Yes - Close to the Edge. 1972 England

From last year, but wanted to get it featured. No need for me to go on and on about this one.

I'm going to take a wild guess and suspect you're aware of this album. One of the greatest moments in my entire collection can be heard at the six minute mark of the title track. I just turn into one big goose bump at that instant. There are so many albums I could point to that led the way to my eventual obsession with progressive rock, but Close to the Edge might be the most influential of them all. I was 16 when I first bought this album on LP. And I subsequently played it over and over and over... I mean entire evenings were dedicated, three and four hours straight. When I look back to 1981, that is when UMR Jr. became Mr. UMR. Everything in my life changed (not just music) - all for the better. Close to the Edge was my soundtrack. This is one of my 5 star masterpieces, no way it can be less at this point. There's no chance for any kind of logical objectivity. It's pure emotion now. 

Ownership: 

1977 Atlantic (LP). Gatefold. Upgraded in 2025; First acquired in 1981.

2013 Audio Fidelity (SACD). Acquired in 2025.

2003 Elektra / Rhino (CD). Triple fold out digipak. Booklet with historical liner notes, history, and four bonus tracks. Acquired in 2026.

Atlantic (MC). 80s pressing. Acquired in 2024.

Essentially rebuilt my Close to the Edge collection in the last two years. For a long time I owned the original German LP and the Japanese papersleeve CD as my two copies. If I can find it on 8 track and reel to reel, I'm keeping those too. Not sure there exists a reel version though.

1981; 1994; 2001; 6//05; 10/9/13; 11/18/14; 3/19/22 (review)

Alain Markusfeld ~ France

Contemporus (1979)

I find it somewhat amazing that you can still buy high quality sealed prog albums from the 70s for under $10 (part 1). This is Markusfeld's 5th album. Concerning the predecessor I wrote: "On Platock, Markusfeld turns mostly to the acoustic guitar, with bursts of electric throughout - as well as a few wordless voices. This isn't so much a prog rock album, nor jazz fusion, but rather a cyclical piece that draws from both genres. Similar in that way to Mike Oldfield, and perhaps more specifically Michel Moulinie. Something like an Inventions for Acoustic Guitar, though far less cosmic. It's a unique album, one that doesn't grab your attention on paper, but becomes mesmerizing over the course of the album." All of that could be said here, perhaps even more academic. Almost an unclassifiable record, but one that satisfies on multiple listens. 

Ownership: 1979 Visa / Egg (LP). Acquired in 2022.

3/3/22 (review)

Platock (1978)

Perhaps the most unheralded of all French progressive rock artists of the 1970s, Alain Markusfeld had no less than six albums throughout the 70s and early 80s, and none have seen a CD or LP reissue. On top of this, his original LP's on Egg, starting with Le Desert Noir, suffer the ignominy of being super cheap. That is to say, there is far more supply than demand. How can that be after all these years? I have no idea really, as Platock is yet another victim of the malaise surrounding the artist. On Platock, Markusfeld turns mostly to the acoustic guitar, with bursts of electric throughout - as well as a few wordless voices. This isn't so much a prog rock album, nor jazz fusion, but rather a cyclical piece that draws from both genres. Similar in that way to Mike Oldfield, and perhaps more specifically Michel Moulinie. Something like an Inventions for Acoustic Guitar, though far less cosmic. It's a unique album, one that doesn't grab your attention on paper, but becomes mesmerizing over the course of the album.

Ownership: 1978 Egg (LP). Acquired in 2000.

2000; 7/11/18 (review)

No reissues exist for any Markusfeld album as of 3/12/26.

Also own: Le Monde en Etages; Le Son Tombe du Ciel; Le Desert Noir

7/11/18 (new entry)