Roger went to Japan with "Yes" in March of 1973. During the course of the tour they discussed proposals for a stage and the designs for the cover of their forthcoming album, "Tales from Topographic Oceans" Roger's original idea was that the design should work as a drawing in its own right and as a code for patterns located elsewhere.

The final collection of landmarks was more complex than he had intended because it seemed appropriate to the nature of the project that everyone who wanted to contribute should do so.

The landscape comprised amongst other things, some famous English rocks taken from Dominy Hamilton's postcard collection. These are, specifically : Brimham Rocks, the last rocks at Lands End, the Logan rock at Treen and single stones from Avebury and Stonehenge.

Jon Anderson wanted the Mayan temple at Chichen Itza with the sun behind it, and Alan White suggested using markings from the plains of Nazca. The result is a somewhat incongruous mixture, but effective nontheless.

Martin Ashford says:
I bought this album on the day it was released and it remains one of my favourites by any band. The image is very thought provoking but what I really like is the lp inner gatefold with natural images set amidst the lyrics..now that is a work of art that really brings the music to life. Check it out if you've only seen the CD.

Brian H says:
star the skies the wonderous wander..in this forever night of dream we swim the shade of song...out of the reason and through the realm, this settled peace, this infinite array...I awaken to the heart of the temple and leave distress behind...you dreamer, you wanderer, above great oceans of nirvana

Eliezer Paul Gaspar Belmonte says:
Your comments here...Roger, thanks for give us the splendor of your ART join with the Marvelous Music from YES.

Iveraldo Maciel says:
Grande Roger Dean !!! Este é um dos meu favoritos... Uma rara beleza ... Desde adolescente que curto demais as suas viagens e paisagens ... que nos levam sempre a outras dimensões surrealistas à la "Dali".

Ryan says:
To anyone who really loves this one - A few years back, I purchased the special Screenprint of TFTO and it is truly BEAUTIFUL. It looks like it was actually hand painted. The colors are so bright and of such high quality, it is simply divine. It is light years away from what regular prints look like. For me it is a dream come true, and although the price seemed quite outrageous at first, I personally think it is worth every cent and would not part with it for the world, (maybe for the original).
HEY ROGER - what about a T-Shirt?!!!!!!!

Jasper Joppe Geers says:
About the Tales Image... Of course lots of things are said about it, and there is no question that this image like Blue Desert and the Arches image is one of the most famous Roger Dean Images. But why? Is it that special? Is it because of the Yes album it represents? Is it because all Yes members have contributed ideas to it? Is it a mixture of all previous questions? Who can tell... Sometimes an album or Image can become famous out of nowhere. And this is already where the mystics around the album starts!
To me it is a very beautiful image because it displays a kind of serene energy. It is funny when you find out that Roger hasn't always the idea, especially when you find out which band member came up with which part of the image. (guess who came up with those fish...) To me one of the mystical things about this image is the difference between the original album version, and the image that has been issued later. On the vinyl album you see a strange kind of air bulb around the fish, while all later versions seemed to appear without it. HowaboutitRog?
Anyway, it is a good thing to hear that Roger has found so much pleasure in the remake of the image for the fine art prints. I must confess that Roger's early period (pre- Blue Desert) is the most interesting, but that's because I have always been very into the technical aspects of Roger's art. According to Views, this Image has been done using Gouache, watercolour, and ink. I wonder if Roger would use the same media nowadays, or would he make other choices on behalf of printing demands? As I see the preview result of the fine art prints on the web, I think roger has done a tremendous job! No question about it! If I see i.e. the Arches prints he has done, than I must say that i'd rather like the original which has been used for the Keys To Ascension album...
I really hope that Roger continues making fine art prints, and that he tries to match up the original Image first, although it can be very tempting to work out personal dislikes on an image. The Tales Image took him 30-40 original positives to achieve the final result. How much positives would Blue Desert take? How much would Asia Alpha take? How much would Shadowlands take? How much would... How much... How...

Mark Adam Rochester says:
A real blast playing topographic oceans in the car full blast, window down, other people wondering what is that man playing? I feel I must have an ecclectic taste. The cover is one of the best ever to grace a Yes album.

Bill Langan says:
What an imagination you have, Mr. Dean! You have portrayed what could be another planet or a desert or perhaps life under sea. The fish look exquisite and docile, though huge. The water from the rock is interesting, so we don't know if we're on land or under water. One of the stone figures looks like a relic from Easter Island and the other looks almost like a pyramid. As I said in my comments about Relayer, both are my 2 favorite paintings of yours (although I love all the other work I've seen). May you continue to create works of art like nobody else has seen or could come up with. God bless you

S. Christian Flowers says:
I had a friend track this album down on vinyl TWICE this year for me just for the art. The cd cover just isn't big enough to fully enjoy! Thanks for the countless years of inspiration Mr. Dean. As an artist finally coming into my own, you work has always lit the way.

Janis Hughes says:
My father has this poster in a frame, which he had special made, hanging in his living room. He bought the poster around 1975, so it's been hanging there since before I was born. It was the first piece of art I ever saw, and is still to this day my Favorite piece of art that I have laid eye's on. It is absolutly spell binding and makes me think of how simple and extraordinary life could, sould be and is. Thank you Roger for panting such a beautiful scene and letting me realize that about life, for it is easy to go unoticed.

Lawrence Guidici says:
I think there's something to be said about never ever buying this music or the art but always having it given to me because people knew how I was inspired by Roger Dean and the music he helped to illustrate. For my 15th Birthday my family chipped in to buy me the double-LP which was a feast to read, to view, to listen and learn from. I poured over every aspect of Tales for years and still respect Yes and their efforts for putting this project forward (it was so long ago). 8-tracks, 2 cassettes, one CD, one poster, and postcards were given to me as gifts throughtout the years. I now wonder sometimes if the reason is so that with all the money I may have saved I could buy my very own Tales lithograph. Hmm. Thanks for the inspiration, Mr. Dean.

Lou Salvaggio says:
A beautiful cover that captures the awe and mystery of the concepts painted lovingly within the corners of the music. I have little 9x12's of this and other of Dean's work in frames interspersed on my bookshelves. In my hometown, we had these "clay pits" where the brick manufacturer would quarry. All throughout the sandy landscapes were these raised plateaus of grass and trees, where the tops would extend out past the sides slightly. I always felt at home in Roger's paintings.

Gabriel Conte says:
El dibujo està buenìsimo!
Saludos.... Gabriel

Nebagemo says:
Nous SOMMES du soleil!
Enlightened one must be to pull this out of a pencil.

Carlos says:
Tales = The Holy Bible

Michael Lazaar says:
I was on a business trip in San Francisco in August '99 and stopped in an art gallery because they had a Yes album cover in the window. Before I knew it, I was upstairs with the proprietor, being shown what appeared to be the original Tales and Relayer covers!! Talk about a religious experience! Can someone confirm for me where these 2 masterpieces are kept? They looked authentic, and this site makes reference to a S.F. art dealer on Geary St. Their colors have altered a bit. Their presence altered me.

Luis Krause says:
My favorite Yes album and Roger Dean design. Long time ago I was able to browse a couple of your books with your artwork from a friend's sister. Never was able to get my hands on those for myself. But having the chance to look at your work in the internet is just cool!

Steve says:
I have always admired the fine detail in Mr. Dean's work. Starting with Tales, the artwork seemed to depict the status of the Group. This one in particular show the Group as 5 fish, 4 mature, and a young (new) one, that, of course being Alan White, the newest member of the Group at the time. The fossilized one, off to the left is Bill Bruford, left to join King Crimson. Then notice how the 5 fish are found inside this almost transparent form that tails around to the back of the picture, to indicate the long journey the Group had made (Yessongs tour). This depiction is then surrounded by the rest of the artwork, which in and by itself is as fine as any he has made. Roger put out a calender in 1996. I have since taken it apart and rotate just the pictures in my office at work. We need another one, Rog....

Mr Anon says:
although I was introduced to this world of art through music(the tunes of Yes), I believe that of all the album covers, this is my favorite. I find it uncanny how the music seems to fit the artwork perfectly. The flowing tunes mix with the marvolous images, and create a special; world that I can escape to any time I wish.

Chris Hester says:
I had a poster of this which had a curious shape airbrushed around the fish, as if they were encapsulated into a stretched bubble of air. I prefer it without the bubble! I'd love to see the cover for Drama on here, as it is one of my favourites. (Hard to choose though - so many outstanding works, not just for Yes, but also Asia and computer games. And Roger, your lettering and graphic work has always been exciting and innovative too. Again, Drama was amazing - the Yes logo now aptly broken into pieces of chrome, and the incredible album title lettering!)

Enrique López says:
Well, what can I say? I listened the Tales when I was 14 and the sleeve has been an unforgettable image for me. It's the trademark of Yes albums, and one of the best works of Roger Dean. What would happen to Yes without Dean? Would they have the same success?

Dave Lythgoe says:
This picture always makes me smile as I am reminded of my childhood. My elder brother, Mike, who was (and still is!) a HUGE Yes fan had this as a poster on his bedroom wall next to a huge collage poster of the band from around 1977. As a young kid with little or no interest in Yes or progressive music in general (that revelation was to come soon after though!)I always used to call the picture 'Fish On The Moon'!!!
In actual fact, we both still jokingly refer to 'Topgraphic Oceans' as 'Fish On The Moon'!
Great cover though. On of THE classic images of Progressive Rock.

Clare says:
another great picture from roger dean, which actually was the first one i saw. i began researching rogers work for a project of my Art&Design course. the paintings just have a great atmosphere, they make u float along in a different world where time is lost. keep up the good work.

Barry Douglas says:
This wonderful painting always gave me inspiration, whether in listening to Tales or seeing the poster I have hanging above the keyboards in my studio. A great sense of timelessness and illusion lies in the meeting of the colors, rock formations and invisible water. A true masterpiece!! The legend of the album's making, the disparate elements, the musical conflicts and ultimate harmony play themselves upon and within you give Roger Dean's artwork posterity. This will be talked about for generations and understood as a great artistic expression. Thank you for years of inspiration in creating my own music and imagery.

Noel and Linda say:
Luv ya, Luv ya work, Luv ya web site!!!!!!

Jerry Petersen says:
This to me is Roger Dean's greatest masterpiece among many. To take such disparate elements and combine them into a cohesive image is a tremendous accomplishment. I like the air of mystery about it: Are we under water or not? My guess has always been that the intention was, that if you were to look at one of those National Geographic maps of the ocean floor and imagine yourself within that landscape, this is what it might look like. When I first took up painting as one of my many hobbies, this image was one of the first I made a humble attempt at copying. The fact that it adorns one of my favorite Yes albums is icing on the cake!

Joe Andersen says:
Dear Mr. Dean, It is with great pleasure that I write these humble words to you. I was introduced to you're work some twenty years ago via Yes. Yes caried me thru tremulous times in my life as I listened to the music build into a tremendous crescendo and fall to a beautiful harmonic balance, so did my emotions. Your accompaniment as the brilliant artist to reflect the visual facet of the imaginative creative spirit that lives in Yes is truely an unequiled sinergy. You are the master. Your use of color, composition and imagination is briliant. I thoroughly enjoyed the cat paw prints on Yessongs. I am greatful for my exposure for it is truely inspireing. Thank you. I wish you and your loved ones health and happiness. With kind regards, I am very truly yours Joe Andersen

M. M. Silva Email says:
Eu já estive no oceano topográfico uma vez, qdo tomei ácido, e posso afirmar que o lugar é tão bonito qto esta imagem. A música do yes nesse disco, as imagens, as letras formam um conjunto perfeito. Uma obra-prima! M.M.Silva, from Brazil

Otavio Attie says:
Dear Mr. Dean, : I never thought, that I could send one message, for somebody that inspire me ! I am from Brazil, I am 28, but since 14, I saw and travel with your fantastics painteds!!! Best Regards!

Fred says:
Man, you are amazing...

Luca Tonelli says:
fantastico!

Santiago San Martín says:
Solo quisiera decir y agradecer todos los viajes llenos de fantasia y sin limites que tus dibujos me han aportado, unido a la musica de yes que tambien ayudo. GRACIAS

Tommy Holder says:
This album and it's imagery got me through my divorce in 92. Thanks.

Dan Phipps says:
thanks, roger, for creating the vision behind one of the BEST life-soundtracks i've ever experienced. "tales..." is my favorite yes album and your cover of it conjurs up images of serenity, balance, union, and oneness. all life flows and flows, regardless of the obstacles we face. we carry on. thank you for your pens and air-brushes!! :-) "be the light...for you are light inside your dreams"

Robert Vitale says:
I remember back in 1974 visiting the collection of Rogers artwork in New York. I must tell you that the original piece was masterful and it will always stick in my mind. Breathtaking to see the details and the color moods in all of his art just blew me away. His art will live on forever. I would also like to see Uriah Heeps Demon and Wizards cover with real iridescent butterfly wings.

Andrew Addison says:
I would say there is no Yes without Roger Dean. You can't listen to Yes without one of his classic images coming to mind. And this image is his most classic of all. I bought this vinyl album in '82 and would fold-out the album and just be amazed at the detail in the artwork (and the music!). I think Roger is one helluva of an artist and I want to thank him for all the visual pleasure he's given me and everyone else. (Thanks to for this web site, now I can have "Tales from.." as my desktop wallpaper!)

André Marques says:
I'm a brazilian singer and designer, and I love the way you work..... Congratulations...

Juanjo Paniagua Navarro says:
I heard it, and saw it when I was 16, on a summer in which the days were long. Unforgettable sounds of days-to come.

Mark Adams says:
While not one of my favorites, it's definitely a great piece of work. I don't think their could have been a better painting for that album.

Robert O'Brien says:
I purchased my first Yes album, Fragile, in 1972. At that time I had never heard of the band although the album Cover Art is what intrigued me enough to purchase it. I since purchased every Yes album and have re-purchased the music on CD's. My Tales poster, that I bought in 1974, is still hanging over my desk as I write this note to you. It's a bit ratty and I anxiously await the opportunity to re-purchase this work as well as others I have. I love your art - keep it up.

Michael Mazur says:
I remember seeing for the first time this cover than I was 10. It was the first album of Yes what I evr heard... It was beatiful feeling. Maybe I'he love Yes for this album and this picture is one of greatest wich I ever seen...

Roth Dylan says:
I just want to thank Mr. Dean for his greatful Artwork and tell that, in a way, he has changed my life. This landscapes are beautiful and it's quite easy to fly upper these worlds.

Christophe GRIGRI says:
I've been inhabited by Yes and Roger Dean's art for more than 15 years, now (i'm 32) and i just want to thank him and Yes for enable me to go through so many difficult years of loneliness. It's a part of my most inner identity. Do you know that Dean's rocks do exist in Corsica ?

Jorge Ricagno says:
I think this is one of the best artworks for a rock production ever done. This paint is part of the work that Yes describes on music and lyrics. I think is impossible to imaginate one without other part of the work.

Robert Forbes says:
I feel the same way as other contributors about the strength and magic of Roger's artwork and its importance in the formation of the incredible music of Yes. Tales is a masterpiece, recognised only by those whose intellects can recognise vision. Roger we urgently need you to open up your shop! In my office I have prints of Tales, Relayer (signed by Jon Anderson and Roger), Symphonic Music of Yes, Floating Islands (ABWH), and the Masterworks Tour poster. However I made the big mistake of having the Tales print put onto a backing board and it looks bad. Please Roger, sign some quality limited edition prints and let me have one so I can frame it properly!

Randy G. Cook says:
you recall the place we came from and the place to which we shall all return. thank you for the remembrance... and the awakening.

Gerard van Steenoven says:
Being a Yesman(fan) for as long as I can remember,I became a Roger Dean fan seeing the FRAGILE cover, since that time Yes albums are only RIGHT wrapped in Roger`s ART. Thanks for pleasure over the YesYears.

Robert Tebbe says:
This cover is as versatile as Yes music. An artform complementing another artform. I guess this is the magic of Roger Dean's artistic creations. It would be quite awsome to see a Roger Dean animation film featuring Yes music as in the Yes concert film "Yessongs". Maybe a film that would bring this excellent scene to life. Thank You Roger for creating this and your other images for our imaginations to feast on.

Jack Russom says:
This is truly my very favorite Yes album and, in my opinion, the very best work Roger Dean has done. Atimeless piece of art that rivals even the best of Michael Angelo.

Tomas Skogsberg (producer) says:
YES AND ROGER D.ARE THE MASTERS.

Santiago Roó says:
thanks for laughing at gravity.

Anthony Nolan says:
I remember back in NYC, some serious Yes Fans had painted a full(handball)court wall in the middle of Queens. It was an amazing site! a pledge to one of the greatest progressive rock bands to reach the world through their amazing music .The wall is now a great memory,of times when art,music and community could intertwine perfectly together:::::::::::::::::::::::::zeN!

Kerigwen says:
Thank you Roger Dean for all of the pathways, doorways and the images of hidden lands and ships that can take us there. May your work always flow easily from heart to head to hand to us.

Steve Bailey says:
This image marks a time in history not only for Yes, but a passage in the oceans of time. If ever there was a defenition of classic time passage...this is it.

Robert Ruiz says:
I'm from Costa Rica, we have the oldest rock band here, I was influenced by Yes music and of course by all your incredible graphics, GOD bless you, now and forever, it is such an incredible thing to have access to your site from this small country in the middle of the Americas, thanks again Mr. Dean, and I will send you more comments.

Sam Watts says:
My first encounter with Roger Dean Art was the Uriah Heep album "Demons and Wizards". I started to notice his work was YESSONGS. This was the art work that influenced my way of doing art. I have been listening to YES since I was 8 years old. I'm now 37. The music and album covers never get old!! Thanks Mr. Dean for sharing your talent with the world.

Ebony Luca'shenko says:
This is a refreshing new page Roger Dean. The first time your printed work featured before my eyes was in year 10 at high school. I was so desperate to have a copy of your artwork that i was willing to pay the library money for your book. Not only do we share the same birthday but your worked shocked me as i design and imagine worlds similar to yours. This image is ironic in more ways than one as two worlds combined become a world as real as the one existing at present. Thankyou Roger, for making a eclectic website.

Gino Santori says:
I cannot think of an artwork that has evoked as much intrigue as Tales.Enigmatic as it is, every time I view it I see an unidentifiable common element which puts me at peace. Thank you Roger for your works !

Ion Eminovichi says:
yes is all and nothing else

Monte La Rue says:
Roger's drawings have always and will continue to be an inspiration. "Tales" is one of his most powerful images, because it is so perfect in sync with the music. Not abstract, but a touch of surrealism that joins art and music together in a universal way. Surely a Yes masterpiece and one of Roger's finest. Classic.

Dennis Rey says:
I HAVE LOVED RGERS WORK SINCE I WAS 9 YEARS OLD WHEN I BOUGHT MY FIRST ALBUM "CLOSE TO THE EDGE".AND AT 12 I AIRBRUSHED THAT INSIDE COVER ON MY BEDROOM WALL! EVER SINCE I'VE BEEN HEAVELY INSPIRED BY RODGER. IT SHOWS IN MY ORIGINALS! THANK YOU RODGER DEAN !! I LOVE YOUR WORK ! THANK GOD FOR RODGER DEAN AND YES !!!! YOURS TRULEY DENNIS REY

Martyn Smith says:
Think of YES you think of Roger Dean. Whenever I buy an album by YES or GREENSLADE, I know the music MUST be as good as the design on the cover. It also makes me feel quite nostalgic as it takes me back to a time when art was art and music was music.

Mark Scott says:
I've just rediscovered Yes in a big way - I hadn't really listened to the stuff from the glory days ie pre-Drama for years, but in the last two weeks I've bought Tales and Tormato and Relayer and Close To The Edge on CD, having found a tape of Tales from my student days - I've had that tape in my car stereo constantly for over a month. Pure genius - I'm glad to be back.

Jim Whitman says:
I've always loved this Yes Album cover...the only one that may have it beat is the inside of "Close To The Edge". On the Topographic Oceans cover I'm always drawn to the stars, because they're ,well, big in relation to how stars really are in the sky. It's just a beautiful painting. I draw myself and am always doing Roger Dean type lettering. It's great how he letters!

Maurice Doubleday says:
TALES FROM TOPOGRAPHIC OCEANS is one of the most complete and alluring covers that Roger has ever done. The suggested movement of the fish, the ruins in the background -- the comforting blue of the environment. It helped me relax during a trying time in my life -- for which I will always be grateful.

Steve Cusano says:
Fragile was the first album I ever bought, maybe the first one I ever listened to, beginning to end, over and over again. By the time Close To The Edge and Tales had come along I was as devoted a Yes fan, and Roger fan, as a young teenager could be. I collected everything available on Roger that I could and had the poster of the Tales cover art hanging in my room from the day I bought it. That poster has stayed with me through the years. Through Art School, 3 apartments, and for the last 15 years, my own studio. Several years ago I was fortunate enough to meet Roger at a book signing at a local comic book store. Feeling a little out of place, as I was the oldest in the crowd of adoring fans, I waited for my turn to meet Roger without saying much of anything. The people in line just ahead of me were making quite a scene about the "new" book of Roger's work, Views. Roger was very pleasant to them and thanked them for their support and enthusiasm. As they turned to leave I handed him my very well used original copy, ca.1975 and said to him "I go back a little further". He laughed and said "I guess you do!" and signed my book and the original poster for me. I've been staring at that image for 25 years and I've not grown tired of it yet. As much as anything I own, that image represents home, I'm just not there without my Tales poster up on the wall. And as for meeting and speaking with Roger, he was as pleasant and unassuming as you could hope for and now when I look at my poster or look through my book I have that conversation to think back on and enjoy as much as I still enjoy the work.

Dawn says:
This is my favorite Dean work, and my favorite YES album. I have made it my computer's wallpaper too

Trip says:
This is by far one of the most original ideas I think Roger has come up with. I love all of his work, but this one is out there. Much homage to the master!

Kurt Hausmann says:
Wonderful and thought provoking artwork! I have been a fan for years. I only wish there was a way to obtain larger size posters of his work for framing.

Alfers says:
I love this piece!! I think it is extrodinary--I have the original poster that a friend brought back from europe when he was stationed in Germany. I view it daily, it makes a perfect start to every day.

Frederic Levery says:
I'm a french YES and Roger Dean fan. I bought the tales C.D 10 years ago and I found it was beautiful. I like the nazcas marking and the mayan temple. 3 years ago I bought the poster of Tales (along with Freyja's Castle, Yellow City, Blue Desert, Jade Sea and Asia Pyramid), View and Magnetic Storm. It is really wonderful in these format. Thank you roger. I hope there will be a successor to Magnetic Storm.

5%4nthg says:
When I first bought this album I listened to it with my headphones on and the album cover in front of me. Soon I was off walking amongst the rocks and following the Straits of Nazca..............

Ben Hughes, Scott Burnham and Daniel Taylor say:
We think that your paintings are very peculiar.Dan likes your trees an Ben likes the ship that you painted and Scott likes the mushroom shaped sort of ice cream platforms and we all like your cartoon version of the Earth.

Rachel, Terri, Stacey and Kayleigh say:
We have been painting pictures similar to your's. We really enjoyed looking at and drawing your yes album covers.

Jason Ewing says:
This picture is one of my favorites of Dean's, and it is one of my favorite album covers as well. For me, the music of Yes (especially on TFTO) and Roger's art compliment each other synergeticly. Both have a sublime, spiritual quality that invites the observer/listener to participate in a more transcendent reality and strive for higher ground. In other words,:-) it fulfills art's higher purpose. Both Yes and Roger Dean's art have given me much happiness over the years, and this cover is extra-special because it reminds me of my early introduction to Yes and through Yes prog in general. I love it!

Joe says:
This is my absolute favorite album cover and by coincidence my favorite Yes Album. Roger's covers have always captured the image of Yes music witout a doubt. The Tales from Topographic Oceans cover takes me way back to a time that I would love to return to, my youth. The great thing is I can return with a look or a listen! Thanks Roger Dean and Yes.

Paul Mortimer says:
Recent discussions on the Southside of the Sky mailing list highlighted a previously unseen part of this cover, 'the glider' seems to be behind or within the central rock pile, a wooden nose covered in greenery protruding from the right side... always something new to see in these complex images.

Kurt Michaels says:
I have always enjoyed Roger's work. I cannot conceive of anyone else more suited to work w/ an amazing band like Yes. In this piece of work, the contrast of images is quite striking. The thing about it that really tickles me is the way that the fish and water are blended into the landscape...a very creative and even entertaining approach. Bravo Roger !!!

C. Emilio says:
I have the TFTO poster displayed in my living room. Some visitors ask where it came from and who painted it. Some even dislike it because they think it is not as decorative as a Monet or Dali poster. Ignorance is bliss. Who the heck would like a Monet instead of a Dean?

Pol says:
I am a friend of C. Emilio and have seen Sir Dean's magestic portrait dutifully displayed, and we talk of dreams of these temporal oceans and being laid to rest somewhere behind the last rocks at Land's End. Do you think Sir Dean could arrange this?

Axel Clifford says:
I have always loved this picture! Roger is able to make anything look good, his work is so easy to spot and I have always loved anything I have seen by him!

Richard says:
for the first time in more than 20 years i look at the picture and my mind says...'dawn of a light lying between the silence of sold sources,chased amidst fusions of wonder,in moments hardly seen forgotten........ well, it went something like that...didnt it?
beautiful visuals beautiful sounds... thanks boys

Jimbo says:
A dazzling cover; the cosmic tapestry of starlight makes this painting for me. Roger could capture the mystery and brilliance of Yes in a vibrant painted reflection of melody and harmony.

John Morales says:
The cover as everything on TFTO seems to have come organically from a single source. It seems to offer boundless possibilities as it is really without place(underwater, England, Mexico, S. America?) and without time of day even(nighttime, dusk, dawn?) The imagery along with the rich and smooth colors help to make this, along with YESSONGS, one of my favorite album covers. It has been inspiring to me as a painter since high school when I first discovered it.The fact that the cover, itself, was a collaboration with the band makes it even more special to me. I believe that this kind of interaction of music and art is what album design should be about. Unfortunately though, this synthesis rarely happens and when it does it is seldom as successful as TFTO.

Rob Thomson says:
Tales from Topographic Oceans has always been somewhat of a mish-mash of ideas coming together to form what is an extraordinary painting. I've always loved Roger's work and would cite it as a major influence on my own designs and art, even though most of my art is far from "Roger-Deanish". This painting shows that it is possible to take many and varied ideas and images and meld them together to form an enigmatic whole. Bits are familiar but it's still an unreal landscape. The impossible made possible, I suppose.

Terry Miller says:
This picture always had somewhat of a surreal quality to it. It is one of my favorite covers of all time.

Neil Haigh says:
I think its great the way the cover reflects the music on the album and vice versa. For example, whenever I think of TFTO, the first 'colour' I get is the very dark shade of blue that is the background - a blue as deep as the music. I like also the fact that the music is very, very natural - 'of the earth' so to speak, and the album cover reflects this natural feeling too. If you were shooting a film about the earliest days of mankind on planet Earth - this album would be the best soundtrack you could choose.

Jorge says:
Even the final result was a mix of differents ideas it s so wonderfull that cant be dissociated of Yes music, is cosmical and earthly at the same time. I believe you can avoid to join the music and these images.

Luke says
I've loved this image since I first saw it. I recently bought a poster of it and was surprised to find the embryos. What do they represent, and do the five fish perhaps represent the 5 Yes men?

HIROBUMI EZAWA says
Greatest YES cover art graphic!

Cengiz VARLIK says
One of the definitive Roger Dean covers. Yes music is cosmic; and this cover is the picture of somewhere in restfull cosmos.

Scott Cardoza says
Fetuses in the fish and a great album. I was listening and looking deeply in one long sitting.

Paul Rogers says
I've always appreciated the juxtaposition of disparate elements within this image. All come together to create both an ambiguous and a simultaneously harmonious whole. Very satisfying. In a "Where's Waldo" sort of way the image rewards repeated attempts to capture it's nuances. Susequent readings revealing hidden details that once noticed are impossible to forget. Like the best Yes music, it is a synthesis of ideas assembled into some form of newer meaningful order. The composition draws in the reader with the exotic promises of mystery and like any great piece of graphic work entices the reader to venture into what lies within. Yeah, it's a wonderful piece of work and has certainly retained it's strength through the years.

Ignacio Cuevas says
I remember seeing for the first time this beautiful album in the Yes rack... a real thrill. Part of Yes's sucess was to have Roger make this incredible paintings for their music; you cannot separate one from another; when i put the record in my turntable i watched endlessly this marvelous ideas that matched the melodies perfectly.

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