Released in 1974. Bohemian Rhapsody was released a year later. For all the talk of the latter being a masterpiece (which it is), it is dwarfed by the epicness of this.
I love this about prog. You can go from WTF is this and a minute or two later being in the middle of a heart stirring melody that brings tears to your eyes.
My favourite prog. song by my favourite band, almost 50 years old now, but still ahead of its time. You've now done two of their three greatest songs. The remaining one is "Awaken" from 1977.
@@Rowenband I place The Remembering above Awaken, actually. Awaken has an unsurpassed beginning and end, but when the entire production is appraised, in my POV, The Remembering is superior. Filled with melody & some of Chris Squire's best contributions to the Tales From Topographic Oceans set. One man's opinion...
Awaken for sure. Studio version. - there are no good quality live recordings. But first I really think you need to hear side 2 of close to the edge and the other 2 songs on this album. They're all amazing. Then Awaken. That for me is pinnacle Yes. Although I could definitely get behind a start to finish journey, at least through Drama, but I'd still stick around for the ride after that.
Maybe controversial with some but I would put ‘The revealing science of god’ up there with these three but no argument that Awaken is a must listen track.
This was Alan White on drums at his best in unison with Squire's unmatched bass genius which holds everything together regardless of all the musical twists and turns of the song's mutations. Timing is built in as part of the musical flow and comes from below any urge to consciously count time. For those having rigid structure dependency will find Yes music to be very unsettling because the band is offering you a journey and so you should take it as it comes without expectations and just delight in the ride. The music may seem chaotic at first and therefore "crazy," but in reality it's extremely unconventional well designed outpouring of collective genius!! Fifty years later, Yes is still an undimmed musical giant just the same as they were when they first emerged.
Bruford took a few more adventures in "time" as his mad genius was more jazz and improv oriented and why he ended up leaving in the end. White is a solid and brilliant technical drummer and held Yes together even in the craziest passages of music and between style changes.
"Roundabout" "Close to The Edge" "Awaken" "Sound Chaser" "Siberian Khatru" Sir, you've fallen unknowingly into the YES rabbit hole. There is no way out.
I love the guitar playing by Steve Howe, but lately when listening to old Yes recordings I get more and more impressed by the bass guitar lines Chris Squire plays. A delight for the ears. Back then in high school late seventies I typed monthly a personal top 100 list of my favourite songs (no computers then) and this song was number one all the time.
Side two of the Close to the Edge album is two songs "And You and I" and "Siberian Khatru" Both songs are brilliant and if you're a Yes fan need to be heard.
I absolutely agree. Not only is CTTE the best epic song ever put together, the CTTE *_album_* is the greatest prog album ever composed, not just on the strength of the title track, but when And You And I and Siberian Khatru are added in, you end up with the PERFECT Prog album. It just keeps coming at you with greatness...
" An earthquake of music"🤣. I discovered this in 1978 at the ripe old age of 14. It has been my favorite ever since, but, " Awaken ", is encroaching. Hear the studio cut, then see Jon Anderson perform with Todmobile. It'll bring tears to your eyes.
This is Yes at their most jazzy, experimental, maybe a little over the top. This song is based on the book War and Peace which is why it’s so intense and builds up to the crescendo !
Per Jon Anderson the lead singer, this piece is inspired by the book War And Peace. The “battle” section of this piece that begins at 12:10 is the most intense section of music that Yes ever made. Without fail, every time I hear it my adrenaline level instantly rises. And then after the battle comes the beautiful “soon” part to finish the song. Incredible! This piece is a tough listen the first few times when the listener doesn’t yet know the material, but it keeps getting better with each additional listen. It’s the opposite of pop music where you get immediate satisfaction that starts wearing down the more you listen.
Jon and Alan would stop by a junk yard on their way to the studio and get old car parts, etc. The put these on a big rack in the studio and pounded on it the during the War movement. At some point, the whole thing fell over. That's on the recording although I can't tell where.
This is "War and Peace" in musical form. For many decades I considered it the greatest composition of my lifetime, now it shares that spot with Nightwish's "The Greatest Show On Earth." In the center section, after the buildup to war, the breakdown of diplomacy, you can hear the two separate themes, each representing each army, one dominant over the other, then changing. When it reaches the point of the aftermath, as the steel guitar wails, I see in my mind the fog of the morning, the smoke of the gunpowder above the ground as "Soon" brings the sun and the possible start of a new peace. Brilliance at a level many do not comprehend. I truly enjoyed watching you "get it" because not everybody does. Try Nightwish's "The Greatest Show On Earth" - it is the history of life on this planet, from the big bang to the end of mankind in about 21 minutes, and your mind will be blown. Cheers, and well done!
An amazing piece of music about the atrocities of war. It takes you through the beginning of the war, the horrors of the war itself, and then ultimately peace. Masterpiece.
I have heard many reactors state " oh, Yes sound like" those or these or them or the other. Truth is, they all learned from or were inspired by Yes. They never really got close in my pinion. There is only one.
I recommend you listen to the other side of Relayer next, Sound Chaser and To Be Over, since the whole album has a continuity of excellence and originality.
From Close to the Edge through Tales From Topographic Oceans to Relayer, Yes produced a body of work that has never been matched. A remarkable trilogy. All done in a twenty four track studio, produced by Eddie Offord.
I was 14 years old when this album first came out. My friends and I thought this was as great as 'Close to the Edge'. A great song for headphones or to play very loud at a party. A course we all had to go see the tour in early 1975. They sounded even better live and the light show was out of this world.
The final ‘Soon’ movement was released as a single. You can see why. The Relayer album is a particular triumph for Steve Howe. No one else plays guitar like this. It applies to all three tracks. Awaken on Going For The One is the final pinnacle song of this astonishing six album run. Either it or To Be Over from Relayer will be played at my funeral. Maybe both.
One of My Favorite YESSONGS Thanks for Your Reaction vid!!! There is also a LIVE version of the Gates of Delirium it deserves a listen to... Weather or not you do a reaction vid to it ...
Dear Mr Boyd, I was 13 in 1969 when I read a review in British Music Mag saying Led Zeppelin and Yes was the most impressive bands coming out that year. He was right. Few bands have reached into the stratosphere as Yes. The bars, music and composition they have it all! Enjoy! Ignore the Haters. My avatar is from the band Opeth. When ur ready, try "Bleed" from their LP Black Water Park. They are hard, but have angelic passages with great words and feel. ✌️
Yes Fragile. Full album. Notwithstanding my personal bias, as it was my first vinyl in 1972, this album is simply genius. A masterpiece, I shit you not. 🤓 Ps, love what you're doing.
The inspiration of many video game soundtracks to come. This was YES at the pinnacle of creative exploration and they would continue on the next album Going for the One. The band was firing on all cylinders during this era. Sublime progressive rock music which was never again surpassed…
I have been listening to YES since November 14, 1971, when they opened for Emerson, Lake and Palmer at the Auditorium Theater in Chicago. They still enthrall me. Now I also get great pleasure when watching others' introduction to their most transcendent works...this being one of them. Seeing the expression on your face of satisfaction, surprise and occasional exultant bewilderment sparked by these sounds that were created 50 years ago with the technological options available to them at that time makes me smile and happy for you in your discovery. Listen on and repeatedly, my friend.
If I were Yes, I'd be very proud of this song. And, oh, yeah, Steve Howe is absolutely one of the best guitarists ever. And Squire and Anderson and . . . The Relayer show was my opening salvo of seeing Yes live. What an f'ing show.
You actually get YES!! The general listener does not. Yes is an experience. Soul lifting. Ethereal. Just being around these guys, you get the positivity of their souls. TY! Turn of the Century, Holy Lamb, Awaken live 2003 in Montreux, Yours is no disgrace live from the Union tour- the video is mind blowing. ☮️❤️
Another great reaction!! You can’t go wrong with Yes. All the albums are great. Especially 70s Yes. The rest of this album is awesome as-is sides 1and 4 of Tales of Topographic Oceans. Awaken is also a classic. Keep the Yes reactions coming. Can’t get enough.
I'm an old prog dog and... you're a chill kind of fun. ..The Yes peers of the day were ELP, Genesis, King Crimson... for the weirdest sounds in all of prog: The Karn Evil 9 suite or Tocata by Emerson, Lake & Palmer. Both are on the Brain Salad Surgery album (1973) -- if the cover looks familiar, it was done by the same artist who did 'Alien' (H.R.Giger, RIP). Enjoy your trip down the prog rabbit hole. Bring snacks, you could wander down a side road and come out with a beard as long as the fellow in your poster. (He looks displeased that someone has tossed an RPG at his head.)
I'll second ELP's Karn Evil 9 suite, about the only prog. track that's even vaguely comparable to the chaos, darkness, and brilliance of "GoD" (and is even longer).
I will third on ELP. But include Tarkus, Pictures at an Exhibition and Trilogy with Brain Salad Surgery. Really I cannot pick my favourite because it changes depending on my mood. All are show stopper albums. If after 48 years you say you will listen to one track but end up playing the whole thing time and time again it must be a winner. But we should let DramaSyd focus on Yes for now.
@@psbarrow ELP and Yes were the Ying/Yang of prog. One dark, mysterious, putting you ill at ease the other so positive, uplifting and leaving you in a better place. Both were so great but so different.
Gates of Delirum is one of my absolute top favourites by Yes and the whole Relayer album is a must! Thank you! Hope you will continue Yes reactions, I’ll be watching every one of them. In the 80’s they became more commercial, more pop and IMO not as experimental any more, though still GOOD because they are such unique musicians. But their albums from the beginning up until the 80’s is pure gold.
🐎🐄🐑🌲Just yesterday I took a long drive down twisty, turning, winding, hilly country roads of Wisconsin with the top down. Ridiculously blue sky with big fluffy white clouds. Listening to YES Fragile and Close to the Edge, (very loud of course) it was glorious. YES is always a journey with headphones and eyes closed, but with few other views on the road than rolling hills and fields of Wisconsin farms, horses and cows and sheep, and endless rows of corn and crops, fields of sunflowers, lazy rivers and sun dappled lakes and big woods, it's equally easy to get in the zone while driving. No better medicine. Next time I take Relayer along too. Haven't listened to it in quite a long while and this was incredible. The Gates of Delirium an apropos title. "An earthquake of music comin in." Very nicely put! I'm enjoying your travels through YES. 🌻🌻🌻
Gates would be great on a drive while a big storm was building for part 1. A massive thunder storm with rain in the war section. Driving into a valley with the storm clearing and a new day breaking through for the Soon section. That would be a great experience. For me only Yes can take you to such places.
That _was_ an amazing tone/performance. He's playing with not just the pitch/modulation wheels, but the filter knob as well, all at the same time. And his pitch wheel is set for much more than a whole step. Wakeman, of course, is amazing, but Moraz's left-hand work with a Minimoog is kind of mind-blowing if you try and recreate it live. Even he had trouble replicating it if you listen to the live version on Yesshows. Same goes for his solo on _Sound Chaser,_ where he's switching "sync" off, detuning one oscillator against the other, using its pitch knob, then switching back to _sync,_ and pushing up the modulation wheel. Real mastery of a quirky, temperamental machine. Shame he may have not been treated so well by the band, if you hear his account of his firing.
One of the great Yes epics. Yes did not make just one long epic masterpiece but did it so many times with equipment of the early mid 70's. To hold together such long epics clearly puts them on the very top shelf of music. This song was inspired by the novel war and peace. It is just as relevant today as the day it was released and will always be relevant and should never be lost in the past. The war movement has so many layers, transitions, effects and sounds it is like coordinated chaos as war is. You should look up the racks of car parts they put together generate the clashing metal effects. Then when the war is over and there is peace over the land such a beautiful tune. If you listen to Jon's voice you will notice how it changes tone in the peace movement "Soon" compared to the first section in the call to war. Such amazing music, thank you for helping keep it alive at this time. HINT: Listen to side 2 next Relayer is a great album. With Patrick on keys he put a whole new sound in Yes for only the Relayer album. Sound chaser is amazing. Try to count the number of influences and genres in that piece but it all goes together so well and then "To be Over" to close out the album.
Stunning band and many albums to their greatness. Genesis, Floyd, King Crimson, Dream Theater, Led Zep, The Who, Beatles, Stones, DP, Rush, BTBAM, Moody Blues and many more. Enjoy the Ride.
You make me feel warm and fuzzy all over with your reaction. This tour was my first blessing of Yes. There are five more symphonic masterpieces by Yes all epic. But you might want to flip the album over and listen to the next two songs Sound Chaser and To Be Over. You Be impressed with Yes's diversity. Mind blowing.🙏🍁
My second favorite YES song behind 'Close to the Edge'. 48 years listening to this masterpiece and it never gets old! Do Side 2 of 'Close to the Edge', Side 2 of 'Relayer' and the entire 'Going for the One' Album.
YES really had their strongest peak with those three magical albums from 71 and 72, The YES Album, Fragile, and Close to the Edge. However, their sixth studio release which followed, Tales from Topographic Oceans, even though it recieved criticism for being over-ambitious and lacking the cohesion of previous work, it DOES feature some of the most beautiful moments they have ever achieved. It is a double album comprised of four epic pieces that each take up a whole side of each record. I highly recomnend the first, 'The Revealing Science of God" and the powerful final piece, 'Ritual'.... The two in the middle , 'The Remembering' and 'The Ancient' , are worth checking out on your own time and they DO both have sections that can only be described as 'Sublime'
Many years ago when I had to do lots of international travel for work and there no movies or in seat entertainment system then. I used to have a Walkman (remember those?) with a collection of tapes. The one I wore out was a C-180, one side was Tales both sides, the other "The Wall". I really got into tales and it became my favourite Yes album. It is still up there equal with the other Yes epics. It takes time to absorb, get into and really grab hold of such a long and complex work of sound but you are well rewarded if you do.
Interesting how different YES fans hear different things. The first time I listened to TFTO, TRSOG was my favorite side, but with repeated listenings The Remembering eventually came to be my favorite of the four sides. To my ears, it features some of the best stretches of melody in the compilation and also some of Chris Squire's best contributions, IMO.
The first time my friend heard this he said yeah yeah great but can they do it live? He never saw it but I sure did and more than once,. You have to wonder how the band stays on track with a piece of music like this. Beyond genius it may all come from another dimension.
My first YES was their live album YESSONGS !!! I was hooked and then started purchasing the studio albums. Their second live album YESSHOWS is IMHO amazing as well !!! Enjoy your trip down the YES rabbit hole !!!
"In the trenches with the band ...", a very apt image for the theme of the piece! You are right that sometimes all the band members can be playing around the beat, but the pulse is still there in the middle and they're still so tight and together, despite the complexity, that they can lock together again without apparent effort. I love your intelligent and musically insightful comments. I agree with the recommendation of doing Awaken, but anything by Yes - front to back, beginning to end - will be a journey through sound and a musical adventure all the way.
Yes from The Magnification album "In the Presence of " masterpiece ! Yes From the TALK album Endless Dream another masterpiece and from the album Going for the One Awaken. I have so many more seen Yes live from 1976-2011 Chris and Alan RIP !
Thank you! I saw them for the first time in 1976 or 77 and I was fortunate enough to see them 6 times over the years. I was hooked to say the least. I saw them one time and I enjoyed it so much I made the trip to the very next city they played that week to experience it again. To get an even better prospective of how good they are you should watch a good quality live performance. Thanks again, from an Old Indiana farm boy 👍 However your YES journey go's I'll look forward to it.
Amazing. King Crimson might be one of the few bands matching Yes’s virtuosity at that time. That you reacted as you did to “Gates” I can only suggest that you continue with the other two tracks on the album - in order - “Sound Chaser,” which definitely IS a journey through sound, and then “To Be Over.” I have long wondered why Yes and the Relayer album in particular aren’t heralded more as milestones in contemporary (or ANY) music. Also, I truly appreciate your insights to the music you review. Thank you.
Funny you mention King Crimson. I'm not really a fan. Not that they aren't brilliant musicians. Their music just confuses me. This song, I was just thinking hearing it again, it was Yes"s most Crimsonesque song
King Crimson came, scared everyone, but really didn't sell big beyond their earliest albums. A rather forgetten band like Wishbone Ash introduced twin leads in a prog style, had solid sales and had more impact around '74
I want to put in a plug for YES' cover of Paul Simon's *America.* It was the last cover they recorded (I believe) and it is something special. YES' 1st two albums featured stylized covers that they "Yesified" to where they only barely resembled the original artists' version. America was a cover they would jam to in concerts, most likely for encores. It was finally recorded at about the time of the Fragile album but was not available on only of their studio albums (it was later included on a compilation album). I especially love it because it's about 10 minutes of YES improvisation, with a heavy dose of Chris Squire bass domination & Bill Bruford experimentation on the drums. The "rhythm section" in this recording is just amazing. You may not get a ton of requests for it, but any of YES' hardcore fans of that period will enthusiastically approve. I love your reactions to YES' masterpieces, my brother...
Something akin to this would be Emerson, Lake & Palmer's "Karn Evil 9": it's another complex, insane war epic. The highest level of musical skill you can imagine.
I am happy for you that you thoroughly enjoyed your Odyssey through the Gates of delirium Bravo!!! And thank you for letting us enjoy that journey with you.
"Gates" clearly touched you as did "Close to the Edge" & "Awaken". I'd have to recommend "Tales From Topographic Oceans" in it's entirety as a follow up. Double LP, four tracks it is indeed an epic
NOW YOU DONE DID IT!!!!!!! We're talking what words can not describe!!!!!!!!!!! from close to the edge to riding the edge and going over it ! YES's GATES goes deep, dark & funky yet lifts you higher into new realms. The richness & beauty of the composition is the story progresses & expresses itself sonically as well as lyrically with perfection. WAR has never been visualized with sounds so powerfully! The marching, battle, guns, swords, bombs, rockets, clashing, death, destruction, devastation onto ultimate victory to refection, regret , remorse towards the wisdom of enlightenment, ....hopefully! < ALL of YES IN THE 70's should be EXPERIENCED but my issue with REQUEST by the PROG audience is that there are the POPULAR SONGS yet there are other INCREDIBLE SONGS similar that will NEVER GET SUGGESTED in high numbers UNFORTUNATELY such as the bands: CURVED AIR "Piece of Mind" ***** or GENTLE GIANT, HAPPY the MAN, PFM, GRYPHON but you might get mentioned KING CRIMSON especially their RED album.
Any KC tracks are likely to get blocked very quickly by Fripp, which is why there are hardly any reactions of the band's music on YT. Pretty stupid of him as young reactors are how his music will gain new fans and live on beyond him.
Thank you for sharing your impressions of this wonderful music. It makes me realise how lucky I was to have been a teenager in the early 1970’s listening to Yes and other prog rock bands, the creativity was incredible and remember everything was analogue and the technology was basic...mellotrons and monophonic synths (moog)..I used to think back then that Yes were playing music from the future...I saw them live in Manchester UK back in ’74 playing ‘Tales’ and Close to the Edge’....it still sounds like music from the future and it is wonderful to see younger generations enjoying it today.
“This isn’t a song, it’s an experience “ I Love that and he’s absolutely right. Tales From Topographic Oceans, is another wonderful experience from Yes. Supers Ready, from Foxtrot by Genesis is another one I would recommend too. 👍
I have been with Yes since 1968.....i say that you should react to the whole albums of "Fragile" ....... "Yes Album" ...... "Close To Edge" ...///"Relayer" (Where "The Gates Of Delirium" you just heard is from)......"Going For The One"........and "Talk" *(which was released 1994) and is an updated Masterpiece which music critics ignore or don't know about......that would be my pick for albums of Yes you really need to explore. And I will be there to listen and experience you reacting to this "Heavenly Divine" music that really sets Yes apart from any band in music history. Great reaction! You are "The Man" lol
Yes to you and Yes to Yes. This, Close to the Edge, and, Going for the One, they might make you smile. I think of all the bands of the time, they personaly were the most talented. So many personalites within the group. all good, for us. I look for more obvervations of music and how you really feel about it, and why. Respect from me.
Love your comments. Awaken next. I think listening to YES chronologically is for you. If you want the LIKES etc. give your people what they want to hear. Very simple.
Such a great song, and very coherent lyrics for Jon. My fave is: The pen won't stay the demon's wings / The hour approaches pounding out the devil's sermon. WAR.
Pink Floyd..."Dark side of the Moon" and "The Wall" are two of the finest Prog-rock albums ever made...both should be listened to from start to finish in order to get the whole experience.
Always LOVED this one! The sound is focused and saturated…..these guys were amazing…. By far my favorite band. Go for “Tales of Topographic Oceans” ANY song but again it’s best to play at least one side of the album start to finish. There are 4 sides…..some love it some hate it. It’s a masterpiece IMO
You're explanation of finding the time of the song from wherever you are inside the act of listening to said song was genius. This song is one tough game. Been a Yes fan since I was 10 yes.
I just wanted to applaud your journey. My generation has it's sound and it explored everything and cut the strings of commercial AM radio format. Some sound can not be condensed into 2 or 3 minutes. Yes is just one of the many progressive channels music of my generation took. I entered junior high in 1967 and graduated high school in 1972 I hope you can imagine the impact these bands had on our consciousness. We were and still are searching, seeking expression of the soul, the emotional impact only music gives light to. It is immeasurably pleasing to see our sound still impacting still opening newer generations to the possibilities of expression music can bring.
Released in 1974. Bohemian Rhapsody was released a year later. For all the talk of the latter being a masterpiece (which it is), it is dwarfed by the epicness of this.
The live version is nothing short of absolutely magnificent.
No sampling here. Just pure music and musicianship. Sadly missed these days. Thanks for sharing .
I love this about prog. You can go from WTF is this and a minute or two later being in the middle of a heart stirring melody that brings tears to your eyes.
Time for the song Awaken!
Awaken, Ritual, And You and I
Prog on my brother
Major props to Steve Howe...that man is a genius on the guitar.
My favourite prog. song by my favourite band, almost 50 years old now, but still ahead of its time. You've now done two of their three greatest songs. The remaining one is "Awaken" from 1977.
Well I place Ritual and Sound Chaser above Awaken…
@@Rowenband I place The Remembering above Awaken, actually. Awaken has an unsurpassed beginning and end, but when the entire production is appraised, in my POV, The Remembering is superior. Filled with melody & some of Chris Squire's best contributions to the Tales From Topographic Oceans set. One man's opinion...
Watching the old live shows, it's a Wondrous Story, they were so Close to the Edge, you only argue about places if you suffer badly from The Clap
Awaken for sure. Studio version. - there are no good quality live recordings. But first I really think you need to hear side 2 of close to the edge and the other 2 songs on this album. They're all amazing. Then Awaken. That for me is pinnacle Yes. Although I could definitely get behind a start to finish journey, at least through Drama, but I'd still stick around for the ride after that.
Maybe controversial with some but I would put ‘The revealing science of god’ up there with these three but no argument that Awaken is a must listen track.
This was Alan White on drums at his best in unison with Squire's unmatched bass genius which holds everything together regardless of all the musical twists and turns of the song's mutations. Timing is built in as part of the musical flow and comes from below any urge to consciously count time. For those having rigid structure dependency will find Yes music to be very unsettling because the band is offering you a journey and so you should take it as it comes without expectations and just delight in the ride. The music may seem chaotic at first and therefore "crazy," but in reality it's extremely unconventional well designed outpouring of collective genius!! Fifty years later, Yes is still an undimmed musical giant just the same as they were when they first emerged.
Bruford took a few more adventures in "time" as his mad genius was more jazz and improv oriented and why he ended up leaving in the end. White is a solid and brilliant technical drummer and held Yes together even in the craziest passages of music and between style changes.
I know Bruford is great but, Alan White was the best drummer for Yes.
@@marshabonforte6963 He was one of the best drummer ever!
"Roundabout" "Close to The Edge" "Awaken" "Sound Chaser" "Siberian Khatru" Sir, you've fallen unknowingly into the YES rabbit hole. There is no way out.
Yes fan since 69. I am always delighted when I see that someone "gets it"
Watching you enjoy this is awesome. YOU, sir, "get it"
If you’ve not done it yet ‘Awaken’ from Going for the One 1977. Great that you are discovering Yes. Great reaction
I love the guitar playing by Steve Howe, but lately when listening to old Yes recordings I get more and more impressed by the bass guitar lines Chris Squire plays. A delight for the ears. Back then in high school late seventies I typed monthly a personal top 100 list of my favourite songs (no computers then) and this song was number one all the time.
Side two of the Close to the Edge album is two songs "And You and I" and "Siberian Khatru" Both songs are brilliant and if you're a Yes fan need to be heard.
I absolutely agree. Not only is CTTE the best epic song ever put together, the CTTE *_album_* is the greatest prog album ever composed, not just on the strength of the title track, but when And You And I and Siberian Khatru are added in, you end up with the PERFECT Prog album. It just keeps coming at you with greatness...
Oh man, you're taking a big dive into the Yes catalog.
" An earthquake of music"🤣. I discovered this in 1978 at the ripe old age of 14. It has been my favorite ever since, but, " Awaken ", is encroaching. Hear the studio cut, then see Jon Anderson perform with Todmobile. It'll bring tears to your eyes.
This is Yes at their most jazzy, experimental, maybe a little over the top.
This song is based on the book War and Peace which is why it’s so intense and builds up to the crescendo !
Per Jon Anderson the lead singer, this piece is inspired by the book War And Peace.
The “battle” section of this piece that begins at 12:10 is the most intense section of music that Yes ever made. Without fail, every time I hear it my adrenaline level instantly rises.
And then after the battle comes the beautiful “soon” part to finish the song. Incredible!
This piece is a tough listen the first few times when the listener doesn’t yet know the material, but it keeps getting better with each additional listen. It’s the opposite of pop music where you get immediate satisfaction that starts wearing down the more you listen.
Jon and Alan would stop by a junk yard on their way to the studio and get old car parts, etc. The put these on a big rack in the studio and pounded on it the during the War movement. At some point, the whole thing fell over. That's on the recording although I can't tell where.
This is "War and Peace" in musical form. For many decades I considered it the greatest composition of my lifetime, now it shares that spot with Nightwish's "The Greatest Show On Earth." In the center section, after the buildup to war, the breakdown of diplomacy, you can hear the two separate themes, each representing each army, one dominant over the other, then changing. When it reaches the point of the aftermath, as the steel guitar wails, I see in my mind the fog of the morning, the smoke of the gunpowder above the ground as "Soon" brings the sun and the possible start of a new peace. Brilliance at a level many do not comprehend. I truly enjoyed watching you "get it" because not everybody does. Try Nightwish's "The Greatest Show On Earth" - it is the history of life on this planet, from the big bang to the end of mankind in about 21 minutes, and your mind will be blown. Cheers, and well done!
An amazing piece of music about the atrocities of war. It takes you through the beginning of the war, the horrors of the war itself, and then ultimately peace. Masterpiece.
My favorite band!!!
It's wonderful just listening to Chris' bass throughout....
I've never heard anybody even think of using the pedal steel like Steve Howe. What an imaginative innovator!
Could you imagine being the drummer and playing this entire song live!?
He'd probably lose 3-4 pounds by the end! 😮
That's why Alan White always wore bicycle shorts for a concert. Any drummer would get the workout of their life with this band.
Yeah, once you've passed the gates of delirium, there's no coming back.
I have heard many reactors state " oh, Yes sound like" those or these or them or the other. Truth is, they all learned from or were inspired by Yes. They never really got close in my pinion. There is only one.
I recommend you listen to the other side of Relayer next, Sound Chaser and To Be Over, since the whole album has a continuity of excellence and originality.
Would of been my suggestion
From Close to the Edge through Tales From Topographic Oceans to Relayer, Yes produced a body of work that has never been matched. A remarkable trilogy. All done in a twenty four track studio, produced by Eddie Offord.
I was 14 years old when this album first came out. My friends and I thought this was as great as 'Close to the Edge'. A great song for headphones or to play very loud at a party. A course we all had to go see the tour in early 1975. They sounded even better live and the light show was out of this world.
I’ve watched many reactions of this song, and I have to say that this is better than any others! Really great reaction 👍
I saw Yes perform this live in 1975 in Boston A true masterpiece Ethereal . True Art
Awesome reaction, dude! Love that you are digging this band! Keep exploring them...there's a lot more to hear!
I'm a YES fanatic. Try out Heart of the Sunrise. It has a little jazz fusion. I LOVE it!!!!
The final ‘Soon’ movement was released as a single. You can see why.
The Relayer album is a particular triumph for Steve Howe. No one else plays guitar like this. It applies to all three tracks.
Awaken on Going For The One is the final pinnacle song of this astonishing six album run. Either it or To Be Over from Relayer will be played at my funeral. Maybe both.
One of My Favorite YESSONGS
Thanks for Your Reaction vid!!!
There is also a LIVE version of the Gates of Delirium it deserves a listen to...
Weather or not you do a reaction vid to it ...
Dear Mr Boyd, I was 13 in 1969 when I read a review in British Music Mag saying Led Zeppelin and Yes was the most impressive bands coming out that year. He was right. Few bands have reached into the stratosphere as Yes. The bars, music and composition they have it all! Enjoy! Ignore the Haters. My avatar is from the band Opeth. When ur ready, try "Bleed" from their LP Black Water Park. They are hard, but have angelic passages with great words and feel. ✌️
Bro! My favorite song for over 40 years... Keep listening to it and when you are anticipating all THE parts it's so AMAZING!
I concur 100% with perry's comment !! Original, and great we'll gelled musicians.
Treat yourself to the rest of this album you wont regret it and you'll make us YES fans happy, love your reactions bro, stay blessed.
Yes Fragile. Full album. Notwithstanding my personal bias, as it was my first vinyl in 1972, this album is simply genius. A masterpiece, I shit you not. 🤓
Ps, love what you're doing.
There’s only one way up from here, my friend. The song is called Awaken. It’s on Going For The One. Cheers!
The inspiration of many video game soundtracks to come. This was YES at the pinnacle of creative exploration and they would continue on the next album Going for the One. The band was firing on all cylinders during this era. Sublime progressive rock music which was never again surpassed…
Now you`ve gone there, Drama.
I have been listening to YES since November 14, 1971, when they opened for Emerson, Lake and Palmer at the Auditorium Theater in Chicago. They still enthrall me. Now I also get great pleasure when watching others' introduction to their most transcendent works...this being one of them. Seeing the expression on your face of satisfaction, surprise and occasional exultant bewilderment sparked by these sounds that were created 50 years ago with the technological options available to them at that time makes me smile and happy for you in your discovery. Listen on and repeatedly, my friend.
If I were Yes, I'd be very proud of this song. And, oh, yeah, Steve Howe is absolutely one of the best guitarists ever. And Squire and Anderson and . . .
The Relayer show was my opening salvo of seeing Yes live. What an f'ing show.
You actually get YES!! The general listener does not. Yes is an experience. Soul lifting. Ethereal. Just being around these guys, you get the positivity of their souls. TY! Turn of the Century, Holy Lamb, Awaken live 2003 in Montreux, Yours is no disgrace live from the Union tour- the video is mind blowing. ☮️❤️
Another great reaction!! You can’t go wrong with Yes. All the albums are great. Especially 70s Yes. The rest of this album is awesome as-is sides 1and 4 of Tales of Topographic Oceans. Awaken is also a classic. Keep the Yes reactions coming. Can’t get enough.
I'm an old prog dog and... you're a chill kind of fun. ..The Yes peers of the day were ELP, Genesis, King Crimson... for the weirdest sounds in all of prog: The Karn Evil 9 suite or Tocata by Emerson, Lake & Palmer. Both are on the Brain Salad Surgery album (1973) -- if the cover looks familiar, it was done by the same artist who did 'Alien' (H.R.Giger, RIP). Enjoy your trip down the prog rabbit hole. Bring snacks, you could wander down a side road and come out with a beard as long as the fellow in your poster. (He looks displeased that someone has tossed an RPG at his head.)
I'll second ELP's Karn Evil 9 suite, about the only prog. track that's even vaguely comparable to the chaos, darkness, and brilliance of "GoD" (and is even longer).
I will third on ELP. But include Tarkus, Pictures at an Exhibition and Trilogy with Brain Salad Surgery. Really I cannot pick my favourite because it changes depending on my mood. All are show stopper albums. If after 48 years you say you will listen to one track but end up playing the whole thing time and time again it must be a winner. But we should let DramaSyd focus on Yes for now.
@@psbarrow ELP and Yes were the Ying/Yang of prog. One dark, mysterious, putting you ill at ease the other so positive, uplifting and leaving you in a better place. Both were so great but so different.
Gates of Delirum is one of my absolute top favourites by Yes and the whole Relayer album is a must! Thank you!
Hope you will continue Yes reactions, I’ll be watching every one of them. In the 80’s they became more commercial, more pop and IMO not as experimental any more, though still GOOD because they are such unique musicians. But their albums from the beginning up until the 80’s is pure gold.
🐎🐄🐑🌲Just yesterday I took a long drive down twisty, turning, winding, hilly country roads of Wisconsin with the top down. Ridiculously blue sky with big fluffy white clouds. Listening to YES Fragile and Close to the Edge, (very loud of course) it was glorious. YES is always a journey with headphones and eyes closed, but with few other views on the road than rolling hills and fields of Wisconsin farms, horses and cows and sheep, and endless rows of corn and crops, fields of sunflowers, lazy rivers and sun dappled lakes and big woods, it's equally easy to get in the zone while driving. No better medicine. Next time I take Relayer along too. Haven't listened to it in quite a long while and this was incredible. The Gates of Delirium an apropos title.
"An earthquake of music comin in." Very nicely put! I'm enjoying your travels through YES. 🌻🌻🌻
Gates would be great on a drive while a big storm was building for part 1. A massive thunder storm with rain in the war section. Driving into a valley with the storm clearing and a new day breaking through for the Soon section. That would be a great experience. For me only Yes can take you to such places.
Your reaction is exactly why I’ve been listening to Yes since 1971. Total Bliss...
Wel,ll I was 665 on the like counter. This song is a BEAST in my GenX life line. Thanks for sharing your experience.
I love the jam right before the "Soon" movement...Moraz gets his synth to sound like a huge buzzing bee
That _was_ an amazing tone/performance. He's playing with not just the pitch/modulation wheels, but the filter knob as well, all at the same time. And his pitch wheel is set for much more than a whole step. Wakeman, of course, is amazing, but Moraz's left-hand work with a Minimoog is kind of mind-blowing if you try and recreate it live. Even he had trouble replicating it if you listen to the live version on Yesshows. Same goes for his solo on _Sound Chaser,_ where he's switching "sync" off, detuning one oscillator against the other, using its pitch knob, then switching back to _sync,_ and pushing up the modulation wheel. Real mastery of a quirky, temperamental machine. Shame he may have not been treated so well by the band, if you hear his account of his firing.
One of the great Yes epics. Yes did not make just one long epic masterpiece but did it so many times with equipment of the early mid 70's. To hold together such long epics clearly puts them on the very top shelf of music. This song was inspired by the novel war and peace. It is just as relevant today as the day it was released and will always be relevant and should never be lost in the past. The war movement has so many layers, transitions, effects and sounds it is like coordinated chaos as war is. You should look up the racks of car parts they put together generate the clashing metal effects. Then when the war is over and there is peace over the land such a beautiful tune. If you listen to Jon's voice you will notice how it changes tone in the peace movement "Soon" compared to the first section in the call to war. Such amazing music, thank you for helping keep it alive at this time. HINT: Listen to side 2 next Relayer is a great album. With Patrick on keys he put a whole new sound in Yes for only the Relayer album. Sound chaser is amazing. Try to count the number of influences and genres in that piece but it all goes together so well and then "To be Over" to close out the album.
Stunning band and many albums to their greatness. Genesis, Floyd, King Crimson, Dream Theater, Led Zep, The Who, Beatles, Stones, DP, Rush, BTBAM, Moody Blues and many more. Enjoy the Ride.
As good as music gets....untouchable YES.
This is a Journey I took in Concert, one of many YES Concerts. The Sun will lead ALL of us, It's our reason to be here❤😊❤
You make me feel warm and fuzzy all over with your reaction. This tour was my first blessing of Yes. There are five more symphonic masterpieces by Yes all epic. But you might want to flip the album over and listen to the next two songs Sound Chaser and To Be Over. You Be impressed with Yes's diversity. Mind blowing.🙏🍁
My second favorite YES song behind 'Close to the Edge'. 48 years listening to this masterpiece and it never gets old! Do Side 2 of 'Close to the Edge', Side 2 of 'Relayer' and the entire 'Going for the One' Album.
I 100% agree with this comment. My favorite 3 yes albums, though everything they did in the 70s was ridiculously good.
yes has an amazing ability to make chaos sound beautiful and inspiring
YES really had their strongest peak with those three magical albums from 71 and 72, The YES Album, Fragile, and Close to the Edge. However, their sixth studio release which followed, Tales from Topographic Oceans, even though it recieved criticism for being over-ambitious and lacking the cohesion of previous work, it DOES feature some of the most beautiful moments they have ever achieved. It is a double album comprised of four epic pieces that each take up a whole side of each record. I highly recomnend the first, 'The Revealing Science of God" and the powerful final piece, 'Ritual'....
The two in the middle ,
'The Remembering' and 'The Ancient' , are worth checking out on your own time and they DO both have sections that can only be described as 'Sublime'
Many years ago when I had to do lots of international travel for work and there no movies or in seat entertainment system then. I used to have a Walkman (remember those?) with a collection of tapes. The one I wore out was a C-180, one side was Tales both sides, the other "The Wall". I really got into tales and it became my favourite Yes album. It is still up there equal with the other Yes epics. It takes time to absorb, get into and really grab hold of such a long and complex work of sound but you are well rewarded if you do.
The Revealing Science of God is still YES at their musically creative peak.
Interesting how different YES fans hear different things. The first time I listened to TFTO, TRSOG was my favorite side, but with repeated listenings The Remembering eventually came to be my favorite of the four sides. To my ears, it features some of the best stretches of melody in the compilation and also some of Chris Squire's best contributions, IMO.
The first time my friend heard this he said yeah yeah great but can they do it live? He never saw it but I sure did and more than once,. You have to wonder how the band stays on track with a piece of music like this. Beyond genius it may all come from another dimension.
My first YES was their live album YESSONGS !!!
I was hooked and then started purchasing the studio albums.
Their second live album YESSHOWS is IMHO amazing as well !!!
Enjoy your trip down the YES rabbit hole !!!
the next song on the album Sound Chaser is soooo nuts! simply amazing
"In the trenches with the band ...", a very apt image for the theme of the piece! You are right that sometimes all the band members can be playing around the beat, but the pulse is still there in the middle and they're still so tight and together, despite the complexity, that they can lock together again without apparent effort. I love your intelligent and musically insightful comments. I agree with the recommendation of doing Awaken, but anything by Yes - front to back, beginning to end - will be a journey through sound and a musical adventure all the way.
Yes from The Magnification album "In the Presence of " masterpiece ! Yes From the TALK album Endless Dream another masterpiece and from the album Going for the One Awaken. I have so many more seen Yes live from 1976-2011 Chris and Alan RIP !
Love your reaction when the groove gets extra Dirty!!!✌️🤟🎶💚
Thank you!
I saw them for the first time in 1976 or 77 and I was fortunate enough to see them 6 times over the years.
I was hooked to say the least.
I saw them one time and I enjoyed it so much I made the trip to the very next city they played that week to experience it again.
To get an even better prospective of how good they are you should watch a good quality live performance.
Thanks again, from an Old Indiana farm boy 👍
However your YES journey go's I'll look forward to it.
Amazing. King Crimson might be one of the few bands matching Yes’s virtuosity at that time.
That you reacted as you did to “Gates” I can only suggest that you continue with the other two tracks on the album - in order - “Sound Chaser,” which definitely IS a journey through sound, and then “To Be Over.” I have long wondered why Yes and the Relayer album in particular aren’t heralded more as milestones in contemporary (or ANY) music.
Also, I truly appreciate your insights to the music you review. Thank you.
Yes I agree Sound Chaser is the most challenging song by Yes. Maybe my favorite also.
To each his own Stuart but it my ever so humble opinion, no band can compare to YES!
Funny you mention King Crimson. I'm not really a fan. Not that they aren't brilliant musicians. Their music just confuses me. This song, I was just thinking hearing it again, it was Yes"s most Crimsonesque song
King Crimson came, scared everyone, but really didn't sell big beyond their earliest albums. A rather forgetten band like Wishbone Ash introduced twin leads in a prog style, had solid sales and had more impact around '74
@@RobBCactive I love Wishbone Ash, great bass player and singer : Martin Turner.
Hard to miss a good time listening to YES. At 16 yrs old this was the shit.
Thank You Brother...Back in the 70s our band was playing sections of this. It was the music at the time...Thanks for posting...
I want to put in a plug for YES' cover of Paul Simon's *America.* It was the last cover they recorded (I believe) and it is something special. YES' 1st two albums featured stylized covers that they "Yesified" to where they only barely resembled the original artists' version. America was a cover they would jam to in concerts, most likely for encores. It was finally recorded at about the time of the Fragile album but was not available on only of their studio albums (it was later included on a compilation album). I especially love it because it's about 10 minutes of YES improvisation, with a heavy dose of Chris Squire bass domination & Bill Bruford experimentation on the drums. The "rhythm section" in this recording is just amazing. You may not get a ton of requests for it, but any of YES' hardcore fans of that period will enthusiastically approve.
I love your reactions to YES' masterpieces, my brother...
I liked the reviewer’s analysis! He nails it when he says, “this is an adventure in sound”.
I saw them on this tour - amazing to see them do this live!
Something akin to this would be Emerson, Lake & Palmer's "Karn Evil 9": it's another complex, insane war epic. The highest level of musical skill you can imagine.
I am happy for you that you thoroughly enjoyed your Odyssey through the Gates of delirium Bravo!!! And thank you for letting us enjoy that journey with you.
"Gates" clearly touched you as did "Close to the Edge" & "Awaken". I'd have to recommend "Tales From Topographic Oceans" in it's entirety as a follow up. Double LP, four tracks it is indeed an epic
I've been listening to this song since I was fourteen, and that was in 1974
NOW YOU DONE DID IT!!!!!!! We're talking what words can not describe!!!!!!!!!!! from close to the edge to riding the edge and going over it ! YES's GATES goes deep, dark & funky yet lifts you higher into new realms. The richness & beauty of the composition is the story progresses & expresses itself sonically as well as lyrically with perfection. WAR has never been visualized with sounds so powerfully! The marching, battle, guns, swords, bombs, rockets, clashing, death, destruction, devastation onto ultimate victory to refection, regret , remorse towards the wisdom of enlightenment, ....hopefully! < ALL of YES IN THE 70's should be EXPERIENCED but my issue with REQUEST by the PROG audience is that there are the POPULAR SONGS yet there are other INCREDIBLE SONGS similar that will NEVER GET SUGGESTED in high numbers UNFORTUNATELY such as the bands: CURVED AIR "Piece of Mind" ***** or GENTLE GIANT, HAPPY the MAN, PFM, GRYPHON but you might get mentioned KING CRIMSON especially their RED album.
Any KC tracks are likely to get blocked very quickly by Fripp, which is why there are hardly any reactions of the band's music on YT. Pretty stupid of him as young reactors are how his music will gain new fans and live on beyond him.
Saw the GG 4 times, love the Crimson of the King Brain Salad that is. Now they're mentioned.👍
Gryphon’s music is truly unique and sad that it never got the exposure it deserved.
YES & GENTLE GIANT TOURED TOGETHER IN 1976!!!🎉🎉🎉
@@caroleann_2142 i missed that bc it was Gryphon with them for me. I saw GG headline with Renaissance in 76
Thank you for sharing your impressions of this wonderful music. It makes me realise how lucky I was to have been a teenager in the early 1970’s listening to Yes and other prog rock bands, the creativity was incredible and remember everything was analogue and the technology was basic...mellotrons and monophonic synths (moog)..I used to think back then that Yes were playing music from the future...I saw them live in Manchester UK back in ’74 playing ‘Tales’ and Close to the Edge’....it still sounds like music from the future and it is wonderful to see younger generations enjoying it today.
I think what I love most about this song, is that it takes you on this crazy journey, an epic tale, and it sets you down nice and gentle like a baby.
Nice reaction. I’ll suggest to finish both albums Close to the edge and Relayer, but everything Yes is amazing. Thx ✌️
with most Classic YES you can't go wrong with remastered studio versions. Awaken (whole album is good too), the album Fragile is really good
“This isn’t a song, it’s an experience “ I Love that and he’s absolutely right.
Tales From Topographic Oceans, is another wonderful experience from Yes.
Supers Ready, from Foxtrot by Genesis is another one I would recommend too. 👍
I have been with Yes since 1968.....i say that you should react to the whole albums of "Fragile" ....... "Yes Album" ...... "Close To Edge" ...///"Relayer" (Where "The Gates Of Delirium" you just heard is from)......"Going For The One"........and "Talk" *(which was released 1994) and is an updated Masterpiece which music critics ignore or don't know about......that would be my pick for albums of Yes you really need to explore. And I will be there to listen and experience you reacting to this "Heavenly Divine" music that really sets Yes apart from any band in music history. Great reaction! You are "The Man" lol
Yes to you and Yes to Yes. This, Close to the Edge, and, Going for the One, they might make you smile. I think of all the bands of the time, they personaly were the most talented. So many personalites within the group. all good, for us. I look for more obvervations of music and how you really feel about it, and why. Respect from me.
You must watch this live. This tour, Relayer, was my first Yes show. Have not missed one since. Saw them week before last, Steve Howe was on fire!!
Great watch! My suggestion for your next Yes reaction is 'Awaken". Definitely an experience.
Love your comments. Awaken next. I think listening to YES chronologically is for you. If you want the LIKES etc. give your people what they want to hear. Very simple.
All good people next.
Do it.
You know you want to.
The gates of delirium is one of my favourite songs of all time. Your insights here were interesting too, new subscriber here.
Thank you 🙏🏾
I saw the Relayer tour at the Hollywood Bowl in 1975. It was EPIC!
Such a great song, and very coherent lyrics for Jon.
My fave is:
The pen won't stay the demon's wings /
The hour approaches pounding out the devil's sermon.
WAR.
Pink Floyd..."Dark side of the Moon" and "The Wall" are two of the finest Prog-rock albums ever made...both should be listened to from start to finish in order to get the whole experience.
Always LOVED this one! The sound is focused and saturated…..these guys were amazing…. By far my favorite band. Go for “Tales of Topographic Oceans” ANY song but again it’s best to play at least one side of the album start to finish. There are 4 sides…..some love it some hate it. It’s a masterpiece IMO
So great to see our coloured family digging this music all over YouTumour....😁
Close To The Edge...YES!
You're explanation of finding the time of the song from wherever you are inside the act of listening to said song was genius. This song is one tough game. Been a Yes fan since I was 10 yes.
ALWAYS LISTEN TO THE STUDIO VERSION FIRST ITS HOW THE BAND PUT THE MUSIC OUT TO THE WORLD.
*THANK YOU !* I always say that to newcomers to any artist not just YES.
I just wanted to applaud your journey. My generation has it's sound and it explored everything and cut the strings of commercial AM radio format. Some sound can not be condensed into 2 or 3 minutes. Yes is just one of the many progressive channels music of my generation took. I entered junior high in 1967 and graduated high school in 1972 I hope you can imagine the impact these bands had on our consciousness. We were and still are searching, seeking expression of the soul, the emotional impact only music gives light to. It is immeasurably pleasing to see our sound still impacting still opening newer generations to the possibilities of expression music can bring.
Flip it over