Close to the Edge: Navigate the Album, Remixes and Live Versions

Three tracks are enough to make choosing Close to the Edge complicated. The 1972 Yes album has an original stereo mix, later remasters, separate Steven Wilson remixes and expanded editions whose extras depend on the disc format. Start by deciding whether you want to follow the album’s long-form structure, hear an alternative mix, or explore a concert. Each goal points to a different purchase.

The original album presents the title piece on the first LP side, with “And You and I” and “Siberian Khatru” on the second. Yes’s 2013 release notes document that layout and the subsequent mixes. The studio lineup is Jon Anderson, Steve Howe, Chris Squire, Rick Wakeman and Bill Bruford. When a later concert features a different drummer, that is a different performance, not evidence that the studio record has been altered.

Find your way through side one

The title track is divided into four named sections: “The Solid Time of Change,” “Total Mass Retain,” “I Get Up I Get Down” and “Seasons of Man.” Those names are useful landmarks rather than instructions to hear four unrelated songs. Allow the side to play continuously once before using the section titles as a map.

At the opening, listen to the transition from environmental sounds into the band’s faster, densely layered entrance. Then follow the vocal phrases and rhythm as material returns in changed settings. In the quieter central passage, attention shifts toward sustained voices and keyboard sounds. When the music builds again, ask which earlier ideas you recognise instead of trying to count every change of meter.

On vinyl, the side break is a natural pause. If you are listening digitally, resist the temptation to judge the piece from a short sample alone: an isolated excerpt cannot show how the opening’s energy relates to the quieter middle and the return. On a second pass, choose one instrument and follow it through those changes; the bass line can provide a useful thread when the arrangement becomes crowded.

Use the second side as a contrast

“And You and I” also has named sections and a broad dynamic arc. Notice how acoustic textures and voices leave space before fuller passages arrive. “Siberian Khatru” closes the album with a more immediately recurrent figure. Listen to how its repeating motion makes the final track feel distinct from the gradual construction of the title piece.

There is no need to resolve every lyric into a single story before the music becomes rewarding. Note a phrase or sound that recurs and compare its setting on another listen. This approach gives a newcomer a manageable entry point while leaving room for a personal interpretation of the words.

Remaster and remix do not mean the same thing

A remaster prepares an existing mix for a new release; it can change its overall presentation without rebuilding the balance of individual instruments. A remix returns to multitrack recordings to make a new balance. In his explanation on Yes’s site, Wilson describes that distinction and presents a remix as another perspective rather than an automatic replacement for the original.

The 2013 Panegyric CD/Blu-ray and CD/DVD-A editions include a new stereo mix and a 5.1 mix, as well as the original stereo mix on the accompanying high-resolution disc. The CD carries the new stereo mix. The Blu-ray also lists instrumental mixes and a transfer from an original UK vinyl copy; these extras are not listed as shared features of the DVD-A edition. Check the complete package description rather than relying on the words “2013 remix.”

If you want to compare, select the same section and match volume before switching. Listen for relative positions of voice, guitar and keyboard, not just brightness. A surround mix additionally requires suitable playback equipment and speaker setup; a stereo system cannot reproduce the intended spatial layout. A Blu-ray player is needed for the Blu-ray disc, while DVD-A capabilities should be verified on the specific player.

One practical starting point is the quieter “I Get Up I Get Down” section, followed by the return to a fuller band texture. Listen at a comfortable fixed volume and make a note of when each version brings the voices forward. Then repeat on another day. This comparison will not identify the best pressing for everyone, but it can reveal whether the difference you care about is the mix itself or simply a louder transfer.

What the 2025 box actually adds

The 2025 Super Deluxe listing separates the remastered original album, a 2025 Wilson remix with instrumentals, rarities, a 1972 Rainbow Theatre concert and a Blu-ray with surround mixes. Its LP is listed as the original album. The live discs are a performance programme with additional songs; they are not the studio album presented in its original order.

If the concert is your main reason for buying, read the track list and disc format first. If the 2025 remix is the goal, identify the disc carrying it rather than assuming every LP in a box is the remix. If you only want the familiar three-track studio sequence, a smaller edition may be more practical. Release announcements describe particular products; they do not guarantee the contents of a seller’s incomplete secondhand copy.

Inspect a used record methodically

Ask the seller for photographs of the labels, sleeve and runout inscriptions on both sides. Match catalogue and matrix details to the exact pressing, and ask whether the record has been play-graded. The long first side makes a skip or repeated click especially disruptive; a short visual description cannot tell you how it plays throughout.

Check for warping, deep scratches, damaged grooves and sleeve seams. Request information on inserts separately. A gatefold design or a particular label colour may help narrow an edition, but neither establishes pressing order or sound quality by itself. Condition and return terms matter more to a listener than an unsupported claim of rarity.

For a first encounter, choose a clean version whose mix is clearly identified and listen to the sides in order. For research into the arrangement, the 2013 Blu-ray’s instrumental and alternate material offers a different tool. For a live comparison, the 2025 box supplies a documented concert. Keeping those purposes separate prevents buying a large package for features your equipment cannot play or you do not intend to use.