01	The Gates Of Delirium						21:51
	02	Sound Chaser						09:29
	03	To Be Over						09:08

Atlantic
Year: 1974
Catalog Number: 19135-2

Atlantic (82664-2)
UK 1974

Jon Anderson, vocals;
Alan White, percussion;
Steve Howe, guitars, vocals;
Chris Squire, bass, vocals;
Patrick Moraz, keyboards

Produced by: Yes & Eddie Offord
Engineered by: Eddie Offord

Bob Eichler:
This album is probably as intense and fusiony as Yes ever got - I had it playing in my car while driving to lunch with a jazz-head co-worker, and he wanted to know who the fantastic jazz fusion band was. Moraz's keyboard playing is just as good as Wakeman's (if not better), and a bit more tasteful. All the regular players were also at the top of their game, especially Howe (who goes berserk during "Sound Chaser"). The opening track is probably my favorite prog epic, and "To Be Over" is one of the best "ballad" tracks the band ever came up with. This is far and away my favorite Yes album.
PS - if you're the type who likes to try those "synching albums up with movies" things, try watching 2001 and starting Relayer up just as "Jupiter and Beyond the Infinite" appears on screen. Something I discovered one drunken night in college. ;-)

Jon Fry:
Even as a diehard Yes fan, I find this album to be overrated. While Fragile, Close to the Edge and Tales from Topographic Oceans all have some central themes moving the songs along, the first half of Relayer ("The Gates of Delirium") seems to be one long (and often tedious) experiment in self-indulgent soloing. This attempt at an epic track meanders back and forth endlessly, never reaching wherever it seems it wants to go. This is a bit ironic, as it is the only piece of the three that was inspired by a narrative (namely War and Peace), which one would think would give it greater flow than the other songs. Some particularly low points of this track include the Steve Howe solo near the beginning and the tagged-on filler piece "Soon."
"Sound Chaser" and "To Be Over" are better, having a few of the finest Yes moments, though again I would say that each piece is longer than it really needs to be. "Sound Chaser" is a successful experiment in creating unusual sound effects and then piecing them together as a song. "To Be Over" (my favorite track of the three) contains some achingly beautiful melodies, in large part due to the contributions of Howe and Patrick Moraz. On that note, the addition of keyboardist Moraz was a good one - he plays more tastefully than Rick Wakeman and more forcefully than Tony Kaye.
Overall, this is a good album, but not to my ears a fully-developed and connected one. I'd say to pick it up, as it is a classic, but get the other entries in the "main sequence" (The Yes Album through Going for the One) first.

Sean McFee:
Yes' 1974 release Relayer gets a somewhat mixed reaction from Yes fans, but for my money it's their strongest release. Relayer shows a band backing off a bit from the topographic oceans and into material that is a bit more chaotic than what listeners had grown accompanied to. Certain sections of the side-long epic "The Gates of Delirium" as well as the frenetic chopfest "Sound Chaser" certainly come to mind here. Nevertheless a comparison has to be made to Close to the Edge, what with the presence of the aforementioned side-long, a mostly instrumental workout ("Sound Chaser" vs. "Siberian Khatru") and an epic ballad rounding things out ("To Be Over" vs. "And You And I").
What makes Relayer work is Yes' metamorphosis into a bit of a darker sound, while still retaining the beauty and innocence of their earlier work. Keyboardist Patrick Moraz, who unfortunately was only to be with the band for this album, is instrumental in lending an almost alien quality to the proceedings. Unlike Tales from Topographic Oceans, which essentially seemed like the work of two men, Relayer shows a band working closely together with all members contributing.
That said, I would still recommend that a Yes newbie start with their earlier work, and then get this release so as to have some perspective on where Yes came from and journeyed to. One of my favorite symphonic albums, ever.

Joe McGlinchey:
Despite the less than optimal recording quality, Relayer shows a band at the top of its game in all ways: creativity, instrumental prowess, and emotional communication (not to mention additional factors like Dean's incredible artwork and being a financial success). "The Gates of Delerium" is probably the ultimate statement of Yes' career, and is certainly one of the most transcendent pieces of music one can hope to find in this genre. Side two features the bizarre and fascinating "Sound Chaser," and the beautific reflection "To Be Over." All the key players are at their peak, each pushing the limits of their respective instrumental (and lyrical, for Jon Anderson) domains. New keyboardist Patrick Moraz adds fuel to the already immense blaze, drawing the band away from the overtly baroque and classical flourishes of past-Europe that marked Rick Wakemanґs contribution to Yes' sound, and impelling them instead towards a more futuristic, sci-fi fusion sound. Too bad this would be his only album with the band. Relayer is indeed a prog rock classic, and a formidable one at that. To lose yourself properly in Roger Dean's hallowed world of piano-cliffs and rattlesnakes, you need to get a hold of the vastly improved HDCD Japanese remaster (if you can still find it); the regular domestic remastered version doesn't hold a candle to it.

Eric Porter:
Welcome Patrick Moraz to the fold. Moraz was Rick Wakeman's replacement on keyboards. My observation here is that it is a very aggresive sound for Yes. It is much less atmospheric than Tales, and though an extremely capable keyboardist, Moraz is not nearly as upfront as Wakeman. The solo sections are more dominated by Howe's guitar than moog solos here. "Gates of Delirium" is incredible. Running 21:55, it is a classic, and the closing section "Soon" is one of their most beautiful recorded moments. Nothing else needs to be said about this track. "Sound Chaser" opens with a very jazz fusion feel. I find Howe's guitar soloing in this one to be a bit boring. It gets very atmospheric in the middle, and for some reason does not do much for me. Once the song gets out of this slow section it again picks up with an interesting guitar pattern with Moraz chording over the top. "To Be Over" has a very dreamy intro and vocal, with an interesting slide guitar, then soloing section leading into a symphonic background. Moraz has some counterpoint synth lines in the mid section. The only part of the song I don't like is that it has a weak ending. This is a strange album to me, it has never knocked me out as a whole record like some of the classic Yes stuff, but at times, I find myself listening to it a lot. Patrick Moraz would appear on Chris Squire's solo effort Fish Out Of Water and go on to have a lenghty stint with the Moody Blues, but Wakeman would return to the band for its next two releases.



"Snakes are coiled upon the granite
Horsemen ride into the west
Moons are rising on the planet
where the worst must suffer like the rest.

Pears are ripe and peaches falling.
Suns are setting in the east
Women wail, and men are calling
to the god that's in them, and to the beast.

Love is waiting for a lover.
Generations kneel for peace
What men lose, Man will recover
polishing the brains his bones release

Truth conceals itself in error.
History reveals its face:
days of ecstasy and terror
invent the future that invents the race."

Donald Lehmkuhl
(c) copyright October 1974

Николай Алексеенко: Очередная замена в составе Yes происходит в конце 1973 года - из группы все-таки уходит Rick Wakeman. Впоследствии он выпустит огромное количество сольных альбомов, из которых самыми интересными считаются The Myths and Legends of King Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table '75 и 1984 '81, а также временами будет возвращаться в Yes. На замену ему пробуют множество клавишников (какое-то время группа выступает вообще без клавишника), в том числе и известного грека Евангалоса Папатанассиу под псевдонимом Vangelis. Однако, выбор падает на швейцарца Патрика Мораца из группы Refugee, написавшего, кроме того, музыку к более чем 20 фильмам. Седьмой альбом группы, записанный в таком составе, замыкает троицу лучших произведений Yes. По своей структуре он идентичен Close To The Edge (23 + 9 + 9 мин.) и как бы симметричен ему относительно Tales from Topographic Oceans, хотя и немного слабее этих двух. Центральное место занимает прекрасная грандиозная и эпическая The Gates of Delirium - зарисовка некоей войны с агрессивной, быстрой и сложнейшей по исполнению серединой - сражением, сменяемой меланхолической и созерцательной концовкой - видимо изображение опустевшего поля боя. Второй трек - также предельно скоростной и техничный Sound Chaser, особенно демонстрирующий запредельную технику игры всех музыкантов, включая и "новичка" Мораца. Замыкает диск спокойная и уравновешенная To Be Over, немного при этом однообразная - пожалуй наименее удачная вещь альбома.

Оценка: 10 из 10.

После Relayer'а группу навсегда покидает Морац и наступает пауза в ее деятельности. Следующие альбомы Going for the One '77 и Tormato '78 записаны с вернувшимся Уэйкманом и содержат в принципе неплохой материал, однако совершенно не дотягивающий до уровня 72-74 годов. Альбом Drama '80 записан без Уэйкмана и Андерсона (!), их заменили соответственно Geoff Downes и Trevor Horn из группы Buggles; но несмотря на это здесь еще есть много интересного. После него происходит уже окончательный музыкальный крах группы. Появляется гитарист Trevor Rabin и самый первый клавишник Тони Кайе, с ними Андерсон, Сквайр и Уайт записывают крайне хард-поп-ориентированные альбомы 90125 '83, Big Generator '87 и Talk '94. Параллельно Андерсон, Хоу, Брафорд и Уэйкман вместе с басистом Tony Levin из King Crimson (он играл там на Discipline '81, Beat '82 и Three of a Perfect Pair '84) записывают в качестве проекта A.B.W.H. в 1989 году одноименный альбом Anderson-Bruford-Wakeman-Howe, использующий звучание Yes 70-х годов. В 1991 году выходит альбом Yes Union, где присутствует материал и нового Yes, и ABWH, играют все эти 9 музыкантов + куча сессионных. После 1994 года наступает трехлетний перерыв, и вдруг... в 1997 году появляются два двойных альбома Keys To Ascension I и Keys To Ascension II, содержащие помимо шедевров Золотого Периода группы несколько абсолютно новых 20- и 10-минутных композиций, практически не уступающих по уровню старому материалу. Казалось, музыканты одумались, но... в 1998 году выходит чрезмерно попсовый Open Your Eyes. На нем, кстати, клавишными управляет наш бывший соотечественник Игорь Хорошев. 20 Сентября 1999 года планируется выпуск очередного, восемнадцатого, студийного альбома Yes под названием The Ladder. Не думаю, что от него стоит чего-либо ожидать - судя по треку Lightning Strikes, который в формате Liquid Audio можно скачать с их сайта, это всего лишь неплохо аранжированная попса.
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Yes
Relayer
1974
Atlantic

In the great halls of classic Yes albums, Relayer is something of a black sheep. Released in 1974, it came at a crossroads in the career of one of progressive rock's greatest bands. By the time of the release of Relayer, Yes had achieved their peak in the minds of many - fans and detractors alike. Many Yes fans regard the 1973 double album Tales from Topographic Oceans as the band's creative high point. Naysayers looked (and continue to look) at it as one of the worst cases of prog rock pretentiousness. It seems likely that fans might have found Relayer a little too hard to swallow and too anti-climactic after Tales. It also seems likely that critics had completely written off the band by that time. Prog rock had already peaked in popularity by December 1974 and it was a quick and slippery ride downhill after that. Punk was right around the corner. King Crimson had broken up and Robert Fripp was already preaching that the big-name prog bands were becoming dinosaurs. Once one considers that this was the environment into which Relayer was born, it becomes somewhat more understandable why this album is so under-rated and overshadowed even today.

It would behoove today's prog rock enthusiast to look at Relayer from a different angle, however. Judge it by the music itself. See it as a refocusing of Yes' skills and talents after the meandering, uneven (though ambitious) opus that was Tales from Topographic Oceans. While Tales from Topographic Oceans sounds earthy and is steeped in symbolism of the ancient and atavistic, Relayer sounds like rock music from the future. By comparison, it often sounds shiny, metallic and at times, just a little bit scary. The cover even looks like a colonized moonscape with its monochromatic gray canyons whose walls contain labyrinthine fortresses. It's true, however, that Relayer returns to the form of Close to the Edge, the 1972 studio album that preceded Tales and one of Yes' most unquestioned artistic successes. Like Close to the Edge, there are three songs on Relayer (one side-long and two in the nine-minute range), but this is no attempt at rehashing past successes. Relayer is a very groundbreaking and successful album in its own right. Its Close to the Edge-like form simply helps it serve as a perfect bookend to the three most ambitious Yes albums ever.

A matter of seconds into side one of Relayer, it is obvious that this is no ordinary rock album. It's not even an ordinary Yes album. A friend of mine once bought an old used copy of Relayer on LP. He told me he thought the record was damaged, so he never really listened to it. I put it on the see what was wrong with it. After a few moments of hearing nothing wrong, I asked him what the problem was. He said something to the effect of "Just listen to it. Do you hear how weird it sounds?" I laughed and had to tell him that was the way it was supposed to sound. Relayer is full of bizarre sounding guitars, light-speed tinkling keyboards and taped noises and sound effects. To one degree or another, these were departures for the band. By this time, Steve Howe's famous guitar collection was really beginning to grow and enabling him to branch further out into new directions. On Relayer he favors a customized Fender Telecaster instead of his usual Gibson ES 175 or some other trusty, mellow Gibson jazz box. The Telecaster, especially in Howe's hands, ushers in a brighter, noisier guitar tone that is all over the album. In fact, Howe's guitar is more in front on this album than on any previous Yes album. This may have been due to the fact that there was a new keyboardist in the band, who himself had a profound effect on the band's sound. Patrick Moraz brought to the band a larger array of synths and keyboards than it had previously known, and he added a jazzier, more avant-garde playing style than Rick Wakeman's studied classicism had provided.

The three songs on Relayer are all excellent, but there's little question that the "The Gates of Delirium" is the main attraction. While Yes has done more side-long tracks than just about any prog band, this 22-minute magnum opus is almost unmatched in Yes' catalog in terms of length, complexity and ambition. Only "Close to the Edge" rivals it in this writer's opinion. This piece is fittingly inspired by Leo Tolstoy's epic novel War & Peace and it captures the sound of both war and peace magnificently.

"The Gates of Delirium" begins with swirling, tinkling keyboard melodies, miniature guitar solos and some group phrasing that hints at powerful things to come. It takes over two minutes for the song to start in earnest. Jon Anderson sings fetchingly as usual, but with a greater sense of urgency than normal. This sense of urgency grows as the song continues. Anderson's typically impressionistic lyrics are more focused this time, but they are still very fragmented in terms of syntax and grammar. The images of hatred, anger and aggression are impossible to misunderstand. After only six minutes of vocals, the instruments take over and paint the rest of the picture of war. This is done using a series of melodic themes, each more frantic and powerful than the last. The group lunges deftly in different directions, often turning together on a dime. Synth noises, tape effects and percussion blend the sounds of metallic crashes and people screaming to enhance the feeling of discord. This culminates near the 13-minute mark with a powerful, emotional crescendo that leads to the last section of the song. This last section represents the new realization that man should strive for peace, not war. It offers hope, however, that "soon" (the name of the single this section of the song became) peace will be achieved. "Soon" is, almost without a doubt, some of the most beautiful eight minutes in Yes' entire catalog. Coming directly after the chaos and power of the previous several minutes makes it even more effective. This juxtaposition is pure genius, but the music in "Soon" is good enough to stand on its own. Steve Howe's weeping volume swells performed on pedal steel guitar are to die for. Anderson also turns in one of his most memorable performances ever, and the Mellotron in the background is icing on a beautiful musical cake.

It's often tempting to simply stop the album playing at the end of such magnificence. How could anything possibly follow such a powerful, emotional performance? It's hard, even for Yes, but they managed to do it.

The second track on Relayer, "Sound Chaser," begins similarly to "The Gates of Delirium." Lighting fast electric piano runs and a serious drum workout usher in some blindingly fast and complex guitar work and some wonderfully unique group vocals. The middle section of the song is a virtual guitar cadenza extravaganza. Howe gives his Telecaster a strenuous workout as he explores the outer realms of the rock guitar solo for a couple of minutes almost all by himself. To hear Eddie Van Halen-esque technique and speed (four years before Eddie Van Halen) played in what is essentially a country music tone is a unique experience, but that is part of what makes Howe - and this album - so unique. After some more really unique group vocals - "Cha-cha-cha, cha-cha" (?), Patrick Moraz gets to test the limits of the rock keyboard solo. He coaxes pitch bends and double-stops (presumably with overdubs) out of what sounds like the nasal toned Micromoog. Howe lays down some suitably jazzy and distorted chords underneath. Very cool, but pretty strange. The whole track is truly a tour-de-force and is one of Yes' most daring recordings ever.

"To Be Over" is a lovely piece that brings the energy level down a bit before dropping the listener off on planet earth. Howe again gets a long instrumental section in the middle of the song to show off his wonderfully unique and diverse guitar technique, but the main attraction on this piece is the beautiful melodies. This is not one of Yes' strongest or most memorable songs, but it is a very fitting and beautiful end to a breathtaking album.

Relayer marks an end of sorts in the Yesstory. All the band members took some time off to record solo albums after Relayer and it would be a couple of years before the reformed classic line up of Yes (which would again include Wakeman) released Going for the One in 1977. While there would still be some good things left to come from Yes in the late '70s and early '80s, the band would never again scale the heights of creativity and instrumental virtuosity to the same extent it did on Relayer and its predecessors. - SH




Yes - Relayer

Member: iamweasel_1999

Relayer, Yes' seventh studio album, was released in late 1974 amid controversy. Rick Wakeman had just quit the band following their landmark epic Tales from Topopgraphic Oceans and they were scrambling for a replacement. They settled on a Swiss keyboard player named Patrick Moraz and soon recorded a brand new album.

Relayer seems at times to be almost the polar opposite of the previous Tales. Relayer is firey and chaotic, yet soothing and calm. Relayer seems almost like a "Lost" Yes album, mainly because it follows such Prog-Rock classics as Close to the Edge, Fragile and Tales from Topographic Oceans, and it seems to get lost in the shuffle. Another reason is that the band so rarely plays material from this album live in concert. Except for short excerpts from "The Gates of Delirium" (Soon) and "Soundchaser" (usually in Squire's live solo "Whitefish"), no song from this album was played between 1976 and the 2000 Masterworks Tour. However, it remains a favorite amoung die hard Yes fans, as evidenced by "The Gates of Delirium" winning the Masterworks Tour Poll.

Relayer starts off with the incredible epic "The Gates of Delirium". This song is a real powerhouse. This song is supposedly based on the epic "War and Peace" and that is clearly evidenced by the tone of the song. It starts off with a set up of the situation and a building up to something. Then comes the incredible "battle" section that demands to be played as loud as possible on any stereo. Finally, the last part of the song, called "Soon" (which was edited and released as single) features some great steel work by Howe and awesome vocals by Anderson, perhaps his best. In fact the entire song is a tour-de-force for all the musicians, not just for the songs intensity, but for its complexity. One thing I've noticed about "Gates" nearly every time I listen to it, I hear something new. Moraz is also great on this song, providing lots of great keyboard sounds and battle noises. One thing I like about Moraz is that his sounds are always very exaggerated, and I've felt a lot of the time the more exaggerated and unique you can get a keyboard to sound, the better. In some aspects he's even better than Rick Wakeman, but Moraz is at least equal with him.

Next is the hyperspeed bass driven rocker "Sound Chaser". This song blew me away when I first heard it, I couldn't believe how fast they were playing, especially at the end. I thought they played the tape on fast forward, but upon hearing a live version of this song, I knew they were geniunly that good! And the way the band changes the speed of the song almost at will shows how cohiesive and talented this band is.

Last is "To Be Over" which is dominated mainly by Howe's great steel guitar work. It's more or less the calm after the storm. This song is said to be Steve Howe's favorite.

All in All, Relayer is an incredible album. The only complaint I have against it being the sound quality at times is not great, even with the remaster. There seems to be a lot of tape hiss especially in "Gates". This is supposedly because it was recorded on mobile equipment at Chris Squire's house. However, the strength of the compositions and musicianship is so good I can overlook that problem. Relayer is also my favorite Yes album, and although nothing is perfect and therefore I can't give it a 10, it gets the highest score possible, a 9.99999.

-Weasel






Yes - Relayer

Released: 1974/2003
Label: Atlantic Records / Rhino
Cat. No.: 18122 / 73792
Total Time: 68:22


Reviewed by: Keith "Muzikman" Hannaleck, September 2003
The Yes album Relayer was my introduction to progressive rock. Before this album, the only song I knew by this group was "Roundabout." I remember seeing the album covers in the department store racks and thinking how strange they were. It's funny, I remember thinking how weird this album was to me at the time I first heard it and no matter how many times I listened to it I just did not get it, I was not ready for Yes in 1974.

Fast forward to 2003 and we have a remastered copy of this underrated and much maligned classic prog-rock masterpiece. I suppose many folks were upset because Rick Wakeman left the band and this person named Patrick Moraz stepped in to try to fill his shoes. He did not replace Wakeman; he did however make his one and only Yes recording a memorable one. Granted, they were not the same without Rick but they continued to make incredible music that nobody else was.

The previously unissued studio run-through version of "Gates Of Delirium" is alone worth the price of admission for this CD. It is much better than the original release. Steve Howe's guitar is amazing on this cut; it comes popping out at you with burst of power. Reaching a creative peak, the rest of the band is in rare form as well sounding more inspired than on any other track. God knows why they did not use this version as it really made this entire CD the great experience it was. "Soon" is a pretty song with a lovely melody. You will hear the single edited version on this package. You get the best of both worlds listening to "Sound Chaser" now, as the full album cut and single edit are available for the first time on the same album. It is interesting to compare and contrast the different versions.

This forgotten classic needs another good listen now. It will unquestionably develop new opinions this time around.

Rating: 4/5

More about Relayer:

Track Listing: Gates Of Delirium (21:55) / Sound Chaser ( 9:25) / To Be Over (9:08) / Bonus Tracks: Soon (Single Edit) ( Atlantic single #3242 (1/8/75)) (4:06) / Sound Chaser (Single Edit) (Atlantic single #3242 (1/8/75)) (3:07) / Gates Of Delirium (Studio Run-Through) (Previously Unissued) (21:21)

Musicians:
Patrick Moraz - Keyboards
Jon Anderson - Vocals
Alan White - Percussion, Drums
Steve Howe - Guitar, Vocals
Chris Squire - Bass, Vocals

Contact:

Website: yesworld.com
Note: will open new browser window

Discography

Yes (1969)
Time And A Word (1970)
The Yes Album (1971)
Fragile (1972)
Close To The Edge (1972)
Yessongs (1973)
Tales From Topographic Oceans (1974)
Relayer (1975)
Going For The One (1977)
Tormato (1978)
Yesshows (1980)
Drama (1980)
Classic Yes (1982)
90125 (1983)
90125 Live - The Solos (1985)
Big Generator (1987)
Union (1989)
Yesyears (1991)
Yesstory (1991)
Highlights: The Very Best Of Yes (1993)
Talk (1994)
Keys To Ascension I (1996)
Keys To Ascension II (1997)
Open Your Eyes (1997)
Yes, Friends And Relatives (1998)
The Ladder (1999)
House Of Yes: Live From The House Of Blues (2000)
Yes, Friends and Relatives - Volume Two (2001)
YesSymphonic (ep) (2001)
Magnification (2001)
Keystudio (2001/2002)


House Of Yes: Live From The House Of Blues (video) (2000)
Symphonic Live (DVD) (2002)
Yes: Special Edition EP (DVD) (2003)