CLOSE TO THE EDGE

Superb line-up,tight playing,extremely complex structure and lenthy epics,Close to the Edge will surely impress many prog fans,but sadly,it's not my kind of dish.

I stepped into prog world six years ago by following Genesis's doscography,then I quickly fell in love with Marillion,King Crimson and Procupine Tree.In receent years,I explored more bands,many of them were said to be under the influence of Yes.I had known that name much earlier but never really cared about the band until one day I was more than surprised to find out that Close to the Edge by Yes sometimes ranked even higher than Genesis's Selling England by the Pound which had been my favourite album for years! So I quickly decided to check out the album and the band. However,what a disappointment! Forgettable tunes,bizzare voice sounded emotionlessly and tons of pointless messy notes which takes you nowhere.Was that piece of music better than the myjestic Firth of Fifth and the beautiful Cinema Show!? I couldn't believe it.Then I took a look at the positive reviews one by one and force myself to play the album for at least 50 times in case it would change my mind.Sadly,after a whole month's tough listening to their music only,I've had enough of it and even didn't want to hear any music at all for a long while.I failed to memories the melody despite trying hard,I couldn't even tell the differences between tracks except showing certain songs are quieter than the other - all are in the same anooying style. By the way,nearly every Yes record give me the same impresson.Although sound is quite different between progger 70s and poppier 80s,the spirit of the way that Yes's music darlivers hasn't changed so much.

I'm not saying that prog music must be melodic,but at least good prog music should have the magic,I mean,the quality to make listoners more impressed after each listen.Sadly,Yes's music isn't. The band focuses too much on skill showing.Through the music I can figure out that all of Yes members are masters of musical instruments,but then what else? Do I need to bear an hour of terrible noises to know this? King Crimson(which also has the legend Bill Bruford) also improvised a lot in their compositions,but most complex yet thoughtful notes from Mr.Fripp surely impress me a lot,and I can recall every of them being played.That's the real difference between tallented musicians and skillful players.

Experiened prog fans may like Yes's music.However,IMHO, it's definately not a good starting point for those who want to step into prog world since it will only show them the bad aspect of prog rock.They should instead check out the much more melodic and wonderful Early Genesis first, Listening to Genesis will inplant some basic knowledge on prog rock and help them form the right habits and tastes in order to let them appreciate more of this kind of music. On the contrary,Yes's music perhaps will only leave your mind in a mess.

One star at first thought,but considering the album is regarded as a masterpiece by so many people,and there are neat possibilities that I will find out its beauty someday,I will give it two stars.

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