CLOSE TO THE EDGE

So in a Google doc, I have written 99 reviews so far. 99 is the number of albums I have rated and reviewed. I have reviewed albums in the past, many albums in fact, but I never got seriously dedicated to the craft until I decided to review Neroli by Brian Eno. That was when I found a big passion for myself, and so I started this passion project to share my opinion out there with the world. I cannot believe it has gotten this big in almost a year, and it seems to never be stopping any time soon. Likewise, this reflects a bit of my musical journey. I got into music during my Freshman year of high school and honestly, it all changed my life. I know it sounds silly but I got really into music and bands through the Japanese manga known as JoJo's Bizarre Adventure. That manga did things for me, and the author, Hirohiko Araki managed to introduce me to a world of music that I never thought imaginable. However, one music genre stood out for me, and that was Progressive Rock.

You see, I was not always a big Prog head as I am now. I pretty much had no real musical knowledge outside of video game music and the occasional Imagine Dragons songs that I would listen to sparingly in my middle school years. However something clicked in me when I first heard a song that every Prog head in the world knows by heart, and that was The Court Of The Crimson King by King Crimson, specifically The Condensed 21st Century Guide compilation album version. It was different for me, and probably so many others. It was music that I never even knew could've been made. It was weird, almost inconceivable. I could never fully grasp what it was that I loved about it, but because of that first listening experience, everything shifted. It felt like a door opened in my mind that allowed me to be adventurous in my musical landscape. Those mellotrons, Greg Lake's vocals, Robert Fripp's guitar, all of it made me realize what I truly love in life, and that was music. Progressive Rock, at that point in my life, was practically unknown to me, but everything changed thanks to King Crimson. I decided to listen to the full album that song was on and it all blew me away. At first, I didn't get it, but over time I realized how amazing this style of music was. I became instantly hooked. I decided to binge all of King Crimson's discography, and get attached to the new lineups and sounds the band introduced. It was new yet I still felt like I was in Crimson territory. After listening to those albums, I was still left hungry. I wanted more of those rich symphonic, that awesome jazz flavors, and highly advanced levels of experimentation. I wanted it all and then some.

Therefore I decided to check out some bands, for example, Gentle Giant and Pink Floyd. Gentle Giant has and always will be a bit of an enigma for me, even after hearing their first album and their subsequent releases throughout my life somehow they never worked up to me that King Crimson did, even though I like the commonality between those two bands' first albums being a dude's ugly mug. However, Pink Floyd did work their way into my heart with Meddle. I heard of Dark Side and Piper before, but Meddle was when I realized that Prog is more than just classically enriched rock music, it could be more space-like, atmospheric, and a lot more psychedelic. Everything felt so right, I started to check out artists like Rush, Jethro Tull, Frank Zappa, Emerson Lake, and Palmer. I loved it all, the entire scope of progressive rock, the longer stretches of music, the experimentation, to everything around it. It all became my bread and butter, so safe to say that I would fall into an attachment to Yes pretty early on right? Well sort of.

Yes, and I have had an interesting relationship. In my early years of music, I knew who they were, and I knew about Roundabout and Owner Of A Lonely Heart, but nothing much beyond that. However, that would all change during the Spring break of last year. I and my dad went on a road trip, and one of the stops was a record store. I was at the time into collecting records, and I still am now, so going into one always gave me excitement. I was like a kid going to the toy store all over again. I was browsing through the shelves, finding and seeing what caught my interest. Anything to pique the interest of the mind of an intermediate Prog head. I was looking for In The Court of the Crimson King since I was in a King Crimson phase in which I would listen to nothing but King Crimson, minus the occasional Pink Floyd and Gentle Giant songs in the mix. I was looking for the album, but when luck failed, I decided to look elsewhere. I wanted something good, something nice to listen to, and while at the used section, I shifted through the alphabet, from A to Y. I saw some neat albums, cannot remember them though, but I know they looked interesting, but not interesting enough to pick up in physical format, maybe stream. That was until I found something that caught my attention. It was weird. I picked it up, and the cover immediately struck me. It was a black and green cover, with the words "Close To The Edge" and "Yes" on it. I could only know it was a Yes album by the title alone, but something felt different from this album. Something about it made me want to get it. I don't know if it was hope driving me, or intrigue, but I got the album, plus a copy of Red by King Crimson they had.

Fast forward to the last day of Spring break and I have listened to my copy of Red a couple of times, and I haven't given that mysterious green album a go, so I figured it was a good time to see what it was all about. When the first track started to play, I felt weird. I did not know what I was expecting but it struck me as extremely odd. I did not know if I could process or even want to process what the rest had in store, so I turned off the record player and put the album back on the shelf. Tomorrow at school, I couldn't shake that first few seconds out of my head. It felt like the album was beckoning me, like some spiritual thing calling towards me. After school, I decided to give it a full listen-through, and at first, I still didn't know what to think. My mind did not know what to make of it, but I did know I liked it, and so throughout I would occasionally listen to it. The more I heard it the more I got out of it, but it still never clicked for me. That was until after another listening section, something snapped into place in my mind, and it felt like a third eye was opened. I never realized it then, but looking back on it now that was when I truly became the progressive rock lover I am today. That feeling of realization of how godly this album was euphoric, and even today, a little remnant of that feeling lingers whenever I hear this album.

It all starts with the title track, first and foremost. I have heard this numerous, heck even countless times. Can you blame me though? This 18-minute ensemble of 4 brilliantly executed pieces has gone on to become the best song I have heard in my life. The first movement of The Solid Time Of Change is where we get the first movements of greatness. It starts with this slowly rising field recording of birds chirping as it all bellows out into these strange and wobbly guitars, bass, and drums. That soon goes through these beautiful crescendos that dip into obscurity, only to be reborn anew. The rebirth of these instruments goes into a strange mix of surf rock, reggae, and progressive rock that is mixed perfectly with how well each member's playing styles are. Steve Howe on guitar plays the magic, having a distinct and recognizable style. The late Chris Squire on bass, creating rhythm in the void and subsequently establishing himself into the sound to become one with it. Bill Bruford, is delicate, but precise, and has the most complex yet incredibly provocative drumming. Rick Wakeman on keyboards sets the atmosphere and is symphonic, showing off that classical charm Yes is known for. Lastly is the start of the show, Jon Anderson, with his beautiful vocals setting the entire mood going forward with amazing harmonies, and a unique singing voice that resonates through me. This part revolves around these big choruses that the listener will have to get used to through the album, and they are the best parts here, being necessary viewing points in every retrospect.

The second part of this suite comes in as Total Mass Retain, where it continues what the last part did, but in a way where it is noticeable to the listener that something new will happen. Chris Squire's bass is chunky and full, and Jon's voice is a lot more echoey. It all feels a bit more sinister, but still very much like Yes. When you expect a normal chorus, you get hit with a rhythmic array of randomly mishmashed versions of "Close to the edge, round/down by the corner/river" until it all goes back around to The Solid Time of Change where it goes back to normal, or as normal as it can be. It feels so new yet still feeling as though it is a part of one song, one stream of music as a whole. No matter what, Yes is a band that knows what they are doing, and when they do not you can tell, but when they do they create some of the greatest music to ever come out of a record. They are consistent in their changing tides, but consistent in their sound as well, straying slightly from the path to reach new ones.

However the most strikingly profound part is I Get Up, I Get Down. It all goes quiet, with a few atmospheric guitars and keyboard playing from Rick Wakeman and Steve Howe. Everything is now purely space-like, with no drums, no rock elements, just pure bliss throughout. Jon's vocals here drive us forward, having this dream-like charm to them until interrupted by soul-piercingly sharp organs. When I heard this part, I thought it was kind of weird, and sort of dumb, but I was an idiot then, and now I see what this part means. It is a beautiful piece of art, one where at first you might think of it as annoying, or pretentious. While those claims may be true in some regard, especially towards Rick Wakeman, I feel like people often get the wrong view of what this type of music is. It isn't trying to show off, but rather it tries to shove you in and let you embrace what it truly is, and that is art. You might not fully get a painting, but if you see it numerous times, it will bind to you like permanent ink. This part is beautiful as the piece of art it truly is.

Lastly is the fourth part Seasons of Man, as if reprises the first two parts we get a repeat of sorts from the birth, death, and rebirth of the very same intro the song had in the beginning, however things feel different, it feels more developed, more nuanced. It was almost like the last part was the band reflecting and understanding what to do next, and that was to have a similar, yet different instrumentation compared to their first parts. This all comes to the forefront for the best closure a song could ever ask for. How they start to play the chorus, but things feel different. I felt like you went on a journey, and your reward is in spades of glory. How it builds into this beautiful finale where Jon just belts out into this beautiful harmony as the band plays at their maximum efficiency. It all feels so right, so perfect, so godly. It is just euphoria in song form, it is more than just that, my words could never describe how profoundly provocative this is to hear, no matter if you hear it through a streaming service, a vinyl record, or a CD. It all still feels amazing to hear, even more than amazing, it makes you feel like you are floating because it is that good. It is a song that alone would make this album an all-time masterpiece, however, the band did not stop there.

Side 2's first song, And You And I are on the same level of godly power that Close To The Edge holds, but in a different aspect. The song is a lot more folk-like, and while it does still retain some symphonic qualities, it does harken back to the band's first three albums, being a lot more psychedelic and baroque. It is a mixture of something like The Clap, Time and a Word, and even a tiny bit of Survival, mixed into one 10-minute song. You can feel the band's energy in this song and it is glorious. The more Celtic feel makes this song almost nostalgic in a way. The song reminds me of the fall season, orange leaves falling to the ground, colder winds, and drinking delicious pumpkin-flavored beverages. This song encapsulates all that for me, and it allows itself to be different but stands on its own two feet as another immaculate song from this album.

We round things off with Siberian Khatru, and this song is definitely the most different track from the bunch, but it still lands a soft place in my heart. This song is just a good ol' time. It is a lot more rock-focused, but you can still hear that Yes sound dripping through it. This is where I think Steve Howe and Chris Squire are at their best. You can hear the care and think put into each strum of their guitars as you are pushed into a whirlwind of an awesome jam. Those two have become an essential part of Yes' sound, and for good reason, because they are godly on their respective instruments. Everyone else on here is still on their highest common denominator, all of them are at a 10 even after making 2 big songs. It seems like they cannot be stopped, but time doesn't last forever. My only gripe with this album has to be that it doesn't last an eternity, but everything else is so divine that I am left satisfied either way.

This album has been in my heart for a good 2 years now, and I do not think it'll get out of there anytime soon. It is an album that'll live on in the next centuries, long after I am gone, but I know it'll live on in some shape or way because music like this is eternal even if it is merely 37 minutes long. If anything the power this album holds on me is greater than none, and I would not have it any other way. Coincidentally enough I am writing this review on the album's 50th anniversary, and I am as surprised as you are to hear that this album is now 50 years old. That is insane, and people still talk about it today. It shows that good music lasts with you, but truly great music lasts forever. No matter how many times I put that record needle on my vinyl copy, I am always swept off my feet.