Your last listen

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CN211276
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Re: Your last listen

Unread post by CN211276 »

Nitrate - Renegade
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Re: Your last listen

Unread post by Fretless »

Yes 'Tales from Topographic Oceans' (1973)

Image

Found a nice 2nd-hand LP copy this morning and am giving it a spin.

'Topographic Oceans' is one of those love-it-or-hate-it records that splits opinions - for some it is a Himalayan peak of Prog perfection, for others a Marianas Trench of overblown pompous boredom.
Rick Wakeman disliked it and, for concerts, had special wooden blocks with nails set in to hold down keyboard chords while he ate takeaway curries (smuggled onstage by the roadies) from under his cape.

Older now (and maybe not wiser but more patient) it's finding a new place in my appreciation. After the monumental precision of 'Close to the Edge' there was no way to improve on that - so a totally different approach was needed and 'Tales' was just what Yes had to do at that moment. A double LP comprising a single work spread out over 4 side-long sections.

Mainly written by Anderson and Howe, the music is very much guitar-based with the lyrics searching for spiritual enlightenment. It could be a recipe for a New-Age drone-out but Chris Squire and new-boy Alan White do their best to inject some rhythmic backbone into proceedings, and Wakeman's Moog solos are inspired (when he is allowed to let rip).

Still, there are sections that are just too long and drawn-out to hold one's attention properly, but the good bits are certainly worthwhile. Putting this work into its perspective in the Yes story, now it fits and I can begin, grudgingly, to like it.
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antonio66 (Sun Jan 30, 2022 10:56 pm)

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Re: Your last listen

Unread post by CN211276 »

I think there is too much good material for a single vinyl album and not enough for a double album. If CD had been around at the time it would have been problem solved. :grin:
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Fretless (Sat Jan 22, 2022 2:30 pm)
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Re: Your last listen

Unread post by Fretless »

I have 'Magnification' on order. Apparently the vinyl version only uses 3 LP sides.

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Re: Your last listen

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Pink Floyd - Atom heart mother
Smith/Kotzen - Better days EP
Styx - Greatest Hits
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Re: Your last listen

Unread post by Fretless »

Yes 'Magnification' (2001)

Image

In the new millenium, Yes found themselves as a 4-piece unit with no keyboard player. So they decided to fill out their sound by incorporating a complete symphony orchestra in the next project. The result is, quite literally, 'magnificent' and a sadly overlooked entry in their catalogue.

Anderson, Howe, Squire and White here discard the Modern-Rock trappings of 'The Ladder' and return to the melodic subtlety of their 70's heyday. There do not appear to be any clashing ego's on 'Magnification', harmony is the order of the day - and when these talents combine, as they do here, then the results are really special.

This would be Jon Anderson's final studio album as a member of Yes (health reasons after the following tour) - but he went on a high-point.

For the audiophiles among us: this album is gorgeously recorded and the orchestra / band mix is sensitively done. I managed to get the HDCD edition of 'Magnification' but the recent 3-sided LP has a phenomenal SQ that the digital version cannot equal.

A masterpiece. :violin:

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CN211276 (Wed Jan 26, 2022 12:29 pm)

Upstairs:
Vinyl
Pro-Ject 1.2 + Grado Sig Jr + Cambridge Alva Duo
DigiVolumio PC + Kiss DP-500 + Sabaj A20d
NVA: P50sa - Cube2 - SSP - LS6+ Sabaj A10a (x2)
Downstairs:
Vinyl
Logic DM101 + Syrinx LE1 + Grado Sig MCX
DigiDenafrips Ares II + Volumio PC + Cambridge CXC
NVA: P50 - BMU+ Aiyima A07 MAX (x2) + Arcam One
HP: HifiBerry Digi+ PRO + Sabaj A10d
Office:
Allo DigiOne SIG + SMSL M300se + Douk G4 (x2)
Mission 760 + Monolith THX AAA 887
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Re: Your last listen

Unread post by Firebug1 »

Skid Row- Subhuman race & Slave to the grind
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SA Mantra30\Audeze LCD-2 closed.
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Re: Your last listen

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Yard Act have just released the debut album. Its an album full of commentary on modern life. Hopefully I will get to see them in the near future.
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Re: Your last listen

Unread post by CN211276 »

Pink Floyd - A saucerful of secrets

Have a ticket to see Nick Mason's Saucerful of secrets in May which has been gathering dust for over two years due to Covid cancellations.
Main System
NVA BMU, P90SA/A80s (latest spec), Cube 1s, TIS, TISC(LS7)
Sonore OpticalRendu, Chord Mscaler & Qutest, Sbooster PSs
Network Acoustics Eno, ifi iPurifier3, AQ JB FMJ, Cisco 2940 & 2960
DH Labs ethernet, BNC & USB cables, Farnells cat 8 ethernet cable

Second System
NVA P20/ A20, Cubettes, LS3, SSP, SC
Sonore MicroRendu, Chord Mojo 2 MCRU PSs, AQ Carbon USB cable & JB FMJ

Headphones
Grado SR325e/Chord Mojo, Beyerdynamic Avetho/AQ DF Colbat

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Re: Your last listen

Unread post by Fretless »

Yes 'Talk' (1994)

Image

Like '90125' this was very much a Trevor Rabin-dominated project, again with a high-tech, effect-laden sound filling out some great, anthemic songs.

Sadly, the popularity of Yes had gone into a decline after the disappointing political exercise of 'Union' and 'Talk' did not get the exposure that it deserves. Probably the most powerful statement Yes ever released, this album is an essential listen for those wanting to hear how Arena Rock ought to have sounded in the 90's.

Rabin left Yes after this and went into movie-soundtrack work. He had put his heart and soul into 'Talk' and it should have been huge.


Upstairs:
Vinyl
Pro-Ject 1.2 + Grado Sig Jr + Cambridge Alva Duo
DigiVolumio PC + Kiss DP-500 + Sabaj A20d
NVA: P50sa - Cube2 - SSP - LS6+ Sabaj A10a (x2)
Downstairs:
Vinyl
Logic DM101 + Syrinx LE1 + Grado Sig MCX
DigiDenafrips Ares II + Volumio PC + Cambridge CXC
NVA: P50 - BMU+ Aiyima A07 MAX (x2) + Arcam One
HP: HifiBerry Digi+ PRO + Sabaj A10d
Office:
Allo DigiOne SIG + SMSL M300se + Douk G4 (x2)
Mission 760 + Monolith THX AAA 887
Headphones: German Maestro, Monolith & AQ

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