Relayer (studio album)
by Yes

There is a lot to digest on this album. I think Yes really push the boundaries at times here and display extraordinary musicianship - maybe crossing the line slightly into chaos (but never spiralling out of control). Some amazing polyrhythms and random time changes are demonstrated here - the Gates of Delirium is just mind-boggling. They delve heavily into jazz-fusion on this one. It is balanced out nicely with some very peaceful, grandiose and reprised melodic sections (eg. "reason to be here" with the slide guitar/organ) which are ingeniously crafted and melded in as interludes. Overall, not as accessible as CTTE, Fragile and Yes Album, but this is still a brilliant piece of work. With the change in line-up preceding this and TFTO this shows the band were certainly not stagnant and keen to continue their evolution.

Even without the excellent keyboards of Rick Wakeman, Yes puts together a phenomenal album! The Gates of Delirium is a wild song.

This is not as good as their better releases and doesn't keep me as engaged as their other albums. There are moments of brilliance on here however with the guitar solos on Sound Chaser being simply incredible. There are brief moments of them being at their prog rock best on the other two tracks but they never maintain that consistency for me. There needs to be a little more punch behind the music for me and the build up they do needs to have a more rewarding pay off at times. Instrumentally, it is diverse and there are some outstanding performances on this record. Furthermore, the vocal is great as it always is. Overall, not their strongest release but still plenty on here to love especially if your a big Yes fan.

This album is a highlight in the Yes discography. This is saying a lot, considering their output of great classics. Relayer is up there. All three tracks are great. Moraz is a great replacement for Wakeman.

This album gets pretty wild and abrasive at times, but it has some incredible moments. Unfortunately the songs aren't really there. The performances and musicianship is awesome and any Yes fan would still easily put this in their top 10. There are moments where it feels like everything is about to fall apart, then you have To Be Over. A song that is a pretty respite after the madness of the first two songs, but frankly I wish for it to be over sooner than later. I usually only one of the first two songs when I get the itch for this album and just feel fatigued by then.

From AJSki2fly 06/12/2020 14:58 | #253368

Relayer is an often overlooked Yes album, but IMO it is right up there with the best of them, my favourite being Fragile, but the 1st album and Close to the Edge are pretty close.

My 2nd favourite Yes album (after Close to the edge) just amazing music and vocal performance by Jon Anderson. The gates of delirium and to be over (especially the guitar at the end) are some of my favourites Yes moments.

From jeremy9 09/12/2019 10:05 | #242503

Very progressive album

I am not going to compare this album to earlier Yes work but take it at face value. A stellar prog classic album, very underrarrated, fantastic musicianship and a great progressive album cover design! Pass it by at your peril!

Una de las obras cumbre del rock progresivo o sinfónico como se decía antes.