Zarathustra

Indeed, you’re not entirely wrong. By the way, I don't mind Owner of a Lonely Heart at all as a pop song; if all pop were as refined and complex as this... the thing that hurts me is precisely this, that we talk about pop in reference to one of the most extraordinary and influential bands in the history of rock... well, anyway, they made a comeback, and that redeems them, at least partially...

Clearly, in my previous statement, I meant to say that the collection has a very serious FLAW, not a patch...

Bah, I don't know if I can say that I love them; I have all or almost all of their albums, acquired during my World-Music phase, even though the early records (especially the gloomy Spleen and Ideal) have little to do with this genre. My favorite album from their entire discography remains Aion, which has an extra allure due to the fact that it was played with medieval instruments (at least that's what I gather), but I also love Into the Labirint and Spiritchaser. On the contrary, I'm not enthusiastic about Spleen and Ideal; it's too dark and heavy. This compilation, however, judging by the tracklist, has a serious flaw in my opinion: inexplicably missing is "Fortune Presents Gifts Not According To The Book," perhaps their most beautiful piece ever, while there are some negligible tracks like Salterello, which, taken out of context from Aion, really makes little sense. In short, for my tastes, this album does not capture the best of the band. I would recommend getting in this order: Spiritchaser and Into the Labirint (the least daunting), Aion, The Serpent's Eggs, and then, if the interest is strong, also the first two albums Spleen and Ideal and With the Realm of a Dying Sun, which are much darker, almost oppressive in their gloominess.

I find that Magnification is a great album; sure, the presence of the orchestra slightly depersonalizes the work, but the final result is indeed excellent. Of course, their best work was up until Going for the One, but as a "senior" album, it’s more than fine...
As for Tales, my rating is sufficient because I believe the band pushed it a bit too far, that they stretched the rope a little too much; in short, they went off the rails... the album itself is incredibly complex and full of significant musical solutions, but, in my opinion, this comes at the cost of the communicability of the pieces, which become overly cerebral and lose the emotional charge of the best songs (I think of "Yours is no disgrace," Heart of the Sunrise, Close to The Edge, The gates of delirium, just to name the iconic tracks from the four albums). Nevertheless, thinking about Yes and the immense greatness of these albums (Going For The One included), I really feel faint when listening to their subsequent albums... have you noticed that all (or almost all) of the so-called cult bands in progressive have experienced such a fearful decline in inspiration that it has brought them to a ground-level compositional state? I think of Genesis, Gentle Giant, Yes, Van der Graaf, Banco, Pfm, Le Orme... these are the most striking cases in my opinion. What do you think it depends on? It’s quite a singular phenomenon, and there must be specific motivations behind it. Simple vulgarization?

I completely agree with the analysis of the pieces. Turn of the Century and Awaken are absolute masterpieces, capable of holding their own against the sacred beasts of their discography, while the other tracks, on the other hand, are not unforgettable: the title track is a modest attempt to embrace a genre (laid-back rock 'n roll) that isn't really in their nature. Parallels feels a bit heavy, and Wonderous Stories doesn’t seem to have much to offer. I don’t share the rating. From my point of view, the ratings for the albums are: The Yes Album: 5, Fragile: 5, Close to the Edge: 5, Tales from Topographic Oceans: 3, Relayer: 5. This is, in my opinion, significantly inferior to Relayer. How could one forget pieces like To Be Over, simply magical, and Sound Chaser, astounding, not to mention the grandeur of The Gates of Delirium, especially in the last movement of the piece? In short, I believe this is inferior to Relayer.

Even before reading it, I'll give you 5 reasons why I've been waiting for a review of this album for a long time...

did better, moolto better. Anyway good.

Bah, I really don't like greatest hits albums. I agree with those who said above that a best of for an artist who has released 3 albums doesn't make much sense. After all, it's easier to listen to all the albums... The best of these, I believe, is Bryter Layter, perfect in every way, followed by the other 2.

Discreet for being Italian rock... The review is good.

Great review, I wanted to write one myself but you've already said it perfectly and with masterful clarity.