CLOSE TO THE EDGE

There is a lot that can be said for this album. My first experience with this album (or rather, title track) was back in high school when my friend was raving about how much he loved it. As far as I know, Yes is still his favorite band to this day. This was just at the beginning of my prog journey, before I had a grasp of what it really is. My friend made me want this album desperately, so for Christmas that year I asked for it (along with Dark Side of the Moon and Birds of Fire) Back then I had a hard time grasping the album, it was just so large and grand,and even seemed magical to me. Over time, as my prog knowledge and experience grew, I began to acquire the ability to comprehend this album, grasp it, and even transcribe it for some analysis.

After expanding my knowledge of both the good and bad sides of prog, and even more specifically of symphonic prog, I realized what a cornerstone this album really is. This album is still being discussed, debated, praised, loved, and made fun of to this day. You still see questions about "What is a Siberian Khatru, anyways?" on the forums from time to time. Normal albums, even good albums, don't stick around this long--only the truly great albums do, so 30-some odd years in the future you can tell which albums really made an impact in their era, which ones were the gold standard--which ones are truly the best in their class.

This album deserves a five-star rating not only because of its outstanding musical achievement , but also for it's great impact on the prog world to this day--making it an essential album to own and enjoy.