CLOSE TO THE EDGE

After just having enjoyed the wonder of attending to a fresh live execution of this timeless masterpiece by Yes, during their Rio stop from the South America Tour 2013, I cannot excuse myself from writing some thoughts down with the rest of the world about this particular piece of art. Before I first listened to it back around 1993 I thought it would be impossible to top Fragile, which I was the only early Yes material I was familiar then, apart from the Yes West hits from the 1985 Rock in Rio. The intro to the the whole thing proved me wrong. I was always fascinated by that introduction: incisive, exotic and exuberant. The nature sound effects, Steve Howe's incendiary solo and Bill Bruford's awe inspiring phobia for steady beats, sublimed by the ethereal voice of Jon Anderson are all blended and played together against Rick Wakeman's and Chris Squire's busy lines. The song takes a deep breath and plunges into the main theme and body of the song develops into its verses and chorus... It partially concludes in a meltdown into a beautiful subtle and dreamy soundscape, forming one of the most profound passages in phonographic recorded history from the 20th Century, with the emotive vocal harmonies and transcendent atmosphere which gives it a quasi-religious and certainly wholly spiritual quality... This peace is interrupted after climatic resolution by a organ count in into a full instrumental musical attack of unparalleled in aggressiveness, as in a spiritual war-field of awakening clarity, with arguably the most memorable Rick Wakeman solo in the Yes catalogue. The fanfare morphs back to the original theme and it's closed by the nature stream sound... An emotional torrential track to say the least. Simply brilliant! Turn the record:

Then side B has other two 'shorter' tracks are as diverse and as interesting as the first composition: And You and I built up as a wave, from the ephemeral harmonic notes from the acoustic guitar laid down against bucolic organ chords, to the epic climax of Apocalypse. It is a beautiful "four movement sonata" with some of the most interesting timbres and playing on a Moog ever. The folkish climate, the thrilling slide guitar cries and all the ascendant and grandeur tone from that song are landmarks this genre of music, ever since. The whole album ends with the Siberian Khatru song. A oriental flavoured straight rock 'n' roll song with a natural feel keyboard line, haunting guitar riffs and lots of nice vocal harmonies. It was definitively rendered as a true band signature song beyond Roundabout, as more intimate fans might attest from the recurrence of its outro verses ("Outbond, River, Blue tail, Tail fly..."). The lineup is considered for many as the quintessential for this great band (including myself), even though the classic consolidated lineup that followed, with Mr. White filling for Mr. Bruford, is just as solid, as we know. This is a true masterpiece in the best sense and usage of the word, a work of true heart and soul propelled creativity, with people who knew what they were doing in terms of not abiding to rules and mastering their instruments, each with its own personal impression on the way the arrangements sounded, i.e. great.

Credits should be reserved to Eddy Offord for guiding the whole process into tape. Obligatory in any serious music lover discography.