“Siberian Khatru” by Yes

Yes slotted "Siberian Khatru" third on Close to the Edge in 1972, and it's the band at full gallop. Jon Anderson wrote the words and the music with Steve Howe and Rick Wakeman, and the title came before its meaning: Anderson kept singing the word until somebody looked it up and told him it was Yemeni Arabic for "as you wish". The lyrics are about different cultures pulling together.

Howe later called it a grab bag of riffs, themes, bridges, an odd middle eight and Stravinsky-style orchestral stabs, and he takes two solos, one of them on a Gibson BR-9 steel guitar, a fresh purchase at the time, right after Wakeman's harpsichord break. Chris Squire and Bill Bruford drive it, Eddy Offord co-produced with the band, and it became a regular opener at their concerts.

Written with AI assistance from RockLists chart data, MusicBrainz and Wikipedia.