Relayer

After the ambitious double-concept album Tales From Topographic Oceans, Rick Wakeman left Yes to continue his solo career. The band chose Patrick Moraz as a replacement and moved on without missing a beat. 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 wildly different musical style. "Gates of Delirium" is a dense, 20-minute piece that sports lengthy improvisations by each member of the band, sometimes clashing intentionally with one another. Featuring lyrics about the fultility of war, it remains one of the most musically aggressive songs ever produced by the band. Side two of the album contains two comparitively unremarkable works. "Sound Chaser" is a jazzy, mostly instrumental piece that echoes King Crimson and "To Be Over" is a more typical early-seventies Yes song.