Feb 2 & 3 - Abstractions

[Extended Play]

While on tour for Close To The Edge with new drummer Alan White, Yes struck upon an abstract concept for their next album Tales From Topographic Oceans ('75), everything. Well, not exactly everything but as much as they could get in four parts from the Shastrick Scriptures. Stretching beyond 20 minutes in three of the four pieces, Tales From Topographic Oceans has been cited by critics as the height of pomposity and over-indulgence in progressive rock. Someone needs to find a new fatted calf for the slaughter. While Tales does go off in different directions, each piece keeps its central theme. While it isn't completely accessible, this is hardly the "bloated corpse" of progressive rock.

Yes - Tales From Topographic Oceans (@ Allmusic.com)

After Primus went on "hiatus" last, Les Claypool put ads out for eclectic musicians to form his Fearless Flying Frog Brigade. And eclectic music they played, rounding out the set with Pink Floyd, King Crimson, and a few Les related points in-between on Live Frogs Set 1. I saw these freaks at Mardi Gras in 2001, and they blew the roof off. This performance isn't quite to that level, but I'm still amazed by how much fun it is. Live Frogs: Set 2, released after the first, is one of the performances of Pink Floyd's Animals album that the Frog Brigade did on tour. If I don't get hate mail for this, maybe I'll pull that one out as well in the following weeks.

Les Claypool's Frog Brigade - Live Frogs: Set 1(@ Allmusic.com)

Following up his breakthrough album Over-Nite Sensation, Frank Zappa scored another gold album with Apostrophe. It goes from the absurdity of the yellow snow saga on the first side to instrumental brilliance and social critique on the second. While I make the second side sound pretty stuffy, it's still Zappa with a winking smile and a finger in the ear (and Jack Bruce on the bass on Apostrophe).

Frank Zappa - Apostrophe (*) (@ Allmusic.com)