Beloved progressive rock band Yes is known for their lengthier tunes. So, it shouldn’t be all that surprising for Yes fans that one of the songs is featured on Collider‘s list of “The 10 Best Rock Epics Over 10 Minutes Long.”
Collider put Yes’ 1972 track, “Close to the Edge,” which lasts almost 19 minutes, at the ranking’s fourth spot. According to the publication, the tune, off the band’s fifth album, Close to the Edge, deserves recognition for managing to be somewhat erratic but overall very pleasant.
Collider also spotlighted “Funeral for a Friend/Love Lies Bleeding” by Elton John, “The End” by The Doors, and “Thick as a Brick” by Jethro Tull on the list.
Yes Guitarist Steve Howe Shared His Thoughts About the Longevity of the ‘Close to the Edge’ Record
In a 2022 interview with Classic Rock Review, Yes guitarist Steve Howe discussed the Close to the Edge record, which consists of three songs, “Close to the Edge,” “And You And I,” and “Siberian Khatru.” Howe explained that he wasn’t overall surprised that the album has had such a lasting impact.
“Whenever a band or a musician makes a record, that record he’s got to think is potentially his greatest piece of work, so yes, definitely thought that ‘Close to the Edge,’ the record we were working on, was pretty epic,” said the musician, now 79.
He clarified that while the band didn’t know that album would be celebrated, they believed “it was going to get a bigger foot in the door after Fragile,” their fourth album released in 1971.
“We were just trying to supersede Fragile with something greater,” said Howe during the 2022 interview.
He also shared that the entire 1972 album was conceived because he and the band’s singer, Jon Anderson, “dreamed up the idea of the 20-minute piece.”
In addition, Howe noted that the Close to the Edge record is difficult to play live, due to the complicated nature of the studio recording.
“Yes just resolved that there was a way of playing this live, and whatever compromises we had to make, we had to make them,” explained Howe.
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