Close to the Edge: The Story of Yes: The Story of "Yes"
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Review
'Fascinating... book of the month' Record Collector'(Welch's) insider's eye view makes for a refreshing account of the times.' Mojo.
Product Description
Yes have now been on the rock circuit for almost 40 years. Jon Anderson, Steve Howe, Rick Wakeman, Chris Squire and Bill Bruford are just some of the star names 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. An updated edition of the bestselling biography of Yes to include the historic return of Rick Wakeman to the classic Yes line-up and their ongoing highly successful tour of America.
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful
Format:Kindle Edition
I've admired Chris Welch's ability to get close to bands and thus obtain first-hand the opinions of members. From that respect this book doesn't disappoint. Indeed it is interesting to see how members' opinions and impressions of the various stages of Yes's roller-coaster history change over time. Indeed even the author's own views are not consistant over the 35 plus years the book covers.
It is clear that this book is compiled from an extensive number of articles Chris Welch has written and interviews he has given over time. However when I read a biography I expect it to read as one work. This doesn't. But neither is it presented as simply a collection of articles written by the author. Instead it appears to be a not very successful attempt to gather the articles into some sort of chronological order and turn it into a bio, without going to the extent of actually writing a bio.
Consequently there is quite a bit of skipping back and forth in time, it is not always obvious without careful reading of the text who is being quoted, and many incidents/stories are repeated (and not always from a different person's perspective).
I would describe this book as the research, gathered together in some sort of order, in preparation for writing the first draft of the biography proper. Perhaps this is because Chris Welch is a journalist rather than an author.
Don't get me wrong, it's well researched, informative, occasionally fascinating and rarely leaves one with a sense of having glossed over incidents. It offers a good insight into the band members' as well as their associates' (managers', techies', roadies' etc) feelings towards the music, the management and each other at different times. It also feels like the articles are written with a real love for the band and it's music yet Chris Welch manages to remain objective and critical about both throughout.
The target audience of Yes fans will not be disappointed in the content, but I suspect many, like me, will be rather disappointed in the presentation.
It is clear that this book is compiled from an extensive number of articles Chris Welch has written and interviews he has given over time. However when I read a biography I expect it to read as one work. This doesn't. But neither is it presented as simply a collection of articles written by the author. Instead it appears to be a not very successful attempt to gather the articles into some sort of chronological order and turn it into a bio, without going to the extent of actually writing a bio.
Consequently there is quite a bit of skipping back and forth in time, it is not always obvious without careful reading of the text who is being quoted, and many incidents/stories are repeated (and not always from a different person's perspective).
I would describe this book as the research, gathered together in some sort of order, in preparation for writing the first draft of the biography proper. Perhaps this is because Chris Welch is a journalist rather than an author.
Don't get me wrong, it's well researched, informative, occasionally fascinating and rarely leaves one with a sense of having glossed over incidents. It offers a good insight into the band members' as well as their associates' (managers', techies', roadies' etc) feelings towards the music, the management and each other at different times. It also feels like the articles are written with a real love for the band and it's music yet Chris Welch manages to remain objective and critical about both throughout.
The target audience of Yes fans will not be disappointed in the content, but I suspect many, like me, will be rather disappointed in the presentation.
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase
I grew up with 'Yes' from the mid-70s; I got the 3 popular music papers every week ("Melody Maker", "New Musical Express" & "Sounds") and came to rely on Chris Welch's reviews. He tended to specialise in the prog. groups and I came to realise that if Chris liked something then I probably would, too.
The book shows that he was in close contact with Yes (especially the founding members - Chris Squire and Jon Anderson) from their beginning in the 1960s, and so we are getting the true picture here; with all of the changes of lineup that there have been over the years, it couldn't have been an easy thing to keep track of.
Talking of pictures: it's a pity that the book's illustrations are all monochrome. I realise that a larger-format book with colour photographs would have pushed the price up. Perhaps - depending on sales figures for this one - such a volume will be produced in the future. Yes were a very colourful stage act with the Roger & Martyn Dean sculptures, huge fake organ pipes and laser shows. I'm sure that there is a large stock of photographs somewhere that could be utilised, and fans from the 70s aren't teenagers anymore - their budgets could stretch to the cost of a larger, more expensive edition of this book.
One more (small) criticism: in spite of Chris's journalistic background, he joins the growing group of authors whose basic spelling and grammar is a bit weak. It's clear that the publisher relied on a spellchecker program rather than a decent proofreader (who would probably have spotted "principal" being used when it should have been "principle", for instance).
The book shows that he was in close contact with Yes (especially the founding members - Chris Squire and Jon Anderson) from their beginning in the 1960s, and so we are getting the true picture here; with all of the changes of lineup that there have been over the years, it couldn't have been an easy thing to keep track of.
Talking of pictures: it's a pity that the book's illustrations are all monochrome. I realise that a larger-format book with colour photographs would have pushed the price up. Perhaps - depending on sales figures for this one - such a volume will be produced in the future. Yes were a very colourful stage act with the Roger & Martyn Dean sculptures, huge fake organ pipes and laser shows. I'm sure that there is a large stock of photographs somewhere that could be utilised, and fans from the 70s aren't teenagers anymore - their budgets could stretch to the cost of a larger, more expensive edition of this book.
One more (small) criticism: in spite of Chris's journalistic background, he joins the growing group of authors whose basic spelling and grammar is a bit weak. It's clear that the publisher relied on a spellchecker program rather than a decent proofreader (who would probably have spotted "principal" being used when it should have been "principle", for instance).
3 of 4 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
As a long time Yes fan, mostly of their 70's output it was facinating to read of their origins and the wranglings with management and line up changes. The early part is of most interest, the last part a bit drawn out but a must for those who like a bit of a look behind the music.
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
A must for all YES enthusiasts
I could not put this book down - so much information about Yes from the late 60's though to the 2,000's.....a must for all YES lovers - don't hesitate to buy it!
Published 6 days ago by BD
Close to the Edge: The Story of Yes
Bought this book for my boyfriend who has been a Yes fan for many years. He found it a very good read.
Published 3 months ago by Wildchild
Lot's of good info about 'Yes'
I brought this book because I respect Chris Welch and I'm a fan of Yes. This book really helped give me an insight to the years between 1979 and 1999 where Yes really were a mix... Read more
Published 9 months ago by Bring_back_the_60s
Very disappointing
I remember Chris Welch as a reporter on Melody Maker in the 1970s and, as a Yes fan from back then, was expecting great stuff from this book. Read more
Published 15 months ago by Andrew H
Detailed History of the Decline and Fall of a Rock Band
This is an exhaustive trawl through the life and times of the Progressive Rock band Yes. [Confession: I am a huge fan of the early Yes up to "Close To The Edge", after which I felt... Read more
Published 22 months ago by M. R. N. Shackelford
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