RELAYER

After the release of TOPOGRAPHIC OCEANS, there was some unrest around the band, but also within. RICK WAKEMAN was not satisfied with this album, but never understood why because i think he is figured prominently through the double album.......and for the first time in YES history all 5 members were credited for the writing process.

But i guess WAKEMAN had at this time ambitious solo projects and thought that the world was only waiting for another of his concept projects like KING ARTHUR, but with misfortune following, he will be back.

So here we have a French Swiss PATRICK MORAZ , relatively unknown at the time taking the seat of WAKEMAN. Of course, the sound of YESmusic will change quite a bit as MORAZ is more jazzier and less classical-trained than Wakeman.

The album is constructed similar to CTTE with one long suite on side 1 and 2 shorter tracks on side 2. No more double albums!!!! The very best of RELAYER is side one with THE GATES OF DELIRIUM a 20mns long thundering epic that shows all what is great about prog music. And for the first time, we will have a mean, scorching band trying to destroy everything; The build up of THE GATES never ceases to amaze me when listening to it; you wouldn't think that YES was capable to play with so much energy, and even anger. This is music to bring on medieval bloody battlefields films, everybody shouts at everybody, the 4 instrumentalists play and act like lions released in a roman arena. YES is, yes violent, chaotic, thundering but this is still YES, there is not one lost note and the whole musical charge is well thought of every second of it.

And then like after the battle comes the soothing SOON, a beautiful ANDERSON tune, only him can come up with and a majestic way to end THE GATES OF DELIRIUM, one of the greatest opus of prog.

Do we gonna have a 5 stars album? not quite as for me the 2 other tracks are a let down for me.I know a lot of people like SOUND CHASER, but it doesn't sound like YES for me .MORAZ plays like a demented jazzman, SQUIRE i don't know what he is doing with his bass and to kill the whole thing, we have this CHA-CHA-CHA......weird YES for me. TO BE OVER: not bad, but not great, nothing special to remember.

So for me .it's only 3,5 stars, rounded to 4 because of the magnificence of THE GATES. Last cover of ROGER DEAN for a while!!! (a nice one again)

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