The whole song was coherent when you realize this song was based on the novel War and Peace. The first section was preparations for war, the chaos was the war itself, then there was the call for peace and at the end it didn't resolve because the question of peace is still open - will we have it or not??
How do you depict war without being chaotic? War is noise and that’s what they created. I still get chills, 40+ years later listening to this. Perhaps it goes back to the 70s when I first heard it and thought, “This is nothing like anything I have ever heard.” We get what we want from this piece. To a degree it’s a product of its time. For me, it will ever resonate as an incredible symphony of chaos and beauty. And the final portion is unmatched in beauty.
Quote from the drummer, Alan White: ""The percussion on that song is pretty unusual. Jon and I used to travel together to Chris' home studio, where we recorded the album. We would stop at a junkyard along the way and pick up parts of cars. We'd just go there and bang on things. There were springs and pieces of metal, brake, and clutch plates. We'd buy them and bring them back to the studio. We built a rack and hung all these things off it, and we'd bang on them. During the recording I pushed the whole thing over. That crash is what you hear on the album." 'I love the way the whole piece keeps my mind buzzing. It's so stimulating. And Chris Squire's bass just grounds everything. "Soon, oh soon the light, ours to shape for all time, ours the right". 'YES' emblazoned across my school note books.
I remember seeing this rack on the relayer tour, Jon seemed to be enjoying himself going wild on a load of old junk...the frying pan always sticks in my mind
That's awesome! It's a genius way of approaching the sound they were going for while also being a spectacle live, as Martin talked about in this thread.
My favorite Yes track, in large part because most Yes is focused on harmonious beauty, and this song is basically Yes saying that they can hang with King Crimson, Van der Graaf Generator, etc. when it comes to making challenging prog that isn't always so aggressively pleasant, but it also finds pockets for the typical Yes beauty as well. In fact, the "Soon" section may be the most beautiful thing they ever wrote, and a big factor in that is how it acts as such a respite from what comes before it. It's also incredibly dense, with some parts bordering on incoherency because of it, but it perfectly fits the theme and title. It's meant to be disorienting, and it achieves that incredibly well. It must've been difficult for a band so adept at making beautiful music to try to capture the chaos and "delirium" of war without completely abandoning their signature sound, but they really threw everything and the kitchen sink into this to get there. I will say, though, that I loathe this particular remaster. Either the original version on Atlantic or Steven Wilson's is far superior. These Rhino remasters of Yes, in general, were extremely compressed and trebly. This track is chaotic enough without the master/mix making it worse. The original and Wilson's are much better balanced in the audio spectrum and have enough dynamic range to breathe. Too bad you had to listen to this masterpiece in the one "bad" version, but I understand that they're the most readily available on RUclips. EDIT: One more note: the entire Tales from the Topographic Oceans album has four 20+ minute Yes epics, including The Revealing Science of God. Even though they aren't as well known, Yes also released other epics later in their career. Unfortunately they came after most people stopped paying attention to the band. Their Keys to Ascension album contained two good ones in Mind Drive and That, That Is (though both clock in at just under 20 minutes) and is a really underrated Yes album in general.
Speaking of making rough/chaotic music while coming from a place of beauty, I understand that completely. I've been attempting to make coherent noisy metal music for a few months now and it's so tough for me. It's a totally different skillset from harmonious musics. Hearing Yes go from what I know of them to this is wild! I might have to check out the SW mix of this. It might help my appreciation of some of the clunkier/muddier sections that I spoke negatively about.
@@CriticalReactions ruclips.net/video/0oq9AgSkzX4/видео.html. Chris’s favorite version. It really is incredible. He said in a 1994 interview that he really didn’t care for the studio version so much because there were so many edits. They’d play 30-60 seconds and then splice it in. He said there were about 30 tape edits in Gates of Delirium. And, according to him, you can hear it. Or he can anyway. By the time they played it live, they had perfected playing it as a whole piece, not a bunch of edits.
@@magicalmystery1964 OMG, I wasn’t aware Chris had said that, this is gold to me, thanks! The rendering of the piece on Yesshows is to me far superior to the studio one, a true, massively underrated hidden gem, and of course CS absolutely glows on it.
Thanks, Bryan. Your review is very interesting in that it starts from a production and engineering perspective and works backwards towards the lyrics to derive meaning behind everything. As many will tell you, "Gates" is Jon Anderson's take on War and Peace, and all the shrill soundscapes, klanging metals, and breaking glass was chosen deliberately to drive all of that aggression into the listener's brain. I'm not sure if the toppy mix and production was also part of this, although I'm guessing it was. For example, Steve Howe made the switch from hollow-body Gibsons to a Fender Telecaster as his main guitar on this album. He must have decided the harsher, grunge-y sound of the Tele was a better fit for the music and Anderson's sonic vision. On the technical front, Relayer was recorded at Chris Squire's home studio, although they had to make use of a mobile 24-track desk because it was unfinished. Yes co-produced with long-time producer Eddie Offord, although this was his last album with Yes, which might explain the struggle to achieve an even soundscape (I have a feeling Anderson's hands were strongly on the faders.) In terms of style and format, Relayer was a return to the successful approach of Close to the Edge (the album) after the much-criticized sprawl of Tales from Topographic Oceans (btw, be sure to include sides 2-4 of Tales in your audit of Yes epics!)
Beautiful username yeshead :) Thanks for this extra info here. It's interesting to note that they switched guitars for a specific sound and how that could have altered the EQ of the whole song. I'll be sure to add the Tales epics to the list!
@@CriticalReactions Yes has recorded about 10 album-length epics to date. Then if go down to "mini-epics" of 9 minutes or more there's about 20 of those. Not all are great, mind you! But in the prog rock genre fewer bands have been so interested in long-form compositions.
Side 1 of Tales, The Revealing Science of God, is by far my favorite from that album, though I love sides 3 and 4 as well. Side 2 didn't speak to me in the same way.
The first third of the song is the lead-up to war. Pounding chests, war cries, etc. The middle of the song is the actual battle. Chaos, metal sounds crashing everywhere, voices everywhere, etc. And the last third of the song is a lament and a hope for peace. The chaos is all very intentional.
Back in the mid 1970s, it took me about 3 years to become a Yes fan. It slowly grew on me because some of my friends would play their music. To listen to this song for the first time, I can see why many people wouldn't like it or can even comment on it. Yes isn't for everyone, but if you're a fan, you're a fan for life
Anderson said this about the lyrics in an interview: "It's about the tribalism between warring factions, and who is the dominant country, the dominant energy at that time. It was at the end of the Vietnam War. We were learning about the unbelievable destruction that was done to the Vietnamese, and for what? I remember writing earlier with Yes, "Long Distance Runaround" and "Starship Trooper," and these were lyrically about the darkness of mankind in a way."
Two nights before delirium came to NYC and America, when the gates, rather the twin towers became asbestos and burnt bodies in our lungs, on 9/11, Yes played G.O.D. at Radio City Music Hall. There is nothing namby-pamby about this band, and their coming to town to transmit baraka was most timely and pre-healing. Sad to say that it is probably the same kind of timely tonight...as Deliria once again comes a-knockin'. In Charlotte, at a different time, I decided, at the last minute, to go to an outdoor Yes concert. But found that, on the way, a huge lightning storm had broken out, and the streetlights went paralytic, so it was tedious getting to concert. I finally arrived, only to hear G.O.D., the war section, as lightning was flashing overhead. The band has always had a spirituality, and an anchor in the future. These real world deliria are growing wearisome.
This is, along with Awaken, my absolute favourite Yes song! What's chaos to you is bliss to me. But then I've heard it so, so many times the last 40+ years... If there's something as contradicting as chaotic harmony this might be it. If you would give the "chaotic" part the time for a couple of relistens I'm pretty sure you would as well experience the harmonies within the surface chaos. Instruments used were (to my knowledge) bass(es), guitars, drums/percussion and lots of keyboard sounds. Then some taped "samples" for sound effects. (Maybe something more but no trumpet or cello that I know of)
It hard to rank Yes songs, but agree Awaken, CTTE and Gates have to be top 3, or top 5. The whole Relayer album is unique and perfect. Drama is unique as well, and Machine Messiah is a masterful track. I appreciate Rabin's work on the Talk album, particularly Endless Dream. And I'm enjoying their latest album, The Quest (rel. 10/2021) but really miss Chris' bass.
Late to the party, but wanted to say you really struck gold with your observation that Yes may not always have it together compositionally, but that they're bold and committed to whatever theu come up with. I think of Yes as having a very wide dispersion or variability in their music, if you plotted their work on a graph with "quality" on the Y axis (time on the X, and quality of course being subjective). They've recorded some of the most sublime music of the last 100 years, or maybe even ever, and also some real crap, lol (don't think you've reacted to any of the worst stuff). But they're totally fearless, which I think accounts for that spread. They are without a doubt my favorite musicians. Love your detailed reactions! So glad I found your channel.
Different keyboard player. Both Close To The Edge and Going For The One (Awaken's album) have Rick Wakeman in keyboards and we have Patrick Moraz in this album, Relayer.
To Answer your questions: Back in the day, late 70's and 80's I was heavily involved in live music production, working a mixer board for different bands. When we made recordings of the bands, we would mix on headphones, but often the musicians would take cassettes home to play on their home loudspeakers (or 6x9 Jenson car stereos) before determining if it was mixed properly. No question about it, headphones do not reproduce the intent of the musician. Especially for YES. Go back to Close to the Edge, but this time play it on loudspeakers at Volume 11, and see what your impression about music recording techniques then vs now...The BASS from Mr Squire will shake your walls and things will fall, the really low sounds of bass and drums with the voice and tunes of the other members. A pipe organ that shakes your walls...! I must say I am biased for Loudspeakers. My 40 year hobby of building loudspeakers for many different placements. I never use headphones, even on PC. Best...!
this is a song about war. There is the opening conflict, then the battle. then the resolution of its' pointlessness and how we should really accept our differences and move to a united peace. This sound was MADE to be chaotic. WAR always is.
RELAYER is my favorite Yes album and GATES is my favorite Yes track. Same sort of style they had evolved from YES ALBUM to TOPOGRAPHIC OCEANS, but with a much more fierce edge. They had a rack full of tools to bang on during the middle section, and at one point Anderson just kicked it over. John Cage stuff. New keyboard player Patrick Moraz was using a weird instrument called an Orchestron for many of the uncanny timbres. And then there's the ecstasy of the concluding section, which rises up out of the haze like a sunrise.
It's by far Yes's most "avant - garde" album they ever did with the classic lineup, minus Wakeman. And that's thanks to Moraz he really pushed all the different types of sounds from his keyboards that were far different than what Wakeman produced. This is a special period in Yes's muscial history. It was never replicated. Some of Yes's most brilliant musicianship is reflected is on this album. Thanks for reviewing it!
How can a ”composer” listen to Gates and not hear the developing musical themes, where one theme derives from another, to the point where even the ‘Soon’ section derives from the very first two-note statement?
A very relevant song to review on the day of horror in Europe where this song is all about the Horrors of WAR.... Called Delirium for a reason, the song is meant to be chaotic / confusing / and delirious.
Yes was heavily influenced by jazz-fusion around this time, due in part to Patrick Moraz joining on keyboards. There’s also a bit of Holst’s Mars in the mid section. Squire’s bass tone is savage and when he hits that groove in the big instrumental section it seems unstoppable.
I don’t see how you guys can “get” a song like this on one listen. When I first heard this song back in my college days, I was like “WTF?” and only after 4 or 5 plays could I sort out everything. I don’t know what clipping you heard, I’m an engineer and don’t hear it. Perhaps it’s an equipment issue. The ending uses a picardy third cadence, something Yes has used at the end of “Roundabout”
For a bit of an audio history lesson, stereo was invented in the 30s. By the 50s it was being used commercially but mostly in classical. By the 60s stereo starts becoming more common in home theaters and many pop albums are being released in both mono and stereo versions. By the late 60s/early70s stereo is becoming ubiquitous and most albums are only being mixed and released in stereo. In the late 60s/early 70s, especially in psychedelic music (and prog, which evolved from psychedelic music), you get a lot of experimentation with panning and creative ways to utilize stereo sound. I'll also add that this particular song is indeed about war as a metaphorical "gate of delirium." Basically how war is hell and destroys people mentally. I think it was inspired by the novel War & Peace.
It's a song about war - the prep, the battle, the victory, and then the prayer of gratitude. All chaos and disjointedness is intentional. Not sure what you.mean by it not resolving. It totally resolves. You need to listen to the live version from YesShows, which is 3x better and is the definitive version anyway.
This was a very ambitious track, and the original production indeed has a lot of flaws and didn't really capture it's potential. Steven Wilson's remix did a lot to fix it though! But the version that really made the track come alive for me was when I first listened to the live recording on Yesshows (from a concert in Detroit autumn 1976).
The ending is an example of a "deceptive cadence" which is an unexpected key modulation resulting in ending on something other than the tonic established upto that point.
I think it was Steven Wilson who pointed the "clipping" out in an interview. Apparently they saturated the tape which recorded the instruments at the highest possible level. I also think it was more than just this album that was recorded that way. It made it more difficult for him during the re-mix process.
That doesn't sounds like it was intentional, but a side effect that they accepted. Very interesting. And yeah, that would make remixing it difficult since those pops/crackles are now part of the song. Which poses an interesting question: should it be removed in a remix? It wasn't really intended but it is part of the song's DNA at this point. Removing it possibly achieves something closer to the original vision but it's also an alteration of the final, released artwork.
If you think this one's chaotic (although programmatically so)...check out "Sound Chaser" on the other side. Absolutely INSANE Steve Howe guitar showcase, with some quite bizarre vocal chanting...
Cool thing was that the opening of that was basically Patrick's audition. He and Alan wrote the intro and that was what was used on the album. I'm sure it was the music, not the actual performance from the audition. Now that's a job interview!
I got the impression that you were concentrating too much on individual parts and not the concept of the song as a whole. The song is about two factions contemplating war at the beginning and then moving toward that inevitable end. The beginning of the solo you can clearly feel the two sides heading into battle and then colliding. The end of the solo is the victory of the winning side pounding the other side to bits. Then comes the victory march and finally the aftermath. This is arguably Yes's greatest achievement. It took me a few times to really get it but the only other Yes album that comes close in my opinion is Close to the Edge.
This album, Relayer, was their most avant garde music as a result of Rick Wakeman having left after Topographic Oceans and having Patrick Moraz on the keyboards and he brought a jazzier side the music. When you hear The Revealing Science of God which is only side one of the four side album then you’ll understand why Wakeman left as he didn’t like the Yes music at that time although I love it. Gates of Delerium is based on the book War and Peace which is why it gets so intense and chaotic.
Great reaction, in summary... this version of YES is at its peak of progressive experimentation, very creative full of unexpected transitions executed by virtuosos, there is no band that can beat this. In this song we can feel the storm of chaos (war) and peace (tranquility). The Soon section is the closer we can get to heaven!
Cohesive? It's all cohesive! I hope your musical analytical awareness followed the details of the story especially the way the music tells it & emphasises every aspect of the journey. As complex as YES musc can seem and is, I think you miss the trees before the forest. It's amazing from the call to arms, rallying of the fighters, organizing the forces, a bit of self-reflection, marching to battle, clashing of enemies before overtaking and then demolishing all towards victory & glory yet after all is destroyed we simply wish that we would someday see the light of wisdom and never have to kill again. The song with all of it's transitions rises, peaks, descends & resolves perfectly then finales with a Note that's filled with Hope! Next time listen with a freer emotional mind that is less clinical. GATES is a pure visceral sonically dramatic experience. This is YES at the peak of their most Progressive era. They literally through the kitchen sink in with this one. I loved them then because they would give you their ALL and cover every mood and texture within one adventure. Having ghe same 3 song format, I've always considered RELAYER album to be the sequel to Close to the Edge on jazz steriods. What a masterpiece!
Yup. Yes makes incredibly dense songs. Pair that with the fact I listen to the music first then read the lyrics and I'm bound to miss stuff on my first listen. Yes makes songs that someone designed to be more understood and appreciated with each subsequent listen and I'm humble enough to walk around from a first listen saying "I know I missed a lot here." Thanks for your comment!
Thank you Bryan, good analysis. After endless listens GoD is now no longer jarring to me, its comfortable and has found a space in my comfort zone. The first few minutes of CTTE usually gets the same reaction; l personally think they are the best few minutes in the history of rock. Love yr in depth comments re production.
The album is much like a masonic initiation ritual transiting from dark to light, from chaos to order IMO. In the album Tales From Topographic Oceans they return to this theme (Jon Anderson being the driver) on the 4th movement, Ritual (nous sommes du soleil).
The most visual, synesthetic composition for rocknroll instrumentation. When I first heard this, I didn't like it so much, and concentrated on the flip side. And then, one afternoon, I listened to Delirium more or less out of boredom. The story unfolded for me, and there I was in the midst of a battle between The Old Magic and The New Technology. Stunning work.
You brought up headphones. Even someone technically deaf hears with more than ear holes. We speak and sing with more than our voice holes. Our skulls and torsos, perhaps more, are crucial to sound communication.
On this album, Patrick Moraz was the keyboardist, who is more jazzy than Rick Wakeman. That may have contributed to the different sound of the album. I am a fan of Yes with Rick Wakeman, but somehow Gates of Delirium is in my opinion of their top songs. In fact it was the first of their music I ever heard after a classmate gave me a cassette tape in the seventies (with Olias of Sunhillow by Jon Anderson on the other side of the C90-tape). And that led me later to buy those albums, first on vinyl and later on cd. Maybe this song is a bit Warhol meets Strawinsky.
The thing is that for this specific album they gathered an external member as Patrick Moraz on keyboards which brought a different feel to rhythms and sounds and just as Rick Wakeman he has a classical background as well.
Gates of Delirium is a WAR song. The Chaos described is the battle scene. The end represents the afterthought in opposition to the introduction with its call for patriotism and the delirious state of humans that are manipulated. Highly actual I'm afraid.
The song represents war and peace. The chaotic battle scene; think about the survivors of a battle, the sun starts to rise over the battlefield as the smokes clears so everyone on both sides can finally see the death and destruction all around them and each hoped they were victorious. Then the peace as the sun rises. Soon oh soon the light!
The difference between this music and Close to the Edge is different drummer and different keyboard player. And, while both are big changes, the new keyboard player, Patrick Moraz, was very involved in the writing on this album. Wakeman is more of a polish the song kind of musician. For example Bowie had an album's worth of music that he just couldn't get it together. I can't recall which album it was. So he asked Rick to come over and Rick got it all arranged and put together for him. He did it for no money and no credit too.
even the final part is delirium, as who could possibly think clearly after maintaining the war mindset for so long and think a peaceful mind will result, except with delirium.
This song was supposedly inspired by the novel War and Peace. If that is true, then chaos is perfectly relevant, as war is chaotic, as is the more beautiful melodic parts. This is a brilliant composition and expertly executed by 5 master musicians. It also struck me as a perfect recreation of the novel.
Listen to Steven Wilson's version. I don't 100% like the mix on that - but the clarity and instrument definition is excellent. This is maybe the single greatest song ever written - music-wise, at least.
Those metallic "samples" are old junk car parts. I think it was Jon and Alan who would stop at a junk yard and grab stuff. They hung it all on a huge rack and pounded on it during the war. At some point it fell over and they left that in. I can't tell where it falls over though. Apologies if this is a duplicate of another comment.
An odd thing about this was that Jon came in with the whole song sketched out and a tape of a piano demo (poorly played as Jon put it). Of course that was just the core of the piece.
I think you might be way over analyzing this song and putting your focus on the leaves and bark of the trees without understanding the type of forest you are in. You should understand the theme here because this whole song makes perfect sense when you know the overall theme so understanding the three movements is a the key. The first part is about a build up towards war and conflict. It includes a call to war, march and rally behind the flag theme and includes those who question the war march but they are discounted and the war begins. The vocals Jon uses reflects the demands of a tyrant calling the masses to war. The second part is the war and clearly is about conflict and chaos and that is exactly what is in their if you listen closely you can hear distorted screams of pain. The third part is when war is over and a new era of peace starts and they realize the cost of war. Here Jon's voice changes to his angelic vocals, so very well done. The ending is left unresolved for a very good reason because the cycle of war and peace has never ever resolves. Yes tries to put that idea in head that this cycle goes on and the message is how to break it. Jon Anderson was reading War and Peace at the time which was the inspiration for the song. For me this is one song by Yes where it's antiwar focus is very clear and it is so very relevant now as it was in the 1970's and will be in the future. When you understand the theme this song becomes a masterpiece of music a true epic. These Yes epics tend to be based in themes from books Jon Anderson was reading at the time. This song is not linked to other epics. I know you do not have the LPs like we had in the day but the artwork and cover notes were helpful clues for us. Hope this helps.
As a teenager, I played in a band in Clarence NY (a suburb of Buffalo) w/ the son of Dr. Dave Luce: Chief Engineer and inventor of the Polyphonic Moog Synth ( ruclips.net/video/2Feat39SqXI/видео.html ). ELP. Yes, Tony Kaye, Rush (who lived only 45 mins away), and Patrick Moraz would come by usually between gigs in either Cleveland or Toronto. They would dump their gear and pick up "new stuff" on the way to the next show. In those days, everything was analog and pieces of tape were adorned on all the "knobs" with the settings for each song...... It made us sound "F'n" genius! In fact, Chris Squire and Getty Lee collaborated with Bob Moog and Dave (mentioned on the poster insert of Brain Salad Surgery) to develop the Moog Korg (Bass foot-pedal synth!!) . As far as Relayer goes...A couple of mentions.... Those who stated that "The Gates" is about war are correct. Just as Jon was inspired by the Hobbit in "Close" which I write exactly 50 years ago to the day (Sept 13, 1972). As a Vet, War is very much like the sound they created. Two; folks mentioned it was recorded in Chris Squire's home studio... Not actually. The group was reeling after losing Rick post "Tales" and its tour, and since Chris and Steve had worked previously w/ Patrick Moraz on the solo albums, they piled into Chris' garage (not studio) wheeled Eddie's Mix-board in, and started jamming w/o Jon.... This is why the song (and Sound Chaser) are so vocal-sparse. Later, Chris would finish a studio in his garage, but well after Relayer. Another interesting point to the ending of "Gates" is that Management wanted to tack on a Radio friendly song...... thus "Soon" was coherent, sonically separable through the classic (and beautiful) Yes heavenly interlude, and under 5 mins. Critical Reactions and one other commenter picked up on a critical turning point in Guitar history. True, Steve Howe moved to a Telecaster in this album. True, stereo played a critical role in the sound. This is because Steve had the Tele modified to Stereo Output. This decision was so impacting to the guitar world, that Alex Lifeson's agent came running to him at home and said "Alex, Steve Howe just cut an album w/ a Stereo Telecaster!" Alex immediately followed suit albeit for a short period. This reaction underscored not only Steve's influence on Alex, Getty's stated influence by Chris Squire, their involvement in Yes' Hall of Fame induction, and reactioner's born post-1990s tendency to say on hearing Yes, "Boy they remind me of Rush" when it is truly the other way around. Last Point, The clipping on Chris' bass. First, since The Yes Album, Chris ran an Amp head with a blown-out midrange tube set. As a result, he cranked the treble and bass out-puts and cranked the volume. This produced his legendary sound on Fragile, Close (50 today!!), Tales, etc. By the time they reached his garage, the bridge Humbucker pick-up on his Rickenbacker had blown out. The magnetic portion of it had stopped working but thru electrical induction, was able to produce sound thru the Amp to the speaker. Thus, he was able to produce the "fuzzy" and by definition, clipped sound on Gates..... Listen to "To Be Over" recorded in the same garage, with the same equipment once Jon had arrived. Fat and smooth..... Just like the strings he used. Check out ruclips.net/video/XOKEcM6TrZE/видео.htmlruclips.net/video/XOKEcM6TrZE/видео.htmlruclips.net/video/XOKEcM6TrZE/видео.html
What you are saying is interesting. For that album only, the keyboardist was Patrick Moraz. He did participate to compose the next album and Awaken, but was replaced Rick Wakeman. So the link you see between Awaken and Gates make sense because it started with the same line up.
To answer your production criticisms I would say is because you listened to the remastered mix I have noticed that the bass was eq'd and extra volume added on some of their remastered cd"s This album was ab anomaly since it is the only one that had Patrick Moraz on keys instead of Wakeman
It sounds like you got a bad version. Sometimes those remasters turn out worse than the original. My remaster version of Relayer is pretty sweet. It's the 2003 remaster.
Remember back then all they had was tape echo. And there was no midi or tap tempo. They set the delay time by feel. And Yes also didn't use a clicker. That's why you can get the feeling of tension and release they use A LOT. They just purposely fall a little behind or rush the note at the end of measures. They all had to be on the same page of course.
I didnt get this song when I first heard it, but once you know the story you relate to the lead up to war, the violence and confusion of battle then finally the aftermath....it all fits perfectly....perhaps Putin should sit down and listen to this with a nice cup of tea before he pushes the button
CR May I recommend the Magnification album by YES with orchestra a 2003 release. the last one with Jon and Chris is a more coherent and wonderfully produced album. The song, In the Presence Of is IMHO another masterpiece.
You have yet to embrace Impressionism. Now, go learn to shift those dots on the staff to the movement’s of life, in this case that would be war and the aftermath of remorse.
They had a new keyboard player named Patrick Moraz who was a different sort of musician than Rick Wakeman. That is why the music sounds different. The keys are such a strong part of the texture.
I seriously disliked this album when I first played it. I played it again about a year later and thought it was not so bad after all. Soon after it became one of my most -played Yes albums, second only to T.O. I have spoken to Rick Wakeman on a few occasions. I have not yet had the nerve to tell him that out of my two most favourate Yes albums the first he hated and the second he did not play on.
This song is about war. You made the comment there is no resolution. My God at this time don't we know that there is no real peace. It's ugly but chaos is real.
The theme connects Stone Age reasoning with the modern age through anthropology. There are no demons, or hell, there is only the Limbic System which we, through evolution have inherited. There is no resolve, only a misbegotten hope, which ya can cling on too. Look at it this way; When observing the universe what do you see? Well, large structures imploding and exploding, no? We are in the universe and the universe is in us, no?
"Delirium" here is getting at the idea of the confusion and disorientation that reigns which war breaks out. All rational thought is lost as each side justifies going to war and demonizes its enemies. That's what Part 1 is all about. Part 2, the long instrumental section, is the battle -- chaos on the battlefield. Clashing of swords and roaring of cannons. The 11/4 part is the victory march. As the piece moves into free time, I envision the end of the battle, with gunsmoke hanging over the battlefield as the warring sides go out to look for survivors and tend to the wounded. The entire last section, "Soon," is to me just a plea to humanity for peace -- that we can be better than this, that we can heal and find other ways to resolve our differences. This song was written right at the tail end of the Vietnam War, and I can't help thinking that influenced Jon's lyrics. Supposedly, he was inspired by Tolstoy's "War and Peace," but I think contemporary events probably shaded Jon's thinking. He's also said he was inspired by "Wings of the Delirious Demon" by electronic-music composer Ilhan Mimaroglu. Musically, this album was kind of a cul-de-sac for Yes. Patrick Moraz, who only played on this album, really pulled them into some experimental places they hadn't gone before, especially with regard to jazz fusion. If you haven't listened to "Sound Chaser" yet, give it a whirl. It's even more frenetic than "The Gates of Delirium." I don't hear what you're hearing with the lack of resolution at the end of "Gates." That closing note from the Mellotron to me brings it all home and tells us everything will be OK. It gives me chills even after hundreds of listens and has even brought me to tears a few times. After all the harshness and chaos of what transpired before, that ending is just so reassuring and soothing. A beautiful ending to a very ambitious composition. It's one of my favorite pieces of music by anyone, ever. Thanks for giving it a listen.
Great video! Very insightful, I love this track. Really wondering what your thoughts are going to be on The Revealing Science of God, I personally prefer The Remembering from the same album. That one is also around 20 min long.
There was a huge problem with clipping in early CD recording. Something else to blow your mind with panning is that the recording industry was working on true quad stereo in the mid 1970's.
Hello, just been watching you listening to this, I love it how you analyse music, this is kind of how I listen to music too. All what you've heard I have luckily seen live. Try a bit of Hawkwind..... let's say, Chronicles of the Black Sword. Why not. Keep up your good channel. 🎼🎵🎶🎵🖖
Composer dude? What is your training, backgroung, resume? Other than opinion on what level are you motivated to critique professional musicians such as Yes? Don't get me started on review channels.
So you've never had an opinion on a piece of music, irrespective of whatever training you've had? Do you criticize politicians without having a background in political science? Or movies if you're not a professional critic with, say, some experience onstage? I find that people tend to criticize the critics only when they don't like what's being said. This is one of my favorite pieces of music ever, and Bryan wasn't so sure about it. And that's perfectly OK. I don't need confirmation bias for the music I like. I just like hearing the thoughtful reactions of other people. If you don't like review channels, why are you here?
I’m really glad you checked out my favorite song by one of my favorite bands. I have two songs by two different bands I think you would really enjoy checking out. First is the song Ilha Verde by Monobody. They are an incredible math jazz band with TWO bass players! Second is the song Many words of Disapproval by Consider The Source. Their genre is hard to nail down, basically a culmination of progressive rock and world music elements that will hopefully blow your mind.
Absolutely loved your reactions. You should check out some of Yes' live stuff. You'll absolutely love them. You can check out ABWH - An Evening of Yes Music live 1989. The full concert is available on RUclips, or songs are individually uploaded on RUclips. Please do check them out.
Yes musical development depends on the musician lineup Patrick moraz brought his musical style of playing to the group for relayer. Rick wakeman was back with then for awaken who had a completely different sounds.
This album used the same producer, Eddie Offord, as the prior 5-6 Yes albums. Interestingly, it was recorded in a new studio, that Chris Squire had built in his garage, using portable recording equipment, since his new equipment had yet to be installed. Perhaps the new environment and unfamiliar equipment played a role in the production oddities you noted. The next album recorded in that studio was Chris Squire’s 1975 solo album “Fish Out Of Water.” I’ve always thought that album had great production. It’s one of my desert island albums, you should check it out. Beautiful funky, jazzy symphonic arrangements with a lead bass guitar. How could you go wrong? PS: this is the crappy 2003 remaster. Check out the Steven Wilson remix, or the original. PPS: there are more than four Yes epics. Your next stop should be “Heart of the Sunrise,” from Fragile.
This is the Telecaster album. Also Patrick Moraz had a totally different keyboard set- up than Wakeman. He had a two string machines as well as the the Mellotron. A Fender Rhodes instead of the RMI Electra Piano. He also had an Arp Pro soloist. These keyboards give Relayer a very distinctive sound unlike any other Yes album. Also Steven Wilson is the only person to ever remix this album.
I was meant to be seeing Relayer live at the Royal Albert Hall last year for my 40th birthday. But Covid has postponed it. Better still be going ahead, with all members still alive etc. It cost me a small fortune for those tickets.
This song begins with two views on what should be done about a threat and then goes into battle and a fight. Once the battle is over, the mists waft over the dead and then peace ensues.
Analyze "Gates of Delirium" within the context of the whole point of the song. Jon Anderson had read Tolstoy's "War and Peace", which at least in part, inspired this epic. It is about WAR. The musical patterns (resolutions, changes in meter and time signatures, over-driven production, unexpectedness and changes, etc.) are all focused on depicting the chaos and horror of war but also the complex spiritual attitudes and conditions in the human heart when engaged in war.
One has to take into account the context surrounding the composition and release of Relayer. This was 1975, a time when so-called "progressive rock" was slowly giving way to punk-rock in popular acceptance. Thus the harsher sound, as if the band was trying to keep up with the times.
Having seen the original show of gates... back in 1975, I can affirm that the sound of that album in particular was produced for a live impact on a very large live auditoire. Adding the stage and lighting chaos with the musical discomfort was nightmarish, thank god the sound as distorded as it was, was'nt too loud. They would had lost everyboby.
RITUAL(NOUS SOMMES DU SOLEIL) is the 5th,20 minute epic off the same album as REVEALING SCIENCE OF GOD. That album is TALES OF TOPOGRAPHIC OCEANS. You should check out RITUAL as well.
Perhaps a parable on war at the time and now? I try all my new hi-fi with this excellent vinyl production - gives a raw dense sonic theatre and moraz is dreamy! Even Anderson sounds nasty at the right moment! This must be excillarating to perform!
The whole song was coherent when you realize this song was based on the novel War and Peace. The first section was preparations for war, the chaos was the war itself, then there was the call for peace and at the end it didn't resolve because the question of peace is still open - will we have it or not??
Loosely based on War and Peace. Also Nam.
@@nancymjohnson Didn't realise it was partly to do with Vietnam. Interesting!
How do you depict war without being chaotic? War is noise and that’s what they created. I still get chills, 40+ years later listening to this. Perhaps it goes back to the 70s when I first heard it and thought, “This is nothing like anything I have ever heard.” We get what we want from this piece. To a degree it’s a product of its time. For me, it will ever resonate as an incredible symphony of chaos and beauty. And the final portion is unmatched in beauty.
Absolutely
One of their best tracks! Too bad he didn’t do any basic research before going into the track.
Quote from the drummer, Alan White: ""The percussion on that song is pretty unusual. Jon and I used to travel together to Chris' home studio, where we recorded the album. We would stop at a junkyard along the way and pick up parts of cars. We'd just go there and bang on things. There were springs and pieces of metal, brake, and clutch plates. We'd buy them and bring them back to the studio. We built a rack and hung all these things off it, and we'd bang on them. During the recording I pushed the whole thing over. That crash is what you hear on the album."
'I love the way the whole piece keeps my mind buzzing. It's so stimulating. And Chris Squire's bass just grounds everything.
"Soon, oh soon the light, ours to shape for all time, ours the right". 'YES' emblazoned across my school note books.
I remember seeing this rack on the relayer tour, Jon seemed to be enjoying himself going wild on a load of old junk...the frying pan always sticks in my mind
That's awesome! It's a genius way of approaching the sound they were going for while also being a spectacle live, as Martin talked about in this thread.
Patrick Moraz the keyboard player on this is also sometimes triggering sound effects on a mellotron with customized tapes.
My favorite Yes track, in large part because most Yes is focused on harmonious beauty, and this song is basically Yes saying that they can hang with King Crimson, Van der Graaf Generator, etc. when it comes to making challenging prog that isn't always so aggressively pleasant, but it also finds pockets for the typical Yes beauty as well. In fact, the "Soon" section may be the most beautiful thing they ever wrote, and a big factor in that is how it acts as such a respite from what comes before it. It's also incredibly dense, with some parts bordering on incoherency because of it, but it perfectly fits the theme and title. It's meant to be disorienting, and it achieves that incredibly well. It must've been difficult for a band so adept at making beautiful music to try to capture the chaos and "delirium" of war without completely abandoning their signature sound, but they really threw everything and the kitchen sink into this to get there.
I will say, though, that I loathe this particular remaster. Either the original version on Atlantic or Steven Wilson's is far superior. These Rhino remasters of Yes, in general, were extremely compressed and trebly. This track is chaotic enough without the master/mix making it worse. The original and Wilson's are much better balanced in the audio spectrum and have enough dynamic range to breathe. Too bad you had to listen to this masterpiece in the one "bad" version, but I understand that they're the most readily available on RUclips.
EDIT: One more note: the entire Tales from the Topographic Oceans album has four 20+ minute Yes epics, including The Revealing Science of God. Even though they aren't as well known, Yes also released other epics later in their career. Unfortunately they came after most people stopped paying attention to the band. Their Keys to Ascension album contained two good ones in Mind Drive and That, That Is (though both clock in at just under 20 minutes) and is a really underrated Yes album in general.
Chris Squire said once that his favorite version was the live version from Yesshows.
Speaking of making rough/chaotic music while coming from a place of beauty, I understand that completely. I've been attempting to make coherent noisy metal music for a few months now and it's so tough for me. It's a totally different skillset from harmonious musics. Hearing Yes go from what I know of them to this is wild!
I might have to check out the SW mix of this. It might help my appreciation of some of the clunkier/muddier sections that I spoke negatively about.
@@CriticalReactions ruclips.net/video/0oq9AgSkzX4/видео.html. Chris’s favorite version. It really is incredible. He said in a 1994 interview that he really didn’t care for the studio version so much because there were so many edits. They’d play 30-60 seconds and then splice it in. He said there were about 30 tape edits in Gates of Delirium. And, according to him, you can hear it. Or he can anyway. By the time they played it live, they had perfected playing it as a whole piece, not a bunch of edits.
@@magicalmystery1964 OMG, I wasn’t aware Chris had said that, this is gold to me, thanks! The rendering of the piece on Yesshows is to me far superior to the studio one, a true, massively underrated hidden gem, and of course CS absolutely glows on it.
@@dago87able there is an interview here on RUclips. Chris Squire 1994 Yestival. That is where he talks about it
Howe's guitar during the Soon section is the closest I've ever heard to an instrument actually weeping
Beautiful way of describing that!
Thanks, Bryan. Your review is very interesting in that it starts from a production and engineering perspective and works backwards towards the lyrics to derive meaning behind everything. As many will tell you, "Gates" is Jon Anderson's take on War and Peace, and all the shrill soundscapes, klanging metals, and breaking glass was chosen deliberately to drive all of that aggression into the listener's brain. I'm not sure if the toppy mix and production was also part of this, although I'm guessing it was. For example, Steve Howe made the switch from hollow-body Gibsons to a Fender Telecaster as his main guitar on this album. He must have decided the harsher, grunge-y sound of the Tele was a better fit for the music and Anderson's sonic vision.
On the technical front, Relayer was recorded at Chris Squire's home studio, although they had to make use of a mobile 24-track desk because it was unfinished. Yes co-produced with long-time producer Eddie Offord, although this was his last album with Yes, which might explain the struggle to achieve an even soundscape (I have a feeling Anderson's hands were strongly on the faders.)
In terms of style and format, Relayer was a return to the successful approach of Close to the Edge (the album) after the much-criticized sprawl of Tales from Topographic Oceans (btw, be sure to include sides 2-4 of Tales in your audit of Yes epics!)
Beautiful username yeshead :)
Thanks for this extra info here. It's interesting to note that they switched guitars for a specific sound and how that could have altered the EQ of the whole song. I'll be sure to add the Tales epics to the list!
@@CriticalReactions Yes has recorded about 10 album-length epics to date. Then if go down to "mini-epics" of 9 minutes or more there's about 20 of those. Not all are great, mind you! But in the prog rock genre fewer bands have been so interested in long-form compositions.
Side 1 of Tales, The Revealing Science of God, is by far my favorite from that album, though I love sides 3 and 4 as well. Side 2 didn't speak to me in the same way.
a top 5 yes masterpiece. this band was untouchable.
It's really amazing that they even attempted something like this.
The first third of the song is the lead-up to war. Pounding chests, war cries, etc. The middle of the song is the actual battle. Chaos, metal sounds crashing everywhere, voices everywhere, etc. And the last third of the song is a lament and a hope for peace. The chaos is all very intentional.
100% agree!
Back in the mid 1970s, it took me about 3 years to become a Yes fan. It slowly grew on me because some of my friends would play their music. To listen to this song for the first time, I can see why many people wouldn't like it or can even comment on it. Yes isn't for everyone, but if you're a fan, you're a fan for life
Anderson said this about the lyrics in an interview:
"It's about the tribalism between warring factions, and who is the dominant country, the dominant energy at that time. It was at the end of the Vietnam War. We were learning about the unbelievable destruction that was done to the Vietnamese, and for what? I remember writing earlier with Yes, "Long Distance Runaround" and "Starship Trooper," and these were lyrically about the darkness of mankind in a way."
Two nights before delirium came to NYC and America, when the gates, rather the twin towers became asbestos and burnt bodies in our lungs, on 9/11, Yes played G.O.D. at Radio City Music Hall.
There is nothing namby-pamby about this band, and their coming to town to transmit baraka was most timely and pre-healing.
Sad to say that it is probably the same kind of timely tonight...as Deliria once again comes a-knockin'.
In Charlotte, at a different time, I decided, at the last minute, to go to an outdoor Yes concert. But found that, on the way, a huge lightning storm had broken out, and the streetlights went paralytic, so it was tedious getting to concert. I finally arrived, only to hear G.O.D., the war section, as lightning was flashing overhead.
The band has always had a spirituality, and an anchor in the future.
These real world deliria are growing wearisome.
This is, along with Awaken, my absolute favourite Yes song! What's chaos to you is bliss to me. But then I've heard it so, so many times the last 40+ years... If there's something as contradicting as chaotic harmony this might be it. If you would give the "chaotic" part the time for a couple of relistens I'm pretty sure you would as well experience the harmonies within the surface chaos.
Instruments used were (to my knowledge) bass(es), guitars, drums/percussion and lots of keyboard sounds. Then some taped "samples" for sound effects. (Maybe something more but no trumpet or cello that I know of)
The best album without Wakeman and Bruford.I think i hear some Melotron in the last part.👌
@@rolfjamne8922 and some spare parts from cars that they just hit and crashed in the middle of the battle part.
This is certainly a track that would get more clarity and less chaos with each subsequent listen.
It hard to rank Yes songs, but agree Awaken, CTTE and Gates have to be top 3, or top 5. The whole Relayer album is unique and perfect. Drama is unique as well, and Machine Messiah is a masterful track. I appreciate Rabin's work on the Talk album, particularly Endless Dream. And I'm enjoying their latest album, The Quest (rel. 10/2021) but really miss Chris' bass.
Howe's unique use of pedal steel and lap steel is sometimes mistaken for added strings.
J. Anderson whrote that after reading Tolstoy's War and Peace
YES, it resolved. That C major chord at the end. Oh my!!!
Late to the party, but wanted to say you really struck gold with your observation that Yes may not always have it together compositionally, but that they're bold and committed to whatever theu come up with. I think of Yes as having a very wide dispersion or variability in their music, if you plotted their work on a graph with "quality" on the Y axis (time on the X, and quality of course being subjective). They've recorded some of the most sublime music of the last 100 years, or maybe even ever, and also some real crap, lol (don't think you've reacted to any of the worst stuff). But they're totally fearless, which I think accounts for that spread. They are without a doubt my favorite musicians.
Love your detailed reactions! So glad I found your channel.
Rumor has it, Steve Howes delay effect was so deep, he never had to show up on time for the next tracking....
Different keyboard player.
Both Close To The Edge and Going For The One (Awaken's album) have Rick Wakeman in keyboards and we have Patrick Moraz in this album, Relayer.
To Answer your questions: Back in the day, late 70's and 80's I was heavily involved in live music production, working a mixer board for different bands. When we made recordings of the bands, we would mix on headphones, but often the musicians would take cassettes home to play on their home loudspeakers (or 6x9 Jenson car stereos) before determining if it was mixed properly. No question about it, headphones do not reproduce the intent of the musician.
Especially for YES. Go back to Close to the Edge, but this time play it on loudspeakers at Volume 11, and see what your impression about music recording techniques then vs now...The BASS from Mr Squire will shake your walls and things will fall, the really low sounds of bass and drums with the voice and tunes of the other members. A pipe organ that shakes your walls...!
I must say I am biased for Loudspeakers. My 40 year hobby of building loudspeakers for many different placements. I never use headphones, even on PC. Best...!
this is a song about war. There is the opening conflict, then the battle. then the resolution of its' pointlessness and how we should really accept our differences and move to a united peace. This sound was MADE to be chaotic. WAR always is.
RELAYER is my favorite Yes album and GATES is my favorite Yes track. Same sort of style they had evolved from YES ALBUM to TOPOGRAPHIC OCEANS, but with a much more fierce edge. They had a rack full of tools to bang on during the middle section, and at one point Anderson just kicked it over. John Cage stuff. New keyboard player Patrick Moraz was using a weird instrument called an Orchestron for many of the uncanny timbres. And then there's the ecstasy of the concluding section, which rises up out of the haze like a sunrise.
Controlled Chaos. EPIC!!!!!!!! and SICK!!!!!!!!
It's by far Yes's most "avant - garde" album they ever did with the classic lineup, minus Wakeman. And that's thanks to Moraz he really pushed all the different types of sounds from his keyboards that were far different than what Wakeman produced. This is a special period in Yes's muscial history. It was never replicated. Some of Yes's most brilliant musicianship is reflected is on this album. Thanks for reviewing it!
How can a ”composer” listen to Gates and not hear the developing musical themes, where one theme derives from another, to the point where even the ‘Soon’ section derives from the very first two-note statement?
Maybe he's hearing it for the first time (which he is). It's a lot to take in in a single listen.
A very relevant song to review on the day of horror in Europe where this song is all about the Horrors of WAR....
Called Delirium for a reason, the song is meant to be chaotic / confusing / and delirious.
Yes was heavily influenced by jazz-fusion around this time, due in part to Patrick Moraz joining on keyboards. There’s also a bit of Holst’s Mars in the mid section. Squire’s bass tone is savage and when he hits that groove in the big instrumental section it seems unstoppable.
And Soundchaser is a full-on jazz fusion piece.
I don’t see how you guys can “get” a song like this on one listen. When I first heard this song back in my college days, I was like “WTF?” and only after 4 or 5 plays could I sort out everything.
I don’t know what clipping you heard, I’m an engineer and don’t hear it. Perhaps it’s an equipment issue.
The ending uses a picardy third cadence, something Yes has used at the end of “Roundabout”
A masterpiece…
For a bit of an audio history lesson, stereo was invented in the 30s. By the 50s it was being used commercially but mostly in classical. By the 60s stereo starts becoming more common in home theaters and many pop albums are being released in both mono and stereo versions. By the late 60s/early70s stereo is becoming ubiquitous and most albums are only being mixed and released in stereo. In the late 60s/early 70s, especially in psychedelic music (and prog, which evolved from psychedelic music), you get a lot of experimentation with panning and creative ways to utilize stereo sound.
I'll also add that this particular song is indeed about war as a metaphorical "gate of delirium." Basically how war is hell and destroys people mentally. I think it was inspired by the novel War & Peace.
Ah, I had my info mostly correct but my dates were off. Thanks for clarifying that.
It's a song about war - the prep, the battle, the victory, and then the prayer of gratitude. All chaos and disjointedness is intentional.
Not sure what you.mean by it not resolving. It totally resolves. You need to listen to the live version from YesShows, which is 3x better and is the definitive version anyway.
War and Peace. Inspired by Tolstoi.
This was a very ambitious track, and the original production indeed has a lot of flaws and didn't really capture it's potential. Steven Wilson's remix did a lot to fix it though! But the version that really made the track come alive for me was when I first listened to the live recording on Yesshows (from a concert in Detroit autumn 1976).
The ending is an example of a "deceptive cadence" which is an unexpected key modulation resulting in ending on something other than the tonic established upto that point.
I think it was Steven Wilson who pointed the "clipping" out in an interview. Apparently they saturated the tape which recorded the instruments at the highest possible level. I also think it was more than just this album that was recorded that way. It made it more difficult for him during the re-mix process.
That doesn't sounds like it was intentional, but a side effect that they accepted. Very interesting. And yeah, that would make remixing it difficult since those pops/crackles are now part of the song. Which poses an interesting question: should it be removed in a remix? It wasn't really intended but it is part of the song's DNA at this point. Removing it possibly achieves something closer to the original vision but it's also an alteration of the final, released artwork.
If you think this one's chaotic (although programmatically so)...check out "Sound Chaser" on the other side. Absolutely INSANE Steve Howe guitar showcase, with some quite bizarre vocal chanting...
Cool thing was that the opening of that was basically Patrick's audition. He and Alan wrote the intro and that was what was used on the album. I'm sure it was the music, not the actual performance from the audition.
Now that's a job interview!
I got the impression that you were concentrating too much on individual parts and not the concept of the song as a whole. The song is about two factions contemplating war at the beginning and then moving toward that inevitable end. The beginning of the solo you can clearly feel the two sides heading into battle and then colliding. The end of the solo is the victory of the winning side pounding the other side to bits. Then comes the victory march and finally the aftermath. This is arguably Yes's greatest achievement. It took me a few times to really get it but the only other Yes album that comes close in my opinion is Close to the Edge.
This album, Relayer, was their most avant garde music as a result of Rick Wakeman having left after Topographic Oceans and having Patrick Moraz on the keyboards and he brought a jazzier side the music. When you hear The Revealing Science of God which is only side one of the four side album then you’ll understand why Wakeman left as he didn’t like the Yes music at that time although I love it.
Gates of Delerium is based on the book War and Peace which is why it gets so intense and chaotic.
Coincidentally, the synthesizer solo that Wakeman did toward the end of The Revealing Science of God is my favorite of anything he did with Yes.
Great reaction, in summary... this version of YES is at its peak of progressive experimentation, very creative full of unexpected transitions executed by virtuosos, there is no band that can beat this. In this song we can feel the storm of chaos (war) and peace (tranquility). The Soon section is the closer we can get to heaven!
Cohesive? It's all cohesive! I hope your musical analytical awareness followed the details of the story especially the way the music tells it & emphasises every aspect of the journey. As complex as YES musc can seem and is, I think you miss the trees before the forest. It's amazing from the call to arms, rallying of the fighters, organizing the forces, a bit of self-reflection, marching to battle, clashing of enemies before overtaking and then demolishing all towards victory & glory yet after all is destroyed we simply wish that we would someday see the light of wisdom and never have to kill again. The song with all of it's transitions rises, peaks, descends & resolves perfectly then finales with a Note that's filled with Hope! Next time listen with a freer emotional mind that is less clinical. GATES is a pure visceral sonically dramatic experience. This is YES at the peak of their most Progressive era. They literally through the kitchen sink in with this one. I loved them then because they would give you their ALL and cover every mood and texture within one adventure. Having ghe same 3 song format, I've always considered RELAYER album to be the sequel to Close to the Edge on jazz steriods. What a masterpiece!
Yup. Yes makes incredibly dense songs. Pair that with the fact I listen to the music first then read the lyrics and I'm bound to miss stuff on my first listen. Yes makes songs that someone designed to be more understood and appreciated with each subsequent listen and I'm humble enough to walk around from a first listen saying "I know I missed a lot here." Thanks for your comment!
Thank you Bryan, good analysis. After endless listens GoD is now no longer jarring to me, its comfortable and has found a space in my comfort zone.
The first few minutes of CTTE usually gets the same reaction; l personally think they are the best few minutes in the history of rock.
Love yr in depth comments re production.
The album is much like a masonic initiation ritual transiting from dark to light, from chaos to order IMO.
In the album Tales From Topographic Oceans they return to this theme (Jon Anderson being the driver) on the 4th movement, Ritual (nous sommes du soleil).
The most visual, synesthetic composition for rocknroll instrumentation. When I first heard this, I didn't like it so much, and concentrated on the flip side.
And then, one afternoon, I listened to Delirium more or less out of boredom. The story unfolded for me, and there I was in the midst of a battle between The Old Magic and The New Technology. Stunning work.
I am in High School ..1976, Detroit .. I saw them perform this LIVE, DUDE!! ( and I was TOTALLY BAKED!) .. it tells of events NOW!
PEACE!
You brought up headphones. Even someone technically deaf hears with more than ear holes. We speak and sing with more than our voice holes. Our skulls and torsos, perhaps more, are crucial to sound communication.
On this album, Patrick Moraz was the keyboardist, who is more jazzy than Rick Wakeman. That may have contributed to the different sound of the album. I am a fan of Yes with Rick Wakeman, but somehow Gates of Delirium is in my opinion of their top songs. In fact it was the first of their music I ever heard after a classmate gave me a cassette tape in the seventies (with Olias of Sunhillow by Jon Anderson on the other side of the C90-tape). And that led me later to buy those albums, first on vinyl and later on cd. Maybe this song is a bit Warhol meets Strawinsky.
The thing is that for this specific album they gathered an external member as Patrick Moraz on keyboards which brought a different feel to rhythms and sounds and just as Rick Wakeman he has a classical background as well.
One of their best tracks ever! 😍
Gates of Delirium is a WAR song. The Chaos described is the battle scene. The end represents the afterthought in opposition to the introduction with its call for patriotism and the delirious state of humans that are manipulated. Highly actual I'm afraid.
Bryan: plays one of the best bands in the world
also Bryan: 14:10
The song represents war and peace. The chaotic battle scene; think about the survivors of a battle, the sun starts to rise over the battlefield as the smokes clears so everyone on both sides can finally see the death and destruction all around them and each hoped they were victorious. Then the peace as the sun rises. Soon oh soon the light!
"Disjointed but with purpose"... Oops, wrong song.
No sampling they actually made the sounds using different props.
The difference between this music and Close to the Edge is different drummer and different keyboard player. And, while both are big changes, the new keyboard player, Patrick Moraz, was very involved in the writing on this album. Wakeman is more of a polish the song kind of musician. For example Bowie had an album's worth of music that he just couldn't get it together. I can't recall which album it was. So he asked Rick to come over and Rick got it all arranged and put together for him. He did it for no money and no credit too.
even the final part is delirium, as who could possibly think clearly after maintaining the war mindset for so long and think a peaceful mind will result, except with delirium.
This song was supposedly inspired by the novel War and Peace. If that is true, then chaos is perfectly relevant, as war is chaotic, as is the more beautiful melodic parts. This is a brilliant composition and expertly executed by 5 master musicians. It also struck me as a perfect recreation of the novel.
Listen to Steven Wilson's version. I don't 100% like the mix on that - but the clarity and instrument definition is excellent.
This is maybe the single greatest song ever written - music-wise, at least.
War = chaos
But also - Soon... Immensely beautiful and haunting
Those metallic "samples" are old junk car parts. I think it was Jon and Alan who would stop at a junk yard and grab stuff. They hung it all on a huge rack and pounded on it during the war. At some point it fell over and they left that in. I can't tell where it falls over though.
Apologies if this is a duplicate of another comment.
love it when our host Bryan says hello
And that's why they call it Progressive.
An odd thing about this was that Jon came in with the whole song sketched out and a tape of a piano demo (poorly played as Jon put it).
Of course that was just the core of the piece.
I think you might be way over analyzing this song and putting your focus on the leaves and bark of the trees without understanding the type of forest you are in. You should understand the theme here because this whole song makes perfect sense when you know the overall theme so understanding the three movements is a the key. The first part is about a build up towards war and conflict. It includes a call to war, march and rally behind the flag theme and includes those who question the war march but they are discounted and the war begins. The vocals Jon uses reflects the demands of a tyrant calling the masses to war. The second part is the war and clearly is about conflict and chaos and that is exactly what is in their if you listen closely you can hear distorted screams of pain. The third part is when war is over and a new era of peace starts and they realize the cost of war. Here Jon's voice changes to his angelic vocals, so very well done. The ending is left unresolved for a very good reason because the cycle of war and peace has never ever resolves. Yes tries to put that idea in head that this cycle goes on and the message is how to break it. Jon Anderson was reading War and Peace at the time which was the inspiration for the song. For me this is one song by Yes where it's antiwar focus is very clear and it is so very relevant now as it was in the 1970's and will be in the future. When you understand the theme this song becomes a masterpiece of music a true epic. These Yes epics tend to be based in themes from books Jon Anderson was reading at the time. This song is not linked to other epics. I know you do not have the LPs like we had in the day but the artwork and cover notes were helpful clues for us. Hope this helps.
So which guitar god can play a steel lap like Steve?
As a teenager, I played in a band in Clarence NY (a suburb of Buffalo) w/ the son of Dr. Dave Luce: Chief Engineer and inventor of the Polyphonic Moog Synth
( ruclips.net/video/2Feat39SqXI/видео.html ). ELP. Yes, Tony Kaye, Rush (who lived only 45 mins away), and Patrick Moraz would come by usually between gigs in either Cleveland or Toronto. They would dump their gear and pick up "new stuff" on the way to the next show. In those days, everything was analog and pieces of tape were adorned on all the "knobs" with the settings for each song...... It made us sound "F'n" genius! In fact, Chris Squire and Getty Lee collaborated with Bob Moog and Dave (mentioned on the poster insert of Brain Salad Surgery) to develop the Moog Korg (Bass foot-pedal synth!!) .
As far as Relayer goes...A couple of mentions.... Those who stated that "The Gates" is about war are correct. Just as Jon was inspired by the Hobbit in "Close" which I write exactly 50 years ago to the day (Sept 13, 1972). As a Vet, War is very much like the sound they created. Two; folks mentioned it was recorded in Chris Squire's home studio... Not actually. The group was reeling after losing Rick post "Tales" and its tour, and since Chris and Steve had worked previously w/ Patrick Moraz on the solo albums, they piled into Chris' garage (not studio) wheeled Eddie's Mix-board in, and started jamming w/o Jon.... This is why the song (and Sound Chaser) are so vocal-sparse. Later, Chris would finish a studio in his garage, but well after Relayer. Another interesting point to the ending of "Gates" is that Management wanted to tack on a Radio friendly song...... thus "Soon" was coherent, sonically separable through the classic (and beautiful) Yes heavenly interlude, and under 5 mins.
Critical Reactions and one other commenter picked up on a critical turning point in Guitar history. True, Steve Howe moved to a Telecaster in this album. True, stereo played a critical role in the sound. This is because Steve had the Tele modified to Stereo Output. This decision was so impacting to the guitar world, that Alex Lifeson's agent came running to him at home and said "Alex, Steve Howe just cut an album w/ a Stereo Telecaster!" Alex immediately followed suit albeit for a short period. This reaction underscored not only Steve's influence on Alex, Getty's stated influence by Chris Squire, their involvement in Yes' Hall of Fame induction, and reactioner's born post-1990s tendency to say on hearing Yes, "Boy they remind me of Rush" when it is truly the other way around.
Last Point, The clipping on Chris' bass. First, since The Yes Album, Chris ran an Amp head with a blown-out midrange tube set. As a result, he cranked the treble and bass out-puts and cranked the volume. This produced his legendary sound on Fragile, Close (50 today!!), Tales, etc. By the time they reached his garage, the bridge Humbucker pick-up on his Rickenbacker had blown out. The magnetic portion of it had stopped working but thru electrical induction, was able to produce sound thru the Amp to the speaker. Thus, he was able to produce the "fuzzy" and by definition, clipped sound on Gates..... Listen to "To Be Over" recorded in the same garage, with the same equipment once Jon had arrived. Fat and smooth..... Just like the strings he used. Check out ruclips.net/video/XOKEcM6TrZE/видео.htmlruclips.net/video/XOKEcM6TrZE/видео.htmlruclips.net/video/XOKEcM6TrZE/видео.html
Great Classic Prog Epic !!!!!
What you are saying is interesting. For that album only, the keyboardist was Patrick Moraz. He did participate to compose the next album and Awaken, but was replaced Rick Wakeman. So the link you see between Awaken and Gates make sense because it started with the same line up.
Patrick Moraz another underrated keyboard wizard
To answer your production criticisms I would say is because you listened to the remastered mix I have noticed that the bass was eq'd and extra volume added on some of their remastered cd"s
This album was ab anomaly since it is the only one that had Patrick Moraz on keys instead of Wakeman
It sounds like you got a bad version. Sometimes those remasters turn out worse than the original. My remaster version of Relayer is pretty sweet. It's the 2003 remaster.
Remember back then all they had was tape echo. And there was no midi or tap tempo. They set the delay time by feel. And Yes also didn't use a clicker. That's why you can get the feeling of tension and release they use A LOT. They just purposely fall a little behind or rush the note at the end of measures. They all had to be on the same page of course.
Steve Howe and Chris Squire- OMFG!
I didnt get this song when I first heard it, but once you know the story you relate to the lead up to war, the violence and confusion of battle then finally the aftermath....it all fits perfectly....perhaps Putin should sit down and listen to this with a nice cup of tea before he pushes the button
CR May I recommend the Magnification album by YES with orchestra a 2003 release. the last one with Jon and Chris is a more coherent and wonderfully produced album. The song, In the Presence Of is IMHO another masterpiece.
You have yet to embrace Impressionism.
Now, go learn to shift those dots on the staff to the movement’s of life, in this case that would be war and the aftermath of remorse.
They had a new keyboard player named Patrick Moraz who was a different sort of musician than Rick Wakeman.
That is why the music sounds different. The keys are such a strong part of the texture.
17:28- that’s where I get chills.
Then, “ Soon, . . . “
I seriously disliked this album when I first played it. I played it again about a year later and thought it was not so bad after all. Soon after it became one of my most -played Yes albums, second only to T.O. I have spoken to Rick Wakeman on a few occasions. I have not yet had the nerve to tell him that out of my two most favourate Yes albums the first he hated and the second he did not play on.
This song is about war. You made the comment there is no resolution. My God at this time don't we know that there is no real peace. It's ugly but chaos is real.
The theme connects Stone Age reasoning with the modern age through anthropology.
There are no demons, or hell, there is only the Limbic System which we, through evolution have inherited.
There is no resolve, only a misbegotten hope, which ya can cling on too.
Look at it this way;
When observing the universe what do you see?
Well, large structures imploding and exploding, no?
We are in the universe and the universe is in us, no?
"Delirium" here is getting at the idea of the confusion and disorientation that reigns which war breaks out. All rational thought is lost as each side justifies going to war and demonizes its enemies. That's what Part 1 is all about. Part 2, the long instrumental section, is the battle -- chaos on the battlefield. Clashing of swords and roaring of cannons. The 11/4 part is the victory march. As the piece moves into free time, I envision the end of the battle, with gunsmoke hanging over the battlefield as the warring sides go out to look for survivors and tend to the wounded. The entire last section, "Soon," is to me just a plea to humanity for peace -- that we can be better than this, that we can heal and find other ways to resolve our differences. This song was written right at the tail end of the Vietnam War, and I can't help thinking that influenced Jon's lyrics. Supposedly, he was inspired by Tolstoy's "War and Peace," but I think contemporary events probably shaded Jon's thinking. He's also said he was inspired by "Wings of the Delirious Demon" by electronic-music composer Ilhan Mimaroglu.
Musically, this album was kind of a cul-de-sac for Yes. Patrick Moraz, who only played on this album, really pulled them into some experimental places they hadn't gone before, especially with regard to jazz fusion. If you haven't listened to "Sound Chaser" yet, give it a whirl. It's even more frenetic than "The Gates of Delirium."
I don't hear what you're hearing with the lack of resolution at the end of "Gates." That closing note from the Mellotron to me brings it all home and tells us everything will be OK. It gives me chills even after hundreds of listens and has even brought me to tears a few times. After all the harshness and chaos of what transpired before, that ending is just so reassuring and soothing. A beautiful ending to a very ambitious composition. It's one of my favorite pieces of music by anyone, ever. Thanks for giving it a listen.
Great video! Very insightful, I love this track. Really wondering what your thoughts are going to be on The Revealing Science of God, I personally prefer The Remembering from the same album. That one is also around 20 min long.
There was a huge problem with clipping in early CD recording. Something else to blow your mind with panning is that the recording industry was working on true quad stereo in the mid 1970's.
This is true. My uncle had a high powered quadrophonic system in the mid 70s. He introduced me to Yes and Gates of Delirium on that system.
Hello, just been watching you listening to this, I love it how you analyse music, this is kind of how I listen to music too. All what you've heard I have luckily seen live. Try a bit of Hawkwind..... let's say, Chronicles of the Black Sword. Why not. Keep up your good channel. 🎼🎵🎶🎵🖖
Composer dude? What is your training, backgroung, resume? Other than opinion on what level are you motivated to critique professional musicians such as Yes? Don't get me started on review channels.
So you've never had an opinion on a piece of music, irrespective of whatever training you've had? Do you criticize politicians without having a background in political science? Or movies if you're not a professional critic with, say, some experience onstage?
I find that people tend to criticize the critics only when they don't like what's being said. This is one of my favorite pieces of music ever, and Bryan wasn't so sure about it. And that's perfectly OK. I don't need confirmation bias for the music I like. I just like hearing the thoughtful reactions of other people.
If you don't like review channels, why are you here?
Disjointed and chaotic?! Eh! You’re not being serious surely!
I’m really glad you checked out my favorite song by one of my favorite bands. I have two songs by two different bands I think you would really enjoy checking out.
First is the song Ilha Verde by Monobody. They are an incredible math jazz band with TWO bass players!
Second is the song Many words of Disapproval by Consider The Source. Their genre is hard to nail down, basically a culmination of progressive rock and world music elements that will hopefully blow your mind.
Absolutely loved your reactions. You should check out some of Yes' live stuff. You'll absolutely love them. You can check out ABWH - An Evening of Yes Music live 1989. The full concert is available on RUclips, or songs are individually uploaded on RUclips. Please do check them out.
Yes musical development depends on the musician lineup Patrick moraz brought his musical style of playing to the group for relayer. Rick wakeman was back with then for awaken who had a completely different sounds.
This album used the same producer, Eddie Offord, as the prior 5-6 Yes albums. Interestingly, it was recorded in a new studio, that Chris Squire had built in his garage, using portable recording equipment, since his new equipment had yet to be installed. Perhaps the new environment and unfamiliar equipment played a role in the production oddities you noted. The next album recorded in that studio was Chris Squire’s 1975 solo album “Fish Out Of Water.” I’ve always thought that album had great production. It’s one of my desert island albums, you should check it out. Beautiful funky, jazzy symphonic arrangements with a lead bass guitar. How could you go wrong?
PS: this is the crappy 2003 remaster. Check out the Steven Wilson remix, or the original.
PPS: there are more than four Yes epics. Your next stop should be “Heart of the Sunrise,” from Fragile.
This is the Telecaster album. Also Patrick Moraz had a totally different keyboard set- up than Wakeman. He had a two string machines as well as the the Mellotron. A Fender Rhodes instead of the RMI Electra Piano. He also had an Arp Pro soloist. These keyboards give Relayer a very distinctive sound unlike any other Yes album. Also Steven Wilson is the only person to ever remix this album.
I was meant to be seeing Relayer live at the Royal Albert Hall last year for my 40th birthday. But Covid has postponed it. Better still be going ahead, with all members still alive etc. It cost me a small fortune for those tickets.
Controlled chaos ... what if they could play note for note 'live'?
This song begins with two views on what should be done about a threat and then goes into battle and a fight. Once the battle is over, the mists waft over the dead and then peace ensues.
Analyze "Gates of Delirium" within the context of the whole point of the song. Jon Anderson had read Tolstoy's "War and Peace", which at least in part, inspired this epic.
It is about WAR. The musical patterns (resolutions, changes in meter and time signatures, over-driven production, unexpectedness and changes, etc.) are all focused on depicting the chaos and horror of war but also the complex spiritual attitudes and conditions in the human heart when engaged in war.
Extreme stereo was a thing back then, you can create unexpected drama from “over there”
One has to take into account the context surrounding the composition and release of Relayer. This was 1975, a time when so-called "progressive rock" was slowly giving way to punk-rock in popular acceptance. Thus the harsher sound, as if the band was trying to keep up with the times.
Having seen the original show of gates... back in 1975, I can affirm that the sound of that album in particular was produced for a live impact on a very large live auditoire. Adding the stage and lighting chaos with the musical discomfort was nightmarish, thank god the sound as distorded as it was, was'nt too loud. They would had lost everyboby.
You need to know what the song is about - War and Peace. Another good epic is "That, That Is".
Love this one. It could have been mixed better though. The drums are not coming through properly (awesome drumming).
I really liked your analysis of this piece.
Thanks!
RITUAL(NOUS SOMMES DU SOLEIL) is the 5th,20 minute epic off the same album as REVEALING SCIENCE OF GOD. That album is TALES OF TOPOGRAPHIC OCEANS. You should check out RITUAL as well.
Perhaps a parable on war at the time and now? I try all my new hi-fi with this excellent vinyl production - gives a raw dense sonic theatre and moraz is dreamy! Even Anderson sounds nasty at the right moment! This must be excillarating to perform!