Yes - Relayer
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Free Music Notes for Relayer
Free Music Review: One of progressive rock's most overlooked gems
Hit: 5 Stars
Relayer(1974). Yes's seventh studio albumBy the time the 1970s rolled around, times were turbulently changing and so was the music. For the most part, 60s pop rock had already declined in favor of hard rock and progressive rock. Yes falls under the latter category. Combining the pop sensibilities of the famed Beatles with a jazzy progressive storytelling influence, Yes took the 70s by storm with several massive albums which are now regarded as classics, such as The Yes Album(1971), Fragile(1972), and Close To The Edge(1973). There were several other bands like Pink Floyd, ELP, and King Crimson who were just getting started by the time Yes had achieved success. CTTE saw Yes experimenting more with long song structures, limiting quantity and focusing on quality of the music. While that album was praised by most, their next foray Tales From Topographic Oceans(1974) which took the experimentation even further, received mixed reviews. In other words, it was good in the eyes of Yes fans but a disaster to the rest of the world. Keyboardist Rick Wakeman even quit the band briefly after the tour because of Yes's musical experiments.
Though TFTO didn't fare as well as Yes would have liked, they weren't ready to give up on their exploits yet, so later on that year the bandmembers reached their creative peak with Relayer, Yes's final 3-song concept album. New to the lineup is keyboardist Patrick Moraz, who joined after most of the album was written. Steve Howe was experimenting with a heavier guitar sound, as other bandmembers Jon Anderson(vocals), Chris Squire(bass guitar), and Alan White(drums) were improving on their styles as well. At the time, Relayer didn't have a good reception from the fans a lot like TFTO did, but unlike that album, this one fares MUCH better over time in the context of Yes's discography. TFTO didn't work well because it lacked focus, quality songwriting, and the band was more concentrated on creating a "long story" than actually writing an album. Relayer sees the band in really tight creative cohesion, making memorable free-form music in addition to telling stories. Yes is full of energy here much like on CTTE, and because of that they end up delivering in spades. Here's the album lowdown:
Relayer starts off with the massive opener 'Gates Of Delerium', considered by many to be Yes's greatest 20+ minute epic. It shows a lot of variation and is considered to be the heaviest Yes song as well. 'GoD' starts out with lots of guitar and keyboard effects and gradually builds into an orchestrated rocker with many memorable melodies. Towards the halfway mark, the song erupts into a violent clash of guitar and keyboard solos and time change signatures until it reaches a furious peak when lots of crashes can be heard (created by leftover car parts hung on a rack and bashed, according to the liner notes). It's supposed to represent a "battle", and eventually as the excitement hits the zenith, it calms down gently into a melodic haze of atmospheric keyboards. The last seven minutes or so of the song consist of a balladic section called 'Soon', which served as the album's single. Overall, this is certainly one of the best and most epic songs I've heard from any band, and is worth the price of the disc alone. Next is the cool outer spacey jam 'Sound Chaser', which shows the band at their all-time best instrumentally. There is plenty of jazzy prog stuff going on throughout the course of the song. The more frantic sections of it are similar to the style that the band Rush would be playing in the later 70s and 80s. I'm surprised that most fans don't like this track, but I find it to be quite entertaining and it's one of my favorite Yes songs. It did managed to sit in their live setlist for many years. The original album closes with the optimistic ballad 'To Be Over'. It's a pretty decent song and the band themselves seem to love it, but I find myself listening to the other two tracks far more often. It does serve as a good way of closing the album though, and I'm sure it can grow on fans over time.
If one important thing is to be said, it's that Rhino Records did an outstanding job on remastering the album and including extras. Roger Dean sported some excellent artwork on the front and back covers. Relayer comes in a digifold slipcase, with the full album art, and a booklet with many band photos and extensive liner notes detailing the time period around this album. They sure don't skimp out on the extras either as the album itself contains three extra tracks, consisting of single-release versions of 'Soon' and 'Sound Chaser' as well as an early demo of the full 'Gates Of Delerium.' Plus the remastering job itself really brings Relayer's sound to the full, so most all Yes fans (new and old alike) will appreciate the entire package.
So is Relayer worth the purchase? You bet! Though I probably wouldn't start here if you are new to Yes. I would recommend checking out Fragile, CTTE, and the next album Going For The One(1977) first before moving on to the masterpiece Relayer. It gets 5 stars for the album itself and the remastering job. Relayer is a rare album which transcends its time and greatly rewards repeated listens. It shows Yes mastering the prog epic format before condensing their material afterwards. Though it wasn't popular at the time, most Yes fans consider Relayer to be a true classic and is essential to any Yes collection. Afterall, it's my favorite of theirs. Plus, upon listening to this, you can see why Geddy Lee (of Rush) onced picked this as a perfect desert island disc. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED FOR FANS AFTER PURCHASING THE AFORMENTIONED ALBUMS.
Other releases that sound like Relayer:
-'Close To The Edge' by Yes
-'Fragile' by Yes
-'Hemispheres' by Rush
-'Trilogy' by ELP
Free Music Review: MANKIND'S GREATEST SECRET MYSTERY COINCIDENCE!
Hit: 5 Stars
Did you all know that it is possible to synchronize the music of 'Gates Of Delirium' to the ending of 2001 A Space Odyssey - perfectly!
cuz i've only just discovered it, i remember reading on the internet ages ago how both of these beauties are meant to go well with one another and that the song should be started as soon as the words 'Jupiter- far and beyond the infinite' appear, i however have tried this and it is not in time,(incedently these words should appear exactly 03:19 seconds into the song as Bill Bruford hits one of his satifying drums to start the dreamy monolith ascension sequence) i had therefore spent ages trying to work out the perfect point to start the track after failed attempts of searching for instuctions on the internet. i did this by matching the obvious highlight of the track which is the exhilarating instrumental war between the band members at around 8 minutes with the beginning of the multi-light tunnel sequence which is the highlight of the film, did some fine tuning then low and behold it actually worked, amazing! my elation at finding the perfect timing has led me to write this article and that maybe i am the first person on the internet to write proper instructions on how to discover mankinds greatest secret mystery coincidence. i would also like to know whether this is a known fact amongst people of the older generation cuz i'm only 25 and not as knowledgeable as most of ya, the fact is that i am a stoner-so this has obviously blown me away and also made me both curious and scared, the meaning to which i will explain in a minute.
in order to experience this audio-visual delight simply purchase a copy of Relayer on CD and the DVD of 2001 A Space Odyssey from Amazon.com, place the cd in the CD player and press play but then immeadiately pressing pause so that the time elapsed is 00:00 this will give the record an extra second to start and will therefore help to maintain accurracy in synchronisation, then of course press play on the DVD player and then when the film gets exactly 1 hour 48 minutes and 57 seconds in, (this will be the moment when dave is trying to disassemble hal with a screw driver, to be exact it is when hal says "I can feel it" for the third time), you must then immediately press play on the cd player,if you have pulled it off correctly, then the seconds on the cd player's timer should be exactly two seconds in front of the seconds on the DVD player's timer, also these seconds should be ticking alternately in perfect time with one another so in otherwords the seconds would be ticking to the sequence CD-00:02,then DVD-1:49:00,then CD 00:04,then DVD-1:49:02 etc. this may take practice to get the hang of in your stoned state of mind. now turn down the sound on the film and be amazed at how spookily each sequence goes together exact, and how many of the actual highlights of this track (which is many)get emphasised among this haunting visual display-in turn making it amusing instead of frightening.
an early indication of whether this experiment is going smoothly and according to plan is when the clock on the CD player is on 02:02 (eerie! especially since the clocks are ticking alernatately 02 seconds from each other-i think i think too much) this is the point in the song when a rather amusing series of notes are played on an instrument that sounds like a cross between a violin and a trombone, you should find that each note and the pitch in which they are played exactifies the head movements of Dave as he turns round to see the television that is speaking to him, this is perhaps the funniest part of the sequence as well.
it is hard for me to stress how many amazing coincidences you are going to discover and how this film sequence can be given a completely different story to it if you have an open enough mind and imagination, i will not ruin your experience by telling you each of the ones that i have discovered, but my personal highlight has to be during the multi-light tunnel sequence when the first flash of dave's face goes in time to Bruford's satisfying drum hit, and how you then notice the same thing happens with the next face and then similarly with the last 2-makes me crack up every time i see it(dave with that manic look on his face).
Jon Anderson will eventually sing the 'Soon' part of the song just as dave's eye turns normal colour and the song will end just as dave eats his last supper.
now the thing that i am curious about is whether Yes actually recorded this record purposely over the top of this film in order to mess with are heads, if they did then they surely are genius's, maybe this was a master-plan between Kubrik and Yes which they planned in order to create a mystery for us to solve, but of course if they didn't intentionally do this, then this occurance most certainly must be mankind's greatest secret mystery coincidence, what is even more eerie is how it could quite easily be debated that 2001 is film's greatest visual experience and that gates of delerium is also music's greatest listening experience and to have them going together with one another is s**t your pants scary, even more eerie is how the initials to 'Gates Of Delerium' are GOD and that the film is all about evolution, this could of course either be proof of a god by his will-matching mankind's two greatest creations with one another or it could be yes being genius's again by being clever in their naming after knowing that we will think God would have something to do with it after the spectator experiences it. or this could of course simply be another part of mankind's greatest secret mystery coincidence.
Free Music Review: The definitive version at last
Hit: 5 Stars
Finally, the new series of Yes remasters contains *all* of the original artwork, new and detailed liner notes, and for the first time, bonus tracks of single edits and studio outtakes, many of which have never been heard before. But beyond that, the layers of muddiness and hiss that were still partly present on the last round of remasters have been removed for good. "Relayer", along with "Going For The One", benefits the most from this; one listen to the crystal-clear, warm intro to "To Be Over" will convince even the jaded that this is superior to any version previous, including the original vinyl. Although "Fragile" and "Close To The Edge" are their most perfect marriages of experimentation and accessibility, and "Going For The One" continued that tradition with spectacular results, "Relayer" is in many ways the greatest Yes album. With "Tales" the group attempted to push the boundaries of rock to their furthest limits but were hampered by a lack of energy, repetitious padding, impenetrable lyrics and sagging, even boring melodies. It had its moments, but I'm one of those who continues to agree with Wakeman's assertion that it could have been far better with some judicicious editing, since it did have moments of beauty and inspiration.
Although far different in sound and style (the group traded in its traditional symphonic prog sound for a more electronic and jazz-fusion oriented approach), "Relayer" is really the perfection of what they were trying to achieve with "Tales" in terms of making their music as dense, complex and experimental as possible. "The Gates Of Delirium" is without a doubt to these ears their greatest side-long achievement and possibly the best suite in all of rock; unlike "Tales" this music actually has a pulse, which rocks *hard*. And the marriage of classically inspired structure and themes with heavy rock riffs and supple, exciting fusion rhythms from Squire and White--a mix not easy to pull off well--is sublime. The closing ballad "Soon", with its soaring vocals and lush, gorgeous atmospherics provided by Howe's reverbed slide and Moraz's mellotron is capped by a melody that sounds born to the ages, a truly timeless moment that is my absolute favorite in the Yes canon. The many layers and ever-shifting sections of this track may take a few listens to get used to, but it is well worth it.
As if the incredible structural and instrumental complexity, fire and grandeur of "Gates" weren't enough, "Sound Chaser"
tops it for sheer virtuosic bravura, a truly mind-boggling piece
that closes with the band playing an incredibly difficult riff (Squire proves beyond a shadow of a doubt that he is rock's most accomplished bassist) that is slowed down and sped up with such precision that it sounds like the tape has been manipulated, but it has not! Other highlights include Moraz's rippling electric piano work (he actually proved here to be a more diverse and experimental keyboardist than Wakeman, and although he arrived too late to have a hand in composing the songs, his atmospheric additions fit perfectly) and a thunderous Howe solo. The closing "To Be Over" is arguably their most beautiful epic ballad, beating out even "And You And I". It begins with a lilting, quasi-oriental melody played on acoustic guitar, synths and electric guitar before moving into the breezy verses and more shifting, jazzy solos that closes on a magical, wordless chant which again sounds like something taken from an ancient, timeless lost culture.
Overall, the music on "Relayer" remains Yes's most intense. It is obvious that they were bursting with new musical ideas and the level of composition and playing does truly fulfill the lofty aspirations of progressive rock--"The Gates Of Delirium" might as well have been composed by Wagner or Stravinsky, although it rocks harder in places than the heaviest metal. The ballads are simply amazing. The unreleased bonus cut, a studio run-through of "Gates" is fascinating and worth the purchase alone for Yes fans, detailing as it does the track's development with different lyrics and the absence of Moraz's synths, which allows the other layers to be heard more clearly. This album is well, well worth its bargain price and once again, Rhino has outclassed the competition.
Free Music Review: The Devil's Sermon
Hit: 5 Stars
In the wake of their monster 1973 turkey Tales From Topographic Oceans, Yes lost their star keyboardist Rick Wakeman, along with many of their fans who were just dumbfounded by the expansive double album (if you've never heard Tales, here's what you do- read the Bible while humming "Yankee Doodle Dandy" over and over again. It's the same exact experience). The next year, with new keyboardist Patrick Moraz brought in to fill Wakeman's huge shoes, Yes recorded what is without a doubt their best album, if not the best rock album ever. And I mean that.
Relayer is not an album you listen to- it is an album you are possessed by. The first several times you listen to it, you won't understand it- I certainly didn't- but you will be drawn back to it, and with patience, you will not be able to get this ethereal music out of your head.
"The Gates Of Delirium" starts out with a waterfall of keyboards and percussion, gradually leading to one of the pounding, intimidating basslines that will haunt the rest of the song. Chris Squire, along with drummer Alan White, are the architects of this piece. Steve Howe's guitars soar like vultures over the proceedings, seemingly threatening the other instruments with unholy wails (if that doesn't make sense to you now, it will once you hear them). Moraz is certainly not afraid to take the role of the spectacular keyboardist- although unlike Wakeman, he knows when to restrain himself (that's not really an attack on Wakeman, but I'm just saying...) His simulated bugle call at the beginning of the "battle" sequence never fails to send chills up my spine. That leaves singer Jon Anderson- he fits in perfectly. Relayer is, by and large, an instrumental album. Anderson gives his all for five minutes at the beginning of "Gates," singing about warriors going off to battle, and he is not heard again until ten minutes later in the absolutely beautiful and bittersweet "Soon" finale. The lyrics recall ancient wars, although they still apply, unfortunately, to current events.
And the "battle" sequence. I can't really explain it in words. You MUST listen to it at least once. It is the true musical equivalent of war.
"The Gates Of Delirium" gives us enough material for an entire album, but there's more. "Sound Chaser" is a tour-de-force "outer-space jazz" (my term) affair that seems to be about the effect that music has on our being (very appropriate for this album). This is an unrelenting song- Alan White's amazing drumming is the highlight (it's easily his best song in thirty years with the band), but you can't leave out Patrick Moraz's beautiful electric piano flourishes, Chris Squire's blitzkrieg bassline, Steve Howe's engaging guitar solo, or Jon Anderson's sunny, then downright creepy vocals (cha cha cha, cha cha...). An amazing, energetic piece.
And that leaves "To Be Over." This is Steve Howe's song, without a doubt. Acoustic guitars, electric guitars, steel, sitar...all of them make an appearance in the first minute. Unlike "Gates" or "Sound Chaser," "To Be Over" is a very peaceful, relaxed song..."We go sailing down the calming streams," indeed. This is a perfect way to wind up Relayer.
And what of the bonus tracks? "Soon" does not work as a stand-alone song, only within the context of "The Gates Of Delirium." In fact, this single-edit does not work at all. As for the "Sound Chaser" single, it's a pretty cool sampling of the song- completely instrumental except for some of the "chanting." And the studio rehearsal of "Gates" is a very interesting addition. I have to mention the last fifty or so seconds, after "Soon" has wrapped up- there's a little reprise into the "battle" that ends the song. I really wish they had put something like onto the finished piece.
While many consider Yes's other masterpiece Close To The Edge to be their best effort (an opinion I sometimes want to agree with...but that's another review altogether), Relayer is the best combination of the talents of five players into a single album. I stand by my assertion that this is the best Yes album there is, and I don't think I'm out of line when I say Relayer may be the best rock album ever.
Oh yeah, and I've gotta say...this is the coolest album cover I've ever seen in my life.
Free Music Review: Their most audacious record - and worth digging into
Hit: 5 Stars
Even if this is a demanding record, it's really misguided to say that the music lacks structure. To me, it seems much tighter structured than "Tales" or most of the stuff Yes have been doing in the last twenty years. The building-up of tension in "Gates of Delirium" and "Sound Chaser" is way beyond "Close to the Edge". Frankly, I think CTTE (the title track, at least - I can hear the stones coming!) has dated far more than this album. The technology and the soundscapes are awesome, and some of it was pioneering work for this time (some of the synths used by Moraz, for example). But in '74, this must have seemed a very provoking record.Even if "Gates" starts out in a flowery, warm mood, after barely a minute the first menacing streaks can be heard. Plainly, the band intended it to be that way: there's a roughness, a tension and a metallic sheen right from the start which is in effective contrast with Anderson's patently heroic lyrics about fighting for the just cause.
When I got to know this record - in the eighties - I asked myself how far Jon Anderson is earnest in his "call to arms" and at what points he might be blood-curdlingly ironic, ripping off patriotic and religious rhetoric. The point seems to be that he doesn't know himself to 100%; he enters the part lika an actor and the power of the track just sweeps him away. Steve Howe has said later that Jon was "very much the leader of the group, and he could be really Napoleonic at times" so he may have envisaged himself as the 2warrior king" he is singing about. But the music and the singing seem to get filled with subconscious feelings which take control of it all.
It's an amazing piece in constructive terms too, the ruthless propulsion and the sound effects at the heart of it make "Gates" a blistering depiction of war. Maybe it's a just battle, but a fight all the same that leaves scars for many years to come. And the ending (which we also get in single edit here), does it really resolve the tensions? I don't think it's a plain "happy end". It is a sort of catharsis, but the shadows of the fighting seem to fall over the music till the very end. On "Tales", "Ritual" closed on the tonic, in a peaceful mood. "Gates" ends in a scale of slowly rising notes, but it ends one step below the tonic where you'd have felt the music coming to a rest. The doubts about the future are still hanging around.
Ultimately, I think they were asking "how far can one really justify a war by promising a paradise after it's won? And if you go for a revolution, how much blood and suffering should you accept to make things better?" Questions that many people just didn't want asked in 1974 - neither left-wing terrorists, nor Richard Nixon and his supporters , nor the junta of Pinochet in Chile. Yes managed really good to show how conflicts live on and on if no one stops to ask questions about their morality, and they do it with terrific focus and energy.
The other two main tracks on the album are great sidepieces to the central painting. "Sound Chaser" is fun (don't miss the "gorilla chorus" at the end! Well, you can't, really...) and the swing of the music is quite unlike any other Yes track I've heard.
"To be Over", finally, fuses different kinds of music - country, far Eastern music, English church hymns and rock - with a gentle power all its own, gorgeous guitar and electric sitar from Howe, and Chris Squire's thundering and yet delicately phrased bass cascades, and a magical feeling for pauses. "Be ready to be loved" is the final line - the lyrics could be about feeling liberated as a person, or about feeling united with a sacred force. In the end, they deal with feeling at home, loved and accepted, no matter what troubles one has seen. The theme points forward to many songs they would do later on.