RELAYER

This is progressive rock at it's best. Yes had, prior to RELAYER, received some negative press for pretty much the first time in their hugely-successful careers thanks to the bombastic, four-track double-album TALES FROM TOPOGRAPHIC OCEANS. Rick Wakeman, unhappy with the overall direction of the band, subsequently left, and soon his place behind the keyboard-castle was filled by ex-Refugee man, 'The Swiss Poodle', Patrick Moraz. The band located to Switzerland with producer and sixth-man Eddy Offord, and the idyllic surroundings helped develop the Glorious RELAYER. A glistening, jazzy joy, this is Yes at their most experimental, fusing their trademark symphonic sound with Krautock and electronic influences, to stunning effect. The 21-minute opener 'Gates Of Delirium' is the highlight. Based on Tolstoy's 'War and Peace', it's a jaw-droppingly inventive piece of music, the kind of thing the word 'Epic' was invented for. Not to be undone, the jazz-themed 'Sound Chaser' and the celestial beauty of 'To Be Over' brim with the same magical exuberance, polishing off an album from a group cruising confidently at the peak of their incredible powers. To try and describe in detail the plethora of magical sounds on offer would be doing this remarkable album an injustice. From beginning to end it resonates with a beauty only found in this genre; an album of unequalled bliss, it's a joy to behold. STEFAN TURNER, LONDON, 2009