CLOSE TO THE EDGE

OK, just remember that even though there are many masterpiece albums, there will always be one little flaw no matter how minor. The after you know that, you should listen to "Close To The Edge" and think about it again. Completely false. Not a single mistake on this whole album!

The title track is the only number on Side One at 18:50, and it is a good thing too because no human can listen to this hurricane of notes and harmony and expect to go right into two more awesome songs without a break. The song opens slow enough, with a nice ambient bird-chirping-in-the-meadow feel to it. Next time you pop this album in, try closing your eyes and visualizing this, it will serve as a nice stress relaxing tool. But now, don't keep those eyes closed too long or they will pop right out of your head when the thunderclap that is Yes starts kicking out the jams for real. Howe and Squire come in slinging away right from the get-go and Bruford is energetic as ever. Anderson's voice just has such an amazing flow to it here and the lyrics are a real work of pen and ink beauty.

Side 2 kicks off with "And You And I". After being struck down in awe by the title track, it is almost impossible to be captivated by another song in the same month, let alone on the same album. Somehow, Yes manages to pull this off, and brilliantly at that! The song stars off with Steve Howe tuning an acoustic guitar, yet somehow creating a beautiful accompanying piece to Wakeman's keyboard soundscapes. More absolutely fantastic singing follows from Anderson, and although this is not Yes' best song, it is the obvious choice for follow the musical combat that is "Close To The Edge".

Third and final song, "Siberian Khatru", is the shortest on the album. After the beautiful epic that was "And You And I", you are blasted with an almost funky beat right from the start. One of the most powerful and dynamic songs ever written and performed by these prog giants, this is the absolute perfect closing song to the album, even though it is quite ironically used to open most of their live outings. Wakeman once again delivers a stellar performance, and Chris Squire's basslines won't be this groundbreaking until "Drama", 10 years later.

Once you listen to this album, it just puzzles me how this masterpiece can receive any rating less than 5 stars. This album eclipses all of the melodies, moods, harmonies, and dynamics that are the essence of a great progressive rock album and multiples them by 1,000. Every member is at their best here, and this really is THE key album to own.

No less than 5 stars!!!!!

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