RELAYER

Let me start out by saying that Relayer is my favorite Yes album of all time. No, I'm not saying it's better than Close to the Edge, but I prefer it because of the overexposure of CTTE, a good part of it my fault, having played through two LPs, one 8-track, and now two CDs of it. Relayer, though, is like a wine that improves with age.

After the turmoil and tension created by Tales of Topographic Oceans, Rick Wakeman no longer saw eye to eye with the rest of the band (for the first and, certainly, not the last time). So the band brings in Patrick Moraz into the mileau. Moraz had initially replaced Keith Emerson with the nice (they changed their name to Refugee), then replaced Michael Pinder in the Moody Blues. He was the rent a keyboardist of the prog world.

The rest of the band remained the same - Jon Anderson, Steve Howe, Chris Squire, and Alan White. By the time of Moraz's addition, a large amount of material for Relayer had been recorded. Still, Moraz fit right in with the others adding his parts tastefully. Squire and White get an amazing groove going in most of the songs whilst the others add their parts magnificently.

The Gates of Delerium is my favorite Yes song ever, with the balance of hard and soft while giving great mental pictures via both the music and the lyrics, with a gently denoument with Soon. Sound Chaser is the flashiest jazz that they have ever incorporated into Yes music ever. To Be Over is a great way to finish the album with another long, slow piece.

All in all, Relayer is an incredible album. I just wish they could have done at least one more with Moraz in the band from the start. Five stars easily.