Close To The Edge
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Close to the Edge is the fifth album by British progressive rock band Yes. In June 1972, just as recording ended, drummer Bill Bruford suddenly left the line-up (to play with King Crimson), forcing Yes to find a replacement (ex-Plastic Ono Band drummer Alan White) before starting a new US tour.
Close to the Edge set a trend for Yes of including a single epic song significantly longer than the others which was followed in the later albums Relayer (which featured "The Gates of Delirium") and Going for the One (1977) (which featured "Awaken").
The religious influences introduced by Jon Anderson, which later formed the basis of Tales from Topographic Oceans, are already evident in the music and lyrics of all three tracks on Close to the Edge. Renewal and repetition are other main themes; the title track starts and finishes with the same sound effects of running water and birds and in "Siberian Khatru" there is the repetition of two-word phrases.
According to the band's official website, [Yesworld], the song is inspired by Hermann Hesse's book Siddhartha, an explanation which can cast the cryptic and mysterious lyrics in a new light, tracking the awakening of Hesse's character "close to the edge" of a river (and, symbolically, of the serial lifetimes of his soul) where he experiences a spiritual awakening.
The album was released on Atlantic Records in September 1972. It reached #4 in the UK and a career high of #3 in the US.
The cover art was by Roger Dean. Some of the photography for the album sleeve was by bass player Chris Squire's former bandmate in The Selfs and The Syn, Martyn Adelman.
Many consider Close to the Edge to be not only the greatest album in Yes' discography, but the best album of the progressive and art rock genres. The album is featured in the book 1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die, further reiterating the impact it had on progressive rock.
Rhino Records issued a remastered and expanded version of Close to the Edge on August 26 2003. It added four bonus tracks: single versions of "America" and "Total Mass Retain" and early versions of "And You and I" and "Siberian Khatru" (as "Siberia").
Close to the Edge (Atlantic K 50012) reached #4 in the UK. It also reached #3 in the US during a chart stay of 32 weeks. In the Netherlands it reached #1 on the Dutch album charts, the only Yes album to do so.
Track listing
- "Close to the Edge" (Jon Anderson, Steve Howe) – 18:41
- *"The Solid Time of Change"
- *"Total Mass Retain"
- *"I Get Up I Get Down"
- *"Seasons of Man"
[(song sample - 176K)] - "And You and I" (Anderson; Themes by Bill Bruford, Howe, Chris Squire) – 10:08
- *"Cord of Life"
- *"Eclipse" (Anderson, Bruford, Howe)
- *"The Preacher the Teacher"
- *"Apocalypse"
- "Siberian Khatru" (Anderson; Themes by Anderson, Howe, Rick Wakeman) – 8:55
Bonus tracks (2003 reissue)
- "America (Single version)" (Paul Simon) – 4:12
- "Total Mass Retain (Alternate version)" – 3:21
- "And You and I (Alternate version)" – 10:17
- "Siberia" (Alternate Take of Siberian Khatru) – 9:19
Personnel
- Jon Anderson – vocals
- Chris Squire – bass, vocals
- Steve Howe – guitars, vocals
- Rick Wakeman – keyboards
- Bill Bruford – drums, percussion
Charts
Album| Year | Chart | Position |
|---|---|---|
| 1972 | Billboard Pop Albums | 3 |
| Year | Single | Chart | Position |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1972 | "And You and I" | Billboard Pop Singles | 42 |
Certifications
| Organization | Level | Date |
|---|---|---|
| RIAA – USA | Gold | October 30 1972 |
| CRIA – Canada | Gold | December 1 1976 |
| CRIA – Canada | Platinum | December 1 1977 |
| BPI – UK | Gold | December 5 1984 |
| BPI – UK | Platinum | December 5 1984 |
Sources
- Close to the Edge, CD booklet essay, Mike Tiano, (2003)
- All Music Guide
- "Top Pop Albums 1955-2001", Joel Whitburn, c. 2002
- [Lyrics' analysis]
- Musical Analysis [link]
| Yes |
|---|
| Jon Anderson | Chris Squire | Steve Howe | Rick Wakeman | Alan White |
| Peter Banks | Tony Kaye| Bill Bruford | Patrick Moraz | Geoff Downes | Trevor Horn | Trevor Rabin | Billy Sherwood | Igor Khoroshev |
| Discography |
| Studio albums: Yes | Time and a Word | The Yes Album | Fragile | Close to the Edge | Tales from Topographic Oceans | Relayer | Going for the One | Tormato | Drama | 90125 | Big Generator | Anderson Bruford Wakeman Howe | Union | Talk | Open Your Eyes | The Ladder | Magnification |
| Live albums: Yessongs | Yesshows | ' | Keys to Ascension | Keys to Ascension 2 | ' |
| Compilations: Yesterdays | Classic Yes | Yesstory | |
| Remix albums: Yes Remixes |
| Box sets: Yesyears | | The Word is Live |
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