RELAYER

Relayer stands as a key Yes album, and one of progressive rock's most iconic statements. It is truly unique - no other album sounds like this, even among Yes albums, and they never did make another like it. This is the only album to feature Patrick Moraz on keyboards (as other reviewers have noted, this was the first of Rick Wakeman's record-setting number of departures from the band), this album has a very different feel from the others. The key track, and one of Yes's best-ever compositions, is the side-long "Gates of Delirium" that takes up side A of the vinyl album. "Gates", influenced by Tolstoy's War and Peace, works extremely well, pulling together a number of different sections into a single whole, shifting from contemplative to dark and violent passages (according to the liner notes, a battle between keyboards and drums!), and then to gorgeous soaring majestic slide-guitar lines, and finally a beautiful uplifting finale ("Soon"). "Gates of Delirium" is a rare 10/10 composition. Really special - there is really nothing else like it. Side b is also iconic, although musically not on the same plane as "Gates". The second side begins with "Sound Chaser", based on Chris Squire's bass lines, with some great guitar and keyboard solos. This is difficult-to-play music rooted in jazz fusion, and the comparison with Yes' 1980s output could hardly be greater. The final, and third, tune on the album is "To Be Over". While some fans are not keen on this song, mainly because it is slow, I really like it - a great closer to the album, and one that is well-developed over its nine minutes. Side b is not perfect, though. The whole album together gets 8.9 out of 10 from me, which is just shy of 5 stars. So, very-high 4 PA stars.

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