Close To The Edge

If both prior Yes albums had any shortcomings (and they had very few), it was due to growing pains. The Yes Album brought out the extended epic composition, but suffered perhaps in execution. Fragile was well executed, but really only contained a half-hour worth of music, solo tracks definitely notwithstanding. However by the time Close To The Edge was recorded, the band had remained stable for almost a year. Yes issued a massive arrangement of Paul Simon's "America" in the interim, which managed (in edited form) to climb up to No. 13 in the US singles charts. The record contains three tracks: the album-side long title composition and two on the other side. Steve Howe's blistering lead starts the opening section "The Solid Time of Change" with fury, and straight through to the second section, "Total Mass Retain", the intensity never lets up. Next are the gentle pulses and large chords of "I Get Up, I Get Down"; quite soporific, but perhaps that was the intent? Fortunately, Yes knows how to end a piece and the final section "Seasons Of Man" is no exception. Rick Wakeman delivers a classic if speedy organ solo before the track resolves into its final symphonic refrain. From the moment the needle hits the first groove, the four sections of the track flow seamlessly together and the side is nothing short of classic prog rock. The delicate organ underneath Howe's twelve-string that opens "And You And I" is typical of the album's detail. The song was one of Jon Anderson's lyrical triumphs; his choice of words is as musical as the rest of the band's instrumentation. From here, however, their translation would garner biblical-like fascination. The final track "Siberian Khatru" is another classic. Dense and foreboding, Squire's bass drives the particularly heavy song over Wakeman's chiming Mellotron. The album was again successful for the band, reaching No. 4 and No. 3 in the UK and US charts, respectively. Bill Bruford took his leave shortly after the album was recorded for the revival of King Crimson. He claimed that he'd gone as far as he could go with Yes, and he was certainly right: The album was the culmination of Yes' musical progression to date.