RELAYER

My first Yes review. This was the band who introduced me to the progressive music world and "Survival" was the song! Yep, that one from their shabby debut. And I still remember, like it was yesterday, been stunned just by that bass intro... pretty much a "you had me at hello" sort of thing.

The point that I'm trying to make here is simple: If there's a reason to "Relayer" not to be consider an essential masterpiece, is that's Not suitable for beginners at all.

Say, "Close To The Edge" may be their most classic and definitive album, but the absolute peak in their own game got to be this tour de force right here!

About the album itself, I think the other reviewers made it quite clear. The intricate epic "Gates" based on Tolstoy's War and Peace, the jazzy "Sound Chaser" and the beautiful, laid back and very Yes like "To Be Over".

Enough said, this may not be the album I'd recommend right away for those who want to became a serious prog enthusiast, but once you get there, this gem will be waiting for you.