Review: Yes – Tales From Topographic Oceans (Super Deluxe Edition)
Yes – Tales From Topographic Oceans (Super Deluxe Edition)
Format: 12 CD – 2 Vinyl LP – Blu-ray – Digital / Label: Rhino – Atlantic
Release: 2026
Text: Martien Koolen
The sixth studio album of Yes, ‘Tales From Topographic Oceans,’ is probably the most hated/loved album of this classic prog rock band from the UK, because some critics, as well as fans, like me, found it a wonderful, iconic album, while others see it as a bombastic and too ambitious album.
I bought this amazing double album on vinyl way back in 1973, when I was fifteen years old, and right after the first spin I was hooked and that record did not leave my turntable for a couple of months, so that I was able to “produce” every note and word from that iconic album afterwards….
Now, fifty-three years later, there is a superdeluxe remastered edition of the best Yes album available, and this wonderful edition contains no less than twelve CDs, two LPs and a Blu-ray. Steven Wilson is of course responsible for the amazing new mix of ‘Tales From Topographic Oceans’ and yes, the sound quality is absolutely stunning indeed and so this iconic album sounds even better now! This must have edition for Yes-fans that is, also contains a couple of never before released studio and live recordings from Yes, among others from concerts in Manchester, Zurich, and Cardiff.
‘Tales From Topographic Oceans’ only contains four tracks and these are all composed by Jon Anderson, Steve Howe, Chris Squire, Rick Wakeman and Alan White, and the opening track The Revealing Science Of God (Dance Of Dawn) is the absolute highlight of this amazing prog rock album, as the very diverse melodies, wonderful vocals and the instrumental passages are a true delight for every progressive rock fan indeed.
The Remembering (High The Memory) and The Ancient (Giants Under The Sun) are the two ‘difficult” tracks of the album, as they are definitely less accessible for the untrained listeners, but for Yes-fans they are both beautiful epic songs for sure. The album ends with Ritual (Nous Sommes Du Soleil) and that one is another Yes classic indeed, featuring an utterly melodic chorus, sung by Anderson as only he can indeed.
The Revealing Science Of God and Ritual were played by Yes very regularly and they always were highlights of the setlist of one of the best progressive rock bands of all time. Sad but true, mister Wakeman did not like The Tales album, as he considered it a boring and way too long album and that is probably the reason that Wakeman left Yes after ‘The Tales From Topographic Oceans’ Tour.
‘Tales From Topographic Oceans’ was, although lots of people criticised the album a lot, a commercial success, as the album reached the number one position in the English charts!
Tracks:
CD 1
01. The Revealing Science of God (Dance of the Dawn) (2026 Remaster)
02. The Remembering (High the Memory) (2026 Remaster)
CD 2
01. The Ancient (Giants Under the Sun) (2026 Remaster)
02. Ritual (Nous Sommes Du Soleil) (2026 Remaster)
CD3
01. The Revealing Science of God (Dance of the Dawn) (2026 Steven Wilson Remix)
02. The Remembering (High the Memory) (2026 Steven Wilson Remix)
CD 4
01. The Ancient (Giants Under the Sun) (2026 Steven Wilson Remix)
20. Ritual (Nous Sommes Du Soleil) (2026 Steven Wilson Remix)
CD 5
01. The Revealing Science of God (Dance of the Dawn) (2026 Steven Wilson Instrumental Mix)
02. The Remembering (High the Memory) (2026 Steven Wilson Instrumental Mix)
CD 6
01. The Ancient (Giants Under the Sun) (2026 Steven Wilson Instrumental Mix)
02. Ritual (Nous Sommes Du Soleil) (2026 Steven Wilson Instrumental Mix)
CD 7
01. The Revealing Science of God (Dance of the Dawn) [Single Edit] (2025 Remaster)
02. The Remembering (High the Memory) [Single Edit] (2026 Remaster)
03. The Ancient (Giants Under the Sun) [Single Edit] (2026 Remaster)
04. Ritual (Nous Sommes Du Soleil) [Single Edit 1] (2026 Remaster)
05. Ritual (Nous Sommes Du Soleil) [Single Edit 2] (2026 Remaster)
06. The Revealing Science of God (Dance of the Dawn) [Version 1] (2026 Remaster)
07. The Remembering (High the Memory) [In Progress] (2026 Remaster)
08. The Ancient (Giants Under the Sun) [In Progress] (2026 Remaster)
CD 8
01. The Revealing Science of God (Dance of the Dawn) [In Progress] (2026 Remaster)
02. The Ancient (Giants Under the Sun) [In Progress 2] (2026 Remaster)
03. The Revealing Science of God (Dance of the Dawn) [In Progress 2] (2026 Remaster)
CD 9
01. The Remembering (High the Memory) [In Progress 2] (2026 Remaster)
02. Ritual (Nous Sommes Du Soleil) [In Progress] (2026 Remaster)
03. The Revealing Science of God (Dance of the Dawn) [Version 2] (2026 Remaster)
CD 10
01. The Remembering (High the Memory) [Live at Free Trade Hall, Manchester, UK, 11/28/1973] (2026 Remaster)
02. The Ancient (Giants Under the Sun) [Live at Free Trade Hall, Manchester, UK, 11/28/1973] (2026 Remaster)
03. The Ancient (Giants Under the Sun) [Live at Capitol Theatre, Cardiff, Wales, 12/1/1973] (2026 Remaster)
04. Ritual (Nous Sommes Du Soleil) [Live at Capitol Theatre, Cardiff, Wales, 12/1/1973] (2026 Remaster)
CD 11
01. And You and I (I. Cord of Life; II. Eclipse; III. The Preacher The Teacher; IV. Apocalypse) [Live at Hallenstadion, Zurich, Switzerland, 4/21/1974] (2026 Remaster)
02. Close to the Edge (I. The Solid Time of Change; II. Total Mass Retain; III. I Get Up I Get Down; IV. Seasons of Man) [Live at Hallenstadion, Zurich, Switzerland, 4/21/1974] (2026 Remaster)
03. The Revealing Science of God (Dance of the Dawn) [Live at Hallenstadion, Zurich, Switzerland, 4/21/1974] (2026 Remaster)
CD2
01. The Ancient (Giants Under the Sun) [Live at Hallenstadion, Zurich, Switzerland, 4/21/1974] (2026 Remaster)
02. Ritual (Nous Sommes Du Soleil) [Live at Hallenstadion, Zurich, Switzerland, 4/21/1974] (2026 Remaster)
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