Yes spent five months arranging, rehearsing, and recording "Tales from Topographic Oceans". The group were split in deciding where to record; Anderson and Wakeman wanted to retreat in the countryside while Squire and Howe preferred to stay in London, leaving White, who was initially indifferent, as the tie-breaking vote. Anderson had thought of recording under a tent in a forest at night with electrical generators buried into the ground so they would be inaudible, but "when I suggested that, they all said, 'Jon, get a life!'" Yes were joined by engineer and producer Eddy Offord, who had worked with the band since 1970 and shared production duties with the band. He tried to push their manager Brian Lane to set up recording in the country, thinking "some flowers and trees" would lessen the tension that the album had created within the group. Yes were swayed to remain in London and record at Morgan Studios as it housed Britain's first 24-track tape machine, produced by Ampex, which presented greater possibilities in the studio. Despite the advantage, Squire recalled that the machine malfunctioned often. Squire worked in the studio for as long as sixteen-hour days, seven days a week on the album.