From: formula4@sage.cc.purdue.edu (Formula 409)
Subject: Re: Yes/Tales
Organization: Purdue University
Date: Tue, 17 Nov 1992 06:25:39 GMT

Subject: Tales!!
In a letter to me and others who wrote on the subject,
  amosher@maestro.srcc.lsu.edu (Anne Mosher) writes:

Alas, I don't have posting privileges on Usenet (my employer--Louisiana
State University--thinks that it is pornographic!) but I wanted to tell
you to keep going on the Tales thread in the new .symphonic newsgroup.

Tales has been my favorite album since the day it was released (January
9th, 1973).  The music and the message are just as salient twenty
years later!!  On that note, the most recent issue of "Wonderous
Stories" has a very interesting re-appraisal re: Anderson's lyrics.
I was hanging on every word, hoping that the author would capture
how I feel about this wonderful album.  He failed, however.  As
a teenager I would sit in my dark bedroom very late at night, burning
candles and incense, watching the snow fall outside--listening to
"The Revealing Science of God."  I knew nothing about meditation at
that time, but now realise that the lyrics were very much a mantra:
dawn, dawn, dawn.  After reading Jon's notes about the Autobiography
of a Yogi, I went to the local library and checked it out:  the first
book I ever read w/ footnotes! (And now I write books w/ footnotes!)
In college, my friends and I would sit around and listen to Tales,
we wouldn't even attempt to figure it out.  We would just talk about
how it made us feel!  Happy.  At peace.  Like we had resolved some
inner conflict.  Although I saw the Tales tour (awesome),  it wasn't
half as awesome as the acoustic version of Nous Sommes Du Soliel that
Squire and Anderson did on the Big Tour (87-88).  They hadn't done
anything from Tales in concert for so long, that this came as a total
surprise!!!  

What is funny is that many of the real Yesheads that I have met say
that their favorite songs are "everything on TFTO and Awaken."  I
like Awaken, but I've never really understood the Yeshead fanaticism
over it.  Perhaps someone can explain it to me.  What is funnier
still, is to hear what the band has to say about Tales.  For Rick
it was a painful experience.  Jon still seems to stand behind what
he and Steve were trying to do.  Anyone see Chris' interview inYes Magazine (the most recent issue).  Doug Gottleib asked Chris, 
"You mentioned that _Tales_ was a long session.  I know that you
weren't completely happy with everything that came out on that album."

Chris replied:  "That album really needed a lot of . . . it was so
disconnected within itself.  It took a lot of bandaids and careful
surgery in the harmony and embellishment department to make it into
something.  At that time, Jon sort of had this visionary idea that
you could just walk into a studio, and if the vibes were right, that
the music would be great at the end of the day--whether you knew what
it was or not.  Which is one way of looking at things. [laughs] It
isn't reality.  As we know, things need to be looked at more closely
to see if they're worthwhile.  That's a difficult album for me."

Difficult for you, dear Mr. Squire, but very, very easy for many of
us.

-- 
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