SOON - SOUND CHASER - ROUNDABOUT

Good Single, but just good

This 76 single is a true gem of progressive rock. That is because, in Brazil, the 'single' industry have always been denied. That deny is so big that today is still hard to find singles of any kind, so the only way (or the most common way) to buy songs from the artist you like (studio songs, live songs, edits of any kind, etc) is through full-length albums. This was also true during the 70's, and that is why i bought this single in a all-vinyl store: because theses things are damn hard to find, specially this old.

The songs in this single are considerably good versions of the studio songs. On side 1 we have a part of the song THE GATES OF DELIRIUM called Soon; Soon was taken directly from THE GATES, just as if you are listening it from the album Relayer, and it is a good song.Also on side 1 there is a radio edit of the song Sound Chaser, also from the album Relayer; although this radio edit is not as good as the full length song from the studio album, it is also considerably good. Though side 1 is good, the highlights of the single go to the live version of Roundabout that fills the whole side 2 (what can i say? Roundabout is one of Yes's best songs, it IS the best song of this single and this live version is very good).

Grade and Final Thoughts

Since this single is god, but does not brings anything new to the table, it is fair to give it the three star grade.

I remember I had this single in the 70´s. A friend gave it to me. It was not remarkable in any kind, but, believe it or not, Soon was used in a soap opera soundtrack and it became quite popular. A lot of people in Brazil still remembers this segment of The Gates Of Delirium, but I really rather hear the whole epic instead. The same goes for the edit version of Sound Chaser.

The live rendition of Roundabout is ok. I love this song, but this version did not add much to the studo origonal or its counterpart on Yessongs. So today I think this single is worth for its rarety. Therefore I think I can only recommended it for collectors and those fans who have to have everything that was put out with the band´s name.

'Soon/Sound Chaser/Roundabout' - Yes (Single)

I've always been in the school of thought that the finale of Yes' epic 'The Gates Of Delirium,' entitled 'Soon' was one of the most beautiful things the band has ever done in their entire career. While it's nice to have that section of the epic on it's own for individual consumption, it's suprising to see how much is taken away from the song once it's context is taken away. Still, very aesthetic and moving. Bottom line is that it's better on 'Relayer,' though.

Having a radio edit of 'Sound Chaser' is pretty funny, to be honest. At it's original 9 minute length, there were too many musical ideas in it to sound cohesive at all, and that really hurt it's original album for me. While I appreciate the effort trying to clean up that mess, it doesn't work for me.

Finally, the Roundabout performance is nice; something to attract the 'casual' listener. Still, nothing worth the purchase of the EP. The music is good for the most part, but it's best to stick to 'Relayer' and leave this forgotten release alone.