@AirplayBeats reacts to YES - Close To The Edge Like comment and subscribe Join our Patreon for exclusive videos and to get your requests done faster: patreon.com/user?u=81569817
Whats the dif they’re both serving songs that are meant to be playing notes that are necessary no matter how many otherwise is a recipe for insincerity
Honestly I agree but prefer Floyd. Good thing we dont have to pick though. And yeah like someone else said, king crimson needs some respect put on their name. Best show ive ever been to.
During this period of Yes, truly all four musicians (bass, guitars, keys and drums) were not only at their peak, but they were amongst the best there was, or ever will be. Then you top it off with Jon Anderson's ethereal voice and free form lyrics and it was prog nirvana.
As soon as I saw you guys doing this song, I thought, good lord, lambs to the slaughter, massive face melt, they will never be the same. You have just witnesses the 8th wonder of the world, the most massive prog rock ejaculate the world has ever experienced. You have five of the most accomplished, talented, brilliant musicians this world has ever experienced. Sublime, supreme, singular, perfection. Yes
Amazing musicianship. They were in their 20’s at the time. I was really into them. I was about 15 when I was introduced to this album. I’m in my 60’s now. Still so good!
@zatoichi4449 But the consolation, at this age, is knowing that I did have a lot of time, more than many people. A pretty full life. For that I am grateful.
And when Yes played the tribute concert to Squire after he died they got Geddy Lee to fill in for him. He had a smile on his face a mile wide through the whole bit.
This is so complex that even though I love it I would have started you off with Roundabout, Starship Trooper, or And You And I, which is from the same album.The Bass player, on top of Mt. Rushmore, is Chris Squire.Jon Anderson is the most unique and wonderful lead singer with Chris backing him on vocals. Rick Wakeman is the out of this world keyboard/synthesize player. The drummer is Bill Bruford, who left to start his own journey after this album. The lead guitar player is the incredible Steve Howe! The album is considered one of the best progressive rock album ever made. This album led the way to the acceptance of a much wider audience going forward.Pink Floyd could never go to this level. YES one whole side of an album Only 2 other songs and on the other side of the original record, Siberian Khatru and And You And I. Progressive rock has many changes in the songs with its own special blend of sounds.
nothing wrong with doing this song now. these guys musical knowledge and appreciation of great talent and songwriting is more advanced than the average reactor.
Dropped down into the comments section to say something along the lines of what Joel is saying here, I wouldn’t likely start someone off with this song early on without easing them into other standards from the Yes catalog, as even their FM radio singles are challenging enough as it is. Yes, it’s a masterpiece, and I love this tune, but the complexity of this type of material is exactly what caused the prog rock movement to fall out of popular favor, and prompted the entire punk rock movement as a response.. that is a well documented fact. It’s a similar issue when it comes to various jazz artists, where people will often just turn off to jazz completely if you throw em in the deep end. I would only play something like Coltrane’s “Giant Steps” or “Blue Trane” than to blow their minds with the atonal soloing in “Expressions”, as it can be an overload for someone who isn’t accustomed to the genre in general. Having said THAT.. I also agree with Michael G in stating that the Airplay Beats guys have a more advanced understanding and appreciation of music than the average listener. In the past couple of years, I’ve become increasingly interested in react videos, and I have to say that that the Airplay Beats brothers are fully capable of grappling with such a challenging listen as this. Of the 15+ reaction channels I follow, it was when I stumbled upon this channel and was blown away by the fact they were tackling Steely Dan’s “Royal Scam” in it’s entirety. What made it all the better was learning they have a music production background, are both musicians (guitar and drums, likely other instruments as well), and a really great understanding of composition and the choices involved. So, as I can totally get where Joel might worry that this piece can scare people off from the many other great tunes by Yes, I think it should be obvious that, as Michael inferred, the Airplay Beats guys are good with it, evidenced by their patience and appreciation of the song. For my money, Airplay Beats is the #1 most interesting and reaction channels on RUclips, surpassing all others in their simple and straightforward discovery of these great records, but also very much because of the absolutely top notch quality of selections they react to (including this one!). I’d venture to guess that whichever longtime viewers who are suggesting these selections have persuaded them to stick with some of the best stuff to be gleaned from the 70’s, and I’m hoping they’ll hover there and the 60’s for a good long while before jumping into the inevitable TOOL reacts that are gonna have a huge fan base flooding these comment sections urging them to nothing BUT endless TOOL reacts! 😂 Rock on, everyone! 😎👍
Progressive rock is a combination of Rock and any other musical style, classic, jazz, folk, funk, R&B. Also: odd rhythm changes & odd melodic changes. It's like fusion. Yes were great musicians. BTW, your reaction to this was superb. Don't forget the other songs on the album. You will enjoy those as well.
Prog is a extremely high level of musicianship and a break from all traditional recording norms. FM radio is where these bands lived because of the length of the songs.
This was drummer Bill Bruford's last album with Yes. He indicated that one of the reasons for his departure was that each bandmember was such a perfectionist that they each kept insisting on doing "one more take" of this 18+ minute track so they could get their part just a little bit better. He was recruited by Robert Fripp to join King Crimson, where he remained for over 25 years.
Years later, 1989, he hot back with Anderson, Wakeman and Howe for awhile. Couple of the tracks Quartet and Order of the Universe both a little over 9 minutes or Brother of Mine at 10 minutes
Inspired in part by Jean Sibelius' Seventh Symphony and the unbridled, virtuosic music of the Mahavishnu Orchestra, "Close To The Edge" is a rich and captivating work. the entire album is a masterpiece and a true journey!!!
@@davidmorgan6896 He has so many good things, Chick Corea Elektric band (Got A match jazz festival of Bern 86), Frank Zappa, Van Der Graff Generator ,Soft Machine Gong... and from nowadays, Snarky puppy..
@@lepetitoiseau love Snarky Puppy. If you like Corea, you cannot ignore Return to Forever; especially as they had Stanley Clarke and Al DiMeola on bass and guitar. Less famous, outside the UK, but always worth a listen were Brand X; with Phil Collins on drums. As you say, so much great, interesting, challenging music between 70 and 76 and then came punk.
This album came a year after Echoes, but the prog rock bands we know and love were exploring new sounds and recording techniques around the same time. If I were comparing Floyd and Yes I would say that Yes’ music has a faster upbeat tempo with extremely lush layers-very chaotically free and beautiful. Pink Floyd had a much more calculated side to them with Roger’s darker thematic lyrics and David’s bluesy guitar riffs. Both bands are masters at their craft. I love them both like two different children.
You are right about the Floyd (particularly post-Barrett) being generally more deliberate than Yes. I wouldn't go as far as saying that Yes music is generally faster or more chaotic, though. What I'd say is that Floyd tended to rely on more traditional patterns and structures (shuffle beats, blues-influenced progressions) and mid-tempo rhythms that allowed for more contemplative music. The guys in Yes just loved to show off, even in songs like "Yesterday and Today", "Soon" and "And You And I". Besides Piper, which is an aberration, the best Floyd ( '73 to '79) started out as non-musical concepts that normally Roger Waters came up with. Things that make people angry (DSOTM), how to cope with personal loss (WYWH), structural arrangements in industrial society (Anmls) and alienation (TW). These themes, very concrete themselves, were packaged within musical elements that were highly palatable and melodic. Yes were so abstract with their concepts that I never bother trying to figure out what Anderson was singing about. Neither did the rest of the band (per Chris Squire). What they did do was start with a musical theme, usually developed by Howe or Anderson, and then provide spaces for individual expression from each member. This approach doesn't always result in good music. In fact, it often results in overindulgent, boring stuff like TFTO. But when it works, this everything-plus-the-kitchen-sink approach gives us Close to the Edge.
I love your reactions because you let the music speak for itself, and you aren’t trying to put on a fake show. You are authentic. You know music, but have the humility to ask questions. Best reaction videos, period. Yes is a journey… welcome aboard for a wild ride!😀
Love the stuff guys. Progressive Rock i.e. Prog Rock is essentially about breaking barriers of musical styles to form a cohesive piece. It's main footing is often in classical and jazz but there are elements of anything else (metal, blues, country, soul, pop). The core of prog was influenced by Sgt Peppers (Beatles), Bitches Brew (Miles Davis) and Pet Sounds (Beach Boys) but that's just scratching the surface. And yes musicianship has to be of the highest caliber in terms of time signatures, solos and overall technique. Rush is a little later compared to the "founders of Prog" King Crimson, Moody Blues, Yes, Pink Floyd, Emerson Lake and Palmer, Genesis, Gentle Giant and Jethro Tull. Later acts like Marillion, Big Big Train, Dream Theater and more.
"Yes" is 100% in the Prog Rock category. Not a lot of bands would be squarely in prog rock. YES always has been. Please finish the Fragile Album. It will give you a deep understanding of the band. Stay away from anything after the 80's till you do all the earlier stuff. Rock On...!
You have completed two thirds of the triumvirate of 70's progressive rock epics with Echoes and Close to the Edge. You need to complete it with Supper's Ready by Genesis!
I would be happy about SUPPER'S READY reaction because I didn't have the money to buy earlier albums back then. I bought DLp Second's Out with the live version and the brilliant DLp The Lamb - both of which I love to this day. Actually, Emerson, Lake and Palmer also played Prog Rock; not to forget King Crimson (Greg Lake was one of them before ELP), which I didn't really notice as a child. I think In The Court Of Crimson King 1969 is prog rock's first masterpiece?👍
I always say listening to Yes is like opening a present to find another and then opening that to find another and so on! Thanks for this reaction! Great song, great reaction! Yes is another band I have loved for 50 years.
Yes is progressive as they break all the rules. It wasn’t about 3 minute songs built for radio. It was about musicianship. It’s not for everyone. I give you credit for listening to this. Favorite song.
Indeed. I'm not condoning this behavior, but back in college, when we felt it necessary for some mind expansion, this album + your hallucinogen of choice was the ticket.
Wow, this is as prog as it gets but in a masterful and enjoyable way. This is one of the best sides of music ever, the 2 songs on the other side need to be heard as well, this Album is magnificent! Enjoy. 🎵🎸🎤🎹🎶
Man, oh man... I've been listening to this piece for almost 50 years, and sure... There are different interpretations of the meaning, and all of that. I still can't really explain it, but... All I know is, it must be listened to front-to-back, all in one listen. At first listen, I didn't get it. At all. Decades later, I rediscovered it, and, yeah... It's a masterpiece. When all the cacophony of the beginning, mixed with the "I get up, I get down" interlude, and all the busy-ness of everything else, it resolves to a glorious ending... And, it makes me tear up, every single time I listen to it. In that regard, it doesn't have to make sense to me, personally, but, it hits me HARD, every time. That's the ultimate power of music, I suppose: If it gets to you, however it does you get it. No need to explain how... It's magic, to me. Keep on keepin on guys... I wish I could listen to all of this stuff for the first time again... Instead, I'll just dig it again along with you 👍
the song to me describes the life cycle of the human being. peace at first , born into chaos, discovery and learning, enlightenment, then thrust into the chaos of adulthood, working like crazy, the ups and downs ,reaching your goals , then, once again , returned to peace...progressive rock pushes the boundries of accepted music styles and rhythms
Pink Floyd and Yes were concurrently making music at this time, both bands pushing boundaries of form and music... Chris Squire was one of the most innovative and creative bass players of all time... Progressive Rock was founded in the late 60's primarily in England where bands used different time signatures, taking elements of harmony and melody from classical and jazz in longer forms of music...
Think of this as a “Suite”, like Classical Music Suites, made up of several “movements” when played together give you “the whole.” Each movement is meant to convey a different theme, a part of the whole. Here are the 4 movements in “Close to The Edge” with time stamps. Listen again and pay attention to those time stamps. The Solid Time of Change 0:006:04 Total Mass Retain 6:042:23 I Get Up, I Get Down 8:275:45 Seasons of Man 14:124:31 . The first number indicates the start of the movement, the second number is duration. For instance: Total Mass Retain begins at 6:04 and lasts for the next 2:23 minutes, then I Get Up, I Get Down begins at 8:27 and so on.
Yes was just a completely different level - can't compare to Floyd - their musicianship is incomparable. At that time, they didn't care about airtime and being mainstream - they were artists. Unfortunately, that changed in the 80s.
There are certain "go to" Yes songs, but at some point in time listen to "Turn of the Century" and if you hone into both the music and the story being told you will surely come away as being "touched" in a most positive and enlightening way. It's a special song. It just is.
It's been a long time since I held a vinyl copy, but if I remember correctly, this was a whole album side. Pink Floyd and Yes were contemporaries. Yes is at a whole different level than Floyd. Neither better nor worse, just different. Both bands are brilliant. And this is one of those songs that I can listen to hundreds of times and still hear something new.
Progressive rock (prog rock) is a subgenre of rock music that combines rock's power with other genres like jazz, classical, and folk. It's characterized by complex compositions, experimentation, and musical virtuosity, and is intended for a sophisticated audience.
These guys seem a little surprised at the change of time signatures and intensity but that was (is) the ESSENCE of progressive rock. And Close To The Edge was the quintessential album of the prog era. Maybe bone up on a little history of each song before reviewing it. They really didn't know what they were getting into.
It really surprises me when people react to Yes and listen to CTTE first!!!!?? It’s one of their epics and there are quite a few great tunes to listen to before CTTE. Prog rock refers to music that was before it’s time-not heard or Played before! New…experimental-no rules , no guidelines, no restrictions to one genre of music. Give a Listen to: Starship Trooper Yours is No Disgrace Heart of the Sunrise Wondrous Stories And You and I then dive into Albums: Going for the One Close to the Edge Yes Album Fragile Tormato THEN onto the EPIC RELAYER and Tales of Topographic Oceans Love Magnification too Keys to Ascension 2 So so many !❤
I agree with what Bill Adkins said with his definition of Prog Rock, but I'll add my take. A good Prog Band is a handful of brilliant musicians attempting to sound like a full orchestra, and pulling it off. You are right to say this one song took up an entire side of a record. There are 2 more songs on side two of this recording: "Siberian Khatru" and "And You And I". Both are amazing, and Yes opened their concerts with "Siberian Khatru" for a long time.
200 years from now , university students will be tasked to listen to Yes , Pink Floyd, Peter Gabriel Genesis, Moody blues and will be writing doctorial thesis on them
Yes. No pun intended. I grew up on this music which eventually led me into relationship with God. I always felt that Yes music reached a beauty that made me believe there was a better place in the spiritual realm. Most so called "christian" music pales in comparison to the likes of CTTE and Awaken.
Ladies and gentlemen YES the greatest show on earth. Close To The Edge is one piece of music with four movements much like a symphonic piece of music. Prog basically is classical music played on modern instruments with all the influence of Mozart mixed with Chuck Barry and the Beach Boys. Nice reaction boys and Yes have 6 more symphonic masterpieces like Close To The Edge.
This isn't a piece of music you appreciate on first listen, imho. I love Yes, bought this album when it came out, but took me awhile to take to this song. Side 2 however is simply sublime unparalleled musical composition. Progressive rock eschews blues most of the time, but will get back to it, also eschewing improv, more structured.
Any Rock fusion with jazz or blue influence is progressive rock. You should know that the term progressive rock came out of a need to differentiate themselves from your average rock n roll band and they did this by being spectacular in one way or another, only the best musicians need apply.
Yep, that's about it. Musicians of the highest order left in the main unhindered by the record companies to be as creative as they liked, drawing from all genres of music.
22:33 “I’ve never heard nothing like Yes…” That’s just such a beautiful statement. Whether it’s somebody’s cup of tea or not, there’s no denying that it is unique.
Progressive rock means that there is a smooth, seamless progression of various genres, tempos, loudnesses, moods etc. in one musical piece. Most of these songs are in excess of 7-8 minutes, usually 15-20 minutes, sometimes even longer. :-) This is a wonderful showcase of the excellent musicianship of these people. They were (and not just Yes) virtuosos of their respective instruments. Ain't nothing like this these days. I like many rock genres, and I listen to nearly all of them, but there is nothing that compares to progressive rock. :-) Just sit down with your favourite drink, or roll, or whatever it is you fancy, close your eyes, and let your imagination run wild with these songs.
New group for you, Emerson, Lake & Palmer (informally known as ELP) were an English progressive rock supergroup formed in London in 1970.[2][3] The band consisted of Keith Emerson (keyboards), Greg Lake (vocals, bass, guitar, producer) and Carl Palmer (drums, percussion). With nine RIAA-certified gold record albums in the US,[4] and an estimated 48 million records sold worldwide,[5] they are one of the most popular and commercially successful progressive rock groups of the 1970s,[6][7] with a musical sound including adaptations of classical music with jazz and symphonic rock elements, dominated by Emerson's flamboyant use of the Hammond organ, Moog synthesizer, and piano (although Lake wrote several acoustic songs for the group).[8] Wikipedia. Pictures at an Exhibition is a live album by English progressive rock band Emerson, Lake & Palmer, released in November 1971 on Island Records. It features the group's rock adaptation of Pictures at an Exhibition by classical music composer, Modest Mussorgsky, performed at Newcastle City Hall on 26 March 1971. The band's arrangement of the suite uses only four of the ten parts in Mussorgsky's suite, along with the linking "Promenade" sections. The suite was performed live as one continuous piece, with new, group-written sections linking Mussorgsky's original themes. Promenade: Organ solo and drum roll The Gnome: Group instrumental Promenade: Hammond organ and vocal, followed by a short synthesiser solo "The Sage": A new picture "drawn" by Lake in the mood of a medieval minnesang, works as sort of romantic prelude to "The Old Castle", followed by a synthesiser solo The Old Castle: An accelerated adaptation of the original theme "Blues Variation", a twelve-bar blues credited to the group, borrowing themes from The Old Castle and those that Emerson had previously performed with The Nice Promenade: Group instrumental The Hut of Baba Yaga: Group instrumental "The Curse of Baba Yaga" is a new title to the middle section of the original piece. The music is again an adaption of the original, the lyrics and vocal are credited to the group The Hut of Baba Yaga: Group instrumental, a reprise of "The Curse of Baba Yaga" The Great Gates of Kiev: Vocals and lyrics added by the group
Progressive Rock tends to employ a lot of complex chords, time sigs that are bizarre, they mix jazz and classical in a way that hadn't been done before, and can also be very long. Yes is the most revered, of the prog trail-blazers that gave rise to this form of rock, but I've heard it said that the second side of Abbey Road, and I'll confess that I did notice, upon hearing it as a kid, that wow, this song just goes on and on....on wait, it's just different songs that blend into eachother. This was right before the Moody Blues did the seminal Days of Future Passed, possibly the very first concept album....and then came Yes. And I'll mention another beloved prog band of that era, Emerson. Lake and Palmer. Yeah.....there's some thing about prog that can be futuristic, while still full of romantic unicorns with angels' wings on acid. Don't miss the amazing band, Renaissance, too; their lead singer is pure flaming silver.
That was indeed one whole side of an album. It was recorded on analog tape in 1972, before the days of auto tune, ProTools, and automated mixes. Progressive rock is a genre that moves beyond the pop song format by including influences from other musical styles, particularly classical music and jazz. Others in the prog-rock genre would be Kansas, King Crimson, Jethro Tull, early Genesis and Gentle Giant. It is such a gas for me to see you dudes checking this out and trying to process everything you have heard on this first listening. I've been listening to this record for fifty years and it never fails to amaze me. I've seen Yes live several times. The last time I saw them, they OPENED THEIR SHOW with Close to the Edge!!!
Je rajouterais le groupe canadien francophone Harmonium. La chanson "le premier ciel" version live enregistrée en 1977 est impressionnante. Le groupe français Ange mérite d'être aussi écouté. L'album "guet apen" de 1979 par exemple est excellent. Le " live records " de 1977 de Camel est un album également remarquable. Tout est sur RUclips...
@@soldatwitt6400 I'm sorry to have to ask this, but I suffer from the American malady of being monolingual. If possible, could you please translate your message to me?
a SHOUT OUT to Roger Dean, the great artist, who created their beautiful one of a kind graphics, album covers, paintings and stage design!! we visual artists are part of Rock History too!! all the great album covers were created by very talented VISUAL artists........that nobody remembers.
Progressive Rock doesn’t live within the framework of blues (although it can incorporate it), but expands into classical, jazz, country, and even reggae. This was more like a classical piece by, say Mozart, with high-level musicianship, but created with rock sensibilities and instruments. The most successful progressive rock bands of the 1960s and early 1970s were Yes, Genesis, Pink Floyd, the Moody Blues, Frank Zappa, Hawkwind, Jethro Tull, and even the Beatles later work. Later progressive bands were (arguably) Rush, Dream Theater, Marillion, Alan Parsons Project, ELO, Pineapple Thief, Steven Wilson, Radiohead, etc. BTW, this is considered by many to be the greatest progressive rock album of all time-and keeps winning that poll by whomever does them.
Progressive rock is songs which contain a connected series of musical ideas linked together to make something that is more of the sum of its parts. In the case of this track go back and listen to how the multiple ideas explored throughout the track all come together in that final big finish. Its not always like that, sometimes the destination is quite different to the start but there is always a ‘progression’ though a group of connected ideas and often the transitions between the musical ideas are the most impressive parts of the song. You already noted in some of the Floyd songs and in this one that its like watching a movie and thats exactly right. Thats just what they were trying to do. Keep your attention and move you through a series of emotions across 20 mins or so of music. This was a long long way from the 3 minute pop tracks of instant gratification that had been popular up to this point and through the 70s up to the advent of punk rock YES , Floyd, Genesis,Camel, ELP, King crimson, Jethro Tull, Mike Oldfield, in the prog genre and Tangerine Dream and Jean - Michel Jarre in the emerging electronic genre all exploited this extended format to great effect. Other bands like Porcupine Tree and Marillion in the UK and Dream Theater in the US picked up the genre again in the 90s and 2000s though to the present day. In parallel a cross genre, progressive metal, emerged which brought the progressive format to the metal genre. Before anyone flames me I tried to simplify the explanation and there are many many more bands who probably could have had a mention.
I believe that "progressive rock" is just a modern adjective, and it isn't a correct name for this musical style. In that times this was called "Simphonic rock", which depicts better what is this: music composed like the classic simphonies, but using rock rhythms and sounds. The imagination got enormous, specially in groups like Yes and King Crimson.
I agree. "Progressive" was a much broader term back then. Lennon said the White Album wasn't as "progressive" but still really good. (Hilarious understatement. He was comparing to psychedelia.) As for Yes, ELP, Tull, etc, I remember those bands being called art rock, techno rock, space rock, symphonic rock, classical rock, avant-garde rock. It mostly wasn't called anything, it was just there. "Progressive" was settled on in the 90s and that morphed into "prog" at some point.
This song just keeps giving. Started listening to them in the 70s. If I had to choose one album to live on a desert island, it would be Close to the Edge.
1972, Next album after Fragile. Before Dark Side of the Moon by Floyd. Its side one of the LP. Chris Squire ((the Fish) is the Bassist. His solo album "Fish out of Water" is worth a listen.
Oh, sorry guys, the actually had 2 of the all time great drummers. Bill Bruford and Alan White. Me personally I like Alan White better!!! The whole band is genius!!!!
Really glad you reacted to this masterpiece!!! I saw Yes on this Close to the Edge tour in 1973 when I was in junior high. If you want to hear another prog rock masterpiece, I highly recommend Emerson, Lake and Palmer's "Karn Evil 9: 1st, 2nd and 3rd Impressions"!!!!!!
Radio couldn't make money off 30-45 minute songs. Bye, bye concept albums, prog... Who knows what could have been if everything wasn't about the bottom line...
Yes is like peeling an onion, so many layers! Absolutely one of the biggest bands in the world in the early 70s! I saw this tour in Tuscaloosa AL with a then unknown band named The Eagles opening for them. Still one of the best shows I’ve ever seen! What a heady musical time to be alive: Allman Brothers, Grateful Dead, Jethro Tull, ELP, King Crimson, Zeppelin, The Who, Pink Floyd, and on and on! I fear we’ll never enjoy such a period again…
QUOTE: "Progressive rock is a broad genre of rock music that developed in the United Kingdom and United States through the mid- to late 1960s, peaking in the early 1970s. The style was an outgrowth of psychedelic bands who abandoned standard pop traditions in favor of instrumentation and compositional techniques more frequently associated with jazz, folk, or classical music. Additional elements contributed to its "progressive" label: lyrics were more poetic, technology was harnessed for new sounds, music approached the condition of "art", and the studio, rather than the stage, became the focus of musical activity, which often involved creating music for listening rather than dancing" I find the complex structure harder to listen to at first, but the more you listen to the songs and the more you memorize them, the more you realize just how incredible they are. They never grow old or stale. They just get better and better. Prog gave me a better understanding and appreciation of classical, jazz and big band music of the 1940s too.
Progressive rock don't go by a pacific formula like, intro, verse, hook. They experiment with beats, sounds and timing. It goes almost on it's own to places they've never been.
Progressive rock was a genre that came out of the psychedelic era of the late 60s, but it was a completely new, more disciplined orchestral sound. The complexity and long epic arrangements were the halllmark of prog. It wasthe drugs and experimentation of the counter-culture that allowed and even encouraged long meandering spontaneous jams, like The Grateful Dead, Cream and Jimi Hendrix. But the band and the album that first shocked everyone out of the haze of th sixties and into a new era and a new genre was King Crimson with their debut The Court of the Crimson King and the song 21st Century Schizoid Man. Also The Moody Blues, Jethro Tull and Gentle Giant were among the first pioneers of progressive rock. It was that fateful day when YES first heard King Crimson snd then Jon went to the band and said "boys, we are going to have to rehearse ALOT more" and when Genesis heard King Crimson, they said 'OK, lets lock ourselve away in the cottage for about 6 months until we come out sounding something like that!!" And that was it....progressive rock was born, but after about 5 years, tbe music press, the critics and media decided to strangle it before it escaped from the crib. By 1980, progressive rock was a dirty word.
Rick Wakeman, the original organist, is something else. Check out his individual records to get a true idea of his craft mastery. Saw this group in Denver in '76. Unfortunately Wakeman had just left the group but still an awesome concert. Cool light show.
Pink Floyd it’s a great band but noting to se with Yes King Crimson , Gentle Giant Genesis or Emerson Lake and Palmer are another level of musicians !! My respect ! I listen this great bands from 1970 wen I was 10 years old in Costa Rica 🇨🇷
Now you heard on of Classic Prog's Greatest Bands !!! And Epic Classic that is voted #1 or #2 by Prog Magazine each year as Progs best song ! Going back and forth with Genesis - Supper's Ready !! 👍🎼🎶
This album has one song on side one and two songs on side two. Most Yes albums are not structured this way. This piece/song is constructed a bit like a symphony. Progressive rock is often symphonic in structure, influenced by classical music. It incorporates many changes in tone, rhythm, etc. within one song. Songs become collections of movements that together make up a suite. They have one album that is 2 LPs/four sides. It is one "symphony" made up of four parts with a full album side per part. Though, as I said, most of their albums aren't that way.
There's more to progressive rock than Pink Floyd and Yes - other bands from that era include Emerson, Lake and Palmer (ELP), Genesis (early albums), King Crimson, Gentle Giant, etc. There are also progressive rock bands that came up later such as Dream Theater, Porcupine Tree, Tool, The Mars Volta.
I was just hitting high school when this came out! I shocked some many friends turning them on to this album and band. For a black kid growing up in white neighborhood music was great! I loved it all! R&B, rock, jazz, Pink Floyd, Steely Dan! I got to go to shows and grew with all the music genres! Chiguy
So this is the first time you heard them at the point of their career when they took off to a place NO ONE ELSE even came close to reaching. The bass is Chris Squire. The distinct sound of his guitar is because it is a Rickenbacker. His amazing bass lines are mostly due to his use of syncopation and it was unique! The lead guitarist, Steve Howe, is just as astounding as your reaction to the song. If you think 'Close to the Edge' is a masterpiece, I suggest you listen to 'Tales of Topographic Oceans'. Side two, 'The Remembering', in particular is so complicated and heavenly Yes refused to attempt it live. In fact, I think any of their live performances from 'Close To the Edge' on are disappointments, cheapen the experience. You will need a lot of patience for 'Tales', as it is called, as it takes a ridiculous amount of times listening to it before you pull each side of the double album together, and it will be worth it a thousand times over. You need high volume and complete privacy. And without any drugs or alcohol, you will enter a far-away place.
Pink Floyd? Yeah ok, but with much better musicians and vocal work. Seriously, they were unique in their golden age. The Yes Album, Fragile and this one. Pure 🔥
The musical mastery of YES members in their various formations has always been far above any other comparison. Other bands came close, like Rush, Gentle Giant and Genesis, but YES remains the beacon.
I used to hate it when my law professors tried to explain the "why" behind the current laws by reciting the laws that had preceded the current ones and explaining how the flaws in the previous system had necessitated the passage of some reforms. But I'm about to do the same thing to you. Up until the late 1960's, all of the entire music radio world followed a "Top 40" radio format, maybe with the exception of some university radio stations whose FM signal barely reached the limits of the college campus. Top 40 was AM radio. I'm not sure why FM radio stations came to proliferate to such a degree back then, but suspect some changes in FCC regulations that increased the avalable frequences on the FM band, or something similar. The Top 40 AM music stations had become a bit hard to enjoy. All the songs were roughly two to three minutes long, with tons of commercials interlaced among the music, and 99% of the songs followed a chorus-verse-chorus-instrumental-verse-chorus song template. You'd hear the Top 40, and when #1 was played, it was back to #40 and the countdown began again, over and over and over. I remember weeding the flower beds surrounding my childhood ranch-style home one fine July day way back when, with my plastic transistor radio close at hand, and heaing the same similar 40 songs being played 5 times during that long day of drudgery. Prog rock was the cure for the shortcomings of that system. Musicians must have felt trapped in a straight-jacket cut for them by record labels demanding hit singles from them, which meant a song which sounded pretty much identical to their previous release, which had charted at #7 nationwide. Most record labels were notoriously conservative about the music they funded. Most of the Top 40 radio stations, if they were going to play a single 8 times a day, wanted it to be a "good song", which meant it had sound like high-selling past singles. Most listeners had been programmed, literally, into expecting and accepting what was aired to them. They had no choice. There wasn't anything else. The birth of FM radio came with the idea that to make a splash and attract new listeners thay had to offer a new and different product. The offered new bands rather than established bands. Many of the new bands successfully fought with their record labels about the sorts of songs they wanted to include on their new album releases. Freed from the constraints of the Top 40 system, there was an explosion of new and highly creative music, with new bands incorporating ideas from classical, country, folk, latin, and jazz genres into the mainstream rock band format of lead guitar, bass guitar, keyboards, drums and lead vocalist. The resulting music sounded new and exciting to listeners. The inability of fledgling FM stations to attract advertisers helped a lot. Fewer ads allowed for the playing of longer songs. This was fertile ground for the rise of progressive rock. The hallmarks of progressive rock are long, complex songs which are really symphonic suites, with many movements, changes in rhythm, changes in melody, changes in keys, and lots of dynamic range. These songs are notoriously hard to dance to. Progressive bands also consciously sought to incorporate new sounds into their recordings. Back at that time there was an absolute explosion in electronics. A plucked guitar string, after being filtered through some electronic circuits, could come out of an amp sounding like just about anything. While rock bands had oftentimes in the past used pianos and organs as part of their output, all of a sudden they had the option of adding a dozen or more synthesizer sounds and the option of adding a Mellotron, too, to their music. So, it was readily possible for a prog band to introduce unique and new sounds to their output with each new album. People with nothing better to do with their time can and do argue endlessly about the definition of prog. www.progarchives.com believes there are 27 distinct sub-genres within the overall genre of progressive rock. Like Justice Potter Stewart, I can't define prog, but I know it when I hear it. If not satified with ole Potter's sort of definition, you can spend a year or two scrolling though progarchives.com to see an infinite number of other definitions As prog bands continued to try and produce new and unique music containing new sounds, after a decade or so, their muses had flown away. A lot of music fans decided new and unique really didn't sound new and unique anymore, but more like the same old same old. FM stations now had lots of advertisers and seldom played 20-minute songs anymore. They marketed themselves as "Album Oriented Rock" and aired a much more diverse set of songs than the AM stations played (a lot of inertia there, with Top 40 still hanging around), but the songs played grew shorter and shorter, more and more commmercials ran in between those songs, and those bands who were once deemed new and exciting had become the dodgy bands your parents lintened to. Alas, for prog lovers, their favorite type of music had seen its heyday.
This album and Dark Side Of the Moon are both arguably the greatest progressive rock album of all time. (The 2nd side here has "And You and I" and "Siberian Khatru" (a funky banger!). Prog Rock is based on classical music, jazz, and rock, even folk music...with elaborate composition, using many sections, changing time signatures, with seamless transitions that are sometimes hard to tell where one song, or movement ends and the next one begins. This is a great song to demonstrate that style of Prog Reck. It was a period that lasted from the late 60's to the late 70s...the best Prog Rock bands, imo...Yes, Pink Floyd, Rush, Emerson Lake & Palmer, Jethro Tull, King Crimson, and my favorite...Genesis. I prefer their later mid 1970s albums starting with Trick Of The Tale, with Phil Collins on drums and lead vocals, after Peter Gabriel left the band. Their Lamb Lies Down album is the only one I like with Peter Gabriel, although early Genesis fans would vehemently disagree! Prog Rock is one of my favorite genres of music and I will be listening to it until I'm dead!
Masterpiece. Bach and Mozart would have loved it. Floyd is awesome and I love them but musicianship wise, these guys would cut their heads easy. Yes a Floyd both formed in 68 but Floyd was bit earlier with their first release.
Not sure how to define progressive rock but it pushes the boundaries and more free-flowing. This is one song and two follow on the other side which are masterpieces as well. Siberian Katru is my fav. This is one song with different parts or movements within the song which is similar to classical music. But the talent level of his group is on another level. I like Yes's more classic stuff like Roundabout, Starship Trooper, I See All Good People, Long Distance Runaround+ Fish, Yours Is No Disgrace, to name a few. Rush was influenced by Yes, and Geddy Lee said there would be no Rush without Yes.
Chris squire on the bass is something everyone should experience once
Made me buy my first serious bass ... the 4001s black, white binding , i miss it still
but im afraid to spend 4k to be dissapoint
@@EvilSean62 Get a 4003...
@@Zatoichi444 Exactly. Don't bother with the 4001, not worth it. You can get pretty close with the 4003. I own one.
Best band ever: Jon Anderson, Rick Wakeman, Steve Howe, Chris Squire and Bill Bruford. Five geniuses at the height of their enormous powers!!!
😎
As great as they all are, YES is even greater than the sum of it's parts. CTTE is the height of the sonic math in my book.
CTTE, the entire album, not a noote is wasted.
@@retromom5421 I'm not the biggest fan of the first minute of CTTE. Except for the vocal stabs. To me a 'near perfect' rather than perfect album.
Hard to argue. Even though Gft1 is my fav yes disc. BB is The Yes drummer.
Bb on awaken on the Union tour was an amazing thing.
With all due respect to Pink Floyd, the pure musicianship of Yes is at another level.
Whats the dif they’re both serving songs that are meant to be playing notes that are necessary no matter how many otherwise is a recipe for insincerity
Personally I think Waters could play this if he wanted
Floyd, RUSH, and YES we're the 3 Musketeers of Prog during the 70s
@@stephenlawson3071 King Crimson?
Honestly I agree but prefer Floyd. Good thing we dont have to pick though. And yeah like someone else said, king crimson needs some respect put on their name. Best show ive ever been to.
During this period of Yes, truly all four musicians (bass, guitars, keys and drums) were not only at their peak, but they were amongst the best there was, or ever will be. Then you top it off with Jon Anderson's ethereal voice and free form lyrics and it was prog nirvana.
also Jon was one half the songwriting duo with Steve Howe the other.
This was when I saw them.
As soon as I saw you guys doing this song, I thought, good lord, lambs to the slaughter, massive face melt, they will never be the same. You have just witnesses the 8th wonder of the world, the most massive prog rock ejaculate the world has ever experienced. You have five of the most accomplished, talented, brilliant musicians this world has ever experienced. Sublime, supreme, singular, perfection. Yes
😂
Beautiful
Amazing musicianship. They were in their 20’s at the time. I was really into them. I was about 15 when I was introduced to this album. I’m in my 60’s now. Still so good!
Same here, 66 now and fell in love with their music the first time I heard them.
always chills, 35 years I listing this album, always the same.
@@gerhardbraatz6305 70 here; ditto.
67 and still hear the album every week.💙👍
@zatoichi4449 But the consolation, at this age, is knowing that I did have a lot of time, more than many people. A pretty full life. For that I am grateful.
Chris Squire on bass was Geddy Lee’s biggest inspiration.
Along with Jack Bruce!
And John Entwhistle.
You're right. And John Entwhistle!
Squire was half or more of geddys style.
No question.
And when Yes played the tribute concert to Squire after he died they got Geddy Lee to fill in for him. He had a smile on his face a mile wide through the whole bit.
This is so complex that even though I love it I would have started you off with Roundabout, Starship Trooper, or And You And I, which is from the same album.The Bass player, on top of Mt. Rushmore, is Chris Squire.Jon Anderson is the most unique and wonderful lead singer with Chris backing him on vocals. Rick Wakeman is the out of this world keyboard/synthesize player. The drummer is Bill Bruford, who left to start his own journey after this album. The lead guitar player is the incredible Steve Howe! The album is considered one of the best progressive rock album ever made. This album led the way to the acceptance of a much wider audience going forward.Pink Floyd could never go to this level. YES one whole side of an album Only 2 other songs and on the other side of the original record, Siberian Khatru and And You And I. Progressive rock has many changes in the songs with its own special blend of sounds.
We did Roundabout first
nothing wrong with doing this song now. these guys musical knowledge and appreciation of great talent and songwriting is more advanced than the average reactor.
Spot on retort.
Roundabout is OK, but I much prefer CttE.
Dropped down into the comments section to say something along the lines of what Joel is saying here, I wouldn’t likely start someone off with this song early on without easing them into other standards from the Yes catalog, as even their FM radio singles are challenging enough as it is.
Yes, it’s a masterpiece, and I love this tune, but the complexity of this type of material is exactly what caused the prog rock movement to fall out of popular favor, and prompted the entire punk rock movement as a response.. that is a well documented fact.
It’s a similar issue when it comes to various jazz artists, where people will often just turn off to jazz completely if you throw em in the deep end. I would only play something like Coltrane’s “Giant Steps” or “Blue Trane” than to blow their minds with the atonal soloing in “Expressions”, as it can be an overload for someone who isn’t accustomed to the genre in general.
Having said THAT.. I also agree with Michael G in stating that the Airplay Beats guys have a more advanced understanding and appreciation of music than the average listener.
In the past couple of years, I’ve become increasingly interested in react videos, and I have to say that that the Airplay Beats brothers are fully capable of grappling with such a challenging listen as this.
Of the 15+ reaction channels I follow, it was when I stumbled upon this channel and was blown away by the fact they were tackling Steely Dan’s “Royal Scam” in it’s entirety.
What made it all the better was learning they have a music production background, are both musicians (guitar and drums, likely other instruments as well), and a really great understanding of composition and the choices involved.
So, as I can totally get where Joel might worry that this piece can scare people off from the many other great tunes by Yes, I think it should be obvious that, as Michael inferred, the Airplay Beats guys are good with it, evidenced by their patience and appreciation of the song.
For my money, Airplay Beats is the #1 most interesting and reaction channels on RUclips, surpassing all others in their simple and straightforward discovery of these great records, but also very much because of the absolutely top notch quality of selections they react to (including this one!).
I’d venture to guess that whichever longtime viewers who are suggesting these selections have persuaded them to stick with some of the best stuff to be gleaned from the 70’s, and I’m hoping they’ll hover there and the 60’s for a good long while before jumping into the inevitable TOOL reacts that are gonna have a huge fan base flooding these comment sections urging them to nothing BUT endless TOOL reacts! 😂
Rock on, everyone! 😎👍
Progressive rock is a combination of Rock and any other musical style, classic, jazz, folk, funk, R&B. Also: odd rhythm changes & odd melodic changes. It's like fusion. Yes were great musicians. BTW, your reaction to this was superb. Don't forget the other songs on the album. You will enjoy those as well.
Prog is a extremely high level of musicianship and a break from all traditional recording norms. FM radio is where these bands lived because of the length of the songs.
Exactly. Album sides on FM. And fusion jazz on sundays on my favorite station back in the day.
Or think of it like the Jazz Rock (Fusion) of the same era, but with vocals :)
I hope they’ll watch some of their 70s live concert videos. Watching them perform gives a whole other appreciation. Such a joy.
Art rock is what I call it
This was drummer Bill Bruford's last album with Yes. He indicated that one of the reasons for his departure was that each bandmember was such a perfectionist that they each kept insisting on doing "one more take" of this 18+ minute track so they could get their part just a little bit better. He was recruited by Robert Fripp to join King Crimson, where he remained for over 25 years.
the truth is he left band because Chris Squire was late on every meeting. 😁
Years later, 1989, he hot back with Anderson, Wakeman and Howe for awhile. Couple of the tracks
Quartet and Order of the Universe both a little over 9 minutes or Brother of Mine at 10 minutes
@@jimwilcox2964 yeah, and after ABWH he played on Union album, and then he get back to KC
@@jareczek1980 Tempus Fugit.
@@davidmorgan6896 YES, YES😄 BTW i love Drama. Perfect album.
Inspired in part by Jean Sibelius' Seventh Symphony and the unbridled, virtuosic music of the Mahavishnu Orchestra, "Close To The Edge" is a rich and captivating work.
the entire album is a masterpiece and a true journey!!!
Mahavishnu would blow their minds!
@@vicprovost2561 oh yes!!!!!!!!! completely!
@@vicprovost2561 though, if we're looking at that whole post Miles Davies jazz-fusion, Weather Report should go down a treat.
@@davidmorgan6896 He has so many good things, Chick Corea Elektric band (Got A match jazz festival of Bern 86), Frank Zappa, Van Der Graff Generator ,Soft Machine Gong... and from nowadays, Snarky puppy..
@@lepetitoiseau love Snarky Puppy. If you like Corea, you cannot ignore Return to Forever; especially as they had Stanley Clarke and Al DiMeola on bass and guitar. Less famous, outside the UK, but always worth a listen were Brand X; with Phil Collins on drums.
As you say, so much great, interesting, challenging music between 70 and 76 and then came punk.
This album came a year after Echoes, but the prog rock bands we know and love were exploring new sounds and recording techniques around the same time. If I were comparing Floyd and Yes I would say that Yes’ music has a faster upbeat tempo with extremely lush layers-very chaotically free and beautiful. Pink Floyd had a much more calculated side to them with Roger’s darker thematic lyrics and David’s bluesy guitar riffs. Both bands are masters at their craft. I love them both like two different children.
Me too, my top 2 Bands ever. Scintillating Music. 🎶❤️🎶
You hit it on the head girl! I totally agree from a 64 yo guy that has heard all the great bands!
@@billtaylor3382 thank you!
@@cherylwoodward You're welcome!
You are right about the Floyd (particularly post-Barrett) being generally more deliberate than Yes. I wouldn't go as far as saying that Yes music is generally faster or more chaotic, though. What I'd say is that Floyd tended to rely on more traditional patterns and structures (shuffle beats, blues-influenced progressions) and mid-tempo rhythms that allowed for more contemplative music. The guys in Yes just loved to show off, even in songs like "Yesterday and Today", "Soon" and "And You And I".
Besides Piper, which is an aberration, the best Floyd ( '73 to '79) started out as non-musical concepts that normally Roger Waters came up with. Things that make people angry (DSOTM), how to cope with personal loss (WYWH), structural arrangements in industrial society (Anmls) and alienation (TW). These themes, very concrete themselves, were packaged within musical elements that were highly palatable and melodic.
Yes were so abstract with their concepts that I never bother trying to figure out what Anderson was singing about. Neither did the rest of the band (per Chris Squire). What they did do was start with a musical theme, usually developed by Howe or Anderson, and then provide spaces for individual expression from each member. This approach doesn't always result in good music. In fact, it often results in overindulgent, boring stuff like TFTO. But when it works, this everything-plus-the-kitchen-sink approach gives us Close to the Edge.
I love your reactions because you let the music speak for itself, and you aren’t trying to put on a fake show. You are authentic. You know music, but have the humility to ask questions. Best reaction videos, period. Yes is a journey… welcome aboard for a wild ride!😀
Love the stuff guys. Progressive Rock i.e. Prog Rock is essentially about breaking barriers of musical styles to form a cohesive piece. It's main footing is often in classical and jazz but there are elements of anything else (metal, blues, country, soul, pop). The core of prog was influenced by Sgt Peppers (Beatles), Bitches Brew (Miles Davis) and Pet Sounds (Beach Boys) but that's just scratching the surface. And yes musicianship has to be of the highest caliber in terms of time signatures, solos and overall technique. Rush is a little later compared to the "founders of Prog" King Crimson, Moody Blues, Yes, Pink Floyd, Emerson Lake and Palmer, Genesis, Gentle Giant and Jethro Tull. Later acts like Marillion, Big Big Train, Dream Theater and more.
An often unnoticed influence on early British prog is English choral music.
@@davidmorgan6896 100% agree
"Yes" is 100% in the Prog Rock category. Not a lot of bands would be squarely in prog rock. YES always has been. Please finish the Fragile Album. It will give you a deep understanding of the band. Stay away from anything after the 80's till you do all the earlier stuff. Rock On...!
@@alldayadventures5418 Disagree the 80's material is also very very good. But all is fair in Prog 😀
This song is one of a few "masterpieces" in rock history.
You have completed two thirds of the triumvirate of 70's progressive rock epics with Echoes and Close to the Edge. You need to complete it with Supper's Ready by Genesis!
I would be happy about SUPPER'S READY reaction because I didn't have the money to buy earlier albums back then. I bought DLp Second's Out with the live version and the brilliant DLp The Lamb - both of which I love to this day.
Actually, Emerson, Lake and Palmer also played Prog Rock; not to forget King Crimson (Greg Lake was one of them before ELP), which I didn't really notice as a child. I think In The Court Of Crimson King 1969 is prog rock's first masterpiece?👍
What about Emerson, Lake & Palmer's Tarkus and Karn Evil 9? Easily two of the most groundbreaking and influential prog epics.
Don't forget
Scheherazade, by Renaissance.
Have they done King Crimson?
ELP live concerts form the 70s are also a great watch, as well as live Yes concerts.
I always say listening to Yes is like opening a present to find another and then opening that to find another and so on! Thanks for this reaction! Great song, great reaction! Yes is another band I have loved for 50 years.
❤
Great description!
@@cherylwoodward Thanks!
Well put
Like one of those Russian dolls.
Yes is progressive as they break all the rules. It wasn’t about 3 minute songs built for radio. It was about musicianship. It’s not for everyone. I give you credit for listening to this. Favorite song.
A fond memory of teenage days: imbibing a substance of choice and laying the needle down on this album.
Indeed. I'm not condoning this behavior, but back in college, when we felt it necessary for some mind expansion, this album + your hallucinogen of choice was the ticket.
Wow, this is as prog as it gets but in a masterful and enjoyable way. This is one of the best sides of music ever, the 2 songs on the other side need to be heard as well, this Album is magnificent! Enjoy. 🎵🎸🎤🎹🎶
Yes is an incredible band, producing music for so many years, their sound and style varies greatly over that period. You’ll enjoy finding it all. 👍
'enjoy finding it all' is a bit of a stretch. Amongst their great work, there's also a lot that's best forgotten!
@@CAdams6398 HaHaha ! Agreed ! They went in a direction that lost me ! Somebody bought it. The Yes album and Fragile, thats the Yes I recommend.
Man, oh man... I've been listening to this piece for almost 50 years, and sure... There are different interpretations of the meaning, and all of that.
I still can't really explain it, but... All I know is, it must be listened to front-to-back, all in one listen.
At first listen, I didn't get it. At all.
Decades later, I rediscovered it, and, yeah... It's a masterpiece.
When all the cacophony of the beginning, mixed with the "I get up, I get down" interlude, and all the busy-ness of everything else, it resolves to a glorious ending...
And, it makes me tear up, every single time I listen to it.
In that regard, it doesn't have to make sense to me, personally, but, it hits me HARD, every time.
That's the ultimate power of music, I suppose: If it gets to you, however it does you get it. No need to explain how... It's magic, to me.
Keep on keepin on guys... I wish I could listen to all of this stuff for the first time again... Instead, I'll just dig it again along with you 👍
Everyone in this masterpiece of a song is simply amazing!!!
the song to me describes the life cycle of the human being. peace at first , born into chaos, discovery and learning, enlightenment, then thrust into the chaos of adulthood, working like crazy, the ups and downs ,reaching your goals , then, once again , returned to peace...progressive rock pushes the boundries of accepted music styles and rhythms
I get up I get down...😊❤
Pink Floyd and Yes were concurrently making music at this time, both bands pushing boundaries of form and music... Chris Squire was one of the most innovative and creative bass players of all time... Progressive Rock was founded in the late 60's primarily in England where bands used different time signatures, taking elements of harmony and melody from classical and jazz in longer forms of music...
Think of this as a “Suite”, like Classical Music Suites, made up of several “movements” when played together give you “the whole.” Each movement is meant to convey a different theme, a part of the whole. Here are the 4 movements in “Close to The Edge” with time stamps. Listen again and pay attention to those time stamps. The Solid Time of Change 0:00 6:04
Total Mass Retain 6:04 2:23
I Get Up, I Get Down 8:27 5:45
Seasons of Man 14:12 4:31 . The first number indicates the start of the movement, the second number is duration. For instance: Total Mass Retain begins at 6:04 and lasts for the next 2:23 minutes, then I Get Up, I Get Down begins at 8:27 and so on.
Yes was just a completely different level - can't compare to Floyd - their musicianship is incomparable. At that time, they didn't care about airtime and being mainstream - they were artists. Unfortunately, that changed in the 80s.
There are certain "go to" Yes songs, but at some point in time listen to "Turn of the Century" and if you hone into both the music and the story being told you will surely come away as being "touched" in a most positive and enlightening way. It's a special song. It just is.
It's been a long time since I held a vinyl copy, but if I remember correctly, this was a whole album side. Pink Floyd and Yes were contemporaries. Yes is at a whole different level than Floyd. Neither better nor worse, just different. Both bands are brilliant. And this is one of those songs that I can listen to hundreds of times and still hear something new.
One of the greatest songs ever. When that grand organ drops in it is almost nirvana.
Progressive rock (prog rock) is a subgenre of rock music that combines rock's power with other genres like jazz, classical, and folk. It's characterized by complex compositions, experimentation, and musical virtuosity, and is intended for a sophisticated audience.
These guys seem a little surprised at the change of time signatures and intensity but that was (is) the ESSENCE of progressive rock. And Close To The Edge was the quintessential album of the prog era. Maybe bone up on a little history of each song before reviewing it. They really didn't know what they were getting into.
When Wakeman hits that pipe organ, I get tears and goosebumps.
From chaos comes harmony 😻
It really surprises me when people react to Yes and listen to CTTE first!!!!??
It’s one of their epics and there are quite a few great tunes to listen to before CTTE.
Prog rock refers to music that was before it’s time-not heard or Played before! New…experimental-no rules , no guidelines, no restrictions to one genre of music.
Give a Listen to:
Starship Trooper
Yours is No Disgrace
Heart of the Sunrise
Wondrous Stories
And You and I
then dive into Albums:
Going for the One
Close to the Edge
Yes Album
Fragile
Tormato
THEN onto the EPIC
RELAYER and Tales of Topographic Oceans
Love Magnification too
Keys to Ascension 2
So so many !❤
I agree with what Bill Adkins said with his definition of Prog Rock, but I'll add my take. A good Prog Band is a handful of brilliant musicians attempting to sound like a full orchestra, and pulling it off.
You are right to say this one song took up an entire side of a record. There are 2 more songs on side two of this recording: "Siberian Khatru" and "And You And I". Both are amazing, and Yes opened their concerts with "Siberian Khatru" for a long time.
200 years from now , university students will be tasked to listen to Yes , Pink Floyd, Peter Gabriel Genesis, Moody blues and will be writing doctorial thesis on them
To me the finest song ever recorded. This is Gods music 💓
Yes. No pun intended. I grew up on this music which eventually led me into relationship with God. I always felt that Yes music reached a beauty that made me believe there was a better place in the spiritual realm. Most so called "christian" music pales in comparison to the likes of CTTE and Awaken.
From The Beatles without who this would never have been.
Ladies and gentlemen YES the greatest show on earth. Close To The Edge is one piece of music with four movements much like a symphonic piece of music. Prog basically is classical music played on modern instruments with all the influence of Mozart mixed with Chuck Barry and the Beach Boys. Nice reaction boys and Yes have 6 more symphonic masterpieces like Close To The Edge.
36 get a life! Lol😎
Way more than 6!😎
@@jeffschielka7845 smoke em if you got em
@Jeff Schielka true but this concert violinist confirms at least 6. 🙏🍸
@@lesblatnyak5947 At least 12 if not 18. Come on 36, get it together! Lol!😎
This isn't a piece of music you appreciate on first listen, imho. I love Yes, bought this album when it came out, but took me awhile to take to this song. Side 2 however is simply sublime unparalleled musical composition. Progressive rock eschews blues most of the time, but will get back to it, also eschewing improv, more structured.
To me, Close to the Edge, the entire album, will always be a spiritual experience for me. From 1975 till the day I die.
Any Rock fusion with jazz or blue influence is progressive rock. You should know that the term progressive rock came out of a need to differentiate themselves from your average rock n roll band and they did this by being spectacular in one way or another, only the best musicians need apply.
Yep, that's about it. Musicians of the highest order left in the main unhindered by the record companies to be as creative as they liked, drawing from all genres of music.
22:33 “I’ve never heard nothing like Yes…”
That’s just such a beautiful statement. Whether it’s somebody’s cup of tea or not, there’s no denying that it is unique.
Awaken and Turn Of The Century are musts
Progressive rock means that there is a smooth, seamless progression of various genres, tempos, loudnesses, moods etc. in one musical piece. Most of these songs are in excess of 7-8 minutes, usually 15-20 minutes, sometimes even longer. :-) This is a wonderful showcase of the excellent musicianship of these people. They were (and not just Yes) virtuosos of their respective instruments. Ain't nothing like this these days. I like many rock genres, and I listen to nearly all of them, but there is nothing that compares to progressive rock. :-) Just sit down with your favourite drink, or roll, or whatever it is you fancy, close your eyes, and let your imagination run wild with these songs.
You can't skip the album, In The Court of the Crimson King by King Crimson.
Fripp says you can
New group for you, Emerson, Lake & Palmer (informally known as ELP) were an English progressive rock supergroup formed in London in 1970.[2][3] The band consisted of Keith Emerson (keyboards), Greg Lake (vocals, bass, guitar, producer) and Carl Palmer (drums, percussion). With nine RIAA-certified gold record albums in the US,[4] and an estimated 48 million records sold worldwide,[5] they are one of the most popular and commercially successful progressive rock groups of the 1970s,[6][7] with a musical sound including adaptations of classical music with jazz and symphonic rock elements, dominated by Emerson's flamboyant use of the Hammond organ, Moog synthesizer, and piano (although Lake wrote several acoustic songs for the group).[8] Wikipedia.
Pictures at an Exhibition is a live album by English progressive rock band Emerson, Lake & Palmer, released in November 1971 on Island Records. It features the group's rock adaptation of Pictures at an Exhibition by classical music composer, Modest Mussorgsky, performed at Newcastle City Hall on 26 March 1971.
The band's arrangement of the suite uses only four of the ten parts in Mussorgsky's suite, along with the linking "Promenade" sections. The suite was performed live as one continuous piece, with new, group-written sections linking Mussorgsky's original themes.
Promenade: Organ solo and drum roll
The Gnome: Group instrumental
Promenade: Hammond organ and vocal, followed by a short synthesiser solo
"The Sage": A new picture "drawn" by Lake in the mood of a medieval minnesang, works as sort of romantic prelude to "The Old Castle", followed by a synthesiser solo
The Old Castle: An accelerated adaptation of the original theme
"Blues Variation", a twelve-bar blues credited to the group, borrowing themes from The Old Castle and those that Emerson had previously performed with The Nice
Promenade: Group instrumental
The Hut of Baba Yaga: Group instrumental
"The Curse of Baba Yaga" is a new title to the middle section of the original piece. The music is again an adaption of the original, the lyrics and vocal are credited to the group
The Hut of Baba Yaga: Group instrumental, a reprise of "The Curse of Baba Yaga"
The Great Gates of Kiev: Vocals and lyrics added by the group
The other two songs on this album are awesome too.
Rick Wakeman on real pipe organ
Progressive Rock tends to employ a lot of complex chords, time sigs that are bizarre, they mix jazz and classical in a way that hadn't been done before, and can also be very long. Yes is the most revered, of the prog trail-blazers that gave rise to this form of rock, but I've heard it said that the second side of Abbey Road, and I'll confess that I did notice, upon hearing it as a kid, that wow, this song just goes on and on....on wait, it's just different songs that blend into eachother.
This was right before the Moody Blues did the seminal Days of Future Passed, possibly the very first concept album....and then came Yes.
And I'll mention another beloved prog band of that era, Emerson. Lake and Palmer. Yeah.....there's some thing about prog that can be futuristic, while still full of romantic unicorns with angels' wings on acid.
Don't miss the amazing band, Renaissance, too; their lead singer is pure flaming silver.
That was indeed one whole side of an album. It was recorded on analog tape in 1972, before the days of auto tune, ProTools, and automated mixes. Progressive rock is a genre that moves beyond the pop song format by including influences from other musical styles, particularly classical music and jazz. Others in the prog-rock genre would be Kansas, King Crimson, Jethro Tull, early Genesis and Gentle Giant. It is such a gas for me to see you dudes checking this out and trying to process everything you have heard on this first listening. I've been listening to this record for fifty years and it never fails to amaze me. I've seen Yes live several times. The last time I saw them, they OPENED THEIR SHOW with Close to the Edge!!!
Je rajouterais le groupe canadien francophone Harmonium. La chanson "le premier ciel" version live enregistrée en 1977 est impressionnante.
Le groupe français Ange mérite d'être aussi écouté. L'album "guet apen" de 1979 par exemple est excellent.
Le " live records " de 1977 de Camel est un album également remarquable.
Tout est sur RUclips...
@@soldatwitt6400 I'm sorry to have to ask this, but I suffer from the American malady of being monolingual. If possible, could you please translate your message to me?
a SHOUT OUT to Roger Dean, the great artist, who created their beautiful one of a kind graphics, album covers, paintings and stage design!! we visual artists are part of Rock History too!! all the great album covers were created by very talented VISUAL artists........that nobody remembers.
Not clavicle. Clavinet. Hohner Clavinet. Stevie Wonder “Superstition”
Progressive Rock doesn’t live within the framework of blues (although it can incorporate it), but expands into classical, jazz, country, and even reggae. This was more like a classical piece by, say Mozart, with high-level musicianship, but created with rock sensibilities and instruments. The most successful progressive rock bands of the 1960s and early 1970s were Yes, Genesis, Pink Floyd, the Moody Blues, Frank Zappa, Hawkwind, Jethro Tull, and even the Beatles later work. Later progressive bands were (arguably) Rush, Dream Theater, Marillion, Alan Parsons Project, ELO, Pineapple Thief, Steven Wilson, Radiohead, etc. BTW, this is considered by many to be the greatest progressive rock album of all time-and keeps winning that poll by whomever does them.
Progressive rock is songs which contain a connected series of musical ideas linked together to make something that is more of the sum of its parts. In the case of this track go back and listen to how the multiple ideas explored throughout the track all come together in that final big finish. Its not always like that, sometimes the destination is quite different to the start but there is always a ‘progression’ though a group of connected ideas and often the transitions between the musical ideas are the most impressive parts of the song. You already noted in some of the Floyd songs and in this one that its like watching a movie and thats exactly right. Thats just what they were trying to do. Keep your attention and move you through a series of emotions across 20 mins or so of music. This was a long long way from the 3 minute pop tracks of instant gratification that had been popular up to this point and through the 70s up to the advent of punk rock YES , Floyd, Genesis,Camel, ELP, King crimson, Jethro Tull, Mike Oldfield, in the prog genre and Tangerine Dream and Jean - Michel Jarre in the emerging electronic genre all exploited this extended format to great effect. Other bands like Porcupine Tree and Marillion in the UK and Dream Theater in the US picked up the genre again in the 90s and 2000s though to the present day. In parallel a cross genre, progressive metal, emerged which brought the progressive format to the metal genre. Before anyone flames me I tried to simplify the explanation and there are many many more bands who probably could have had a mention.
Great comment Sci. 👏
👍🏼 🎶❤️🎶
I believe that "progressive rock" is just a modern adjective, and it isn't a correct name for this musical style. In that times this was called "Simphonic rock", which depicts better what is this: music composed like the classic simphonies, but using rock rhythms and sounds. The imagination got enormous, specially in groups like Yes and King Crimson.
I agree. "Progressive" was a much broader term back then. Lennon said the White Album wasn't as "progressive" but still really good. (Hilarious understatement. He was comparing to psychedelia.) As for Yes, ELP, Tull, etc, I remember those bands being called art rock, techno rock, space rock, symphonic rock, classical rock, avant-garde rock. It mostly wasn't called anything, it was just there. "Progressive" was settled on in the 90s and that morphed into "prog" at some point.
This song just keeps giving. Started listening to them in the 70s. If I had to choose one album to live on a desert island, it would be Close to the Edge.
1972, Next album after Fragile. Before Dark Side of the Moon by Floyd. Its side one of the LP. Chris Squire ((the Fish) is the Bassist. His solo album "Fish out of Water" is worth a listen.
As always with close to the edge the first time: first 5 minutes perplexed faces, then a hesitant smile and at the end pure amazement. 😄
Yeah. I think the first 5 minutes of my all time fav’, ‘Awaken’, could be described very similarly.
And then………..😲 Wow! 🎶❤️🎶
@@eddiecriglington400 Awaken is beautiful!
@@PeterBuwen Truly is Peter. Goosebumps every time. And that’s been for 46 years, so far.
Never ever tire of it. 🎶❤️🎶
Seasons will pass you by….🎶🎼🎵🎸🥁🎹
Their drummer is up on the list of greats!!! You should see one of his drum solo's! Insanity!!!!
Oh, sorry guys, the actually had 2 of the all time great drummers. Bill Bruford and Alan White. Me personally I like Alan White better!!! The whole band is genius!!!!
Really glad you reacted to this masterpiece!!! I saw Yes on this Close to the Edge tour in 1973 when I was in junior high. If you want to hear another prog rock masterpiece, I highly recommend Emerson, Lake and Palmer's "Karn Evil 9: 1st, 2nd and 3rd Impressions"!!!!!!
Radio couldn't make money off 30-45 minute songs. Bye, bye concept albums, prog... Who knows what could have been if everything wasn't about the bottom line...
Yes is like peeling an onion, so many layers! Absolutely one of the biggest bands in the world in the early 70s! I saw this tour in Tuscaloosa AL with a then unknown band named The Eagles opening for them. Still one of the best shows I’ve ever seen! What a heady musical time to be alive: Allman Brothers, Grateful Dead, Jethro Tull, ELP, King Crimson, Zeppelin, The Who, Pink Floyd, and on and on! I fear we’ll never enjoy such a period again…
QUOTE: "Progressive rock is a broad genre of rock music that developed in the United Kingdom and United States through the mid- to late 1960s, peaking in the early 1970s.
The style was an outgrowth of psychedelic bands who abandoned standard pop traditions in favor of instrumentation and compositional techniques more frequently associated with jazz, folk, or classical music. Additional elements contributed to its "progressive" label: lyrics were more poetic, technology was harnessed for new sounds, music approached the condition of "art", and the studio, rather than the stage, became the focus of musical activity, which often involved creating music for listening rather than dancing"
I find the complex structure harder to listen to at first, but the more you listen to the songs and the more you memorize them, the more you realize just how incredible they are. They never grow old or stale. They just get better and better. Prog gave me a better understanding and appreciation of classical, jazz and big band music of the 1940s too.
Yes is FIRST LEVEL , PREMIUM MUSICIANS, Pink Floyd not
Progressive rock don't go by a pacific formula like, intro, verse, hook. They experiment with beats, sounds and timing. It goes almost on it's own to places they've never been.
Progressive rock was a genre that came out of the psychedelic era of the late 60s, but it was a completely new, more disciplined orchestral sound. The complexity and long epic arrangements were the halllmark of prog. It wasthe drugs and experimentation of the counter-culture that allowed and even encouraged long meandering spontaneous jams, like The Grateful Dead, Cream and Jimi Hendrix. But the band and the album that first shocked everyone out of the haze of th sixties and into a new era and a new genre was King Crimson with their debut The Court of the Crimson King and the song 21st Century Schizoid Man. Also The Moody Blues, Jethro Tull and Gentle Giant were among the first pioneers of progressive rock. It was that fateful day when YES first heard King Crimson snd then Jon went to the band and said "boys, we are going to have to rehearse ALOT more" and when Genesis heard King Crimson, they said 'OK, lets lock ourselve away in the cottage for about 6 months until we come out sounding something like that!!"
And that was it....progressive rock was born, but after about 5 years, tbe music press, the critics and media decided to strangle it before it escaped from the crib. By 1980, progressive rock was a dirty word.
Rick Wakeman, the original organist, is something else. Check out his individual records to get a true idea of his craft mastery. Saw this group in Denver in '76. Unfortunately Wakeman had just left the group but still an awesome concert. Cool light show.
Pink Floyd it’s a great band but noting to se with Yes King Crimson , Gentle Giant Genesis or Emerson Lake and Palmer are another level of musicians !!
My respect !
I listen this great bands from 1970 wen I was 10 years old in Costa Rica 🇨🇷
Gentlemen, this is just the same as late 19th-20th century symphonic music, adapted to a Rock band and including Rock idioms. That’s Prog.
Now you heard on of Classic Prog's Greatest Bands !!!
And Epic Classic that is voted #1 or #2 by Prog Magazine each year as Progs best song !
Going back and forth with Genesis - Supper's Ready !! 👍🎼🎶
Explaining Progressive Rock I would say think Rush, Pink Floyd and Yes.
This album has one song on side one and two songs on side two. Most Yes albums are not structured this way. This piece/song is constructed a bit like a symphony. Progressive rock is often symphonic in structure, influenced by classical music. It incorporates many changes in tone, rhythm, etc. within one song. Songs become collections of movements that together make up a suite. They have one album that is 2 LPs/four sides. It is one "symphony" made up of four parts with a full album side per part. Though, as I said, most of their albums aren't that way.
There's more to progressive rock than Pink Floyd and Yes - other bands from that era include Emerson, Lake and Palmer (ELP), Genesis (early albums), King Crimson, Gentle Giant, etc. There are also progressive rock bands that came up later such as Dream Theater, Porcupine Tree, Tool, The Mars Volta.
I was just hitting high school when this came out! I shocked some many friends turning them on to this album and band. For a black kid growing up in white neighborhood music was great! I loved it all! R&B, rock, jazz, Pink Floyd, Steely Dan! I got to go to shows and grew with all the music genres! Chiguy
I'm a subscriber and if you want a few more from YES I highly recommend "Heart of the Sunrise" incredible tune and "Leave It" vocals are amazing.
Progressive Rock is the newer term for what was originally called Classical Rock.
So this is the first time you heard them at the point of their career when they took off to a place NO ONE ELSE even came close to reaching. The bass is Chris Squire. The distinct sound of his guitar is because it is a Rickenbacker. His amazing bass lines are mostly due to his use of syncopation and it was unique! The lead guitarist, Steve Howe, is just as astounding as your reaction to the song. If you think 'Close to the Edge' is a masterpiece, I suggest you listen to 'Tales of Topographic Oceans'. Side two, 'The Remembering', in particular is so complicated and heavenly Yes refused to attempt it live. In fact, I think any of their live performances from 'Close To the Edge' on are disappointments, cheapen the experience. You will need a lot of patience for 'Tales', as it is called, as it takes a ridiculous amount of times listening to it before you pull each side of the double album together, and it will be worth it a thousand times over. You need high volume and complete privacy. And without any drugs or alcohol, you will enter a far-away place.
Guys, WAY TOO MUCH pausing. Play YES, listen, then talk!😎
Life was actually a "game (of Life" back then, remember that game? -We'd listen to this then play a board game during...-eeck)
Pink Floyd? Yeah ok, but with much better musicians and vocal work. Seriously, they were unique in their golden age. The Yes Album, Fragile and this one. Pure 🔥
Try "Starship Trooper " "Going for the One" "Yours is no Disgrace " "Siberian Khatru" there shorter songs :)
The musical mastery of YES members in their various formations has always been far above any other comparison. Other bands came close, like Rush, Gentle Giant and Genesis, but YES remains the beacon.
YES was big a few years before Floyd Fragile 1971 Close To The Edge 72 and then Dark Side OF The Moon 73
I used to hate it when my law professors tried to explain the "why" behind the current laws by reciting the laws that had preceded the current ones and explaining how the flaws in the previous system had necessitated the passage of some reforms.
But I'm about to do the same thing to you.
Up until the late 1960's, all of the entire music radio world followed a "Top 40" radio format, maybe with the exception of some university radio stations whose FM signal barely reached the limits of the college campus. Top 40 was AM radio. I'm not sure why FM radio stations came to proliferate to such a degree back then, but suspect some changes in FCC regulations that increased the avalable frequences on the FM band, or something similar.
The Top 40 AM music stations had become a bit hard to enjoy. All the songs were roughly two to three minutes long, with tons of commercials interlaced among the music, and 99% of the songs followed a chorus-verse-chorus-instrumental-verse-chorus song template. You'd hear the Top 40, and when #1 was played, it was back to #40 and the countdown began again, over and over and over. I remember weeding the flower beds surrounding my childhood ranch-style home one fine July day way back when, with my plastic transistor radio close at hand, and heaing the same similar 40 songs being played 5 times during that long day of drudgery.
Prog rock was the cure for the shortcomings of that system. Musicians must have felt trapped in a straight-jacket cut for them by record labels demanding hit singles from them, which meant a song which sounded pretty much identical to their previous release, which had charted at #7 nationwide. Most record labels were notoriously conservative about the music they funded. Most of the Top 40 radio stations, if they were going to play a single 8 times a day, wanted it to be a "good song", which meant it had sound like high-selling past singles. Most listeners had been programmed, literally, into expecting and accepting what was aired to them. They had no choice. There wasn't anything else.
The birth of FM radio came with the idea that to make a splash and attract new listeners thay had to offer a new and different product. The offered new bands rather than established bands. Many of the new bands successfully fought with their record labels about the sorts of songs they wanted to include on their new album releases. Freed from the constraints of the Top 40 system, there was an explosion of new and highly creative music, with new bands incorporating ideas from classical, country, folk, latin, and jazz genres into the mainstream rock band format of lead guitar, bass guitar, keyboards, drums and lead vocalist. The resulting music sounded new and exciting to listeners. The inability of fledgling FM stations to attract advertisers helped a lot. Fewer ads allowed for the playing of longer songs.
This was fertile ground for the rise of progressive rock. The hallmarks of progressive rock are long, complex songs which are really symphonic suites, with many movements, changes in rhythm, changes in melody, changes in keys, and lots of dynamic range. These songs are notoriously hard to dance to. Progressive bands also consciously sought to incorporate new sounds into their recordings. Back at that time there was an absolute explosion in electronics. A plucked guitar string, after being filtered through some electronic circuits, could come out of an amp sounding like just about anything. While rock bands had oftentimes in the past used pianos and organs as part of their output, all of a sudden they had the option of adding a dozen or more synthesizer sounds and the option of adding a Mellotron, too, to their music. So, it was readily possible for a prog band to introduce unique and new sounds to their output with each new album.
People with nothing better to do with their time can and do argue endlessly about the definition of prog. www.progarchives.com believes there are 27 distinct sub-genres within the overall genre of progressive rock. Like Justice Potter Stewart, I can't define prog, but I know it when I hear it. If not satified with ole Potter's sort of definition, you can spend a year or two scrolling though progarchives.com to see an infinite number of other definitions
As prog bands continued to try and produce new and unique music containing new sounds, after a decade or so, their muses had flown away. A lot of music fans decided new and unique really didn't sound new and unique anymore, but more like the same old same old. FM stations now had lots of advertisers and seldom played 20-minute songs anymore. They marketed themselves as "Album Oriented Rock" and aired a much more diverse set of songs than the AM stations played (a lot of inertia there, with Top 40 still hanging around), but the songs played grew shorter and shorter, more and more commmercials ran in between those songs, and those bands who were once deemed new and exciting had become the dodgy bands your parents lintened to. Alas, for prog lovers, their favorite type of music had seen its heyday.
This album and Dark Side Of the Moon are both arguably the greatest progressive rock album of all time. (The 2nd side here has "And You and I" and "Siberian Khatru" (a funky banger!). Prog Rock is based on classical music, jazz, and rock, even folk music...with elaborate composition, using many sections, changing time signatures, with seamless transitions that are sometimes hard to tell where one song, or movement ends and the next one begins. This is a great song to demonstrate that style of Prog Reck. It was a period that lasted from the late 60's to the late 70s...the best Prog Rock bands, imo...Yes, Pink Floyd, Rush, Emerson Lake & Palmer, Jethro Tull, King Crimson, and my favorite...Genesis. I prefer their later mid 1970s albums starting with Trick Of The Tale, with Phil Collins on drums and lead vocals, after Peter Gabriel left the band. Their Lamb Lies Down album is the only one I like with Peter Gabriel, although early Genesis fans would vehemently disagree! Prog Rock is one of my favorite genres of music and I will be listening to it until I'm dead!
Me too. 👍🏼 🎶❤️🎶
Masterpiece. Bach and Mozart would have loved it. Floyd is awesome and I love them but musicianship wise, these guys would cut their heads easy. Yes a Floyd both formed in 68 but Floyd was bit earlier with their first release.
Told you, if you don't like them, you'll respect them! They are so creative and each an expert of their craft!!!
King Crimson was considered the first progressive rock band. check them out
Pink Floyd and Yes were coming up at the same time. I would say neither was influenced by the other.
"Progressive" means the music progresses with you for all time...
Obviously “Owner of a Lonely Heart” from Vice City
By the way Chris Squire play with a Rickenbacker bass and he is thight as a baseman could be,he's a reference in prog music!
The bass sound is awesome. And the layers of voices and instruments. Wow
Floyd is great but they are light-years behind Yes musicianship.
Not sure how to define progressive rock but it pushes the boundaries and more free-flowing. This is one song and two follow on the other side which are masterpieces as well. Siberian Katru is my fav. This is one song with different parts or movements within the song which is similar to classical music. But the talent level of his group is on another level. I like Yes's more classic stuff like Roundabout, Starship Trooper, I See All Good People, Long Distance Runaround+ Fish, Yours Is No Disgrace, to name a few. Rush was influenced by Yes, and Geddy Lee said there would be no Rush without Yes.
these guys were in their 20's when this was written. Think about it........