CLOSE TO THE EDGE

Close To The Edge is definitely a groundbreaking album which every prog-fan should have. It's one of the first progressive albums that I've bought, so it means a lot to me as well. Even though I don't like it THAT much nowadays, it's still worth listening. Not a single filler on this album, just 3 masterful compositions by this superb lineup.

"Close To The Edge"

The album begins quietly with a weird intro, until it suddenly "explodes" with a chaotic improvisation by the group. I have to admit, even though many people think it sounds cool, I'm not a big fan of these crazy improvisation -parts. It does get slightly boring, until the noise ends at last, followed by a peaceful guitar melody. I'm not a big fan of Jon Anderson, in fact, sometimes I consider his singing a bit irritating. However, he does a great job in this song. After a bunch of some happy verses (typical to Yes) the song quiets down gradually. The beautiful sound of Wakeman's mellotron is absolutely fantastic! This part of the song is so emotional, the artistic sound and the peaceful atmosphere give me goosebumps every time. Unfortunately the vocal part gets a little boring in the end. After some minutes of quiet singing, Rick Wakeman plays a nice keyboard pattern just before the song once again explodes into a mad and loud section. I'm always impressed by that part, because the lineup is just so fantastic. Bill Bruford is definitely one of the most talented drummers ever, and Chris Squire is an awesome bass player. After some nice solos the song returns to a verse, this time a bit louder. Finally the song ends with the same noises that were heard in the beginning. Even though at this point I'm blown away by the awesomeness of this track, I still think that some parts of this song are a bit boring, and this song could have been shorter. A great song, but not a perfect epic.

"And You And I"

The guitar intro is a bit dull, but after one minute the song finally "begins" when the rest of the band start to play their instruments. Once again the vocal melody sang by Jon Anderson is perhaps too happy for my taste, and maybe that's why I don't like Yes that much. But the highlight of this song is definitely the slow part after the chorus. One of my favorite parts of music ever done by anyone! It's just pure art, a really masterful part of this song. Wow! After that, the song basically just repeats itself until the end. A great track definitely, but nothing mindblowing besides the slow artistic parts.

"Siberian Khatru"

The final song on this albums begins with a groovy riff followed by a bunch of some other nice riffs. Another happy song with vocal melodies that remind me of The Beatles. Nice solos here and there, but the song itself is not that special. No "pure art" parts in this song, basically just a groovy rocker. I still like it though, sometimes I even think it's better than the title-track. But one thing I hate about this song is the ending. Such a great album ends with a lousy fade-out?? Anyway, I like this track a lot and it does a great job ending the album.

This album is full of fantastic parts and all the songs are worth four stars at least. However, I think it's a way too overrated prog-album. In my opinion, it's not even the best album by Yes, and I'm not even a big fan of Yes..! Everytime I listen to this album, I miss the rawness of "Heart Of The Sunrise" and other hard prog songs. This album is definitely progressive, but not rock enough for my taste. It's excellent, but could have been better. Even though that doesn't change the fact that every fan of progressive music should have this album. I would give it something like 4,25 stars, if it was possible. So I'll have to give 4 stars.