Scooter Chronicles

Yes – “Close to the Edge”

Tracks:

1. Close to the Edge
   1. The Solid Time of Change
   2. Total Mass Retain
   3. I Get Up I Get Down
   4. Seasons of Man
2. And You And I
   1. Cord of Life
   2. Eclipse
   3. The Preacher the Teacher
   4. Apocalypse
3. Siberian Khatru

This was the album that changed my musical likes and dislikes. This was the album that opened my eyes (or should I say ears) to so much more. It changed the way I listened to music. And it did this to me at the tender age of 14.

(Back with hat) Rick Wakeman (keys), (middle row from left) Bill Bruford (drums), Jon Anderson (vocals), Steve Howe (guitar), (front) Chris Squire (bass).

I can actually blame this on a song that hit number one on the pop charts in 1984. “Owner of a Lonely Heart” by the retooled Yes. I bought the album and saw an extensive catalog behind it, featuring Steve Howe who was in the band Asia at the time. Don’t know why, but weeks later I decided to buy a couple more albums (actually cassette tapes) of the band, and one of the two I chose was this, the band’s most popular and widely loved album. Though I didn’t know this at the time.

If you have ever heard this album, imagine a 14 year old kid brought up on top 40 listening to the title track, which encompassed the whole first side. I couldn’t believe that a band could put together a song that lasted 18 and a half minutes! At that point in my life “Hey Jude” clocking in at over 7 minutes was astronomically long. Though the length of the song was an afterthought. It was the music. So incredibly strange and unique. I had never heard those types of sounds before, or they never registered to me before. Now I know the sounds of a Moog or a Mellotron very well. Or the signature sounds of Steve Howe’s Gibson. And the lyrics! “Holy cripe, what was that guy singing about?!”

Now years later (21 years to be exact …… wait, I think I should have left that bit out) I still hear the magic that I first heard, but I also hear things differently. I now hear and understand the incredible musicianship. I hear the intricacies that made this album special to millions world wide. And though I don’t understand the lyrics any better, I know partially what they are about. And I have even read interviews of Anderson with him admitting that sometimes it was about the way his voice sounded when singing those words and not what they meant.

The title track also is a great testament to Yes’ arrangement of longer pieces. Many bands during the early 70′s progressive rock movement started writing longer songs and side long epics. Though I wouldn’t know this until years later, but Yes has always arranged better then any other band. Two of the best side long songs in the business are “Tarkus” by ELP and “Supper’s Ready” by Genesis. Both are disjointed compared to anything that Yes did that was over 10 minutes. There are reprises and variations on themes, different dynamics throughout, and it is all tied together, sounding like a modern symphony. That is what “Close to the Edge” did/does best.

After listening to this album many times, I learned how music could be emotional. How it could make the hair on the back of your next stand up. I knew lyrics could do that, but music? “And You And I” was the song that really grabbed me emotionally. “Siberian Khatru” on the other hand, is more straight ahead rock. Well, at least as straight ahead rock as Yes could be back in the early 70′s. It still highlights excellent musicianship. And for the record, no I don’t know what a “khatru” is. No one seems to know.

Long time Yes co-producer Eddy Offord, middle picture in the right hand column.

There are two other important players in the world of Yes during this time. First was Eddy Offord the co-producer of the album. He produced the band for many years, and seems to have left a mark on the sound of the band. The band even deemed him important enough to picture him with the members’ pictures on the back of the cover.

The artwork on the inside of the cover.

The second was Roger Dean. He was the artist that painted the incredible images on most of the band’s albums. Though “Close to the Edge” is truly lacking in appearance, the inside artwork is still striking and a taste of what was to come.

You ask anyone that is a fan of progressive rock, including those getting into it now with it’s recent resurgence, almost all will tell you that they have a copy of “Close to the Edge” in their library. And even if it isn’t ranked as one of their top 5 favorite albums, they will tell you that it was a grand statement by one of the pioneers of prog rock. Though dated in sound and technology, I still think it is one of the finest albums I have ever heard.