RELAYER

Yes

Symphonic Prog

4.38 | 3479 ratings

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Finnforest
Special Collaborator
Honorary Collaborator

"the sun will lead us"

After the stunning career highpoint of "Topographic Oceans" fans must have wondered if Yes had anything left. They certainly did. While we can argue about which Yes album is best, "Relayer" is almost certainly in the top 3 or 4 of just about every Yes fan.

"The Gates of Delirium" is the 6th 20-minute epic delivered over the past three albums and it takes no prisoners. Passionate and fulfilling it is a masterful track on all levels in my opinion. It is more aggressive than past material and the loud and chaotic jamming is just spectacular. The lyrics even deal with violence which is not something we ordinarily expect from the flower boy Anderson. The "Soon" portion at the end calms the waters perfectly. Great song. As with CTTE which has a similar album structure, the long track is a near masterpiece while the two shorter ones are not quite as good.

"Sound Chaser" features Yes showcasing their instrumental prowess, flexing their muscles as they try some jazzy material with relative newcomers White and Moraz. This kind of flash could have proven disastrous had they failed to make the song a compelling vehicle that adds to the album. Howe and Squire are particularly awesome in their wizardry but Moraz makes a good case for himself too.

"To Be Over" is somewhat dreamy and mellow compared to the manic twists of "Sound Chaser" and returns the listener gently to the Earth.

Relayer also features some of the most beautiful Dean artwork and Anderson lyrics to date. It also carries the dubious tag of being Yes' last classic album. While there would be nice moments on the next two and a solid effort on Drama, Relayer was the last truly killer release from Yes. 4.25 stars.

Finnforest | 4/5 | 2007-5-19

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