Musicians REACT to Yes: Close To The Edge (Studio version 1972)

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[@Magnetron33]

The greatest most intense intro in the history of music. Full tilt they were unmatched

[@nancymjohnson]

Jon’s lyrics are incredible. Not taken so literally, you get it. Your liver- your life. He is a beautiful and brilliant soul. ☮️❤️😎🎼 PS- I’ve not missed a Yes tour since 1975. Perfectly done every single time!

[@benjaminsisko387]

I hold The Gates of Delirium as highly as this. Two pieces of audio art. They are paintings in my mind.

[@johng.8517]

I agree as well as "Awaken".

[@mattleppard1970]

Me too. On a par. The two Yes songs above all others for me ❤

[@Rowenband]

For me I place Relayer and Tales above Close to the Edge.

[@Yes_Jorge_Yes]

Close to the Edge is not just a masterpiece, but is considered the highest expression of progressive rock music, the album is considered a Perfect Album of the Genre.

[@nancymjohnson]

I think it’s the perfect album of all time! I’ve listened to it for over 50 years, and it still gets better.

[@Yes_Jorge_Yes]

@ me too

[@nancymjohnson]

@@Yes_Jorge_Yes I don’t know you, but I love you! You are my kind of soul! ☮️❤️😎🎼

[@Yes_Jorge_Yes]

@ back at you, specially not many females enjoy Prog!

[@bobd3]

@Yes_Jorge_Yes Not my original thought as many others have said it before in both this and other spaces, but it really is a piece of great art, like a painting, a novel or some other works. It is truly a masterpiece of art, like a great painting, a great novel, a beautiful building in Paris and so on and so forth. And when Yes and Genesis and other great musicians move on, not sure who will fill in behind them. Who is currently out there producing works of their calibre.

[@markjohnson4217]

The Cathedral organ wasn't just a nice touch, it was the moment that Godzilla entered the building, crushing the basilica and shattering the stained glass. I don't think there will ever be another band that will actually go through the trouble of recording such thunderous pipe organ tracks right in the middle of a 20 min epic rock arrangement. Rick would later use the pipe organ on two tracks from 'Going for the One', Parallels and Awaken. Near the end of Awaken, he races up the scale with blistering arpeggios and then in a sonic explosion of light and color, he ascends chord after chord spreading out bigger and wider into an earth-shattering climax, leaving us in cataleptic shock, hovering high above the stratosphere. Not likely that the novel event of such a roar released from such a monstrous instrument, in the hands of such a master will ever be repeated again in our lifetime...

[@mrmajestic7391]

I bought this album when it came out in 1972. The church organ still sends shivers through me. And heard it live at Wembley arena.

[@Rack65]

Yes has so much texture to their work. Toccata and fugue moments along with particulate sweeps swirling around in there. Quite the work of art! Thanks guys! ✅

[@jamesbrady2278]

I saw them for probably the 15th or 16th time in my life. This was in New York on Long Island Jones beach theater on the water September 7, 2001. Think about that date for a minute sitting dead center hot night for September. They opened up with close to the edge. It was breathtaking, watching them with a full orchestra specially, dead center eighth row enveloped in that beautiful music of theirs thank you guys

[@philflower7778]

Been a hardcore Yes fan since the mid 70's. This song never gets old to me. I can listen to it almost everyday! To me the beauty is it's subject to the interpretation of the listener. As with most Yes music it takes you to different place. In my opinion this is their ultimate masterpiece. No other group is similar to Yes, I know people try to compare them to Rush and others but to me there is no comparison

[@frankhoulihanfh4972]

No. You’re right. There is no comparison. It’s been many years since. Noone has touched the Yes of this time, and it’s becoming less and less likely anyone ever will. We have been so lucky to journey around the sun with them. To have witnessed them create this timeless music. Haven’t we.❤

[@philflower7778]

@@frankhoulihanfh4972 Absolutely!! So happy I was introduced to them in the 70's. I immediately thought this music is so different and amazing!! Yes became my everything!! I barely listened to anything else during this time. I only wish I was born 5 years earlier, it was 1975 when I first heard them. I had to wait until the Going for the One tour to see them live. Would have loved to have seen them on their earlier tours. But I made up for it. Saw them live over 50 times through the years, never disappointed! But yes! We have been lucky and will always have their music 😊

[@johnbesor1713]

As soon as the lyrics came up, you both started reading and the music was second. The music is everything.

[@mattleppard1970]

The music is instant joy The lyrics come later, indeed. And understanding them is a job I’m still on after 38 years of first hearing it

[@VuhJJ]

You can read and feel at the same time. 😉

[@jamesbrady2278]

On my first comment when I saw your themwith the orchestra performing close to the edge I forgot to tell you after they that was at least a 5 to 6 minute standing ovation I have never witnessed anything like that in my life thank you guys by the way how about ELP tarkus Trilogy brain salad surgery. Thanks guys.

[@glennandadriansrocktalk]

That's amazing. BTW looks like "Yes" got an autocorrect! LOL We have checked out Tarkus! here's the link kzbin.info/www/bejne/eKjMgaWpgs9mhMU

[@stanleymerritt4722]

YES. Best...band...ever. Best...album...ever. Best...song...ever. Thanks!!! for the reaction.

[@dolfinpt]

Hi! I’ve watched quite a few reactions to Yes! I’m a huge Fan. You’re the 1st person I’ve seen who’s posted the lyrics! Friggin Awesome! I’m sure people will appreciate that! Most new listeners have difficulty with Yes’ lyrics!❤

[@glennandadriansrocktalk]

Glad to hear that, thanks!

[@TONE11111]

some of the lyrics were incorrect

[@lesblatnyak5947]

YES, the greatest show on earth ✨️🎶👑🎶✨️

[@Yes_Jorge_Yes]

I have seen Yes played this Epic many times, the Best I remember was during the Union tour with 8 members of yes playing, Rick Wakeman and Tony Kaye on Keys, Steve Howe and Trevor Rabin on Guitars, Bill Bruford and Alan White on Drums, Chris Squire on Bass and Jon Anderson singing. That was a real treat. Only honorable mentioned was during the Magnification tour with a full orchestra and Tom Brislin on Keys.

[@erickvermeulen9734]

I loved the concert I visited in Amsterdam, which was released as dvd

[@lesblatnyak5947]

Saw YES 36 times from 1975 to 2014

[@Yes_Jorge_Yes]

@@lesblatnyak5947 22 times from 83-2017

[@MisterWondrous]

A near-life experience this song. Here's how it resonates with me, during one of my own near-life experiences...even though, at the time, I thought of it as a near-death experience. It was mid or late 70s, in a room of stoned chums, when I felt like I was leaving my body and that there was a river my spirit could join, but that would mean leaving my physical life, which was still fairly new. I said to my chums, essentially, "Not right away", but actually "I want to stay", to which my dear friend Rob now in Heaven said "You can stay." There are more facets but that is the main one.

[@Leo-dd7om]

I grew up listening to YES in the 1970s and now I find myself listening to THE WARNING 50 years later. Amazing how you can go from one end of the spectrum to the other during your lifetime

[@Marc_YES]

YES the best 👍

[@steveobrien9937]

I consider this to be first of all..... the greatest piece of music Yes ever recorded..... also I would name it as the greatest Prog song ever....... and I'll even go further..... and others have said this as well..... I believe it to be the greatest piece of music I've ever heard regardless of genre

[@eddiecriglington400]

I bought my original Vinyl Album on the day it was released, in 1972. And I saw it and the rest of the Album, performed live, in 1973, on the ‘Tales From Topographic Oceans’ Tour, at my hometown venue in the UK. I was 17. A Absolute Masterpiece. Genius. We saw Jon Anderson in 2023, in London, performing the whole Album, with the sensational young musicians from the ‘Paul Green Rock Academy’, from the US. Jon’s voice was as incredible as ever, aged 78 as he was then. And he’s still proving so now, as performs with the Band Geeks, aged 80. Magical Music. 🎶❤️🎶

[@Magnetron33]

He's doing anotherAnderson/Geeks tour soon

[@Rowenband]

Like Stairway to Heaven for Led zep, I think it's overvalued. I place Ritual, Gates of delirium, Sound Chaser, The Ancient and Heart of the Sunrise above Close to the Edge. But this remains a mind blowing piece of course.

[@YESFan1971]

Best band, ever. Period.

[@mattleppard1970]

The greatest art ever made ❤ Long story short, it is partly/largely based on the classic novel “Siddhartha,” itself a broad retelling of the life of the most recent Buddha, aka Sidhartha Guatama. Jon has largely explained all the lyrics and parts. But on a first read? Leave it for 100 reads 😂

[@michaelbeerbados3291]

The greatest piece of recorded music

[@jeffschielka7845]

There is only one word for the CTTE album...MASTERPIECE❗️❗️❗️👍😎

[@bobd3]

And I would add Awaken, Revealing Science of God, Ritual, Heart of the Sunrise, Starship Trooper, etcetera...

[@genboyer]

Aloha Glenn y Adrian...I bought my first Close to the Edge album the year it came out, and played the sh!t of it! YES, King Crimson, ELP, Renaissance, Hocus Pocus, Jethro Tull, Rush, Led Zep, Cheap Trick, on and on until The Warning...I left out a lot...but I think you get the idea. "What a long strange trip it's been." Loved and still loving every minute of it! Rock will never die!

[@jeffschielka7845]

YES❣️❣️❣️The greatest band on this or any other planet❗️❗️❗️🌏🪐🚀🛸👍😎

[@chriso6719]

🤘🎶🎶

[@jeffschielka7845]

@chriso6719 👍😎

[@wendellwiggins3776]

I've saw YES Live at 15 in 71 and "Tripping" through to 79 before Jon & Rick quit, then again not until 96-04. Correction, the name came from guitarist Steve Howe who had started a song about living near the River Thames and with singer Jon Anderson developed it into a philosophical epic that explores themes of self-discovery, transformation, and the human condition. YES weren't near the edge or about to breakup. They were riding high with confidence, time & money. Bill just wanted to explore other experiences in music. The church organ starts in the middle, not at the beginning of the slow part. In 1972, this album was so profound, I'd get mesmerized just looking at the full Roger Dean gatefold cover. Jon's lyrics are abstractly poetic & symbolically metaphoric while fitting in brilliantly with the music as if another instrument. "A seasoned witch can call from the depth of your disgrace" > Your higher self can bring you out of despair / "Then taste the fruit of man recorded losing all against the hour" > Enjoying the history of our achievements, all while racing against time. "I get up, I get down" > We have happy experiences, and we have unhappy ones. Like Shakespeare meets Picasso! LOL! Then incredibly after Rick's keyboard solo, every section reminiscent of all the earlier movements are condensed & combined for the grand finale.

[@markjohnson4217]

The influence of the book 'Siddhartha' by Herman Hesse was actually an important reference for this piece. At one point in the book, the inexorable flow of the bubbling river becomes Siddhartha's most important teacher, and it's voice imparted the wisdom of eternity within time. I think there is more of Siddhartha in CTTE than Lord of the Rings. The Tolkien reference may have been related to The Gates of Delirium from Relayer.

[@lesblatnyak5947]

Gates of Delirium is War and Peace

[@markjohnson4217]

@lesblatnyak5947 That is true, 'The Gates' was inspired by War and Peace but for some reason, the battle reminds me so much of The battle on Pelenor fields during the siege of Gondor, and the aftermath of 'Soon', calls to mind The Grey Havens, sailing off into the Undying Lands. Jon was a Tolkien fan at the time so it did seem to enter into his conceptual ideas on Olias of Sunhillow and The Gates, both released around the same year.

[@mattleppard1970]

Yeah, never heard this album connected with that book. I mentioned Siddhartha above, too 😊

[@dylanbrown5819]

No, Relayer is another masterpiece.

[@SDsailor7]

Now you have to do Genesis suppers ready another amazing composition. That would be my request😊 Thank you for reacting/posting this one guys.

[@SDsailor7]

All of them master musicians.

[@SDsailor7]

One of my favorite bands and saw them live.

[@YESFan1971]

49 times live, for me. Awesome days.

[@ThatsMrPencilneck2U]

I've heard Rick Beato and a guest describe the Progressive acts of this era as a "Renaissance," and that these works will not be outdone, the same way we remember the paintings of Leonardo De Vinci and Rembrandt Harmenszoon van Rijn. There is only so much of this music, and I've been spoiled. addendum: from "Heart of the Sunrise," the line, "Dreamer easy in the chair that really fits you," is a good description of you, the listener, dreaming, while listening to the song in an easy chair, it's no coincidence he said the words "easy" and "chair" in the same line without wanting to infer the concept of a particular kind of seat.

[@tinicum54]

I saw Yes open for ELP in 1971.

[@glennandadriansrocktalk]

Amazing.

[@SDsailor7]

I used to listen with my headphones on and the room in darkness.

[@SDsailor7]

A masterpiece.

[@vanytasticsone9071]

Ok so I don’t condone such things anymore but if you do imbibe certain mood enhancing medicinal herbs that can be found in the Blue Mountains of Jamaica I suggest excellent headphones or an excellent sound system playing while you are laying on your back on the floor with lights out and you suddenly become perfectly fluent in YES. The reason for this is that were absolutely stoned to the bejeezus when they created and recorded this masterpiece. It is an experience I haven’t had in decades but remember as if it was yesterday.

[@franktrig]

Saw them live at Madison Square Garden in 1978, we couldn't get enough of Yes at the time.

[@SDsailor7]

I have most of their records.

[@Chuckles..]

Quite a number of prog fans consider CTTE their masterpiece and _the_ all time prog masterpiece. Supers Ready and CTTE are tied for top spot imhop

[@glennandadriansrocktalk]

I agree!

[@bobd3]

​@glennandadriansrocktalk I think that The Musical Box, or Cinema Show, or Firth of Fifth are as good as Supper's Ready.

[@lemming9984]

@@bobd3 ...and NOT forgetting A Plague Of Lighthouse Keepers !

[@chriso6719]

🤘

[@jeffschielka7845]

👍⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️😎

[@bazeye]

Never make a person read on their first listen to this track.

[@brucefelger4015]

Ahhh, Iambic hexemeter!

[@bobd3]

I don't see peak Yes (or peak Genesis) as prog rock groups, to me they are music groups and there are few others who make music as good as them. Including the blues based rock bands. Just my humble opinion.

[@SDsailor7]

Heart of the sunrise is another great song from this album.

[@glennandadriansrocktalk]

That's actually on Fragile, just before this one! Yes, I enjoy that one a lot.

[@cybore213]

@@glennandadriansrocktalk I consider Heart of the Sunrise the precursor of Close to the Edge. Not just because it was the last track on Fragile and CTTE is the first track of the next album, but that it shaped their musical direction leading to CTTE. In other words, a signpost leading to CTTE.

[@franciscodiaz183]

Thanks, Glenn and Adrian. It was really necessary for you to react to YES. One of the great names of what was later called Progressive Rock. A particular era because quite large audiences liked richer and more complicated music than the taste for much simpler things that most of the public derived to years later. This magnificent great work (for many the best of YES) is a great example of this. Many years ago, I read an interview (sorry, I don't have the reference) where Bill Bruford said that he decided to leave YES and join King Crimson because he saw that the band was stagnating in its creativity, and he wanted new challenges. In this song it is well known that the lyrics of the song had to be distorted to match the music, which had priority, so it is a bit strange.

[@edf13]

It's hard to believe men of your age and interest in music could have missed this album. Never to late I suppose.

[@glennandadriansrocktalk]

I knew it well, it just happened to bypass Adrian! Well, I missed most of ELP at the time but have caught up. This type of thing is what inspired us to start the channel :) We knew there was a lot out there we hadn't heard, mostly because you couldn't preview albums before buying them back then and we only had so much money.

[@yes_head]

Is this the pinnacle of progressive rock? Quite possibly. Are there better pieces of progressive rock music out there? Perhaps. But before this there had been attempts at multi-part epics like this ("Tarkus" and "A Plague of Lighthouse Keepers", notably), but most objective listeners rate this as the best of the bunch -- at least to date. From here it feels like most attempts at similar epics are either retreads or variations on what CTTE laid down. Probably the one epic I'd say possibly lives up to the CTTE standard is "Karn Evil 9" (the entire suite, all movements.)

[@VicWeatherford-h2g]

I had to turn this off nine minutes into the reaction. The acting out and cursor nonsense was too distracting. What a disservice to your friend hearing this masterpiece for the first time, sir.

[@glennandadriansrocktalk]

Oh, lighten up! He loved it!