Close to the Edge (1972)Jon Anderson - Vocals
Bill Bruford - Percussion
Steve Howe - Guitar, Vocals
Chris Squire - Bass, Vocals
Rick Wakeman - Keyboards
I'm not sure how I did it, but I managed to delete the original writeup for this album. No backup, either. Everything's typed up right here on DTF. So what follows is a recreation of the original post. Or, more accurately, what I decided to write instead.
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The jacket for
Close to the Edge was designed by Roger Dean, who had also done the cover for
Fragile, but the front cover (shown above) had only the band name and name of the album. The "real" artwork was reserved for the inside gatefold:
Yes' sound continued to improve, thanks to the efforts of Eddie Offord, who was in some ways a sixth member of the band. The final arrangements of the songs ultimately came down to him and his editing decisions. He cut and spliced miles of two-inch master tape by hand in order to create what we hear as the finished product. The band literally learned what was on the albums so that they could go out and play the songs in the final arrangements.
To honor and reward Eddie, there are six individual photos on the back cover: Yes and Eddie Offord, the co-producers.
Close to the Edge I. The Solid Time of Change
II. Total Mass Retain
III. I Get Up, I Get Down
IV. Seasons of Man
And You And I I. Cord of Life
II. Eclipse
III. The Preacher The Teacher
IV. Apocalypse
Siberian KhatruThe album consisted of only three songs, one on Side A and two on Side B, which was unheard-of at the time, at least in the rock world. The "side-long epic" (its length determined by the 20-to-25-minute physical limitation of an LP record) became something which most prog bands seemed obliged to attempt at least once in their careers. Yes did it eight times. Even if you somehow take into account that four of them appear one album (
Tales from Topographic Oceans) and are considered by the band to be separate movements of an even greater work, that still has to be some kind of record. "Close to the Edge" was their first, and is considered by many to be their best, although "The Gates of Delerium" from
Relayer is probably a close second.
After writing and recording
Fragile in mere months, then embarking upon a tour to support the album, Yes turned around and did the same thing with
Close to the Edge. The recording sessions went late into the night and into the early morning hours. The band occassionally played gigs, so the equipment had to be packed up and moved, then set back up in the studio again for the next session. By the time they finished recording, drummer Bill Bruford had had enough, and announced that he was leaving the band. After four and a half years with Yes, he felt that they had gone about as far as they could go, and he had been offerred -- and had accepted -- a job with King Crimson.
When it was pointed out to him that they had already booked a tour to support the album, and that his unexpected departure left them in a quandry, Bill offerred to stay on and do the tour, but it was clear that his heart was no longer with the band. Alan White, Eddie Offord's roommate and an experienced session drummer, was brought in to play drums on the tour, and he has been with Yes ever since.
With the earlier departures of guitarist Peter Banks and keyboardist Tony Kaye, there are differing opinions on whether they were fired or it was a mutual decision, and how amicable the split was. Bill Bruford's departure was voluntary, and after five studio albums, Yes had still not gone more than two consecutive albums with the same lineup.