RELAYER

This is where my prog rock journey began - and not a bad place to start!. In 1975, I could hear a musical noise coming from my brother's bedroom and he was playing this album by a band called Yes - never heard of them. I must have entered during the battle scene and we both thought it unlistenable. Later that day he played the fantastic Soon element from The Gates of Delirium and I was hooked.

This album is only matched by Close to the edge and while the original albums both contained 3 tracks, musically they are miles apart. The Gates of Delirium is a fantastic epic and it feels like an epic where every part was mean't to be connected as oppossed to some epics where I feel that various bits of songs have been added together (Yes have been guilty of that themselves with songs such as Mind drive and That, that is). I love the whole 20+ minutes but the way the battle scene dissolves into the beautiful ending is just sheer class. The best ending to any epic that I've heard.

Steve Howe, who for me is the star of this album, shows off his exceptional talents on the next track Sound Chaser - the damn thing just flies out of the speakers - not sure if the cha cha bits are necessary - but what the heck.

The final track, To be over, is the calm after previous energetic piece. Like so many Yes tracks it has spiritual, upbeat feel to it - "Don't doubt your part be ready to be loved". The ending is so uplifting, despite later learning that the joyous chanting at the end was meaningless made up words!

A genuine masterpiece, all the players are on top form, special word of praise for Moraz. His only Yes album and his keyboards bring a jazzy energy to the whole proceedings- something they never attempted again. Interesting to see what would have happend if he'd stayed. However, Going for the one was the superb follow-up and all seemed well...

Even the album cover is class. Despite the warning regarding offering 5 star awards, this is one of the easiest 5 star ratings that I could make.