Close to the Edge

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This article describes the album Close to the Edge. For the song, see "Close to the Edge (song)".

Professional reviews
Close to the Edge

Studio album by Yes
Released	15 September 1972
Recorded	April–June 1972
Genre	Progressive rock
Length	37:47
Label	Atlantic Records
Producer(s)	Yes and Eddie Offord
All Music Guide Image:5 stars.svg link Pitchfork Media (9/10) link Robert Christgau (C+) link Rolling Stone (favourable) link
Yes chronology
Fragile (1971)	Close to the Edge (1972)	Yessongs (1973)

Inside of the Close to the Edge LP cover.

Close to the Edge is the fifth album by British progressive rock band Yes, considered by many Yes fans to be the band's greatest masterpiece.

1 Features
2 Track listing
- 2.1 Bonus tracks (2003 reissue)
3 Personnel
4 Charts
5 Certifications
6 Reissues
7 Sources

[edit] Features

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-syllable 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.

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 U.S. tour.

The album was released on Atlantic Records in September 1972. It reached #4 in the UK and a career high of #3 in the United States.

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 U.S. 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.

[edit] Track listing

"Close to the Edge" (Jon Anderson, Steve Howe) – 18:41 (This track is written in sonata form.[1])
- "The Solid Time of Change"
- "Total Mass Retain"
- "I Get Up I Get Down"
- "Seasons of Man" Image:Sound-icon.png (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

[edit] Bonus tracks (2003 reissue)

"America (Single version)" (Paul Simon) – 4:12
"Total Mass Retain (Single version)" – 3:21
"And You and I (Alternate version)" – 10:17
"Siberia" (Studio run-through of "Siberian Khatru") – 9:19

[edit] Personnel

[edit] Charts

Album

Year	Chart	Position
1972	Billboard Pop Albums	3

Singles

Year	Single	Chart	Position
1972	"And You and I"	Billboard Pop Singles	42

[edit] Certifications

Organization	Level	Date
RIAA – U.S.	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

[edit] Reissues

1982 - MFSL - LP ( Original Master Recording)
1986 - Atlantic - CD
1994 - Atlantic - CD (Remastered)
2001 - JPN limited edition - ???
2003 - Rhino - CD (Remastered with Bonus Tracks)

[edit] 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 [2]

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 \| Union \| Talk \| Open Your Eyes \| The Ladder \| Magnification
Live albums: Yessongs \| Yesshows \| 9012Live: The Solos \| Keys to Ascension \| Keys to Ascension 2 \| House of Yes: Live from House of Blues
Compilations: Yesterdays \| Classic Yes \| Yesstory \| The Ultimate Yes: 35th Anniversary Collection
Remix albums: Yes Remixes
Box sets: Yesyears \| In a Word: Yes (1969 - ) \| The Word is Live