Tag: Tales from Topographic Oceans

Categories
Episodes

Tales from Topographic Locations – 645

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

Subscribe: Apple Podcasts | Spotify | RSS

In Production:

Tales from Topographic Oceans
Listening guide

Sign up to the e-newsletter updates for exclusive access to the PRESALE!

TormatoBook.com

Produced by Wayne Hall, Joseph Cottrell, Jeffrey Crecelius and Ken Fuller

This week Mark and I listened to the edited audio of the main ‘location reports’ I made last Saturday during my trip to London to tell some Tales from Topographic Locations. I had a great time discovering what those important places look like today and their surrounding areas.

Please tell us your experiences of The Rainbow Theatre by leaving a comment below.

  • Is Morgan Studios still in operation?
  • Where did the band rehearse Tales?
  • Where did Yes play 5 consecutive nights on the Tales Tour in the UK?

Let us know if you agree with us!

Tales from Topographic Locations compilation video:
Yes 50th Anniversary plaque unveiled by Dr. Bill Bruford:

There are only 100 of these packs available, so buy yours now! (Opens in a new window)

Check out the progress on my other podcast – https://anthem52.com/

Yes – The Tormato Story

Available now!

TormatoBook.com

YMP Patrons:

Producers:

  • Joseph Cottrell
  • Wayne Hall
  • Ken Fuller
  • Jeffrey Crecelius

Patrons:

Jim Morrison Jon Pickles Declan Logue
Gary Betts Aaron SteelmanMichael Handerhan
Barry Gorsky Steve Perry Doug Curran
Martin Kjellberg Todd Dudley Rachel Hadaway
Lind  Paul Hailes Craig Estenes
Mark James Lang Steve Rode David
Bob Martilotta John Holden Stephen Lambe
Dem Fred Barringer Scott Colombo
Chris Bandini David Heyden John Thomson
Mark Baggs John Cowan John Parry
Dave Owen Simon Barrow Steve Scott
Terence Sadler Steve Dill Robert Nasir 
Fergus Cubbage William Hayes Geoff Bailie
Steven Roehr Lobate Scarp Geoffrey Mason
David Watkinson Tim Stannard Robert Vandiver
Brian Sullivan David Pannell Jamie McQuinn
Miguel Falcão Paul Tomei Michael O’Connor
Brian HarrisHogne Bø PettersenGuy DeRome
Mark Slater

Become a Patron!

Our Facebook YMP Discussion Group is open to anyone to join. One of the advantages of the new format is that all members of the group have the same ability to post content, so it’s a bit more egalitarian, or somesuch. Please do search for the group and join in.

https://www.facebook.com/groups/3216603008606331/

Please follow/subscribe!

If you are still listening to the podcast on the website, please consider subscribing so you don’t risk missing anything:

Subscribe on Apple Podcasts

Theme music

The music I use is the last movement of Stravinsky’s Firebird Suite. This has been used as introduction music at many Yes concerts. My theme music is not take from a live concert – I put it together from: archive.org

Categories
Episodes

Yes Album Listening Guides – Tales From Topographic Oceans Part 11 – Michael Tait’s Tales – 641

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

Subscribe: Apple Podcasts | Spotify | RSS

In Production:

Tales from Topographic Oceans
Listening guide

Sign up to the e-newsletter updates for exclusive access to the PRESALE!

TormatoBook.com

Produced by Wayne Hall, Joseph Cottrell, Jeffrey Crecelius and Ken Fuller

Mark and I had a great conversation with the legendary Michael Tait this week. Here is what the biography on his Mickey’s Black Box website says:

“Michael “Mickey” Tait landed in London from his native Australia in 1967. It was his third stop, after Hong Kong and Tehran, in what was meant to be a 3 month “Visit the Motherland” working vacation. His first job was bartending at the Speakeasy, a private club frequented by the who’s who of the music business. Rubbing shoulders with rock stars led to his second job: Road Manager for the newly formed progressive rock band YES.

During his 12 years on the road with YES he advanced the art of stage production and was a driving force in the new field of tour lighting.

He is credited with building the first pedalboard for guitar, the double Mellotron, the flat mirror ball, the 400-watt Leslie speaker box, and one of the first pin matrix lighting consoles. Next came self-contained lighting units consisting of genie lifts in large road cases with integral 4 cell par 64 lamps. These became known as “Tait Towers,” hence the name of his soon-to-be lighting rental company.

Perhaps one of his most important innovations was the portable rotating stage used by Yes in the 1970’s. Inspiration struck Tait while delivering a can of 35mm film to Morgan studios, where YES were recording. The concept, initially met with skepticism, was soon embraced as it gave everyone in the house a better view of the band and also increased the ticket gross dramatically.”

Despite recovering from COVID, Michael was generous and open about his recollections of working with Yes, particularly around the time of Tales from Topographic Oceans.

Yes concert at the Montreal Forum on the Tales Tour, photo courtesy of Ken Jonach – lots of Mickey Tait’s work on show

https://www.taittowers.com

https://mickeysblackbox.com/

  • Was the Tales Tour a turning point for the Yes live production?
  • How did Michael get from Yes roadie/van driver to establishing the most successful live production company in the world?
  • What about Jon’s bathroom at Morgan Studios?

Let us know if you agree with us!

There are only 100 of these packs available, so buy yours now! (Opens in a new window)

Check out the progress on my other podcast – https://anthem52.com/

Yes – The Tormato Story

Available now!

TormatoBook.com

YMP Patrons:

Producers:

  • Joseph Cottrell
  • Wayne Hall
  • Ken Fuller
  • Jeffrey Crecelius

Patrons:

Jim Morrison Jon Pickles Declan Logue
Gary Betts Aaron SteelmanMichael Handerhan
Barry Gorsky Steve Perry Doug Curran
Martin Kjellberg Todd Dudley Rachel Hadaway
Lind  Paul Hailes Craig Estenes
Mark James Lang Steve Rode David
Bob Martilotta John Holden Stephen Lambe
Dem Fred Barringer Scott Colombo
Chris Bandini David Heyden John Thomson
Mark Baggs John Cowan John Parry
Dave Owen Simon Barrow Steve Scott
Terence Sadler Steve Dill Robert Nasir 
Fergus Cubbage William Hayes Geoff Bailie
Steven Roehr Lobate Scarp Geoffrey Mason
David Watkinson Tim Stannard Robert Vandiver
Brian Sullivan David Pannell Jamie McQuinn
Miguel Falcão Paul Tomei Michael O’Connor
Brian HarrisHogne Bø PettersenGuy DeRome
Become a Patron!

Our Facebook YMP Discussion Group is open to anyone to join. One of the advantages of the new format is that all members of the group have the same ability to post content, so it’s a bit more egalitarian, or somesuch. Please do search for the group and join in.

https://www.facebook.com/groups/3216603008606331/

Please follow/subscribe!

If you are still listening to the podcast on the website, please consider subscribing so you don’t risk missing anything:

Subscribe on Apple Podcasts

Theme music

The music I use is the last movement of Stravinsky’s Firebird Suite. This has been used as introduction music at many Yes concerts. My theme music is not take from a live concert – I put it together from: archive.org

Categories
Episodes

Tales from the archives – 633

Tales from Topographic Oceans

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

Subscribe: Apple Podcasts | Spotify | RSS

Produced by Wayne Hall, Joseph Cottrell, Jeffrey Crecelius and Ken Fuller

This week I have delved into the YMP archives because my work commitments have not allowed me to record an episode with Mark.

However, this means you can listen to me sounding younger, and perhaps a little more hesitant from way back in 2011. The first focus I had in the podcast was to record my thoughts on all the then Yes studio albums so what follows is those thoughts from episodes 6 and 7 where I covered Tales from Topographic Oceans. I’m sure my thoughts would be very different if I were to rewrite these episodes today but maybe not. Certainly, you can play the old fashioned ‘spot the mistakes’ game with these episodes – do let me know what you come up with.

I would say that Mark and I will be back as normal next week but actually we won’t because I am off on the trip of a lifetime to celebrate my wife’s and my 30th Wedding Anniversary. I’m intending to leave an episode to pop up in the feed and Mark is working on something as well but if that doesn’t happen and the podcast is away for two weeks, don’t worry – it is planned.

  • What did I think of Tales way back in 2011?
  • How many mistakes can you spot?
  • Would I say the same today?

Let us know if you agree with us!

NO BARRIERS 2024

There are only 100 of these packs available, so buy yours now! (Opens in a new window)

Check out the progress on my other podcast – https://anthem52.com/

In Production:

Tales from Topographic Oceans
Listening guide

Sign up to the e-newsletter updates!

TormatoBook.com

Yes – The Tormato Story

Available now!

TormatoBook.com

YMP Patrons:

Producers:

  • Joseph Cottrell
  • Wayne Hall
  • Ken Fuller
  • Jeffrey Crecelius

Patrons:

Jim Morrison Jon Pickles Declan Logue
Gary Betts Aaron SteelmanMichael Handerhan
Barry Gorsky Steve Perry Doug Curran
Martin Kjellberg Todd Dudley Rachel Hadaway
Lind  Paul Hailes Craig Estenes
Mark James Lang Steve Rode David
Bob Martilotta John Holden Stephen Lambe
Dem Fred Barringer Scott Colombo
Chris Bandini David Heyden John Thomson
Mark Baggs John Cowan John Parry
Dave Owen Simon Barrow Steve Scott
Terence Sadler Steve Dill Robert Nasir 
Fergus Cubbage William Hayes Geoff Bailie
Steven Roehr Lobate Scarp Geoffrey Mason
David Watkinson Tim Stannard Robert Vandiver
Brian Sullivan David Pannell Jamie McQuinn
Miguel Falcão Paul Tomei Michael O’Connor
Brian HarrisHogne Bø PettersenGuy DeRome
Become a Patron!

Our Facebook YMP Discussion Group is open to anyone to join. One of the advantages of the new format is that all members of the group have the same ability to post content, so it’s a bit more egalitarian, or somesuch. Please do search for the group and join in.

https://www.facebook.com/groups/3216603008606331/

Please follow/subscribe!

If you are still listening to the podcast on the website, please consider subscribing so you don’t risk missing anything:

Subscribe on Apple Podcasts
Subscribe on Google Podcasts

Theme music

The music I use is the last movement of Stravinsky’s Firebird Suite. This has been used as introduction music at many Yes concerts. My theme music is not take from a live concert – I put it together from: archive.org

Categories
Episodes

Yes Album Listening Guides – Tales From Topographic Oceans Part 10 – Tales live – the video – 632

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

Subscribe: Apple Podcasts | Spotify | RSS

Produced by Wayne Hall, Joseph Cottrell, Jeffrey Crecelius and Ken Fuller

This week Mark and I watched the video compiled and edited by Hed Gilboa and posted to the YMP Discussion group on Facebook by Doug Curran that contains all the known crowd-shot footage of Yes on the Tales Tour of the US and Canada in 1974.

One mistake I made (presumably amongst many) was to say that the Super 8 film format became available in 1975. Of course, I meant 1965 otherwise this tour couldn’t have been captured using this technology. Also, as Mark mentioned later in the discussion, we do have a great opportunity to see what the stage scenery looked like in action during Ritual via the 1975 QPR film, clips from which are spliced into the Yesyears documentary, released in 1991. However, this is the Relayer tour and various elements of the stage production were enhanced by this time so it may be slightly different. I think I’m still correct when I say that there is no known professional film from the Tales Tour itself.

Anyway, historical minutiae apart, I hope you enjoy listening to Mark and me geeking out about this video and discussing aspects of the Tales Tour. You may well want to watch the video itself and look at the screen grabs I’ve included in the show notes for this week before listening to us banging on as it may help to contextualise our ramblings.

  • What was it like to attend a concert on the 1974 Tales Tour?
  • What is the video evidence like?
  • What can we learn about how Yes played Tales live?

Let us know if you agree with us!

Screen grabs from the 8mm video

  • Before the show
  • The drum canopy closed
  • The fibreglass entrance tunnel
  • Blue light
  • Bathed in red and orange light
  • Dry ice and blue light during Close to the Edge
  • The Ernie Ball Earthwood acoustic bass
  • The Fender Jazz bass
  • The Guild Jetstar II short scale fretless bass for The Remembering
  • Michael Tait’s 2D mirror ball
  • Tales authors, Howe and Anderson
  • The Caped Crusader
  • The Vetruvian Man symbol just visible
  • The sun symbol – Giants under the Sun
  • The scarab is open
  • Organ pipes and scarab beetle illuminated
  • Cooler light in the organ pipes
  • A dramatic drum station shot
  • Anderson at the ‘bus stop’
  • Greek masks?
  • Squire!
  • The drum canopy opened up at the end of the concert

It’s Wayne Hall and me in a pub in Banbury!

Nice T-shirt!
NO BARRIERS 2024

There are only 100 of these packs available, so buy yours now! (Opens in a new window)

Check out the progress on my other podcast – https://anthem52.com/

In Production:

Tales from Topographic Oceans
Listening guide

Sign up to the e-newsletter updates!

TormatoBook.com

Yes – The Tormato Story

Available now!

TormatoBook.com

YMP Patrons:

Producers:

  • Joseph Cottrell
  • Wayne Hall
  • Ken Fuller
  • Jeffrey Crecelius

Patrons:

Jim Morrison Jon Pickles Declan Logue
Gary Betts Aaron SteelmanMichael Handerhan
Barry Gorsky Steve Perry Doug Curran
Martin Kjellberg Todd Dudley Rachel Hadaway
Lind  Paul Hailes Craig Estenes
Mark James Lang Steve Rode David
Bob Martilotta John Holden Stephen Lambe
Dem Fred Barringer Scott Colombo
Chris Bandini David Heyden John Thomson
Mark Baggs John Cowan John Parry
Dave Owen Simon Barrow Steve Scott
Terence Sadler Steve Dill Robert Nasir 
Fergus Cubbage William Hayes Geoff Bailie
Steven Roehr Lobate Scarp Geoffrey Mason
David Watkinson Tim Stannard Robert Vandiver
Brian Sullivan David Pannell Jamie McQuinn
Miguel Falcão Paul Tomei Michael O’Connor
Brian HarrisHogne Bø PettersenGuy DeRome
Become a Patron!

Our Facebook YMP Discussion Group is open to anyone to join. One of the advantages of the new format is that all members of the group have the same ability to post content, so it’s a bit more egalitarian, or somesuch. Please do search for the group and join in.

https://www.facebook.com/groups/3216603008606331/

Please follow/subscribe!

If you are still listening to the podcast on the website, please consider subscribing so you don’t risk missing anything:

Subscribe on Apple Podcasts
Subscribe on Google Podcasts

Theme music

The music I use is the last movement of Stravinsky’s Firebird Suite. This has been used as introduction music at many Yes concerts. My theme music is not take from a live concert – I put it together from: archive.org

Categories
Episodes

Yes live in Birmingham PLUS new Jon Anderson and the Band Geeks music – 631

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

Subscribe: Apple Podcasts | Spotify | RSS

Produced by Joseph Cottrell, Jeffrey Crecelius and Ken Fuller

I’ve had no time to put together any news this week but I still managed to speak at length to Mark about both my experiences seeing Yes at Birmingham Symphony Hall. It was a wonderful experience and not just because of the quality of the concert itself.

We’ve also enjoyed listening to the new music from Jon Anderson and the Band Geeks that fans have captured from live concerts and posted on YouTube. There are many reasons to be excited in Yesworld at the moment.

  • How was the performance at Birmingham?
  • What is the venue like?
  • How was Roger Dean?

Let us know if you agree with us!

My Brum experience:
NO BARRIERS 2024

There are only 100 of these packs available, so buy yours now! (Opens in a new window)

Check out the progress on my other podcast – https://anthem52.com/

Yes – The Tormato Story

Available now!

TormatoBook.com

In Production:

Sign up to the e-newsletter updates!

TormatoBook.com

YMP Patrons:

Producers:

  • Joseph Cottrell
  • Ken Fuller
  • Jeffrey Crecelius

Patrons:

Jim Morrison Jon Pickles Declan Logue
Gary Betts Aaron SteelmanMichael Handerhan
Barry Gorsky Steve Perry Doug Curran
Martin Kjellberg Todd Dudley Rachel Hadaway
Lind  Paul Hailes Craig Estenes
Mark James Lang Steve Rode David
Bob Martilotta John Holden Stephen Lambe
Dem Fred Barringer Scott Colombo
Chris Bandini David Heyden John Thomson
Mark Baggs John Cowan John Parry
Dave Owen Simon Barrow Steve Scott
Terence Sadler Steve Dill Robert Nasir 
Fergus Cubbage William Hayes Geoff Bailie
Steven Roehr Lobate Scarp Geoffrey Mason
David Watkinson Tim Stannard Robert Vandiver
Brian Sullivan David Pannell Jamie McQuinn
Miguel Falcão Paul Tomei Michael O’Connor
Brian HarrisHogne Bø PettersenGuy DeRome
Become a Patron!

Our Facebook YMP Discussion Group is open to anyone to join. One of the advantages of the new format is that all members of the group have the same ability to post content, so it’s a bit more egalitarian, or somesuch. Please do search for the group and join in.

https://www.facebook.com/groups/3216603008606331/

Please follow/subscribe!

If you are still listening to the podcast on the website, please consider subscribing so you don’t risk missing anything:

Subscribe on Apple Podcasts
Subscribe on Google Podcasts

Theme music

The music I use is the last movement of Stravinsky’s Firebird Suite. This has been used as introduction music at many Yes concerts. My theme music is not take from a live concert – I put it together from: archive.org