Close to the Edge: The Story of YES

by Chris Welch

The small format edition of the classic rock biography has been updated to include details of the group's activities over the last 18 months including their forthcoming box set In A Word and international tour. They have been on the rock circuit for almost 35 years. Jon Anderson, Steve Howe, Rick Wakeman, Chris Squire and Bill Bruford are just some of the star players who helped make the band one of the greatest ever names in classic rock. Their turbulent story spans the early days of pub and club gigs, international supergroup status in the heyday of rock, and various line-ups since. Rock critic Chris Welch was there for the whole crazy journey, interviewing the changing band members many times over the years. Now he tells their complex and often hilarious story with the help of interviews with band members past and present.

Genres: Music, Biography, Nonfiction, History

320 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1999

Reviews

[Simon Evans · Rating 3 out of 5]

There is no doubting that Chris Welch is a talented journalist. Talented journalists don't always have the ability to write longform prose though and this book is a good example.

The Yes story is a complex, fascinating tale and Chris does his best to present it in an uncluttered, understandable manner. He nearly succeeds too but too often I found myself re-reading long paragraphs to find out which one of the (at the time of writing) fourteen members of the band was speaking.

This is a great story and for those seeking to learn more about the men behind one of the seminal prog rock bands this will inform and educate but it does read like an overlong NME or Melody Maker article and would have benefitted hugely from some judicious editing.

[Brian Katz · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent ride back to the formation of Yes, and the many years producing great albums like, Fragile, Close to the Edge, Tales from Topographic Oceans, Relayer, and Going for the One. Great inside baseball about the tours, personalities, disputes about song writing and the business side of of the complex musical group. I can see now why there have been some riffs and rows with these great musicians. Fun to read.

[Michael · Rating 1 out of 5]

Horribly written. The author jumps around in such a psychotic manner that you never know who's point is being made, or for that matter, what the point even is. Finally gave up on it, which was rather sad, as I
am a huge fan of YES.

Being a professional prog musician myself, I had hoped to get a better insight into one of my all-time favorite bands. Alas, this book was simply disappointing. My search for a well done biography of YES will continue.

[Roger · Rating 4 out of 5]

If you're the slightest bit interested in Yes, this book will be worth reading. It's a comprehensive chronology of the band's musical history, written by rock critic Chris Welch. Chris is not only a big fan of the group, but also had extensive access to the band and individual members over the years. It's a fascinating read, but does often come over as a patchwork series of album and gig reviews, which is probably where Chris sourced much of his information. It is therefore often dry and technical, whilst missing the empathy and joviality evident in, for example, Rick Wakeman's excellent Grumpy Old Rock Star books. Still, it's an enjoyable and illuminating read, especially if you're able to listen to the appropriate music whilst reading the sections of the book relating the the music. What an amazing band. May their music last and last.

[Malcolm Frawley · Rating 3 out of 5]

I have a couple of Yes albums but do not consider myself a big fan. King Crimson &, later, Porcupine Tree are my favourite prog bands. This was still an interesting, not to mention exasperating, journey. The usual personality clashes, management rip-offs, & ego battles pepper the pages but the jigsaw puzzle pieces of the band's endlessly changing line-up really started to annoy me. Welch has known the band since its inception so had access all along the way. Although all members of the band, and there have been well over a dozen, have been dedicated to their music none of them have particularly endearing personalities. So I did feel like an outsider throughout the ups & downs of the band's 30+ years of relative success. If you are a real fan you might get more out of this

[John Beckett · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read the 1998 version and rate it between a 3 and a 4. I chose to go higher for the insights provided by the people close to the band, but not in the band. The book spent far more time on the first few years when they were struggling than it did while they were flourishing. In terms of the writing style, I would sometimes have to go back to see who a long quote was being attributed to. The book captures the relational struggles that are common among bands. I found it interesting that while Bill Bruford was quoted as being over working with Chris Squire that he was the percussionist on Squire's Fish Out Of Water.

[Gregory · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read the updated edition - 2007. It would be a 5-star book if not for the update. It seems the update was quickly scraped together and tacked onto the end. It provided little insight into the years since the first edition and even contained frequent grammatical errors, such as a paragraph ending in a comma on page 300. Something this simple and obvious is indicative of the lack of care that went into the update. Nevertheless, everything pre-update was fabulous and the book overall is an enjoyable look into one of the greatest progressive rock bands to come out of the 1960s-1970s, and covers their remarkable (yet questionable) transformation in the 1980s up to now.

[Steven Davis · Rating 3 out of 5]

Yes in the period late 60s to late 70s/early 80s, were very interesting, creatively and behind the scenes. After that period in this book, there is less detail and more gloss, Musically they wobbled in the 80s through to 00s, until they threw Jon Anderson out and got some wannabe to replace him .. and then replaced the wannabe with another wannabe. Forget the current "Yes", check out Jon Anderson and read about their early years where they were amazing and groundbreaking.

[Mudwerks · Rating 3 out of 5]

An in-depth look at the entire oeuvre of the group and it's members - some of whom are on and off as participants.

A little skewed by the author's musical taste - but overall a clear and seemingly concise depiction of the reality on the grounds during their various phases.

I was fascinated by the book - despite only being deeply interested in the music over the short time-space of three albums.

[Chris Lira · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent bio of a great band. Given the personnel changes over the years, writing an engaging and coherent bio is quite a task, and the author succeeds. It’s a bit dated, ending around 1998 so more recent developments like the passing of Chris Squire are it included, but the critical early years(the time of my favorite Yes output) are covered well.

[Raymond Parish · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a title for dedicated Yes and prog rock fans, an exhaustively researched fanzine in book form. It is packed with interviews with most of the key characters: band members, the crew, managers, producers, and more. Consistent with his career as a magazine writer, Welch provides album by album reviews, by the players and himself. A fascinating read.

[Arthur Cowslip · Rating 2 out of 5]

As a comprehensive overview of the band's career, this book is elevated by the lack of competition. But it could have seriously done with some editing to tighten it up a bit. A rambling sort of tale, it all feels a bit disorganised and lacking in direction at times.

[Keith Vaughn · Rating 3 out of 5]

Redundant in places and out of focus. A lot of names in the beginning of obscure British pop musicians you've never heard of and will never hear of again. Some interesting stories about the early years of the band.

[George Kanakaris · Rating 4 out of 5]

The author clearly had a lot of access to the members of the band. Recommended for fans.

[Mon C. · Rating 5 out of 5]

Having been an avid fan of Yes and their kind of music (so-called 'progressive' or cerebral rock - a flavorful mixture of hard rock, odd-time jazz and classical arias backing up vocal harmonies),these Brits have been around for more than thirty years, and this goes to show it really pays to be unique and be pioneers in a musical genre that is usually catered to musicians as well.
Not putting down the current crop of musical artists and fans today, the author of this book captured the birth and eventual re-invention of a group that is/was composed of talented non-tablature reading musicians with a common goal of not repeating themselves and capture the imagination of three generations of fans.
Here we realize that bands back then were actually born and not a product of corporate greed (although they succumbed to the machinations in the mid-80s: selling out with the danceable "Owner Of A Lonely Heart" as proof, for me the fake Yes),when they can't even rent studio time and shared a one-room apartment!
You aren't a true "musician" if you cannot fathom Yes' depth...the shallow "music" of the present wouldn't last this long!

[Jerry Novick · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is the must-read history for any Yes fan! Chris Welch has been close to the band since the very beginning, and thus treats us to a true insider's look at these masters of Progressive rock. No speculating here. This is the straight truth, complete with tons of input and quotes from nearly everyone who has ever been in our connected to Yes.

Welch's writing style is very accessible and entertaining. This is a smooth read.

The only flaw (and I'm being sarcastic) is that the book only gives us the history up until 2008. I guess we'll all just have to hit the internet to get a glimpse at the happenings during the very recent past.

[Jack Rosebery · Rating 4 out of 5]

Interesting story of a longtime great band.

I liked this book, as it gives an interesting behind-the-scenes look at my favorite band. The dynamics are fascinating. I don't think that the average music junkie will like it as much, but it's still a good read.

[Scott · Rating 3 out of 5]

I enjoyed this book because I'm a fan of Yes and Rick Wakeman. If you are not a fan, or don't like progressive rock, you would get nothing from it.

[Bill · Rating 3 out of 5]

Decent accounting thru 1998. Repetative. Negative.

[Lucas · Rating 3 out of 5]

a thorough recount of a great band - you will get a complete picture of the history and might also peek a glimpse of its future

[John · Rating 5 out of 5]

A must read for serious fans of YES and their music.

[Michael Foley · Rating 4 out of 5]

An interesting read if you're a fan of the band Yes. In light of Chris Squire's death, this read was particularly significant.

[Luc Bouchard · Rating 2 out of 5]

Poorly written, but stories were still interesting.

[Tony Entrekin · Rating 3 out of 5]

This biography of Yes does a good job of documenting the turbulent history of one of the world's best progressive rock bands (at least up to the the short-lived return of Rick Wakeman around 2002). Unfortunately it's marred by a sloppy style of using quotes from the various members that sometimes leaves the reader a bit confused as to who's actually commenting. For example, during the years which featured musicians Trevor Horn as producer (and former vocalist) and Trevor Rabin as guitarist, their commentaries are often attributed only to "Trevor," leaving it up to us to determine which one. This awkward style is surprising considering that author Welch is a seasoned music journalist and drew the information in this book from his career-long relationship with the band. Still, it's a good account of the truly eventful story of this excellent band. Chris Squire will always be missed.