RELAYER

The first time I heard Gates Of Delirium was in 2001, during the "Yessimphonic Tour" in Milan, Italy.It was an incredible evening, perhaps the best concert I ever attended. I went with a friend and we were not sure what to expect since this was a show where the group was backed by a full symphony orchestra.

At one point Jon Anderson announced the song. The spectator next to me had a surge of joy, but I did not know the song, so I was not sure what to expect. It is not easy to appreciate this track on first listen, but at the end I was quite happy. In addition, the final part (Soon) was incredible, the best moment of the whole concert: I remember vividly the extraordinary sound of the pedal steel guitar of Steve Howe.

Intrigued, I bought the DVD of the concert and listened the song several times, assimilating to the end, and I liked it immensely. Then I bought "Relayer" and unfortunately I realized with disappointment that the original version is not the same thing.

Mind you, Gates Of Delirium is by far the best track of "Relayer", and is also an interesting piece with stunning jazz guitar solos by Howe. The final section, with Anderson and Howe protagonists, is amazing: any fan of progressive rock must heard it at least once in a life because it is almost unique. Unfortunately, a fragment of six minutes may not re-evaluate an entire suite. The first seven minutes is not bad, but the three long instrumental sections of the central part seem too cold and inconsistent, marked only by a great technique that does not always translate into good music, but sometimes in a jumble of sounds even annoying (By contrast, in the live performance of 2001, the orchestra gave an amazing solemnity to these instrumental parts).

Sound Chaser has more or less the same defects: huge solo parts of Howe and Squire, unfortunately, ends in themselves. Much space has the rhythm section, but White is not Bruford. It's the "Yessong" that I know that I like least in absolute terms (and I own all the band's albums up to "Going For The One"). Things go better with the more melodic To Be Over, but we are still far from the style of the great early '70s Yes.

For my rating, Gates of Delirium and above all the magnificence of "Soon" has great weight. Without the long suite of the first side, my rating would be only two stars. It 's a difficult album to digest, much more than "Tales From Topographic Oceans", and even after many plays I could not say that I really like it very much. If you want to listen to the masterpieces of the group, then choose "Yes Album", "Fragile" or "Close To The Edge."

Rating: 5/10.

Best song: The Gates Of delirium

Review milestone #10 by DN

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