The Afterword

Musings on the byways of popular culture

Menu

Navigation

You are here: Home / Forum / Relayer

Relayer

by 22 Comments

My word Relayer is a good album. I ignored it until very recently but golly, from 14.50 “The gates of delirium” is stunning.

Just sayin’.

2

Comments

  3. Fact: My mate Keith used to be able to play along with the whole of “Gates of Delirium” on guitar, and used to show off this party trick in the common room for sixth form at school.

    We were so cool…

  4. I love Relayer. Despite all the years in between I still remember my 14 year-old self and my mates sitting down in front of their Dad’s hi-fi when their parents were out for the Saturday night and we turned off the lights and listened to it for the first time (on vinyl, of course, because that was what there was). It’s hugely powerful at times and serene at others. Character forming stuff.

    I have to say, though, that for me CTTE still er, edges it. While it lacks some of the sheer brutal power its the melodies that make it – even when they’re going full tilt on CTTE every part of it, as well as the main vocals of course, is chock full of little individual gems of melody. Its just the best.

    I know we bang on about them here a lot, but the Steven Wilson remixes of both albums really are worth the money, nomatter how many other versions you might have and don’t get me started on the 5.1 CTTE…

  6. I think back in the day money was tight, and with Edge, Fragile and the Yes Album plus 6 Wives I think I felt I was good for Yes related stuff. Plus I suspect a bit of anti-Moraz sentiment – I remember him playing harpsichord to Steve Howe’s classical guitar and feeling ever so slightly queasy…it all seemed a bit, well, silly. Plus Little Feat had shambled, stoned and grinning, into my life and I had discovered country with a boogie beat. So I never got to it. So I can easily justify the remix now!

  7. Unfortunately the Steven Wilson remixes only seem to be available as a BluRay/CD combo, and I don’t have a BluRay player. He’s done such an excellent job with the Tull remixes I’d love to hear what he’s done with Yes, but I don’t want to fork out for an unusable format just to get the cd.

  8. Best Yes album, iMHO, and especially given how over-exposed “The Tes Album” and “Close to the Edge” are. Moraz brings a bit of swing and funk to them, and there is a lot of invention to the tunes. Makes you wonder if Moraz would’ve brought a bit more fun to Topographic Oceans (not that I have any problems with it anyway).

  9. A thread about Yes – how delicious!

    ‘Relayer’ is one of the best albums from Yes. This was the era when I first saw Yes in concert and Yes fans had been apprehensive following Wakeman’s departure, particularly as they were just coming off their most successful period as a band. A bit of background if I may:

    ‘The Yes Album’ (1971) had Tony Kaye on keyboards and was the first to feature Steve Howe. This was the record that threw Yes into the mainstream, reaching No 4 in the UK album charts. They released ‘Fragile’ that same year and interest in the band went stratospheric, particularly in the US. Tony Kaye left during rehearsals that August and in came came the classically-trained Wakeman from Strawbs. His impact on the band’s music was immediate given his mastery of both Moog and mellotron (both new at the time). Wakeman joined a rehearsal of ‘Heart of the Sunrise’ and his presence was felt immediately. The band was truly inspired and legend has it that the basis for ‘Roundabout’ was also put down that day. Although ‘Fragile’ only reached No 7 in the UK album charts (and went silver like its predecessor), it hit No 4 in the US, going double platinum. Yes found themselves in demand.

    This was a most creative period for Yes and in 1972 they released ‘Close To The Edge’, a game changer in many respects for progressive rock, a universally popular genre at the time. This album sold well (they had been touring it for 3 months before it was released) and Yes found that their concerts sold out quickly, particularly on both sides of the Atlantic. They found themselves playing bigger venues to try to meet the extraordinary demand for their music.

    Some of that demand was met when Yes released their triple live album ‘Yessongs’ in 1973 to critical and fan acclaim. This was a gorgeous package with stunning art from Roger Dean in shape of four large panels that echoed his art work from ‘Fragile’ and ‘Close To The Edge’. ‘Yessongs’ allowed fans to experience the band’s extraordinary musical talent as they jammed and extended already lengthy album tracks into even more spectacular and complicated arrangements. This was also the first album to feature Alan White, who had replaced Bill Bruford on percussion as the band were about to embark on a US tour. The album also included a section for Rick Wakeman to show off his extraordinary talents, including excerpts from his hugely successful album ‘The Six Wives Of Henry VIII’ released earlier that year.

    Then later that year came ‘Tales From Topographic Oceans’. Anticipation for this album was huge. A double album with only 4 tracks, it went straight to No 1 in the UK album charts, going gold on pre-sales alone (no band had done this before). It stayed there for two weeks. Reception was mixed! The Times and Guardian loved it. Rolling Stone did not. Chris Welch in Melody Maker wrote: “It is a fragmented masterpiece, assembled with loving care and long hours in the studio. Brilliant in patches, but often taking far too long to make its various points, and curiously lacking in warmth or personal expression”. (Shades of “too many notes, eh Mozart?”). The fans were divided, but bought it just the same. Wakeman professed not to like it and decided to leave Yes. The fans were stunned. How could he walk at the height of the band’s success? The answer was simple: Wakeman had become a huge solo star in his own right with ‘Six Wives’ and wanted to focus on doing more. He did too, with ‘Journey To The Centre Of The Earth’ (1974) which reached No 1 in the UK chart, and ‘King Arthur’ (1975) which reached No 2.

    The search for a replacement keyboardist was on. After lots of speculation, in came Patrick Moraz from Refugee, an unknown quantity to many. ‘Relayer’ was released in 1974 and featured only 3 tracks, the whole of side one being taken up by ‘The Gates of Delirium’ a sprawling, brilliant, jazzy masterpiece. Side two featured ‘Sound Chaser’ and ‘To Be Over’. The album had more stunning art from Roger Dean. Most critics loved, although some regarded it as a leftover from ‘Tales’. The fans loved it and the band toured the record to great success. This was Yes at their most experimental and ‘Relayer’ really does pay some careful attention. It is the only Yes album to feature Moraz who, both live and in the studio, provided great service to the band. According to Steve Howe, Moraz brought both a European and South American influence to the music (Moraz is Swiss, but lived in Brazil), as well as some jazz fusion influences that added to the experimental nature of the album. ‘Relayer’ sold well, reaching No 4 in the UK and No 5 in the US. The fans were relieved that the absence of Wakeman had not affected the band’s innovation or quality. They were still a going concern and a live act in demand.

    However, ‘Relayer’ was to lead to an extended break for the band, as each member went off to pursue solo projects. They would not reform until 1976 for a North American tour. Moraz then left and, to the delight of fans around the world, Wakeman rejoined Yes as the band prepared to release ‘Going For The One’ in 1977. That went to No 1 in the UK – Yes were back and bigger than ever!

  12. Hello, thread from seven years ago.

    I just did a search to see if anyone had ever brought up this album. I am pleased to say I have just “got” it: by which I mean I have bought it in the past, tried to get into it a few times, and gave up on it, but now I tried it again today and my ears have been gloriously opened to it.

    I think previously I was put off by it’s brittleness. It seemed like an odd little intense jazz-prog excursion in between Tales and Going For The One (probably my favourite Yes album), and I’ve never heard them sound so atonal.

    But those brittle, atonal bits make the sweet bits (“Soon” and “To Be Over”) even sweeter, and more of a glorious relief once you reach them. Besides, once you get your head into the right space to appreciate Steve Howe’s guitar assaults and Patrick Moraz’s synth frenzies, you can really appreciate their own peculiar kind of beauty.

    It was the Steven Wilson surround mix that has done this for me by the way. A magnificent restoration of what I now see as a masterpiece.

      • I think it’s their best album after The Yes Album. I bought the ones in between and after* and really enjoy(ed) them. But that third album is the pinnacle for me, and Relayer came pretty damn close.

        *and before, come to that, but they were really just finding their feet with the first two. Very good, must try harder. And then they did!

Leave a Reply