CLOSE TO THE EDGE

Close to the Edge represents the summit not only of Yes art but also, in my view, together with Soft Machine's Volume 3 and King Crimson's In the Court, the essence, the core of the classic progressive rock! This album was years and years ahead in its time - it revealed a supreme magnificence, an ethereal sensibility that many would judge to be impossible to find in rock music. Curiously, the world then was considerably prepared to understand it, since it was with this album that Yes definitely established themselves, something that seems quite unlikely on these days.

Everything in this album is so perfectly balanced, from the band's virtuous passages to the gentlest subtle ones, in an almost super-human sensibility. This is particularly achieved in the title track, which leads then to a cathartic emotional explosion leaded by the church organ. Vocals extol even further the sublime nuances, not only for the inspired melodies or the gentle approach, but also for their mystic lyricism. The two other tracks are other standouts in their complexity, from the joyful solemn "And You and I" to the frenetic virtuous "Siberian Khatru".

When I see some contemporary bands contending in their pretension for creating perfect copy followers of masterpieces like this, and praised by many almost to heaven, I just laugh. It's almost, using a rude comparison, as someone in classical music had the pretension to surpass Beethoven, Mozart or Bach in their genre. There is no point in trying to surpass art at its peak - the real merit exists in surpassing the mainstream visions of the correspondent era. Yes had the vision to create something completely new, while offering rock a supreme sensibility, only seen in classical music. And these are precisely the reasons why this album is a masterpiece, and why it won't be forgotten, persisting in the meanders of rock history.

I wish the world could see again another revolution like Close to the Edge did at its time.