Close To The Edge

This album is super important for what it is and also what it isn't. What it is is one of the most pure distillations of prog rock and rock's musical excesses (if not necessarily the chemical excesses). But its overwritten, ornate Baroqueness helped to inspire punk music as a reaction against this brand of complex-for-the-sake-of-complex tryhard bullshit. Prog and punk happen to be my two favorite subgenres, so this one is extra meaningful to me. Beloved for three perfect songs (out of a possible three, hah!), if not any semblance of brevity. One more thing before I hit submit: early on in the title track there is a happy, sweet guitar melody that could have been a lead on a Queen song. Much later the same motif returns as a more sinister and dissonant version with ugly-sounding harmonics from a ring modulator. It's fuckin sick and it demonstrates my favorite joke about prog rock. If you don't like what you're hearing, wait five minutes.

An absolute masterpiece of progressive rock. Long-winded gorgeous songs with so many moving parts. It's not for everybody, but it is most definitely for me.

This is one of my all-time top 5 favorite albums. Truly a masterpiece from start to finish. 5 stars.

it's literally my favorite album and every time I listen to it it's as exactly good as the first time.

Such a thrilling album! It felt like an adventure from beginning to end! Beautiful sounds, great dynamics, perfect length, wonderful ambience.

This is it folks. One of the few moments where I can excitedly proclaim that the fans of a genre have made listening to something unpalatable. I have not touched prog rock, because prog rock has some of the douchiest shithead fan bases I have ever met. But this right here is an easy five, from the almost storytelling soundscapes to the beautiful use of old and new instrumentation. And the vocals have a great Glam/Folk Fusion sound that I love.

Prog is not a four letter word. Embrace the dramatic power.

I've only ever listened to Fragile but damn did I love this one. The first track may have been 19min, but it did not feel like it at all. Great prog with a lot of fun influences. Favorite track: "Close to the Edge"

I tried. Music from the head not from the heart yo. Listened to some Christy Moore instead though that was banging.

Close to the Edge is the greatest progressive rock album ever made. A perfect 5 star record, not a wasted note to be found. Perfection. ::chef’s kiss::

LOVE the transitions. This album is super cool

Prog at it's best. 10/10

YES! YES! YES! Must listen for all prog fans.

This is already one of my favorite albums

I love Yes! <3

What a wild ride. Very fun album. Some of early progressive's finest.

Very very special and interesting. Sometimes it has supertramp vibes, others reminds me of Pink Floyd

The beginning of the first track was a little too zany for me and I thought that this would be a terribly rough ride. After the first few minutes, it settled down and I started to find some enjoyment. It is still a little at arm's length for me, but I listened to it twice while I was working and was always surprised, and maybe slightly disappointed, when it ended.

No.

Only three songs. And yet, all three of them are key songs in their repertoire, ones that have been played now for over 50 years. And I never tire of hearing them. They are perfect songs to me, each member working in perfect sync. It's hard to believe that this was it for Bill Bruford, but really there's nowhere else for him to go in that band. The only flaw in this album is that "Siberian Khatru" fades out, when the live versions have a better ending (at least for me). This is the album I would tell people if they think they know Yes, they truly have not heard them. One of my favorite albums of all time.

One of my favourite albums already so I think you know what the score will be! This is dad rock and I stole it out of my dad's record collection..... These musicians were at the peak of their trade. It's a pleasure from start to finish. If some people want to pigeonhole this and close their ears that is their choice but this is pretty damned near perfect. Constantly changing and reinventing, never dull and played, produced and sang with a skill beyond 99% of todays wannabes. That slow building opening leading the the explosion of sound is like no other. It never lets up and stays with you for the rest of your life if you open your soul.

I get up! I get doooown!! One of my favorite records ever and maybe THE definitive headphone album of all time. (Pink Floyd doesn’t have a pipe organ, sorry.) I haven’t listened to enough prog to really say this is the high mark of the genre, but it sure as shit feels that way. I really think it has so much to do with Jon Anderson’s voice. The rest of the band all go ten directions at once, but that voice - it always cuts through the mix and invites me in. In some ways, it’s a really sweet record; the main melody of “And You and I” feels like it could be a Cat Stevens song sung in a higher register. I think that’s what makes Yes the G.O.A.T. When they’re at their best, the vocals and melody isn’t there just to support the progressiveness of the composition of what the other instruments are doing. It soars above all that. But goddamn the instruments. Insane. The synthy moment in the 2nd movement of “And You and I” always makes me think of 2001: A Space Oddysey. It’s transportive and catharsis in such a specific way. Ditto that pipe organ in the title track. Craig, I’ll recommend finding a clip of them playing the title track live back in the day. They’re on YouTube. You kind of have to commit to taking in that song without doing anything else for it to click, but if it clicks look out. Also, you know damn well that a bunch of teens saw these dudes playing twenty minute songs while literally dressed in capes and were like, “Yeah, fuuuck that.” And thus punk was born. Which is awesome! But so is Yes.

What do you get when you combine the most creative and deft drummer in rock, the most phenomenal bass player in rock, the most nimble and unique guitarist in rock, the most masterful keyboardist in rock, and the most pure and beautiful tenor to ever front a band? You get Close to the Edge! What a soaring triumph of an album! :) Seriously though, these guys are all complete MASTERS of their craft individually. It's ASTONISHING! The fact that they all managed to be in the SAME BAND is practically a miracle. Yes' bassist was more integral to the band's sound than any other bassist of the 70s; the sound he got out of his bass is unreal; so visceral and punchy. Steve Howe's guitar work is insanely original; he plays so swiftly in a way I have never heard any other guitarist play, and I listen to a lot of guitar! Bill Bruford could play ANYTHING on the drums. Sure, he wasn't as loud as other famous 70s drummers, but he could play more intricate, complex rhythms than all of them by FAR. The keyboardist has literally written symphonies, so that should tell you something lol. And who in rock could belt out high tenor notes so beautifully and sweetly as Jon Anderson?? No other band of the 70s of the world could've written this album. None! The sheer creativity and technical skill it must've taken to write this album boggles my mind. As someone who plays several instruments and knows a good amount of music theory, this album dazzles me. This album is rich in complexity, and each new listen unearths new secrets. Even if you don't like it personally, if you are not exceedingly impressed by this composition then you aren't paying attention... While Yes, for some, symbolizes the excesses of progressive rock, I truly think the highs of Yes' music are among the very highest in ALL OF MUSIC. Period. I never knew how magical music could be until I found this group.

There are so many things to dislike about this album. Ridiculously long songs, Anderson's helium-infused vocals, the sheer wankery of some of their vocals. Yet I really like it and it took me a while to realise why. When they get in the groove they rock! Somehow they stay in the groove even through all the key and time changes.

This sounds like good musicians made songs to prove they were good at music. Not for me.

Yes is one of the few bands who can pull off an 18 minute song. This album is lush, very well constructed and contains moments which sound surprisingly contemporary. With its use of unusual rhythms and jazz fusion like melodic lines, this album pushes hard on what it means to be a ‘progressive rock’ band. At points this album sounds like contemporary indie folk before dropping into a fusion groove. The harmonies give a CSN vibe within a completely new format. Simply put, this album shouldn’t work, but it just does

Does everything right I'd expect out a prog album. Three highly impressive tracks tied together by a central philosophical theme. Probably Yes's best album. Title track is divided in four movements. First movement is a perfect opener, which spiritual nature noises immediately setting off into insane guitar work that sounds so disjointed until abrupt breaks show they know what they're doing. It's symphonic and atmospheric, placing the audience in a position with any number of instruments and noises to shift focus on at any given moment. Vocalists are great, constantly shifting and matching the music. Good pacing, knowing exactly when to change in style to keep the music engaging while still retaining aspects like the chorus to maintain consistency. Geesh, when that organ hits in the third movement, swapping back and forth with the melancholic chorus. Love how the fourth movement largely reverts to the first but ties together the other two movements as well. Everything is tied up nicely in those last two minutes. It's a perfect track with no weak points at any minute in the song. The other two tracks on the second side also have good pacing and follow up on the themes discussed in the title track. "And You and I" is a mellower track, becoming triumphant in the middle. My favorite part in "Siberian Khatru" are the brief instruments about a quarter in, and also the vocal noises later. I don't how they're making many of the sounds in the album, but whatever they're doing it's working, drawing my attention while also being pleasing to hear, never overstaying their welcome.

this record blew me away in a way i was not expecting. 5/5

Masterpiece

10/10. Prog Rock gold.

I love prog. Can’t decide on my least favourite track on Close to the Edge.

not much to say this is a masterpiece

Probably my favorite Yes album that I've listened to

Me acuerdo cuando me cagaba el rock progresivo y me da risa. 5 ESTRELLAS.

Fantastic!

classico

ODÖDLIG KLASSIKER TITELSPÅRET ÄR 7/5

This is our second Yes record out of our first 100 or so. I was really surprised by how much better this one held together for me. The intricacy of the arrangement feels much more melodic and restrained than Fragile. It's like they toned down the goofiness and came out the other side with a much more cohesive and moving record. Now I see what all the fuss is about. Favourite track: Close to the Edge

prog that doesn't make me want to die

Album incroyable, je n'aurais pourtant pas misé un copec dessus, ce qui me rapelle une anecdote que je vais vous partager. A l'époque où je passais mon examen du permis de conduire, j'ai proposé une très mauvaise performance face a mon examinateur. Le stress de l'examen me poussa a faire une erreur qui semblait éliminatoire. Je rentrais chez moi très déçu, et l'annonce du déroulé de l'examen à mes parents fit l'effet d'une bombe. Ils etaient fous de rage, me repprochant de ne pas avoir assez exercé la conduite avant de passer l'examen. Cependant, quelques jours plus tard, le resultat me parvint sous la forme d'une lettre recommandée. J'apprennais alors que j'avais réussi mon examen d'une courte tête, et était ainsi l'heureux titulaire du precieux sésame, au nez et a la barbe de mes géniteurs. Ceci prouve donc bien que cet album était excellent, et si l'on lit bien entre les lignes, on peut même deviner la note de 4/5.

I’m not really a big fan of prog outside of Pink Floyd nor do I particularly like Jon Anderson’s voice. However the bass goes bwoom.

This one was definitely hard to wrap my head around and needed a second listen. Even as a fan of progressive metal I found Close to the Edge pretty overwhelming. It's easily enough material for two full rock albums pressed into one 18 minute song. The question of how good it is - outside of just being complex - is a different one. While I enjoy the different styles and experimentation, I am sort of missing a feeling of cohesiveness where the different styles and elements would point in the same direction. Another point of objection is the vocals, which are somewhat bland and don't feel like they do justice to the mind-boggling instrumentation. This turned out a difficult one to rate as well. I'd like to give a 4.5, but I'll round it down because the Simon & Garfunkel was sort of awkward.

Ich bin irgendwie zutiefst betroffen, dass es den Tod gibt und damit solcherlei Entdeckungen ganz unverschämt einschränkt sind; und doch bin ich auch von dieser Entdeckung zutiefst getröstet.

I liked it. Very groovy.

Adventurous.

J'ai écouté cet album dans le train qui allait m'amener au Generator Hostel. Autant vous dire que j'en avais la boule au ventre et que je n'ai pas pu pleinement apprécier son contenu.

I like a lot of Yes songs, but this album was a hard listen. I imagine this is what it feels like in a schizophrenic's brain

::wanking motion::

I liked the organ, but that's about it. It's a no for this Yes album.

Now I understand why people aren't interested in prog. The shorter the tracks get, the better they are by far.

1. cloze to the edge - 1 2. and you and i - 1 3. ziberian khatru - 1 4. america - 1 5. total mazz retain - 0 6. alternate and you and i - 1 7. ziberia run through - 0

Highly skilled but ultimately dull, egocentric, screeching drivel.

Still no

Here we have an album that will make you feel like you're journeying through a secret, funky world in the clouds, with build ups and payoffs that stick with you long after you're done listening. Easily in the top 5 prog records of all time, and undoubtedly the best Yes record.

This is my favorite Yes album and probably my top prog album—if I don’t count Floyd as prog. Sure, a lot of prog can be self-indulgent and excessive—something fans love and everyone else loathes—but this album, aptly titled, stops just short of crossing that line.

Gave this an honest focused listen while raking leaves. And I was a little surprised at how much I enjoyed this record when I could give it the attention needed. The intricacies of the arrangement and harmonies are captivating. A totally different and more enjoyable experience than just “having it on”.

1977, and my school buddies were aligning themselves with either punk or heavy metal. Not me... I was getting into punk....and Yes. And Close To The Edge was the album that grabbed me. OK, it was everything that Punk was rebelling against, but....man... the masterly musicianship, the fourth dimensional lyrics, the sprawling expanse of music. Can't they both co-exist? Like Sweet and Sour? Listening to it again in 2024...it's still activating those thoughts...but, bygod, it's overly pretentious. Thoroughly enjoyable, but like a Sticky Toffee Pudding, there's just too much in there.

But never at the edge... At the edge you fall.. Said a dark voice appearing from the dark abyss... The voice was..... syd barret who made this album... His soul... his vision of psychedelic rock is the reason we are standing here at the edge.

Not my favourite Yes Album, but that's like saying chicken is not your favourite pizza topping. It's still pizza.

Probably the best Yes album and probably the best Prog record too

Even if it was just the title track it would be a 5, the other two are just a bonus. This is why i'll always love longer songs, you just get to fit so much in, it becomes a real journey rather than just a quick little musical fix. Prog at it's peak.

Si on m’avait donné un bidou à chaque fois qu’un excellent album prog de Yes avait été généré directement après un autre classique de prog rock, j’aurais deux bidoux, pis je serais très satisfait de ma situation

Yes Extremely original and beautiful and meaningful music for me. I used to listen to these Yes albums from 71-74 religiously. I got into this in middle school and it was one of the first things that really blew my mind and opened me up to what music can be and what a band can do. Each song is such a journey. The composition and playing are incredible and also the mix and production. Love all the peaks and valleys and textures

Opening track is seriously amazing, one of the best prog tracks of all time in my eyes. The rest of the record is great too but that opener still manages to blow them away, which makes this album a fantastic listen.

This is an absolute masterpiece of progressive rock. It's not only incredible as an album, but also important for what it meant to the genre as a whole, and how it inspired the albums that followed. It's meant to be listened to as a whole—it doesn't work any other way, in my opinion (although the first track is a mind-blowing on its own as well). 5 stars

Their greenest. Features probably the best song of all time, and two more songs that are also most likely in the top 50. Undoubtedly a 10/10 album - an absolute masterpiece.

Yes and King Crimson are my two pinnacles of a genre that has I think has incredibly high highs and not a lot else that I really have clicked with. I’ve also only listened to a small sample size of both of their vast discographies. But the albums I like of them both, I think I could listen to forever. This album specifically goes to so many fascinating places. I love the organ and bass sounds specifically on the first sprawling song and I love the way that song shifts to highlight different sounds. It’s pure sci-if!

100% (10+10+10/30) Fav: Close to the Edge, And You and I, Siberian Khatru Least: N/A Must-Hear? Hell yeah

Everything that's right and wrong with prog, except all the wrong things are somehow right. It's preposterous, pretentious, ridiculous and whatever other -ous word you wanna throw at it, and I wouldn't have it any other way. The title track is so over-the-top that it would be laughable if it weren't so damn sublime. It is the best prog song that can ever possibly exist. The fact that this was a massive hit, and that these guys sold out stadiums playing this cacophony blows my mind.

If I could pick one album to erase from my memory just so I could experience it again for the first time, it would be Close to the Edge.

Here is Yes' most ambitious album to date, with two multi-movement songs and one regular (9-minute) song. The result is an album that feels larger than life, and perhaps the greatest prog rock album of all time? It gives Pink Floyd a run for their money, I'll say that much.

Another classic YES album. Loved it.

My favorite Yes album, Rick Wakeman is absolutely mental in this

One of the iconic albums of Progressive rock. If you look on the internet for “best prog albums”, this will be in almost everybody’s top 3. For good reason. It is my #1 prog album, certainly top 10 overall. I’ve had this album (in multiple formats) since the 70’s, it is an old friend. We don’t get together as much as we used to, but it’s always a good time when we do. Stick to the original track list (1st 3 songs), the way it was meant to be presented. You can listen to the bonus material independently, their version of “America” is worthy. This is an easy 5/5.

Now back to your regularly scheduled prog I love '70s prog and this is a high watermark of that era. Easy five for me.

Omg I LOVE this album. I never knew I liked prog until I heard Yes. And maybe I don’t so much like prog as much as I just love Yes.

This album withstands the tests of time!

Hell yes. This has set the mood for the whole day and I'm so excited for it. Prog for focus and relaxation and profit.

I have no aversion to progressive rock with its 10+ minute tracks and 9/16 timesignatures, quite the contrary, but if this album is the definition of it... Hear me out. Sometimes musical genres are like people. They get thrown into the world and spend a few years in playful innocence, childish and a bit dumb, maybe mimicking their parents for a while. And then they become teenagers, clumsily stumbling onto their own paths, full of occasionally cring– ... initially, I had yapped on for a bit and you might extrapolate where I was going with this but somewhere along crafting my witty comparison I discovered the Steven Wilson remixes. Seems like what bothered me greatly was the original sound which made the album a fairly disjointed, shrill experience, to my ears. Now it does not. Which leaves me with something that's sometimes more over-the-top, baroque weird than great, but there's plenty of great. It's weird, somehow I can't quite commit to loving this but as a matter of fact, I've been listening to this all day long, sooo...

no comment

A wild ride

It's the master piece of Yes and probably of prog. I can see how some people will hate it bit its pretty much perfect is its scope ambition and influence.

Sometimes albums are so tightly constructed, so gorgeously written and performed, that they zip by in the blink of an eye. So it is with Close to the Edge, a contender for Yes’s greatest work that takes three songs and presents them as a mindbending suite.

Good. First track sounds like phish

holy shit

Close is undoubtedly one of the most engaging prog rock records if only for its incredible and sprawling opening self-titled track that features everything from the fast and aggressive guitar, bass, and drum playing of Steve Howe, Chris Squire, and Bill Bruford respectively, the beautifully played church pipe organ in the third part of the song by Rick Wakeman, and an infectious chorus that is delivered throughout the track by the whimsical Jon Anderson. "And You And I" is one of the sweetest and most endearing prog rock tracks to be written, containing a wonderful opening part featuring Howe's 12-string acoustic guitar and a lovely refrain from Anderson, the spacey and almost otherworldly feel of its second part courtesy of Wakeman's keyboards and the guitar playing of Howe and Squire alongside Anderson's drawn-out vocals, to the graceful allusions to religion in Anderson's verse in the third part in an almost folk-like delivery before being capped off by Anderson singing the beautiful refrain one last time. Siberian Khatru is certainly the most straightforward track here, but even then it is a complete rocker, thanks to its upbeat instrumental featuring a killer bassline from Chris Squire, some great and intricate keyboard passages from Wakeman, and a catchy chorus delivered throughout the track. The only real nitpick I could make about the track is how it just fades out with the main melody in the end after the final part where the band starts to do a sort of chant. In short, Close to the Edge is one of the prog rock greats, and that is something that cannot be taken away from Yes, no matter what they did before or after this record. "And you and I climb over the sea to the valley And you and I reached out for reasons to call"

i feel like i'm being pranked but the prank is just some excellent music

One of my favorite bands, a pioneer band in the progressive rock scene along with early Genesis and King Crimson. I have loved this album since I was a teenager. This album along with, "The Yes Album" and "Fragile" are definitely on my desert island list, as masterpieces of prog rock.

YES!!!

Beautiful album all around!

Album opens with a whole-sided, multi-part title track in the purest of prog spirit. Initially we are presented with almost no noise, before the bass and guitar rip in without warning and with so much pent up energy. Other than a few brief vocal interludes, there is no relief until almost 3 minutes when it gives way to a more traditional form. Love the bass groove we enter around the 6 minute mark. Speaking of grooves, Siberian Khatru might be one of my favorite melodies Yes ever put together. Such a quality piece. I was distracted during most of this listen, but I love this album through and through. It gets in, gets out, and is chock full of complexity. Beautiful layering and multi-part orchestration, not to mention the meaty bass and colorful guitar work. This is a low-end 5 for me.

Crazy how 3 songs can contain so much

This is Yes' magnum opus. 37 glorious minutes of prog mastery, and yet still filled with catchy choruses

Ziemlich fettes Album! Musikalisch ist yes natürlich auf höchstem Niveau

This is probably one of my top 20 albums of all time and it took lockdown for me to finally get it. And its important that the deluxe edition is highlighted here because the original vinyl only included three tracks, the wonderful cover of Simon & Garfunkel's 'America' has only been added to more recent versions although I think was released as a single at the time. Frustratingly this deluxe edition has an edited single version of 'America' rather than the many more minutes full version. In fact, the casual listener may be best to jump straight to track 4 onwards for edited versions of the best bits. Not the same as the real thing but more palatable for the first time listener. To the casual listener the first three minutes may, on first listen, appear a cocophony of noise but is, in fact, as technically proficient and avante garde as modern music has ever been. The title track was heavilly influenced, I believe, by Sibelius and doesn't really fall into the category a thousand albums to listen to you in your lifetime. Moreso even if you listen to this track a thousand times in your lifetime you'll still hear something new. Some versions willl break the track down into mini segments which really show its melodic and pop sensibilities. The hammond organ solo halfway through is beyond grandios and was written, unfathomably, by the guitarist and only offered to Rick Wakeman for his instrument later down the line. The 'I get up get down' section builds tranquilly into the aforementioned and is one of post-war music's most singe tingling moments. 'And You and I' is just lovely whilst 'Siberian Khatru' has a niggling melody once you get in your head you can't lose. Finally, if you want a cover version that is totally original yet - just about in there - you get the lovely melody the writers created, 'America' is that track. This is challenging music and , like I say, took me a couple of decades of regular listening to get into it properly. But I think its actually the true link between classical and modern music, Yes at their very peak.

Yes, thank you.

There's a notable lack of traditional music structure to the songs which increases immersion for me. Feels more like a concept album although if I'm being honest I had a hard time making out the lyrics so if there was a story I couldn't follow. I did enjoy the sound of the lead vocals. It gave off folk vibes. The solos on this album are very impressive. All around this album was interesting, enjoyable, and well executed.

Close to the Edge is a prog rock masterpiece. The open track, Close to the Edge in earlier days took up an entire album size and is a sprawling suite more akin to a symphony than a rock song. That's followed by another long form piece, And You and I. The latter is often excerpted for the radio or playlists and represents a mainstay of classic rock to this day. Siberian Khatru is a tour de force of amazing guitar playing. Despite all the long pieces and virtuosity, Close to the Edge is still an amazingly accessible piece of prog rock. The deluxe edition doesn't extend the album in a meaningful way. The alternative version of And You and I is not that alternative, and the studio run through of Siberian Khatru is only of interest to musicians. Neither add much tot eh listening experience.

When I saw this was the album of the day I was like YES! If you don’t think that’s funny, my fiancée didn’t either

Yes