Posted in
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Yes
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Genre
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Progressive Rock
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Media
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CD
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Label | Rhino | ||
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Reviewer
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Gareth
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Track List
1) Close To The Edge
2) And You And I
3) Siberian Khatru
Description
One of the high-water marks of progressive rock (and thus of 1970s rock in general), CLOSE TO THE EDGE found British prog godfathers Yes firing on all cylinders. Throughout their history, they've undergone numerous lineup changes, but thisalbum featured the "classic" formation responsible for their absolute finest achievements. Here Rick Wakeman is at his Moog-goes-Baroque best behind the keyboards, Steve Howe sounds like a blues guitarist from Mars, Chris Squire delivers confoundingly contrapuntal bass lines, and Bill Bruford seemingly solves complex mathematical equations from his drum stool. The lion's share of the album is occupied by the title track, a complex piece that moves through numerous modes and moods. In latter decades, the extended song-suite has been denigrated as indicative of the worst rock pretensions, but, on CLOSE TO THE EDGE, it was a fascinating new concept, and Yes made it work more convincingly than anyone else before or since.
Review
This is a spellbinding; monumental showcase of an album. An exercise in the wonders of prog rock; pushing the envelope on what music is capable of. Don't expect any 2 ½ minute wonders here - the shortest song (on the original album) is just over 9 minutes long... and the title song is over twice that! This gives Yes the chance to expand and enhance; grow and develop their sonic and rhythmic landscapes taking the listener on a wondrous journey.
This is Yes at the height of their game: Jon Anderson; Rick Wakeman; Steve Howe; Bill Bruford and Chris Squire - the quality of their playing; the pinnacle of their song-writing skills.
It's not enough to say that I love this album, or that it's in my top ten albums of all time - for me, there's something almost transcendent in Yes's music. With the title track especially they shatter so many boundaries, relentlessly searching for new territory and always the listener is treated as a fellow searcher. This is a wonderful album and it keeps getting better with each listen.
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