Close to the Edge: How Yes's Masterpiece Defined Prog Rock

by Will Romano

The first half of the 1970s was an especially fertile period for British progressive rock, laying claim to classics such as Tarkus , Selling England by the Pound , Larks' Tongues in Aspic , The Dark Side of the Moon , and Thick as a Brick . Collectively these and other works represent the best British progressive rock had to offer. Yet, it's Yes's 1972 three-track masterpiece, Close to the Edge , that presents a snapshot of an adventurous rock band at the peak of its powers, daring to push itself musically, both as individuals and as a unit. In this absorbing chronicle, which draws upon dozens of original and archived interviews and features rare photographs and an extensive discography, acclaimed music journalist Will Romano examines why Close to the Edge is the ultimate prog rock album.

Yes had previously penned epic tracks for The Yes Album and Fragile , but nothing on the magnitude of the musical gems appearing on Close to the Edge . It's something of a small miracle – perhaps even magic – that the virtuoso quintet crafted such a cohesive and compelling album during an often-hectic recording process that very nearly relegated this monumental work to the dustbin of history. So potent was the power of Close to the Edge that even before its release it had forever shifted the personal dynamics of the group and the course of progressive rock. Rarely had Yes, or any rock outfit for that matter, been simultaneously so expansive and concise, spiritual and savage, profound and nebulous.

Genres: Music, Nonfiction, History

302 pages, Paperback

Published January 1, 2017

Reviews

[Per-Olof · Rating 3 out of 5]

A great book as long as it doesn't involve mr Romano's often very farfetched ideas. CTTE is a musical masterpiece and consequently he seems to think that everything connected to it (lyrics, art etc) must be of equal importance. The analysis of the lyrics is really over the top. Jon Anderson is quoted as saying "it doesn't mean much" but to mr Romano they mean everything.

But sometimes it's quite funny "It's difficult not to think of the frothy turbulence of a big glass of tap-served Guinness beer when gazing upon the cover of CTTE" - after 45 years of not making that connection I'm sure I will make it in the future. Thank you Will!

[J.J. Crane · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this book. If you are a big Yes fan then I think this should be added to the collection. I have only read one other book on Yes by Chris Welch and I enjoyed that as well. What I enjoyed about this book is how the author constructed the build up to the recording of Close to the Edge. You get a very detailed history of the Yes members, the music scene in England and some history of rock-n-roll in general. The author also includes lots of quotes and insights from members of pre-Yes bands that Anderson, Howe, Kaye, Squire, et al played in. It's all mixed into a delicious brew that coalesces into how Yes formed and the direction they took.

The book moves at a very nice pace. I enjoyed the interweaving of quotes from interviews, both personal and from other sources that tie the story of Yes together.

Finally, you come to the epic record itself, Close to the Edge. Again, you get a great mix of how the record came together as well as how it influenced and played out in the music scene at large.

The Bill Buford departure gets a lot of play and the author makes sure you hear a variety of angles as to what unfolded at that time and how people both saw it and perceived its impact.

I was wondering when Roger Dean would come into play and the author does not disappoint in how the art work played a significant role in the image Yes was building and would evolve into.

The only nit I had was delving into the lyrics and their meaning. What I noticed in this stretch was that the content was mostly the author's viewpoint. Personally, when I listened to Yes, especially in the late 70's when I first became aware of them, I was whisked away into a more fantasy type world. Though not quite Tolkien in scope, my visions of Yes lyrics drifted more towards that realm than the author's view of eastern mysticism and a lot of influence via the book Siddhartha. But hey... to each their own.

The author does write a good deal about the CTTE tour and Yessongs which I also enjoyed.

The book on the whole unlocked a few treasures about the Band that I had not read before. There were certainly some items I had read about in the past but still... I found it all wonderfully enjoyable to read through again. If you have read a lot about Yes then maybe there is less here than I am familiar with, but none-the-less, it was a great reading experience about a band that I have thoroughly enjoyed most of my life.

[Mark Barry · Rating 4 out of 5]

"...Total Mass Retain..."

Close To The Edge: How Yes's Masterpiece Defined Prog Rock by WILL ROMANO
(2017 Backbeat Book)

I've been pouring over Will Romano's book for about a fortnight now and there's both good news and bad - with the bad being largely out of his control and the good news outweighing annoying omissions.

At the age of 58 (I'm 59 this September) - I'm probably one of the old gits this New York writer has aimed his book at. Romano has already penned a book on the subject of Progressive Rock - "Mountains Come Out Of The Sky: The Illustrated History Of Prog Rock - Prog Rock FAQ" - and I've heard good things about that. He's also scribed a Blues tome (a fave subject of mine as well) - "Big Boss Man: The Life & Music Of Bluesman Jimmy Reed". So he's not new to this malarkey...

"Close To The Edge: How Yes's Masterpiece Defined Prog Rock" is published by Backbeat Books in oversized paperback - 288-pages of seriously in-depth detail about a September 1972 album that amazed then - and is still making jaws drop 45 years later in 2017. It had only three tracks - one of which was of course the 18-minute 4-part "Close To The Edge" suite on Side 1. The others over on Side 2 were "And You and I" (4-parts at just under eleven minutes) and "Siberian Khatru" at just under ten minutes. It had taken months to rehearse and record and cemented the rep given them of adventurous Rock with "The Yes Album" and "Fragile" from either end of 1971.

Centered are 12-pages of photos - but only one of the cover – no rear, no inner gatefold, no inner bag? For an album that was so dominated by Roger Dean's artwork - especially the inner painting and the beautifully CTTE scripted lyric bag - it's absence here gives you no insight into what the actual LP looked like - that whole tactile thing. I dare say Romano and Backbeat couldn't get clearance from Dean to reproduce that inner sleeve that so many of us poured over back in the day (I even copied the writing into my schoolbooks) or even show the other three unused RD paintings that turned up for our titillation on the Steve Wilson Remixed 'Panegyric' reissues of 2013 (CD and BLU RAY).

He does reproduce the American A-side label for Atlantic SD 19133 - but sloppily it's a late 70s pressing with the corporate Warner Brothers logo and not an American original. Besides - where's the British original LP label for such a very British band - the Orange and Yellow variant of Atlantic K 50012? The other photos are of band members - the sadly passed Bassist Chris Squire in a church choir as a child - an Atlantic Records 'Gold' LPs trade advert for 1972 and so. They’re good – but I think they missed a trick here by not having the actual artwork…

Impressively detailed reminiscences come from Engineer Eddy Offord, lead singer Jon Anderson, keyboard-whiz Rick Wakeman and everyone else who was key to the project. There are histories of each player (Wakeman with The Strawbs - Bruford with King Crimson etc) - the torturous recording process where certain tracks ended up in a bin by mistake - the endless layers on layers - Steve Howe's amazing guitar playing - Wakeman the same.

This is a good book on an album that actually bears up to this level of scrutiny. It’s just a shame that the very thing that turned us on (as much as the awesome music did) - isn't here – how it looked - the visuals. Fans will know what I mean…

But the best compliment I can pay "Close To The Edge" the book is that it made me want to drag out my Steve Wilson Remastered CD reissue again. And as those 'climb clear of the morning' lyrics and gorgeous acoustic guitar themes kicked in on "And You And I" - not for the first time with this groundbreaking record - I shed a little Proggy tear.

Nice one Will...

[Erik Heter · Rating 5 out of 5]

As preliminary note, if you are not a Yes fan or at least a fan of early 70's progressive rock, then this book is not for you. If you are, however, there is a wealth of insight to be had into one of progressive rock's greatest works.

Author Will Romano provides the background to both Yes and the progressive rock scene in general, including the London music scene of the late 60's from which both sprang. The development and evolution of Yes as a band is covered in just the right amount of detail as well. Thereafter, the book jumps headfirst into the meat of the discussion the composition, recording, and packaging of Close to the Edge.

Subsequent chapters dive into the impact of Close to the Edge and Yes in general. Included is a chapter on the departure of drummer Bill Bruford shortly after completing the album, something which would affect a number of bands in the genre and have ripples into the next decade. The impact of Yes on other musicians and bands is discussed at length as well. These later chapters are excellent, and might even exceed those in the middle that are focused on the subject proper of the book.

All in all, this was a very enjoyable read, and I would highly recommend it to any Yes fan or general fan of progressive rock from that era.

[Stuart · Rating 5 out of 5]

A case could be made that this is the quintessential progressive rock record. This book makes that case. So many new things to listen for after reading the book. The influence of Wendy Carlos' "Sonic Seasonings" and Mahavishnu Orchestra to the tape loops supposedly running throughout side 1 not just the intro and outro, to the sitar guitar to the Oms and Ahs to the Balinese influence of the Monkey Chant on Siberian Khatru. I first heard this when I made the switch from AM to FM. A radio DJ played it as part of a retrospective after they had "broken up" and there was talk of Squire & White forming with Page & Plant to form XYZ (ex-Yes/Zep). The nature sound recordings that open the record captivated me, Jon Anderson's voice was nothing like I'd heard and the scatter plot playing of Bruford, Squire, Howe and Wakeman still amazes. As a kid Relayer was my favorite but I can see Close To The Edge as the apex of Yes and of Prog.

[A · Rating 4 out of 5]

A fascinating book about one of the most important albums in rock history. It gives an introduction of the 60's and 70's environment, later to describe Yes' beginnings, to later describe in detail how CTTE was written recorded and the subsequent tour. It also interestingly describe Bruford and Wakeman's departures, their reasons and some of the consequences of those events. I also enjoyed the creation of the album art by Roger Dean as well, since it was a fundamental part of the album.

The author's interpretation of the lyrics seem a bit too liberal for me, but I think it is a license the author took. Another thing that bothered me was that the text in the book is not justified, I don't think it should annoy me that much, but it does. Finally, I felt the epilogue was a bit unnecessary and out of the scope of the book.

Overall, it is well written and well documented and I would recommend it to anyone interested in rock history and progressive rock in particular.

[Matthew Lederman · Rating 2 out of 5]

This album was an important one for me in my teen years. It was one of the first CDs I ever bought. And though I listen to it less these days, i still think it is a magnificent musical achievement, and it influences me creatively to this day.

This book, while extremely enthusiastic and written by someone with almost too much knowledge and ideas about the album, is at many times a rambling mess. Yes - you get snippets of interviews and a lengthy discussion of what went down when Bruford quit the band. But you also get lots of irrelevant theories, asides, tangents that take the reader away from the story of the album itself. Which is a pity because I’m sure it could have been organized and edited in a much more engaging way.

It’s an entertaining read and great for fans. But in the realm of critical music writing, this comes off as a fanboy writing about his favorite album of all time.

[Edward · Rating 3 out of 5]

While Romano has done a good job of scouring what sources there are to piece together the history around this album, it fails to come together in a way that takes you inside the process. That lack of new information leads to a fair amount of historical backstory, and well as a number of tangents and conjecture that really stray from the story of CTTE. I also found the writing to be lacking in parts: a good edit would have served the boom well. Still as a yes fan I give the book three stars, mostly for the research.

[Cat · Rating 4 out of 5]

Really don't know what else to rate the book. I'm not a huge fan of Yes, but have enjoyed their music through the years. They were an interesting band back in the 70's and sparked lots of debate among me and my friends. I'm thinking diehard fans of Yes are going to enjoy reading this book and debating it's merits a great deal more then me, based on reviews I've read. But it was a fun trip down memory lane for me!
I received a Kindle ARC in exchange for a fair review from Edelweiss.

[David Cushman · Rating 4 out of 5]

Interesting history with some unabashed speculation on lyric content, but overall kept me very engaged. Early band history, commentary on members, interviews and a bit of music composition thrown in make this book a must read for die-hard Yes fans.

[Jonathan · Rating 3 out of 5]

Doesn’t measure up to the album, not even remotely.

[Shawn Persinger · Rating 2 out of 5]

Slow, too speculative and subjective, with no genuine insights.