28 years old and YES is one of my favorite bands. When music is this beautiful, age plays no role in admiring its existence. It’s pure bliss. That is why anyone can say “yes” to YES.
I'm over 60 now. I was was introduced to Close To the Edge when I was 11. My best friend's older brother had bought it upon release. We listened to it on a good quality record console from the late 50's. It remains one of my favourite albums.
Aside from Rick's obvious mastery of the piano, this video is also great for trying to understand the brilliance of the original composition. Hearing it stripped down is really enlightening to just how many crazy modulations and false transitions (not sure what to call it) the song has yet still works even on a solo instrument. Truly some of the best of their time.
Piano is where he & all the other greats (Emerson,Lord,Moraz etc..)started.Organ & synthesizers were an added bonus that came in good timing (organ was already popular)&with the music of that day.
@@craigezell4261 ~ lts funny that some people dont know that. Of course most start with piano ....at least back then! lf a home had keys, it was always a piano. lts SUCH an amazing instrument! l love the Yamaha piano!! Wakeman played one on ''The other side of Wakey'' Sounded INCREDIBLE!!!
"Close to the edge" is one of those albums that can change your perception of music forever. Well, great to experience it one more time through this acoustic version. Fantastic play!
I saw him solo once. I prefer many of his pieces solo because you can really hear how good he is. Additionally, he is funny as hell. He could do stand up and not play the piano and it still was worth the ticket.
Oliver Wakeman, by his own admisssion, said this is the Yessong most difficult to play. Yet here is his Dad playing it all alone. A truer master of the keyboard has never been known. Stunning.
@@EricaEchoswhy rudess if he is from more than 20 years after the 60th and the 70th ... You could say names from that period. Rudess is a great performer but not a main character into keys from prime time of rock
@@xanaxddu71 because Rudess is "carrying the torch" that Emerson and Wakeman lit. They were both big inspirations to Rudess, and I feel fortunate to have lived long enough to have experienced the genius of all three of these keyboard masters. Also, who else is doing today what Rudess does in terms of progressive keyboard composition?
@@EricaEchos i accept i know what are you saying. But i hate the term prog or any other terms. Terms lead to ghettos. Culture is life and the music is the best 😋🔥
An iconic piece from one of the greatest bands in prog/rock history. Rick, playing with characteristic beauty and precision is a world class keyboardist and composer, who along with Keith Emerson, has influenced thousands of aspirating keyboardists and mesmerized millions of admiring listeners with his unparalleled talent.
thank you Mr. Wakeman. not just for sharing one of the most beautiful pieces ever played out on the black and whites but for taking the time to learn how to play and then giving it back. you didn't have to share but you did
Your not listening to the right music then go look on www.progarchives.com lots and lots of new talent. But Yes was one of the bands that got me hooked on prog, after that i listened to lots of prog music and my music taste got more and more extreme, i love "Between the buried and Me" a lot, that's a very talented band, Leprous is also very talented and don't forget Steve Wilson etc. i could go on and on. Prog archives has top lists of each year, Rick Wakeman's Red Planet is currently on top as album of the year 2020.
Yes, I'm glad you put it that way--"helped compose this." Some of the people commenting on this page seem unaware that this was a product of a group, and that Jon Anderson, Chris Squire, Steve Howe, and Bill Bruford had as much to do with creating "Close to the Edge" as he did.
MiguelitoGonzoalezR ~ He WAS! Then a year later came ''Six Wives''! Then came ''Journey to the centre of the Earth, (along with Adam Wakeman) then the 'heart attack' THEN ''The Myths n Legends ARTHUR .....''! _Wembley Pool ON ICE!_ A bit of a breather ,Then _Going For The One_ Yes!! This is ALL in his first marriage, and ALL before his 30s!!
@@robertcook2572 Really, he’s not. He’s a decent player but there are a lot of very good classical players out there. Not that they could do what he does.
Close To The Edge - One of the greatest pieces of modern music ever written, with its entwining intricate guitar parts from the master Mr Howe and the keyboard genius of Mr Wakeman, and the first class singing and playing from the rest of the band. Beautifully transformed to piano. If I know Mr Wakeman he probably did this off the cuff unrehearsed from memory. If I could play the piano I could probably do this because I know the piece inside out!
@@duraosunda a) that's not exactly what he said and b) I wouldn't categorise this as 'pop' in any case, at least not in the generally understood sense of the term
duraosunda What’s the alternative? What great classical pieces have there been since the mid 20th century? This isn’t really pop anyway, it’s prog rock.
@@nonrepublicrat Seriously? Geddy is one of the best Bass players in rock. While Jon Anderson is a much better singer, Geddy (in his peak) had a great voice
Man O Man, what a cool arrangement of a classic song. The way he puts all that motion in the accompaniment and brings out the melody through it all is a perfect example of why Rick Wakeman's talent is so awesome. Now there's something to work towards. I love this clip!
Dear Rick, I'm sure the way you play the piano with your soul, often with eyes closed, sometimes so fast that your hands hardly can be seen ( imagine the fingers ! ), the masterpieces that you composed, leads me to make sure that you are not from this planet because it is humanly impossible to play this way. Great virtuoso congratulations and keep giving us this privilege to hear your art materialize into something divine!
+Hernan Iturralde I know there is a delay between the audio and the image , I don't know why but sometimes there is a lack of sinconization, but why shoud they even keep a microfone placed if he would just simulate? The audio is Rick playing in a magical manner like always anyway.
+Hernan Iturralde Now I am pissed, Really, really pissed. Would you please just come out and say what it is that you don't understand. We are all waiting.
I think Wakeman's from this planet. I totally understand what he does. He's absolutely amazing. But I understand it. If I could play as fast and gracefully as he does, there is a chance my music would sound something like his. However, I will accept the premise that my other favorite keyboard player, Keith Emerson, was not from this planet. There were two separate brains controlling each of Emerson's hands. And even with two separate brains, there is no way I could ever compose anything that remotely resembled Emerson's music. My creative brain just doesn't go there. When I saw Wakeman, my response was an adrenaline packed "Yeah! Awesome!" When I saw Emerson I pretty much stood there with a smirk of disbelief on my face, like "this has got to be a trick--no one can do that, classical training or not." Emerson being from another world would also explain things. They're my two favorite keyboard players of all time. Don't ask me to choose between them. :-)
This is the first time Ive ever heard rick play something solo that was harmonically interesting and Im a long time fan. Most of his stuff is based strongly in major or minor... but this was great... and a first I think... to be in some advanced harmonic structures.
this was the first Yes song I ever heard. and I can remember thinking WoW I never heard anything like this before. and listening to this piano version of the song is really special.
Saw YES in the early '70's at the FORUM in Inglewood. Always loved Rick Wakeman and this album, but never knew Rick was a Christian. We have come a LONG WAY, haven't we, Praise God!
Though he were not be a confessed christian, all we have lived inside a christian culture... the symbols, the words, the unconscious gestures, drive us always to that common places...
Surely one of the greatest keyboardist in the history of popular music! And all from memory, Jordan Rudess! Because it's from the heart. Magnificent interpretation, partial composition,, and performance! Old guys getting it done!
Loved hearing this masterpiece boiled down and reduced, so perfectly as only Rick Wakeman could do. The original recording, which is such an amazing mélange of melody and rhythm, requires a certain ear to appreciate. I think this version would be more palatable to the masses. Also love the use of staccato with dashes of intermittent legato.
absolutely superb. there's magic in this song... every time I hear it I have to listen to it until the end and it has a cathartic effect on me. on the piano he acquires almost academic characteristics. it seems like a piece written especially for the piano. and what about wakeman? brilliant. one of the best keyboard players in the history of music. Chapeau Maestro.
Well said. It's clear now that we were spoiled. If you were exposed to this music, along with marijuana and chicks, in your teens, it was truly all downhill from there.
His synth pyrotechnics are awesome, but there's nothing like listening to him playing a real honest-to-goodness acoustic piano. Bravo, Rick. You and Keith (God rest his soul) have always been my favorite keys guys.
It's like into another heavenly realm this solo piano version..... A simplistic bare bones melody that stands on its own! And is just as magnificent as the classic.... more beautiful in its simple shape.... he he that's a joke on the complexity of close to the edge... I am going to listen again now... Thank you for this... going to be humming all day now
I play piano and I am working really hard at it. If I could only play like Rick Wakeman. You are such a tremendous keyboard player, it is nice to see you play a piano. Nothing sounds like a Grand piano. Bravo!
Regarding numerous other comments, it's not "out of sync" nor is it a video someone haphazardly put to a different audio track... he clearly is playing what is essentially the same arrangement of the same song, though not identically so. He appears to be in effect "miming" to the recording he had already completed, the way most bands routinely lip-sync in their videos. He just didn't play it exactly the same way each time.
The finest keyboard player of all time. Met him and Jon Anderson at a charity football game some years ago. I asked for his autograph at half time and we chatted for half an hour. Great bloke.
Why is mr. Rick Wakeman in lower case?!? The 7000 club might not agree with thee wordage. But, Rick is FUCKING UNREAL. He can play thee most difficult intense shit ever and not change his facial expression what so ever. FUCKING UNREAL. talent
Some of us are blessed to have grown up with the most wonderful musicians in the world. From the Garland Sinatra era into the 60's and 70's and beyond.
@@IgnacioClerici-mp5cy It was a slightly humorous way to say that he's going from memory and improvising, not going according to the music sheet on the piano.
Absolutely unbeatable. It's arguable who is the greatest rock keyboardist but Rick Wakeman is certainly my favourite. He competes with some other brilliant artists like Jon Lord, Keith Emerson, Rick Wright, Tony Banks and many others but for me, Wakeman is it. As for this composition, it is fantastic. I feel privileged to live in the age where I can experience this virtuoso
The first time I heard this guy's work (way WAY back) I was entranced. So different from most everything that was being produced at the time. We had a really progressive radio station called WORJ (Orlando, Fl, which later turned to junk, yeah, both basically) that when they first started would play entire albums without a single interruption, including performers like Rick. It was radio heaven...closer to XMS than anything you'd hear on the radio now (at least here).
I've always thought that artistic ability come down to two things: having deep complex thoughts and being able to convey them. It doesn't take intense training as much as determination and patience to learn to think abstractly. After that, all that really matters is learning music theory (which is basically a science).
My all time favourite Yes album. Wakeman’s piano interpretation is wonderful. Not quite the same thing, but reminiscent of the Liszt/Beethoven transcriptions. It’s amazing how much music you can get out of a piano when you know what you’re doing.
Realmente no puedo expresar lo que siento. Llega a mis sentimientos más profundos de admiración, porque lo que escucho es algo que no puedo describir tanta vituosidad, tanta creatividad y sensibilidad. Soy músico aficionado y grcias a Dios Él me hizo humano para disfrutar y apreciar la música. Recién puedo admirar está canción como solo sin Yes, aunque la versión de Yes también es imponente, me quedo con esta versión. Gracias señor Wakeman por hacer cosas tan buenas!
I'm watching and listening to this and want to post something but words aren't coming....awesome, beautiful....they just don't do it. This is way beyond those descriptions. I know I'm gonna get kicked for this but I'm tearing up as I listen. Thank you Mr. Wakeman.
Certainly one of the greatest compositions of our times. And after The Beatles maybe Yes tasted some magic in this and this their golden moment for it is not only one of the greatest records ever but something magical even they could never again touch. Good things came before and after but Close to the Edge was a watermark and a great achievement.
Rick is the greatest! I got to see him with Yes when they toured to support Close To The Edge back in the 70's. He was incredible. A huge influence for my band. .
I noticed (and enjoyed) how he reinvented the introductory passages in a major key. But, I was disappointed to hear no references to "I Get Up I Get Down".
It was a shorter version to be sure. However, Right after ''l get up, l get down'' comes that UNFORGETABLE solo of his, and you can't help but want him to cut loose on that screamin' synth/organ thing. lt would be great to hear a piano version! Gotta love the guy though. He textured YES soooo much!
28 years old and YES is one of my favorite bands. When music is this beautiful, age plays no role in admiring its existence. It’s pure bliss. That is why anyone can say “yes” to YES.
Darn right
I'm over 60 now. I was was introduced to Close To the Edge when I was 11. My best friend's older brother had bought it upon release. We listened to it on a good quality record console from the late 50's. It remains one of my favourite albums.
Aside from Rick's obvious mastery of the piano, this video is also great for trying to understand the brilliance of the original composition. Hearing it stripped down is really enlightening to just how many crazy modulations and false transitions (not sure what to call it) the song has yet still works even on a solo instrument. Truly some of the best of their time.
Totally agree. I was surprised at how well it held up just on piano.
Take a way the synthesizers and what have you got?
A genius without a synthesizer. Pure Wakeman. Awesome.
Curtis ~ lsnt he JUST?! Great comment Curtis!
Take away the synthesisers and what have you got ??? Answer = TALENT But I’m sure you knew that already ...... 😀😀😀
Piano is where he & all the other greats (Emerson,Lord,Moraz etc..)started.Organ & synthesizers were an added bonus that came in good timing (organ was already popular)&with the music of that day.
@@craigezell4261 ~ lts funny that some people dont know that. Of course most start with piano ....at least back then! lf a home had keys, it was always a piano. lts SUCH an amazing instrument! l love the Yamaha piano!! Wakeman played one on ''The other side of Wakey'' Sounded INCREDIBLE!!!
"Close to the edge" is one of those albums that can change your perception of music forever. Well, great to experience it one more time through this acoustic version. Fantastic play!
It certainly changed my perception of EVERYTHING!
Thank you Rick
Yep, you're not wrong with that statement.
It surely did to me...
Followed by "Moraz's" Relayer.
I saw him solo once. I prefer many of his pieces solo because you can really hear how good he is. Additionally, he is funny as hell. He could do stand up and not play the piano and it still was worth the ticket.
Well said!
His speech when Yes was inducted into the hall of fame was priceless. Funny , full of wit and is worth watching again and again.
I've only seen him with Yes, but I've seen and heard lots of interviews, and he is indeed hilarious!
@@patroscher6240 "THEN I SAW MY DAD" !!!!😄😄😄😄😄😄😄😄😄😎🍺🍺🍺🍺🎼🎼
The Victor Borge' of Rock.
It would be absolutely insanely glorious to have Rick Wakeman & Keith Emerson in the same room with 2 grand pianos. Oh the possibilities. . . .
+Bill Gund Why not the Jazz legends and greats?
+Bill Gund Hell, get Moraz or Downes in there and make it a threesome. A live performance of "Three Fates," maybe. Possibilities indeed.
That might be a bit smelly now
Prince Westerburg lmao
My dream for a very long time was to see/hear them collaborate on Scheherazade.
Oliver Wakeman, by his own admisssion, said this is the Yessong most difficult to play. Yet here is his Dad playing it all alone. A truer master of the keyboard has never been known. Stunning.
Tip top comedy... well done.
Of pop
What a treat to have lived at the same time as Rick Wakeman and Keith Emerson. Two very different players but both equal in their genius.
You've got excellent taste in keyboardists.
And Jordan Rudess. Three masters of Prog keyboard.
@@EricaEchoswhy rudess if he is from more than 20 years after the 60th and the 70th ... You could say names from that period. Rudess is a great performer but not a main character into keys from prime time of rock
@@xanaxddu71 because Rudess is "carrying the torch" that Emerson and Wakeman lit. They were both big inspirations to Rudess, and I feel fortunate to have lived long enough to have experienced the genius of all three of these keyboard masters.
Also, who else is doing today what Rudess does in terms of progressive keyboard composition?
@@EricaEchos i accept i know what are you saying. But i hate the term prog or any other terms. Terms lead to ghettos. Culture is life and the music is the best 😋🔥
New phrases, recreated harmonies, added rhythms and textures: what a great musician, Mr. Wakeman!
Wow. I'm 52 and I have been listening to this since the early '70's.
What a great new perspective on this amazing group from England...
This performance really shows the power and grace that infused YES in their best works. God bless you Rick!
An iconic piece from one of the greatest bands in prog/rock history. Rick, playing with characteristic beauty and precision is a world class keyboardist and composer, who along with Keith Emerson, has influenced thousands of aspirating keyboardists and mesmerized millions of admiring listeners with his unparalleled talent.
thank you Mr. Wakeman. not just for sharing one of the most beautiful pieces ever played out on the black and whites but for taking the time to learn how to play and then giving it back. you didn't have to share but you did
Has there ever been a greater keyboard player than Rick Wakeman in the history of rock music? This man is an icon, a classical master of modern times.
Keith Emerson...
@@jaychip1 lol nope. Not even close.
John Lord
@@denespeter4454 lol he wouldnt have a hope in hell of playing anything on The Six Wives...
This level of talent is sorely missed with today's popular music makers.
David ~ lndeed it IS David! lndeed it is!!
Ditto to infinity on that one
Your not listening to the right music then go look on www.progarchives.com lots and lots of new talent. But Yes was one of the bands that got me hooked on prog, after that i listened to lots of prog music and my music taste got more and more extreme, i love "Between the buried and Me" a lot, that's a very talented band, Leprous is also very talented and don't forget Steve Wilson etc. i could go on and on. Prog archives has top lists of each year, Rick Wakeman's Red Planet is currently on top as album of the year 2020.
@@AndreVanKammen oops sorry I meant thanks to you
Yes David I agree....going to see the suggestions Andre has posted
cheers
This acoustic/all piano version puts new life and imagery to the classic composition
And he was a 23 years old young man when he helped compose this!
Yes, I'm glad you put it that way--"helped compose this." Some of the people commenting on this page seem unaware that this was a product of a group, and that Jon Anderson, Chris Squire, Steve Howe, and Bill Bruford had as much to do with creating "Close to the Edge" as he did.
@@davebartholome2924
Brufords drumming is his best on this track
MiguelitoGonzoalezR ~ He WAS! Then a year later came ''Six Wives''! Then came ''Journey to the centre of the Earth, (along with Adam Wakeman) then the 'heart attack' THEN ''The Myths n Legends ARTHUR .....''! _Wembley Pool ON ICE!_ A bit of a breather ,Then _Going For The One_ Yes!! This is ALL in his first marriage, and ALL before his 30s!!
@@theresa42213 loved all your words
I’ve always loved Rick’s ability to choose just the right notes to texture his use of ornamentation.
Lets all hope that Rick lives until 100 years old,and grace us all,with his magestic and unique playing.Long live the master.
Today is his 74th birthday!
@@latebloomindeadhead1406 👍😉
Rick, you are brilliant. A virtuoso and a genius. Thank you for all you have created.
He really is a Chopin/Liszt of our time.
That reminds me - I need milk and toothpaste.
@@robertcook2572
Really, he’s not. He’s a decent player but there are a lot of very good classical players out there. Not that they could do what he does.
@@koshersalaami Alright back in your box ffs.
No, absolutely not. But a great progrock keyboardist he certainly is.
I agree as a composer
What this does confirm is that Rick is the best keyboards player of his generation - lovely to hear this stripped down
Top drawer
In the prog realm, I prefer Keith Emerson. And broadening the discussion beyond rock, I like Joe Zawinul best of all the multi-keyboard players.
Rick Rules! Period. His composition can evoke emotions. The key to the soul, as Rick states music is in No Earthly Connection.
Absolutely one the best. Steve Howe and Rick Wakeman in one band. Doesn't get any better.
It does when you throw Anderson Bruford and Squire. Almost too much talent for one band.
Close To The Edge - One of the greatest pieces of modern music ever written, with its entwining intricate guitar parts from the master Mr Howe and the keyboard genius of Mr Wakeman, and the first class singing and playing from the rest of the band. Beautifully transformed to piano. If I know Mr Wakeman he probably did this off the cuff unrehearsed from memory. If I could play the piano I could probably do this because I know the piece inside out!
Philfy Phil YES!
Agree, this was their peak for me.
You need to be a goddamn philistine to call a pop song one of the greatest pieces of music ever written.
@@duraosunda a) that's not exactly what he said and b) I wouldn't categorise this as 'pop' in any case, at least not in the generally understood sense of the term
duraosunda
What’s the alternative? What great classical pieces have there been since the mid 20th century? This isn’t really pop anyway, it’s prog rock.
This guy + Carl Palmer + Geddy Lee + Alex Lifeson = I can die happy.
Jon on vocals?
You'll need Bonnem and Peart.
need geddy for what?? squire is a better bass player, and anderson is a million times better singer. geddy can only squack like a canadian goose.
@@nonrepublicrat Seriously? Geddy is one of the best Bass players in rock. While Jon Anderson is a much better singer, Geddy (in his peak) had a great voice
Wonderful music ( :
Man O Man, what a cool arrangement of a classic song. The way he puts all that motion in the accompaniment and brings out the melody through it all is a perfect example of why Rick Wakeman's talent is so awesome. Now there's something to work towards. I love this clip!
Dear Rick, I'm sure the way you play the piano with your soul, often with eyes closed, sometimes so fast that your hands hardly can be seen ( imagine the fingers ! ), the masterpieces that you composed, leads me to make sure that you are not from this planet because it is humanly impossible to play this way.
Great virtuoso congratulations and keep giving us this privilege to hear your art materialize into something divine!
+Hernan Iturralde
I know there is a delay between the audio and the image , I don't know why but sometimes there is a lack of sinconization, but why shoud they even keep a microfone placed if he would just simulate? The audio is Rick playing in a magical manner like always anyway.
+Hernan Iturralde Now I am pissed, Really, really pissed. Would you please just come out and say what it is that you don't understand. We are all waiting.
I think Wakeman's from this planet. I totally understand what he does. He's absolutely amazing. But I understand it. If I could play as fast and gracefully as he does, there is a chance my music would sound something like his.
However, I will accept the premise that my other favorite keyboard player, Keith Emerson, was not from this planet. There were two separate brains controlling each of Emerson's hands. And even with two separate brains, there is no way I could ever compose anything that remotely resembled Emerson's music. My creative brain just doesn't go there.
When I saw Wakeman, my response was an adrenaline packed "Yeah! Awesome!" When I saw Emerson I pretty much stood there with a smirk of disbelief on my face, like "this has got to be a trick--no one can do that, classical training or not." Emerson being from another world would also explain things.
They're my two favorite keyboard players of all time. Don't ask me to choose between them. :-)
This is the first time Ive ever heard rick play something solo that was harmonically interesting and Im a long time fan. Most of his stuff is based strongly in major or minor... but this was great... and a first I think... to be in some advanced harmonic structures.
Wakeman maravilloso y YES lo máximo. Salidos desde Venezuela. Un fans desde 1970 hasta siempre.
this was the first Yes song I ever heard. and I can remember thinking WoW I never heard anything like this before. and listening to this piano version of the song is really special.
I used to listen to YES a lot in the early 70s. I'm quite surprised that I shed a little tear hearing this - it's so simply beautiful.
Have you ever thought about getting back into listening to YES on a regular basis?
Entertain the thought, onward through the night, please.
Is he going to be releasing an album of Yes music on solo piano? I'd buy it.
That'd be so cool.
I'm in! I would buy two of them....
@@ricklogan3328 look for Wakeman - two sides of yes
Saw YES in the early '70's at the FORUM in Inglewood. Always loved Rick Wakeman and this album, but never knew Rick was a Christian. We have come a LONG WAY, haven't we, Praise God!
Rick is also a MAson. YOu can see him in Netflix in that documentary about the MAsonry.
Though he were not be a confessed christian, all we have lived inside a christian culture... the symbols, the words, the unconscious gestures, drive us always to that common places...
I’m so glad I got to see Yes in concert. One of the best concerts I’ve ever seen front row center.
Thank you for this. We often don't realize how really great individual band members are....and Rick is incredible.
Surely one of the greatest keyboardist in the history of popular music! And all from memory, Jordan Rudess! Because it's from the heart. Magnificent interpretation, partial composition,, and performance! Old guys getting it done!
Every time I hear him play it is like getting a gift.
His trills on top of an already rapid tempo are simply amazing.
Meticulous Keyboard playing reigns supreme, stunning and sensational !!!
He is so talented it's almost unbelievable. What an awesome musician...There will be none like him ever again..
Listen to Yuga Wang sometime.
Loved hearing this masterpiece boiled down and reduced, so perfectly as only Rick Wakeman could do. The original recording, which is such an amazing mélange of melody and rhythm, requires a certain ear to appreciate. I think this version would be more palatable to the masses. Also love the use of staccato with dashes of intermittent legato.
absolutely superb. there's magic in this song... every time I hear it I have to listen to it until the end and it has a cathartic effect on me. on the piano he acquires almost academic characteristics. it seems like a piece written especially for the piano. and what about wakeman? brilliant. one of the best keyboard players in the history of music. Chapeau Maestro.
Tank you Mr. Wakeman. The brilliace of perfection makes me shiver. Danke Herr Wakeman, die brilliante Perfektion erfüllt mich mir heiligen Schauern.
This was the pop music of the 70s. Today they can barely play 4 chords. Rick Wakeman is a true master he inspired me to play the piano.
they don't even use chords at all- just bass notes and looped samples on top. pretty soon they'll do away with the bass
Prog Rock was never pop. Prog Rock was the dead opposite of Pop.
pop in the 70s was just as simple as it is today. Prog rock, which this is, and not pop, is just as complex as it was in the 70s.
If it's on the charts it's "Popular Music" folks.
Well said. It's clear now that we were spoiled. If you were exposed to this music, along with marijuana and chicks, in your teens, it was truly all downhill from there.
His synth pyrotechnics are awesome, but there's nothing like listening to him playing a real honest-to-goodness acoustic piano. Bravo, Rick. You and Keith (God rest his soul) have always been my favorite keys guys.
I'm having a difficult time closing my mouth, I'm so astonished. Incredible!
Well, this kinda explains why you don't hear that many Yes cover bands...
Rick Wakeman is a genius, period!
He and Keith Emerson, without the two best pianists to elevate progressive rock 👏👏👏
Que tacto !! what a touch, and a good composer too -- wow
This is great! I wish that Rick was doing this one with Jon and Trevor on the current tour!
It's like into another heavenly realm this solo piano version..... A simplistic bare bones melody that stands on its own! And is just as magnificent as the classic.... more beautiful in its simple shape.... he he that's a joke on the complexity of close to the edge... I am going to listen again now... Thank you for this... going to be humming all day now
Mr Wakeman is gifted with an incredible talent!
I enjoy watching him play as much as I do listening to him. Amazing.
I play piano and I am working really hard at it. If I could only play like Rick Wakeman. You are such a tremendous keyboard player, it is nice to see you play a piano. Nothing sounds like a Grand piano. Bravo!
The way he arranged it, totally convinced me, this is one of the best musical compositions ever written.
never heard anything more beautiful.
Thank you again, Rick, for all this beauty.
I just love it when he completely immerses himself in art
This Viking is the KING of MELODY! Anything he touches turns heads, touches hearts, and brings AWE! You Done GOOD by us WakemanTheGenius!
I would love to see a book of *Rick Wakeman* composed/created piano exercises!
Close to the edge led me into Yes music 44 years ago. Loved them since.
Thank you, Maestro Rick Wakeman and YES for this gem, a truly wonder in music history.
It's amazing to hear one of those big grands in a room played by someone who knows how to play it.
My God! This man is a monster! This is sublime!
Wow, he is amazing! Never heard much of his music, but will definitely check out more..
This is brilliant! My favorite track played by my favorite keyboard player.
Oh wow, you almost think an original can’t be better and then you hear this. I love that album but hearing this makes me love it even more.
Close to the Edge is really a masterpiece. Every man and woman on earth should listen to it at least once!
We will follow your guidance for the next 11 years. Thanks. 1:11
Or more! 111 years, for example. 6:04
Regarding numerous other comments, it's not "out of sync" nor is it a video someone haphazardly put to a different audio track... he clearly is playing what is essentially the same arrangement of the same song, though not identically so. He appears to be in effect "miming" to the recording he had already completed, the way most bands routinely lip-sync in their videos. He just didn't play it exactly the same way each time.
Yes.
One of the great Icon in piano. amazing classic piece of Yes.. no other than Rick can performed.
This is why he's my favorite of all time. The world is a better place with Rick in it.
The finest keyboard player of all time. Met him and Jon Anderson at a charity football game some years ago. I asked for his autograph at half time and we chatted for half an hour. Great bloke.
Why is mr. Rick Wakeman in lower case?!?
The 7000 club might not agree with thee wordage. But, Rick is FUCKING UNREAL. He can play thee most difficult intense shit ever and not change his facial expression what so ever. FUCKING UNREAL. talent
don't forget the unreal composer he is as well.. Look THIS MANNNN!!!!!
47 people who really just don't get it! Beautiful, interesting, technical, etc. Rick is so wonderful to listen to. thanks for sharing.
È o músico completo, não precisa de ninguém, se ele quiser pode tocar tudo sozinho. Grandíssimo Richard Wakeman.
EL MEJOR tecladista de todos los tiempos. "IMPECABLE"
Looks so smooth and effortless. I rank Rick Wakeman as the best all around keyboardist/pianist in rock history.
Stunning. This is one of my favourite pieces ever together with genesis supper. Thanks to this musicians!!
Some of us are blessed to have grown up with the most wonderful musicians in the world. From the Garland Sinatra era into the 60's and 70's and beyond.
One will notice how very few notes there appears to be on his "sheet music". I think the page simply says "Just go nuts with it."
what?
@@IgnacioClerici-mp5cy It was a slightly humorous way to say that he's going from memory and improvising, not going according to the music sheet on the piano.
He did look at it once.
Absolutely incredible
Absolutely unbeatable. It's arguable who is the greatest rock keyboardist but Rick Wakeman is certainly my favourite. He competes with some other brilliant artists like Jon Lord, Keith Emerson, Rick Wright, Tony Banks and many others but for me, Wakeman is it. As for this composition, it is fantastic. I feel privileged to live in the age where I can experience this virtuoso
if I could play piano, I would play all day. This is simply magical.
This man just made Close to the Edge sound like something out of Super Mario Galaxy. What a legend
Just unbelievable how he can arrange and play such a composition.
The first time I heard this guy's work (way WAY back) I was entranced. So different from most everything that was being produced at the time. We had a really progressive radio station called WORJ (Orlando, Fl, which later turned to junk, yeah, both basically) that when they first started would play entire albums without a single interruption, including performers like Rick. It was radio heaven...closer to XMS than anything you'd hear on the radio now (at least here).
I cant help but wonder when Rick got his very first piano lesson. From then to becoming incredibly accomplished. It amazes me
I'm not a huge fan of some of Rick's Yes interpretations but this one is great!
Rick Wakeman é o mago dos teclados
What an absolute brilliant musical talent and memory for a classic prog rock piece from an iconic band. Unbelievable !!!!!
Perfect, who would have thought it could work so well as a stand alone piano piece, but then Wakeman is an exceptional musician...
I've always thought that artistic ability come down to two things: having deep complex thoughts and being able to convey them. It doesn't take intense training as much as determination and patience to learn to think abstractly. After that, all that really matters is learning music theory (which is basically a science).
I'm guessing you don't play the piano or any other instrument on a proficient level.
For sure!
This is taking the composition to a new level, outstanding.
My all time favourite Yes album. Wakeman’s piano interpretation is wonderful. Not quite the same thing, but reminiscent of the Liszt/Beethoven transcriptions. It’s amazing how much music you can get out of a piano when you know what you’re doing.
Realmente no puedo expresar lo que siento. Llega a mis sentimientos más profundos de admiración, porque lo que escucho es algo que no puedo describir tanta vituosidad, tanta creatividad y sensibilidad. Soy músico aficionado y grcias a Dios Él me hizo humano para disfrutar y apreciar la música. Recién puedo admirar está canción como solo sin Yes, aunque la versión de Yes también es imponente, me quedo con esta versión. Gracias señor Wakeman por hacer cosas tan buenas!
I'm watching and listening to this and want to post something but words aren't coming....awesome, beautiful....they just don't do it. This is way beyond those descriptions. I know I'm gonna get kicked for this but I'm tearing up as I listen. Thank you Mr. Wakeman.
Certainly one of the greatest compositions of our times. And after The Beatles maybe Yes tasted some magic in this and this their golden moment for it is not only one of the greatest records ever but something magical even they could never again touch. Good things came before and after but Close to the Edge was a watermark and a great achievement.
Rick has had some *really* close calls with his health a few times....really glad he's still with us, love the guy.
TruNordics14 True, he had several heart-attacks, beginning in his 20s.
Rick is the greatest! I got to see him with Yes when they toured to support Close To The Edge back in the 70's. He was incredible. A huge influence for my band. .
Rick the best ever on all kinds of keyboards.
amazing the musicality on his fingers,beautifull.
I noticed (and enjoyed) how he reinvented the introductory passages in a major key. But, I was disappointed to hear no references to "I Get Up I Get Down".
It was a shorter version to be sure. However, Right after ''l get up, l get down'' comes that UNFORGETABLE solo of his, and you can't help but want him to cut loose on that screamin' synth/organ thing. lt would be great to hear a piano version! Gotta love the guy though. He textured YES soooo much!
Me too. "I Get Up I Get Down" was a beautiful piece from "Close To The Edge".
Opened my eyes to augmented chords.