CLOSE TO THE EDGE

I agree with most previous reviewers: this album deserves a 5 stars rating. I consider this album as YES` first "Masterpiece", and one of the most representative albums in Progressive Rock music. I also consider this album a "musical journey" which creates fantasy images in the listener. The song "Close to the Edge" starts with the sounds of birds over a background with water sounds and a keyboards background maybe created using a mellotron. (After listening to this album for the first time, for me YES was associated with "nature images and sounds", this idea also augmented by Roger Dean`s cover paintings). The birds and nature sounds give way later to a heavy part ("The solid Time of Change") in which Squire and Bruford play the structure of the song, with keyboard sounds and Howe`s guitar, until a pause with vocals after which Howe plays a melody which is the "signature" of this song (later played again by Howe in Topographic Oceans `s "Ritual"). In the second part of the song , "Total Mass Retain", Squire and Bruford again lead the musical piece with several chord changes by Howe and "keyboard effects" by Wakeman.The "signature" melody is played again at the end of this part, but now by Wakeman in the organ. The third part of the song ("I Get Up I Get Down") is predominantly played by Wakeman`s keyboards, with vocals by Anderson (singing a part of the lyrics) and Howe and Squire "answering" with their vocals to Anderson`s vocals. I don`t know if Wakeman used a real Church organ here. The next part of the song (and the last, called "Seasons of Man") maybe begins with the reprise of the "signature melody" again played by Wakeman, followed by a very good Hammond organ solo accompanied by the band, and after this the last part of the lyrics is sung, unitl a great finale with again the appearance of the birds and nature`s sounds supported by a keyboards background. A great song, really. "And You and I" starts with Howe`s tuning his acoustic guitar, playing "harmonics" in the strings, supported by a keyboard. This song has very good arrangements, and it is one of the best songs from YES. Wakeman and Howe play melodies, Wakeman creates "musical atmospheres" with his keyboards. "Siberian Khatru" also has very good keyboards by Wakeman (and it was the first time that he had a songwriting credit in YES). This is YES most solid album with Bruford. Wakeman is more integrated to the band than in "Fragile". Squire and Bruford worked in this album as a more solid rhythm section. In his website, in the FAQs section, Bruford says that he left YES, among other things, because his next album with YES could have been very similar to this album, and that he needed to explore new musical things with other musicians. But Bruford considers this album one of his favourites among the albums he has recorded since his musical career started.