It's always gratifying to watch someone hearing Close to the Edge for the first time. This song was recorded 51 years ago, and I've been listening to it for about 45 years. When you have heard it as often as I have, it becomes a part of your skeletal system. One of the most important things that sets Yes apart from their contemporaries in the progressive rock genre is their mastery of musical form. Close to the Edge is probably the greatest example of this, but it is difficult to discern when the music is broken up, as it was in this video. I suggest that you listen to the piece uninterrupted from beginning to end, and see if you have any further impressions. Some other relevant things to know about the piece. Yes, it was inspired by Sibelius's 7th symphony, but really that inspiration was more with regard to the fact that the symphony was about 20 minutes long and was all in one continuous movement. That aspect of the symphony convinced singer and lyricist Jon Anderson that Yes could and should attempt something similar. Of course, Close to the Edge was the result. The other interesting inspiration for the piece was the novel Siddhartha by Hermann Hesse. It might be interesting for you to read that book (if you haven't done so already) and then come back to the piece. Like the story of Siddhartha in the novel, I interpret Close to the Edge as a meditation on spiritual searching and awakening. Over several sections of the piece, one is confronted with a recurring idea: "I get up, I get down." To me, this means that life happens. Sometimes it's good, sometimes it's bad. I have always interpreted the pipe organ part as a kind of awakening, and then the synth and drum part which follows as a sort of renunciation, and then the funky Hammond organ solo as the antithesis of the pipe organ part, a sort of breaking away and newfound freedom -- the spiritual development is complete and true wisdom has been obtained. And what has finally been learned? I get up, I get down. Life happens. We're happy, we're sad. We do the right thing, we do the wrong thing. We're human. And yet, there is an ecstatic joy in the final three recitations of this realization. The attainment of enlightenment is in the living of life itself, and the embracing of life in all of its complexity. Anyway, that's my take on it. All in all, it's a remarkable piece of music, especially considering that a bunch of 20-somethings created it.
I was pretty high on LSD when I first heard it in 1973. The next week I went out and got a copy...listened to it completely straight and it was even better. 5o years later.....still pull it out and give it a spin.
Absolutely agree. I have been listening to this since I was child. (First time on 8-track, to give you an indication of how long.) I always come back to it, and never tire of it. For me personally, it is probably my favorite album of all time. It never fails to move, impress and inspire.
LOL. It might be a Rick bass split between two amps. One clean, one distorted like a Harley Davidson in a subterranean concrete parking garage, in my mind. Gritty beauty.
Agreed. It took me many many listens over time to finally make a breakthrough and understand this song. For so many listens I just heard noise and then one magic might I listened to it and boom ! I got it finally ❤
Yes's music is quite complex, and you need to adjust to it over time. Just don't take notice of the lyrics. You'll never work them out. Imaginative though.
This totally blew my 13yr old mind about 50 years ago. The contrast between this (and similar pieces, of course) and the songs in the UK pop charts was flabbergasting. It's fascinating listening to a reaction such as yours. Would I feel the same if Yes had passed me by all those years ago? Who knows. I find it so joyous, so beautiful, and so uplifting.
I'm 68 and going through a rock revival currently. Fragile was the album that realy grabs my soul and was one my 1st albums to be replaced by cd!! Fascinating insight to thus wonderful music.
I'd never really bothered listening to Yes (I was too 'busy' with Zeppelin, Floyd, Sabbath etc.) until my cousin lent me this album (around 50-years ago), I was absolutely blown-away. Even though it sounded a bit discordant on first listen, the rest of the album made me want to play it over and over again. It all made sense in the end and I've been a fan ever since.
I saw them live because I told my friends that they probably couldn’t play live. Was I a fool. They were better than the album. Jaw dropping great musicianship.The sound engineering was impeccable. So amazing.
I used to think to myself, under the headphones, 1973, they can’t do this live. A valuable lesson in how wrong one can be. And agreed @ jazzlike live. Saw them quite a few times, their improvisational skills were considerable. Steve and Rick. Even Alan seldom played the same thing the same way twice. At their best, the finest live band I’ve ever seen.
I do not know why anyone would think they could not play this live in the seventies . Fact is back in that time you did not record what you could not play on stage, You had to tour to promote the album most bands were doing up to 200 plus venues a year. So, yes, YES had the chops to do so. Heck, when it came to prog-rock, fusion and jazz bands back then you did not get to record unless you could play it. I saw them six times in the seventies, best describe them as a band of virtuosos.
I think he played the same organ on The six wives of Henry Viii, imagine having to go to a church with a lot of recording equipment! These days you can just record it on the keyboard with samples!
@@Andy-lm2zp I can't recall which right now, but on another occasion, Rick played organ in a Swiss (?) church, and it was transmitted over land line to the group playing and recording in the studio.
One can argue that Yes is the greatest Progressive Rock band, and that the album Close to the Edge is their greatest work. I have been listening to this album for 50 years and I still hear new subtleties. I really hope you follow this up with B side, And You and I, and Siberian Katru complete the theme.
my new favorite thing about Close to the Edge is that at every new section the bass is always doing the last thing you'd expect and it's always the right choice.
That's the best, most succinct description of Chris's musical brain translated to the strings I have ever read! And I've been listening to them from the Banks/Kaye days.@@nunyabizz3357
Listening to Close To The Edge for your first YES experience is like trying to drink from a firehose. So much to absorb! But good on you for tackling this masterpiece. I look forward to your in depth analysis.
Imagine what it was like hearing it unprepared when it first came out. I heard it that way in a room with eight other people. There was indeed a collective raising of consciousness. Organic substances may have been involved.
@@TheDavidfallon Simply the best way to be introduced, no 8 people get together for anything like this these days, we were extremely lucky to been there for the British invasion.
Yes, I saw a published research article documenting that people quickly get tired of simple melodies, but more complex music endures for a long time even though it's initially harder to understand.
Relatable - it took me actual YEARS to be able to appreciate and digest Tales from Topographic Oceans and now it's my number 1 beloved Yes album, no contest here. I would LOVE to hear where they would go on with that sort of music if not for Wakeman's skepticism pre- and after Moraz (with Going For The One they really started to compromise their far-out sensibilities and, the zeitgeist and the record company pressure aside, I'm kind of keen to blame Wakeman on this one)
My first Yes experience was the album Going For The One. I had the impression that the band members were each playing with no knowledge of the others, that they were just randomly jamming. Then the more I listened the more I heard the intended interplay and structure. And now, every time I listen, I hear something new, and so I never get tired of it.
The Holy Grail of progressive rock! A lot to digest on first listen and I totally enjoyed watching you take it all in. Your comments were very insightful and interesting. I still get chills when I hear this piece after all these years! Thank you for this post.
So many years later, and I STILL get chills with the anticipation of the church organ! This is the greatest single piece of rock music, and I will fight about that.
Idk, I kind of love 'Memory Machine' by Dismemberment Plan... :) I'm joking a little here, it's a totally different kind of 'rock song' but yeah... it's kind of hard to compare a prog suite to a different sort of rock song and say which one is 'better'. It's apples and oranges so many times (I wouldn't even be able to say if a Yes song is 'better' than one of the greatest Pink Floyd songs, or even sth by Genesis - it's just so different and it works in such a different way)
AGREE! Having played pipe organ in the past (as alternate) there's no instrument more moving, motivating, lifting than a huge pipe organ. It grabs you to your core.
Was going to respond to someone saying the "tinkley tinkley" sound was on guitar but I had more to say about the overall structure of the intro, which is its own journey that's almost mirrored across its middle point. The sound is Rick Wakeman on Hammond organ (a surprisingly versatile instrument). You can see him playing it in the Yessongs performance. It's very pitched unlike picking guitar strings behind the nut or bridge. On the structure: the intro starts without the keyboard, and when it comes in (~1:21 on the studio recording), Squire's bass moves away from the ascending D harmonic minor and is playing something quite similar to the keyboard part at half the speed. The first "aah" vocal break happens (~2 minutes), and Howe's guitar returns to play in unison with the bass. All the instruments (even Bruford's drums) are playing parts that share a kind of lineage, so there's some coherence even if they're not all in unison. This is the middle layer in the intro sandwich. The second "aah" vocal break happens (~2:10), and the coherence progressively comes undone: at first Howe's guitar and Bruford's drums are untamed, then Squire goes back to the ascending scale leaving Wakeman's keyboard part alone, and near the end even that keyboard part which has remained static changes; it's transposed down and wanders a bit, almost like it's losing energy and falling apart. One (added) beat of silence (~2:51) and all the instruments play together. We're in D major-ish and the main motif is then introduced. Apologies to anyone with a musical education, this is my own analysis and I'm just a self-taught hobbyist.
I really like what you wrote but I just need to quickly point out that the "tinkley tinkley" sound is played with a Minimoog. Those kind of sounds are often called "pluck" sounds and they're created with some very low values on the envelopes of a synthesizer. Rick Wakeman might've played it with the Hammond organ on live shows though. I think you're right about that. (The Minimoog might've had a different sound that's ready for another part of the song.) I didn't have time to confirm it or any other things you said in your comment. Anyway, you don't need to be exactly right. You can still have your own interpretation of the song of course. I'm a Finnish musician and I often play synthesizers and other keyboard instruments. I appreciate that you wrote this. We need comments like yours with more substance. Take care and enjoy the music.
Excellent. I always loved them, because prog was prog then rock with classical inputs, and inputs from all over the music at the time. One thing I do now, I listen to the original before I listen to her,. While I find her reactions fun and silly, I dont take it serious. All it does is reconnects me to WHY I always loved the 1960-1980 era of music so.
@@Vimana I was really torn on whether it's Minimoog or Hammond, it's really back there in the mix for my ears. My gut told me Minimoog but I also know a Hammond has Percussion and it can have this kind of envelope when it's on and the drawbars are pushed in. So I found live footage and trusted my eyes. I think the most important thing is that it's definitely a keyboard instrument. Please let me know if I got anything objectively wrong. I don't want to chalk it up to "interpretation."
Chris Squire had a very unique and punchy tone with his Rickenbacker bass. No real studio processing- he did it live as well. One of those unsung but hugely admired bassists.
The best song, by the best band, from the best album. I've been listening to this song from about the time it was released, appx. 50 years, and it's never gotten old.
There was something about the early to mid '70s music. The majority of the albums that have stood the test of time for me are from this period. Floyd, Yes, Zeppelin, Steely Dan, Sabbath, Stevie Wonder, Rush, AC/DC, ZZ Top, etc... And I was a teen in the 80s so it's not really my generation's music.
The best time I heard Close To The Edge was not one the first few times I experienced it. It was when I was driving the highway along the steep valley slopes and granite tunnels into Yosemite. Hearing this fantastic soundscape while the natural world before me turned into a fully realized Roger Dean painting was unforgettable. Thank Squire, Anderson, Howe, and Wakeman for this glorious harmonic chaos.
The musicianship of this song has always boggled my mind. The lyrics aren’t nonsense at all. They are mostly an impressionistic take on “Siddhartha,” Herman Hesse’s novel based loosely on the life of the Buddha. The song is about enlightenment. From the absolute chaos of the intro, perhaps representing the chaos and suffering of Samsara to the beautiful “I Get Up I Get Down” section to the climactic ending with Wakeman’s brilliant keyboard solo, the song is brilliant. Thank you for checking out this song. Your musical insights are appreciated. You might enjoy the song more with some background on it and a second listen. Roundabout would have been an easier starting place.
I didn't know the lyrics were inspired by "Siddhartha," but it makes sense. I always had the impression that it had something to do with Buddhist mysticism, so I guess I wasn't that far off. .
The lyrics pretty much are nonsense. There may be an overall idea of buddhist stuff but he used words for their sound more than their meaning and the in her white lace part was written by Steve howe and taken from an entirely different song about someone from legend (I cant remember who right now)
The lyrics are directly inspired by Hermann Hesse's book 'Siddhartha,' a short novel covering a man's entire life as he finds enlightenment through the people he meets
Interesting, I didn't know that but this piece has always reminded me of a complete life, each movement representing a chapter: birth, childhood, adolescence, finding love, the chaos of adulthood, growing old and death as the piece fades out.
@@markramsey2401 if you haven't read Siddhartha, I highly recommend it, even if you're not a big reader. It's only 120 pages and I still think about it years after reading it
Hi, show her the artwork of the Close To The Edge album cover. She will not have to dream up a piece art to fit the title. This was maybe one of the most interesting TH-cam videos I have ever watched. I've all ways wondered what someone from her background would think. Most interested in what she has to say once she catches up. It seems she wanted to stop several times to comment, but the "YES" Magic" would not allow it. As if she thought she just might miss something like a treat. I like her a lot............ Thanks, The Bobbyman.
And You And I, on the flip side of the LP, is much more... approachable. It is more of a calm journey: None of the violent, tumultuous, ripping and tearing from one theme to the next. Once I had come to *my* understanding of Close To The Edge (that took a LOT of years), it moved to the side to let the (relatively) mellifluous, peaceful, lyrical beauty of And You And I become my personal favorite on this album. YMMV
I'm fortunate to have seen the Union tour (all personnel present) , ABWH (Yes, without Chris?!?!?!) and Yes on a later tour, without Anderson. All were unique experiences, centered around the same music. But always at the center... And You And I. 🤘🧙♂️🤘 Rich the Ancient Metal Beast
Though I was blown away by "Close To The Edge" when I first heard it, "And You and I" has always been my favorite on the album as well. The profundity of the line, "Coins and crosses never know their fruitless worth." opened my 20 yr old head to the world in so many ways.
Although I personally think the 3rd song, Siberian Khatru, is perfect!!!! The album parallels classical forms, with an epic first movement, a shorter and softer slow movement, and a rousing allegro finale!! 😁
Your ideas on the visual art aspect of the music are very spot on. I can tell you that 50 years ago when I was first listening to this album, one night when I dropped acid and waited the obligatory 45 minutes to an hour, I broke the silence sitting in a darkened room with this album. Dear lady the visuals were astounding and were a one time experience because the innocence of the virgin experience can never be repeated. But oh has it never been forgotten. You may be the most innocent human being on the entire world wide web and watching you and listening to you gives me hope that not all things in this world are already corrupted. Much love and thanks for your work.
I've had the privilege of seeing YES throughout their career. Jon Anderson is a frequent guest on my free=form radio show at an independent station on the East Coast of the U.S. This is like fine art, classical virtuosity, and a spiritual experience all rolled into one.
I think she deserves to see the original album artwork, the outside of the album as well as the inner gatefold, that always added something to it for me
I would love to hear your reactions to these as well. Gates of Delirium is a musical interpretation of Tolstoy's War and Peace and a full cacophony of sounds. Awaken comes from their 8th studio album (also inspired by another book, The Singer - A Classic Retelling of Cosmic Conflict by Calvin Miller) with my all-time favourite line up of the band. Rick Wakeman on keyboard and organ, he also did the choir arrangement. Just sublime.
This was written by Anderson, vocals, and Howe, guitar. What's interesting is that when I first heard the song, not knowing much about it, when I heard the organ solo (yes, I love organ too because of it's power, as I'm a rock guitarist), I thought it sounded like a guitar lead, which it was, but Howe decided that it would sound better if Wakeman played the solo on the organ. That being said, Yes is a remarkable progressive band that has written some of the most powerful, intricate, rocking, multi-genre music that you could ever hear. As for the song itself, it was inspired by Jon's love of Symphony 7, but also his love of Lord of the Rings and Siddhartha by Herman Hesse, both books that I have taught in my college English classes. Most know that Rings is about a quest, actually more spiritual than physical, contrary to popular belief. It follows a common fantasy motif of the weak and innocent overcoming the powerful and dominant, for it is Frodo who is the only one who can transport the ring to its destination of ultimate demise. Frodo is small, weak, politically and socially unaligned, nothing much going for him at all, except for his great innocence of heart. Siddhartha means "achieved what was searched for," based in the times of Gautama Buddha. As a matter of fact, Buddha's name before renunciation was Siddhartha Gautama. So the song itself contains this great and grand search for the self, down by the edge, close to the water, never near, never far, but always attainable.
Me screaming at the screen, "the lyics aren't gonna help!" LOL I always had a hard time understanding Jon's lyrics, with the occasional exception. But even when they were intelligible to me, they conveyed little meaning. Instead, I've always focused on the mood of the words, the rhythm with which they're sung, the pitch and the weight of the words. Sort of the James Joyce of lyricists. That's probably just me though, cause I knew a guy who claimed to have a deeper understanding of his lyrics and went to to live in a commune where they lived by the philosophy described therin, so.... there's that. LOL Hard core intro to Yes, but I think you're up for the task. Take some time with this one and bask in its light! Drummers note: Bill is a master at placing the snare at the most anti-cliché/expected places. The thing that in most bands is the primary rhythmic synch element and he's moving that shit all over the place. Not easy to play these off times and to make it more challenging, they're anti-intuitive. One of the reasons he's one of my favorites. 🤘🧙♂️🤘 Rich the Ancient Metal Beast
I'm looking at the first verse with an eye to metaphor,. I'll write what I'm seeing as possible meanings. "Maybe only the magic of an experienced witch could pull you from the booze." next 2 lines could be about writing and recording music rather than drinking, and experiencing the wonder of creation, which will reframe your experience positively and set a new course" Not a clue on the b-part lyrics there. Verse 2: middle of June was rough. Got drunk one night to try and forget the crap I went through (Getting over all the time I had to worry) but the clarity I obtained made me see I was serving someone else. (We relieve the tension only to find out the master's name). This song might be about taking a vacation alone in a cabin by a river to decompress from some sort of struggle. Close to the edge both mentally and coastally.
Jon's lyrics are impressionistic. If you approach them for that perspective, they totally make sense. Quite the opposite of say, Gabriel's Genesis, which was straight forward story telling. If one expects something along those line's from Anderson's lyrics, they will ultimately be sorely disappointed.
My opinion: Most people who enjoy opera don't understand Italian...they may understand the basic storyline, but the individual words are much less important than the emotions they "feel" from the music.
Close to the Edge was incredibly important to me when I was growing up. In many respects the whole piece is a tone poem that you need to experience in one go.
Thank you! In terms of visual representation of the sound, have a look at Roger Dean's art and see what you think. I am thrilled by this piece of music, and was thrilled that you took the time to listen to it. It took me many years of listening to really appreciate the opening section and its construction. It is neither haphazard nor lazily constructed. When he begins singing "A seasoned witch..." in the 6/8 part I get the sensation of floating. Only a few pieces of music I have experienced give me that sensation and I treasure it. As for Jon's voice, I am very endeared to it and find it perfectly harmonious with the overall sound of the band. As for the lyrics, I like enigmatic lyrics best of all. They hint at meaning and let your own interpretive creativity go searching for relevance.
The song hits better when it is listened to straight through without interruption. All the quirks and little elements of surprise wrap up nicely in the end when it is all done. It is quite surreal when absorbed all at once. 😊 Good listening.
I was just thinking the same thing myself. I remember when this album came out, I was just a little kid in Milwaukee Wisconsin. My friends and I would get stoned and listen to this in its entirety and then maybe talk about the song or make a comment about it. We did the same thing when tales from topographic oceans came out. I realize that this very nice lady is just analyzing every little thing, but that's not probably the best way to listen to Yes. Compared to the garbage that was on the radio at the time, this was beyond great.
We’ve been through this issue so many times. Broadly there are 2 types of Reactors out there:- 1) Those who give an initial emotional response whilst stopping the music sufficiently few times to satisfy Copyright owners. 2) Those whose approach is more cerebral and analytical, stopping the music multiple times to explain not just their reaction but their realisation of the techniques used to produce the impact of the music. This reactor (and if you think her stopping of the music is annoying to you, try some of the Vocal Coaches’ reactions) is clearly of the second category. They’re popular with those who want to understand more about music. It is annoying to get those who are only looking for validation of their opinion of the music they love, complaining about those reactors who belong to the second category.
I first heard this when I was 12 in 1974, and it immediately embedded itself into my musical psyche. After a thousand listens, it is still fresh, and vibrant, part pastel water color, part stark impressionism, part abstract cubism. Roger Dean combined with Yerka, and Escher. Playful, Abstract, and Poignant.
I'll agree , it's a Rickenbacker Fair enough . But for me and Others , the player of the Rickenbacker is a Chris squire , is what's really going on here . Just sayin
If you look at my little picture, not that closely, the black bass just below my swollen head, is a Rickenbacker 4001 that l bought brand spankin new in ‘77 and it adorns Roto-sound 66 stainless steel 45-105’s. I used a pick 75% of the time and around 1982, l put a BadAss bridge on it. I would say that l was influenced by Chris Squire since l started playing bass in 1970. I’m kinda stupid because around ‘89 I got married and sold that bass. I’m still trying to replace it but l can put together a bunch of p basses and jazz basses for the price of one nice Rick but l haven’t pulled that trigger yet. Maybe someday.
Worth searching for the video on the history of this instrument, Chris painted and stripped it multiple times during the psychedelic era and claimed it's unique tonal qualities came from the "damage" done.
Close To The Edge along with Supper's Ready by Genesis are the two real behemoths of Prog Rock. A wonderfully complex construction with some gorgeous melodies. These two tracks really are the pinnacle of of true Progressive Rock Music.
“Jon & Vangelis” gets a mention, yay! They produced four albums together. Vangelis on his own is a very, very deep rabbit hole to explore .. RIP, Maestro.
Such a spiritual song. I think that’s one of the reasons why analysis is so hard - you have to let it move you, and the total is more than the sum of the parts.
yeah, maybe she should have just not make these pauses and let the journey 'take her all the way'? :) but I imagine it's a lot to digest at a first listen. The thing with Yes music, and this song in particular, it's often incredibly busy (five players doing their separate thing basically all of the time, plus there are layered parts...) to someone with a keen ear, it might be something which is not easy to find their way through initially. Personally, I loved CTTE from the very beginning when I heard it in 6th grade and I played it on repeat to the point I could hum the whole piece, but years later I figured out that I only basically 'processed' the vocals, some of the main instrumental bits, plus the overall rhythm, dynamics and the mood created by the harmony. So it took years for me to actually notice: oh, what is the bass doing? Oh, what is Wakeman doing in the background? Where is the guitar? So I think it might vary from individual to individual when it comes to perception ability and how well versed in listening to complex music in general one is (not even mentioning the genre itself - CTTE is not a classical symphonic piece after all, it works in a different way)... so - I think I'd give Amy a couple more listens to wrap her head around this one
Music like this takes you "Close To The Edge" of understanding what Pierre Teilhard de Chardin meant when he said "We are not human beings having a spiritual experience; we are spiritual beings having a human experience."
The lyrics! You often mention the importance of lyrics to you. They are absolutely abstract (that is a quality of all Yes lyrics of this era) - even nonsensical to some. But others derive much meaning from them. They do take inspiration from a specific source (as you’ve learned by now from the research you always do), but only in the loosest way I think. Personally, I never felt a need to dwell on the meaning of the lyrics (I’m more in the “nonsensical” camp!), it was never that important to me - and yet, I love the lyrics. It’s all vaguely spiritual and uplifting. I love the rhythm of the lyrics. I love the poetry and mystery of it all.
Saying the lyrics are "absolutely abstract" is going too far. Read Hesse's "Siddhartha" (which Anderson said inspired the story) and it fits quite well with the lyrical message.
I was talking to a friend a few days ago about Jon Anderson's lyrics. I made the statement that his lyrics are often weird and that I never spent much time trying to understand them. I found that I enjoyed the sound as part of the music and that Jon is more like another instrument, adding sound and texture with singing, and the words don't matter.
I might offer that his lyrics are not usually "narrative" but painted on to set a mood or theme. The search for a concise meaning will not result in anything. Anderson has also said he chooses some words for the sound (and he has many words he favors).
I was a student of violin till grade 11, without talent but it trained my ear. I have been a fan of Yes since age 18. Chris Squires bass tone has often been described as "growly". Good catch. The intro to me sounds like chaotic nature, which resolves pleasantly to a more ordered form, something like cosmic evolution, with an Intelligence directing its progress. The vocal sounds were sometimes chosen for the sound of the words, rather than their meaning, as you noted with their percussive sounds. The structures of Yes songs are often classical, with themes, movements, dynamic & tempo changes and counterpoint - almost never like standard rock or pop with its chorus-verse-chorus structure. Composition wise, it's more like jazz, as players contribute their parts in a free form manner during loooooong rehearsals. Only Rick Wakeman the keyboard player could read music well. Chris Squire was a choir boy in his youth, and he is credited with some excellent back up vocals. For a Yes song that features some lovely harp try Awaken. It has many similarities to this song, especially the climactic resolution.
To me, the loud and fast introduction is a chaotic mind or a stressed-out mind in a chaotic society ("Aaaaah!!!") until the person gets away to the edge of a river, for reflection, and finds a new inner balance as a result. 👍😎
So glad you covered this song, today. One of my favorite pieces of music. You're right, the song is a mystical journey, with the lyrics inspired by Hermann Hesse's "Siddhartha". Jon's voice is one you love or hate. Count me in the "love" camp; it has an ethereal quality highly suitable for Yes music. For me, an artist that comes to mind, when I listen to Yes, is Matisse. The instrument you suspect is a saxophone (toward the beginning) is guitar, played by Steve Howe, considered to be one of the best guitarists in Prog/Rock/Pop. I look forward to your analysis.
Hard disagree. I understand his desire to create an escapist fantasy-novel alternative world of tiny planets and interesting looking spaceships and so forth, but his technique is shallow and Marks-and-Spencersish and so you end up with something that you would only hang on the wall of an untidy student bedsit full of overflowing ashtrays and unwashed linen. I always thought Yes deserved something better than that. Ironically the cover of Close to the Edge is perhaps their best cover, precisely because there are no distracting half-assed spaceships or badly drawn horses on it. Just the colours of river water.
I'm amazed at how close your perception of this piece is to mine! Everything you've described, felt, questioned, concurs with what I think and feel while listening to this. The only place we diverge is Jon Anderson's voice. It draws me in, it's pure, it's an instrument unto itself and I am a slave to it. But I understand that to each their own is right, one can't dictate what your ears, heart, mind and soul feel. So very glad you did this reaction!
YES used to be referred to as the quintessential "Classical Rock" band, then "Progressive." What YES was is an *_experimental_* rock band above all else. They took all their influences . . . classical, rock, jazz, R&B funk, folk, even Broadway show tunes . . . & blended them into a musical genre all its own. There were two stand out components of YES masterpieces that no other progressive rock band featured: 1) bassist Chris Squire's Industrial-Melodic inspirations, which were featured up front in their "sound" (much like the lead guitarist usually is in most bands) & 2) their beautiful vocal harmonies, which no other progressive rock band featured. But the most important aspect of YES masterpieces was their mastery of *Complexity.* They packed so much into their masterpieces that repeated listenings are necessary to fully appreciate what they had created. Often, you'll hear the bass player & drummer laying down a layer of funky melody at the same time that the keyboardist or lead guitarist is presenting another stand alone melodic path _at the same time_ but it is so artfully blended together in the mix that you hear both at the same time. When your ears get used to it, it leaves you amazed at what they were doing. In spite of the complexity of composition they fancied, it all ends up working in a way that is deeply satisfying to the soul of serious music lovers. If you listen to Close To The Edge a couple more times, you'll understand exactly what I'm talking about. My guess is that the next YES masterpiece you should listen to is either *Starship Trooper* or *Roundabout.* It really doesn't matter which you hear first as both are MUST LISTEN musical creations. I'm so loving your venture into the world of YES' special world of musical art. Eager to hear/see more...
I've observed a recurring challenge faced by classical musicians, particularly those from the Western tradition, when attempting to grasp the complexity of progressive rock, and possibly progressive metal as well. This reaction video is one of those. The intricacies of this piece often elude them, which is understandable given the need for thorough study. From the revolutionary bass line and the lyrics inspired by Siddhartha and Eastern philosophy, to the dynamic drum metric changes and complex harmonies, this composition presents formidable challenges that diverge from the training of classical musicians. I find it surprising, however, that she overlooked the unmistakable influence of Stravinsky on Yes. While The Beatles undeniably revolutionised popular music through their songwriting and the creation of new genres, their trajectory ranged from the simplicity of their early years to the remarkable evolution showcased in their later works. On the other hand, Yes delved into profound depths. Their music is so progressive that relying solely on music theory and classical music knowledge will only take you so far in comprehending their artistic expression, necessitating an open-minded (but strict) approach. In my exploration of TH-cam, I've only come across one professional musician who captured the essence of this piece in a reaction video: Doug Helvering's insightful analysis, showcased in his video (th-cam.com/video/vRw3QlUuuSc/w-d-xo.html), provided a true delight. He skillfully and elegantly dissected the song, without disregarding any crucial details. I highly recommend watching his reaction video for a deeper understanding of the piece.
Perhaps if she heard the 4 sides of TFTO first, she would have sensed Stravinsky, amongst other influences. It could be less jarring than CTTE as it’s far less dense and the musical tapestry can breathe more across the 4 sides.
Yes lyrics are mostly impressionistic, they paint pictures but aren't cohesive enough to tell a story, you can lose your mind trying to make sense out of them for the most part.
I've noticed that the recording of Jon's voice on certain parts of the song Close to the Edge Requires reproduction of high quality from the original Analog recording. This is true also on Going for the One and Tormato. I have wondered whether the choices of the sound were stylistic or perhaps also an error or limitation of the recording equipment. The lesson is get the LP and a fine set of headphones.
Wonderful reaction. You made me laugh and cry at the right times. 52yrs been enjoying Close To The Edge and still the divine shows up. The Remembering would fancy your tickle. 🙏🍁
It's interesting that you mentioned early on how that lead vocalist Jon Anderson's voice is not one that you'd gravitate. The comment came as a bit of a surprise, though no judgement on my part! 😀 As you know "beauty is in the eye (or in this case ear) of the beholder. I think you could appreciate though at the age of 78 Anderson still hits those notes as if it were 50 years ago. His talent is astonishing.
Thank you for reacting to this music, and I cannot wait for your analysis. Close to the Edge from my perspeective as someone who first heard this piece of music when I was 12 years of in 1972, and it has been part of my life ever since, it is a Journey throygh life, from spark of life in conception, then developing in the womb, then chaos of birth, then the Journey in the river of life, the passage of time ( i get up, I get down), learning through your life as you get close to the edge of your life, then your life climax and you realize who you are right before death, and then rebirth. But again that what I get from this music, you may have a total different experience like with all of Yes music is a personal Journey. Some people say the lyrics mean nothing, for some of us the lyrics tell us an abstract story that has taken many years to form in our head.
On stage, these young men enjoyed their collective virtuosity ~ and without a live video recording, we don't see: Jon, in white bellbottom pants and white minstrel top, often with tambourine, doing his off-beat stepping, forward & backward at the mic stand... Chris, in some well-fitting 'zoot suit' leading his Rick bass around, like a firehose of powerful sound... Steve, with his guitar on a short strap, incredibly faithfully fulfilling his intricate chording, picking, and harmonics... Rick, in a majestic silver "kimono-robe" (always looking like it weighed 9kg!), long blond hair, adding his magic (a sonic, sublime 'competition' with Keith Emerson?) to the sound... And Bruford's swan-song makes a poignant 'au revoir' to his appearances in the band, very ably replaced by Alan White... Jon's lyrics? Pure poetry ~ purely woven into the melodies to create a masterpiece for those of us, young at the time, who didn't need *3 minute pop songs* every day.
50 years ago, records like 'Close To The Edge' prepped me for a lifetime of music appreciation. From this record, to 'Lizard' by King Crimson, and 'Third' by Soft Machine, it was easy for me to access music by Bartok, Stravinsky, and Enescu.
One of the things that made me fall in love with the music of Yes was their absolute disregard for following what some people may say "music should be". If they wanted to write 20 minute songs that's what they did. Who cares if it wasn't radio friendly. They did what they wanted to do. Shortly after I first heard Yes back in the mid 80s I discovered Frank Zappa and he also had this strong desire to do whatever he wanted to do. I absolutely love that attitude in artists.
The thing is, Yes were entirely capable of writing great pop songs. The first few, pre-prog albums of theirs contain some gorgeous little tunes. Jon Anderson is a melodic genius. And when they were blowing people's socks off with their prog madness, it was still song-driven. Yes could write a song, they just mostly chose not to.
I watched this video throughout tears in my eyes. Her word choices were perfect in several moments. Cave/underwater and then up on the soil. I have listened textures, instruments and modes of this tune all my life from teenage years but I haven't figure out the landscapes or metaphors why they are there. At the first listening she solved some of my "problems" and I'm really happy now.
That was so fun watching someone with this much knowledge listen to that for the first time. I think it’s important to note that Yes will use harsh dramatic sections to balance out beauty
This has always been one of my most loved musical pieces ever. And having watched many reactions to it, I was so happy to see you recognize and appreciate the great build and climax occurring at 35:00. That ending always brings tear to my eyes, and it was so enjoyable to see you ride the crescendo to that targeted instrumental and vocal climax. So many seem to miss that. Thanks so much for the great reaction. I enjoy your channel very much!
I hope you spent some time absorbing the album art on this one. It potentiates the atmospherics. Watching you react to songs that have been a big part of my life brings me fresh eyes. Many thanks!
I found this on the web. "Anderson gained initial inspiration from a moment in his hotel room during the Fragile Tour when he was reading The Lord of the Rings by J. R. R. Tolkien while listening to Symphony Nos. 6 and 7 by Jean Sibelius, one of his favourite composers. The seventh struck Anderson the most as he noticed that its main theme was introduced some time in the composition which influenced how "Close to the Edge" was shaped. He studied No. 7 for the remainder of the tour; roughly halfway, he discussed his initial ideas with Howe. During a break the two resumed writing at Howe's home in Hampstead, north London, at which point Howe devised the lyric "Close to the edge, round by the corner",[ itself inspired when he had lived in Battersea, an area beside the River Thames. Anderson was inspired to base its theme and lyrics on Siddhartha (1922) by German novelist Hermann Hesse, and revised the song's lyrics "three or four" times, saying "it's all metaphors". The lyrics for the concluding verse were based on a dream he once had about the "passing on from this world to another... yet feeling so fantastic about it that death never frightened me ever since".
Wow, such a great first time evaluation. The part about the song sounding "patchwork" is actually spot on. The song was literally patchworked together by their producer from various tape strips.
I first saw them while in college in 1973 when they performed this album with an incredible stage show and powerful green lasers that probably left indelible marks on a lot of retinas! I saw them again and again over the years, every time they were near enough for me to make the trip.
I saw this show outdoors in a light summer rain in the early evening. The laser’s were lighting up the raindrops like green diamonds in the sky. The beams were bouncing off of clouds ten miles away from the show and people were calling the police to report UFOs 😂😂😂 Amazing stuff and an awesome show
...and isn't it amazing how no matter who listens to Yes, their music creates landscapes and even other, beautiful and (if I may say) fragile worlds in their minds. The coupling of Yes and Roger Dean's art is so perfect, it's impossible to separate them.
Close to the Edge was such an important part of my youth, a timeless classic. Superb on so many levels, it never fails to elevate me to a different sphere.
From France. I discover your classical approch of music I heard when I was about twenty: Yes (and particulary "Gate of delirium" from Relayer album), Genesis, some other groups, and for me the best of about sensation : Frank Zappa. I am 67 old and I listen him alway again. I know all he plaid and I've alway the same pleasure because I know the musical story of each peace. Your classical point of view and your own music feeling are very interesting. I see you've talk about a lot of musical peaces I listen in the 70 / 80 and so on. Thank you for all.
Amy- Thanks for finally reviewing YES. As others stated you sure did jump into the deep end of the pool rather than the shallow end. I won't repeat all what others have said. Wow. scrolling down there are so many who added their 2 cents. You can see there are dedicated YES fans to this day. I would give And You and I on the CTTE album a review, since that is where you started. Siberian Katru is one of my fav YES songs. Of course, you need to consider reviewing Rundabout at some point. So many great song or movements to consider.
Oooft!! Straight into the deep end of Yes. I'd have started with Heart of the Sunrise, And You and I or Wonderous Stories just to get a feel for the genre. I'm thinking this is going to be quite a challenge for you.
I agree that this is not the place to start for most people. For a very casual music fan, I’d go with Roundabout. But Amy is different. I think CTTE is structured like a symphony. I think she will have the ear for it… not necessarily on first listen, but soon after, I believe she will at least have a full appreciation for it - it certainly won’t defeat her! We’ll soon find out.
I've been saying the same thing since the beginning of this channel. Heart of the Sunrise. Starship Trooper. Sure Amy can appreciate CTTE. But why _start_ with it? Why have that be your introduction to the band?
@@glennz8352 The trick is that most of us used bands like Yes and this kind of music as our gateway to classical music. Amy's coming at it from the opposite direction, so when she listens to "Close to the Edge" she's immediately comparing it to the greatest works from several hundred years of classical music, played by the very best musicians in the world. Even something as monumental in the rock world as "Close to the Edge" will have a hard time measuring up to all of that! The challenge of getting Yes past Amy is that they're an above average rock band meddling with classical forms and lines, which is going to expose them to scrutiny from real classical musicians. Just look at how Keith Emerson was ripped by Leonard Bernstein, who was one of his heroes. I wasn't hugely surprised that Jon's singing threw Amy, since technically speaking he's a bit pitch-y on this album (engineer Eddie Offord has been quoted saying he struggled to get good vocal tracks from Yes during this period). But I hope she digs deeply enough that the rough edges will soften with time and exposure to all other other incredible music to be discovered.
@@yes_head I hear you, but I don’t believe Amy will put this up against the several hundred year old classical music of her world and conclude that it doesn’t measure up by comparison. She has never done that. There will be comparisons as she already touched on, but as a teaching tool, not as shortcomings. Instead, I think she will compare it to the other rock music she has been exposed to, which of course is the appropriate thing to do. With that, I think, I hope it will open her mind to the possibilities and heights that music in the world of rock can achieve. Close To The Edge was never intended to be faux-classical, of course. It was just the latest Yes album at the time, from this very unique rock band. I trust Amy understands this! Anyone’s first exposure to this song is bound to lead to some confusion - it’s so unexpected and so much comes at you. (That’s part of the fun of the first reaction!) Amy was great with it. I’m confident about where she went, behind the scenes, on listens 2 through 10. Of course, I might be wrong! We shall see.
Amy, I really enjoyed this video. I really think you did a great job. For me, I was a big fan of Yes in my youth of all those years ago. I cant even remember what I thought the first time I heard their music, but I know it took some warming up too. Funny because of this video I listened to this entire song for the first time in a heck of a long time. Those days of my youth and listening to this music back then was SO SO different than I know what your experience had to be. As I am sure you have heard we were a generation lost in space and this music was so dreamy and fit right in to the things we were doing back then. Analyzing the music we were listening to back then, well that was the farthest thing from our minds. The world has changed. Again thank you for taking the time to do this.
YES, was my 1st love in Progressive Rock, then came Genesis & Emerson, Lake & Palmer. It’s so nice to have women also appreciate YES 1971-1976 were the classic years of YES. I hope we never forget what YES brought to Rock n’ Roll. A true addition to the world of rock.❤🎉😊
It’s too bad you didn’t get to see them live, during their heyday. I’ve seen them perform a half dozen times, including twice with an orchestra. They actually brought me to tears several times. The live performances brought the music alive. I love the studio albums, but live!!!!
I saw them play live at the Reading Festival in 1975, they were the best band on the bill. They were probably the loudest and Judas Priest and Thin Lizzy were also playing.
I saw them with an orchestra, too! My concert experience of a lifetime. I was in 7th grade I think. They actually started with Close to the Edge. I was BLOWN AWAY. And first time I've heard Gates of Delirium - at the time I hadn't even know Relayer. I had a hard time adjusting to a more hard-edged album version after hearing that band-with-an-orchestra rendition (masterful). I wish they'd done full Tales with an orchestra at that point (it was a perfect moment as Wakey was not in the band at the time) - but well, as philosopher Jagger said...
King Crimson, with its harder-edged prog influenced at different phases of the band by Holst, Bartók, free jazz and gamelan music, would be a very interesting group for you to react to.
I'm pretty sure it would be much harder for Amy to get into, judging by her reaction to Firth of Fifth. But maybe... Starless? or Night Watch? Matte Kudasai? Cadence and Cascade? Only then Lark's Tongues
Dear Amy, I consider myself Yes' biggest fan, but then, I suppose we each do. Yes is special, and I don't argue that point with anyone. There are the Beatles, who stand alone, and there is Yes. Then there are tons and tons of other great music I adore, and bands I love. I am likely wrong for not naming some. But Yes music is special. This is the music that saved my life. I hope you let yourself become a fan. Now, I am a fan of yours too. Your obvious love of music and depth of knowledge is so evident, I wish I could sit with you to listen and talk about music. This was simply the best 'reaction' I have watched. I enjoyed how you stop the piece over and over , as moments strike you, to let us know what just happened, and how it hits you, with eloquence and emotion. There are many 'reactions' videos of Close To The Edge online. Many of the 'reactors' explain how people get angry if they stop the song to make a comment . I never understand that... Could you sit and listen to the Ninth symphony from top to bottom for the first time, and be expected to then sum up everything you just heard? I'm here to watch someone experience something I already love. To watch a wonderfully brilliant musician like you light up with surprise to the music I have loved for so many years is thrilling, and just plain fun! I cannot thank you enough. Please listen to it again and again.
The sound on this song is indicative of the Progressive Rock genre that sprang up at the end of the 60's. Most had very strong influence from Gaelic, Classical and Jazz. Some others are Gentle Giant, Genesis (with Peter Gabriel especially) and King Crimson. Some others that were closer to mainstream but still considered Progressive Rock are bands you are already familiar with: Pink Floyd, Jethro Tull and Rush. This specific song was one of the more hard core Progressive songs from Yes. They have many more that are much more accessible to the uninitiated.
Amy, I deeply loved your technical analysis, and the pauses on occasion when you were trying to find a word to describe sublime, what words can you use to describe a first meeting with the infinite. Thank you for your time, and I hope that you will move onto my other two favorite long pieces from this great band…Awaken and Heart of the Sunrise. With deep appreciation…thank you.
One of the most ambitious, incredible works in rock music history. I've come back to "Close to the Edge" again and again for decades. Each time I listen to it, I feel like I experience something new. And I'm amazed that nearly 20 minutes has passed. The theme that most resonates with me is about finding harmony. The opening sounds of nature contrast with the competing instrumental parts and shifting time signatures that follow - suggesting the complexity and confusion of the modern world. But over the course of the piece, the different movements and melodies slowly come together as one. Looking forward to your in-depth analysis!
Jon Anderson often wrote lyrics that are more about the sound than the meaning of the words (although I'm not saying the meaning of the words is void -- I'm sure there's a balance, there). He's treating the vocal like another textural instrument.
It's always gratifying to watch someone hearing Close to the Edge for the first time. This song was recorded 51 years ago, and I've been listening to it for about 45 years. When you have heard it as often as I have, it becomes a part of your skeletal system. One of the most important things that sets Yes apart from their contemporaries in the progressive rock genre is their mastery of musical form. Close to the Edge is probably the greatest example of this, but it is difficult to discern when the music is broken up, as it was in this video. I suggest that you listen to the piece uninterrupted from beginning to end, and see if you have any further impressions.
Some other relevant things to know about the piece. Yes, it was inspired by Sibelius's 7th symphony, but really that inspiration was more with regard to the fact that the symphony was about 20 minutes long and was all in one continuous movement. That aspect of the symphony convinced singer and lyricist Jon Anderson that Yes could and should attempt something similar. Of course, Close to the Edge was the result. The other interesting inspiration for the piece was the novel Siddhartha by Hermann Hesse. It might be interesting for you to read that book (if you haven't done so already) and then come back to the piece. Like the story of Siddhartha in the novel, I interpret Close to the Edge as a meditation on spiritual searching and awakening. Over several sections of the piece, one is confronted with a recurring idea: "I get up, I get down." To me, this means that life happens. Sometimes it's good, sometimes it's bad. I have always interpreted the pipe organ part as a kind of awakening, and then the synth and drum part which follows as a sort of renunciation, and then the funky Hammond organ solo as the antithesis of the pipe organ part, a sort of breaking away and newfound freedom -- the spiritual development is complete and true wisdom has been obtained. And what has finally been learned? I get up, I get down. Life happens. We're happy, we're sad. We do the right thing, we do the wrong thing. We're human. And yet, there is an ecstatic joy in the final three recitations of this realization. The attainment of enlightenment is in the living of life itself, and the embracing of life in all of its complexity. Anyway, that's my take on it. All in all, it's a remarkable piece of music, especially considering that a bunch of 20-somethings created it.
I was pretty high on LSD when I first heard it in 1973. The next week I went out and got a copy...listened to it completely straight and it was even better. 5o years later.....still pull it out and give it a spin.
sorry, didn't read your comment before I posted mine, spot on. He becomes the ferryman just as the whole musical piece resolves at the end
@docsketchy, You have so eloquently described the essence of this masterpiece called "Close to the Edge" and of Life itself. Thank You!
I love this song too but I’d describe the lyrics as a load of waffle
@@lynby6231I like waffles
This is my #1 desert island album. Even after 100's of listens, it remains fresh and vibrant.
Absolutely agree. I have been listening to this since I was child. (First time on 8-track, to give you an indication of how long.)
I always come back to it, and never tire of it. For me personally, it is probably my favorite album of all time. It never fails to move, impress and inspire.
Me too.
Yep. Some of the greatest music ever made. For this alone Yes is immortal. But, wait. There’s more!
For me as well. Still love it after forty three years of listening to it!
Right on
Calling Chris Squire's bass tone "Wild animals sound" is perfect.
Squire's bass could make a Brontosaurus gallop!!! I mean that in a powerful, positive way!!!!
LOL. It might be a Rick bass split between two amps. One clean, one distorted like a Harley Davidson in a subterranean concrete parking garage, in my mind. Gritty beauty.
@@ed.z. The sound is produced by having a lot of treble pickup on new round-wound strings. I can produce the exact sound on my Rickenbacker.
The bass is genius on this.
It's a growling Black and White Rickenbacker!
I don't know how one could even process that song mentally, without multiple listening. What a masterpiece.
Agreed. It took me many many listens over time to finally make a breakthrough and understand this song. For so many listens I just heard noise and then one magic might I listened to it and boom ! I got it finally ❤
So true 👍
Yes's music is quite complex, and you need to adjust to it over time. Just don't take notice of the lyrics. You'll never work them out. Imaginative though.
Well of course they can't if they keep bleedin' stop starting it and yapping all the time.
isn't it absolutely mesmerizing???
I discovered Yes in 1971, and in 1972 Close to the Edge became my favorite song and album. In the 50 years since nothing has changed my mind!
With you Mike
Me too. I want it played at my funeral. YES! Seasons will pass us by. We get up, we get down.
This totally blew my 13yr old mind about 50 years ago. The contrast between this (and similar pieces, of course) and the songs in the UK pop charts was flabbergasting. It's fascinating listening to a reaction such as yours. Would I feel the same if Yes had passed me by all those years ago? Who knows. I find it so joyous, so beautiful, and so uplifting.
I was 13 too, but it was about 40 years ago.
I'm 68 and going through a rock revival currently. Fragile was the album that realy grabs my soul and was one my 1st albums to be replaced by cd!! Fascinating insight to thus wonderful music.
I'd never really bothered listening to Yes (I was too 'busy' with Zeppelin, Floyd, Sabbath etc.) until my cousin lent me this album (around 50-years ago), I was absolutely blown-away. Even though it sounded a bit discordant on first listen, the rest of the album made me want to play it over and over again. It all made sense in the end and I've been a fan ever since.
I saw them live because I told my friends that they probably couldn’t play live. Was I a fool. They were better than the album. Jaw dropping great musicianship.The sound engineering was impeccable. So amazing.
yep, they were amazing. Like jazz in many ways, Rick always was fun to see where he would go to.
I used to think to myself, under the headphones, 1973, they can’t do this live.
A valuable lesson in how wrong one can be.
And agreed @ jazzlike live. Saw them quite a few times, their improvisational skills were considerable. Steve and Rick. Even Alan seldom played the same thing the same way twice.
At their best, the finest live band I’ve ever seen.
This is an interesting and faithful cover that shows nicely how mere mortals can play a song like this. th-cam.com/video/aG-x1VbHRFg/w-d-xo.html
Yep, they are even better live.
I do not know why anyone would think they could not play this live in the seventies . Fact is back in that time you did not record what you could not play on stage, You had to tour to promote the album most bands were doing up to 200 plus venues a year. So, yes, YES had the chops to do so. Heck, when it came to prog-rock, fusion and jazz bands back then you did not get to record unless you could play it.
I saw them six times in the seventies, best describe them as a band of virtuosos.
The organ part you liked was played by Rick Wakeman on the pipe organ of St Giles church in London. He studied at the Royal College of Music in London
Reportedly composed on gutar (!)
I think he played the same organ on The six wives of Henry Viii, imagine having to go to a church with a lot of recording equipment! These days you can just record it on the keyboard with samples!
@@Andy-lm2zp and that's exactly what you get...a bunch of samples.
@@timmy707707 and auto tuned vocals now adays
@@Andy-lm2zp I can't recall which right now, but on another occasion, Rick played organ in a Swiss (?) church, and it was transmitted over land line to the group playing and recording in the studio.
One can argue that Yes is the greatest Progressive Rock band, and that the album Close to the Edge is their greatest work.
I have been listening to this album for 50 years and I still hear new subtleties.
I really hope you follow this up with B side, And You and I, and Siberian Katru complete the theme.
idk... FRAGILE would have been a more gentle introduction
ELP clears but this is still good
And you and I is my favourite track by yes. The awesome synth and mellotron section blows me away every time.
Jon Anderson’s vocals are beyond angelic and Chris Squire is the most creative Bass player ever.
Paul Mccartney
my new favorite thing about Close to the Edge is that at every new section the bass is always doing the last thing you'd expect and it's always the right choice.
@@nunyabizz3357Chris was a genius
That's the best, most succinct description of Chris's musical brain translated to the strings I have ever read! And I've been listening to them from the Banks/Kaye days.@@nunyabizz3357
Jaco Pastorius, Victor Wooten, Marcus Miller anyone?
This is a brutal way to introduce someone to Yes.
I would have suggested Gates of Delirium lol
Brutal but effective - trial by fire.😉
She Will be hook for the rest of her lifetime
This is the song that hooked me right away and made them my favorite. But then I listened to classical music.
I agree. I would have suggested "Starship Trooper" or "I've seen all good people".
Listening to Close To The Edge for your first YES experience is like trying to drink from a firehose. So much to absorb! But good on you for tackling this masterpiece. I look forward to your in depth analysis.
Perfect analogy!!
"Trying to drink from a fire hose..." GREAT!
Imagine what it was like hearing it unprepared when it first came out. I heard it that way in a room with eight other people. There was indeed a collective raising of consciousness. Organic substances may have been involved.
@@TheDavidfallon Organic substances were "always" used back then.
@@TheDavidfallon Simply the best way to be introduced, no 8 people get together for anything like this these days, we were extremely lucky to been there for the British invasion.
"Often, what is not instantly relatable holds the deepest meaning and value" - Amy Shafer
That really was Yes for me. It took me probably like 7 times to even start appreciating The Revealing Science and this song :D
Yes, I saw a published research article documenting that people quickly get tired of simple melodies, but more complex music endures for a long time even though it's initially harder to understand.
That would explain why of all my favorite Tori Amos songs, I didn't like a single one of them the first time I listened to them.
Relatable - it took me actual YEARS to be able to appreciate and digest Tales from Topographic Oceans and now it's my number 1 beloved Yes album, no contest here. I would LOVE to hear where they would go on with that sort of music if not for Wakeman's skepticism pre- and after Moraz (with Going For The One they really started to compromise their far-out sensibilities and, the zeitgeist and the record company pressure aside, I'm kind of keen to blame Wakeman on this one)
My first Yes experience was the album Going For The One. I had the impression that the band members were each playing with no knowledge of the others, that they were just randomly jamming. Then the more I listened the more I heard the intended interplay and structure. And now, every time I listen, I hear something new, and so I never get tired of it.
That is actually YES playing. No engineered sounds. I saw this live in concert and it is amazing!
There is a "raw" version of Close to the Edge, minimal engineered sound. But, I really think she was talking about the "nature" sounds in the intro...
This has been a favorite of mine from day 1, but this gave me welcomed further insight.
Thank you, Tim, for supporting my work!
The Holy Grail of progressive rock! A lot to digest on first listen and I totally enjoyed watching you take it all in. Your comments were very insightful and interesting. I still get chills when I hear this piece after all these years! Thank you for this post.
So many years later, and I STILL get chills with the anticipation of the church organ! This is the greatest single piece of rock music, and I will fight about that.
Idk, I kind of love 'Memory Machine' by Dismemberment Plan... :) I'm joking a little here, it's a totally different kind of 'rock song' but yeah... it's kind of hard to compare a prog suite to a different sort of rock song and say which one is 'better'. It's apples and oranges so many times (I wouldn't even be able to say if a Yes song is 'better' than one of the greatest Pink Floyd songs, or even sth by Genesis - it's just so different and it works in such a different way)
AGREE! Having played pipe organ in the past (as alternate) there's no instrument more moving, motivating, lifting than a huge pipe organ. It grabs you to your core.
Definitely clears out your ears when listening on headphones 😁🎧
Unbelievable piece by great artists. Along with Suppers Ready and Echoes.
Well I will fight along with you. I love all of it, but I am particularly fond of Bruford's work on the Intro, and Howe's Guitar.
Was going to respond to someone saying the "tinkley tinkley" sound was on guitar but I had more to say about the overall structure of the intro, which is its own journey that's almost mirrored across its middle point.
The sound is Rick Wakeman on Hammond organ (a surprisingly versatile instrument). You can see him playing it in the Yessongs performance. It's very pitched unlike picking guitar strings behind the nut or bridge.
On the structure: the intro starts without the keyboard, and when it comes in (~1:21 on the studio recording), Squire's bass moves away from the ascending D harmonic minor and is playing something quite similar to the keyboard part at half the speed.
The first "aah" vocal break happens (~2 minutes), and Howe's guitar returns to play in unison with the bass. All the instruments (even Bruford's drums) are playing parts that share a kind of lineage, so there's some coherence even if they're not all in unison. This is the middle layer in the intro sandwich.
The second "aah" vocal break happens (~2:10), and the coherence progressively comes undone: at first Howe's guitar and Bruford's drums are untamed, then Squire goes back to the ascending scale leaving Wakeman's keyboard part alone, and near the end even that keyboard part which has remained static changes; it's transposed down and wanders a bit, almost like it's losing energy and falling apart.
One (added) beat of silence (~2:51) and all the instruments play together. We're in D major-ish and the main motif is then introduced.
Apologies to anyone with a musical education, this is my own analysis and I'm just a self-taught hobbyist.
Are you sure it’s the Hammond? I thought it was the synth.
I really like what you wrote but I just need to quickly point out that the "tinkley tinkley" sound is played with a Minimoog. Those kind of sounds are often called "pluck" sounds and they're created with some very low values on the envelopes of a synthesizer. Rick Wakeman might've played it with the Hammond organ on live shows though. I think you're right about that. (The Minimoog might've had a different sound that's ready for another part of the song.) I didn't have time to confirm it or any other things you said in your comment. Anyway, you don't need to be exactly right. You can still have your own interpretation of the song of course.
I'm a Finnish musician and I often play synthesizers and other keyboard instruments. I appreciate that you wrote this. We need comments like yours with more substance. Take care and enjoy the music.
Excellent. I always loved them, because prog was prog then rock with classical inputs, and inputs from all over the music at the time. One thing I do now, I listen to the original before I listen to her,. While I find her reactions fun and silly, I dont take it serious.
All it does is reconnects me to WHY I always loved the 1960-1980 era of music so.
@@Vimana I was really torn on whether it's Minimoog or Hammond, it's really back there in the mix for my ears. My gut told me Minimoog but I also know a Hammond has Percussion and it can have this kind of envelope when it's on and the drawbars are pushed in. So I found live footage and trusted my eyes. I think the most important thing is that it's definitely a keyboard instrument.
Please let me know if I got anything objectively wrong. I don't want to chalk it up to "interpretation."
@@dago87able I'm only sure that it's what I saw him use to play it in the live footage I saw. In the studio he could have used a Minimoog.
Chris Squire had a very unique and punchy tone with his Rickenbacker bass. No real studio processing- he did it live as well. One of those unsung but hugely admired bassists.
Totally. It's very distinctive. I've always enjoyed Tempus Fugit too for his bass playing.
When I saw them at Reading, it was Chris I could barely take my eyes off....amazing!
Where on earth did you get the idea that Squire is "unsung"? He regularly appears in lists of the greatest rock bass players!
One of the most magnificent pieces of music ever.
*The Wakeman organ solo in this is incredible!* 🙌🙌
Regrettable that she talked over it...
Other classical musicians are blown away by it and the fact that a rock band would have a mammoth organ in their piece!
Chris Squire: one of the best bass players in the history of rock music!!!!
And an excellent harmony singer.
The best song, by the best band, from the best album. I've been listening to this song from about the time it was released, appx. 50 years, and it's never gotten old.
1972 was a magical year with 2 of my top5 all-time albums released. "Foxtrot" by Genesis and "Close to the Edge" by Yes. I can listen to both forever.
Thick as a Brick by Jethro Tull was released in the same year, too. These are three of my favourite albums. Absolutely bonkers.
There was something about the early to mid '70s music. The majority of the albums that have stood the test of time for me are from this period. Floyd, Yes, Zeppelin, Steely Dan, Sabbath, Stevie Wonder, Rush, AC/DC, ZZ Top, etc... And I was a teen in the 80s so it's not really my generation's music.
... and Machine Head by Deep Purple.
Those two albums are the defining landmarks of symphonic prog.
The best time I heard Close To The Edge was not one the first few times I experienced it. It was when I was driving the highway along the steep valley slopes and granite tunnels into Yosemite. Hearing this fantastic soundscape while the natural world before me turned into a fully realized Roger Dean painting was unforgettable. Thank Squire, Anderson, Howe, and Wakeman for this glorious harmonic chaos.
Don't forget Bruford!
I get that. I always listen to Awaken in Yosemite.
The musicianship of this song has always boggled my mind. The lyrics aren’t nonsense at all. They are mostly an impressionistic take on “Siddhartha,” Herman Hesse’s novel based loosely on the life of the Buddha. The song is about enlightenment. From the absolute chaos of the intro, perhaps representing the chaos and suffering of Samsara to the beautiful “I Get Up I Get Down” section to the climactic ending with Wakeman’s brilliant keyboard solo, the song is brilliant. Thank you for checking out this song. Your musical insights are appreciated. You might enjoy the song more with some background on it and a second listen. Roundabout would have been an easier starting place.
I didn't know the lyrics were inspired by "Siddhartha," but it makes sense. I always had the impression that it had something to do with Buddhist mysticism, so I guess I wasn't that far off. .
The lyrics pretty much are nonsense. There may be an overall idea of buddhist stuff but he used words for their sound more than their meaning and the in her white lace part was written by Steve howe and taken from an entirely different song about someone from legend (I cant remember who right now)
Yes, the river in the song is the river he crossed immediately prior to enlightenment.
OF COURSE their lyrics are nonsense. Meaning they make no sense. Don't pretend they do.
But we agree on how good "I Get Up, I Get Down" is.
The lyrics are directly inspired by Hermann Hesse's book 'Siddhartha,' a short novel covering a man's entire life as he finds enlightenment through the people he meets
Interesting, I didn't know that but this piece has always reminded me of a complete life, each movement representing a chapter: birth, childhood, adolescence, finding love, the chaos of adulthood, growing old and death as the piece fades out.
@@markramsey2401 if you haven't read Siddhartha, I highly recommend it, even if you're not a big reader. It's only 120 pages and I still think about it years after reading it
Interesting. Thank you 😊
The engulfed cathedral!
@@mawtymawty9010 Siddhartha is nonsense too then.
Frankly, this song stands as their masterpiece. Their trade mark song for all time. Love it!
I love this song. Blows me away every time.
Hi, show her the artwork of the Close To The Edge album cover. She will not have to dream up a piece art to fit the title. This was maybe one of the most interesting TH-cam videos I have ever watched. I've all ways wondered what someone from her background would think. Most interested in what she has to say once she catches up. It seems she wanted to stop several times to comment, but the "YES" Magic" would not allow it. As if she thought she just might miss something like a treat. I like her a lot............ Thanks, The Bobbyman.
And You And I, on the flip side of the LP, is much more... approachable. It is more of a calm journey: None of the violent, tumultuous, ripping and tearing from one theme to the next. Once I had come to *my* understanding of Close To The Edge (that took a LOT of years), it moved to the side to let the (relatively) mellifluous, peaceful, lyrical beauty of And You And I become my personal favorite on this album. YMMV
I totally agree.
I'm fortunate to have seen the Union tour (all personnel present) , ABWH (Yes, without Chris?!?!?!) and Yes on a later tour, without Anderson.
All were unique experiences, centered around the same music. But always at the center... And You And I.
🤘🧙♂️🤘
Rich the Ancient Metal Beast
Though I was blown away by "Close To The Edge" when I first heard it, "And You and I" has always been my favorite on the album as well. The profundity of the line, "Coins and crosses never know their fruitless worth." opened my 20 yr old head to the world in so many ways.
Although I personally think the 3rd song, Siberian Khatru, is perfect!!!! The album parallels classical forms, with an epic first movement, a shorter and softer slow movement, and a rousing allegro finale!! 😁
I can't put "And You and I" above Close to the Edge but it is certainly equal. I love that whole album.
Your ideas on the visual art aspect of the music are very spot on. I can tell you that 50 years ago when I was first listening to this album, one night when I dropped acid and waited the obligatory 45 minutes to an hour, I broke the silence sitting in a darkened room with this album. Dear lady the visuals were astounding and were a one time experience because the innocence of the virgin experience can never be repeated. But oh has it never been forgotten. You may be the most innocent human being on the entire world wide web and watching you and listening to you gives me hope that not all things in this world are already corrupted. Much love and thanks for your work.
All music is great on Acid imo! Lol. I could listen to anything and enjoy if I was on a trip!
@@harlanmonk569 yeah, no. There's lot's of stuff that doesn't work there. I'd start with almost everything made for mass consumption made post 2000.
I wonder how that would get cited in an academic paper analyzing the music! 😉😁 Do I list the acid manufacturer's name or the local pusher's? 😂
I've had the privilege of seeing YES throughout their career. Jon Anderson is a frequent guest on my free=form radio show at an independent station on the East Coast of the U.S. This is like fine art, classical virtuosity, and a spiritual experience all rolled into one.
I think she deserves to see the original album artwork, the outside of the album as well as the inner gatefold, that always added something to it for me
Just about 50 years behind the curve, perfect timing.
Would love to see you react to 'The Gates Of Delirium' and 'Awaken' - for my money, Yes' two absolute masterpieces.
I would love to hear your reactions to these as well. Gates of Delirium is a musical interpretation of Tolstoy's War and Peace and a full cacophony of sounds. Awaken comes from their 8th studio album (also inspired by another book, The Singer - A Classic Retelling of Cosmic Conflict by Calvin Miller) with my all-time favourite line up of the band. Rick Wakeman on keyboard and organ, he also did the choir arrangement. Just sublime.
Yes Awaken is the other great spiritual piece, High Beauty.
This was written by Anderson, vocals, and Howe, guitar. What's interesting is that when I first heard the song, not knowing much about it, when I heard the organ solo (yes, I love organ too because of it's power, as I'm a rock guitarist), I thought it sounded like a guitar lead, which it was, but Howe decided that it would sound better if Wakeman played the solo on the organ. That being said, Yes is a remarkable progressive band that has written some of the most powerful, intricate, rocking, multi-genre music that you could ever hear. As for the song itself, it was inspired by Jon's love of Symphony 7, but also his love of Lord of the Rings and Siddhartha by Herman Hesse, both books that I have taught in my college English classes. Most know that Rings is about a quest, actually more spiritual than physical, contrary to popular belief. It follows a common fantasy motif of the weak and innocent overcoming the powerful and dominant, for it is Frodo who is the only one who can transport the ring to its destination of ultimate demise. Frodo is small, weak, politically and socially unaligned, nothing much going for him at all, except for his great innocence of heart. Siddhartha means "achieved what was searched for," based in the times of Gautama Buddha. As a matter of fact, Buddha's name before renunciation was Siddhartha Gautama. So the song itself contains this great and grand search for the self, down by the edge, close to the water, never near, never far, but always attainable.
Me screaming at the screen, "the lyics aren't gonna help!" LOL
I always had a hard time understanding Jon's lyrics, with the occasional exception. But even when they were intelligible to me, they conveyed little meaning.
Instead, I've always focused on the mood of the words, the rhythm with which they're sung, the pitch and the weight of the words. Sort of the James Joyce of lyricists.
That's probably just me though, cause I knew a guy who claimed to have a deeper understanding of his lyrics and went to to live in a commune where they lived by the philosophy described therin, so.... there's that. LOL
Hard core intro to Yes, but I think you're up for the task. Take some time with this one and bask in its light!
Drummers note: Bill is a master at placing the snare at the most anti-cliché/expected places. The thing that in most bands is the primary rhythmic synch element and he's moving that shit all over the place. Not easy to play these off times and to make it more challenging, they're anti-intuitive. One of the reasons he's one of my favorites.
🤘🧙♂️🤘
Rich the Ancient Metal Beast
I'm looking at the first verse with an eye to metaphor,. I'll write what I'm seeing as possible meanings.
"Maybe only the magic of an experienced witch could pull you from the booze."
next 2 lines could be about writing and recording music rather than drinking, and experiencing the wonder of creation, which will reframe your experience positively and set a new course"
Not a clue on the b-part lyrics there.
Verse 2: middle of June was rough. Got drunk one night to try and forget the crap I went through (Getting over all the time I had to worry) but the clarity I obtained made me see I was serving someone else.
(We relieve the tension only to find out the master's name).
This song might be about taking a vacation alone in a cabin by a river to decompress from some sort of struggle. Close to the edge both mentally and coastally.
Lol . I had the same reaction.
Jon once said in an interview to the effect he frequently chose words for their sound.
Jon's lyrics are impressionistic. If you approach them for that perspective, they totally make sense. Quite the opposite of say, Gabriel's Genesis, which was straight forward story telling. If one expects something along those line's from Anderson's lyrics, they will ultimately be sorely disappointed.
My opinion: Most people who enjoy opera don't understand Italian...they may understand the basic storyline, but the individual words are much less important than the emotions they "feel" from the music.
Close to the Edge was incredibly important to me when I was growing up.
In many respects the whole piece is a tone poem that you need to experience in one go.
She needs to listen to this more, a lot more.
Thank you! In terms of visual representation of the sound, have a look at Roger Dean's art and see what you think. I am thrilled by this piece of music, and was thrilled that you took the time to listen to it. It took me many years of listening to really appreciate the opening section and its construction. It is neither haphazard nor lazily constructed.
When he begins singing "A seasoned witch..." in the 6/8 part I get the sensation of floating. Only a few pieces of music I have experienced give me that sensation and I treasure it. As for Jon's voice, I am very endeared to it and find it perfectly harmonious with the overall sound of the band. As for the lyrics, I like enigmatic lyrics best of all. They hint at meaning and let your own interpretive creativity go searching for relevance.
The song hits better when it is listened to straight through without interruption. All the quirks and little elements of surprise wrap up nicely in the end when it is all done. It is quite surreal when absorbed all at once. 😊 Good listening.
I was just thinking the same thing myself. I remember when this album came out, I was just a little kid in Milwaukee Wisconsin. My friends and I would get stoned and listen to this in its entirety and then maybe talk about the song or make a comment about it. We did the same thing when tales from topographic oceans came out. I realize that this very nice lady is just analyzing every little thing, but that's not probably the best way to listen to Yes. Compared to the garbage that was on the radio at the time, this was beyond great.
My thoughts exactly, this commentator interrupted may too much and misses the entire mood conveyed.
We’ve been through this issue so many times. Broadly there are 2 types of Reactors out there:-
1) Those who give an initial emotional response whilst stopping the music sufficiently few times to satisfy Copyright owners.
2) Those whose approach is more cerebral and analytical, stopping the music multiple times to explain not just their reaction but their realisation of the techniques used to produce the impact of the music.
This reactor (and if you think her stopping of the music is annoying to you, try some of the Vocal Coaches’ reactions) is clearly of the second category. They’re popular with those who want to understand more about music.
It is annoying to get those who are only looking for validation of their opinion of the music they love, complaining about those reactors who belong to the second category.
I first heard this when I was 12 in 1974, and it immediately embedded itself into my musical psyche. After a thousand listens, it is still fresh, and vibrant, part pastel water color,
part stark impressionism, part abstract cubism. Roger Dean combined with Yerka, and Escher. Playful, Abstract, and Poignant.
It’s not just a bass…
It’s a Rickenbacker.
I'll agree , it's a Rickenbacker
Fair enough . But for me and
Others , the player of the Rickenbacker is a
Chris squire , is what's really going on here . Just sayin
Ricks have a one piece neck, not one that is bolted to the body like most others.
That makes them really sing, and go out of tune more often.
A rick with a pick and rotosound, round wound strings
If you look at my little picture, not that closely, the black bass just below my swollen head, is a Rickenbacker 4001 that l bought brand spankin new in ‘77 and it adorns Roto-sound 66 stainless steel 45-105’s. I used a pick 75% of the time and around 1982, l put a BadAss bridge on it. I would say that l was influenced by Chris Squire since l started playing bass in 1970. I’m kinda stupid because around ‘89 I got married and sold that bass. I’m still trying to replace it but l can put together a bunch of p basses and jazz basses for the price of one nice Rick but l haven’t pulled that trigger yet. Maybe someday.
Worth searching for the video on the history of this instrument, Chris painted and stripped it multiple times during the psychedelic era and claimed it's unique tonal qualities came from the "damage" done.
Close To The Edge along with Supper's Ready by Genesis are the two real behemoths of Prog Rock. A wonderfully complex construction with some gorgeous melodies. These two tracks really are the pinnacle of of true Progressive Rock Music.
I agree about Supper's Ready. I saw both Yes and Genesis several times in the 1970s...still regularly listen to Supper's Ready and sing along!
I'd add Starless and Bible Black to that list.
“Jon & Vangelis” gets a mention, yay! They produced four albums together. Vangelis on his own is a very, very deep rabbit hole to explore .. RIP, Maestro.
Such a spiritual song. I think that’s one of the reasons why analysis is so hard - you have to let it move you, and the total is more than the sum of the parts.
There is a kind of word association coming out of Jon Anderson's soul here. Sung words transcend their mundane meanings.
You are correct. It's best listened to all the way through without interruption.
yeah, maybe she should have just not make these pauses and let the journey 'take her all the way'? :) but I imagine it's a lot to digest at a first listen. The thing with Yes music, and this song in particular, it's often incredibly busy (five players doing their separate thing basically all of the time, plus there are layered parts...) to someone with a keen ear, it might be something which is not easy to find their way through initially. Personally, I loved CTTE from the very beginning when I heard it in 6th grade and I played it on repeat to the point I could hum the whole piece, but years later I figured out that I only basically 'processed' the vocals, some of the main instrumental bits, plus the overall rhythm, dynamics and the mood created by the harmony. So it took years for me to actually notice: oh, what is the bass doing? Oh, what is Wakeman doing in the background? Where is the guitar? So I think it might vary from individual to individual when it comes to perception ability and how well versed in listening to complex music in general one is (not even mentioning the genre itself - CTTE is not a classical symphonic piece after all, it works in a different way)...
so - I think I'd give Amy a couple more listens to wrap her head around this one
@@georgesonm1774 Good point.
Yeah, no criticism implied…. Just that the FIRST listen can be so overwhelming, and even repeated listens are hard to analyse. I think she did great
I saw the title for this video and I got gooseflesh, this song is so much, thank you
Music like this takes you "Close To The Edge" of understanding what Pierre Teilhard de Chardin meant when he said "We are not human beings having a spiritual experience; we are spiritual beings having a human experience."
I wish. That's how it should be. I don't see much evidence of spiritual existence right now.
Another great one by Yes tho years later and not all the same members, 'Tempus Fugit'!
The lyrics! You often mention the importance of lyrics to you. They are absolutely abstract (that is a quality of all Yes lyrics of this era) - even nonsensical to some. But others derive much meaning from them. They do take inspiration from a specific source (as you’ve learned by now from the research you always do), but only in the loosest way I think. Personally, I never felt a need to dwell on the meaning of the lyrics (I’m more in the “nonsensical” camp!), it was never that important to me - and yet, I love the lyrics. It’s all vaguely spiritual and uplifting. I love the rhythm of the lyrics. I love the poetry and mystery of it all.
Well said!
🤘🧙♂️🤘
Saying the lyrics are "absolutely abstract" is going too far. Read Hesse's "Siddhartha" (which Anderson said inspired the story) and it fits quite well with the lyrical message.
Jon also used certain words just because he liked the sound of them. He used them like musical notes at times.
You want great lyrics, go to Neil Peart from Rush.
@@MattMeskill Definitely.He did this so well and they would fit his voice so well. Guess that's why he never sang anything from Drama live.
I was talking to a friend a few days ago about Jon Anderson's lyrics. I made the statement that his lyrics are often weird and that I never spent much time trying to understand them. I found that I enjoyed the sound as part of the music and that Jon is more like another instrument, adding sound and texture with singing, and the words don't matter.
I might offer that his lyrics are not usually "narrative" but painted on to set a mood or theme. The search for a concise meaning will not result in anything. Anderson has also said he chooses some words for the sound (and he has many words he favors).
That is exactly what I think about the singing voice in general. I don’t really listen to any of the words just the sound and texture the voice makes.
another epic yes song (my favorite in fact) is "awaken". it has some amazing organ parts i know you will love. the whole song is a masterpiece.
And it has a small harp in it.
@@frederickwoof5785 yep, Jon Anderson playing harp with Rick’s organ is fantastic.
@@frederickwoof5785 oh yeah,beautifully played in the middle section!
Awaken is my personal favorite Yes song.
Awaken is peak Yes for sure.
One of the greatest rock albums ever. Don't overlook bill brufords amazing drumming
I was a student of violin till grade 11, without talent but it trained my ear. I have been a fan of Yes since age 18. Chris Squires bass tone has often been described as "growly". Good catch. The intro to me sounds like chaotic nature, which resolves pleasantly to a more ordered form, something like cosmic evolution, with an Intelligence directing its progress. The vocal sounds were sometimes chosen for the sound of the words, rather than their meaning, as you noted with their percussive sounds. The structures of Yes songs are often classical, with themes, movements, dynamic & tempo changes and counterpoint - almost never like standard rock or pop with its chorus-verse-chorus structure. Composition wise, it's more like jazz, as players contribute their parts in a free form manner during loooooong rehearsals. Only Rick Wakeman the keyboard player could read music well. Chris Squire was a choir boy in his youth, and he is credited with some excellent back up vocals. For a Yes song that features some lovely harp try Awaken. It has many similarities to this song, especially the climactic resolution.
To me, the loud and fast introduction is a chaotic mind or a stressed-out mind in a chaotic society ("Aaaaah!!!") until the person gets away to the edge of a river, for reflection, and finds a new inner balance as a result. 👍😎
Only the smaller-scale stylings are like jazz. The large scale structure is classically inspired.
So glad you covered this song, today. One of my favorite pieces of music. You're right, the song is a mystical journey, with the lyrics inspired by Hermann Hesse's "Siddhartha". Jon's voice is one you love or hate. Count me in the "love" camp; it has an ethereal quality highly suitable for Yes music. For me, an artist that comes to mind, when I listen to Yes, is Matisse. The instrument you suspect is a saxophone (toward the beginning) is guitar, played by Steve Howe, considered to be one of the best guitarists in Prog/Rock/Pop.
I look forward to your analysis.
The "cover" comes later... On the harp!!! 😉😁
Mike S: I think she meant he was either imitating or filling the usual role of a saxophone.
@@mikes9305 Sorry, I realise I actually replied to the wrong person. Should have named C.J., not Mike. [BLUSH] =:o}
@@therealpbristow We can edit/delete our messages to correct that ☺ I just deleted my initial response to you...
Roger Dean is the artist who did most of their album covers. His fantasy landscapes are a perfect fit for their music imo.
Hard disagree. I understand his desire to create an escapist fantasy-novel alternative world of tiny planets and interesting looking spaceships and so forth, but his technique is shallow and Marks-and-Spencersish and so you end up with something that you would only hang on the wall of an untidy student bedsit full of overflowing ashtrays and unwashed linen. I always thought Yes deserved something better than that. Ironically the cover of Close to the Edge is perhaps their best cover, precisely because there are no distracting half-assed spaceships or badly drawn horses on it. Just the colours of river water.
I'm amazed at how close your perception of this piece is to mine! Everything you've described, felt, questioned, concurs with what I think and feel while listening to this. The only place we diverge is Jon Anderson's voice. It draws me in, it's pure, it's an instrument unto itself and I am a slave to it.
But I understand that to each their own is right, one can't dictate what your ears, heart, mind and soul feel.
So very glad you did this reaction!
私の長い人生で最高の曲
もう10000回は聴いてる
聴くたびまったく色褪せることがない
YES used to be referred to as the quintessential "Classical Rock" band, then "Progressive." What YES was is an *_experimental_* rock band above all else. They took all their influences . . . classical, rock, jazz, R&B funk, folk, even Broadway show tunes . . . & blended them into a musical genre all its own. There were two stand out components of YES masterpieces that no other progressive rock band featured: 1) bassist Chris Squire's Industrial-Melodic inspirations, which were featured up front in their "sound" (much like the lead guitarist usually is in most bands) & 2) their beautiful vocal harmonies, which no other progressive rock band featured. But the most important aspect of YES masterpieces was their mastery of *Complexity.* They packed so much into their masterpieces that repeated listenings are necessary to fully appreciate what they had created. Often, you'll hear the bass player & drummer laying down a layer of funky melody at the same time that the keyboardist or lead guitarist is presenting another stand alone melodic path _at the same time_ but it is so artfully blended together in the mix that you hear both at the same time. When your ears get used to it, it leaves you amazed at what they were doing. In spite of the complexity of composition they fancied, it all ends up working in a way that is deeply satisfying to the soul of serious music lovers.
If you listen to Close To The Edge a couple more times, you'll understand exactly what I'm talking about. My guess is that the next YES masterpiece you should listen to is either *Starship Trooper* or *Roundabout.* It really doesn't matter which you hear first as both are MUST LISTEN musical creations. I'm so loving your venture into the world of YES' special world of musical art. Eager to hear/see more...
I've observed a recurring challenge faced by classical musicians, particularly those from the Western tradition, when attempting to grasp the complexity of progressive rock, and possibly progressive metal as well. This reaction video is one of those. The intricacies of this piece often elude them, which is understandable given the need for thorough study. From the revolutionary bass line and the lyrics inspired by Siddhartha and Eastern philosophy, to the dynamic drum metric changes and complex harmonies, this composition presents formidable challenges that diverge from the training of classical musicians. I find it surprising, however, that she overlooked the unmistakable influence of Stravinsky on Yes.
While The Beatles undeniably revolutionised popular music through their songwriting and the creation of new genres, their trajectory ranged from the simplicity of their early years to the remarkable evolution showcased in their later works. On the other hand, Yes delved into profound depths. Their music is so progressive that relying solely on music theory and classical music knowledge will only take you so far in comprehending their artistic expression, necessitating an open-minded (but strict) approach.
In my exploration of TH-cam, I've only come across one professional musician who captured the essence of this piece in a reaction video: Doug Helvering's insightful analysis, showcased in his video (th-cam.com/video/vRw3QlUuuSc/w-d-xo.html), provided a true delight. He skillfully and elegantly dissected the song, without disregarding any crucial details. I highly recommend watching his reaction video for a deeper understanding of the piece.
tldr nice essay bro
Perhaps if she heard the 4 sides of TFTO first, she would have sensed Stravinsky, amongst other influences. It could be less jarring than CTTE as it’s far less dense and the musical tapestry can breathe more across the 4 sides.
nice essay bro
Excellently explained!
“the intricacies of the piece often elude [classical musicians]” careful you don’t yank your dick off there
Yes lyrics are mostly impressionistic, they paint pictures but aren't cohesive enough to tell a story, you can lose your mind trying to make sense out of them for the most part.
Jon Anderson said many songs had a spiritual dimension.
@@chrisoleary9876nah mate, thats just a pretentious way of saying that the lyrics dont make any sense
@@1354gaston Nah mate, that’s an ignorant way of discrediting a known spiritual lyricist.
@@ADITYASINGH-vc4gm people like jon anderson are the reason why punk rock exists
@@1354gaston All the better. Thank his existence.
So glad you have experienced the journey that this song takes you on. For me anyway this song is a journey. Did you ever do an in depth analysis?
My soul plummeted to the depths when she said she didn’t like Jon’s vocals. I consider them to be the greatest vocals in music history.
I've noticed that the recording of Jon's voice on certain parts of the song Close to the Edge Requires reproduction of high quality from the original Analog recording. This is true also on Going for the One and Tormato. I have wondered whether the choices of the sound were stylistic or perhaps also an error or limitation of the recording equipment. The lesson is get the LP and a fine set of headphones.
Wonderful reaction. You made me laugh and cry at the right times. 52yrs been enjoying Close To The Edge and still the divine shows up. The Remembering would fancy your tickle. 🙏🍁
It's interesting that you mentioned early on how that lead vocalist Jon Anderson's voice is not one that you'd gravitate. The comment came as a bit of a surprise, though no judgement on my part! 😀 As you know "beauty is in the eye (or in this case ear) of the beholder. I think you could appreciate though at the age of 78 Anderson still hits those notes as if it were 50 years ago. His talent is astonishing.
Thank you for reacting to this music, and I cannot wait for your analysis. Close to the Edge from my perspeective as someone who first heard this piece of music when I was 12 years of in 1972, and it has been part of my life ever since, it is a Journey throygh life, from spark of life in conception, then developing in the womb, then chaos of birth, then the Journey in the river of life, the passage of time ( i get up, I get down), learning through your life as you get close to the edge of your life, then your life climax and you realize who you are right before death, and then rebirth. But again that what I get from this music, you may have a total different experience like with all of Yes music is a personal Journey. Some people say the lyrics mean nothing, for some of us the lyrics tell us an abstract story that has taken many years to form in our head.
On stage, these young men enjoyed their collective virtuosity ~ and without a live video recording, we don't see:
Jon, in white bellbottom pants and white minstrel top, often with tambourine, doing his off-beat stepping, forward & backward at the mic stand...
Chris, in some well-fitting 'zoot suit' leading his Rick bass around, like a firehose of powerful sound...
Steve, with his guitar on a short strap, incredibly faithfully fulfilling his intricate chording, picking, and harmonics...
Rick, in a majestic silver "kimono-robe" (always looking like it weighed 9kg!), long blond hair, adding his magic (a sonic, sublime 'competition' with Keith Emerson?) to the sound...
And Bruford's swan-song makes a poignant 'au revoir' to his appearances in the band, very ably replaced by Alan White...
Jon's lyrics? Pure poetry ~ purely woven into the melodies to create a masterpiece for those of us, young at the time, who didn't need *3 minute pop songs* every day.
50 years ago, records like 'Close To The Edge' prepped me for a lifetime of music appreciation. From this record, to 'Lizard' by King Crimson, and 'Third' by Soft Machine, it was easy for me to access music by Bartok, Stravinsky, and Enescu.
amen dude
One of the things that made me fall in love with the music of Yes was their absolute disregard for following what some people may say "music should be". If they wanted to write 20 minute songs that's what they did. Who cares if it wasn't radio friendly. They did what they wanted to do. Shortly after I first heard Yes back in the mid 80s I discovered Frank Zappa and he also had this strong desire to do whatever he wanted to do. I absolutely love that attitude in artists.
These were key artists in teaching me the true fundamental freedom of music, there are NO RULES.
The thing is, Yes were entirely capable of writing great pop songs. The first few, pre-prog albums of theirs contain some gorgeous little tunes. Jon Anderson is a melodic genius. And when they were blowing people's socks off with their prog madness, it was still song-driven. Yes could write a song, they just mostly chose not to.
In the 70s their were album-oriented FM radio stations that frequently played entire album sides.
Yes et Zappa …. ❣️❣️
37:48. The style is a Roger Dean. The artist that goes with Yes.
I watched this video throughout tears in my eyes. Her word choices were perfect in several moments. Cave/underwater and then up on the soil. I have listened textures, instruments and modes of this tune all my life from teenage years but I haven't figure out the landscapes or metaphors why they are there. At the first listening she solved some of my "problems" and I'm really happy now.
That was so fun watching someone with this much knowledge listen to that for the first time.
I think it’s important to note that Yes will use harsh dramatic sections to balance out beauty
This has always been one of my most loved musical pieces ever. And having watched many reactions to it, I was so happy to see you recognize and appreciate the great build and climax occurring at 35:00. That ending always brings tear to my eyes, and it was so enjoyable to see you ride the crescendo to that targeted instrumental and vocal climax. So many seem to miss that. Thanks so much for the great reaction. I enjoy your channel very much!
Chris Squire's growling middle tone inspired Geddy Lee's bass sound. Also, congrats to Vlad for multitasking chainsaw duties with the record!
he made a number of modifications where it has an output from each pickup to go to separate amps.
I hope you spent some time absorbing the album art on this one. It potentiates the atmospherics. Watching you react to songs that have been a big part of my life brings me fresh eyes. Many thanks!
I found this on the web. "Anderson gained initial inspiration from a moment in his hotel room during the Fragile Tour when he was reading The Lord of the Rings by J. R. R. Tolkien while listening to Symphony Nos. 6 and 7 by Jean Sibelius, one of his favourite composers. The seventh struck Anderson the most as he noticed that its main theme was introduced some time in the composition which influenced how "Close to the Edge" was shaped. He studied No. 7 for the remainder of the tour; roughly halfway, he discussed his initial ideas with Howe. During a break the two resumed writing at Howe's home in Hampstead, north London, at which point Howe devised the lyric "Close to the edge, round by the corner",[ itself inspired when he had lived in Battersea, an area beside the River Thames. Anderson was inspired to base its theme and lyrics on Siddhartha (1922) by German novelist Hermann Hesse, and revised the song's lyrics "three or four" times, saying "it's all metaphors". The lyrics for the concluding verse were based on a dream he once had about the "passing on from this world to another... yet feeling so fantastic about it that death never frightened me ever since".
Jon Anderson,one of the most recognisable voices in rock history.
Not everyone likes his falsetto voice but it fits with YES.
Alongside Kate Pierson.
Wow, such a great first time evaluation. The part about the song sounding "patchwork" is actually spot on. The song was literally patchworked together by their producer from various tape strips.
The more you listen to this piece the more it molds together and the more beautiful it sounds.
I first saw them while in college in 1973 when they performed this album with an incredible stage show and powerful green lasers that probably left indelible marks on a lot of retinas! I saw them again and again over the years, every time they were near enough for me to make the trip.
I saw this show outdoors in a light summer rain in the early evening.
The laser’s were lighting up the raindrops like green diamonds in the sky.
The beams were bouncing off of clouds ten miles away from the show and people were calling the police to report UFOs 😂😂😂
Amazing stuff and an awesome show
Cool, lol @@strawberry12four
...and isn't it amazing how no matter who listens to Yes, their music creates landscapes and even other, beautiful and (if I may say) fragile worlds in their minds. The coupling of Yes and Roger Dean's art is so perfect, it's impossible to separate them.
Be sure to find the image inside the gate-fold Album cover!
Close to the Edge was such an important part of my youth, a timeless classic. Superb on so many levels, it never fails to elevate me to a different sphere.
From France.
I discover your classical approch of music I heard when I was about twenty: Yes (and particulary "Gate of delirium" from Relayer album), Genesis, some other groups, and for me the best of about sensation : Frank Zappa. I am 67 old and I listen him alway again. I know all he plaid and I've alway the same pleasure because I know the musical story of each peace.
Your classical point of view and your own music feeling are very interesting.
I see you've talk about a lot of musical peaces I listen in the 70 / 80 and so on.
Thank you for all.
Amy- Thanks for finally reviewing YES. As others stated you sure did jump into the deep end of the pool rather than the shallow end. I won't repeat all what others have said. Wow. scrolling down there are so many who added their 2 cents. You can see there are dedicated YES fans to this day. I would give And You and I on the CTTE album a review, since that is where you started. Siberian Katru is one of my fav YES songs. Of course, you need to consider reviewing Rundabout at some point. So many great song or movements to consider.
Oooft!! Straight into the deep end of Yes. I'd have started with Heart of the Sunrise, And You and I or Wonderous Stories just to get a feel for the genre. I'm thinking this is going to be quite a challenge for you.
I agree that this is not the place to start for most people. For a very casual music fan, I’d go with Roundabout. But Amy is different. I think CTTE is structured like a symphony. I think she will have the ear for it… not necessarily on first listen, but soon after, I believe she will at least have a full appreciation for it - it certainly won’t defeat her! We’ll soon find out.
I've been saying the same thing since the beginning of this channel. Heart of the Sunrise. Starship Trooper. Sure Amy can appreciate CTTE. But why _start_ with it? Why have that be your introduction to the band?
@@glennz8352 The trick is that most of us used bands like Yes and this kind of music as our gateway to classical music. Amy's coming at it from the opposite direction, so when she listens to "Close to the Edge" she's immediately comparing it to the greatest works from several hundred years of classical music, played by the very best musicians in the world. Even something as monumental in the rock world as "Close to the Edge" will have a hard time measuring up to all of that! The challenge of getting Yes past Amy is that they're an above average rock band meddling with classical forms and lines, which is going to expose them to scrutiny from real classical musicians. Just look at how Keith Emerson was ripped by Leonard Bernstein, who was one of his heroes. I wasn't hugely surprised that Jon's singing threw Amy, since technically speaking he's a bit pitch-y on this album (engineer Eddie Offord has been quoted saying he struggled to get good vocal tracks from Yes during this period). But I hope she digs deeply enough that the rough edges will soften with time and exposure to all other other incredible music to be discovered.
@@yes_head I hear you, but I don’t believe Amy will put this up against the several hundred year old classical music of her world and conclude that it doesn’t measure up by comparison. She has never done that. There will be comparisons as she already touched on, but as a teaching tool, not as shortcomings. Instead, I think she will compare it to the other rock music she has been exposed to, which of course is the appropriate thing to do. With that, I think, I hope it will open her mind to the possibilities and heights that music in the world of rock can achieve. Close To The Edge was never intended to be faux-classical, of course. It was just the latest Yes album at the time, from this very unique rock band. I trust Amy understands this!
Anyone’s first exposure to this song is bound to lead to some confusion - it’s so unexpected and so much comes at you. (That’s part of the fun of the first reaction!) Amy was great with it. I’m confident about where she went, behind the scenes, on listens 2 through 10. Of course, I might be wrong! We shall see.
@@oceanfrog Why not?
This is a masterpiece. One thing that is brilliant is the melody of "I get up, I get down". The melody folows the words.
Many wait for the church organ, but a select few of us are thrilled by the “I get up…” section.
Amy, I really enjoyed this video. I really think you did a great job. For me, I was a big fan of Yes in my youth of all those years ago. I cant even remember what I thought the first time I heard their music, but I know it took some warming up too. Funny because of this video I listened to this entire song for the first time in a heck of a long time. Those days of my youth and listening to this music back then was SO SO different than I know what your experience had to be. As I am sure you have heard we were a generation lost in space and this music was so dreamy and fit right in to the things we were doing back then. Analyzing the music we were listening to back then, well that was the farthest thing from our minds. The world has changed. Again thank you for taking the time to do this.
YES, was my 1st love in Progressive Rock, then came Genesis & Emerson, Lake & Palmer. It’s so nice to have women also appreciate YES 1971-1976 were the classic years of YES. I hope we never forget what YES brought to Rock n’ Roll. A true addition to the world of rock.❤🎉😊
It’s too bad you didn’t get to see them live, during their heyday. I’ve seen them perform a half dozen times, including twice with an orchestra. They actually brought me to tears several times.
The live performances brought the music alive. I love the studio albums, but live!!!!
I saw them on their "Talk" your. No opening band. Just an evening of Yes. It was "magical" as Jon Anderson would say.
Nice, saw Yes 36 times
I saw them play live at the Reading Festival in 1975, they were the best band on the bill. They were probably the loudest and Judas Priest and Thin Lizzy were also playing.
I saw them with an orchestra, too! My concert experience of a lifetime. I was in 7th grade I think. They actually started with Close to the Edge. I was BLOWN AWAY. And first time I've heard Gates of Delirium - at the time I hadn't even know Relayer. I had a hard time adjusting to a more hard-edged album version after hearing that band-with-an-orchestra rendition (masterful).
I wish they'd done full Tales with an orchestra at that point (it was a perfect moment as Wakey was not in the band at the time) - but well, as philosopher Jagger said...
King Crimson, with its harder-edged prog influenced at different phases of the band by Holst, Bartók, free jazz and gamelan music, would be a very interesting group for you to react to.
And a bit of Van Der Graaf generator 🙂
Something like Starless would be interesting to review, although I'm not sure whether she would like it.
I'm pretty sure it would be much harder for Amy to get into, judging by her reaction to Firth of Fifth. But maybe... Starless? or Night Watch? Matte Kudasai? Cadence and Cascade? Only then Lark's Tongues
Let her try “Fracture” as a first exposure to Crimson :). Or LTiA.
When she says synthesized harp sound at 9:17 she's absolutely right, it's a Minimoog. I never really knew until I heard the isolated track.
What a journey we went thru, all of us, teenagers of the seventies, listenning to this music and coming back to it in out sixties....
Dear Amy,
I consider myself Yes' biggest fan, but then, I suppose we each do. Yes is special,
and I don't argue that point with anyone. There are the Beatles, who stand alone, and there is Yes.
Then there are tons and tons of other great music I adore, and bands I love. I am likely wrong
for not naming some. But Yes music is special. This is the music that saved my life.
I hope you let yourself become a fan.
Now, I am a fan of yours too. Your obvious love of music and depth of knowledge is so evident,
I wish I could sit with you to listen and talk about music. This was simply the best 'reaction' I have watched.
I enjoyed how you stop the piece over and over , as moments strike you, to let us know what just happened,
and how it hits you, with eloquence and emotion.
There are many 'reactions' videos of Close To The Edge online. Many of the 'reactors' explain
how people get angry if they stop the song to make a comment . I never understand that...
Could you sit and listen to the Ninth symphony from top to bottom for the first time, and be expected
to then sum up everything you just heard? I'm here to watch someone experience something I already love.
To watch a wonderfully brilliant musician like you light up with surprise to the music I have loved for so
many years is thrilling, and just plain fun! I cannot thank you enough. Please listen to it again and again.
The sound on this song is indicative of the Progressive Rock genre that sprang up at the end of the 60's. Most had very strong influence from Gaelic, Classical and Jazz. Some others are Gentle Giant, Genesis (with Peter Gabriel especially) and King Crimson. Some others that were closer to mainstream but still considered Progressive Rock are bands you are already familiar with: Pink Floyd, Jethro Tull and Rush. This specific song was one of the more hard core Progressive songs from Yes. They have many more that are much more accessible to the uninitiated.
Usually, i think hard about Squire's bass at the beginning, but this time im stunned by the guitar; it's crazy, not like anything else, ever
Amy, I deeply loved your technical analysis, and the pauses on occasion when you were trying to find a word to describe sublime, what words can you use to describe a first meeting with the infinite. Thank you for your time, and I hope that you will move onto my other two favorite long pieces from this great band…Awaken and Heart of the Sunrise. With deep appreciation…thank you.
I forgot how good these guys were. Especially to play this live, which they did quite well!!
One of the most ambitious, incredible works in rock music history. I've come back to "Close to the Edge" again and again for decades. Each time I listen to it, I feel like I experience something new. And I'm amazed that nearly 20 minutes has passed.
The theme that most resonates with me is about finding harmony. The opening sounds of nature contrast with the competing instrumental parts and shifting time signatures that follow - suggesting the complexity and confusion of the modern world. But over the course of the piece, the different movements and melodies slowly come together as one.
Looking forward to your in-depth analysis!
Jon Anderson often wrote lyrics that are more about the sound than the meaning of the words (although I'm not saying the meaning of the words is void -- I'm sure there's a balance, there). He's treating the vocal like another textural instrument.
Let's face it. Anderson's lyrics were incomprehensible 99 percent of the time.