A Band that Played Close to the Edge

YesAs I work tonight, I’m listening to “Close to the Edge” by Yes. I have cranked up the volume and I find myself surrounded by uninhibited on-fire genius. This song by Yes is so well crafted that I’m listening for the third time in a row, and it deserves these replays. Are there any bands out there today who are willing to experiment like this? Is there a modern version of ELP? Are there any modern versions of “Stairway to Heaven”? My sad gut feeling is that far too much of today’s music is crammed into pre-determined tropes. I know there has been crappy music in every decade and that I’m listening to something extraordinary tonight. But does anyone have recommendations of any bands today that are thoughtful, complex, unrelentingly excellent and experimental? Self-consciously uninhibited and not primarily driven to satisfy a mass-market?

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Erich Vieth

Erich Vieth is an attorney focusing on civil rights (including First Amendment), consumer law litigation and appellate practice. At this website often writes about censorship, corporate news media corruption and cognitive science. He is also a working musician, artist and a writer, having founded Dangerous Intersection in 2006. Erich lives in St. Louis, Missouri with his two daughters.

This Post Has 5 Comments

  1. Avatar of Alan
    Alan

    That’s a one of a king album Erich, I listen to that a lot in the mid 70’s. Even nowadays I can hear it my head, all it takes is one section to get me started. Seasons will pass me by, I get up, I get down, gets it going. About the only album that even comes close to that is Hendrix’s Electric Ladyland. Far from the same style but parts of it pop in my head and merge right in with Close to the Edge. Most likely because I listened to it a lot and the excitement levels somehow match. Both of those albums were far from cliche’ and full of creativity.

  2. Avatar of Bill Heath
    Bill Heath

    Genius – JS Bach, Cannonball Adderly, Anton von Webern. All others are pretenders.

    1. Avatar of Erich Vieth
      Erich Vieth

      I would add at least 300 names to that list, Bill. Oscar Peterson, Wes Montgomery, Emerson Lake and Palmer, Lennon & McCartney, . . .

    1. Avatar of Erich Vieth
      Erich Vieth

      Thank you! I’m adding all the recs I get from this post to my ongoing list (Arcade Fire was recommended by someone else too). I’ve also posted on FB, where I received the following recs:

      Porcupine Tree
      In Absentia
      Tales of Topographic Oceans
      Rush
      Peter Gabriel
      Genesis
      Marillion
      Submerged
      Boston Crab
      Blue Humans
      Ghost – Blue Oyster Cult
      Pink Floyd
      Procol Harum
      Jethro Tull
      Origa
      Led Zeppelin
      Steve Wilson
      Turnstile
      Big Big Train
      Check video: A Classical Composer Listens to Close to the Edge
      Relayer
      War “City County City”
      Radiohead
      Rainbows
      Arcade Fire
      Univers Zero (Belgium)
      PFM (Italy)
      Gong (France)
      Hatfield and the North (England)

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