Close to the Edge: The Story of Yes

I can't put this book down! Yes, I'm a Yes fan, but I've read other bios of bands that I love that didn't grab me the way that this one does. Chris Welch was there through most of it, and through his writing and band interviews you feel that you're getting a first-hand re-telling of every event. Terrific insight album by album. It reads like a great Stephen King novel - gripping. (Look for the updated re-release in September!)

As a major Yes fan for over 25 years, I've often thought I knew everything there was to know about the band. Well, Chris Welch taught me a few things. His linear approach and comfortable style of writing made the book very hard to put down. I was enthralled by his descriptions of recording sessions; tours; member resignations; firings; and even how much they got paid for each gig in the early days. He delves into each member's personality and you get a feeling for how the members made the band more than a product of the sum of their individual efforts. If there's even just a single biographical book you buy this year, make it this one.

This book gives an excellent history of the band YES. It also gives an excellent feel of the development of late 60's and early 70's rock and roll in the London rock scene. It is by far and away the best work on the band to date. If you enjoy YES, the band that has created some of the best rock music of all time, you are sure to be captivated by their story as told by Chris Welch. Welch is uniquely qualified to tell the story as a rock critic and close friend of the band who has followed their work for thirty years. Welch gives great insight into the business of rock 'n rock and of a band true to its roots of recording music authentic to its vision.

Don't let the book's (obviously) limited availability put you off, becuase this is the Yes biography to end them all. Bill Martin, Tim Morse and even Dan Hedges's efforts simply pale in comparison to Welch's triumphantly successful book. There are no disjointed oral snippets by band-members (Morse) or sprawling, Marxist political views (Martin) here, just a thorough, detailed analysis of a band's history by one of Rock's most respected writers and critics.Certainly, nobody except the bandmembers themselves are better qualified to write the story of Yes. Welch has known the band intimately since the its first days in 1968, and his numerous personal anecdotes offer fascinating insights into the day-to-day workings of a classic band. Welch lays it bare, all the successes and the mistakes, and the pace of the book seldom drags.Do not consider yourself a Yes fan until you have purchased a copy of this book - seriously!