CLOSE TO THE EDGE

Is this album perfect? Far from it. Is this Yes' best album? Not even close. Is the title track one of the best examples of prog rock? Absolutely. And that's why if you consider yourself a progressive rock fan, you need to own this album. The title track is nearly 19 mins of pure prog bliss. The guitar, the bass, the organ, the drums...everything works together perfectly. Nineteen minutes just slip away. Unfortunately, the rest of the album is average at best. And You And I is a throw away track. Rather bland and boring and existing for much too long. Siberian Khatru is much too simplistic and ordinary to maintain interest for nine minutes. While it isn't a bad song, and there are some fun solos, it is much more standard rock than anything and (probably because of this) it remains fairly static throughout. To be perfectly honest, I don't find anything on this disc to make it stand out in the Yes discog. Howe isn't unattainable perfection, Wakeman doesn't constantly dazzle, and even Bruford (my favorite drummer) doesn't blow me away with his performance. All give solid performances, and really, at the end of the day, that's what you have a solid album, graced with an example of prog perfection. So why give it five stars? Because it is absolutely essential in any serious prog collection. No matter it's flaws it is necessary. It is a beacon from the 70s to show what progressive rock could be. Like Miles Davis' Kind Of Blue is in jazz, this record is in progressive rock.

All in all, this album is quite flawed. Side two isn't anything specular, and at times isn't anything good. But, you're not buying this album for side two, you're buying it for Close To The Edge. In my personal view, based purely on the music, I would rate this three stars and nothing more. However, taking into account the system of judging on PA there is no doubt in my mind I have to give this five stars. (Unfortunately) Essential.

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