Siberian Khatru

"Siberian Khatru" is the third, shortest and final song of progressive rock band Yes album Close to the Edge. Live versions of the song are found on the Yessongs, Keys to Ascension, and Live at Montreux 2003 albums, and it also is on several compilation albums. It is notable for being the only song on Close to the Edge that is not a multi-part suite. However, Siberian Khatru contains several separate melodies, tones, and sections in the tradition of progressive rock. The live version on the 2-disc album set Yessongs is preceded by Igor Stravinsky's Firebird Suite and Stravinsky's The Rite of Spring is an acknowledged influence on the song itself, thus the introduction.

Structure

Siberian Khatru begins with an introductory guitar riff, after which the main instrumental theme (played by the keyboards) is introduced. The structure of this theme is a four-measure phrase consisting of three bars in common time (4/4) and the last bar in 3/4. This theme is repeated until the verse section begins. The lyrics start at about 1:05. The song progresses through various sections, featuring solos by Steve Howe and Rick Wakeman. There is a polymetric section featuring the guitar, playing in a meter of 12, and bass and drums playing in a meter of 8. Jon Anderson begins singing seemingly random two-syllable words and phrases, which then becomes a Yes tradition. The conclusion is similar to the introduction, returning to the main instrumental theme with a guitar solo on top of it.

Music inspired by "Siberian Khatru"

John Frusciante, the former guitarist of Red Hot Chili Peppers has cited the guitar solo at the end of "Siberian Khatru" as an influence for his own guitar solo on the 1999 Red Hot Chili Peppers song "Get on Top": "I was thinking about Steve Howe's solo at the end of Yes' "Siberian Khatru". The band sound is really big — and they're playing fast — and then this clean guitar comes out over the top. It's really beautiful, like it's on its own sort of shelf. For "Get On Top", I wanted to play something that would create a contrast between the solo and the background."^[1]

On Television

Many of the scenes in Vic Reeves' surreal comedy series Catterick (TV series) take place in a pub called "The Siberian Khatru".

References