Relayer

Relayer is the eighth album by the progressive rock band Yes. Recorded and released in 1974, it is the only album the band recorded with the featured line-up.

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After the ambitious double-concept album Tales From Topographic Oceans, Rick Wakeman left Yes to continue his solo career. The band auditioned several prospective replacements, the closest contender being the Greek keyboardist Vangelis. (Although he did not become a member of Yes, these rehearsals paved the way for several future collaborations between Vangelis and Jon Anderson.) The band then chose Swiss-born Patrick Moraz as a replacement while this album was well into production.

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Relayer has the same song format as 1972's Close to the Edge (a long epic on one side, and two relatively short pieces on the other), but a radically different musical style. "The Gates of Delirium" is a dense, 20-minute piece that was inspired by Leo Tolstoy’s War and Peace. It features lengthy improvisations by each member of the band, sometimes clashing intentionally with one another. Featuring lyrics about the futility of war, it remains one of the most musically aggressive songs ever produced by the band. The final section, in which the aggression of the previous 15 minutes is suddenly replaced by a gentle melody and a lyrical prayer for peace, was released as a US single under the title "Soon" in early 1975. "Sound Chaser" is a jazzy, mostly instrumental piece that echoes King Crimson. "To Be Over" is the gentlest piece on the album, and features complex, melodic arrangements of guitar and sitar.

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Relayer features artwork by Roger Dean who produced an album cover layout similar to Fragile with two additional paintings and a photograph of the band inside the fold-out sleeve. The cover was later used in a Pepsi-Cola ad, as the T-shirt worn by Shakira.

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The critical reaction to Relayer, coming after a predecessor that many felt went over the breaking point, was lukewarm. However, it was still a commercial success with many observers considering it vastly underrated.

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Progressive rock: Progressive rock (shortened to prog, or prog rock when differentiating from other "progressive" genres) is an ambitious, eclectic, and often grandiose style of rock music which arose in the late 1960s, reached the peak of its popularity in the early 1970s, and continues as a musical form to this day...

Yes: Yes is a progressive rock band that formed in London in 1968. Despite many lineup changes, occasional splits and many changes in popular music, the band has endured for over 35 years and still retains a strong international following. Their music is marked by sharp dynamic contrasts, often extended ...

1974: 1974 is a common year starting on Tuesday (click on link for calendar)....

Relayer related Images and Photos (experimental)

Yes - Relayer