What's So Great 'Bout "Close To The Edge?"

Henry Plainview wrote: Alberto Muñoz wrote: CTTE one of the masterpieces of prog rock, lyrics inspired in the Herman Hesse Book Siddartha.   I recommend to you to read this:   http://www-3.unipv.it/britishrock1966-1976/pdf/covacheng.pdf Personally, I think CTTE is rather dull, but I don't care if you like it. However, I do have to do take issue with this concept of it being based on Siddhartha. I don't know what was going through Jon's head, but I read Siddhartha, and the lyrics still don't make a damn bit of sense because they're an impressionistic miasma and since it's impossible to get any concrete meaning out of a single phrase, there's really nothing to connect it to Siddhartha other than the idea that it is connected to Siddharth.   And that paper was a terribly depressing waste of the author's time.

Edited by Alberto Muñoz - February 23 2010 at 11:54

Blacksword wrote: It's a brilliantly executed piece of music, balancing excitement with beauty, musical complexity and rich melody. Lyrically, like most of Yes' output in the 70's, it's rather ambiguous, but certainly at the time it was made, it sounded fresh, bright and was very well produced. The album is a good all round package, without any obvious flaws or weakness. But then guess it's all subjective. It jostles for the top spot as their best album, along with The Yes album, and Going for the One. In my opinion.. Different listerners have different perspectives, and tastes. Like any album, by any band within any genre of music, it's not for everyone.

This may be the closest to why its "so great" on this thread. But yet I still don't feel all the warm and fuzzies over the album. As I read all the posts, the over riding feeling is that "its not their best, but its a great album..." also "not all the tracks are good/great...but its a great album...".

ExittheLemming wrote: Epignosis wrote: TheGazzardian wrote: I don't get what your post is about, but if you're really curious about what Close to the Edge is about, I'd help you out, but I'm still trying to figure out what a Khatru is.  If you're really, really curious, google "Close to the edge" interpretation. The first result I got was: http://yhwh.com/ctte.htm I could choose words at random for lyrics to a song, and get some grad student with a little mustache and a penchant for overpriced coffee to spell out what it all means in painful detail. Typically coruscating wisdom from Robert Always remember that analysis already ships with 'anal' on board.

Catcher10 wrote: Blacksword wrote: It's a brilliantly executed piece of music, balancing excitement with beauty, musical complexity and rich melody. Lyrically, like most of Yes' output in the 70's, it's rather ambiguous, but certainly at the time it was made, it sounded fresh, bright and was very well produced. The album is a good all round package, without any obvious flaws or weakness. But then guess it's all subjective. It jostles for the top spot as their best album, along with The Yes album, and Going for the One. In my opinion.. Different listerners have different perspectives, and tastes. Like any album, by any band within any genre of music, it's not for everyone.   This may be the closest to why its "so great" on this thread. But yet I still don't feel all the warm and fuzzies over the album. As I read all the posts, the over riding feeling is that "its not their best, but its a great album..." also "not all the tracks are good/great...but its a great album...".   I think to be dubbed as the Number 1 on this website, it should be disected, pulled apart, analyzed, spell checked and re-interpreted. This forum is loaded with intellectual, prog music masters, who should be able to tell me why this album is so GREAT!! Its number one....WHY? What does it have over all the other great albums which are not #1?   The feeling from this thread is more why it is not their best work, rather than why it IS their best work and why it IS the number 1 rated album.   I'm not dissing anyone...please, I am talking more in the 3rd person to find out for all who wonder as the OP states....   "What's so great about CTTE??

Well, statistically speaking, a lot of people think it's really good, with relatively few who think it's really bad. That's how top albums lists are usually determined, and that's all you can really take from them. For specific opinions, there are several hundred reviews on that specific album if you feel like reading them .

I could give my opinion, but I'm not here to write a review (if I felt like doing that, I'd actually submit it to the proper place). I'll just say that I'm satisfied with it's position at the top, but obviously most of the top 20 are pretty damn good too. I'd also say it's the best Yes album; easily their most focused and consistent work.

Blacksword wrote: No disrespect to anyone, but this is a fairly pointless discussion, isn't it.... My favourite colour is blue. Who can tell me, what the hell is so good about the colour red? I just dont get it..

chopper wrote: Blacksword wrote: No disrespect to anyone, but this is a fairly pointless discussion, isn't it.... My favourite colour is blue. Who can tell me, what the hell is so good about the colour red? I just dont get it..        but everyone knows red is more prog than blue Andy. After all Red is a prog album and Blue is a boy band.

Catcher10 wrote: Blacksword wrote: No disrespect to anyone, but this is a fairly pointless discussion, isn't it.... My favourite colour is blue. Who can tell me, what the hell is so good about the colour red? I just dont get it..   And the good thing about music is its all about personal opinion.   I like red

But surely you cant dispute that the most prog colour is magenta!!

These days I tend to not listen to anything pink, but then ones tastes change.

TheGazzardian wrote: I don't get what your post is about, but if you're really curious about what Close to the Edge is about, I'd help you out, but I'm still trying to figure out what a Khatru is.

My own theory is that Jon took "haiku" and Russified it. 

clarke2001 wrote: Nah. It's a good album, but I'd never call it a masterpiece, much less so a masterpiece of the entire progressive rock genre. It's just not that good. While there are great moments, it leaves a lot to be desired.

I agree.

Well,  Selling England/Pound is now #1.....funny how that changed