Alan White on drums there. Bill Bruford quit the band right before the tour. They recruited Alan to join them and he had to learn all the material in 3 days. He stayed with the band for 50 years until his death last year.

Close to the Edge...you are in for a treat!!!

The greatest musicianship of any rock band in history.

Steve Howe was just a young dude at this time, along with all the other musical geniuses on that stage. The talent is immense and only got better with age. To me, this group of men was the true Yes.

The crazy thing about Steve Howe is he is playing a Gibson ES 175, an absolute beast of a guitar, the thing is huge and not the easiest to play. He barely uses any gain or distortion to cover any mistakes. He is hands down a top 10 guitar player of all time. Great job!

The intro was just them improvising. With all the great guitarist's in the 70's, Steve Howe won guitar player of the year multiple times. dude rocks! You should hear the studio version... amazing stuff! The studio version captures the bass and the whole mix so much better. The Yes Album, the first with Steve Howe on guitar, is their first of a string of classics! Glad you're doing these videos! Thx!

When Chris is really feelin' it. He gives us that pirouette.

Steve Howe is a world class chet atkins finger picker, I suggest you listen to his acoustic song Clap. Also, while all the other guitarists at the time were listening to the american black blues players, Howe was learning the rock-a-billy players from the early 1950s, that's why you don't hear him bending many notes. To be able to play both styles you need to develop a mastery of the fret board. So many of his parts pcomes straight out of the chet atkins playbook where's in finger picking the thumb plays the bass line under the melody, he leaves that out so that Squire can provide the bass lines. It was a brilliant formula and Squire was the perfect bass player to make it work. In close to the edge Howe throws down some great licks made possible by his acoustic guitar finger picking knowledge. He also approached his guitar parts as an equal instrument in the composition, Yes wasn't guitar centric as most other rock bands. They crafted their compositions more like a classical composer would. This afforded them almost limitless creativity because they weren't constrained to writing songs around some catchty guitar riff.

After seeing YES live for the first time in the mid-70s, my life literally changed forever. They blow me away still. Never missed a tour thru Dallas. Met and hung out a few times in the 80s and 90s, and literally couldn’t talk, especially around Jon. It’s been 4 years since I had the honor of hanging with Howe. I told him how Yes changed my life. He said he hoped it was for the better. I said well, I listen while I meditate before torturing people. Of course I was joking, and he actually laughed. Saw them in October, my pal Billy Sherwood is on bass, but Steve smiled at me 3 times. Mid 60s with cobalt blue hair…probably thought I was just odd. They are all so nice. Every member thru the years!

Capes are for superheroes which is why Wakeman and Squire are wearing them. The other guys left theirs in the dressing room.

As others have mentioned, this is Alan White on drums. There's a very distinctive difference between their playing. Bill's set is tuned very tightly, and during his term with Yes, he started hitting the rim of the snare to cut through Chris's bass tone. He mentions this on the YesYears video from way back in 1989. Alan was more of a rock drummer, and came from John Lennon's Plastic Ono Band previous to joining Yes. He plays on Lennon's hits Imagine and Mind Games, among others. People have said he's one of the first to pave the way for how prog rock drums should sound. Don't forget to check out Relayer. That one was inspired by Mahavishnu Orchestra while they were touring together in the early 70s. Crazy stuff.

YESSONGS you hear YES totally unplugged and straight Raw Progressive YES! With their great musicianship, and harmonized vocals!

To all the old folks out there, remember going to the Midnight Movies to see Yessongs? All the cool people would go in various states of mind. Then actually seeing them live. I wore my black concert T-shirt from my first Yes show so often it fell apart...

Yeah! I have seen them four times LIVE! put them on your bucket list.

You know how stupid Rolling Stone is when they don't put Steve Howe in their top 50 guitarists lists. The dude literally won the Best Overall Guitarist readers poll award 5 years in a row for Guitar Player magazine. They had to retire him from the award to give others a chance. Oh, and he did this during 1977-1981, which was the height of Eddie Van Halen bowing people's minds.

A Heads-Up Preview of *Close To The Edge:* Understand that this isn't _just_ a song. It's one of the most audaciously *_ambitious_* musical creations ever attempted by any "rock" band, and by God, *they nailed it.* It's a musical journey that they take you on. Opening with a pleasant ethereal stream of...nature sounds?...it explodes into a stunning cacophony of competing instruments that immediately confuses you, but as it develops, you notice that it does have structure. If finally reaches a crescendo and then...you discover what all THAT was all about: it was to set up the next mood, a very welcoming review of the melodies that will be heard again and again. From that point on, they take you from one section to the next, always changing the presentation to keep your undivided attention. By the time you get to Total Mass Retain, you'll already be convinced that this is one of the greatest songs you've ever heard. From that point on, it just gets better in ways that amaze you. Understand, as with all of YES' ultimate masterpieces, they pack a hell of a lot of complexity into every moment, which you can't really give your sole attention to because of everything else you'll miss. The best approach on a first listen: focus on the bass and the vocals & then Eddy Offord (Sound Engineer) presents each of the key contributions of all the other musicians within the flow at the time when they are meant to be noticed in addition to the vocals & bass. Its that complexity that makes you go back to it again and again just to take in its magnificence, how they all played off each other with inspiration. For a long, long time, you'll notice at every listening something you never noticed before, how Bruford was doing this as Chris was doing this and Steve was doing this. It is almost universally judged as the single greatest Prog Rock creation of all time. Enjoy...

Steve Howe was voted best Guitarist 5 years in a row by Guitar Player Magazine. Hardly underrated. I have seen YES Live 9 times. They never disappoint.

They are BEST LIVE🎉❤😊 THIS IS MY FAVORITE ALBUM OF ALL TIME. ITS FABULOUS. I've see YES so many times its truly unexplainable. You just want more.❤😊

This song is the first one on their first album with Steve Howe on guitar. Basically says "Here I am, be amazed" with his playing. It pretty well set the pace for the rest of this incarnation of the band.

NO ONE rocks a cape like Wakeman! (Looking forward to CTTE!)

The YES ability is why I saw them so many times over the decades. First one being in 77-78 and the last in Nov. 2022. So far.

All the songs from this concert video have more of an edge than the studio counterparts. Howe especially plays like a man possessed.

Bill Bruford was the drummer on the original recording of this album but in this live performance Bill had already left the band and Alan White, a more rock oriented yet also talented drummer, succeeded Bill in the band. Bill had a very jazz and exploratory style in his playing - and he moved onto King Crimson in 1972 after recording Close to the Edge.

Bill Bruford (BROO-ferd) is one of my favorite drummers whose solo career is worth checking out, especially his fusion period in the late 1970s, as well as his jazz band Earthworks that was his focus for his last decades as a performer. You will eventually hear him with King Crimson and fall into another rabbit hole. Also, check out the jazz fusion band Brand X with Phil Collins on drums, my other favorite (prog) drummer. Euthanasia Waltz is a great tune. Before joining Yes, Alan White played drums on John Lennon's "Instant Karma" and "Imagine" and most of his 1971 album Imagine. Enjoy your prog journey!

This song was Howe's first in the band. It's natural that it would a showcase for him in particular.

Most rock guitarists cite blues guitarists as main influences. Steve cites jazz legend Wes Montgomery (famous for those octave parts you hear Steve using) and country finger-picking legend Chet Atkins as his main influences. So combining Steve's talent with those diametric influences is a big part of why he is so unique. Plus having those long-ass bony fingers sure doesn't hurt! I heard a rumor they used Steve's hands as a model for Golem's hands in Lord of the RIngs, but that could be BS, don't know... ;-) Oh, as others have mentioned that's Alan White, not Bill Bruford (Broo' ford, not bruff' ord). Bill played on the original album recording, but left soon after recording Close to the Edge to join King Crimson. Thanks for listening and sharing! Great choice going with the live version for this one! Peace from San Francisco

Youre so right about Howe. Greatest unknown guitarist of age. Prog pioneer. The band was like 5 superstars in one!

This is from the Yessongs movie. Great version of this song but you'll be blown away by the Yessongs album version. Must listen!

I totally understand your wanting to see them playing live but I highly recommend listening to the studio version of this song. They skipped an entire section in this live version. Also the panning of the guitar solo in the studio version is very cool!

This was their encore song on the Close to the Edge Tour - the intro was not part of the album track - Steve Howe's solo here and throughout the tour was amazing - there are eight live versions on official releases - each a bit different. I managed to see them twice on this tour a few months after this concert - quite amazing.

Yes, live is always a treat. When you add 'Yours Is No Disgrace' to your playlist however, it should be the studio version. There are so many fine nuances that you will hear and rely on in further listenings.

I'm on my knees begging you to do the studio version of CTTE. I agree with the others that the live versions just can't include everything going on and the crispness of the sound.

Steve was named guitarist of the year 4 years straight by guitar players magazine back in the 70's. Your more than ready for Close to the Edge. Awaken is also an long epic song spotlighting Rick Wakeman and should be on you short list.

It's Alan White on drums. This concert was in December 1972 at the Rainbow Theatre, London. Bruford left the band immediately after completing the recording and mixing of Close to the Edge in early July that year to join King Crimson. Alan White had three days to learn the repertoire before commencing a US tour.

I’ve watched your 3 reactions from the close to the edge album.....very thoughtful, musically educated responses, able to be objective in foreign material....just excellent. YES is one of my favs....saw their 1st US tour .....they shifted our consciousness in an LSD way....I’ve listened to them every week for 50 years.....always fresh yet familiar and joyful.

That section you asked about was definitely not in the studio track. Yes would often extend songs in the live setting ❤

Youre absolutely correct about Howes playing. All those styles in one package plus pedal steel on And You and I etc. Made a generation want to learn to play guitar. Saw em 3 times in mid to late 70s. Unbelievable! 18:13

While Bill Bruford performed on the album, he left the band to join King Crimson before the tour. Allan White is playing drums on this track. He stuck with the band for the duration. It is pretty amazing how well White was able to perform the entire Close to the Edge album (as well as the rest of the material) on 2 weeks practice time with the band. The guitar solo was extended beyond the original material. In real time Steve Howe got his respect. He was voted "best overall guitarist" in Guitar Player Magazine for 5 consecutive years. They retired him from consideration for the award, then I think Eddie Van Halen took over.

Each member is a virtuoso.

Steve was voted best guitar player in Guitar Player magazine 5 years in a row so don't feel too bad for him.

You should have seen Yes "in the round"... a round revolving stage with each player given a slice of pie and Anderson in the center on a slightly raised platform... coolest concert I ever saw... Coliseum in Vancouver...

Nobody phrases like the great Steve Howe. He has so many influences from Atkins to Montgomery to Smeck to Pass to Les Paul to Burrell and so on. His love and passion for all guitar styles is unparalleled. Great review!

Yes 💪💪 Steve Howe is the most versatile guitarist or anything string related instrument ever. Thx.

Bill Bruford departed for this tour. This is the first tour of Alan White in drums, who drummed for the band until his death in 2022. I love this version, but it cut an important part of the song for me that is present in the studio and the majority of live versions, a kind of acoustic interlude with lovely vocals. I hope you listen the studio version as well, is less rockier but more subtly in parts.

I hope you choose to do the studio version of Close to the Edge. Its phenomenal. The live versions are good but tend to lose the clarity of the overall vision that makes the song special. Then afterwards, ..do the live version.!! :)

Steve Howe is severely underrated. He is in my top 5 guitar players of all times.

This was near the end of Alan White's first tour with Yes. Prior to Yes Alan had worked with John Lennon, George Harrison, Denny Laine and Terry Reid.

That section was jamming out. Steve Howe is a legend. He was in a couple of supergroups like GTR

Hey Nic if you want to hear the hardest sounding Yes song check out South Side of the Sky. Most epic/spiritual Awaken

Completely agree on Steve Howe - he is my favorite guitarist - wait until you see the Relayer and Going for the One album to Steve on fire

So glad you are enjoying the YES journey! I got a chance to see them live in Toronto in 2002 with this same line-up - fantastic show! After you've immersed yourself in a bit more of this band, I suggest you start exploring King Crimson... Cheers!

I heard Mr Howe is self taught , which speaks to his talent.

The studio version is very good

Guitar Player magazine, (early 80s?) had the readers vote for "Best Overall Guitar Player". Steve Howe won five years in a row, such that, GP magazine created a new Hall of Fame, inducted Steve as first member. So then, basically asking readers, "okay, who is the Second best player after Steve"?

The intro here is very nearly identical to Deep Purple's version (or even Cream's original version) of the song 'I'm So Glad." It's hommage, I'd guess and a nice lead-in to a song that otherwise begins very abruptly.

Yes were some of the very best prog-rock musicians. One of my favs, but sometimes they seem to show-off more than care about the music. The lyrics are often meaningless. But yes, SO good. And very experimental and almost jazzy. Must have been great to hear live! Good review.

Excited for your close to the edge reaction 👍

The imperious Yes at the start of their incredble run of progs greatest albums up to Going for the One. You're only just getting started.So many classics for your enlightment. Love your enthusiasm keep up the good work with prog.

Thanks for your insight and attention to Howe. Self-taught genius. Unappreciated. His sound helped 13:35 define the band at this

Man... Steve is a Guitar's Angel ! Have a listen to "Beginnings" his first solo album !

Won’t get into the studio vs live debate. I’ll take Yes any way I can get them. Steve Howe is one of the GOATS. absolutely cannot wait for your CTTE listen.

I have always liked this live Yessongs version of the arrangement better than the original album version. And I like the Yessongs version of "All Good People" MUCH better. Aside from the fact that they were always great live, I think the addition of Wakeman on keyboards really helped.

Great reaction sir! BTW the original drummer's name is pronounced "Brew-ford" 👍

SH ...... SH ...... THE BEST EVER😂

I think Yes is always better in the studio albums because the production was such a key part of the sound. Of course they are great live, but not the same...

steve howe can extract some amazing sounds from an inocent plank

Glad you like it. 👍 Now do yourself a favor & listen to the *studio version.* While the live version is optically satisfying, it's severely lacking in sound quality. You don't have to react to it (though I'd love to see you notice the superior quality of the studio version) but at least listen to it for your own appreciation. You won't regret it...

Steve Howe, most well rounded guitar player in rock history. He can play convincingly in any style, a real student of guitar and music generally. Any serious guitarist ranks Howe up there with the very best...

Just saw Jon Anderson perform a concert with The Band Geeks, Jon is 78 and sounding in top form. This is a great jam song. Agree about Steve Howe, he rules. People talk about Eddie and others more, I think because in part because of image/rock star vibe/cool factor and Steve isn't like that. Some people play a little faster, but who cares, it's about the composition of the guitar and how is meshes with the band, etc, and Steve's creativity is endless and magical. Check out Chris Squires live solo on video.

No that super “solo” is not in studio version!❤

Bill Bruford was an inspiration to Neil Peart, along with many other drumming greats.🎶

So glad to see you continue on your YES journey, and there's so much more! Enjoy...

Please don't make the mistake of reacting to a live version of Close to the Edge first. Studio version first!!! You only get ONE chance at this first time listen to one of the very best musical experiences... ever....

Give a listen to the studio version of this song. It's great

One thing this song shows -- which was pretty standard for the early 70's -- was how bands would bring the audience into the performance as much as possible. Back then songs often had places where the band would try to get the crowd clapping or singing or just joining in somehow. The whole piano intro here is an example. I haven't seen younger metal bands do much of this, although the older ones still do. Well after he left Black Sabbath Ozzy Osbourne would always be working the crowd in his shows. Just a little tip. And don't feel too sorry for Steve Howe. He may be under-appreciated today, but he won the "Best Overall Guitarist" in Guitar Player magazine five years in a row (1977-1981) and in 1981 was the first rock guitar player inducted into the Guitar Player Hall of Fame. Steve's solo in YIND would change every night. They always followed a similar template, but he'd improvise pretty much whatever he wanted, which was also pretty standard for the early 70's. This isn't one of his best (the version on Yessongs blows it away), but you at least get a taste of it. Love the kid who loses it at 14:35. 😄

5 years best guitarist overall, they retired he's category, for others to win 😂, to good .Mr.Howe the best.

I wouldn't say Steve Howe is overlooked, but I get what you mean. It's more that Yes and progressive rock in general is overlooked, or just not considered by the main stream. Trust me, Steve Howe is very well respected, and highly regarded by musicians, and fans of this really great music!

I feel like Steve Howe was properly appreciated by the guitar world back in the day, but no question he was (and remains) vastly under-appreciated by the general public. No doubt because Yes wasn't really mainstream. You mentioned Eddie Van Halen. Van Halen was cranking out hits left and right, while Yes was creating prog masterpieces.

Joy to watch your reactions! Check out Focus Hamburger Concerto next. 20minute plus of instrumental blizz!

Alan white joined right before this tour with only 3 days to learn everything WOW! Enjoy I've seen Yes live many times from 1976-2011

Yessongs, the film, is great for SEEING Yes in their prime, but to HEAR a better live recording of "Yours Is No Disgrace"; check out the live album "Yessongs". And of course also the studio recording with Bill Bruford on "The Yes Album"! (As been pointed out below: here it's Alan White of Plastic Ono Band(!) fame on the drums. Maybe a "Instant Karma" reaction next? ;-)

this may be my fav band but i'm not a fan of Live at all, unless i'm there of course but i'm glad you enjoyed it. :)

STEVE STEVE HOWE the man with all the talented imagination and virtuoso cleverness who often awarded Best Guitarist still mainstream players got the nods Meanwhile CHRIS bass work it sorely diminished in the old recorded bad mix, but at the time, this was one of the most original and successful Live Concert recordings. Bill left before the tour started. That's ALAN WHITE

I have been saying it for decades. Steve Howe the most underrated guitarist in the history of rock. He is amazing. I was 14 when the YES Album came out in 1971 and have been a fan ever since. Almost 52 years now and counting. Get ready Bro “Close To The Edge” Greatest masterpiece in rock history.

if i was steve howe I'd throw my guitar down after that song and just go and dip my fingers in some ice cold water.

I actually prefer the live version at QPR in 1975. Not that this was in any way bad - I just think that one is better! And, nice reaction. I’ve just started seeing your stuff.

Live is great. But hope you get to try the original Album studio recording. Incredible. 🎶❤️🎶

Not the best sound quality but important for you to see that they could play these complicated pieces live and get an insight into how creative they were in the way they played as well as what they played. Glad you did this one. Now sit back, turn down all the lights and bathe in CTTE.

Yes with Bruford playing Yours Is No Disgrace live 1971 footage: kzfaq.info/get/bejne/jt6BY6tk3J60ZKc.html

Just a historical note: Bill left after completing the studio recording of Close To the Edge because he sensed this was YES' peak compositions and there was nothing to follow it up with. So he joined King Crimson with Robert Fripp!

If you're curious, here's a short interview with Steve talking about the making of _Yours is No Disgrace_ kzfaq.info/get/bejne/eZemqZae1NjaqGQ.html

Soooo, it’s been a really long time since I saw the video, but I’ve listened to the Yessongs recording of this at least 200 times. There are definitely pieces missing in the video, comparatively. It’s not awful, but the Yessongs album version is the complete interpretation, and should be listened to at some point to catch some missing transitions in the solo. I realize the video is actually a different recording (different show) but the last couple notes in the bridging are there, and I know there is a section (at least 1) that didn’t make the video cut. I prefer virtually all the live versions of the Yes album songs over the studio versions. But as mentioned by others, Perpetual Change benefits the most from the live interpretation.

That part up until the more heavy rock riff isn't really part of the song. The song starts with that staccato riff. Even though this song works out great live, I generally wouldn't advice you to start out with live versions when listening to progrock. There's just so much going on in prog music, so you need the best soundmix you can get to hear the whole picture. Especially when doing a first time listen.

When are you doing close to the edge?

It looks as though Alan White is on the drums and not Bill Bruford (pronounced Broo-ford). Bill left after "Close to the Edge". The "Yessongs" Live Album version is better than this videoed version, because Steve makes a few errors in the lead-up to his solo around 12 minutes in and the solo is clumsy by comparison). On the album "Yessongs", Bill plays on "Perpetual Change" with an impressive drum solo, as well as the stunning "Long Distance Runaround/The Fish". The Fish is an amazing Chris Squire bass "solo". I think that these were from the "Frigile" tour, that were added to "Yessongs". You really ought to (privately) listen to the version of "Yours Is No Disgrace" from the live album "Yessongs" (it is slightly different and a lot better than this version that you watched/reacted to). I enjoyed your reaction to this though! And Steve made-up the whole middle bit/the solo. Don't forget, listen to the audio version from Yessongs, you'll be even more impressed. It is the best Rock guitar solo in my opinion.

Two weeks and you bait us with yours is no disgrace. Not gonna complain though, I will enjoy the whole video

Great reaction!! You should definitely check out the studio version on your own - it will show you how different they are live, and how energetic Alan White is compared to Bill Bruford. They are both AMAZING drummers with such different styles. Cheers!

This is fantastic but the Yessongs live album version is the best. This song and Perpetual Change on the Yessongs album are the best examples of why Howe and Squire are unequaled as a guitar/bass combo when they launch.

Have lived through the ascendancy of Steve Howe and Yes, most music fans back then put him next to Jimi Hendrix in the guitar player pantheon. Over the decades he has become a bit overlooked, even though he continues to make new music and tour with the current iteration of Yes. Prog just isn't on the radar of many music fans these days. Part of the problem is that Howe was and is just a bit too unique for people to appreciate what he does. In the late '60's the british lead guitarists were all blues based. Howe avoided blues tropes like the plague and consistently created runs and melodies that were new to everyone's ear. But new can also sound a bit strange the first time you hear it. "Steve won our annual readers' poll for 'best overall guitarist' five years in a row," says Mike Molenda, the managing editor of Guitar Player magazine. "That, for guitarists, is like winning the Oscar five years in a row. Steve was the first guitarist we put into our Hall of Fame." www.newsweek.com/2015/09/18/getting-yes-steve-howe-guitar-wizard-365831.html

A few quick notes: It's pronounced "Brew-ferd," not "Bruff-erd," but this is actually Alan White, who joined the band in '72 when Bruford switched to King Crimson, and who stayed with the band until his death just last year. The sound quality on the Yessongs videos is pretty bad, but the sound on the actual Yessongs album is significantly better. This version of Yours is No Disgrace is missing a significant chunk of the song toward the end, which caught me by surprise (the version on the Yessongs album is complete). And you should listen to Howe playing acoustic guitar on Clap to hear yet another aspect of his virtuosity. He DID win Best Guitarist in Guitar Magazine for so many years that they put him in the hall of fame so that someone else could win, so there was a time when he was well-known and respected.