Yes - Siberian Khatru | REACTION 

..also.. Chris Squire, the powerhouse genius bass player is also on backing vocals. His voice is in the same register as lead singer Jon Anderson so their vocals harmonise beautifully. They were able to do all this live too, amazing. RIP Chris.

The only "problem" I have with Close to the Edge is that 50 years ago I first listened to it, and it set the bar, and no other song has matched it in all that time. And the only other songs that belong in the same class, for me, are all performed by Yes... Awaken, The Gates of Delirium, And You and I, and then there's all of Tales from Topographic Oceans, to name a few. Love watching you enjoy these greatest of epics.

YES during this period stood out among the Progressive Rock bands in that 1) only YES had this amazing bass player whose contributions always got the emphasis in the mix that is normally given to the lead guitarist. Chris added _a lot_ of melody to their masterpieces while holding down the bottom end groove 2) only YES placed a major emphasis on vocal harmonies, this cuz Chris Squire had sung in some Big Deal Church Choir in his youth & was accustomed to reach for those soaring, ascending high notes in a classical music setting. Together with lead singer Jon Anderson's unique raspy tenor gave YES a vocals sound unique in Prog Rock (guitarist Steve Howe contributed quite adequately to their 3-part harmonies with his lower register contributions) 3) Jazz fusion drummer Bill Bruford's experimental approach matched up with Chris Squire's industrial-melodic bass inspirations to create the best ever "rhythm section" in Progressive Rock. Listening to their combined talents is a source of many eargasms 4) YES' search for recording perfection resulted in an astounding blending of overlapping *complexity* that is only fully appreciated when listening to the *studio versions* of their compositions. (Yes, there are a lot of YES fans that loudly clamor for reactions to their recorded live performances but there is *_so much_* that a 1st-time listener misses when they are distracted by the visuals, IMO. Besides, if you've heard the perfection of the studio recordings _and you are filled with curiosity re: how they looked performing,_ you can always go to the live performances thereafter.)

Listen to AND YOU AND I … purely sublime !

"Yours is no Disgrace", "Starship Trooper", "I've Seen All Good People", "Perpetual Change", "Southside of the Sky", "Long Distance Runaround", and on and on.

Hi! I'm from Quebec and I listen to Yes since 1972, The best prog.

Three part harmonies - Jon on lead, Chris in first harmony, Steve on lower harmony. They could pull these harmonies off live. Saw em 3x in mid to late 70s. Fab!

It's Fun!!!! listening to YES with you.☮💟🎶🎶

WYL2K is correct, do And You and I, before Close to the Edge. Close to the Edge is considered THE best "Progressive track.

I love seeing and hearing your reaction! I've seen them live 3 times before and they were immaculate in their presentation and sound! I'm so happy for you to have discovered them! ❤

The Yes years are a good gig... thanks for doin um again with us...

In my opinion, Close to the Edge is the best progressive rock track of all time. I would go for it, it’s phenomenal.

*Yours Is No Disgrace* is another fast-moving _optimistic_ YES masterpiece like Siberian Khatru that I'll recommend before you take on Close To The Edge. Once again, you'll be swept away by the creativity & the funky groove. You won't be disappointed...

Jon Anderson, Chris Squire, and Steve Howe are the vocalists. In my humble opinion, Close To the Edge (LP) is the best rock opus ever recorded.

The vocal harmonies are just stunning!! Thanks, Metal Junkie!!

I grew up in the 70's and fell in love with this song

I'm glad you started on Close to the Edge with Siberian Khatru. In concert Khatru was, and still is, a regular set-opener.

Hell yeah dude. You are the man! Since you already did this one might as well get to “And You and I” before tackling the monster that is Close to the Edge. Then you will have done an entire record ♥️🤘🏻

Close To The Edge.....you are ready.

I also have to add, how EPIC this song is Live from The Yessongs Album, this is another song they really blow up live. Yours Is No Disgrace from Yessongs has IMO the most intense middle guitar+ section I have ever heard.

Reminds me of a stopover on the road to Khatmandu. This was the great age of National Geographic mag. Sherpas chanting. Similar in tone to South Side of the Sky. 14:51

Much astonishment awaits you, whatever path you choose. Yes is a deep rabbit hole.

Ladies and gentlemen the funkalicious by Yes the greatest show on earth. 👑

Just imagine being in at the advent of this the most amazing band on the planet . 1972 at High School and hearing this for the first time. What a time Yes have given us. And You and I next then CTTE.

vocals are jon anderson, chris squire (higher harmonies), and steve howe (lower harmonies),, the 'asian' sound is achieved by steve howe playing a Corel Sitar Guitar.. all in all, fucking amazing...!

Glad you are enjoying the Yes ride welcome on board. I would head for their earlier work especially; "Starship Trooper" (the YesSong live version is ace), "Southside of the Sky", "Perpetual Change" and "Heart of the Sunrise". I think that set will give you an good idea on how Yes evolved into a band that could turn out a long masterpieces like Close to the Edge and the others. These will also help you move toward the immersive experience that is Yes. The live album set YesSongs has all these songs and they all are better than the studio versions. To me no other band has been able to manage signature, time and key changes like Yes.

Saw them in 79 @ Nassau Coliseum, opened with this as they normally did. I was 13, mindblowing.

Thanks for sharing this with your great reactions. Remark: every song of Yes is finally uplifting! They can bring complexity in music and words like no other band, but I always end with a smile on my face. That's amazing. That's Yes! For me for >50 years now. And try "Close to the Edge"? Yes---you can

from funk to jazz to sitar to harpsichord... all in 1 minute... welcome to YES! that short little instrumental interlude with Rick at the harpsichord always brings a smile... and this is by probably the most accessible song of the album... enjoy the ride... for many, this album is YES magnum opus... but for me is the next one, Tales from Topographic Oceans is their summit... the scope, the majesty, the music, the concept, unsurpassed, by YES, or anybody else...

Now it’s time for Close to the Edge .

Great Start! So you e done 4 of their well know songs. There is also: Yours is No Disgrace And you & I Wonderous Stories…. But I see that your appreciating all that is Yes!! Go for it…Your Ready!! Close to the Edge!! Then…IMHO…one of the deepest albums they put out..Gates of Delirium-the entire album Then of course…Tales of Topographic Oceans! There are so many more great songs too: Machine Messiah Perpetual Change Mind Drive Tempus Fugit to name of few

SWEET! Another of my FAVS! Amazing stuff. Thx! Great comment on the Yes lyrics. Seems like they are supposed to be thought provoking but ageless because they are ambiguous. Haha!

Such a great song! This is the last song on the "Close to the Edge" album...probably one of the top ten best 70s Prog albums. After you've listened to the other 2 songs on the album, it's great to hear the whole album start to finish, then this song has more impact, as it's a more straight-forward and accessible song to end the album. I think you're ready to hear the song Close to the Edge next....this is the way. :)

Some other great bangers- South Side of the Sky, Parallels, Going for the One, and Could it Really Happen. Love your reactions!

Man! Chris Squire kills it in this song! I mean they all do but I love his bass!

Brilliant reaction. I think you are more than ready for Close to the Edge.

I would definitely do Close To The Edge, then And You And I, they are arranged that way on purpose, Siberian Khatru was the surprise ending. Then You can do Gates Of Delirium. 👍

Yes, you may as well go with ‘And You And I’ next. And then on to the ‘Masterpiece’ Title Track, ‘Close To The Edge’. Genius! You’ll have then done the Album in reverse order. Love your so very interesting comments. Enjoy. 🎶❤️🎶

Its very hypnotic at times

Do another track before Close To The Edge, I would suggest: And You And I.

from songfacts: The closing track on the Close To The Edge album, this song is about unity across cultures. Jon Anderson, who wrote the lyric, has given different accounts of what "Khatru" means. He has said that it means "winter," and also that it translates to "as you wish" in Yemenite Hebrew. The meaning of the song is more clear: Anderson is expressing how Siberians go through the same emotions that he does. They're people like us, just geographically distant. We may be from different places, but we're all basically the same. >> Jon Anderson is credited with writing the lyric to this song, with keyboard player Rick Wakeman, guitarist Steve Howe and Anderson credited for composing the music. The songwriting credits on Yes songs can be deceptive, since the full band was usually involved in some aspect of working up the song. Howe said that this song was one of their more collaborative efforts. "That song came together with the arranging skills of the band," he told Guitar World. "Jon had the rough idea of the song, and Chris [Squire], Bill [Bruford], Rick and me would collaborate on getting the riffs together."

Guitarist Steve Howe says his guitar intro was inspired by Jimi Hendirx' version of Hey Joe.

Always always good. Hundreds of listens maybe and still it’s wonderful. Working my way to CCTE 🎉❤

You definitely need to hear Close to the Edge....and And You And I. Then, we'll talk about Awaken.

I think Close to the Edge is their best song. I recommend you jump into it. It's one of those songs that you can listen to you whole life and hear new things in it. But always, the feeling of positive emotion and love. I think at least. hahaha!

Chris Squire and his Ricky, the total bollocks. RIP great man

Try South side of the Sky off of Fragile, Definitely their hardest song. There was no click tract, no pro tools, no auto tune , which makes you realize how truly great these guys were.

You're ready for anything YES, bro 😎

Lyrics are beat Poetry. Imagine a smoky club full of people snapping their fingers while a guy with a hat and scraggly beard lays it down.

You may be the most ready for CTTE than anyone else I've seen watch it, you get it and can roll with it. Plenty more after that to check out also.

Welcome to the world of Yes, and it's awesome fans! A smart young man like you is more than ready for "Close to the Edge", and when interpretating the song's meaning, please let us know how the song makes you feel. Since Jon writes the lyrics after listening to the music, I'm curious if this helps with the interpretation. Way too late for me to try as I heard this music as soon as it came out.

I like this band so much , there is a song that i like to propose name AWAKEN , for me as good as close to the edge . finely thank you for your video

Close to the Edge!!! Go for it. Ready or not. My cousin didn´t care if I was ready to hear it. He was definitely ready to play it for me. 😀Like 30 years ago. We were 15-16 years old discovering Genesis, Yes, King Crimson, ELP, Pink Floyd....we were in a wild wonderland. Nobody around us listened to that kind of music at that time. The music was so not fashionable for kids of our age then, everybody thought we were out of our minds. And we loved it. We had something special. 😀 And it´s still special.

You’re ready for Close to the Edge! But be forewarned: Yes has a vast catalog of excellence for you still to explore. Awaken, Gates of Delerium, Southside of the Sky, Turn of the Century, Soon, To Be Over…. The list is long and the gifts are many! Recommend you try a few live performance reactions soon as well. They made exquisite studio recordings but they really stood apart because they could play it all live! Try some Porcupine Tree (Anesthetize) and Steven Wilson (Routine, Regret #9, The Raven that Refused to Sing, Drive Home) too.

Ready for "Close to the edge", but also to Gentle Giant, Frank Zappa, Jethro Tull and a lot more! Continue!

I think you definitely “get it” with Yes and their amazing work, and I, for one, believe you are ready for CTTE. It will be a different experience than what you’ve had so far. Try to think of it as a musical spiritual journey as opposed to analyzing it from any academic perspective. It is a lot to take in, but it is definitely not 18:42 of the same thing over and over. Try to erase (not lower) your expectations and go in with a fresh and open mind. Can’t wait, and I’m sure I speak for a lot of us when I say I really hope you connect with it the way we do.

"This sounds different..." is the hallmark of Yes. Actually, Jon says to look at many of his lyrics as just sounds the work (voice as an instrument.) He also says he'll look back at a song and try to interpret them. He does this at various times and has different interpretations. The rest of the band kind of made fun of them. The engineer on this album, Eddie Offord, says the sound of the guitar lead was achieved by spinning a mike by it's cable in the studio, kind of like a reverse leslie. The entire interview with Eddie is "out there" somewhere. If you want to take another "small" step, go for _Yours is No Disgrace_ It's the first song we hear after Steve Howe joined the band and it was, IMO, the beginning of the classic Yes sound. Such a cool band.

Dive into Close to the Edge, the best Prog' Rock song bar none!

I have been listening to Yes and Genesis, and Pink Floyd for over 45 years. They are the original Giants of Prog. That being said, I cannot encouraging, strong enough to please, please, please react to Porcupine Tree - “Anesthetize” (Live in Tilburg). Absolutely mind blowing as is their entire back catalog. Ironically, I actually ran across them for the first time when they opened for Yes back in 2002 at Constitution Hall in Washington DC!! Monster drummer in the band by the name of Gavin Harrison. All the guys in a rush, thought, and still think that porcupine tree is the shit! In fact, in the song that I referenced to you a moment ago, called anesthetize, the guitar solo on the album was performed by Alex Lifeson of Rush.

Now that you asked ,you just did the last track of 3 from Close To The Edge so do And You And I next, 2nd track, and then do Close To The Edge side one. 🙏🍁

It sounded Asian before going into the Mozart-ish bit because Steve Howe was playing a sitar there, and then Rick Wakeman did his solo on a Harpsichord.

You're ready man, bring on Close to the Edge! 🤟

Its time.... Close to the edge then Awaken.

Nice to see you enjoying yes brilliant band and great musicians brilliant live nice to see someone young listening to musicians with all the crap about today take a look at easter marillian or or anything with,fish or steve nice one 👍

Consider And You And I from the Yessongs live album. Guaranteed to amaze!

The harmonies were Chris Squire (bass) and Steve Howe (guitar) Jon Anderson (vocals) wrote the lyrics mainly to push the music along. Most were meaningless but meant to fit the flow of the music Steve switched to numerous guitars throughout songs in concert. And yes, that was an electronic sitar To truly appreciate them watch Yessongs their 1972 concert film Their heyday Keep at it. Close to the Edge is another treat Truly a creative group. We were very spoiled growing up with this stuff in the 70s (and we also had lots of great jazz rock bands as well!!) A glorious time for music

I would recommend And You And I, from the same album next, because after Close to The Edge, you're at the top of the progressive mountain. Then onward to Sound Chaser from Relayer.

Gates of Delirium/Soon is a must hear for you.

Now i think you"re ready to do "Close To The Edge, GO"! (From other albums you could listen to "Machine messiah" or "Awaken")

Close To The Edge

For years Yes opened the show with this after Firebird Suite would play.

Re: the title and lyrics in general, welcome to Jon Anderson's brain! And congrats -- you actually grokked the (nebulous) meaning of the lyrics. You win the Internet! You also correctly spotted the sitar, which in this case was called the Coral Sitar Guitar by Danelectro. It's probably most famous for its use on Steely Dan's "Do It Again." As a metal guy this was a good entry point into this album. It's the most "rockin'" song on the album, and as you said was a great showcase for everyone, but Chris especially shines from start to finish. Drummer Bill Bruford left the band after they finished recording this album, partly because he got fed up with how long Chris would take to record the tiniest parts -- he was that much of a perfectionist. But IMO it paid off. This is regarded as probably the finest progressive rock album ever made. Even Bill thought this song hung together nicely ("We had a good day that day", he later said. 😄) As for where to go next, if you're up for it the title track is most similar to this song. Just imagine "Siberian Khatru" stretched to double it's length. "And You And I" is a more pastoral and symphonic affair. A bit more folky, but really beautiful. So it depends on what kind of mood you're in. The entire album is a classic so you win either way.

Definitely ready for Close to the Edge. I'd agree with other suggestions that recommend Gates of Delirium after that, my personal favorite Yes track. I would be wary of the recommendations for Tales of Topographic Oceans, there's a fair few people who agree Yes jumped the shark on that double album, myself included. Pretty much everything on The Yes Album, Fragile, Close to the Edge, and Relayer are solid bangers and I'd spend some more time in there before wading into the ocean

Try “Perpetual Change” from Yessongs live in 1973 before “Close to the Edge” you will not regret!!! 😮

Depends on what you want. If you really want adventurous music, try Sound Chaser, the Ancient, Ritual. If you want more accessible music, in the style of the ones you already listened try Heart of the Sunrise, South Side of the Sky, Long Distance Runaround (with The Fish).

Steve Howe would switch from Gibson, Tele to Coral Sitar to Fender Steel, not necessarily in that order. But you get it. The innumerable guitars, keyboards really exemplifies how colorful their music is.

Howe plays a Coral Electric Sitar on this one.

If you love the bass funk in Siberian Khatru, you are ready to do Close To The Edge

I'd throw in SouthSide of the Sky, to see that Jon Anderson can write normal lyrics, (Of a lost expedition) and Bruford's amazing subtle drumming. THe interaction of the keyboard & drums, Chris Squires vocals, harmonizing with Steve Howe and Anderson. Close To The Edge, is actually a coherent, turbulent story at the end you reach "Now that you find, now that you're whole". Siberian Khatru is lyrical fun, but Anderson can write normal, ...somewhat.

Coral sitar (electric sitar), and after that a harpsichord (synth or a real one? (Rick Wakeman would dare to record a real one at that time)) - btw, I don't think you would be disappointed listening to "Close To The Edge". I think you're ready. After that, "Awaken" maybe (which was releaed about 5 years later than Close To The Edge)

Jon is more about the sound of the vocals riding the music than a cohesive narrative. it's a tapestry or a quilt work of imagery and metaphors and when looked at from afar one sees the forest and not get lost among the trees. Because one will get lost looking for all the meanings of each tree and its connection with the other tree when it comes to Jon's lyrics. As for what song next I would recommend "Parallels" from, Going for the One, album. Close to the Edge is like a canoe ride down the Amazon River, with a new adventure around every bend. Parallels will help you get ready for some chaotic moments, like going down a class 5 rapids. But in Close to the Edge there are tranquil openings in the forest as it opens up to the sun.

This is the best reactions and discovery of YES songs on RU-vid. I am sooooo enjoying your discovery. Mine started a long time ago early seventies. Thank you! I vote for And You and I before CTTE.

If you really pay attention, you'll hear that Chris Squire uses counterpoint not only with bass but in the vocal harmonies. They don't take the simple parallel or double voicing approach like Crosby Stills and Nash. I really like CSN and Young, but Yes takes vocal harmony to another level. Great review!

So much thanks for reacting and appreciating this wonderful music! We bought this album in 1972, the year we got married and more than 3 decades later we witness Yes perform Close To The Edge live, with accompaniment of a symphony orchestra in the Heineken Music Hall in Amsterdam. Magical. Although we went to see Yes perform multiple times over the years, this show was special (still have video of this show somewhere). If you like progressive Yes please try the song Heart Of The Sunrise of the Fragile album. So many wonderful riffs and bridges to enjoy! At first listen it might be a bit overwhelming, but it is Yes at its most brilliant to me. Take care!

I really appreciate how engaged and perceptive you are while reacting to Classic Yes! Just so you know, CttE is my all time favorite album, it has 3 pieces. Siberian Khatru is my third favorite on the album. Look forward to you experiencing the other two!

"Yours is no disgrace" before C.T.T.E...

I always wondered why Bill Bruford left Yes, he was such a perfect fit. Nothing against Alan White, his drumming was good, but he really changed the band in a dramatic way. That said, Bill’s work in King Crimson was amazing… but I still wonder what made him leave. Hey, if you want to hear some crazy progressive stuff, check out King Crimson. I’ll send a link to one of my favourites in my edit. Note: don’t adjust your volume, the song fades in. Edit: ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-ZaD7gk7BTwU.html

And You And I is a must before CTTE. Then you can close out the Album

South of the Sky.

sounds like something Mozart... well Mozart wrote for the harpsichord, which Rick Wakeman is hitting in that part. Couple bars later, he's ripping that organ like a guitar

Really enjoy your reactions, Yours is no disgrace before Close to the Edge would be just great.

The longer you wait for Close to the Edge the more intense it will be. Sort of like Christmas can't come soon enough to open the presents. Maybe one of these two then CTTE, South Side of the Sky( off Fragile earlier work you can tell they are figuring out who they are or And You and I off the CTTE album. But hey, if you can't wait, rip open the present and get to Close to the Edge.

I would suggest that you do ‘yours is no disgrace’ first but then get to ‘Close to the edge’ as otherwise there is a danger of building Ctte up to a point where it cannot ever be as good as the expectation. Once that is done however there are still some amazing Yes mountains to climb, ‘Awaken’, ‘The gates of Delerium’, and perhaps the toughest reaction challenge of all (only from a time assigned perspective, musically its well worth it) ‘Tales from topographic oceans’ with its 4 tracks each like Close to the edge taking up a full side of the original vinyl double album.

Sorry for the all of they typos in my comment below!. First, please keep reacting to Yes, Genesis (especially Genesis), Pink Floyd, et al. Those are all legendary bands that I continue to love up to today. BUT, you REALLY should listen to Porcupine Tree!!! You WON'T BE DISAPPOINTED As I told you in my message below, the guys in Rush (especially Alex and Neil Peart - RIP) LOVE / LOVED these guys. (Neil Peart was a close friend with P Tree's drummer - Gavin Harrison, who is just a monster in his own right). Their "big three" albums of' theirs are: "In Absentia" (2002); "Deadwing" (2005): and "Fear of a Blank Planet" (2007). Out of those three albums, the song that I really want you to hear is "Anesthetize" (which is the song on their 2007 album "Fear of a Blank Planet", and on which Alex LIfeson does a guest appearance for the guitar solo at the 4:00 minute mark of that song - he called Steven Wilson and ASKED if he could do the solo - and that song appears on Fear of a Blank Planet as I said). But top to bottom the best album to start with is Deadwing, with a close second to In Absentia (you can't go wrong with either). Don't get me wrong, all of their other albums are great too, but these are the three I would start with. Their latest album (Continuation / Closure) was released to international acclaim around June of last year, and they sold out all of their arena shows in the US and abroad. I believe it was also chosen as Prog Album of the year last year in 2022. It should also be noted that Steven Wilson, the founder of Porcupine Tree, is kind of the new Alan Parsons of the 21st century! Everybody from Yes to Jethro Tull, and many others have asked him to do Dolby 5.1 or Dolby Atmos remixes of legendary albums (btw David Gilmour of Pink Floyd loves Steven Wilson). Anyway that's my best guidance. But I promise you, you will be blown away. Everybody who hears them is. I will also add that ALL of Steven Wilson's solo is phenomenal as well, particularly: "The Raven that Refused to Sing" (2013 and produced by Alan Parsons); "Hand. Cannot. Erase" - 2015 and voted by listeners as one of the all-time great Prog albums ever: and last but not least "To The Bone" - released in 2017. Overall, I love your reactions but please do Porcupine Tree!! (And on the song Anesthetize, you can do either the studio version which features Alex Lifeson of Rush, OR the Live in Tilberg version, which is one of the best recorded live songs ever, IMH). Thanks for everything!!

Always loved this from the day first heard 1972/3.- Great musicianship across the board and loved the way Rick throws a harpsichord solo in after some coral sitar - I mean, who does that ??????. Can't wait for you to hear that and react. Ps Chris and Jon's voices complemented perfectly. And the dat, dat doo dah doo dah dat dat etc - I can still do that perfectly.. some 50 years later😂 humbly suggest you listen to 'heart of the sunrise' or 'south side of the sky' then, you'll be ready for 'close to the edge' and then - you have joined us.

Chris Squire was a huge Sly & the Family Stone fan, so it's not too surprising that funk bits turn up in their song arrangements. He's openly admitted to stealing his bass part on the chorus to Roundabout from Sly's Dance To The Music.

If you like Yes then check out Gentle Giant-Freehand as a gateway album!

Don't sweat Yes lyrics, especially from the early days of this band. In a number of Yes documentaries, the other band members remember not know what the heck Jon was writing as lyrics, and Jon himself said that he picked words that sounded good to the melody or musical pattern that was going on at the moment. The post-punk band called Wire did much the same thing with their songs' lyrics - especially in their album "A Bell Is a Cup Until It Is Struck" - so who said prog had no influence on punk.... ? lol

Dude, it’s your choice in when to do close to the edge proper. You’ve heard enough to go for it and appreciate it. Just understand that everything they did before that builds to it, so going back after might leave you under appreciating the earlier work. As for what comes after, it is mostly still extraordinary… even epic. But it’s like winning multiple super bowls. There is only 1 first time, and that is especially noteworthy. Because nobody knew they could or would do such a thing. And once they did, people be like “do it again.” And they did do GREAT things after. Some will say they did greater things after even. But CTTE was uniquely first, which is extra special in many ways. Plenty to hear after it, but you’ll nothing that you hear after it will leave you with the same “How is it possible this was ever made.” Because after you hear it you know that this group was capable of doing just about anything. And all the advanced things that follow you’ll be saying, of course they are doing that… it’s YES after all.

Hi man ! 🙏 I think you could have the whole "Fragile" and "Yes album" before you go to CTTE ! In these, you have South side of the Sky and all the little pieces of each member. And a great " Yours is no Disgrace" ! Trust me , man !! :)