Yes - Close to the Edge (1972)

clutnuckle · 09-19-2010, 08:56 PM

Close to the Edge has always been one of those albums that I just knew was brilliant. To shed some light on that, I got this album along with an Aerosmith Greatest Hits album and Tool's 10,000 Days for my XXth birthday, and I immediately was in love with all three. Then I ditched Aerosmith. And soon after I considered Tool's Lateralus to be much more profound on every level, and I swayed away from 10,000 Days too. But it didn't matter how many other Yes albums I checked out, or even contemporary artists of Yes -- Close to the Edge always sounded bloody brilliant. Objectively now, sure, I can find a few faults that 'bug' me, but it's nothing that could ever jepoardize its position in my eyes. Its structure (both as a whole and in its 3 smaller parts) is mindbogglingly air-tight. The way that "Close to the Edge" juggles such intensities and such calms, constantly pushing back and forth is honestly not that easy.

It truly is written with the intent and grace of a symphony; The recurring themes, the different sections (allegros, andantes, etc.), the dynamics/subtleties, and the overall feeling of a massive statement. The ambitiousness of this album can not be overstated, and the fact that it follows through on those ambitions is surprising enough...

edit: When it comes to prioritizing quality, make sure to get this one in at least 320 kbps. Yes, you can appreciate it if it were at a lower bitrate and some people find audiophiles like myself a bit overbearing... But some of the nuances here just won't be found otherwise.

View Poll Results: How would you rate Close to the Edge in this poll?
Horrible!	0	0%
Bad	0	0%
Mediocre	3	4.62%
Good	3	4.62%
Very Good	14	21.54%
Brilliant!	45	69.23%
Voters: 65. You may not vote on this poll

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09-19-2010, 08:56 PM	#11 (permalink)
clutnuckle Music Addict Join Date: Sep 2009 Location: -_-_-_-_~__~-~_-`_`-~_-`-~-~ Posts: 1,276	Close to the Edge has always been one of those albums that I just knew was brilliant. To shed some light on that, I got this album along with an Aerosmith Greatest Hits album and Tool's 10,000 Days for my XXth birthday, and I immediately was in love with all three. Then I ditched Aerosmith. And soon after I considered Tool's Lateralus to be much more profound on every level, and I swayed away from 10,000 Days too. But it didn't matter how many other Yes albums I checked out, or even contemporary artists of Yes -- Close to the Edge always sounded bloody brilliant. Objectively now, sure, I can find a few faults that 'bug' me, but it's nothing that could ever jepoardize its position in my eyes. Its structure (both as a whole and in its 3 smaller parts) is mindbogglingly air-tight. The way that "Close to the Edge" juggles such intensities and such calms, constantly pushing back and forth is honestly not that easy. It truly is written with the intent and grace of a symphony; The recurring themes, the different sections (allegros, andantes, etc.), the dynamics/subtleties, and the overall feeling of a massive statement. The ambitiousness of this album can not be overstated, and the fact that it follows through on those ambitions is surprising enough... edit: When it comes to prioritizing quality, make sure to get this one in at least 320 kbps. Yes, you can appreciate it if it were at a lower bitrate and some people find audiophiles like myself a bit overbearing... But some of the nuances here just won't be found otherwise.