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Yes - Close to the Edge CD (album) cover

CLOSE TO THE EDGE

Yes

 

Symphonic Prog

4.68 | 5061 ratings

From Progarchives.com, the ultimate progressive rock music website

The Progmatist
4 stars If you can get past the chaos erupting out from the ambient sounds of the opener, you're well on your way. If you can appreciate it, you're already there. The problem for me is that while I can always get past these frantic moments, I don't always appreciate them. This is why while I will always recognize Close to the Edge as the classic album that it is, I will probably always have a difficult time ranking it as a masterpiece. Don't get me wrong: this album is brilliant. The seamless transitions in the title track opener are great examples (note Wakeman's crushing organ solos after Anderson's unforgettable vocal build-ups). But brilliant for me doesn't always equate to masterpiece. I've always been a person who bases my reviews on my own personal tastes, and I can't stray here just because this album is one of the most championed of the 70s-era giants. I'm a sucker for prog music that really takes time to explore emotional melodies. GENESIS Firth of Fifth and Cinema Show were almost enough to force five stars out of me, but along came The Battle of Epping Forest. And while my finger will surely hover above the enter key for several seconds, my taste for the melodic will probably take five stars away from THE MARS VOLTA's brilliant Deloused in the Comatorium. Sure, And You and I is more genuinely melodic than anything TMV has ever done, but this admittedly beautiful song still seems like it only flirts with that elusive experience of musical bliss poured from deliberate explorations like the Firth of Fifth solo. Like THE MARS VOLTA, YES' music is structurally brilliant. But I just need something a little more personal.
The Progmatist | 4/5 |

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