Composer/Musician Reacts to Yes - Close to the Edge (REACTION!!!)
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- Опубликовано: 3 авг 2020
- Bryan reacts to and talks about his thoughts on Yes - Close to the edge (Steven Wilson Stereo Remix 2013)
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12:45 - No it's not a lot of synth stuff. It's guitars and bass with volume swells and lot's of plate reverb. Also some mellotron for the background pads and an RMI Electra-piano that comes in at 13:23. There were no polyphonic synths in 1972. The mini-moog (which was monophonic) had only been out since 1970. It was the first mass marketed commercial synthesizer. The mini-moog was used on this album though. You can hear it at 17:25. There is also church organ (recorded in real church) at 15:41 and Hammond B3 at 18:23 which is considered to be one of the greatest organ solos of all time. The seventies was the best decade for keyboard technology. Nothing was digital. It was all analog and electro mechanical.
Right!!! 😊
Not true. There were digital synthesizers before the end of the 70's. Also, the first mini moog came out in 71 not 70.
@@mikereiss4216 Ok.... good to get the details right but the point doesn't change: 70's were mainly analog (especially in the prog peak years)
@@mikereiss4216 The Synclavier came out in 1977 and the Fairlght in 1979. Yamaha was working on digital synths as far back as the early seventies but didn't release anything until 1980 the (Yamaha GS-1 cost $16,000) the Prophet V had digital storage for patches and I'm sure there was other digital stuff in the seventies but it wasn't until the eighties that digital really took off. Yeah I guess it was 1971 for the mini moog. And I think there might have been an early ARP that played two notes. The Odyssey in 1972 maybe? But 1972 was pretty primitive technology compared to what came later.
The church is St Giles-without-Cripplegate in London. One of the few mediaval churches that survived the Great Fire. Unfortunately, not the London Blitz, so it was rebuilt after WWII.
“The drummer wasnt really giving me any hints”.
Thats Bill Bruford. Absolute legend.
One thing about this song is you can listen to it over and over and not get sick of it. That's Progressive or Classical Based Rock.
So True Al, I've been listening to it since my older brother brought it home as a station promo copy from KOCU radio Creighton University when it was released. The wouldn't / couldn't play it on the air so he gave it to me. I've heard it hundreds of times and in numerous live and cover versions. It still carries the magic it did back then. Thanks KOCU for putting this in your "STIFF" box and giving it away. I couldn't be happier to have your cast off. Oh yeah, Wakey's Journey to the Center of the Earth came from the same place.
Correct, I've listened to it five times tonight.
Lol, I just finished watching for the fifth time to different reactions, going for the sixth.
eso es realmente lo que me pasa. esta cancion y the revealing science of god me queman el cerebro. todos los dias la escucho, es mi terapia de relajacion..
Also the absolutely LEGENDARY Chris Squire on bass.
Ha, came here to say that. Yeah man, I'm a bassist and have always admired his playing. A friggin God.
My favourite bassist of all time!
And I gotta add my two pennies worth! From the first note I heard of Chris Squire and his Rickenbacker bass I was hooked! I collected everything he ever played on, well everything that was available, and I was absolutely gutted when he passed away and he’s really left a hole in my musical life. The thought that we’d never hear any more from him is so sad. Definitely one of my biggest inspirations in music. RIP Chris!
Close to the Edge by Yes was in 1972
Supper's Ready by Genesis was in 1972
Thick as a Brick by Jethro Tull was in 1972
So far all three songs you reacted to for Prog week was from the same year.
man what a year for prog
Yo
The greatest years 71-73 of my teenage life WE WERE OVERWHELMED in those years with countless masterpieces by wide variety of Prog artist as well as other genres.
Yes! 72 73 greatest albums ever!!!💖💖💖🎶🎶
1971 was a great year for side-long songs too. VdGG - Plague Of Lighthouse keepers, Caravan - 9 feet Underground, Rare Bird - Flight, Pink Floyd - Echoes, ELP - Tarkus...
Close to the Edge is an absolute classic. The best of the 70s prog rock epics
uh, the Court
After Supers Ready Genesis
@@pataleno Suppers Ready is great (particularly the beginning) but I find CttE to be more cohesive and memorable
2112
Xanadu
I was 18 when this LP came out. At that moment it became my favorite album in my collection, having traveled many of the lyric and musical journeys in these 48 years. It is still my favorite. Watching a younger person hearing and appreciating this, makes me choke up a bit.
I was 16 and at school in the 6th form common room one lunch-time and it totally blew me away. It's my favourite song and has been for 50 years.
Over the past several months I have had quite a pleasant journey wandering around RUclips, watching and listening to the multitude of reactions being offered by younger listeners. I can't tell you how much good it has done my heart to know that "Yes" and especially this particular masterpiece is being discovered, critiqued, and most importantly, being fully appreciated for the musically creative force it represents by a new, wide-eyed audience. I just felt the need to write a note of thanks. You, along with all of the other "reactors" have put such a huge smile on this old man's face. PS (a suggestion): Please look into the band "Gentle Giant" for more adventures in layered time signature and textured "sound-scaping." I am certain you will be pleased!
Gentle Giant is certainly on my radar. We almost had it on the channel during this specific week when we looked at classic prog bands.
Oh yes please Gentle Giant!
Loved YES! Chris Squire was my favorite bassist of all time! Still missing him. RIP Chris.
Mr Squire is so missed.🌹
The song Awaken is only mentioned here four times but in my view the best.
One of the most exciting moments in live music was seeing Yes (with the classic lineup) playing this song. I was stunned. Amazing!
Over 200 times for me!
Ladies and gentlemen Chris Squire and Yes the greatest show on earth. This symphonic masterpiece will be listened to for centuries. Saw Chris Squire and Yes 36 times.
Wow dude.. It's basically a Bach cover and after '74 neither of Squire nor Yes did any worth mentioning since.
@chrisb2942 wow dude I played violin in a symphony when it came out, it's not Bach. Maybe a little Mozart.
@@lesblatnyak5947 You probably haven't heard much of Bach then, did you? The wide, exalted, spheric organ is literally Bach in a nutshell. It's a great song but it wasn't new, revolutionary and Yes as a band has a lot of great songs but even more really shitty (as I said since '74 they are more robbing their fans than anything else). Can't believe you think this will last centuries.
@@chrisb2942 what ever Einstein
The emotion this music evokes is what brought true love from fans. It’s derived from melody. Melody actually dictates the pulse. And everything else. Yes and Genesis fans from this era loved this music by how it moved them. That is the gold standard.
To me, Yes is the greatest prog band because they 1) were very early in on the style, helping to define it, 2) were one of the most innovative and exploratory bands, and, up until a certain point did everything to service the music. They were never into things like notes per minute, key changes per minute, etc. They do do them, but not just for their own sake. They didn't pad songs just to make them long, but went as far as the inspiration took them (paraphrase from Rick Wakeman about CttE and Awaken). All songs sounded like Yes, but the songs didn't sound the same. And they understood moods, light, dark, up, down, tempos fast and slow. Plus loud and soft. Today's prog, especially metal, doesn't have that kind of variety and for many it is about speed and complexity for their own sake.
Perfectly said.
King Crimson
I agree with what you're written. Regarding "today's" prog, I'll call it neo-prog because I'm an old guy; however, I would invite you to listen to Spock's Beard and their album V. I'm not claiming they are Yes. However, I would say SB is a band that does understand musicality. I cut my teeth on Yes and lamented there was no good new prog stuff out there. When I stumbled onto SB and especially the album V I had my mind changed.
@@popgrubbs Thanks. I've heard of them, but never heard them. my spotifeed hasn't given me any examples, so I'll have to ask it to play me some.
I love that they got their name from one of the best star trek episodes ever.
@@davep8221 there is a great story about how the band name was given to them. There’s plenty of SB on RUclips
As I understand it the production of this album was actually spinal tap levels of insane. They set up like a live show in a soundstage and recorded the track in 30 sec.-1min long pieces. Then, they pieced it together in the studio later with their live sound guy and studio producer Eddie Offord. Sounds pretty trivial today with our modern DAWs, but remember this was all done on tape and analog equipment.
That fast 16th note part in the beginning is synthesizer. It's playing the same ascending kinda stacked line the guitar is doing right before the 2nd vocal stab, just in double time. The whole section is polyrhythm central, everyone is playing a different time signatures! Also, the beginning of this track is a rare example of the use of Locrian mode, and probably the longest most involved use of it in rock music period.
Sounds like a modified Locrian to me; at least Squire is playing what sounds like an A harmonic minor scale starting on B (the augmented second between F & G# is very clear).
'Awaken' is the best Yes composition ever.
agree
Gates
Close to the edge all the way!
Awaken my favorite is another masterpiece.
Awaken goes far beyond what an actual band can do. It a true masterpiece. Only these guys could write something like that.
Gates of delirium is one of their best.
Oh yea!
Agreed! Gates is my fav Yes piece, and that’s considering ALL their music. Takes a few listens to embrace.
Close to the Edge has no rivals
THE* best
I consider "Relayer" to be the peak of Yes' creativity.
Back in the early 70's when this was new, I had friends working in stereo shops who used this album to test new systems and speakers for quality and sonic range!
Something interesting about this track is that they started recording the beginning before they had finished writing the song. They would write maybe a thirty second section or a minute section and they would paste it on to what they had already recorded. It was literally written and recorded linearly as they went along over days or weeks. They had no idea what it was going to sound like until it was finished. It sounds so thought out and constructed. Like it had been composed before hand. But there was no master plan. They were actually winging it as they went along. Imagine that.
The Revealing Science of God is another great piece of theirs as well that also is an epic
The whole Tales from Topographic Oceans is a rock symphony with four 20 minutes movements. I really like it but can understand people who considered it too bombastic.
Yes has sooo many bangers: Roundabout, Heart of the sunrise, I've seen all good people, starship trooper, Siberian Khatru, Machine Messiah, Tempus Fugit, and the list goes on.
ps. funny enough all the songs you listened to came out in the same year, 1972.
Yesband - Awaken, Gates of Delirium, And You And I!
Yes is THE classic prog rock band.
You can find a beautiful line of development between Owners of a lonely heart and the death metal ballad Kernel Panic (Alkaloid) :P
I was going to mention Starship Trooper myself...
Why do al prog bands have a song called Tempus Fugit?
Check out Yes “Gates of Delirium “ off the Relayer album.
The live version on Yesshows is even better. The band had been touring for a while so Squire and White were amazing together.
Yesband - The Gates Of Delirium (live from the YesShows album)
Yesband - Sound Chaser
It’s crazy how you spoke right through my favorite part. Like it didn’t move you at all. I’ve seriously had very great experiences at that part of “I get up” and the first time that crescendo happened I got some serious chills. Anyway good analysis.
The keyboards are by Rick Wakeman, demi-god of the Keys.
demi? god!
In order to be a demi-god he’d have to be half god, and Rick ain’t half anything
@@Ssspaceform I agree, but being areligious, I don't like the g-word by itself.
The Master!
I've seen at least a dozen different 'first listen' videos on this composition. It's telling that Yes seems to finally be coming into their own as one of the seminal bands of the early seventies. There is nothing else out there like Close to the Edge, or like most of Yes' catalogue. If you're discovering it for the first time, enjoy.
Thank you for covering Yes!! I first saw Yes live in 1973 on the Close to the Edge tour, and most recently Anderson, Wakeman and Rabin of Yes in 2016 at the Austin City Limits Theater (so yes, they're still playing as is the Steve Howe faction of Yes). Jon Anderson is in his 70s now, and still hits the high notes perfectly!! Unbelievable show!!! If you are looking for recommendations, from the 70s I would recommend "Roundabout" and "Heart of the Sunrise". From the 80s I recommend "Owner of the Lonely Heart", "Rhythm of Love", "Hold On", "Leave It", "State of Play", "Shock to the System". I could recommend tons more.. And RIP to the phenomenal Chris Squire on bass 🙏
Wish ARW made an album of originals.
Found you and subscribed because of this vid. Its fun to see someone hear this for the first time. I’m looking forward to watching more of your videos and making a few suggestions once I have a better idea of what you’ve enjoyed.
Hey man, no worries about the release schedule. Life happens, don't burn yourself out!
I was up there twice! One for my Patreon and one for my RUclips lol. This was in my possible Patreon picks list I've been throwing around in my head so you can imagine how psyched I was for this video. Man I hope one day (doesn't need to be anytime soon as there's so much great music out there that needs checking out and discovering) we revisit Yes, these other classic prog bands we're checking out, and check out the many other killer classic prog bands like Gentle Giant, VDGG, Zappa, Camel, etc. So many absolutely amazing songs and bands.
Yes Band - The next track, And You And I is a very nice song with lots of great melody, but if you want a masterpiece then Gates of Delirium will blow your socks off. It is their 1812 Overture, describing the chaos of battle instrumentally.
And You And I is probably my favorite Yes song🤍
Yes Band: Perpetual Change
I was 16 when I saw this LIVE 1972 and became a fanatic instantly! Remember this is beyond Rock and was still a BRAND NEW music experience at the time. It's post 60's psychedelic/jazz, British, folk/Westcoast FUSION. METAL just took Prog but contaminates Prog's unique sophistication. YES IS THE QUINTESSENTIAL PROGband . YOUR HEAD IS ABOUT TO EXPLODE & you're struggling. But you FELT a lot of why this deeply ATMOSPHERIC work of art is Progs Holy Grail . THIS MUSIC IS MAGIC & FULLY COMPOSED The Tension is ALWAYS juxtaposed in SO MANY ways but is derived from A VERY SPONTANEOUS CREATIVE FLOW! EACH BAND MEMBER HERE in this lineup were the best of their kind on their instrument!!!! This band is interweaving texturally, instrumentally, theatrically, dynamically tonally and more. As an Artist & "wish to be" a musician with a great ear, it's nice to here the clinical analysis. YES takes several listens to truly appreciate the pure genius magic of their compositions during the 70's and to ride it. PLEASE ....YOU MUST.... Here YES's GATES OF DELIRIUM & REVEALING SCIENCE OF GOD.....then Put GENTLE GIANT (Cogs n Cogs) on your major Progband list. MORE PROG MORE PROG!
Another brilliant Yes album to react on would be RELAYER.
_Heart of the Sunrise_ has always been one of my fave Yes tracks.
Some more YES-BAND to check out would be
-Heart Of The Sunrise
-South Side Of The Sky
-Astral Traveller
-Gates Of Delirium
-Starship Trooper
-Machine Messiah
I second Heart of the Sunrise and Gates of Delirium is an absolute masterpiece.
my favourite is Siberian Khatru
Welcome to Yes. As a bassist, I friggin love them. Chris Squire was way ahead of his time in a lot of ways when it comes to his playing. I was introduced to "Yes" via the song "Roundabout" as I'm sure many were. And while that's a really "played out" song, MAN, does it have a FAT bass line. That album has an interesting idea behind it as each member has a "Solo song" they put together themselves. Neat stuff. But I'm glad you listened to this one. Solid pick!
Jonathan, I agree about Chris. I remember hearing Roundabout on AM radio and didn't pay much attention to the 3:30 version. After CTTE and Wakey's "Journey" album my brother told me to check out Fragile. Which I did, with good headphones on. Roundabout was a totally different experience. I've love it ever since. Chris's bass is amazing.
'what time signature is this?' The songs opening section is in 3/4. After that bombastic section, when Chris starts playing longer notes, they've switched to 6/8. Near the end of this section there's a bar of 9/8 then three bars of 4/4 while they hold out whole notes then into 12/8 for the section where the singing starts. When they come to the lyric 'close to the edge, down by the river', it's a bar of 4/4 a bar of 2/4 then they hold the note over 3 bars of 3/4. There's a coda there where they repeat that 'close to the edge..' section again. At bar 156 which is a pretty syncopated section they move into 6/4. At the end of the section they go back into the 'close to the edge' with again if the bar of 4/4 then a bar of 2/4 then they hold the long note over 3 bars of 3/4, repeat it. So we're up to about bar 185 there.
So yeah, there's a buttload of time signature changes in this piece of music. There's a web page out there with it written and performed by strings where you can follow along and read the music and hear the string ensemble play it, it's pretty cool. It really demonstrates how complex this piece is.
I've been listening this song for nearly 50 years. It's a master piece. Yes are among the musicians who produced the best music in history.
Same. Seen YES over 200 times. Greatest band on this planet.
That was a very interesting review. I appreciate when knowledgeable people share their opinions. Thanks for doing it! Happy New Year!
As much as I love Steven Wilson, I can't say I'm a huge fan of the mix he did for this album. A lot of the odd section transitions, mistakes, and even splices in the tape are more obvious, whereas those were buried in what I feel was a more cohesive mix in the Eddie Offord version. Specifically, the transition out of the church organ/moog run, and what should be the explosion of sound coming out of Wakeman's Hammond solo, fall kind of flat with the more even volume balance of Wilson's mix, whereas Offord was riding the tape machine mix into the red in some parts of the original. Don't get me wrong, Steven Wilson is a hell of a mix engineer, but Offord's role in really gluing the disparate pieces of this song together led to what I feel is a stronger whole, whereas the clarity of the Wilson mix is good for picking out individual instruments, but it loses the tour-de-force feel of the original.
I agree, he stole the body of the music. The original recording has much more soul to it. He has moved the vocals forward at the expense of the music. Steve Wilson has stripped away all the emotion!
Agree completely. This version sounds very tinny compared to what the original recording was. Plus, I saw them perform this live in 1972, so I have a better basis to judge the different versions, and this sounds significantly different from 1972.
If you wanna check out a DIFFERENT sort of prog band, look up Spock's Beard "The Light". Beautiful album and song!
"What makes a dream so very different from any other dream Where is that straight line that I can hold up to the light and say no This is not right This does not stand up in the light"
Great band! Not TOO different though (but then it's about quality and not originality 😊)
@@progperljungman8218 That's just it. Spock's Beard can't be the best prog band, they just aren't "it", but they are my FAVORITE prog band.
Love Yes (band), probably my favorite classic prog rock band. If you want to go on a journey, listen to Awaken on the album Going for the One. It's one of those you can just close your eyes and experience.
Another good track is their cover of America originally by Simon & Garfunkel
Yeah man Awaken is gotta be right up there with this and a few others as their best songs. I know a member or two have said that they believe Awaken is the best track they ever made.
I loved Going for the One. One of the better later albums.
Glad you appreciate Rick's soloing. He was doing sessions in London while still a student at the Royal College. He was known as "one take Wakeman" and he was often used because he didn't sound like any of the other more conventional keyboard players. You can hear him on early Bowie albums and even guests with Elton John.
This track and this whole album is amazing. Yes is one of the classic prog bands that managed the complexity and accessibility mix the best imo. Their songs are impressive but still have hooks and don't lose emotion in favour of techincal prowess. Great reaction and commentary as always!
It has been said - “to Truly Appreciate a Yes song ..you must listen to it at Least 3x!
Yes they switch up times- but each member of Yes is a master of their instrument..including Jon and his voice and lyrics to achieve a certain sound. As a composer are u capable of turning off the dissection and JUST LISTEN TO THE SONG? All of its bits make up an experience!!❤️
Awaken-studio version and Gates Of Delirium -from YESSHOWS live album are the two for me, my joint all time fav tracks----maybe On The Silent Wings Of Freedom or South Side Of The Sky great slightly shorter songs..
Yes band: Tales from Topographic Oceans
Revealing Science of God, if you need to pick just one of the four sides.
My third Yes album, after the Yes Album and Fragile. I have a really vivid memory of returning home on the bus after buying Close To The Edge in a record shop [ask your dad, kids!] in Slough. I was sat at the back doing my best to fathom the lyrics on the inner sleeve. It was my favourite Yes album until Tales From Topographic Oceans came out. The wonderful harmonies, the awesome guitar, the fantastic bass, the incredible keyboards and the enigmatic lyrics, every element of the song is simply sublime. No matter how often I listen to it I hear something fresh and for the first time. It’s one of those tracks I know note for note.
All band members are rock legends. Awesome stuff.
This was composed as a collaboration with engineer Eddy Offord in the studio. They later performed this almost note for note on stage! They are legends.
I love your process as you go through the song. You're the only one on RUclips I've seen break down the structure to this extent.
It's taken me until current year to figure out my own interpretation of the meter. I think most of the song (aside from I get up/I get down) is actually kept in strict 12/8 with different pulses to move the meter intentionally. The drums are providing the "feel" first. while the time kept is immaculate it's not there to keep time *for* you. You're along for the ride.
Hopefully you do more classical prog
I suggest that you listen to
Gentle gaint
Camel
Mahavishnu orchestra
King crimson
Elp
Camel is so underrated. Lady Fantasy is a good starting point. The Snow Goose is my favorite Camel album but it’s meant to listen in its entirety.
@@Randinator Camel had intended to include exerts from the text on the album but its author Paul Gallico would not allow it. The album had to be titled 'Music Inspired by the Snow Goose' to avoid copyright infringement.
Camel struck at the right time. An acclaimed screen adaptation of the Snow Goose had not long before been shown on British television. So the public had been primed for a musical adaptation.
Nektar should be on the list.
Jade Warrior - Last Autumns Dream And Released
That fast 16th note thing during the guitar solo in the beginning is keyboardist Rick Wakeman playing the bass line, only twice as fast.
In terms of a time-line, these 3 albums were all released in 1972 in the following order:
Jethro Tull - Thick as a Brick
Yes - Close to the Edge
Genesis - Foxtrot
All these bands started in the late 60s, but the pivotal moment was the release of "In the Court of the Crimson King" by King Crimson in 1969, which as to my knowledge, influenced their contemporaries like Yes and Genesis to pursue this "progressive" path.
And trying to push another band, Gentle Giant, they had probably the widest array of instrumentation of all the 70s bands, they all were multi-instrumentalists and most were competent singers, and that can be clearly heard in their songs. Another prominent aspect of their music was the use of counterpoint. A point in their favor for reaction value is that their songs are fairly short, some recommendations would be: On Reflection, Knots, In A Glass House, Experience, Playing the Game
If memory serves, prominent embers moving from King Crimson and or The Nice into Yes, Genesis, and ELP really gave the genre a great head start.
Literally 3 of my favorite albums.
Hammond organ and mellotron are the most unifying prog keyboards. Moog synthesizer deserves a mention too.
I heard this song for the first time last year and its the song that got me into Yes, even though I've been listening to a lot of prog metal and prog rock for over a decade. I just never really dived into the old school stuff and I couldn't believe I went so long without hearing it.
Yes, the Masters of Progressive Rock. There is no comparison. Perhaps, the early Genesis comes a close second.
@@MrMariovelasco31 King Crimson or ELP perhaps.....??
@@ZalMoxis Also very well loved.
Day one fan. Fave prog band. Time sigs galore, harmony, cryptic lyrics, chaos, order - OMmmmmmmm... One day back in '74, we had a big YES 🍄 tea party. It was my first time partaking of the holy 🍄. I melted away in the headphones that day. Never been the same since... Thnx for diggin deep in the crates for this particular remastered version of this masterpiece. Sounds great! Btw, Roger Dean, the prolific album cover artist who created their logo & many album covers for them, has an illustrated book containing all of his album cover art from the prog rock era. Worth peepin. 👌
Steve Howe is one of those rare guitarists whose sound is almost always "clean", instead of using heavy distortion and fuzzes.
Thanks, Bryan, I got a lot from your comments. I'm not a musician myself, so it's very interesting to hear a composer/musician articulate what we "felt" (but were perhaps unable to articulate or explain) as teenagers in the '70s when listening to the early-'70s progressive rock music.
This was from a time when musicians had the time and budget to produce lavishly, and listeners had the patience to listen closely and deeply.....
Sorry, but I think that is bullshit. Producing music was much more labour-intensive so expensive and time-consuming in those days than it is now with all the digital technology. And in the 70s you listened to a vinyl record being played on a stationary apparatus, whereas nowadays you can listen to music anyplace anytime. So if there's currently no band as subtly brilliant as Yes around (but hey I am 61 and a real fan given to nostalgia and I've only just begun to explore modern prog) then it must be due to other factors. Certainly not lack of proficiency. My guess so far: modern proggers want to sound "heavy". Yes was angelic-voiced Jon Anderson and friends taking us up and down and anywhere they felt like every other few seconds. (Brian, you were babbling about details a lot. Listen to and admire all the CHANGES this song goes through.)
yup...we're living in the land of "microwave music" now, which makes it very hard to sell people on forms that are more detailed or longer in length...
Nothing was easy in those days compared to now. But we thought we had it easy compared to before which we did.
@@jandenbrok9574 There are quite some good stuff happening right now that have nothing to do with "contemporary prog", but relate more to the 70s prog. If you want to, I can post a few links.
@@jandenbrok9574 Excellent perspective and a rare one from older fans. The modern music scene as a whole is absolutely insane right now and largely unexplored by self proclaimed fans.
I heard Bill Bruford (the drummer here) make a comment about how in YES they would argue over an F# 13 or G flat 12 (sorry if I got that wrong) and in
King Crimson you were just supposed to know ( Fripp)
Thanks for posting
🍻
What about some Frank Zappa? The album Apostrophe would be a good start, or maybe Inca Roads.
When you said the future of Yes is Between the Buried and Me I got chills! Those are like my two fav bands and o think you’re the only reaction channel that’s done both, much less draw a parallel between the two!!
Some other great yes songs are Yours is no Disgrace, Roundabout, Heart of the Sunrise, South Side of the Sky, Siberian Khatru!!
You mentioned the keyboard sound showing up in all 3 songs. That’s largely down to Robert Moog (rhymes with rogue). He was friends with many of the keyboard wizards of early prog, particularly Rick Wakeman (playing on this track) and Keith Emerson of Emerson, Lake, and Palmer. Yes And ELP were two of the most commercially successful prog acts at the time, so lots of others wanted those sounds. And though it sounds dated now, no one had ever heard anything like it.
en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robert_Moog
Dated?
That's like saying a violin is dated or a piano is dated. Lot's of eighties digital synths like the Yamaha DX7 sound dated but the Moog sound is classic and timeless.
The amazing thing is they are just as good live! It's very complex and yet so smooth!
You talk about the back and forth of the tension and calm swells and if it was paralleling the lyrics. Take the title "Close to the Edge" and the repeated lyric "I get up, I get down", to me it was always a analogy to life... ups and downs.
Yes is still making music and touring. Though not in their prime, they are tight, and still well beyond the prowess of most current bands. Some songs/albums to check out...
Albums...
The rest of Close to the Edge
Relayer
Tales from Topographic Oceans
Fragile
The Yes Album
Songs...
Awaken
To be Over
Sound Chaser
Yours is no Disgrace
Starship Trooper... a must listen
And so many others
I have listened to them since the early 70s. Changed my life, saved my life. Seen them 10 times.
A band different from all
I have been waiting for this one!!!
Yes!! This is the album that made me truly appreciate Yes. My first ever listen of it was on an old vinyl I found in a used bookstore a few years ago and I was absolutely blown away. If you want to see Yes at their absolute peak of "how prog can we get", check out Tales From Topographic Oceans (imo). I don't love that album like I do some others but it's definitely a lot to take in.
Yessssssssssssssssssssssssss!
I think you have almost covered all of my favourite bands now! :-)
Highly recommend checking out the Yessongs version of this song as well.
Jon Anderson, THE VOICE of prog rock.
Agree. And a genius lyricist as well.
Is Jon or Peter Hamill....
It’s great listening to your “first time” reaction. I forget how differently elements can be interpreted, e.g. your feeling of subtle tension to me feels relaxed/serene (after listening for 30 years). I don’t remember how I felt listening for the first time.
Saw them in the late 70s. Gorgeous, complete musical experience. Besides the musicianship, can we talk about the vocals/melody alone? Beautiful.
Here I am trying, again, to play the bass line at the end of Tubular Bells and wonder why I've never seen a reaction to it. Imagine a teenager with a bit of talent, access to a studio and a range of instruments.
Sold squillions of copies and the opening was lifted for The Exorcist.
Would love a reaction to Tubular Bells (side one)
PS Enjoying all your reactions
Yes! Mike Oldfield 'Tubular Bells' Live at the BBC 1973 is a very good rendition!
@kimmo maki
Thanks for the tip. I will check it out
This song could single highhandedly instigate world peace. Love one another.
With regard to the lack of repetition in the organ solo: Rick Wakeman's background was classical music and he studied composition at the Royal College of Music (in London, UK) before joining a rock band. So if his solos don't follow conventional "rock" patterns, that's possibly why.
If you're looking for recommendations of more prog from this era, you could try Wakeman's solo work Journey to the Centre of the Earth, recorded a couple of years after this. But it's a 35-minute piece of music, so that might be a bit much for a reaction :)
I first heard Rick play on Cat Stevens' Morning Has Broken. I loved the passage but did not realize who had played it as it was not credited on the liner notes.
Only some time later did I read that it was Wakeman. At first I did not believe it, but listening to it again with that knowledge it made sense. Even on this his classical training is evident.
His playing on that track is beautiful. Cat owes him far more than the standard session fee.
From what I've been told, the polyrhythmic sound often comes from Bill Bruford changing the emphasis on the drums.
Actually, now that I think about, it was some apparent basic time signature changes are done by the drums. As you can tell, I am pretty musically mute, which is frustrating.
But I can click (and even, as in the olden days, press) play.
My first concert was Yes in 1972. Hard to believe it's been nearly a half century
It’s definitely Prog week...the videos are LONG! Haha. Thanks for still doing them even though you’re busy. Do what you gotta do for yourself!
For King Crimson, do either Larks' Tongues In Aspic Part I, Fracture or Red
good taste
6:27
i said almost the same thing 1st time i heard it...
"i needed to hear this theme. this melody needs to exist!"
Hearing the whole record for the 1st time was just too mindblowing... one of my FAVs
The thin line between CREATIVITY and VIRTUOSE(sis)
Another really fantastic Yes song that was from their more "modern" range of songs is the song "Homeworld" from "The Ladder," which was both a more accessible song, yet it also has throwbacks to their earlier, more "proggy" sounds. It also features a second guitarist, Billy Sherwood, who has taken over for Chris Squire since his death (at Chris's request.) There's also a video of the song on RUclips.
The Hammond organ was a polyphonic keyboard capable of sustaining tones and fast passagework. Polyphonic synths weren't yet available. The Hammond could also be played through a Leslie speaker for that lovely big swirly sound, and it could be overdriven for some thick distortion effects. Some Hammonds also had "percussion stops," which would add higher harmonics with a swift decay to the foundation so the sound would cut through a full band (the Hammond solo on this track has the percussion stop enabled, which helps the solo to be heard more easily).
The other 2 tracks on the album, "And You and I" and "Siberian Khatru" are 'must listens' too! Amazing songs! This album is frequently ranked as the best prog album of all-time! Yes themselves are THE prog group. Unlike some other 70s prog, most of their material has held up really well. :)
Even though they are not really prog Radiohead is one of the most progressive bands anyway I dont know why more people especially people who play or compose dont react to them all you have to do is Google why do jazz and classical musicians like to cover Radiohead songs and there is quite a lot to read.
I saw this production live in 1971(or 72), in Lincoln Nebraska. This composition was so ahead of R&R of its time. I was hooked 2 years earlier from first LP'S. This group pioneered long-play music.
In the modern prog rock era, for me, the Scandinavian bands stand out most, in particular for their typically woodsy, organic and often dark sound. I would recommend checking out the following for modern Scandinavian prog:
1. Anglagard - Sorgmantel
2. Wobbler - The River
I find your channel very fascinating! I will diligently view your other selections. This is great because I’m the only one I know who likes prog. Somehow, I feel less lonley! Lol! Greetings from Illinois!
I still remember where I was when I listened (borrowed) my brothers album and heard close to the edge (my first yes song. I was maybe 12). I loved in hindsight so much music but wow nothing hit me like this song. Problem was I waited a month or so to turn the album over to one of my 3 favorite songs in my life (and you and I )
I still go back and I still move forward. Thank you yes sooo much for these feelings
gods speed to CS and AW.
"The Gates of Delirium" by YES is my favorite but this is an extremely close second.
I bought this in '73 when it was first released, I was 16, back then we didn't talk about transitions, key changes, time signatures etc, we just enjoyed the music.
The beginning of this song creates so much intentional tension then flows like the masterpiece it is.
Close to the Edge - aptly named, edge of reason or madness maybe, the music suggests that at times? Great reaction and analysis Bryan. The emotional landscape of this track is so intricate, at times intense, at times laid back and chill, with shocks and surprises along the way and all delivered by superb musicians. I love their music and it always takes me back to my schooldays in the '70s, ah those English summers of my youth when it was always sunny.......(in my mind anyway!)
There's a reason why Bruford left the band after this album. It was peak Yes, and he was a jazz guy. Hence King Crimson
Great reaction, loved the interpretation and break down of the structure. You HAVE to react to Gates of Delirium and Awaken. Gates is an interpretation of Tolstoy's War and Peace. Both are epic.
The drummer is Bill Bruford. After this, he went to King Crimson... and so you heard him again on Fracture.
Damn, dude, I learned a ton listening to your analysis.
My old Yes songbook shows most of the song in 12/8. Section #3 I Get Up, I Get Down is all 4/4. That’s an oversimplification of the time signatures in this song. Drummer Bill Bruford is responsible for this. If you listen to King Crimson when Bruford was with the band, you’ll hear this mastery of time again.
The fat bass is a signature sound of Yes, arrived at due to a recording/mixing issue on an earlier album that turned out to be a happy accident. You’ll hear something similarly big from King Crimson if John Wetton is on bass.
Yes’ keyboardist is Rick Wakeman here. He has some formal training from the Royal College of Music, until the money from session recording lured him away. He may not have written much for Yes, but he provided the structure to the creative ideas from singer Jon Anderson.
Your comment about the big organ sound in Prog brings to mind the story of Yes’ recording of possibly their best song, Awaken. Rick played the wonderful pipe organ in a church in Vevey, Switzerland live, which was sent back to the studio miles away over phone lines for mixing with the rest of the band. Do yourself a favor and listen to Awaken. Yes was all about reaching peak moments in their music, and they did it best in Awaken.
Thanks for choosing the Steven Wilson mix. Unfortunately, there is no Wilson mix for Awaken. Enjoy.
rtwbikerider : The church organ played by Rick Wakeman on Close to the Edge, is the organ at St Giles without Cripplegate in London
Howard Jones I know he recorded one of the Six Wives there (Jane Seymour?). He tells a wonderful story about the “restoration funds” that A&M Records contributed to after that session. I didn’t know that the organ in CTTE was recorded there as well. Thanks.
I like your comment about instrumentation being a key giveaway for the genre during this era of progressive rock. I would say the classic or defining keyboard set up in most bands from the genre during this era was Hammond (or some other similar) organ, mellotron, and some form of lead synthesizer such as a minimoog. While there were lots of other keyboards used in prog bands at the time, this constitutes sort of the core of the most classic prog keyboard sound.
Try Awaken by Yes..Studio version!
Thank you for diving into one of my all-time favorite albums by one of my favorite bands. I appreciate the technical knowledge you bring to the reaction, more than just a "wow" and "hey, that's cool." Here are some more songs you should consider next time you dive into Yes (or Yesband): Starship Trooper, Yours is no Disgrace, Perpetual Change, Siberian Khatru, Southside of the Sky, Heart of the Sunrise, The Revealing Science of God, Ritual, Gates of Delirium, Going for the One, Awaken. That will get you started. And for any song recorded before 1973, try the live version from the Yessongs album. The versions are not radically different, but they are about 10% better. A little more energy, more punch, and more Rick Wakeman.