Editing Relayer

{{short description|1974 studio album by Yes}}
{{EngvarB|date=September 2013}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=April 2023}}
{{Infobox album
| name         = Relayer
| type         = studio
| artist       = [[Yes (band)|Yes]]
| cover        = Relayer front cover.jpg
| alt          = 
| released     = 29 November 1974
| recorded     = 1974
| studio       = New Pipers, [[Virginia Water]], Surrey
| genre        = {{hlist|[[Progressive rock]]|[[jazz fusion]]<ref>{{cite web|url=https://ultimateclassicrock.com/yes-songs-ranked/|title=All 183 Yes Songs Ranked Worst to Best|last=Reed|first=Ryan|date=4 December 2018|website=Ultimate Classic Rock|access-date=28 June 2020}}</ref>}}
| length       = 40:31
| label        = [[Atlantic Records|Atlantic]]
| producer     = {{flatlist|
*Yes
*[[Eddie Offord]]}}
| prev_title   = [[Tales from Topographic Oceans]]
| prev_year    = 1973
| next_title   = [[Yesterdays (Yes album)|Yesterdays]]
| next_year    = 1975
| misc         = {{Singles
 | name        = Relayer
 | type        = studio
 | single1     = [[The Gates of Delirium|Soon]]"/"Sound Chaser
 | single1date = 8 January 1975 (US)
}}
}}
'''''Relayer''''' is the seventh studio album by the English [[progressive rock]] band [[Yes (band)|Yes]], released in November 1974 by [[Atlantic Records]]. After keyboardist [[Rick Wakeman]] left the group in May 1974 over disagreements with the band's direction following their double concept album ''[[Tales from Topographic Oceans]]'' (1973), Yes entered rehearsals as a four-piece in Buckinghamshire. They auditioned several musicians, including Greek keyboardist and composer [[Vangelis]], before settling with Swiss musician [[Patrick Moraz]] of [[Refugee (band)|Refugee]] who incorporated elements of funk and [[jazz fusion]] to the album. ''Relayer'' is formed of three tracks, with "[[The Gates of Delirium]]" on side one and "Sound Chaser" and "To Be Over" on side two.

''Relayer'' received a mixed to positive reception from contemporary and retrospective critics. It reached No. 4 on the [[UK Albums Chart]] and No. 5 on the US [[Billboard 200|''Billboard'' 200]]. A single of the closing section of "The Gates of Delirium", titled "Soon", was released in January 1975. After touring in support of the album between November 1974 and July 1975, Yes went on a year-long hiatus. ''Relayer'' continued to sell, and is certified [[RIAA certification|gold]] by the [[Recording Industry Association of America]] (RIAA) for selling over 500,000 copies in the US. It was remastered in 2003 and in 2014, both with previously unreleased tracks; the latter includes new stereo and [[5.1 surround sound]] mixes and additional tracks.

==Background==
In April 1974, the Yes line-up of singer [[Jon Anderson]], bassist [[Chris Squire]], guitarist [[Steve Howe (musician)|Steve Howe]], keyboardist [[Rick Wakeman]], and drummer [[Alan White (Yes drummer)|Alan White]] wrapped their [[List of Yes concert tours (1960s–70s)#Tales from Topographic Oceans Tour|1973–1974 tour]] in support of their previous album, ''[[Tales from Topographic Oceans]]'' (1973).<ref name=forgotten1974>{{cite web|url=http://forgotten-yesterdays.com/dates.asp?qbandid=1&qdec=1970#y1974|title=Yes Shows – 1970s – 1974|publisher=Forgotten Yesterdays|first=Steve|last=Sullivan|access-date=29 March 2017}}</ref> The album had been a success for the band, reaching number one in the UK for two weeks, and became the first to be certified gold by the [[British Phonographic Industry]] based solely on pre-orders. Despite the success, Wakeman informed the band of his decision to leave midway into the tour, following his disagreements and frustration with the direction the band had taken with the album. His exit was made public on 8 June, and he resumed his already successful solo career.{{sfn|Welch|2008|p=150}}

Reduced to a four-piece, Yes retreated to Farmyard Studios, a rehearsal and recording facility owned by drummer [[Trevor Morais]] in [[Little Chalfont]], Buckinghamshire, and worked on new songs.<ref name=CW19740817>{{cite web|url=https://www.rocksbackpages.com/Library/Article/yes-im-not-jumping-into-wakemans-bootsit-will-be-different|title=Yes: I'm Not Jumping Into Wakeman's Boots...It Will Be Different|first=Chris|last=Welch|work=Melody Maker|date=17 August 1974|via=Rock's Backpages|url-access=subscription|access-date=1 October 2018}}</ref> After some material had been arranged, auditions for a new keyboardist began and around eight players were invited, including [[Jean Roussel]], [[Eddie Jobson]],<ref name=SOUNDS83>{{cite magazine|url=https://worldradiohistory.com/UK/Sounds/80s/83/Sounds-1983-11-05-S-OCR.pdf|title=Bob a Jobson|first=Hugh|last=Fielder|magazine=Sounds|date=5 November 1983|page=38|via=World Radio History|access-date=24 July 2022}}</ref> [[Nick Glennie-Smith]], and Greek musician and composer [[Vangelis Papathanassiou|Vangelis]].{{sfn|Hedges|1982|p=99}}<ref name=relayer2014 /> Others were flown in from the US and Germany.<ref name=CW19740817/> Anderson was a fan of Vangelis and visited his Paris flat several months earlier when Yes were in town performing ''Tales from Topographic Oceans''. Vangelis agreed to an audition and shipped his keyboards to the rehearsal studio, but the group discovered he was non-committal about the role and too strong a personality for a group.{{sfn|Hedges|1982|p=96, 98}} [[Atlantic Records]] vice president [[Phil Carson]] added that his fear of flying caused further complications, and a subsequent rejection from the [[Musicians Union (UK)|Musicians Union]] ended the possibility of Vangelis joining the band.<ref>{{cite magazine|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=PgkEAAAAMBAJ&dq=AUGUST%2024%2C%201974%20Billboard&pg=PT57|title=Late News – Inside Track|magazine=Billboard|date=24 August 1974|page=58|issn=0006-2510|volume=86|issue=34|access-date=27 May 2017}}</ref> ''[[Melody Maker]]'' reporter [[Chris Welch]] suggested that the band try [[Patrick Moraz]], a Swiss musician and film composer with a background in jazz and classical music, and a member of the progressive and [[jazz fusion]] trio [[Refugee (band)|Refugee]].{{sfn|Welch|2008|p=151}}<ref name=dmme2000>{{cite web|url=http://dmme.net/interviews/moraz.html|title=Interview with PATRICK MORAZ|publisher=DMME.net|date=December 2000|access-date=28 May 2017}}</ref> Within a week Moraz accepted an invitation from [[Brian Lane (manager)|Brian Lane]], the band's manager, to an audition.<ref>{{cite magazine|url=http://zenponies.com/yitp/1975/aug/aug28_75.html|title=Yes Affirms: There's Life after Wakeman|magazine=Rolling Stone|date=28 August 1975|first=Elliot|last=Cain|access-date=27 May 2017}}</ref> Moraz was a fan of the band and had met the original line-up in Switzerland in 1969.{{sfn|Welch|2008|p=151}}<ref name=nfte299 />

Moraz arrived at Farmyard Studios in the first week of August 1974, and saw each band member arrive in his own expensive car. He said: "Coming from Refugee, where we had been walking three miles to and from our rehearsal place ... it was quite a contrast!"<ref name=relayer2014>{{cite AV media notes|title=Relayer [2014 Definitive Edition]|year=August 2014|first=Sid|last=Smith|others=Yes|publisher=Panegyric Records|id=GYRBD50096}}</ref> Vangelis's keyboards were still situated in the studio, and Moraz used them for his audition.{{sfn|Kirkman|2013|p=74}} After tuning up he played some parts to display his ability, including a short section of "[[And You and I]]" from ''[[Close to the Edge]]'' (1972), causing the band to stop talking and gather around him.<ref name=relayer2014 /> Moraz's first task was to devise a section to complement what they had written for the middle section of "Sound Chaser". The band liked what he played, and on the following day, Lane informed Moraz that his audition was a success.{{sfn|Morse|1996|p=53}}<ref>{{Cite news|title=News Briefs|magazine=Billboard|date=31 August 1974}}</ref><ref name=dmme2000 /> Moraz accepted the offer, but felt some pressure to deliver, and drove from his flat in [[Earl's Court]] near central London to the studio each day to record and learn the band's repertoire.<ref name=nfte299 />

==Writing and recording==
Having made the 80-minute ''Tales from Topographic Oceans'' with such a "tight" musical structure, Anderson wanted to explore music that was "so outrageously different" on ''Relayer''.<ref name=TLTBOOK99>{{cite book|url=http://forgotten-yesterdays.com/_graphics/memorabilia/99_north_american_tourbook_34638.pdf|year=1999|first1=Doug|last1=Gottlieb|first2=Glenn|last2=Gottlieb|others=Yes Magazine|title=Yes - Fall 1999 North American Tourbook}}</ref> He was particularly influenced by [[electronic music]] compositions of [[Karlheinz Stockhausen]] and ''Wings of the Delirious Demon'' (1972) by Turkish-American musician [[İlhan Mimaroğlu]].<ref name=TLTBOOK99/> Anderson recalled that he and Moraz shared an interest to make something "very modern" at the time, and went as far to suggest the band make "[[Free improvisation|free form music]] without thought, which everybody thought I was going a little too far".<ref name=TLTBOOK99/> ''Relayer'' takes the same form as ''Close to the Edge'' (1972), which features one track occupying side one and two songs on side two. The band wrote two additional tracks during rehearsals but did not have enough time to record them in the studio; Anderson described one as "absolutely crazy and intricate".<ref name=circus1975 /> For the majority of his keyboard parts, Moraz did not write the music on paper and instead relied on his memory except for some particularly precise sections.<ref name=nfte299 /> Howe's main guitar on the album is a 1955 [[Fender Telecaster]], marking a stylistic departure from his usual Gibson guitars that he had used on earlier albums.{{sfn|Bacon|Howe|1994|p=43}} He also uses a [[pedal steel guitar|pedal steel]] and electric sitar.{{sfn|Bacon|Howe|1994|p=47}} Squire uses a [[Fender Jazz Bass]] on "To Be Over", a departure from his usual [[Rickenbacker 4001]].

[[File:New Pipers Gates, Gorse Hill Road (geograph 5915608).jpg|thumb|right|''Relayer'' was recorded at New Pipers in Virginia Water]]
Following rehearsals at Farmyard Studios, the band decided to record ''Relayer'' at Squire's home at New Pipers in [[Virginia Water]], Surrey, which he had purchased in Christmas 1972.{{sfn|Welch|2008|p=168}} This marked the first time Yes had made an album outside of London, and the location served as a cost-cutting measure by eliminating the need to pay for time in a professional studio, thus giving the band more time to work on the music.{{sfn|Morse|1996|p=50}} They were joined by [[Eddy Offord]], who had worked with the band since 1970 as their engineer and later co-producer and live sound mixer. Offord installed a mobile [[Multitrack recording|24-track recording machine]] and [[mixing desk]] in Squire's basement, and enlisted Genaro Rippo as tape operator.{{sfn|Welch|2008|p=156}}{{sfn|Morse|1996|p=50}}<ref name=nfte299>{{cite web|url=http://nfte.org/interviews/PM299.html|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070624040926/http://nfte.org/interviews/PM299.html|title=Conversation with Patrick Moraz from NFTE #299|first=Tim|last=Morse|date=21 May 2006|archive-date=24 June 2007|publisher=Notes from the Edge|access-date=27 May 2017}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.discogs.com/Yes-Relayer/release/2326580|title=Production credits|date=17 August 1974 |publisher=www.discogs.com|access-date=17 September 2011}}</ref> ''Relayer'' was the final Yes album with Offord before he left in 1975 to work with other groups. He later stated that his time with the band had become "a bit stale", but made brief returns during the recording of ''[[Drama (Yes album)|Drama]]'' (1980) and ''[[Union (Yes album)|Union]]'' (1991). Recording sessions typically lasted for eight or nine hours.{{sfn|Welch|2008|p=154}} Moraz wished Offord was "a little less stoned" during recording as it affected the album's production quality, ranking it inferior to Offord's work on ''[[Fragile (Yes album)|Fragile]]'' (1971) and albums with [[Emerson Lake & Palmer]].{{sfn|Morse|1996|p=52}} Mixing was completed at [[Advision Studios]] in London.{{#tag:ref|Atlantic K 50096|group="nb"|name=ukvinyl}}

==Songs==
===Side one===
"[[The Gates of Delirium]]" is a 21-minute track that Anderson described as "a war song, a battle scene, but it's not to explain war or denounce it ... There's a prelude, a charge, a victory tune, and peace at the end, with hope for the future."<ref name=circus1975>{{Cite magazine|title=Yes Battles The Skeptics With 'Relayer'|magazine=Circus|date=February 1975|first=Stephen|last=Demorest}}</ref> He originally planned to base the entire album on the literary work ''[[War and Peace]]'' by [[Leo Tolstoy]], but instead opted for a side-long track inspired by its themes.{{sfn|Hedges|1982|p=104}} Moraz recalled a discussion about the story with Anderson as they had both read it, after which Moraz presented him with a copy of ''Délirius'', a French science fiction graphic novel by [[Philippe Druillet]]. Moraz said: "He related to it immediately so I think that perhaps as a title 'The Gates of Delirium' came from that".{{sfn|Kirkman|2013|p=78}}<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.classicrockmusicwriter.com/2014/09/patrick-moraz-interview-extraordinary.html|title=Patrick Moraz Interview: The Extraordinary Keyboardist & Composer/ Prior Member of 'YES' & 'The Moody Blues'|first=Ray|last=Shasho|publisher=Classic Rock Music Writer|date=24 June 2014|access-date=6 November 2018}}</ref>

The song originated from several short themes that Anderson had amassed in his head and played them to the group on a piano "very badly"; he was relieved when his bandmates understood what he was trying to do.<ref name=TLTBOOK99/><ref name=somethingelse2014>{{cite web|url=http://somethingelsereviews.com/2014/11/28/yes-jon-anderson-patrick-moraz-relayer/|title=Jon Anderson + Patrick Moraz discuss Yes' challenging 'Relayer'|date=28 November 2014|first=Nick|last=Deriso|publisher=Something Else! Reviews|access-date=28 May 2017}}</ref> Anderson and Howe kept track of its structure by recording sections of it on cassette tapes, leaving Anderson to figure out the next part as the group would develop what was put down prior.<ref name=somethingelse2014 /> The song was recorded in sections at a time, though the group was familiar with the entire piece beforehand and spent several weeks recording takes of each section and selecting the ones the members felt were the strongest. Once picked, the sections were edited together and overdubs were then recorded.<ref name=nfte299 /> The battle section includes crashing sound effects that were created by White pushing over a tower of used car parts that he and Anderson had collected from a scrap yard.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://nfte.org/interviews/EO234.html|title=Interview with Eddy Offord by Time Morse|access-date=27 November 2012}}</ref> Howe remembered Anderson becoming too excited in what he envisaged the battle to be, leading the group to produce one mix that was "too far gone" and another "too safe".{{sfn|Morse|1996|pp=52–53}} Following the battle, the track concludes with a gentle song that later became known as "Soon".<ref name="somethingelse2014" /> Anderson later thought that "The Gates of Delirium" did not come across effectively on record, but fared better in concert.{{sfn|Morse|1996|p=52}}

===Side two===
"Sound Chaser" contains elements of [[jazz fusion]] and [[funk]] arrangements. Moraz was asked to devise an introduction to the song during his audition with the band; his contribution was finalised after "one or two takes" and used on the final version.<ref name=nfte299 />{{sfn|Kirkman|2013|p=75}} He considered his [[Moog synthesizer]] solo at the end a highlight moment in his performance on the album, but felt that the keyboards overall were buried in the final mix.{{sfn|Kirkman|2013|p=81}} Howe thought the track was "an indescribable mixture of Patrick's jazzy keyboards and my weird sort of flamenco electric [guitar]", yet he disliked Moraz's initial choice of chords he played during his guitar solo, causing Moraz to play it differently, which he disagreed with.{{sfn|Morse|1996|p=53}} Yes biographer Dan Hedges compared the track to the style of fusion group [[Return to Forever]].{{sfn|Hedges|1982|p=104}}

[[File:London - Kensington Gardens - Italian Gardens - View South over the Serpentine.jpg|thumb|right|The Serpentine, Hyde Park]]
"To Be Over" originated when Anderson spent an afternoon at Howe's house in London. As the two discussed what music to prepare for the album, Anderson told Howe of his fondness for a melody Howe had written and had sung to Anderson before. Anderson also had the initial lyric: "We'll go sailing down the stream tomorrow, floating down the universal stream, to be over". Howe gained inspiration for the track from a boat ride on [[The Serpentine]] lake in [[Hyde Park, London|Hyde Park]] in London. From the beginning, he thought the song was "really special" and Anderson agreed to develop it further.<ref name=nfte124>{{cite web|url=http://nfte.org/back-issues/0124.txt|title=Notes from the Edge #124 – Conversation with Steve Howe conducted 27 November 1994|date=21 January 1995|access-date=30 September 2016|first=Mike|last=Tiano}}</ref> Howe had come up with the music for this particular section in the late 1960s and took a riff from a track by his earlier group, [[Tomorrow (band)|Tomorrow]].<ref name=SHcom>{{cite web|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110724010335/http://www.stevehowe.com/archives/archives10.html|url=http://www.stevehowe.com/archives/archives10.html|title=Archives - Steve Howe Guitar Rondo|date=24 July 2011|archive-date=24 July 2011|access-date=10 December 2018}}</ref> Anderson described "To Be Over" as "Strong in content, but mellow in overall attitude ... It's about how you should look after yourself when things go wrong."<ref name=circus1975 /> When the song's lyric was being finalised, Howe suggested having the line "She won't know what it means to me" follow "We go sailing down the calming streams", but Anderson changed it to "To be over, we will see", a change that Howe thought was "creatively disguised" to make a broader lyrical statement.{{sfn|Morse|1996|p=54}} Moraz felt constricted to perform an improvised keyboard solo for the song, so he wrote down a [[counterpoint]] solo "exactly like a classical [[fugue]]" to blend his keyboards with the guitar and bass.{{sfn|Morse|1996|p=54}} He had written an initial version on paper in an evening, yet the band expressed their wish to change the key of the song for the section, causing Moraz to spend several hours rewriting it overnight.{{sfn|Morse|1996|p=55}}<ref name=somethingelse2014 />

==Artwork==
The album's sleeve was designed and illustrated by English artist [[Roger Dean (artist)|Roger Dean]], who had designed artwork for the band since 1971, including their logo. In his 1975 book ''Views'', Dean picked the cover as his favourite for Yes, and the recording he enjoyed the most. He revealed his intention of depicting "a giant 'gothic' cave" for the sleeve, "a sort of fortified city for military monks".{{sfn|Capalbo|Dean|Hamilton|1975|p=112}} The painting originated from a watercolour sketch Dean had done while studying in college.<ref name=M20/> Speaking about the cover in 2004, he said: "I was playing with the ideas of the ultimate castle, the ultimate wall of a fortified city. That was more of a fantastical idea. I was looking for the kinds of things like the [[Knights Templar]] would have made or what you'd see in the current movie ''[[The Lord of the Rings (film series)|Lord of the Rings]]''. The curving, swirling cantilevers right into space."<ref>{{Cite news|title=Roger Dean: The artist behind the music|first=Jeri|last=Rowe|date=23 April 2004|newspaper=Greensboro News-Record}}</ref> The images depicted in many of Dean's album covers set an otherworldly tone and are an identifiable part of the band's visual style. For ''Relayer'', the warriors on horseback reflect the lyrical themes of war present in "The Gates of Delirium".{{sfn|Martin|1996|pp=163-164}} The sleeve includes an untitled four-stanza poem by writer Donald Lehmkuhl dated October 1974, and features a band photograph taken by Moraz's former Mainhorse bandmate, Jean Ristori.{{refn|group="nb"|name=ukvinyl}} The album's CD reissue features two additional paintings, and further unused designs are included in Dean's 2008 book ''Dragon's Dream''.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.nfte.org/interviews/rd308.html|title=NFTE #308: Conversation with Roger Dean from 3 September 2008|publisher=Notes from the Edge|first=Mike|last=Tiano|year=2008|access-date=29 August 2015}}</ref> At the [[List of NME Award winners#NME Awards 1975|1975 edition]] of the [[NME Awards]], the album won Best Dressed LP.

Dean has said that "The Gates of Delirium" may be his favourite Yes track and that he felt the album should have been named after it.<ref>{{Citation|title=Roger Dean and Geoff Downes in Conversation| date=23 November 2020 |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KybT1T0CKtA|access-date=14 April 2023|language=de-DE}}</ref> By 2020, the painting had been on sale for $6 million.<ref name=M20>{{cite web|url=https://medium.com/mutualart/topographies-of-the-imagination-roger-dean-and-the-gates-of-delirium-4374fc807d38|title=Topographies of the Imagination: Roger Dean and the Gates of Delirium|publisher=Medium|date=3 May 2020|access-date=11 June 2021}}</ref>

==Release==
''Relayer'' was released in the UK in November 1974 on LP, audio cassette, and [[8-track tape]], followed by its release in the US on 5 December 1974.{{#tag:ref|Rhino R2-73792|group="nb"|name=usvinyl}} It continued the band's commercial success during the 1970s, reaching number 4 on the [[UK Albums Chart]]<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.officialcharts.com/search/albums/Relayer|title=Official Charts Company – Yes ''Relayer''|publisher=[[Official Charts Company]]|access-date=16 September 2011}}</ref> and number 5 on the US ''[[Billboard (magazine)|Billboard]]'' [[Billboard 200|Top LPs]] chart.<ref>{{AllMusic|class=album|id=r22457|tab=charts-awards|label=Billboard album charts info – Yes ''Relayer''|access-date=16 September 2011}}</ref> Less than two weeks after its release in the US, the album reached [[RIAA certification|gold]] certification by the [[Recording Industry Association of America]] on 18 December 1974 for over 500,000 copies sold.<ref name="RIAA">{{cite web|url=https://www.riaa.com/gold-platinum/?tab_active=default-award&se=Relayer#search_section|title=Gold & Platinum – Search – Relayer|publisher=Recording Industry Association of America|access-date=28 May 2017}}</ref> A single of the closing section of "The Gates of Delirium", titled "Soon" (From "The Gates of Delirium"), was released as a single on 8 January 1975, with an edited version of "Sound Chaser" on its [[A-side and B-side|B-side]].{{#tag:ref|Atlantic 45-3242|group="nb"}}

===Reception===
====Critical reception====
{{Album reviews
|rev1 = [[AllMusic]]
|rev1score = {{rating|3|5}}<ref name=allmusic>{{AllMusic|class=album|id=r22457|tab=review|label=Album review Yes ''Relayer''|first=William|last=Ruhlmann|access-date=16 September 2011}}</ref>
|rev2 = [[Pitchfork (website)|''Pitchfork'']]
|rev2score = 5.3/10<ref>{{cite web |url=http://pitchfork.com/reviews/albums/11869-the-yes-album-fragile-close-to-the-edge-tales-from-topographic-oceans-relayer-going-for-the-one-tormato-drama-90125/#review-album-13614/ |first1=Chris |last1=Dahlen |first2=Dominique |last2=Leone |first3=Joe |last3=Tangari |date=8 February 2004 |title=Pitchfork: Album Reviews: Yes: ''The Yes Album'' / ''Fragile'' / ''Close to the Edge'' / ''Tales from Topographic Oceans'' / ''Relayer'' / ''Going for the One ''/ ''Tormato'' / ''Drama'' / ''90125'' |website=[[Pitchfork (website)|Pitchfork]] |publisher=Pitchfork Media |access-date=31 October 2014}}</ref>
| rev3 = The Daily Vault
| rev3Score = B+<ref name=vault>{{cite web |url= http://dailyvault.com/toc.php5?review=2019 |title=The Daily Vault Music Reviews : Relayer |first=Jason |last=Warburg |work=dailyvault.com |year=2019 |access-date=29 January 2019}}</ref>
|rev4 = Sea of Tranquility
|rev4Score = {{Rating|4.5|5}}<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.seaoftranquility.org/reviews.php?op=showcontent&id=1312|title=Review: "Yes: Relayer (remaster)" - Sea of Tranquility - The Web Destination for Progressive Music!|website=www.seaoftranquility.org}}</ref>
| rev5 = ''[[Rolling Stone]]''
| rev5Score = (unfavourable)<ref>[http://www.rollingstone.com/artists/yes/albums/album/87305/review/6067851/relayer] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071105061456/http://www.rollingstone.com:80/artists/yes/albums/album/87305/review/6067851/relayer |date=5 November 2007 }}</ref>
|rev6 = ''[[The Rolling Stone Album Guide]]''
|rev6Score = {{Rating|4|5}}<ref>{{cite book|last1=Brackett|first1=Nathan|last2=Hoard|first2=Christian David|title=The New Rolling Stone Album Guide|date=2004|publisher=Simon & Schuster|isbn=0-7432-0169-8|page=[https://archive.org/details/newrollingstonea00brac/page/895 895]|title-link=The New Rolling Stone Album Guide}}</ref>
}}
''Relayer'' received a mostly positive reaction from music critics. Music journalist and author [[Chris Welch]] gave a positive review for ''[[Melody Maker]]'', praising the album as "one of the most successful and satisfying Yes albums". He described "The Gates of Delirium" as a "powerful piece ... and benefits by the time structures imposed by this single album." Welch continued to note the band "at their best, creating tension and release with consummate ease, and preparing the way for Jon's crystalline vocals" at the end of the battle section which segues into "Soon".<ref name=welchreview>{{Cite news|title=YES – Art Out of Electronic Orchestration|date=1974|work=Melody Maker|first=Chris|last=Welch}}</ref> In its December 1974 review, ''Billboard'' magazine called ''Relayer'' "another nearly flawless effort" by Yes and noted Moraz "fits in perfectly". It concluded with "one of the simpler, yet at the same time, one of the most workable sets the band has come up with."<ref name=billboard>{{Cite news|title=YES-Relayer|date=21 December 1974|magazine=Billboard}}</ref> Those who gave the album a negative review thought it was the follow-up to ''Tales from Topographic Oceans'' (1973), an album they felt was pretentious and overblown.<ref>"Top Pop Albums 1955–2001", Joel Whitburn, c.2002</ref>

In a retrospective review, [[AllMusic]] rated the album three stars out of five, stating Yes had "little incentive to curb their musical ambitiousness" at the time, the album "alternated abrasive, rhythmically dense instrumental sections featuring solos for the various instruments with delicate vocal and choral sections featuring poetic lyrics devoted to spiritual imagery."<ref name=allmusic />

====The band====
Howe described the music on ''Relayer'' as "very modern, European style of music, and Patrick brought in a South American flavour as well. It was a very international record".{{sfn|Morse|1996|p=50}} Squire thought some of the interaction between his bass and White's drums was better than anything heard on previous Yes albums at that point.{{sfn|Morse|1996|p=52}} Moraz summarised the album's recording as "pretty loose, but the energy is there".{{sfn|Morse|1996|p=52}} Upon its release, Wakeman was asked to review it for the [[BBC]] and felt pleased that the band had made it as it was "far too jazzy and freeform, which I didn't like". Had the group recorded music more melodic and thematic, he would have felt angry as it would have been the direction that he thought Yes should have adopted. "I'm pleased I made the right decision to leave the band when I did".{{sfn|Popoff|2016|p=54}}

===Reissues===
''Relayer'' was first reissued on CD in 1988 on the [[Atlantic Records|Atlantic]] in Europe{{#tag:ref|Atlantic 250 096|group="nb"}} and the US{{#tag:ref|Atlantic 82664|group="nb"}}. The CD mastering has been attributed to Zal Schreiber, one of Atlantic's in-house CD mastering engineers at the time.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://forums.stevehoffman.tv/threads/is-this-zals-version-of-relayer.233611/|title=Is This Zal's Version Of Relayer?|website=Steve Hoffman Music Forums}}</ref> In 1998, a mini-sleeve HDCD version mastered by Isao Kikuchi was released in Japan {{#tag:ref|Atlantic AMCY-2738|group="nb"}}.  In 2003, the album was digitally remastered on [[Rhino Records|Rhino]] and [[Elektra Records]] by [[George Marino]] at Sterling Sound.  This version included single edits of "Soon" and "Sound Chaser" and a studio run-through of "The Gates of Delirium"{{refn|group="nb"|name=usvinyl}} with less keyboards and alternate song structures in parts but an identical "battle" section as heard in the final version. 2009 saw the album remastered by Isao Kikuchi for the Japanese market.{{#tag:ref|Rhino WPCR-75500|group="nb"}} The 2003 remastered edition was included in the band's ''The Studio Albums 1969–1987'' box set, released in 2013.

In November 2014, ''Relayer'' was reissued as CD/DVD-Audio and CD/Blu-ray disc packs on the Panegyric label with new stereo and [[5.1 surround sound]] mixes by [[Steven Wilson]]. The packs feature bonus tracks including an original master transfer and studio run-through versions of each track. The Blu-ray pack includes an instrumental mix of the album. This remaster does not include the sound effects heard in the middle section of "The Gates of Delirium" as they were not part of the original multi-track masters. Wilson hypothesised that they were added during the final mixdown of the album from a separate tape source.<ref name=battlesounds>{{cite web|url=http://audiophilereview.com/audiophile-music/yes-relayer-in-51-clarity-distortion-delirium-and-prog-that-rocks.html|title=Yes's Relayer In 5.1: Clarity, Distortion, Delirium and Prog That Rocks|publisher=Audiophile Review|first=Mark|last=Smartroff|date=24 November 2014|access-date=1 March 2018}}</ref>

==Tour==
Yes supported ''Relayer'' with their [[List of Yes concert tours (1960s–70s)#Relayer Tour|1974–1975 tour]] of North America and the UK that lasted from 8 November 1974 to 23 August 1975, with the album played in its entirety.{{sfn|Popoff|2016|p=54}}<ref name=forgotten1974 /> The tour culminated with a headline spot at the 1975 [[Reading Festival]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.bracknellnews.co.uk/news/13616178.Reading_Festival_40_years_ago/|title=Reading Festival 40 years ago|work=Bracknell News|first=Lesley|last=Potter|date=20 August 2015|access-date=28 May 2017}}</ref> Most dates featured the English band [[Gryphon (band)|Gryphon]] as the opening act.<ref name=forgotten1974 /> Rehearsals lasted for several weeks at [[Shepperton Studios]], Surrey with Offord on sound, stage lighting by their longtime associate Michael Tait, and the set designed by Roger Dean and his brother Martyn.{{sfn|Hedges|1982|p=106}}<ref name=musicguy2015 />

The tour opened with a 31-date leg of the US, for which Moraz had about six weeks to familiarise himself with the setlist and made use of his 90-minute drive from his London flat to Squire's home to learn it. Ristori assisted by transcribing Yes songs onto paper, forming what Moraz described as "memory sheets", because of the amount and the complexity of some of his parts.<ref name=musicguy2015 /> He relied on the sheets for the first few shows on the tour, yet by the time the tour reached [[Madison Square Garden]] in New York City less than two weeks later, Moraz realised he had learned the set and stopped using them.<ref name=musicguy2015>{{Cite web|url=http://www.musicguy247.typepad.com/my-blog/2015/09/patrick-moraz-an-interview-with-the-keyboardist-formally-of-yes-and-the-moody-blues.html|title=Patrick Moraz – An interview with the keyboardist, formally of "Yes" and "The Moody Blues"|first=Robert|last=von Bernewitz|date=4 September 2015|access-date=27 May 2017}}</ref><ref name=forgotten1974 /> The show was a highlight for him: "We had a standing ovation for several minutes. The noise was absolutely unbelievable."<ref name=musicguy2015 /> His rig included 14 keyboards on stage, double the number he had previously worked with.<ref name=musicguy2015 /> Future Yes singer and producer [[Trevor Horn]], a fan of the band, attended their show on the UK leg and recalled the performance of "The Gates of Delirium": "It got to the end and Jon sang 'Soon' ... I felt like crying. It got me so much. I loved that song so much".{{sfn|Morse|1996|p=53}}

Yes originally planned to conduct a European tour in 2020 that continued their Album Series Tour and featured ''Relayer'' performed in its entirety, but it was cancelled due to the [[COVID-19 pandemic]].<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.loudersound.com/news/yes-announce-tour-with-alan-parsons-live-project|title=Yes announce tour with Alan Parsons Live Project|publisher=Louder Sound|first=Scott|last=Munro|date=21 January 2020|access-date=22 January 2020}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://yesworld.com/2020/03/yes-postpone-forthcoming-u-s-dates-and-cancel-appearances-on-cruise-to-the-edge/|title=YES Cancel Forthcoming U.S. Dates And Will Not Be Performing On This Year's "Cruise To The Edge"|website=Yesworld.com|date=11 March 2020}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://yesworld.com/2020/03/yes-postpones-album-series-2020-tour/|title=YES Postpone UK & European Album Series 2020 Tour Dates|website=Yesworld.com|date=20 March 2020}}</ref> The tour was rescheduled for 2022,<ref name="facebook 16 April 2020 Yes">{{cite web |url=https://m.facebook.com/story.php?story_fbid=4031126583565966&id=223599747652021 |title=We hope that our fans are keeping healthy during the Coronavirus Pandemic. We're really looking forward finally to performing Relayer and other YES classics for our fans in 2021. As promised, we can now announce all of the re-scheduled mainland European dates for The Album Series 2022 Tour. News of the re-scheduled UK and Eire dates will come imminently. |date= 16 April 2020 |website=Facebook |access-date= 16 April 2020}}</ref> but the band announced that they would instead dedicate the tour to the fiftieth anniversary of ''Close to the Edge''.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://yesworld.com/2022/03/50th-anniversary-celebration-of-close-to-the-edge/|title=50th Anniversary Celebration of Close to the Edge|date=8 March 2022}}</ref> The ''Relayer'' tour was subsequently rescheduled a third time for 2023, but was once again postponed due to problems with insurance.<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.instagram.com/p/Cjm4j_bOFWi/?igshid=ZDg1NjBiNjg= | title=YES - the Band on Instagram: "🚨UK TOUR DATES ANNOUNCEMENT🚨⁠ ⁠ YES announce UK dates for their long-awaited Album Series 2023 Tour featuring their 1974 Relayer album in its entirety together with a selection of other classic YES favourites. Tickets are on sale from 10am on Friday 14 October.⁠ ⁠ Read more at the link in bio!⁠ ⁠ #yesband #AlbumSeriesTour #Relayer" }}</ref>

==Track listing==
All tracks written by [[Yes (band)|Yes]].<ref name="liner">{{cite AV media notes |title=Relayer |author=Yes |date=28 November 1974}}</ref>

{{tracklist
| headline = Side one
| title1 = [[The Gates of Delirium]]
| length1 = 21:55
}}
{{tracklist
| headline = Side two
| title1 = Sound Chaser
| length1 = 9:28
| title2 = To Be Over
| length2 = 9:08
| total_length = 40:31
}}
{{tracklist
|headline = Bonus tracks {{nobold|(2003 remaster)}}
| total_length = 69:15
| title4 = Soon
| note4  = [[Radio edit|single edit]]
| writer4 = 
| length4 = 4:18
| title5 = Sound Chaser
| note5 = single edit
| length5 = 3:13
| title6 = The Gates of Delirium
| note6 = studio run-through
| length6 = 21:16
}}

'''Notes:'''
*Track durations are absent on the original UK vinyl, but were included on North American pressings.
*"Soon" is credited solely to [[Jon Anderson]] per BMI records. However, the track is credited to Yes as a whole on both the original single and the 2003 remaster of the album.<ref name="BMI Records">{{cite web |url=http://repertoire.bmi.com/title.asp?blnWriter=True&blnPublisher=True&blnArtist=True&keyID=1386284&ShowNbr=0&ShowSeqNbr=0&querytype=WorkID BMI Work #1386284 |website=BMI |title=BMI records}}</ref>

==Personnel==
Credits are adapted from the 1974 album liner notes.{{#tag:ref|Atlantic K 50096|group="nb"|name=ukvinyl}}

'''Yes'''
*[[Jon Anderson]]&nbsp;– lead vocals, acoustic guitars, piccolo, percussion
*[[Steve Howe (musician)|Steve Howe]]&nbsp;– acoustic and electric guitars, pedal steel, electric sitar, backing vocals
*[[Chris Squire]]&nbsp;– bass guitar, backing vocals 
*[[Patrick Moraz]]&nbsp;– piano, electric piano, Hammond organ, Minimoog, [[Mellotron]]
*[[Alan White (Yes drummer)|Alan White]]&nbsp;– drums, percussion

'''Production'''
*[[Eddy Offord|Eddie Offord]]&nbsp;– engineer, production
*Yes&nbsp;– production
*Gennaro Rippo&nbsp;– tape operator
*[[Roger Dean (artist)|Roger Dean]]&nbsp;– cover design and drawing
*Mike Allinson&nbsp;– paste up
*[[Brian Lane (manager)|Brian Lane]]&nbsp;– co-ordinator (band manager)
*Jean Ristori&nbsp;– original group photograph
*Mansell Litho&nbsp;– plates

==Charts==
{| class="wikitable sortable plainrowheaders"
! Chart (1974)
! Peak<br/>position
|-
! scope="row"| Australian Albums ([[Kent Music Report]])<ref name=aus>{{cite book|last=Kent|first=David|author-link=David Kent (historian)|title=Australian Chart Book 1970–1992|edition=illustrated|publisher=Australian Chart Book|location=St Ives, N.S.W.|year=1993|isbn=0-646-11917-6}}</ref>
| align="center"| 15
|-
{{Album chart|Canada|22|chartid=3919a|artist=Yes|album=Relayer|rowheader=true|accessdate=28 June 2023}}
|-
{{Album chart|Netherlands|10|artist=Yes|album=Relayer|rowheader=true|accessdate=28 June 2023}}
|-
!scope="row"| French Albums ([[Syndicat National de l'Édition Phonographique|SNEP]])<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.infodisc.fr/Album_Y.php |website =Infodisc.fr |language=fr |access-date=9 June 2012 |title=Le Détail des Albums de chaque Artiste – Y |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141022124902/http://infodisc.fr/Album_A.php |archive-date=22 October 2014 }} ''Select ''Yes'' from the menu, then press ''OK''.''</ref>
| align="center"| 9
|-
{{Album chart|Germany4|27|id=37526|artist=Yes|album=Relayer|rowheader=true|accessdate=28 June 2023}}
|-
! scope="row"|Italian Albums (''[[Musica e Dischi]]'')<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.musicaedischi.it/classifiche_archivio.php|title=Classifiche|work=[[Musica e Dischi]]|language=it|access-date=27 May 2022}} Set "Tipo" on "Album". Then, in the "Artista" field, search "Yes".</ref>
|align="center"|17
|-
!scope="row"|Japanese Albums ([[Oricon]])<ref name="JPN">{{cite book|title=Oricon Album Chart Book: Complete Edition 1970–2005|publisher=[[Oricon|Oricon Entertainment]]|location=Roppongi, Tokyo|year=2006|isbn=4-87131-077-9|language=ja}}</ref>
| align="center"| 37
|-
{{Album chart|Norway|18|artist=Yes|album=Relayer|rowheader=true|accessdate=28 June 2023}}
|-
{{Album chart|UK2|4|date=19741215|rowheader=true|accessdate=28 June 2023}}
|-
{{Album chart|Billboard200|5|artist=Yes|rowheader=true|accessdate=28 June 2023}}
|}

{| class="wikitable sortable plainrowheaders" style="text-align:center"
! scope="col"| Chart (2014)
! scope="col"| Peak<br />position
|-
{{album chart|UKIndependent|19|date=20141109|rowheader=true|access-date=28 June 2023}}
|-
{{album chart|UKRock|11|date=20141109|rowheader=true|access-date=28 June 2023}}
|}

== Certifications ==
{{Certification Table Top}}
{{Certification Table Entry|type=album|relyear=1977|region=France|award=Gold|certyear=1974|source=infodisc|artist=Yes|title=Relayer|access-date=21 March 2021}}
{{Certification Table Entry |region=United States |artist=Yes |title=Relayer|award=Gold|type=album |relyear=1974}}
{{Certification Table Bottom }}

==References==
'''Notes'''
{{Reflist|group="nb"}}

'''Footnotes'''
{{Reflist}}

'''Sources'''
*{{Cite book|last1=Bacon|first1=Tony|last2=Howe|first2=Steve|year=1994|title=The Steve Howe Guitar Collection|publisher=Balafon Books|isbn=978-1-871547-64-1}}
*{{Cite book|last1=Capalbo|first1=Carla|last2=Dean|first2=Roger|last3=Hamilton|first3=Dominy|edition=2nd|year=1975|title=Views|publisher=Dragon's Dream}}
*{{cite book|last=Hedges|first=Dan|title=Yes: An Authorized Biography|year=1982|publisher=Sidgwick & Jackson|isbn=978-0-283-98751-9}}
*{{Cite book|last=Kirkman|first=Jon|year=2013|title=Time and a Word: The Yes Interviews|publisher=Rufus Stone Limited Editions}}
*{{Cite book|last=Martin|first=Bill|author-link=Bill Martin (philosophy)|year=1996|title=Music of Yes: Structure and Vision in Progressive Rock|publisher=Open Court}}
*{{Cite book|last=Morse|first=Tim|title=Yesstories: "Yes" in Their Own Words|year=1996|publisher=St Martin's Press|isbn=978-0-312-14453-1}}
*{{Cite book|last=Popoff|first=Martin|title=Time and a Word: The Yes Story|date=2016|publisher=Soundcheck Books|isbn=978-0-9932120-2-4}}
*{{Cite book|last=Welch|first=Chris|title=Close to the Edge – The Story of Yes|publisher=Omnibus Press|isbn=978-1-84772-132-7|year=2008}}

==External links==
*Official Yes website at [http://www.yesworld.com/ YesWorld]

{{Yesband}}

{{Authority control}}

[[Category:Yes (band) albums]]
[[Category:Albums with cover art by Roger Dean (artist)]]
[[Category:1974 albums]]
[[Category:Albums produced by Eddy Offord]]
[[Category:Atlantic Records albums]]