Tales from Topographic Oceans

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Tales from Topographic Oceans is the sixth studio album by the English progressive rock band Yes, released on 7 December 1973 by Atlantic Records. It was the band's first studio release to feature drummer Alan White, who replaced founding member Bill Bruford in 1972. Singer Jon Anderson conceived the album's concept during the group's Close to the Edge Tour after reading a footnote in Paramahansa Yogananda's 1946 book Autobiography of a Yogi. The text summarised four categories of Hindu scriptures–the shastras (specifically the śruti, smriti, puranas, and tantras)–which address distinct fields of knowledge. Anderson and guitarist Steve Howe subsequently spent the remainder of the tour developing the album's lyrical themes and musical structures. Following two months of rehearsals in London, the band decided to construct a double album consisting of four side-long tracks based on each scripture, with runtimes ranging between 18 and 21 minutes. Keyboardist Rick Wakeman was critical of the...

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