With Close to the Edge, their fifth album, Yes formed a coherent musical language from the elements that have been kicked around by the progressive rockers for ages. Close to the Edge comprised just three tracks, the epic “And You and I” and “Siberian Khatru,” plus a side-long title track that represented the musical, lyrical, and sonic peak of all that Yes had worked toward over the past five years. Close to the Edge would make the Top Five on both sides of the Atlantic, and dispatch Yes on the longest tour of its career so far. It would also launch the band on a downward swing that only disintegration, rebuilding, and an extreme change of direction would cure. But that was yet to come. In 1972, Close to the Edge was a flawless masterpiece.

Yesworld: The Official Yes website