CLOSE TO THE EDGE

Close to the Edge is Yes's masterpiece and deserves its place as the top rated prog record. All three songs are brilliant. "Close to the Edge" has everything: a jazz freak out, sick bass driven verses, a catchy chorus, epic bridge build (with a pipe organ!), an amazing keyboard solo, time signature changes, and lyrics that make no sense yet speak truth at an undescribable level. "And You and I" is so beautiful and otherworldly. The second part of the song has the same melodies from the first part but with radically different backing instrumentals and a 3/4 time signature instead of 4/4...and somehow it still sounds amazing. "Siberian Khatru" is not quite as good as the previous two, but one could count on one hand the prog songs that are. This song has a rocking vibe like "Roundabout" or "South Side of the Sky" from Fragile and includes a fantastic harpsichord solo. Still has its fair share of tempo changes and shows off great bass and guitar work. It's a modestly short album at about 37 minutes long, but this only makes it easier to listen to repeatedly. It is virtually without flaw and is essential to all prog fans.