Close to the Edge: The Story of Yes [Paperback]

I've always liked the music of Yes, and this is a good, informative book with a lot of information and a massive amount of interviews with all the members of the band, past and present.

The major "problem" with the book is that Mr. Welch is clearly a fan of the band, and the writing tends to be geared more toward a press release, with very little critical view of either the personalities or the music. Almost every album is mooted as "their best yet," and highlights of the various songs are then presented. Each musician to come and go is praised for contributing, but rarely is that contribution put much into the context of what "Yes music" might all be about, and whether that contribution was really what the band needed. Someone left, someone came in to replace him, and it's all to the good.

Yes's music has always been very forward-looking, life-affirming, spiritual and positive, so it's entirely possible that all the members are just wondrous chaps who delight in each other's respective companies, but the various cracks and hints here and there argue that it isn't always so. None of these cracks, hints and arguments are explored with any great depth; we do hear about Rick Wakeman's disappointment with "Topographic Oceans" and the fact that no one--no one--seemed to like the "Union" album. Bill Bruford's frustration with the Yes direction is explored, and though Jon Anderson was sometimes referred to as a "Hitler" or a "Napoleon" there's not a lot here why people would call him that--he comes across as a nice guy who wants the music to be good. (Who would object to the music being good?) Otherwise they just meshed perfectly and created the "Yes sound" each and every time.

I don't want to sound too critical of this book; it's well written, I enjoyed it and it is remarkably thorough as a history of the band and its fortunes. Mr. Welch was there when many of the events in Yes's career actually happened, so there's no third-hand filter. It just seems a little too smooth, a little too hesitant to probe, a little too much like a bio a record company might release in advance of a tour.

Recommended for its impressive arsenal of facts, insider knowledge and interviews with a band that's always seemed very private, even when they were conquering the world.

Its a good book if you are a Yes fan. There is a little too much detail here for me but a good history of the band.

Yes: Close To The Edge doesn't waste a ton of time telling you every detail about the band members early childhoods, which I appreciate, but it does provide the essential introductory info on each and then spends the bulk of its pages discussing events during the band's tumuluous career. There's a ton of great information, some nice photos, and the book flows very nicely.

I think Chris Welch's writing can be a bit odd, and I don't think it's just because he's British. He just has a style that is a little unorthodox, plus he's an insider with the band and maybe he's just being a bit too familiar. The only other thing I don't like is some of the time the author spends discussing specific songs, detailing lyrics or how the band members played/sang. I would prefer biographical information without the disection of the music.