Close to the Edge

For other uses, see Close to the Edge (disambiguation).

Close to the Edge
Studio album by
Yes
Released8 September 1972
RecordedApril–June 1972[1][2]
StudioAdvision, London
GenreProgressive rock[3]
Length37:51
LabelAtlantic
Producer
Yes chronology
Fragile
(1971) 		Close to the Edge
(1972) 		Yessongs
(1973)
Singles from Close to the Edge
  1. "And You and I (Part I) / (Part II)"
    Released: 13 October 1972 (US)
Alternative cover
Cover of the 2018 reissue of the Steven Wilson remix
Cover of the 2018 reissue of the Steven Wilson remix

Close to the Edge is the fifth studio album by English progressive rock band Yes, released in the UK on 8 September 1972[4] and in the US on 13 September 1972[5] 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.

After scoring a critical and commercial hit with their previous album Fragile (1971) and touring the album, Yes regrouped with producer and 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 album's cover, designed 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 album's 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 release 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 was ranked 445th on Rolling Stone's list of the "500 Greatest Albums of All Time".[6]

  1. ^ Welch 2008, p. 120.
  2. ^ Howe 2020, p. 91.
  3. ^ Macan 1997, p. 116.
  4. ^ "Yes Discography".
  5. ^ "Yes albums" (PDF). Cash Box. 17 September 1977. p. 30 Y26. Retrieved 22 October 2024 – via World Radio History.
  6. ^ "The 500 Greatest Albums of All Time". Rolling Stone. 22 September 2020. Retrieved 14 March 2022.