Tales from Topographic oceans by yes is justifiably condemned for the bloated,pretentious ■■■■■■■ brew it is but " going for the one" very much a Rick wakeman tour de force,is my go to cd,the right environs,headphones,and alterants can engender a certain transcendence,I find, especially “awaken” and “turn of the century”,pretentious?..maybe,but that’s no crime considering the utter high calibre musicianship at play.Chris Squires bass work alone is worth the entrance price.God rest his soul.
I agree those prolonged drum solos,“the mule”,“moby ■■■■” could be a challenge,but I guess they served their purpose in the scheme of band dynamics.(back stage nose powdering…etc)
Another great cd is Bo Henssens,“Lord of the rings”,Simply a keyboard based opus imagining of Tolkiens literary work.Very popular in the late sixties among the chin stroker,toker coterie,but it’s a spooky and surreal classic of prog I recco,if not already aquainted with it.