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Yes — And You and I
Album: Close To The Edge
Avg rating:
7.6

Your rating:
Total ratings: 3680









Released: 1972
Length: 9:59
Plays (last 30 days): 0
1. Cord of Life

A man conceived a moment's answer to the dream
Staying the flowers daily, sensing all the themes
As a foundation left to create the spiral aim
A movement regained and regarded both the same
All complete in the sight of seeds of life with you

Changed only for a sight of sound, the space agreed
Between the picture of time behind the face of need
Coming quickly to terms of all expression laid
Emotions revealed as the ocean maid
All complete in the sight of seeds of life with you

Coins and crosses
(Turn round tailor, assaulting)
Never know their fruitless worth
(all the mornings of the interest shown,
presenting one another to the cord)
Cords are broken
(All left dying, rediscovered
Of the door that turned round)
Locked inside the mother Earth
(To close the cover, all the
interest shown)
They won't hide, hold, they won't tell you
(To turn one another, to the
sign at the time float your climb)
Watching the world, watching all of the world
Watching us go by

And you and I climb over the sea to the valley
And you and I reached out for reasons to call

2. Eclipse

Coming quickly to terms of all expression laid
Emotions revealed as the ocean maid
As a movement regained and regarded both the same
All complete in the sight of seeds of life with you

3. The Preacher, The Teacher

Sad preacher nailed upon the coloured door of time
Insane teacher be there reminded of the rhyme
There'll be no mutant enemy we shall certify
Political ends as sad remains will die
Reach out as forward tastes begin to enter you
Oooh, ooh

I listened hard but could not see
Life tempo change out and inside me
The preacher trained in all to lose his name
The teacher travels, asking to be shown the same
In the end we'll agree, we'll accept, we'll immortalize
That the truth of man maturing in his eyes
All complete in the sight of seeds of life with you

Coming quickly to terms of all expression laid
As a moment regained and regarded both the same
Emotion revealed as the ocean maid
A clearer future, morning, evening, nights with you

4. Apocalypse

And you and I climb, crossing the shapes of the morning
And you and I reach over the sun for the river
And you and I climb, clearer towards the movement
And you and I called over valleys of endless seas
Comments (859)add comment
I can proudly boast that I was the first person in my junior high school to sport a Yes T-shirt (c1973). Possibly I was the only one, but that's neither here nor there.   
I'm amazed to be reminded that in just two years (1971-3), they put out four astonishingly inventive and complex albums (one a double, no less!). Now that's output.
 SomersetBob wrote:

Part of the soundtrack of my teenage life - it gets a 10 from me.




I Agree completely!  GREAT TUNE!!  I bought this album right after it came out. I was 17yrs old.  I played the album so much that I wore it out, & I had to buy a new one.  It is so much better now in FLAC w/ great equipment!!

Thanx RP!     
 Isabeau wrote:

Can remember the words to this tune since '73. 

But don't ask me where my keys are.




GREAT TUNE!!! ...Your keys are in the fridge, where they belong!   LOL!
 idiot_wind wrote:

Ahhhh. Back when albums were special. They had their own identity.  A snap shot. A moment of time.  

And that freakin Chris Squire bass. 




I saw them twice. One in the round and the following line up with the Bugles. I missed John Anderson. I miss that madman Chris Squires. Basically, I miss the Seventies.
 joejennings wrote:



I agree!! I was there! I am 67yrs old. The music was GREAT & ICONIC! There is a a lot of great music being produced  TODAY that will be considered GREAT & ICONIC IN 40-50 years! Be open minded! RP is a great place to explore new music.  Thanx RP!   


You forgot another album soundtrack of that same decade: Elton John's "Yellow Brick Road" ;)
Can remember the words to this tune since '73. 

But don't ask me where my keys are.
 idiot_wind wrote:

The thing of it is...you could be 13 year old kid in the 1970s and listen to this band and also:

Grateful Dead
Rolling Stones
Bob Dylan
Van Morrison
Allmans
Pink Floyd
Led Zep
 Steely Dan
Queen
Bob Marley
Joni M
Charlie Daniels
Kraftwerk
Wishbone Ash
Heart
Paul Simon
Fleetwood Mac


The list goes on and on. It was such a golden era for music experimentation and variety.  It was played on local FM radio, albums, cassettes, live shows. Displayed on T shirts and posters in your room.  

It's almost impossible explain today. But it really existed once upon a time.   

   




I agree!! I was there! I am 67yrs old. The music was GREAT & ICONIC! There is a a lot of great music being produced  TODAY that will be considered GREAT & ICONIC IN 40-50 years! Be open minded! RP is a great place to explore new music.  Thanx RP!   
 Роман wrote:

Only "Owner of a lonely heart" is good.




WRONG!!
Only "Owner of a lonely heart" is good.
I was in 7th grade when this album came out, and our art teacher allowed us to choose music for each class.   When it was my turn, this is the album I Brough in to play.   Most of the class laughed but they weren't as cool as me, I knew this group was different.   

We did Lino cutting that day... 
The thing of it is...you could be 13 year old kid in the 1970s and listen to this band and also:

Grateful Dead
Rolling Stones
Bob Dylan
Van Morrison
Allmans
Pink Floyd
Led Zep
 Steely Dan
Queen
Bob Marley
Joni M
Charlie Daniels
Kraftwerk
Wishbone Ash
Heart
Paul Simon
Fleetwood Mac


The list goes on and on. It was such a golden era for music experimentation and variety.  It was played on local FM radio, albums, cassettes, live shows. Displayed on T shirts and posters in your room.  

It's almost impossible explain today. But it really existed once upon a time.   

   
IMHO, and with ALL due respect to Alan White (I mean that truthfully), Bill Bruford will always be the proper drummer for Yes. This is a perfect case in point.
Goosebumps
I actually bought this album when I was a teenager.  Pretentious tosh. 
An amazing song. It blazed a trail for others to follow, and expand upon. It's just such a shame that the lyrics are so adolescent in their incoherence, and pretense.
Saw Rick Wakeman on his latest tour...he played a solo piano version of this song and just crushed it, as only he can.  he's still a rock keyboard god.  he dedicated a separate song to both Keith Emerson and Jon Lord...the holy trinity of rock keyboard gods.

i was born 10 years too late to really enjoy this in its prime.  outstanding.
Recently noticing how few effects were used on Jon Anderson’s vocals. It’s that kind of a voice…
 ih8bills wrote:

I was fortunate enough to see these guys live back in the day when this album had just come out... It was amazing then and it's amazing now.




I Agree!!! I saw them 3 times with Rick Wakeman and once with Patrick Moraz!
 mgtom wrote:

This should segue right into Siberian Khatru, just the way god intended.




I Agree!!!
 andy.ormsby955 wrote:

I grew up on the Yessongs versions, and although the studio tracks are brilliant, to my ear they sound a little too clinical in comparison. 




BOTH are GREAT!!
This should segue right into Siberian Khatru, just the way god intended.
Coins and crosses turning to Cans and Brahms in my ear frequently. Can anyone tell, why this is?
I have a pile of Yes records. Where did they come from?
 maxvonevil wrote:
what do you have against amputees?I couldn't sing before I had to have both of my legs amputated, and I still can't.
 

I was fortunate enough to see these guys live back in the day when this album had just come out... It was amazing then and it's amazing now.
 jmjohall wrote:

100!!!  My all time fav band ever..  My brother (10 years older) turned me on to this album in 1972 when I was 10...  They were definitely ahead of their time.  Still no on else like em.  Still know every word...



Ditto. I shared a room with my older brother who had to get up an hour earlier than me. Yes and Ten Years After at full blast while I tried to sleep. I love it now, but at time...... 
I grew up on the Yessongs versions, and although the studio tracks are brilliant, to my ear they sound a little too clinical in comparison. 
A lot of comments on this one. (834)

Now that we are all grown up and are way post, post, post Punk we can safely acknowledge the brilliance of Yes during their early Golden Era
 freddyfender wrote:

In all of the documentaries I have seen regarding "Prog" rock, it seems that at least one of the band members is wearing a cape.  Nothing against capes, must have been part of the prog rock uniform.


Both Squire and Wakeman. Maybe serious for a while, later with tongue firmly in cheek.
 reallylost wrote:

OK - I confess - I was into Yes in the early-70s. I had this LP. Used to play it non stop. 



Keep on keeping on! I've had it on vinyl, 8-track, CD, and now in 5.1 Blu-Ray. This is one of those albums, like Sgt Pepper's, that deserves every upgrade you can get your hands on.
I suppose it helped that I experienced Yes live. It’ll just have to continue to be for my own listening pleasure.
 mgkiwi wrote:
Now I know why I was never a YES fan when younger - sounded crap then, sounds even bigger crap now!!  {#Moon}



You really didn't have to include the "head up your ass" emoji, where your head is at was obvious from your comment.
"Yes"??    I'm afraid it's a "No" from me.  They were very much part of the music scene when I was young (born in '57) but for me they just paled by comparison to their peers (Floyd, Zep, Stones, Beatles, Frampton, Skynryd, Clapton, etc).   

Too much organ, very annoying vocals.... and overall just a bit over done and overrated.
OK - I confess - I was into Yes in the early-70s. I had this LP. Used to play it non stop. 
oooooh

ahhhhhhh

its like watching fireworks

except for your ears

and it aint got to be dark

and you dont have be outside

with the bugs

who forgot to bring the bug spray

   
Sings like an amputee; can't hold a note - can't carry a tune.
 freddyfender wrote:

In all of the documentaries I have seen regarding "Prog" rock, it seems that at least one of the band members is wearing a cape.  Nothing against capes, must have been part of the prog rock uniform.




probaby Rick Wakeman
100!!!  My all time fav band ever..  My brother (10 years older) turned me on to this album in 1972 when I was 10...  They were definitely ahead of their time.  Still no on else like em.  Still know every word...
 SomersetBob wrote:

Part of the soundtrack of my teenage life - it gets a 10 from me.


I looked up your stats: quite a serious statement given your rating distribution. I personally have it a 9 however being born in 1984 I guess I just don't connect as much.

Cheers!
 fredriley wrote:

If the answer's Yes, you've asked the wrong question. Gnomic pseudo-mystical bollleaux that means nowt. Even 40 years ago I loathed this band and that loathing has only intensified with age.




Oh come on Fred, prog rock has always been a bit 'bolleauxocks' but who cares?  If you loathe them, there's always the PSD button that will take you to another dimension.  It ain't about 'nowt' it's about how good your drugs are.
 ScottishWillie wrote:

I’m transported back 40 years to my bedroom in mum and dads house listening to this album endlessly on my Dansette.

What would I say to that spotty angst ridden adolescent if I could. Perhaps “Don’t worry about the, getting girls and being popular thing, it all works out well in the end. You’ll never play rugby for Scotland but you will develop a lifelong love for the game that gives you pleasure decades after your playing days are over. And finally buy shares in Apple but don’t spend the wages from your summer job on the 8 track.”



  Bump (although "bump" doesn't really work anymore, unless you view by date). Nonetheless, enjoyed your post, ScottishWillie.
don't make me pull out that quintessential Moody Blues Album. Do people still use the word, "Album"? 
Godlike!!!


The music between the lyric, "Reach out as forward tastes begin to enter you", and "A clearer future, morning, evening, nights with you".
YES !

If the answer's Yes, you've asked the wrong question. Gnomic pseudo-mystical bollleaux that means nowt. Even 40 years ago I loathed this band and that loathing has only intensified with age.
it's a no for me (like you care smiley face). give me king crimson any day.
Can remember frying heavily to this album the summer of 1987 with some close friends.  We were on Balboa Island in a little beach cottage.  In between cuts the sounds of the summer, beach going crowds walking by the bungalow melded nicely with this soundtrack.
Sounds like "That's the Way" by Zeppelin
 mineralBOB wrote:
This was the record from which I received the final diagnosis: I am a proggie! Although I loved some these strange albums before, Close to the Edge was the one I googled and suddenly a whole new, brilliant, fascinating yet strange world opened up for me  Must have been 2002 I think, age of 19. I already owned some of the classic albums back then, but suddenly my collection grew drastically (pretty much to the dislike of my girlfriend )
 
Look after the king of R n R please 
This was the record from which I received the final diagnosis: I am a proggie! Although I loved some these strange albums before, Close to the Edge was the one I googled and suddenly a whole new, brilliant, fascinating yet strange world opened up for me  Must have been 2002 I think, age of 19. I already owned some of the classic albums back then, but suddenly my collection grew drastically (pretty much to the dislike of my girlfriend )
 SomersetBob wrote:
Part of the soundtrack of my teenage life - it gets a 10 from me.
 
I wouldn't mind hearing something off of Going for the One.
Yes, Yes, Yes a very nice tune.
Same for me BOB ;)
I was a big Yes fan in my teen years. Hearing it today at the age of 62, it not only still sounds fresh, in a class by itself, I'm even more in awe of the complexities in both lyrics and arrangements. The fact that they created this, while not losing popular music appeal, is a testament to their extreme talents. And as an aside, smoking a doobie, with their dry ice pouring off the stage like a cool dreamlike breeze, while their amazing stage sets glowed and throbbed and moved to the beat, was nothing short of an out of body experience. : D
Jeeeez,

That Chris Squire sure played a "fat" bass but he also did crazy breaks and hooks with it.   Amazing. 
 sqqqrly wrote:
Interesting that there are only two Yes songs on RP.

Tales from Topographic Oceans was the single most disappointing recording I ever bought.  It was $$$.  I bought on tape.  The sound quality on tape was horrible.  The music was bad.   It tried several times to listen to it.   Finally, I broke it half and threw it in the bin.     

This is a great song though...
 
Ha!

I made the same mistake and had the same feelings. 

It's a terrible album.  Maybe due to outside influences (e.g., s sheet of blue microdot, orange sunshine, window pane, etc). 

 
 Piranga wrote:
They promised so much, but never wrote very good songs.  Imagine what they could have done with Jeff Lynne.

Jeff Lynne is the very definition of sucko-barfo.

Had I know Bill was going to play this, I would have enjoyed an edible 30 minutes ago.
A masterpiece
A favorite memory: seeing the Union tour and having all 600 members of Yes on stage simultaneously performing this. As the song wrapped up and the structure above their round stage opened up like a giant flower and lowered down over their heads, it was incredibly moving.
I'm a broken record. 

its the bass. 

Chris Squire. Genius. 
 thewiseking wrote:
Part IV is pure bliss 



For me, Part III - from "Reach out as forward tastes begin to enter you" -to- "All complete in the sight of seeds of life with you", is astounding.




Part IV is pure bliss
In all of the documentaries I have seen regarding "Prog" rock, it seems that at least one of the band members is wearing a cape.  Nothing against capes, must have been part of the prog rock uniform.
 sqqqrly wrote:
Interesting that there are only two Yes songs on RP.

Tales from Topographic Oceans was the single most disappointing recording I ever bought.  It was $$$.  I bought on tape.  The sound quality on tape was horrible.  The music was bad.   It tried several times to listen to it.   Finally, I broke it half and threw it in the bin.     

This is a great song though...
 
Tales is definitely an acquired taste. Does not live up to the sheer beauty of Close To The Edge for sure but I grew to appreciate Tales later on, especially Revealing Science of God. I remember getting Rush's Hemispheres originally on cassette and it was very poor quality sound and I thought the album was terrible. Later I got the CD and heard how wonderous it was. Cassettes sure did not do good music any favors!
 stegokitty wrote:
Oddly enough, this is the first time I've heard this song. I like it 😊
 I've listened hundreds of times...still gets me in the feels after almost 40 years. One of my favorite albums of one of my favorite bands. Glad to hear some new ears are discovering Yes.  

Beautiful Beautiful Beautiful! My favorite Yes album too!
Sad preacher nailed upon the colored door of time.
Starts like "That's the way" by Led Zeppelin.
Interesting that there are only two Yes songs on RP.

Tales from Topographic Oceans was the single most disappointing recording I ever bought.  It was $$$.  I bought on tape.  The sound quality on tape was horrible.  The music was bad.   It tried several times to listen to it.   Finally, I broke it half and threw it in the bin.     

This is a great song though...
Oddly enough, this is the first time I've heard this song. I like it 😊
terrible vocals  when all tried to be led zep with a soprano  squeaky high sound lead man

Kill it kill it with fire 
 SomersetBob wrote:
Part of the soundtrack of my teenage life - it gets a 10 from me.
 

Indeed.  Such an amazing band & album.  Yes was the first band that I wanted to see in concert.  Unfortunately the argument that my mom had against it was that I was 12.
Seen YES several times... F an A!  Love them!  Fuckingrooving!  
 brighthue wrote:
This gorgeous production sounds great at 192k! Kitsch? No. Pretentious? Perhaps just a bit. Warm and majestic as a sunrise - Yes.
 
: )

One person’s pretension is another’s fantastic flight of fantasy. 

9 for me. 
I saw the 90125 tour show in Québec's Colisée. I will remenber for the rest of my life when they played this song. The whole Colisée went totally crasy. After the song, those 5 guys  on stage were looking at each other in disbeilef seeming to wonder what the fuck just happened here....The crowd was so loud that Anderson put his hands on his ears for a few minutes waiting to continue the show ! That was sick !
 LPCity wrote:
Bands like this were the reason punk rock took over in the late 70's.
 
Sorry, love them both.
 bluematrix wrote:
stop work. turn up volume. close eyes. lose myself into the song. revel in the power of music. yes.
 
Especially now....
I still have the vinyl in my record stack. A bit tattered, but very well loved.
 LPCity wrote:
Bands like this were the reason punk rock took over in the late 70's.
 
Yes! The genesis of the crimson king, a very gentle giant and a guy called pinkish (not punkish) Floyd elped their way in a caravan with a brand new VDG generator through the tullish 70s oldfields, accompanied by many others to meet their arch enemy on 3 chords: punk.
Unfortunately punk rock took over in the late 70s...
one of the biggies of my life... this one has staying power. Equal to Mozart for the 60's-70's-80's generation
If we are going prog rock it ... How about a little Suppers Ready!!
 Piranga wrote:
They promised so much, but never wrote very good songs.  Imagine what they could have done with Jeff Lynne.
 Shows what little you  know about yes

 victory806 wrote:
thealmightyguru.com/Humor/Docs/WhosOnStage.html
 
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HzOzLP...
They promised so much, but never wrote very good songs.  Imagine what they could have done with Jeff Lynne.
Squire, Bruford and Howe are all excellent players. Anderson's vocals
and Wakeman's  keyboards appeal to more eccentric taste.  Nevertheless,
I give this tune a"9"....Outstanding  

Originally posted for a ELO-Song:


 Inorgs wrote:
Abysmal, indulgent rubbish without a skerrick of wit or intelligence. It has the subtlety of a rhinoceros driving a bulldozer.   

 
Very well put. This beautifully worded sentence fits on almost everything from YES also. "Preposterous" would also fit in perfect.
Fortunately 1976 Punk came upon us.
Bands like this were the reason punk rock took over in the late 70's.
Yes.
 apsteinmetz wrote:
Did you ever sit in your dorm doing bong hits until you hallucinated looking at a book of Roger Dean album covers. Neither did I.
 
And tripping out on some killer Orange Sunshine acid.  Or so I hear....
I've been a rabid Yes fan since 1971 & have seen them many times. Close to the Edge has always been my favorite album & this my favorite song.  Amazing work.
 drwhy wrote:
SOOOOO many memories.  Yes was my first concert, and strangely they opened for Black Sabbath.  I watched the musicianship of Yes with my mouth totally dropped.  When BS came out I was like "whats this crap".  Yes was so talented, each and everyone one of them.  
 
Back in the 80's I recall a big Yes concert (maybe the Superdome, or in Atlanta, radio gave away tickets) and someone asked what band was opening.
"Yes, sorta"
Anderson, Bruford, Wakeman, and Howe was co-headlining the shows
stop work. turn up volume. close eyes. lose myself into the song. revel in the power of music. yes.
Another yes song that did not get overplayed
Always the best sounds.  Yes, god like for sure.
SOOOOO many memories.  Yes was my first concert, and strangely they opened for Black Sabbath.  I watched the musicianship of Yes with my mouth totally dropped.  When BS came out I was like "whats this crap".  Yes was so talented, each and everyone one of them.  
thealmightyguru.com/Humor/Docs/WhosOnStage.html
 apsteinmetz wrote:
Did you ever sit in your dorm doing bong hits until you hallucinated looking at a book of Roger Dean album covers. Neither did I.
 

No, but the guy next to me did...
Another example of the GREAT music that came out in 72.
I was only 9 years old but had an older brother & sister who
helped influence my music tastes
From HS Class of 1974, I swear the best music was while in High School, and this album is one of them.

I still spin the Vinyl! 
TURN IT UP, BABY!
 idiot_wind wrote:
Those first chords sound just like the opening chords form Sweet Madam Blue, from the first or second Styx album.
 
The other way around, I believe...
Those first chords sound just like the opening chords form Sweet Madam Blue, from the first or second Styx album. Back when that band was a good RnR band. 
 nagsheadlocal wrote:
The recent remixes of the Yes catalog for digital by the amazing Steven Wilson are worth seeking out if you were a fan of Yes back in the day. I surely was, and hearing them again reminded me that no matter how muddy they sounded on my old VW's 8-track, it was glorious music if you were living in a rural area and your only idea of a bigger outside world was the "underground" FM station you could pick up after dark.
 
I can attest to the greatness of the Steven Wilson remixes in the Yes Box on vinyl.  They are so good that I don't care what the originals sound like and I was listening to them on my own 8 track rips in my good old 73 VW bus I bought for my 21st Bday back in the day.  I had a Lear deck with a headphone jack, tooling down the road listening with my open air Sennheisers.  Missed more than a few exits because the music was so good.
"In ancient times,
Hundreds of years before the dawn of history
Lived a strange race of people, the Druids

No one knows who they were or what they were doing
But their legacy remains
Hewn into the living rock, of Stonehenge

Stonehenge! Where the demons dwell
Where the banshees live and they do live well
Stonehenge! Where a man's a man
And the children dance to the Pipes of Pan..."

Oh, the little children of Stonehenge!
Did you ever sit in your dorm doing bong hits until you hallucinated looking at a book of Roger Dean album covers. Neither did I.
 westslope wrote:
Folks, you may or may not like Jon Anderson's vocals but, frankly, he does not sound like a girl.  Seriously.   
 

Larry Lee from The Ozark Mountain Daredevils on the other hand...
Yes!!!
My favorite band ever.
Saw in the Round at MSG in the late 70s
Thank you RP it never gets old...
about to commit RP blasphemy here but this just grates on my every nerve.
First saw them MANY years ago when Roundabout was their first single.  they opened up for Black Sabbath!   I couldn't believe it.  I was absolutely amazed at their musicianship and talent.  I was right in front of Rick Wakeman with his blond hair and cape.  I was mesmerized by the whole experience.  I couldn't give a damn about Black Sabbath once I saw Yes.  Changed my appreciation for music forever.  
 kingart wrote:


And the vocalist from Silversun Pickups who for a year or two I thought/assumed was a woman until I saw a performance on Austin City Limits. I grew less impressed with the band, so when he tunes in, I psd out.  
 

Good example.  The vocalist is OK but the Silversun Pickups get a little tedious after a while.  
10 🖖
Folks, you may or may not like Jon Anderson's vocals but, frankly, he does not sound like a girl.  Seriously.   
ALL HAIL PROG!
Simply a classic. Absolutely beautiful!
#1 Album of all time (by anyone). If you're a musician, it's even higher than that! (would that be Eleven?)
I guess you had to be there... shrug
One of their best songs ever {#Bananajam}
 mread wrote:

When listening to Jon Anderson you sort-of think you're listening to a guy.  These two, on the other hand, sound like fine female singers:
• Greg Gilbert from the Delays
Michael Miller
 

And the vocalist from Silversun Pickups who for a year or two I thought/assumed was a woman until I saw a performance on Austin City Limits. I grew less impressed with the band, so when he tunes in, I psd out.