Yes unveil the 2026 remastered single edit of “The Ancient” from the upcoming ‘Tales from Topographic Oceans (Super Deluxe Edition)’, arriving February 6 via Rhino. The abrasive, chaotic track features Steve Howe’s stunning acoustic interlude inspired by Purāna, the mythic texts and sacred lore of humanity’s distant past. The massive collection spans 12 CDs, 2 LPs, and a Blu-ray, featuring a newly remastered version of the original double album on both CD and vinyl, rarities, previously unreleased studio and live recordings, and several new mixes by Steven Wilson including a Dolby Atmos version.
The origins behind ‘Tales from Topographic Oceans’ trace back to a footnote in Paramahansa Yogananda’s ‘Autobiography of a Yogi’, which inspired Jon Anderson to imagine a four-part musical journey through ancient Hindu scriptures. That concept took shape across four side-long compositions: “The Revealing Science Of God (Dance of the Dawn)”, “The Remembering (High the Memory)”, “The Ancient (Giants Under the Sun)”, and “Ritual (Nous Sommes Du Soleil)”. Anderson, Steve Howe, Chris Squire, Rick Wakeman, and Alan White worked with longtime producer Eddy Offord at London’s Morgan Studios using Britain’s first 24-track console. Released December 7, 1973, the album topped the U.K. chart and reached number six in the U.S., earning Gold certification.
The Super Deluxe Edition reveals deeper dimensions with previously unreleased in-progress versions of all four album tracks, providing rare insight into the creation of Yes’ most audacious work. Live material recorded early in the tour includes previously unreleased performances of all four album tracks alongside earlier favorites “And You And I” and “Close To The Edge” from shows in Zürich on April 21, 1974, Manchester on November 28, 1973, and Cardiff on December 1, 1973.