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Yes - Close to the Edge CD (album) cover

CLOSE TO THE EDGE

Yes

 

Symphonic Prog

4.68 | 5060 ratings

From Progarchives.com, the ultimate progressive rock music website

danelidou
4 stars Close to the Edge... The no 1 album here in ProgArchives. It is considered the ultimate prog album by many proggers, and it's often used to show what is the progressive rock. I sicovered this album pretty early in my excursion through the wonderful world of prog and, at my first listen, it was not sounding the way I was expecting it to sound. The first part of the opening epic (the title song), was quite "unusual" for me at the times. Steve Howe's guitar sound was quite strange for me, and I tought he was improvising, I was not liking it because it was seeming to be some aimless noodling to my poor and previously not brutalized ears. But, after more listens, it has grown on me, a lot. After nearly 10 listens, I found myself worshipping this album, saying that this was an absolute masterpiece. I listened to it a lot, some parts of And You and I, are now sticked to some part of my relatively short past. So I was regularely sitting on my bed, headphones on, loosing myself in the twists of Close to the Edge, sinking in moving emotional waters of And You and I and playing in the wast playground of the upbeat Siberian Kathru !

But now, more than one year after, I explored a lot more the prog world, discovered many new things and developped my artistic tastes, so I think I can achieve a more reflected view on this album. I still think that it is quite a great progressive album, but not the masterpiec I once said it was. The muscianship is of great quality, there his a lot of good musical moments like : the first part of Close to the Edge, the church organ/vocal section that is very pleasant, the keyboard solo (still in the first song), And You and I is good all its lenght and makes a very good use of the Mellotron and let's not forget the clavinet solo in Siberian Kathru !

So, Close to the Edge is a great prog album, but not really a masterpiece, and not the best Yes album too.

Highly Recommended ! 8.7/10!

danelidou | 4/5 |

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