RELAYER

As a newbie to prog, "Yes" have very quickly become my favourite band! Having added the five essential albums by the band to my discography (including "Tales from Topographic Oceans"), "Relayer" is my personal favourite!

To me, this album represents the perfect synthesis of prog rock and jazz. Complex and energetic rhythms grab me and sound afresh with each spin, and in the brilliance of "Yes", between these are marbled memorable melodies. "Yes" are surely one of the most creative bands of the 20th century. I want to emphasize the creative factor here. It's not just the musical performing talent of the band, but the ability to enchant the listener with epic song structures, within which lies perfect balance between rhythm, melody, dissonance, great poetry, virtuosity and timbral experimentation.

To me, the fact that this release comes after "Close to the Edge" and "Tales from Topographic Oceans" makes little difference to me - if a band writes brilliant music with a "winning formula" that it has tried before, it takes nothing away from the praise they deserve. Furthermore, "Relayer" has its own flavour, its brilliance stands alongside the brilliance of "Close to the Edge" in its own right, on its own two legs.

You've no doubt already enjoyed this album for a decade before I was even born, but be encouraged that generation Y is discovering and appreciating the cornerstones of rock, and of brilliant music!

Undoubtedly, a masterpiece!