CLOSE TO THE EDGE

Everyone that visits this website should know this masterwork. There have been countless reviews about it but here are a few of my words and contribution to the overall rating!

With Close To The Edge, Yes set a trend of revolving the album around a long epic song. The cryptic, mysterious title track is a real eye opener. You can hear how Jon Anderson put a lot of his spiritual influences into both the lyrics and music. It opens with some effects of running water and birds and then the music jumps in. I must admit that it's a bit of an awkward kick off, especially with the crunching, twiddling guitar. But when the music finds its way, you can't be disappointed. The band's wizardry saves the day with all the musicians sounding amazing. The guitar work is particularly impressive and I do love the heart-warming church organ parts as well as the fancy bass and drumming.

"You And I" is a spellbinding acoustic track and again very spiritual. Its beauty grabs me every time I hear it. It was always a great crowd pleaser during the group's live sets too. Siberian Khatru has a lot of things going on musically. It's very upbeat and an exciting, if a little busy close to the album.

This is such a refreshing release and compelling listen for both then and now. It has stood the test of time very well and still sounds fresh today. It is a great album for lovers of progressive music. In fact, I think that anyone who likes music would miss out if they never get to hear this!Four solid stars.