CLOSE TO THE EDGE

Close to the edge is one of Yes' best albums and has been a mainstay of progressive rock for more than 30 years, Any new fans of the genre should get this new rhino disc and discover progressive rock for what it truly is- thoughtful and intelligent compositions executed by some of the best musicians in rock. However, most of the prospective buyers for this disc are probably seasoned Yes fans who love "close to the edge" and already have this album in one form or another. Most of your classics have been out 3 or 4 times... just reissue it, say its better than ever and sales are a sure thing (and easy money). As far as the artwork, notes and lyrics go, this is an excellent package- as close as you'll come to the Lp experience in the cd format. That leaves us with the bonus tracks and the sound quality. As mentioned, the bonus tracks alone don't really add much of substance- the "And you and I" alternate is good, Wakeman does some interesting things. The "Siberian" is just what it says, studio run through. I got this to replace my worn out Lp and the 1st cd version, so I can't speak for the 2nd Cd version done by Joe Gastwirt. I can speak for the YesYears box Gastwirt did in 1991 which has the best sounding version of "Close to the Edge" on cd, and contains the best sounding material from "Fragile" and the "Yes Album" on cd. It also has the best sounding version of "America". To my ears it would be pretty hard for Rhino to outdo, and they did'nt. Gastwirt had the analog master tapes that were then around 20 years old, but probably still in decent shape, and he did a superb job. The sources for this project were either extremely old analog tapes or digital copies. Rhino did a very good job, but don't expect sonic miracles- despite their "remastered for better than ever sound" statement. The main difference between this "close to the edge" and the one on YesYears box is the Rhino disc is a bit brighter and very slightly more distorted than the YesYears version. The box version is also more dynamic. In terms of the spacious middle section (bring on the dry ice), the vocal arrangement sounds more natural and lifelike on the Yesyears disc. I got the rhino disc for the 2 "And You and I" and "Siberian Khatru". If you are considering this mainly for the Title tune and you have the Yesyears box, you might want to pass. Everybody else jump on it. "Tales from Topograhic Oceans" seems to be the main one to get of all the rhinos.