Close to the Edge
1972 studio album by Yes / From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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Close to the Edge is the fifth studio album by English progressive rock band Yes, released on 8 September 1972 by Atlantic Records. It is their last album of the 1970s to feature original drummer Bill Bruford, who found the album particularly laborious to make and felt unable to contribute better ideas, which influenced his decision to join King Crimson once recording had finished.
Close to the Edge | ||||
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Studio album by | ||||
Released | 8 September 1972 (1972-09-08)[1] | |||
Recorded | April–June 1972[2][3] | |||
Studio | Advision, London | |||
Genre | Progressive rock[4] | |||
Length | 37:51 | |||
Label | Atlantic | |||
Producer |
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Yes chronology | ||||
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Singles from Close to the Edge | ||||
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Alternative cover | ||||
After scoring a commercial and critical hit with Fragile and touring the album, Yes regrouped with engineer Eddy Offord to record a follow-up. The album's centrepiece is the 18-minute title track, with lyrics inspired by the Herman Hesse novel Siddhartha. Side two contains two non-conceptual tracks, the folk-inspired "And You and I" and the comparatively straightforward rocker "Siberian Khatru". The artwork, produced by Roger Dean, marked the debut of the band's "bubble" logo.
Close to the Edge became the band's greatest commercial success at the time of release, reaching No. 4 in the UK and No. 3 in the US, where it sold over one million copies. The 1972-1973 tour comprised over 90 dates worldwide and marked the debut of drummer Alan White, who joined the band three days before it started. It was reissued in 1994, 2003, and 2013; the latter includes previously unreleased tracks and new stereo and 5.1 surround sound mixes. Close to the Edge has since received widespread critical acclaim; in 2020, it ranked 445th on Rolling Stone's list of 500 Greatest Albums of All Time.[5]