Yes
Close To The Edge

Jon Anderson & company, after the success due to the album Fragile, famous for the cover and just as much for the song that opens the album, Roundabout, of which the keyboard solo is very famous, are preparing for the creation of a new album. 1972 is the year of "Close to the Edge," a gem of the progressive genre and despite the cover not being very interesting the music is worth it and "Close to the Edge" can be defined as the band's masterpiece, the best, one of my favorites together with "Thick as a Brick" by Jethro and the Genesis albums of the early years, those with Peter Gabriel, from "Trespass" to "The Lamb Lies Down on Broadway," the most beautiful concept album in rock history, in my opinion, after "The Wall" by Pink Floyd and "Tommy" by The Who (it may be cliché but it's true).

"Close to the Edge" has something magical, something that transports me to another world, to a fantastic universe from which I would not want to leave. From the intro, where you hear a slightly eerie musical background and the call of birds, I am transferred to a new dimension of ecstasy. The advent of the instruments, that sudden entry of the instrumentation shakes my soul positively; I adore that instrumental introduction that arrives at the fourth minute with that prominent mix of guitar and keyboards. Anderson's voice, as it enters, seems to come from a foreign dimension, leading us into a fantastic world from the first phrases (A seasoned witch could call you from the depths of your disgrace and rearrange your liver to the solid mental grace ...). The chorus is something wonderful (Down at the edge, round by the corner, not right away, not right away...); equally wonderful is the part where Anderson sings "I get up, I get down," which will recur throughout the song in various sections.

"Total Mass Retain," the second section of the eighteen-minute suite, resumes the musical theme of the first section, certainly the most eccentric. Equally beautiful! The third section, however, is the one that gives me the chills more than any other. Anderson's voice could not be better. The organ solo following the chorus is something that rips the skin off my body. Touching! "Seasons of Man," the last section of the long track, is the right conclusion for "Close to the Edge," which is followed by the long "And You and I," a sublime piece where Steve Howe's gentle-sounding guitar plays the strings of the soul and sounds like something ethereal. Steve's arpeggio brings tears. After a minute of intro, the pace quickens, becoming more classical, with keyboards entering and light touches on the timpani, and Anderson's voice warms your heart with his minstrel-like, storyteller style. In the middle of the track, Rick Wakeman indulges in a long, extraordinarily beautiful keyboard solo. Jon's voice reaches us from afar, dreamy. The guitar with the ethereal and classical sound of Howe returns, once again acting as a bridge for Anderson's singing. The keyboards perfectly close with the omnipresent Steve. The third and final song of the album, or rather a 9-minute mini rock opera, "Siberian Khatru," starts immediately with a typically aggressive rock n' roll rhythm, with a guitar that extends into a superb solo. Anderson's voice always seems distant and secondary compared to the instrumentation. In the middle of the track, Wakeman dazzles us with his alluring keyboard solo. The finale is epic, with all the musicians joining together with the lead singer.

"Close to the Edge" is a masterpiece of prog, an indispensable album of the genre, a blend and an orderly array of melodies and wonderful sections, both instrumental and lyrical, that delight the listener and lead them into a fantastic world. This is the music of heaven or at least it should be! I interpret it as such: if it is, I want to go to heaven at all costs to listen to wonders like "Total Mass Retain" or "Cord of Life" from God. I'll borrow from the "lady" described by Led Zeppelin the "Stairway to Heaven."