Product 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.

Track Listing

1. Close To The Edge - (i)The Solid Time Of Change(ii)Total Mass Retain(iii)I Get Up, I Get Down(iv)Seasons Of A Man
2. And You And I - (i)Cord Of Life(ii)Eclipse(iii)The Preacher, The Teacher(iv)Apocalypse
3. Siberian Khatru
4. America (bonus track)
5. Total Mass Retain (bonus track)
6. And You And I - (i)Cord Of Life(ii)Eclipse(iii)The Preacher, The Teacher(ii)Apocalypse (alternate bonus track)
7. Siberia (studio run-through bonus track)

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #3782 in Music
• Released on: 2003-08-25
• Number of discs: 1
• Format: Original recording remastered

Customer Reviews

Essential
If you are not familiar with this album (widely regarded as the peak of Yes' output), I should say that this is an essential buy if you love classic Progressive Rock - obvious really. What is not so obvious is the way this album bridges the gap between what I would call heavy or hard-core prog bands like King Crimson, and the more whimsical and melodic style of bands like Genesis. Although Yes do use unusual timings and complicated key structures, the music is very catchy and tuneful - you can still sing a long to it. Or more likely, hum a long with it, as Jon Anderson's lyrics are obscure to say the least - on this album he is at the height of his "the words don't mean anything, I just like what they sound like" period. His choir-boy vocal style tends to be either loved or loathed as well. This is the Howe/Anderson/Wakeman/Bruford/Squire incarnation of Yes, and obviously the musical credentials here are sky high (in particular I really do believe that Chris Squire is the best rock bassist ever IMO).

The album consists of three tracks, and all of them are outstanding - there really isn't a note of filler. All the tracks are crammed with ideas and are constantly twisting and turning in different musical directions, although never so much that the listener is overwhelmed (like all music of this type though, a certain familiarity is required).

The title track starts with a discordant section which makes difficult listening on first acquaintance, but it is a clever contrast to the beauty of the main theme when it arrives. It is on this track that Chris Squire shines, with some really blistering riffs throughout.

"And You and I" is probably the most accessible track, due to its catchy and pretty acoustic guitar part and lush Mellotron chorus. The album closes with "Siberian Khatru" which with a heavier guitar part and rather severe sounding Mellotron, eventual melts into a wonderful fadeout jam.

Don't bother importing the HDCD version from Japan by the way, the Rhino remaster is definately the best version available IMO, and has a great digipack minature reproduction of the original gatefold.

still calling over valleys
i was given the album as an 18th birthday present by a girlfriend who believed and you and i was written for us. i fell in love with the melodies and they still bring me great pleasure 35 years down the line.sadly, the girl and i parted company when we went off to different universities and found different you's and i's.
close to the edge is a magnificent piece. jon anderson seems to use his voice as another instrument,the words he is singing don't matter, it's the melodies he's carrying that are important.the end of i get up..... with it's majestic chords then the return to the main theme still sends a shiver down my spine.
and you and i is another piece that i still find myself whistling, particularly the slide guitar refrain.
siberian khatru is great with it's stravinskyesque part towards the end keeping you awake.
the extras are fine but not necessary.
to me this album is the best prog album ever made.it captures the spirit of the genre without any of the cynisism that crept in later on as money and egos began to take their toll.
any rock fan should have this in his/her collection

Musical perfection remastered to perfection
Other reviewers have commented on the music, so I don't think I need to add to those. However, I must say this album has to rank as one of the definitive pinnacles of rock music.

This is 6th copy of this studio recording I own. I bought it after an enquiry with Rhino confirmed it to be a new remaster (i.e. not just a repackaging of the Joe Gastwirt remaster from 1991).

Simply put this is a SPECTACULAR remaster! It is so much cleaner and clearer than before, but the overall mix remains intact. It's like I'd been listening to all previous pressings and remasters with the speakers behind curtains. Now you can discern all the lyrics and all the instrumental lines.

If you love this album I strongly recommend you get a copy of this Rhino version. I don't think you'll be disappointed.

The only downside is that I think I'll now have to buy the Rhino remasters of the Yes Album, Fragile, Relayer, Going for the One...too!