Look kid, your articulation on guitar needs work. A lot! Even as a drummer, I know

It is crazy, but it is PERFECT.

Close to the Edge and Relayer are almost like "parts 1 and 2". The greatest prog music by the greatest prog band ever. I saw the tour for Relayer, and it was Yes at the height of their powers. Good beyond imagination.

"Relayer" and "Close to the Edge" are the two Yes albums I still listen to regularly. I love the 3 long piece format and that each of these pieces never seem padded. I consider "Relayer", however, to be their high water mark as a band. A true landmark of prog.

It is their best album, i still listen to it after many years and I am discovering sounds and melodies.

A comment on Gates of Delirium. I have read that it was inspired by "War and Peace". I see for sections: (1) Preparation for war (beginning until about 8:00), (2) War Descending to Chaos (8:00 - about 12:48), (3) Triumph Emerging from Chaos (12:48 - about 15:00) and (4) Peace Resulting from Victory (about 15:00 to the end). I think it takes a lot of courage and vision to put that last part into the song. My favorite part of it is the section that starts around 12:48: triumphant themes are not easily achieved in any music, but Yes did a wonderful job here. When my life feels chaotic, I play Gates of Delirium and remind myself that Triumph Emerges from Chaos.

Absolute masterpiece

I bought it when it was released it blew my mind then and still dose now! I cannot begin to even think how they came up with music like this. Also in the video you talk about Tales of Topographic Oceans I loved that as well. Steve is a brilliant guitarist and Yes has always been one of my favorite bands! Thanks for the vid!

Great commentary on a great album. I really enjoyed getting to hear you play some Steve Howe stuff, you are such a good guitarist. You have inspired me to play Relayer right now.

I believe that Relayer is one of the best ever recorded. It like all previous Yes albums have been played at once. 45 minutes of all instruments soloing simultaneously, and Soon and To be Over are the finest melodies of all Yes catalog. And after that the Sound Chaser, wich i believe already made relayer the best yes album, completely unique song, even unique for Yes. The most complex (in a good way) music i have heard. Yes, there are In a Glass House or The Power and the Glory, but god they dont have the tenshion and structure of relayer

I don't think I'll ever get tired of Gates of Delirium. It's so similar to classical compositions in it's complexity and emotional impact.

three words, man: “Gates of Delirium”…I love it from start to finish

It is their greatest record to me. The Gates of Delirium alone may be their most technical work. They never really did anything like it.

"Relayer" has a much more abrasive and jarring sound than anything they'd approached before. Or ever would again, if memory serves. Absolutely love it. I see it as sort of an alternate timeline's version of "Close to The Edge." NOTE: This alternate timeline also has liver and onions ice cream.

Funny, I have always felt Relayer was rather special, and the one I return to most often. Favourite? Hard to say. Certainly the most satisfying.

I agree with Monka. The Steven Wilson remixes of Tales and Relayer are a revelation. They bring so much clarity to the clutter and it really lifts both albums to the top of the Yes canon. You'll appreciate the differences, Anthony.

First CD I ever bought in my life, I absolutely love this album.

I think this is one of their most technically accomplished albums followed closely by Going for the One. They definitely put on their Jazz Fusion faces for this one(eg Sound Chaser).

Hello. With Tales, Relayer is my favorite Yes album. And yes is my favorite band with GG and VDGG. And Sound Chaser, well… you said it all. I'm still amazed 50 years later, each time I listen to it. Squire is incredible on this album. It's just all pure energy. No other album from any band I listened through the years can be compared to it. Of course many other great bands, recent and past, are amazing, but it stay a unique piece of fire, chaos, and beauty.

Ever since I stumbled upon YES in a record shop as a teenager, I was blown away! My first true musical love was The Beatles, and I still enjoy their catalog very much. But it was the ‘70’s, with drug experimentation, and mind expanding influences everywhere. I was set free to experiment musically, and so I would try out new bands. Of course, at that time, album covers were the first impression made to a dumb kid looking for something new. Alas…my album collection grew to include YES, Pink Floyd, Moody Blues, CCR, Black Sabbath, ELP, Fleetwood Mac, King Crimson, Chicago, Bread, Deep Purple, Led Zeppelin, Blood Rock, Jimi Hendrix, CSN&Y, Mountain, Steve Miller Band, Doobie Bros, Iron Butterfly, Peter Frampton, Humble Pie, Grand Funk, Traffic, Blind Faith, Cream, Eric Burden & War, etc. Those were the days, my friend! Who was my favorite band, you ask? Hands down, it was YES!! For many years (I’m now 70), my fave YES album was CTTE, and it’s still right there. But…it took me all this time to finally explore the entire YES discography, and I’d have to admit, “Relayer” is at least a tie with “CTTE”, if not “EDGE”- ing it out by a fraction! You take away “Soon”, and “CCTE” wins easily, IMHO. BTW…I saw YES live in 2002, with Jon, Chris, Steve, Rick & Alan lineup. They were spectacular!!!

"Sound Chaser" is the track I would play for those who don't understand why I've been a fan of YES for 55 years. There is nothing like it rock-based music. I've heard very talented tribute bands play it and while their efforts are to be applauded, no one can play SC properly. Even YES rarely played it live and even then it doesn't come up to the pure excellence of the studio version. Stravinsky is a good cross-reference for "Gates of Delirium". YES used an orchestral version of Sravinsky's "Firebird Finale" to open many of the shows.

Thanks for the very good video. I must say that you put your money where your mouth is when it comes to this record and show an enthusiasm many share. The years of dedication it must have taking you to play like that is admirable. Best Wishes. By the way, The Relayer Tour was equally awesome.

Relayer for the ones ready to absorb the sound is radical music. It's not for everyone. The idea of trying to take one's mind to the peak of Everest may be insane. But it's a good sense of crazy. "To Be Over" helps one come down from the experience. It's almost a necessary remedy.

Great description. Thank you.

Relayer has evolved into my favorite album , by any group, i first got it in about 1983 on vinyl and liked it but over the last couple years its blown me away, theres just so much happening, Howe is all over the place like lightning, quite a contrast to Tales which has long stretches of almost nothing happening.

Wow what a great channel! Subscribed.

Superb review! Thank you

Fantastic review! I've heard the album many times, but I'm going to listen to Relayer after watching your video!

I remember listening to the WMMR (Philly) release of the Relayer LP at midnight, before it dropped in stores. I bought the LP ASAP. Thanks for tweaking my memory. I'll be pulling the LP off the shelf now to give it a re-listen.

For me, it's the period between Close to the Edge and Going for the One. Going for the One was my first Yes concert and it blew me away. Sound Chaser -That solo is epic!

Great video. I listen to this more than any other Yes album. But I NEVER read Yes lyrics; I just let them flow over me like, well, like Italian or Swedish prog. I actually wish more bands used incomprehensible lyrics!

The first time I listened through Relayer was with my best friend, we knew all the other Yes and were looking at the Roger Dean art book and followed the entire history of this interplanetary drama... and our faces were melting for various reasons. Everything was melting.

I saw Yes do " Relayer ", years and years ago , I wish , the entire world could have seen the Concert that I experienced , just amazing ! I went with other people and they didn't get it , not what I got from it ! The Album has got to be one of the best , I've ever heard ! Certainly one of the best Concerts , I ever saw and I've seen Pink Floyds , "Dark Side of the Moon" , "Animals" and the "Wall" ! As well as Paul McCartney and countless others but the message behind "Relayer" is and was Outstanding in my life ! 👂👍✌️What I would ask Yes is . What did the Harp mean !? Lol , such an impression it left upon my soul 💞 !

Those guitar parts on "Sound Chaser" at 2:07 are bonkers. And when the verse starts it still sounds outlandish. I don't know how they could come up with licks like those for a song. And the thing is Chris Squire is also going mental on bass mimicking those tricky lines. When you sort out the different parts for the instruments is quite amazing they can make it fit and work so well altogether.

Great album Got it when it came out love your videos keep them up

My favourite Yes Album! I listen to it over and over again. . never get tired of it!!

Great video, Anthony. Jon Anderson is such a big influence for me, musically and lyrically...now you have me singing: 'Soon oh soon the light Ours to shape for all time, ours the right The sun will lead us Our reason to be here'... ☀

it is my favorite album. I was asked Allan White how many time are the time signatures changes in Gates... He told me 7 times, I told him I counted 6, so i will have to listen to it a little closer.

I was studying classical guitar at a conservatory when Relayer came out. I’d loved all of the Yes (and ELP) albums but was particularly struck by Relayer for many of the reasons you’ve mentioned here. Very much so in regards to your references to Stravinsky. I def heard that and am glad you’re bringing it up. I remember the purists were down on Moran at the time…which kind of bothered me. Yeah: we were sad to see Wakeman go. He was wonderful. But Moran was, imho, PERFECT for this album. He even threw in his jazz influence, which I loved. And, as always, I loved everything Howe put down. Drove me to tears at times. Relayer is my favorite Yes album and that’s saying a ton.

For me it was the epitome of where Yes was going. A very heavy album! Still love to crank this one up at my age…71

Super commentary. Definitely among my top five favorite YES albums. No - I can't pick just one.

I bought this album on the US release date day, December 5th, 1974-which was also my 19th birthday! ( 20 shopping days before Christmas!) I think RELAYER featured Steve's best played guitar. RELAYER has been my favorite since ... December 5, 1974

I was so excited to buy RELAYER when it first came out. I was in high school, already a huge YES fan, having loved the previous four YES albums. I was with my first girlfriend when I bought it, and brought the record back to her house. Her mother wanted me to play it. I was really reluctant, because I knew she wouldn’t like it. Well, she insisted, and so I did. We all sat there dumbfounded because the first listen of this record is a bit intimidating. Well, of course she hated it, and I felt foolish. After a couple of listens at home, however, I loved it and it became one of my five favorite records. Then Going For the One became the sixth. Still six of my favorite records of all time, with Close to the Edge number one.

Relayer is my favourite Yes album. As a keyboard player myself (in those days!) I was already a huge fan of Patrick Moraz especially from his work with his previous band, Refugee, which was basically the band formed by the remaining Nice members, Lee Jackson and Brian Davison, when Keith Emerson left to form ELP. Anyone not familiar with Refugee should check out their eponymous album. Anyway, when I heard that Moraz was joining Yes, my anticipation of what that combination could potentially create was huge. I most certainly was not disappointed and I think Moraz's approach to improvisational music unleashed a new level in Steve Howe's playing as well as introducing a completely new dimension to the Yes musical palette. After living with Relayer almost permanently on the turntable for several months, I revisited the previous Yes albums Close to the Edge and Fragile and the one difference I noticed that I hadn't previously was that Rick Wakeman's solos had their own place and never overlapped with Steve Howe's whereas Moraz and Howe's soloing was somehow intertwined especially on Gates of Delirium. I am also extremely grateful that Moraz's stint in Yes gave him the financial backing to create his incredible solo album, The Story of I, probably one of the most underrated prog albums ever.

It's beyond everthing, I listened as a bands work (solist work is another subject, even a 3 solist Project like 'Friday Night In San Francisco'), and to see it performed life was even more out of my imagination. The moment, this is no longer underrated in popular music will be one result of an evolution in mankind, I'm still heading on...

Relayer means to me the ultimate classic prog rock innovative album. Yes (or prog rock) couldn’t have gone any further than what they did. One detail. Wakeman DID NOT leave Yes to record The Seven Wives… That album had already been released in January 1973, before Tales From Topographic Oceans was released (December 1973).

Discovered YES by this album, at the age of 14 ... It changed my whole life !

Yeah on certain levels, this is their high water mark. I personally think it's Howe's and White's best performances on record. Relayer's weirdness and intensity has not diminished at all for me after decades of listening. If you are one of those people who can't deal with the production, seek out the Steven Wilson remix, he definitely cleaned up the mids.

So far Relayer is unique,very unique and a master piece that's go beyond was really Yes was like a band. When i was young The Gates of Delirium become the most sacred and profound song for many years in my life. This album have a variety of harmonies that make the stamp for me.The prototype,the paragon,the archetype psychedelic model together with the Todd Rundgren's Utopia Live 1974 album.

It's both their craziest and best imo.

Relayer is my favorite Yes album, and that's saying a lot. I don't expect anyone else to agree with me, and I understand it may not be everybody's cup of tea. But it's my favorite and that's all that matters. I had the good fortune of seeing them perform on that Tour with Patrick, (and the elaborate Roger/Martin Dean set design).... it was a life-changing experience. I consider myself fortunate to have been at the right age, in the right place at the right time when that album came out. Coincidentally, I also saw Gentle Giant on tour with Yes about the time 'Live/Playing the Fool' was released. That was also a life-changing experience. My idea of what was possible in a live show was forever changed between the two experiences. Oh, and both bands may have had one or two other good albums as well. ;)

This era produced the greatest music of all time... these musicians touched God! And Relayer is Transcendent! We are so lucky to have this music and some of us are lucky enough to remember what 1970s felt like! Compare to our culture today and I get very very sad... but play this vinyl and we are transported to... wonder!

Incredible record!!!

I've never actually seen someone playing these parts or any tabs/notation... awesome... Especially Sound Chaser is really something else...

Yes, saw the tour with Moraz and this may have been the most creative (fusion inflected) incarnation of Yes.

Bought all these mid to late 1970's Yes albums when they were new. I have to say that "To Be Over" is in a dead heat tie with "The Remembering" from Tales from Topographic Oceans. I was seeking out the spiritual reason why I was put on this planet and Yes partially answered those questions thru their music in that time period, as I was in my mid to late teens at this time with a very troubled soul. Yes gave me inner peace at that time to be myself and not be afraid of that.

Over the years, and clearly when I first purchased the LP in1976, I've listened to Relayer more than any other of the Yes albums. Close to the Edge places a strong 2nd place. Relayer is the only Yes album that I listened to every day for at least 6 months. During that era of my life, at the age of 16, I went to sleep each night with a 90 minute cassette that had Fragile on side 1 and Relayer on side 2, played in 'loop' (continuous) mode. So, I'm not brainwashed or anything....

I (attempted) the same thing with Chris Squire's bass parts on Sound Chaser when I was younger, it whipped me and still does. Somewhat related: the one time that I saw Yes live in 2011 Steve Howe actually did an uptempo classical guitar rendition of "To Be Over", it was great.

Something even crazier is how just like Tales a year prior, YES started the Relayer tour a month and a half before the album was released. They started playing all 4 sides of Tales in the UK a month and a half before its release in 1973, and the UK audiences weren't into it as the audiences had no idea what they were going to hear. In Nov/Dec 1974, they toured the US before Relayer's release. Per reviews and my fathers recollection, YES literally launched right into Soundchaser after the firebird suite. NOBODY was prepared for it, as the audience expected Siberian Khatru or another nice song. Soundchaser was something from another world and completely unexpected, a heavy onslaught or barrage on the audience. Even listening to audience reactions on bootlegs from the Nov/Dec 1974 shows is amazing. After Soundchaser ends, you hear a noticeable few moments of dead silence, and then a FRENZY of applause and cheers. My father saw YES on that tour in Lawrence KS, and he told me that the whole arena was just stunned, dropped jaws and had no idea what just hit them. Nobody had heard Relayer yet, and unlike today, no internet to find set list spoilers. But my father told me after maybe 5 or seconds, the audience just went INSANE. They LOVED IT. Relayer was a very special album and really marked the peak of the bands success in the 1970s. From 1974 to 1976, they began selling out stadiums, BIG ones, and they were riding higher than ever during the Relayer era. It's definitely up there with Close To The Edge, it equals it. It sadly became forgotten over time, but that album is always deserving of a revival, as it represented their peak.

1. Tales 2. Close to the Edge 3. Relayer Lovely jubbly

Relay was inspired by the book War and Peace.

Going For The One is my number one. Which will take second spot ? Close To The Edge? Relayer ? Drama? Hard for me to decide. All three different band with a different line up tangles this dilemma

As a consumate Yes fan, udoubtedly Relayer is the peak. Also, a refreshing new sound from Moraz. The most musically challenging of all the albums. It all ends on an exquisite 'cool dwn'. Howe, a tour de force!!!

This was a pivotal album in the genesis of MANY punk/alt musicians including Sir Keith Levene. At 11 yrs of age, it helped me understand the 'blind acceleration' risks of speed + chaos for its own sake & how it creates improv forms by clustering & defining splatter patterns/tone clusters (ala Sir Andy Gill). I hate frets.

7:29 chanting [chah cha cha-- cha cha] is at the ending of Sound Chaser. To Be Over is a very sweet, dreamy, beautiful song highlighting Patrick Moraz, especially after the lyric "balance the thoughts that release within you..." RELAYER is a Masterpiece.

Lo escuché en 1976 con quince años y mi vida cambió para siempre. Era un universo nuevo y extraordinario. Me voló la cabeza

What cracks me up, is that Yes Music is now considered required listening in most high school music courses. Relayer is tops on that list and can be used as a whole semester topic due to all the nuances, influences, and creativity the album brought to the genre. Sound Chaser was the song that made my head explode. There is so much packed into this 9:31 second mastery of music. It’s never a dull listen and this is 50 years later. Amazing.

Its my fav. Always loved it.

Me, I love the lyrics, or rather I love the audacity of them. And I always loved the jazz influence of Moraz. Next stop, the live version of Gates found on the Yesshows album. Some truly fearless stuff. Check it out.

Relayer is one of my YES favs. I seen Yes Relayer tour in New Jersey at Roosevelt Stadium outside in the summer late 70`s. Patrick Moraz was phenomenal live and Steve Howe , there is nothing to say except he is beyond incredible. This concert will stick with me forever. Jaw dropping music that night. I have seen YES half a dozen times mostly at MSG in NYC. Their revolving center stage at MSG shows was fantastic. The train ride up to Penn Station from the Jersey Shore was a partying extravaganza. It was like a Cheech and Chong train. Smoke billowing out of the windows. By the time you arrived at the station everybody was higher than a Georgia pine. Watching this video has brought back some great memories , thx.

I got to see Yes in Iowa City Dec '74, just as Relayer was being released. Gryphon was the warm up act, & they were EXCELLENT, sadly forgotten. Yes played all of Relayer plus several Yessongs faves. As Patrick Moraz observed later, "Relayer" was their "most progressive" album, & I agree. Like TFTO, Relayer requires listeners to audition it several times before you get on their wavelength. It really is a unique entry in their body of work. I wish Patrick had more time with the band, BUT he truly planted his flag with authority on "Relayer". I'm gonna say it. My favorite Yes album is "Talk," but Relayer was & is a jagged peak in their landscape of prog-rock pioneering. Definitely an album that rewards multiple listens over decades.

This album is a genuine jewel!!!

"Gates Of Delirium" is based on Tolstoy's "War And Peace". I normally don't like debating music because it's subjective but, saying the lyrics are vapid is a far cry. Rick Wakeman got his advance in 1971 from A&M records to put out a "Six Wives Of Henry The Eighth" which was released in January 1973 & "Tales From Topographic Oceans" was released December of 1973.

Na época de seu lançamento não sei se gostei tanto. Hoje acho que o Patrick Moraz foi genial, e todos muito performáticos. Moraz passou por aqui no Brasil e tocou no Vímana!

.Relayer I love ,Patrick Moraz is great in it . This change made the album more dynamic . Waited for more music with him but it was only one.Years later I was lucky to see Yes in original squad (except Bill Bruford) in Melbourne in 2003. They didn't play Relayer...I think Rick don't want to play it ;-) But show was great despite technical problems with Steve guitar...

Philadelphia FM DJ Ed Sciakey: Played Relayer on the FM Radio 3 Weeks Before the Record came out. Jon Anderson Sent him an Advance Copy of the Album. He Played The Album. We Made Tapes of the Album. And Played it a Thousand Times. 3 Weeks Later. When Yes Played The Philadelphia Spectrum. The Dedicated Yes Fans were Prepared. I Saw 4 Yes Relayer Shows , Including The JFK Stadium Show. I Still Believe Relayer is 1 of Their Best Albums. The Set Designs were Yes's Best Live Shows.

It's my favorite album of all time, barre none.

Nice video Anthony. Relayer is amazing! But it took me a couple of years to enjoy it. Like you say, Howe with his super trebly Telecaster, was too high in the mix. The tempo changes in the middle of Soundchaser still make me laugh. To think back in the day Yes played this music to sold out stadiums!

leaving a note here for myself: 4:10 background guitar at timestamp sounds nice

Love it!!!

Relayer + Tales + Fish out of water + Close to the edge are my reasons to be heeeeere ! thank you, merci pour la vidéo.

I wouldn't say that it's the best, because I don't like "Sound Chaser." I would say that "Tales" is the craziest, although comparing a double album to a single album isn't an apples-to-apples comparison. BTW, Rick did "Six Wives" while he was still a Yes member. Some of the "Six Wives" music appears on the Yes live album "Yessongs."

I love that album! Tales is great too, and really all of Yes is great in one way or another. It's like they couldn't make a bad piece if they wanted to!

Definitely Both, I always put Relayer as my #1 Yes album because I love it when musicians do not hold themselves back for whatever reasons. Relayer is Yes at the top of their game in performance and creative writing.

This along with Tales is my favorite Yes, completely agree it’s unlike anything they ever did. I can definitely see how some people wouldn’t like it though. To me the prog excess works with these albums more so than with other bands like ELP. It’s definitely their rawest and most angular, I love how atonal and bizarre it can get. I love a lot of Avant Garde music though so I’m definitely a bit biased lol. I think Steve has said that this was their most jazz influenced album, they saw John McLaughlin with Mahavishnu not too long before this. Speaking of Steve Howe, he is without a doubt the most versatile “rock” player for my money. He’s an absolute master. Jazz, Classical, Country, Folk, Avant Garde, and can tear your head off with a solo. I really can’t think of any other guitarist who has such a solid command of different styles like that, he’s not messing around. I particularly love his acoustic work.

Nothing meaningless or wasteful at all about TALES which IS PERFECTION and as GROUNDBREAKING as RELAYER. BTW your guitar playing is great!

Sin ninguna duda , es una obra maestra ,

Other than Yessongs, Relayer is my most listened to Yes album. Patrick Moraz brought a refreshing change from Wakeman.

I'm 62 so a lot of my view of music is based on nostalgia, admittedly. I do remember hearing "Soon" on the radio probably in 1975. And I did like it and it is a memorable tune. I'm more drawn to songs with lyrics. More song structure than long compositions. I did just listen to the whole lp this evening. Parts of it were catchy. I owned Yes, The Yes Album, Fragile, Close to the Edge, Going for the One and Drama as well as Olias of Sunhillow, Criminal Record and Fish Out of Water (which I highly recommend - a very solid lp throughout). I would say out of those probably "Going for the One" is my favorite mostly because of "Turn of the Century". I also think Jon did a great job on "Prince Rupert" for King Crimson. And my record collection was probably full of more Bruford participation projects than anything else. So I think I have a good idea of what I like in the realm of Prog. "Relayer" did not instantly grab me. However, it may be a sleeper. Just a list of those might indicate it may actually grow on me to the point that it is a favorite. "Think Tank" by Blur; "Free All Angels" by Ash; "Scared to Dance" by The Skids were all sleeper albums for me. Thanks for suggesting this album.

I wonder if you know what the inspiration for the first song on this album is? You seem to be totally oblvious to the "secret" of Yes and I also watched some of the Gentle Giant interview, and the inspiration is something similar. I know these things. It really amazes me, do these musicians tell you where they get their ideas?

Absolutely the best, hands down. I'm not keen on Sound Chaser, but it does act as a pallet cleanser after the drama of Side One, and gets you all comfy for To Be Over. "Soon" gets me every time.

Relayer is amazing but when i heard « fish out of water », i forgot everything else 😍😍

Without any doubt Relayer is the best Yes album and a masterpiece for prog-rock history. Cool review...

Learning Mood for a Day and being able to play it all the way through pretty good was my peak guitar. I'm not very good.

Anderson's lyrics are Surrealism, that's all.

The album that introduce me to the Band in 1998... The whole stuff is really great...Maybe exept the "Tcha tcha tcha" at the end of Sound Chaser...

My favorite...got me back listening to Yes after Tales

"Steve Howe's show" like you said comes to Tallinn this year with Relayer tour, looking forward to that. So, they have a European tour this year, sadly Jon Anderson is not in a line-up.

Moraz really brought a shot of mania. Maybe Howes best work. I thought the chanting was a allusion to Indonesian monkey chant which was an album that came out a year earlier. Relayer had a bit of Mahavishnu in this one and why not? Great album, all their seventies albums were great

you mastered Howe’s sloppiness on Soundchaser 😂