"...One To
Seek And See In Every Light..."
After
the incredible tape transfer and audio restoration work STEVE WILSON of
PORCUPINE TREE did on the early catalogue remasters of KING CRIMSON and JETHRO
TULL – the other big Proggy Monster was always going to be YES. I've heaped
praise on Wilson's fabulous work on their 3rd breakthrough album from 1971
"The Yes Album" – but for many the beast was always going to be the
dense and problematic "Relayer" from 1974 (for many their last truly
great record). And as I deliriously stated before - man has our Stevie stepped
up to the Topographic plate.
This November 2014 CD and DVD-A Reissue (there’s
also a CD and BLU RAY variant on Panegyric GYRBD50096 – Barcode 633367900623) is
awesome stuff and worthy of the praise so far heaped on it. No harm then in a
little more – because this is one Sound Chaser you need in your Gates Of
Delirium…
UK
released November 2014 – "Relayer: Definitive Edition CD + DVD-A" on
Panegyric GYRSP50096 (Barcode 633367900524) breaks down as follows:
Disc
1, Definitive Edition CD, 2014 Stereo Mixes, 48:13 minutes:
1.
The Gates Of Delirium
2.
Sound Chaser [Side 2]
3.
To Be Over
Tracks
1 to 3 are the vinyl LP "Relayer" – released December 1974 in the UK
on Atlantic K 50096 and Atlantic SD 18122 in the USA
ADDITIONAL
TRACKS:
4.
Soon (Single Edit) – issued as the A-side of a 7" single in the USA on
Atlantic 45-3242 in January 1975. It runs to 4:14 minutes and is an excerpt of
a slow passage towards the end of "The Gates Of Delirium" on Side 1.
The edited "Sound Chaser" was its B-side.
5.
Sound Chaser (Single Edit)
Note:
Booklet mistakenly credits these as Tracks 7 and 8 when they’re 4 and 5. The
two single edits appear to be the 2002 Rhino remasters (unaltered).
Disc
2 is the Definitive Edition DVD-A. It’s a NTSC Region 0 Hybrid DVD-A compatible
with all DVD Players and DVD-ROM Drives. From the visual/audio menu on your
television or computer - it allows you to choose from 4 menus:
1.
2014 STEREO MIX:
96
kHz Sample Rate/24 Bit Depth - MLP Lossless 2.0 Stereo Mix of the album
2.
ORIGINAL STEREO MIX and 5.1 SURROUND MIX:
48
and 96 kHz Sample Rates/24 Bit Depth – LPCM 2.0 Original Stereo Mix (Flat
Transfer of the album)
3.
96 kHz Sample Rate/24 Bit Depth - DTS 5.1 Digital Surround Mix of the album
4.
ALTERNATE ALBUM:
1.
The Gates Of Delirium (Studio Run-Through)
2.
Sound Chaser (Studio Run-Through)
3.
To Be Over (Studio Run-Through)
A
gatefold digipak with two see-through trays is housed within an outer card
wrap/slipcase giving the reissue the same 'boxed' look as the two other
Reissues in this Steve Wilson Remaster Series - "The Yes Album" and
"Close To The Edge". It looks and feels classy - although I’d say
that the spine on future issues should state more clearly which 'Definitive
Edition' it is – CD and DVD or CD and BLU RAY?
CD
to the left tray, DVD-A to the right and the 20-page booklet loose between them
– each disc pictures the albums original ROGER DEAN label artwork - while the
album’s inner gatefold is beneath the see-through tray for the CD with the
Donald Lehmkuhl poem under the DVD-A tray to the left. The well-stocked 20-page
booklet offers photos of rare 7” picture sleeves from France, Spain and US
promo labels dotted through the text - as well as a lot of colour photos from
the 1976 American "Relayer" Tour with the Crab Nebula set design by
Martyn Dean. There are clusters of concert tickets, local posters for gigs (with
Gryphon as the support act) and a Village Voice trade advert thanking Madison
Square Gardens for a successful show. Lyrics are reproduced and there are
detailed paragraphs on the 'audio sources' that explain how the new 2014 Stereo
Mixes were made (some of the Battle sound effects in "The Gates Of
Delirium" are missing from the master tapes) and the 5.1 Surround Mixes.
As with "The Yes Album" and "Close To The Edge" – noted
Prog Music lover and Writer SID SMITH gives us superb liner notes on the
creation of the album. The artwork for the original vinyl album alone was a
thing of beauty (gatefold sleeve and inner) - and cleverly both the booklet and
the onscreen display for the DVD-A use a Roger Dean painting that wasn’t used
on the original inner gatefold – a sort of squatting Relayer 'Fly' that bears a
passing resemblance to the Fly creature that used to adorn the Motown
Chartbuster LP covers of the early Seventies. Apart from that sloppy typo-error
in the booklet re the track numbers on the CD - it’s all exemplary stuff…
Because
of its density (particularly the near 20-minute opus "The Gates Of
Delirium" on Side 1) – Yes's 8th studio album "Relayer" has
always had a so-so reputation on original 1974 vinyl copies. The Rhino CD
remaster of 2002 had a fair stab at it – but again many felt that it was still
muddied in places. Wilson has no doubt been aware of these 40-year complaints
and his 2014 Remix/Remaster can only be described as an awakening (if I might
get so profound on a Tuesday) – a de-cluttering that will thrill fans of this
brilliant Progressive Rock LP to the very core. I’m amazed at the clarity on
offer here –in fact some portions of "Sound Chaser" and "To Be
Over" are so clean that it’s almost disconcerting - not supressed nor
trebled for effect – just treated with care and attention to transfer detail.
With
the Jon Anderson (Vocals), Steve Howe (Guitars), Patrick Moraz (Keyboards),
Chris Squire (Bass) and Alan White (Drums) line-up at the helm – there was a
concerted effort by YES to get back to the glory of "Close To The
Edge" after the slightly indulgent four long sides of 1973's "Tales
From Topographic Oceans". Relistening to "The Gates Of Delirium"
now (minus its Battle Sequence bits from some studio effects library LP) is a
blast (can't say I missed the bits). If I was to identify one aspect that
hammers home how good the 2014 version is – once again it’s the rhythm section
of Squire and White. The drumming that rattles from speaker to speaker is
amazingly clear - as are the perfectly playing bass parts – and this is even in
the wild centre-passages where Howe and Moraz are letting rip on the Guitars
and Keyboards. When that huge drum/keyboards break occurs at 12:53 – ushering
in the musical repeat that finishes off the piece (just before the soothing
"Soon" passage) – it’s power is utterly amazing (not to mention the
playing).
The
glory continues on Side 2. When Jon Anderson’s vocals first come in on the
surprisingly lovely "To Be Over" – the wallop of them comes as
something of a shock. And again you notice the clarity of the rhythm section –
Chris Squire’s Bass and Alan White’s Drumming. Then there’s Howe’s wonderful
Pedal Steel followed by Rock bursts on his axe that he never lets get out of
control (this is Yes at their mad Proggy best). The big synth and moog tones
flesh out the centre-passage as all the voices chant "...child
like..." – Moraz getting his moment towards the end (clarity is amazing).
And as all those guitars and synths erupt in that fabulous melodic last passage
(joined slowly by complimentary voices) – I’m blubbing freshly-minted Proggy
tears - newly moved.
I
nipped round to my mate's house for a 5.1 Surround moment and 'Mother of God'
was heard to be uttered on quite a few occasions – the dreamy soundscape that
precedes "Soon" is gorgeous and full of space. The drumming that
precedes the Guitar Break on “Sound Chaser” where Howe gets funky is whacking
the speakers like it wants to start a fight. But I must admit I found the Flat
Transfer just that – flat.
So
there you have it – a genuine triumph. I can imagine that nowadays there’s
probably a queue of Prog band’s sat outside Steve Wilson’s front porch
clutching bags of master tapes – hoping to catch his eye as he exits for a
latte and a croissant. And on the strength of this strangely groovy reissue – I
can totally understand why…
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