Close To The Edge SACD

The English prog giants' fifth studio album is often hailed as the pinnacle of progressive rock, and this SACD release only elevates its status further. Originally released in 1972, the three-track opus captures the band at their most ambitious and musically cohesive, it's the title track, 'Close to the Edge', a sprawling 18-minute composition, which benefits most from the format's enhanced sonic clarity, the dense interplay between Steve Howe's guitar, Rick Wakeman's keyboards, Chris Squire's melodic bass and Bill Bruford's complex drumming becoming even more pronounced. Jon Anderson's vocals float with precision, enhancing the song's spiritual and exploratory mood and the acoustic guitar textures and swelling Mellotron are beautifully rendered too. A masterwork of sound and vision, given an extra lease of life here.