Day 261: Yes – Close to the Edge
I’m going in blind today, as the only thing I know about Yes is “Owner of a Lonely Heart”. I’m trying to go through some classic rock bands who I’m unaware of, and Yes is definitely on that list, I couldn’t even tell you who the singer is. Well I can now, I’ve googled, it’s Jon Anderson, but you get my point.
Album cover courtesy of Atlantic
Formed in 1968 in London, Yes became a pioneering progressive rock band that became known for their esoteric woo-woo lyrics, unusual use of time signatures and intricate compositions. The band was formed by Anderson and bassist Chris Squire, who wrote their first song together within days of meeting each other, and were later joined by guitarist Peter Banks, keyboardist Tony Kaye and drummer Bill Bruford. The band has kept going to this date with a varying line-up, and they’ve released more than 24 album in their long career.
Close to the Edge was released in September 1972 as the band’s fifth studio album, and it was inspired by Herman Hesse’s Siddhartha and the music of Jean Sibelius, along with a bit of Lord of the Rings – the good stuff, clearly. And it was the last album they had with drummer Bill Bruson, who left to join King Crimson after recording it, as he felt he had given as much as he could for Yes.
First thought I have is that this is way, way more rogue than I expected from having only heard “Owner of a Lonely Heart”. It’s significantly more intricate, progressive and jazzy than I ever expected. You know what you’re in for during the 19-minute opener, the titular epic composition containing four movements, which has a pretty banging organ solo. It was played in a medieval church that’s located in the Barbican. Originally it was meant to be played on guitar but they decided organ just sounded better – underutilised concept for solos, I’d argue.
This album tickles some part of my brain, especially melodically on the last two tracks. I was surprised by how avant-garde it is. I was just expecting some pretty straightforward ‘70s rock and I got way more than I bargained for, but in the best possible way. Close to the Edge gets a round of applause and a 9.5/10, this is pretty peak.