It would be almost certainly remiss of me if I didn't spend some amount of time on the album's centerpiece, and by some distance Yes' greatest accomplishment - the 18-minute title track, "Close to the Edge", that takes up the entirety of the album's first side. Few songs in Yes' catalog are as full of a demonstration of the group's individual and complete talent together in one vision, and yet that's exactly what "Close to the Edge" does. Split across four distinct parts, filled with various lyrical and musical motifs throughout, and containing the group at their most complex and tight yet, it is a monster of a composition that is the best way to fill the album's first side. Inspired by self-discovery and introspection of German author Hermann Hesse, it's arguably a little full-of-itself lyrically, but it still serves as solid lyrical backdrops for the expansive musicality throughout. Steve Howe was already sharp on previous albums, but his guitar licks and fills do wonders for the album's depth, as does Chris Squire's brilliant rolling lines and muddy tones; you thought "Roundabout" had some great bass work? Listen to him during the "Total Mass Retain" section. Bill Bruford also is incredibly solid throughout, and he should be given extra credit for keeping up with the wild time signatures and tempo switches throughout. Jon Anderson's soaring vocal lines are the cherry on top; the crescendo power of his cry "I get up! I get down!" or the gentle reflection of "two hundred women watch one woman cry". It all comes together with Rick Wakeman's filling keyboard, the lush harmonies, the brilliant conclusion to it all; "Close to the Edge" may very well be the group's greatest song. Period.
Outside of the album's mammoth title track, there are two more 8+ minute songs that make up the second half of Close to the Edge, each one a beautiful and brilliant display of Yes' talents. The glorious "And You and I" is an expansive folk-inspired suite, also split across four segments, that isn't as thematically connected to the previous song, but it's a moving piece from Steve Howe's twelve-string solo to the chaotic "Apocalypse" movement in the song's final seconds. The album's final moment "Siberian Khatru" is probably the most straightforward moment on the album, and yet it's still a driving prog number backed with a killer guitar riff and themes of unity amongst all in the world - even Siberia goes through the motions. While it doesn't quite live up to the grand spectacle of the previous songs, "Siberian Khatru" is a brilliant cap off on the album, and each of these moments is still filled with small hooks and licks that makes them just as rewarding and exciting as the brilliance of the first half.
Close to the Edge is the pinnacle of Yes' work, even if their streak of expansive progressive rock would continue with the double album Tales of Topographic Oceans and Relayer (the latter of which I like to call a sequel to Close to the Edge). It's incredibly rewarding throughout with its expansive compositions and varied segments, as well as the implementation of various sounds throughout each moment on the album. For as laborious as the album was to create (drummer Bill Bruford quit afterwards due to this fact, joining King Crimson), it certainly paid off, as Close to the Edge is the culmination of their previous two albums, and easily the best way to enter the Yes canon. An essential and crucial album for the genre.
RATING: ✯✯✯✯✯✯✯✯✯✯
Listen to Close to the Edge.
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