MUSIC REVIEW: Yes - Close to the Edge

"A timeless prog masterpiece."

I think it's great that Yes fans have such diverse tastes when it comes to their favorite albums. This shows that the band appealed to many different people on many different levels. One thing that's common from fan to fan, however, is that most favorites come from the glory days, those between The Yes Album -- when their progressive leanings began to appear in earnest -- and Going For The One -- when they started toning down on the experimentation. The reason is simple: during these years, Yes produced some of the best and most important progressive rock albums ever.

I like or love all of these albums, but to me, Close To The Edge is a big notch above the others in terms of supreme quality. This is Yes at their zenith, as a unified band brimming with originality. I still listen to it frequently, proving that great music oversteps trends. This sucker is a true masterpiece.

"Close to the Edge" is one of the band's best and most cohesive epics. I also think it's the most difficult to describe. The instrumentation is so wonderfully eclectic, and yet the music works so well together. The effect is only comparable to an orchestra, where each section works with others, aspiring for the overall effect, not individual elements. The ultimate synergy. Howe's compelling guitars create a hypnotic effect, while Wakeman's sublime flourishes serve as both an symphonic backdrop and a commanding lead instrument. Bruford's unique jazzy drumming affixes the solid rhythm section, and Squire's low-end bass rumblings straddle the line between maintaining rhythm and functioning as another lead instrument. The cacophonous opening that sunders the serene nature sounds is wonderfully crazy, with time signatures only a supercomputer could notate correctly. The lovely middle section "I Get Up, I Get Down" is beautiful, with Wakeman's soaring organ bringing it to its climax, then segueing into his incredible keyboard solo. The song culminates as it returns to its main theme with uplifting vocal harmonies that never fail to give me goose bumps.

This masterful work brings side one to a close (irrelevant on CD, of course), but Yes keeps you riding on that musical high for the next two songs.

I don't consider "And You and I" a love song, but somehow it's very beautiful, almost romantic. There's something imaginatively lovely about lines like "And you and I climb, crossing the shapes of the morning | And you and I reach over the sun to the river." The song begins with the simple charm of Howe's acoustic guitar and Anderson's folksy melodies. The song climaxes not once, but twice, as it goes through the two main themes. I think Anderson's delicate vocals are the highlight here. Awesome, awesome song.

"Siberian Khatru" is a cool tune. Some Eastern influences merge with gutsy rock n' roll, making for a snappy song that's remarkably catchy for such an in-depth piece. Lots of tight harmonies and intermittent melody shifts make this great song better.

Critics have called Yes' epics fragmented and meandering, but this is one album where that criticism fails. All the songs cohere intelligently, never meandering beyond the song's established musical themes. This album is absolutely perfect.