Future (this Man album is half-studio, half-live)

'Tales' has an awful lot of great music, but 'The Remembering', I've never gotten into. It's all over the place. One of my least favourite of all their long tracks.

I agree with the premise of a shortened 'Works'. It was cheeky of them to put all that solo stuff out under the group name, and also cheeky to put out outtakes on the follow-up without the sleeve indicating that.

[Poisoned Youth]

Studio
Archive - Controlling Crowds I-IV (not originally released together though)
Soft Machine - Third
The Flower Kings - Stardust We Are
Pink Floyd - The Wall
Los Canarios - Ciclos


Live
Camel - A Live Record
King Crimson - Great Deceiver Box
Grobschnitt - Solar Music Live

[Scrotum Scissor]

I'm from Québec and I'm always surprise when I read that Harmonium is prog.

I've heard other Quebecians say the same about Octobre, for instance - and musically speaking I still hear Harmonium first and foremost as a "singer-songwriter's" kind of craft. I think they were "adopted" into the "prog" oeuvre due to Serge Fiori admitting to having been somewhat influenced by Genesis on the second and third Harmonium releases.

[TheH]

I've heard other Quebecians say the same about Octobre, for instance - and musically speaking I still hear Harmonium first and foremost as a "singer-songwriter's" kind of craft. I think they were "adopted" into the "prog" oeuvre due to Serge Fiori admitting to having been somewhat influenced by Genesis on the second and third Harmonium releases.

And does it really matter what is is labled or not? Both bands made some of the finest music on this planet and should please
everyone on this site.

Of couse they are not that typical "Prog", Harmonium didn't even have drums on their second, so one could say they are not even
Rock. But isn't it wonderfull that the world of Progressive music has so many colours?

[No Pride]

Studio:

Genesis - The Lamb Lies Down
Jimi Hendrix - Electric Ladyland
Chicago Transit Authority - s/t
Echolyn - s/t

Live:

Yes - Yessongs
Gentle Giant - Playing the Fool
Genesis - Seconds Out
Frank Zappa - Make a Jazz Noise Here
Holdsworth/Pasqua Band - Blues For Tony

[Poisoned Youth]

Holdsworth/Pasqua Band - Blues For Tony

Nice call.

[No Pride]

Nice call.

Thanks! I was a little reluctant to post any fusion, but the fact of the matter is that I don't have that many prog double albums.

[Poisoned Youth]

Thanks! I was a little reluctant to post any fusion, but the fact of the matter is that I don't have that many prog double albums.

I hear ya. I obviously don't want to open a can of worms, but Rypdal's Odyssey and Bitches Brew would have cracked my list along with some pretty lesser known items like Octurn's 21 Emanations, Steve Coleman's Genesis/Opening of the Way, and Kada's Bucsuzas.

[grego]

I never really understood the universal distain for Topographic Oceans. I am NOT a big Yes fan by any stretch of the imagination, but I've never found that record any more overblown or long-winded than their other material. I've always kind of liked it, really - it's some of their most adventurous stuff. Sure, I can understand why it flys over the heads of people expecting "I've Seen All Good People" part 2, but I personally don't see why it's hated by proggers.

- A non Yes 'fanboi'

Well, TFTO is partly dull, that's the main problem. It doesn't have the freshness of CTTE, or diversity of Relayer. I've Seen All Good People is sort of humoresque, many people accept it well.

[WytchCrypt]

I cringe at Ashley Holt's vocals as well, but credibility-wise, I think Wakey has more than enough cred, as does Bruford and many others...

Seriously though, why should it really matter to our appreciation of a Yes (or any groups) album if one of the band members hates it? Wakeman's hatred of TFTO sure doesn't come across to me in his playing...I think he plays some fantastic parts on it.

[grego]

TFTO is inconsistent, and Wakeman could perform a lot better, if he liked the music. Aside from moog solo episode on side A, and some beautiful background mellotron, I don't remember any outstanding keyboard job there.