This song demands your full attention, somewhere quiet. I will be listening again, and again!

Yep, the studio version of this song is unmatched, a masterpiece of prog rock. Best musician lineup ever and best prog rock ever. What else needs to be said. The two songs on the other side are classics as well.

Close To the Edge is the Gold Standard of Progressive Rock. It just doesn't get any better than this.

The Holy Grail of YES Also the BEST Lineup Anderson Bruford Wakeman Squire & Howe

"Close your eyes and listen." As most of us Yes fans well know, Yes music requires the listener to immerse themselves, with repeated listenings, and within the privacy of one's own head; therefore to allow the music to carry you on a journey within one's own soul. With Peace and Love to all! (Michael)

That chaotic intro gives you a real good feel for the genius that is Yes. Squire is going nuts on bass, Bruford builds his own path on those drums, Wakeman adds his own chaos on the keys, while Howe on the guitar just jams like a mad man. Yes has always been known as a group of some of the most talented players/songwriters ever. In my book, one of the greatest bands ever formed in any genre.

The best way to enjoy harmony is after dissonance. There is no harmony without dissonance. The opening (nature and chaos) always reminds me of The Rite Of Spring by Stravinsky. And the "cave" part is indeed beautiful, it pulls you in.

I bought this album when I was in Junior High School back in 1975. It changed my whole musical landscape from that point on. I love watching first reactions to this song, as it's the closest I'll ever get to reliving that moment. Thank you for this!

You've just listened to the greatest song ever written by the greatest band to ever do it! This song will take you on a journey every time you listen to it.🤩

As a 11 Year old I stayed at my older cousins home and looked through his record collection which was full of Yes, Status Quo and Queen. The cover of Close to the Edge caught my eye and I listened to Side 1, wow was totally blown away as never knew music like this even existed. I thank my cousin David for introducing me to the rabbit hole of Prog.

I will be 70 years old in October and was around when it first came out. It still gives me Goosebumps and Chills. One of my all time Favorites. It surely is a Masterpiece.

The connection of the two main themes as the song comes to a climax is genius.

I first heard this in '74 when I was 12 on my brothers stereo at 1500 watts, I was wiping tears from my eyes, as Jon was telling me his deepest thoughts, and I was experiencing Gods composition.

I guarantee the more you listen, the more you hear. Eventually, you dissect all the incredible interconnected interwoven mastery and the links within the entire composition. 50 years later, I still notice new wonders. I listen to it regularly and never tire.

I didn't find out until recent years that Jon Anderson was inspired by Hermann Hesse's book Siddhartha which is about the life of Buddha in writing this song. That made a lot of sense to me because I had just read Siddhartha a few weeks before I bought this album and heard it for the first time. I too find this song puts me into a meditative state.

Love that you’re back to Yes! The best prog song (from your live poll last spring) should’ve been CTTE, in my humble opinion. I understand Roundabout’s appeal though.

The greatest song ever written.

One of, if not The most wonderful masterpieces by Yes.

Glad you got around to this one. Definitely follow up with side 2 either all in one take or separately. The whole album is a vibe. A true prog classic 💚

Yes 👍💪🤙

YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES !!!!!!

Great to see your appreciation for this!!! I was fortunate to Yes on this Close to the Edge tour in 1973. An experience of a lifetime!! Again, great reaction!!

In 2027 I will have been listening to this and all the other Yes songs for 50 years. Have also seen them live in one incarnation or another since 1978. I heard the 'Going For The One' album in its entirety on KMET (Los Angeles) in 1977. I ran out and purchased it immediately. Purely pleasurable and awesome experiences in every way.

A lot of Yes songs have the same build, they state a theme and then explore that theme multiple times, changing time and adding instruments and additional orchestration, to finally arrive at the final product, the ultimate version of the theme.

Great reaction! This one truly does bend space and time! Thanks~

I first listened to this song in the dark with headphones on almost 50 years ago. It was exactly what I needed to hear at the perfect time. Words would only degrade the impact this song had on me. I return to it often and it has always given me peace and serenity. One of my favorite things to do is to watch someone listen to it for the first time. Salvo, you were fascinating to watch. This song never gets old.

Finally! I’ll be all over this once the kids are asleep. I knew you’d get here. I hope you like it once I can hear it ❤😊

Hey Salvo, loved your reaction and definitely agree that meditative part is sooo transporting. When you hear the single drops of water like you’re in a cave. As a youth I loved this album. Never understood the lyrics but was sure they hinted at something profound and deep. Each additional listen will bond you to this masterpiece. It was so satisfying for me to have listened to it enough times where I knew it well before seeing the band perform it live and being able to anticipate and follow along perfectly! Incredible music and experience!

I love this album. It's in my collection. I've seen YES 4 times. They put on an excellent show.

I heard this song when it first came out, so here's my take on the lyrical/musical message of the song: Anderson said the lyrics were inspired by Hermann Hesse's 1922 novel "Siddhartha", which charts a journey of self-discovery and spiritual realisation, so... It opens with the peaceful sounds of nature, followed by the chaos of individual life in human society, the search for spiritual enlightenment, the notion that it cannot be found in human society ("Then according to the man who showed his outstretched arm to space, He turned around and pointed, revealing all the human race, I shook my head and smiled a whisper, knowing all about the place"), and ending with the sounds of nature one again (the Buddhist idea of enlightenment as being one with nature). The end of the journey (as you alluded to) was thus there at the beginning, all along. Yet although the author has attained that higher spiritual plane, they are still physically bound to the material reality of their lower, Earthly existence; so as seasons pass by: I get up, I get down.

This is meditation. Your mind, soul, spirit. This is a direct line to you and you will listen to it again and again, finding more of yourself each time. Enjoy the journey.

It's so fun listening with someone!

Chris Squire's bass is absolute perfection. I remember the first time I got to watch him live in 1974 in Milwaukee, he was mesmerizing! You are so missed, Chris, but God must have needed a kickass bass player for Heaven's band.

To me, fresh classic prog was mother's milk. But one day, circa '75, I had what I call a near-life experience where I found myself close to the edge of life and death, and there was a river which flowed on to who knows where but which was somehow a source of life and creativity and the wonders. I felt I could surrender to the river, but would have to leave this world and chums behind, so I turned to a chum and said I don't want to go, and he said: You don't have to go. And another in the circle of friends, said, "You look different. There's a glow." Or something very similar. The Seventies were like that. In time I would associate it with the Tao and other vibes, and only later realize its connection with this song, Nodi Re, the river, and Siddhartha. Great song, band and review.

Thank you sir for patiently waiting to react to this wondrousness. :-) You put a good amount of listening in to these chaps. Way more rewarding I think. Thanks again!

Best prog rock album..ever

My 1st of 20+ Yes concerts was in 1972 when Wakeman's keyboard made it rain dust in the Spectrum...Culminating with meeting Chris Squire in the parking lot of a concert of a local park in 2013. He invited me to sit onstage!

I totally agree with you, I love the ambient section in the cave. I see shafts of light punching through the darkness and hearing those drops of water falling, is amazing.

Exactly it's a piece of art!!!

Masterpeace!

ROUNDABOUT! One of their best!

Music can paint a wonderful picture in the minds eye... go with it & explore the emotions on display & invoke.

Thanks to two older brothers, I grew up listening to all this music. It was a great time to be alive, musically. As to you comment about meditation, imagine smoking a joint or maybe partaking in some mushrooms to acid., sitting back and listening to Close to the edge. Some might say such music is designed for such experiences. Peace!

Repeated listenings are a must! Much of rock music you can enjoy without paying much direct attention to it. In contrast, YES sought to produce masterpieces that are so densely packed with complexity, you really must listen again & again to hear all that you missed in previous listenings. The complexity they were always so bold as to attempt is featured in Wakeman's final organ solo (which you replayed) where Squire & Bruford are laying down a groove that grabs your soul while at the same time Wakeman is flying through one of his most impressive organ solos ever. Because of the way Eddy Offord mastered the mix, you are forced to listen to both simultaneously with your jaw dropping down to the floor. They did the same thing in Roundabout after they drive into Wakeman's (& Howe's) final solos but both are set against another melodic & monstrous Squire/Bruford groove. Every time I listen to those sections, it blow me away how they actually pulled off blending together two different melodic presentations at the same time A couple of yrs ago, another popular reaction dude Jamel AKA Jamal declared CTTE to be the greatest song he had ever heard, & even produced a special VID declaring his discovery to his audience, some fifty years after it was recorded. *One hundred years from now* first listeners will have the same reaction because it really is a timeless masterpiece. Thanks for checking it out! (& yes, that opening dissonant section was all to set up the listener for the *release* they'll feel when it suddenly gives way to melody. As you've noticed, one of the things those guys sought to do was create moods/emotions in the listener as they take you on a journey. *The Gates Of Delirium* is yet another outstanding example of this...)

They don't make music like this in this century, that is for sure. Prog Rock classic and one of the best sides of music in any genre. Just enjoy it, so much is going on it can be magnificently overwhelming. They were just on another level. For another amazing side of prog, do Tarkus by ELP. Same deal, it is the title track and takes up a whole side. You will be in a similar stage of awe after hearing it. Great stuff, enjoy! 🎵🎹🎤🎸🎶

I used to listen to Close to the Edge out i the middle of the woods tripping back i the 70s.

U prob.will listen to this many times for the rest of your days, just like many of us. And never have enough.

All right! Some Yes!

My FAVORITE YES song! The whole album is amazing! So glad you listened! So beautiful and complex! Love it! Thanks!

The beautiful thing about YES music is that each time you listen to a song, you get something new from it. Loved your reaction...look forward to more YES classics! Greatest prog group ever!

Can you even imagine how hard it was to get through college back in the '70s, having to always be in the right "frame of mind" to hear this kind of stuff, no matter what time of day? It wasn't easy, lemme tell ya.

Great reaction! And YES do re-listen. I've been re-listening to CTTE for 45+ years. Lol. A masterpeice! Side 2 is spectacular too...

In the book Siddhartha, the protagonist, one of many spiritual lessons he learns is that the river is perpetually teaching and the wise man he meets claims to have been gaining knowledge and wisdom his whole life from a single master ; the river... I think this whole piece of music was meant to have taken place in an instant...a profound millisecond of reality, Brahma opens and then closes once and we are back into Vishnu's dream...

Never heard this song before. You must have some musical genes in you to appreciate this kind of music. Thank you.

This album should affect the rest of your life. Once listened to, and again and again until you have the lyrics pretty well down, you'll never forget it. I first heard this in 1973 when I was in high school, and it's been with me for 50 years now. Which pretty much blows my mind. And, 50 years from now it should still be a part of Your soul. The interpretation and lyrics are based on a 1922 novel called Siddhartha, by Hermann Hesse, about a young man in India who leaves home to find meaning in life. Actually, I just bought the book, it was delivered two days ago. I hope to start reading it this week. Everyone will have suggestions as to to what to listen to next, personally, I think you should start out with something like Fragile, even Close to the Edge can be intense for the uninitiated. However there is an album called Relayer, and the song is The Gates of Delirium, when you're ready - where a gentleman in Russia named Igor Kovtun, has done a lyric and visualization video that absolutely blew my mind. It is about war, so it is violent, but then, so is the music. He also did a video for Close to the Edge which I thought was superb. This band has very deep meaning for more people than I imagine they ever expected. They are not listened to, but experienced.

I saw them in concert in 1984 with the 90125 tour at 18 years old. It was the first concert I ever went to. I really only knew a couple of their popular songs at that time. During the concert, I realized that I had heard a lot of their other songs, and really liked them. That started me down the rabbit hole. When I sat down and really listened to Close to the Edge, and I was blown away. I love watching reaction videos of people hearing this song for the first time. People that I would never expect are seriously moved by it. I’m glad I’m not the only one.

The best prog rock song ever recorded, period. It gets even better with each listen.

Lo, the path I tread is laid by a cloak of stars This time hit me harder than before. Thanks that I could share this again. 37 years and on we go for eternity It’s largely the story of Buddha but to say that is to limit it. The band refer to “that section” as the ocean part.❤❤❤❤

The opening is like a call to the auditorium, the opening of an opera or symphonic presentation: time to smoke your last doobie and get to your seat before the lights dim and the main thrill begins...

Adding to the other comments…YES played this perfectly live!

Great reaction 🙂,both visually and audibly 👍 🤔 1st listen is like a man’s life,then as you delve it’s just stunning really.

"Season's will pass you by......" They sure do. :D

YES paved the way for so many, many other artists. I feel that "Progressive" is a misnomer. Each of these amazing people heard things that we didn't and they brought those sounds to life. Having had the privilege of seeing them in concert back in the day gave me a clear understanding of what they were all about.

Yay! My favorite yes song. Of course, I say that about a lot of their songs. This is epic. Live and recorded versions

You should sail on to the "Tales from Topographic Oceans" next! The soundscapes that YES create are like no other. 😀

You have graduated! This song is my mantra.

When they played the part you describe as "in a cave" live. There was fog rolling off the stage that made it look like they were standing in a waterfall. Amazing show. Greatest band ever!

THE GREATEST SONG OF ALL TIME

Steve Howe: We were quite fortunate in that we could do whatever we wanted. We didn’t really have any kind of outside pressure to follow up a hit. I think, fundamentally, we were helped by the fact that Yes wasn’t a singles band. Obviously, ‘Roundabout’ launched our previous album, and that was all well and good, but we seemed to disregard that fact. Yes were now established, and we felt like Close to the Edge didn’t need a single. If we wanted to do a 10-minute song or even something that was longer, we could do it. And as it turned out, there were stations, particularly in America, that would play the longer songs. We lucked out. Yes had done some shows with the Mahavishnu Orchestra. Jon and I were knocked away; we felt they were the most remarkable band since the Beatles. They were totally different, and nobody can really top the Beatles, but as far as pure musicality goes, Mahavishnu was just so impressive. That’s why Close to the Edge starts with a kind of manic presentation. You wouldn’t expect a song or album ranting and blaring away for three or four minutes. I can only look back in amazement that we were able to do some of that. But we did ... So that intro then spawned the whole idea of a thematic approach-the musical themes that come in and out of the track. The lyrical phrase ‘Close to the edge, down by the river’ was originally about the River Thames! But Jon converted that into the river of life, which was a wonderful thing ... Jon and I really had a certain magic going on at that time. Of course, a lot of credit goes to the general collective of the arranging style of the members of Yes when we were together ... we had a good idea of what the group was about and this was one of our most cohesively recorded albums ... and dare I say, I think we broke new ground. You never know how something is going to be perceived as you’re recording an album. So 50 years on, it’s incredible to see the long life it’s had ... and to see it being voted best prog album of all time, it’s all very delightful. - GuitarPlayer and Guitar World

One of my favorite albums still.

Oh now you have completed the whole album, "Close To The Edge" on your channel. You have reacted to: "Close To The Edge", "And You and I", and "Siberian Khatru"...that's the whole album.

The craziest thing about this is these guys were in their mid-20s when they wrote and first performed the song. I’m with you. I can’t put it into words, but the song really does something to me. Some parts really challenge you and are almost difficult to listen to but some are the most beautiful sounds I’ve heard. I think of it as like life. As a baby, everything seems chaotic since you can’t control anything. Later, you see beauty, have hard times, have pleasant times, and in the end, return to nature.

……one of my prize possessions…..I have an original pressing of this album (Mint condition) I have 2 others that I play so it stays mint “YES” 🔥❤️🔥❤️🔥❤️🔥❤️🔥❤️🔥❤️🔥❤️🔥❤️🔥❤️

I will never forget listening to this song in full on a ten hour drive. I swear to god I listened to this song three times in a row to pick on every minute detail. It’s just that good.

Ladies and gentlemen Chris Squire and Yes the greatest show on earth. Now you know. Actually the best place to hear this is in the middle of the lake floating peacefully.

We had a mall open in 1972 and I got a few albums at the Woolco store for $1.72. Close To The Edge, Fragile, Guitar Man, Harvest and Seventh Sojourn. I got to know this album very well and it is great! 'And You And I' is also a great song.

Fantastic summing up...

It's a journey from chaos to harmony.

A masterpiece!

I get Up!!! I get Down!!! is the message of the song.....where this is journey of humankind......Starting out in paradise even out of the wound of the woman....then we are place in the world of struggle and chaos where we get up our triumph over struggles and we get down in the valley struggles and problems.......and we as humanity are always Close to the edge of the real paradise mentioned in ancient books....where we are transformed into higher beings....and that is all they are saying...that we as humans are close to connecting to that reality....and when we do....we will cross the river of this life to eternal reality or paradise. In 1972 all my friends had the same conclusion...and we would laugh many times.....because we knew this life of pains and struggles and ups and downs was the school preparing us for the next Life...The Eternal one. I will send us the whole album(remastered)....and listen to it 2 or 3 times and you will get it. Thanks for answering my request!!!!

YES and PINK FLOYD: a trancendantal and meditative experience. Never surpassed, never equalled. References. [NB: You wish to pursue the YES experience, then I suggest: "The Gates Of Delirium" and "The Revealing Science of God (Dance Of The Dawn)".]

Awesome reaction man! I'm not sure if you may have done this one already, but the last epic the classic Yes lineup wrote was "Awaken" off the Going for the One album in '77. CTTE is my favorite song but Awaken definitely rivals it. Would love to see your reaction to it!

Salvo ... keeping it real 💯

You said what I've been saying since I first heard it.... The first time you hear. CTTE you experience it, then you have to go back and listen to it. Its like a great movie where as it progresses it's sucking you into a timeless reality. Then when it's over you need a few moments to come back to the present. The interesting part. Is, I saw an interview with Bruford in which he's stated - we got lucky, three quarters of the way in, no one knew how it was going to end.

sAlvo-- if you enjoy expanded musical concepts like this, you should check int o the modern day prog genius,Neal Morse. He's been around now for over twenty years and counting,with his bands Spock's Beard. Then solo. But he also has albums with his other bands Transatlantic,Flying Colors and The Neal Morse Band. Much awesome music to discover. He melds the styles of Yes,Genesis,ELP,Kansas,Rush,and even later Beatles into his material,effortlessly. May I suggest one of his epics..Alive Again,from the NMB album The Grand Experiment. You'll be blown away,I promise. Nothing out there touches the majesty of Neal's work. Cheers, T

You seem like one of the nicest people.

I recommend listening to the song from the album Yessongs (live) as well. The sound quality is not 100%, but in the live version the song sounds much more organic and dynamic to me. In addition, the arrangement has been refined again. (especially the last two parts) Is it worth a try? kzfaq.info/get/bejne/kMmbgMqVsb_OdJc.html Have fun

The chaotic intro plays a part of the artistic expression of the piece. Its the introduction of mankind in this theater. They did that aswell on the intro of ¨The revealing science of god¨. These vulcanic sounds did not fit on the vynil record physically but were later reintroduced on the ¨digital¨ version. Actually it fits the evolutionary principle of the development of life which is odd because Jon Anderson is a creationist. But I might be wrong.

Yeah. A masterpiece. Yeah. Really the whole album.

in college, i used to play this song on repeat to help me sleep//// now that i think about it.... i might start doing that again

I was 16, first listening to yes. „close to the edge“ to listen now is like a timemachine which drives me back to this very interesting experience. Therefore and now i love it. Music was a happening and could take much more time than today is usual. You took time to listen. Thank you for listening and introducing this good music 👍

now you need to listen to it live

I seen them in concert in 1976 and it was awesome to see and hear them place this epic song

Saw Yes live four times

So glad you reacted to this. Its epic and magnificent ❤

First time I heard this was in my class. Arts and science in like year 8, as a 12 year old or something. The lesson was: To know a book by its cover. What would you expect to hear from seeing this cover. Blew my mind

Yes!

yes were very clever at switching the brain receptors on by throwing all the notes and sounds at you randomly that you were going to hear later on then they organise it slowly that it all became recognisable THEN the journey begins YES has always been my no 1 group albums were awesome but live concerts were another level {:-) PAV UK

I was 18, just out of high school in the early 70's. I had heard the radio edit of Roundabout, so when I saw this LP at K-Mart (LP's were so cheap!) I bought it. I didn't have headphones so i would lay down between the speakers. For a Hispanic teen from the dusty California central valley, this song was an escape into another world. I played it over and over. I'm almost 70 and it's still on my playlist.

A genius album...❤