We continue our look back at the music of 50 years ago…..
It’s always problematic when a rock band has to follow-up what many consider their magnum opus. Rock fans can be fickle…what have you done for me lately. And record companies can want more of the same while musicians like to expand their creative muscles so they don’t get bored.
When the band Yes finished up their tour in early 1972 for what many consider their best LP, 1971’s “Fragile”, they got back to work in the studio on the follow up which became “Close To The Edge” and was released in September of 1972.
The work was laborious. So much so that drummer Bill Bruford became dissatisfied and left after the album was finished. Bruford wanted a more improv and jazz oriented direction and called the recording of “Close To The Edge” ( a title which he suggested) “like climbing Mt Everest”.
It can be dense and hard to follow at times but the music is beautiful. Steve Howe’s guitar duels with Rick Wakeman’s elevated keyboards, Chris Squire’s inventive bass and Brufords’s massive drum fills hold down the bottom while Jon Anderson’s voice soars over it all.
Wakeman cooks on the title track which was put together like a jigsaw puzzle from many various pieces.
Some say this is better than Fragile. I don’t think I can go that far. The 1971 album was much more accessible…or maybe I’ve just listened to it alot more. “Close to the Edge” is wonderous but, for me, a harder undertaking to appreciate.
