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Magog2112 View Drop Down
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    Posted: July 31 2023 at 09:57
Personally, I've always found the track Close to the Edge to be a bit overrated. The rest of the album is excellent. I'm much more of a fan of every other album that the band released from 1971-1977.
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I’d love to have some kind of ‘starter-pack’ but I think something like that would have to have the listener in mind. Case in point: one of my old friends has always been a jazzhead. Not that weird seeing as his father blows a mean trombone and have done so in many a jazz acts. He’s always professed to digging unusual sounds and music that pushes the envelope yet at the same time had most of these classic British prog albums completely underwhelm him.
I then chugged Hot Rats, Opal, Valentyne Suite and Kobaïa his way and he hasn’t looked back ever since - even starting to get into the symph prog side of things


Edited by Guldbamsen - August 24 2019 at 00:41
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^ That's the problem, it was over-mixed, soundboarded to death.
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Originally posted by Atavachron Atavachron wrote:

Funny I've always felt Tril was their worst-sounding of the first four--  off balance, tinny, uneven.

 

There was a disappointing Japanese remaster but otherwise I don't hear that at all. Hoedown especially is superb. The percussion and keys just pop out. In fact the drum sound on the whole thing is great and the vocals and keys are crystal clear throughout. I just find its an unfocused album (not untypical of ELP) although still easily in my top two of theirs.
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Originally posted by AFlowerKingCrimson AFlowerKingCrimson wrote:

Originally posted by Dellinger Dellinger wrote:

I guess we could consider a starter pack, with Close to the Edge, Dark Side of the Moon, and In the Court of the Crimson King


I would add Selling England by the Pound to that list but I don't think we would need to add any others. Thick as a brick, moving pictures and wish you were here can come later.


Yeah, I find it difficult to choose any other albums. Of course Selling England is up there among the most notable, as well as the others you mentioned.
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Originally posted by Dellinger Dellinger wrote:

I guess we could consider a starter pack, with Close to the Edge, Dark Side of the Moon, and In the Court of the Crimson King

I would add Selling England by the Pound to that list but I don't think we would need to add any others. Thick as a brick, moving pictures and wish you were here can come later.
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Funny I've always felt Tril was their worst-sounding of the first four--  off balance, tinny, uneven.
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Originally posted by richardh richardh wrote:

Originally posted by Magmatt Magmatt wrote:

A lot of academic analysis has been expended on CTTE. Here in 2019 looking back on pieces of popular music that are getting close to 50 years old we have lost a lot of the original context within which these pieces of art were created.
Try to place it within the framework of popular music at that time. At the end of the day, they were still tryting to create music that people would consume. For that matter, all musicians had that goal. Whether is was CCR , Led Zeppelin or Neil Sedaka.
One thing that I believe does not get the accolades that it should is the work of Eddie Offord on CTTE.
That album sounds great. There is a lot going on with those compositions and the mix he achieved is spectacular. For the listener, there is an easy separation of instruments amidst some difficult arrangements. Back in those days, music was mixed to accentuate vocals and there's lots of bad recordings. Close to the Edge is not one of those. I think a big part of CTTE standing the test of time is the production value and compared with pop music at that time, even the material that was edging over the lines of complexity, and 'progressiveness', it rises above. Every band has a time when they were at the heights of their powers and the forces of popularity and skill come together in a career highlight.
 

Agreed although 1972 was just before 'compression' started to become more noticeable. Another Offord produced album was ELP's Trilogy from that same year . You can still hear the space between the instruments and the vocal sound is very natural. Brain Salad Surgery (although I love) clearly missed his influence. It all starts to become a bit of a 'sound fudge' to me and Lake's vocals are a little strange although that may have been deliberate given the sci-fi setting of the music.
You're right, Trilogy is a brilliant production, definitely the best sounding ELP album.
I also think I read that Offord had a lot to do with constructing the song CTTE from various bits of tape.
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Originally posted by Magmatt Magmatt wrote:

A lot of academic analysis has been expended on CTTE. Here in 2019 looking back on pieces of popular music that are getting close to 50 years old we have lost a lot of the original context within which these pieces of art were created.
Try to place it within the framework of popular music at that time. At the end of the day, they were still tryting to create music that people would consume. For that matter, all musicians had that goal. Whether is was CCR , Led Zeppelin or Neil Sedaka.
One thing that I believe does not get the accolades that it should is the work of Eddie Offord on CTTE.
That album sounds great. There is a lot going on with those compositions and the mix he achieved is spectacular. For the listener, there is an easy separation of instruments amidst some difficult arrangements. Back in those days, music was mixed to accentuate vocals and there's lots of bad recordings. Close to the Edge is not one of those. I think a big part of CTTE standing the test of time is the production value and compared with pop music at that time, even the material that was edging over the lines of complexity, and 'progressiveness', it rises above. Every band has a time when they were at the heights of their powers and the forces of popularity and skill come together in a career highlight.
 

Agreed although 1972 was just before 'compression' started to become more noticeable. Another Offord produced album was ELP's Trilogy from that same year . You can still hear the space between the instruments and the vocal sound is very natural. Brain Salad Surgery (although I love) clearly missed his influence. It all starts to become a bit of a 'sound fudge' to me and Lake's vocals are a little strange although that may have been deliberate given the sci-fi setting of the music.
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A lot of academic analysis has been expended on CTTE. Here in 2019 looking back on pieces of popular music that are getting close to 50 years old we have lost a lot of the original context within which these pieces of art were created.
Try to place it within the framework of popular music at that time. At the end of the day, they were still tryting to create music that people would consume. For that matter, all musicians had that goal. Whether is was CCR , Led Zeppelin or Neil Sedaka.
One thing that I believe does not get the accolades that it should is the work of Eddie Offord on CTTE.
That album sounds great. There is a lot going on with those compositions and the mix he achieved is spectacular. For the listener, there is an easy separation of instruments amidst some difficult arrangements. Back in those days, music was mixed to accentuate vocals and there's lots of bad recordings. Close to the Edge is not one of those. I think a big part of CTTE standing the test of time is the production value and compared with pop music at that time, even the material that was edging over the lines of complexity, and 'progressiveness', it rises above. Every band has a time when they were at the heights of their powers and the forces of popularity and skill come together in a career highlight.
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Originally posted by richardh richardh wrote:

Close To The Edge has lots of ambition but its actually not really that challenging to listen to.
 
I agree that once it gets into the vocal sections, but the intro is pretty weird for someone being introduced to prog for the first time.
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Originally posted by Dellinger Dellinger wrote:

I guess we could consider a starter pack, with Close to the Edge, Dark Side of the Moon, and In the Court of the Crimson King

Close to The Dark Side of The Court Prog Family Pack 3-for-1! Great Deal! Save 66%!

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I guess we could consider a starter pack, with Close to the Edge, Dark Side of the Moon, and In the Court of the Crimson King
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Originally posted by richardh richardh wrote:

Originally posted by hugo1995 hugo1995 wrote:

For me, the intro section (the pop song) is alright, but because of the bridge and ending it kinda makes the entire song an experience that must be heard for all prog fans. Definitely the best 'starter' for prog. People often say DSotM is the starter for prog. Nah. Close to the Edge has everything. Cheesy melody and vocals, epic solos, a breakdown, and a f**king long length lol.
 

Yes this is a really good comment and one that has been echoed quite a bit. Close To The Edge has lots of ambition but its actually not really that challenging to listen to. Yep ideal starter album. DSOTM is a good pop/rock/blues crossover album. It always sounded like a formula to me but then if you create the formula then that's okay presumably.

Which would make complete logical sense for why TFTGO didn't go over so well, lol.

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Originally posted by hugo1995 hugo1995 wrote:

For me, the intro section (the pop song) is alright, but because of the bridge and ending it kinda makes the entire song an experience that must be heard for all prog fans. Definitely the best 'starter' for prog. People often say DSotM is the starter for prog. Nah. Close to the Edge has everything. Cheesy melody and vocals, epic solos, a breakdown, and a f**king long length lol.
 

Yes this is a really good comment and one that has been echoed quite a bit. Close To The Edge has lots of ambition but its actually not really that challenging to listen to. Yep ideal starter album. DSOTM is a good pop/rock/blues crossover album. It always sounded like a formula to me but then if you create the formula then that's okay presumably.
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For me, the intro section (the pop song) is alright, but because of the bridge and ending it kinda makes the entire song an experience that must be heard for all prog fans. Definitely the best 'starter' for prog. People often say DSotM is the starter for prog. Nah. Close to the Edge has everything. Cheesy melody and vocals, epic solos, a breakdown, and a f**king long length lol.
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Yes aren’t even top 10 anymore. They were 25 years ago until I found so many other bands from that era. I still give Ctte 4 stars. The holes are starting to appear though and they are bigger on the next two albums which are 3.5 star albums
All I like is prog related bands beginning late 60's/early 70's. Their music from 1968 - 83 has the composition and sound which will never be beaten. Perfect blend of jazz, classical, folk and rock.
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It just holds together exceptionally well. It lets its agenda be known, and executes it flawlessly. Just a masterpiece of execution, though ironically the band never really knew what the album would look like til it was done. Just a perfect storm of inspiration, skill, and timing.
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I'm wondering if Close to the Edge is the new dark side of the moon at least in prog rock circles. I say that because it seems that in the past ten years or so CTTE has gotten a lot of attention as one of the very best and most famous prog rock albums of all time. It's even been mentioned on classic rock sites and magazines. It hasn't sold nearly as many copies but I'm referring more to reputation. I would think that some of this attention has helped album sales too a bit though. 
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Originally posted by TheLionOfPrague TheLionOfPrague wrote:

Dark Side of the Moon, Queen II and Close to the Edge are my top 3 albums in rock/pop music, so it wouldn't just make my top 10 favorite prog albums quite comfortably but also top 10 rock/pop albums list as well as music in general. Relayer is brilliant too, but well, I prefer And You and I to To Be Over, Siberian Khatru to Sound Chaser and Close to the Edge to Gates of Delirium, so it's not that close, even if the difference is not that big either.  

Well said!  Queen II is one of my all-time favorite LPs, and I love to play guitar along with it!!  "Ogre Battle" is a masterpiece, it is not an album that is discussed much on PA or elsewhere.
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