The Gonzo Daily: Yes – Relayer [TrackList follows] – Panegyric 5.1 & 2.0 audio-only Blu-ray + CD

Friday, 28 November 2014

Yes – Relayer [TrackList follows] – Panegyric 5.1 & 2.0 audio-only Blu-ray + CD

Yes – Relayer [TrackList follows] – Panegyric 5.1 & 2.0 audio-only Blu-ray + standard CD (2 discs) GYRBD50096 (11/4/14) ****:

(Chris Squire, Steve Howe, Alan White, Jon Anderson, Patrick Moraz)

This is the third in a series of expanded reissues of great albums by Yes, including multichannel and stereo mixes, hi-res mixes of the original music, and a wealth of additional material. High-voiced vocalist Jon Anderson, Yes’ most identifiable musician, said in an interview that “…we had so much happening musically and sonically, we needed surround sound to realize the concept.” Robbie Gerson reviewed the last Yes reissue here.

And so they have it. Unfortunately the audio side of the project was somehow not seriously considered and the audio setup menu really doesn’t make it clear how to get the 5.1 mixes—I was unable to until I got some assistance from Panegyric themselves. If you just press Play on your remote, the disc will automatically default to the DTS-HD MA 5.1 stream. Be sure your preamp or receiver is set to DTS and Optical if it requires that. You can also use the colored buttons on your remote: the Red takes you to the DTS-HD Master Audio, the Yellow one to the 5.1 PCM tracks and the Green one to the PCM stereo mixes. I have my Oppo deck set up for 6-channel analog RCA outs, but found the PCM tracks to be much lower level and no better than the DTS audio (at least to my ears – if you’re in your ‘20s you may hear a very slight improvement). I suggest just staying with the Blu-ray lossless audio optical tracks.

This was Yes’ seventh studio album and somewhat resembles Close to the Edge. The distinctive artwork of Roger Dean is prominent here, and in fact he did some updating and restoration of some of it. There are basically three long tracks. Here’s the run-down of the contents on the Blu-ray, which is so over-the-top it should appeal mainly to rabid Yes fans:

CD (both versions):

2014 Stereo mixes by Steven Wilson from original multi-track tapes:

1. The Gates Of Delirium

2. Sound Chaser

3. To Be Over

Bonus tracks (Mixed & produced by Yes and Eddie Offord):

4. Soon (single edit)

5. Sound Chaser (single edit)

Blu-ray:

2014 Stereo mixes: PCM Stereo 24/96

1. The Gates Of Delirium

2. Sound Chaser

3. To Be Over

2014 5.1 Surround mixes: 24/96 MLP Lossless/DTS 96/24

1. The Gates Of Delirium

2. Sound Chaser

3. To Be Over

Original stereo mixes: Flat Transfer from original master PCM Stereo 24/192

1. The Gates Of Delirium

2. Sound Chaser

3. To Be Over

The “Alternate” Album: PCM Stereo 24/96

1. The Gates Of Delirium (studio run through)

2. Sound Chaser (studio run through)

3. To Be Over (studio run through)

Blu-ray-Only Content:

Additional Material:

1. Soon (single edit)

2. Sound Chaser (single edit)

3. The Gates Of Delirium (Studio run through)

Blu-ray Bonus: PCM Stereo 24/96

1. Sound Chaser (Live from Cobo Hall 1976)

2. Sound Chaser (demo version)

Archival Masters: PCM Stereo 24/96

1. The Gates Of Delirium

2. Sound Chaser

3. To Be Over

2014 Stereo instrumental mixes: PCM Stereo 24/96

1. The Gates Of Delirium

2. Sound Chaser

3. To Be Over

“Needle-Drop” 1: Original UK vinyl transfer: PCM Stereo 24/96

1. The Gates Of Delirium

2. Sound Chaser

3. To Be Over

“Needle-Drop” 2: US promo album vinyl transfer: PCM Stereo 24/96

1. The Gates Of Delirium (Part I)

2. The Gates Of Delirium (Part II)

3. The Gates Of Delirium (Part III)

4. Sound Chaser (Part I)

5. Sound Chaser (Part II)

The Blu-ray is region-free and it is one of the two discs in a vinyl replica gatefold card sleeve with inner protective black paper sleeves. Providing a separate standard CD for playing in the car and elsewhere is a great idea. The enclosed booklet features new sleeve notes by Sid Smith along with rare photos and archive material.

Read on...

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