Following the departure of Billy Sherwood and Igor Koroshev in 2000, Yes opted to not replace them but instead decided that their next album would utilize an orchestra, in lieu of keyboards. Thirty years prior, they recorded their second album, Time And A Word, with an orchestra. In the case of that album, the songs were already there and the orchestra just doubled what someone else was already playing (or replaced, on occasion, a practice that crated a rift that ultimately led to the departure of a Peter Banks). This resulted in a cluttered, unfocused album. In the case of Magnification, however, the songs and segues were devised with the orchestra in mind. This way, all of the elements could coexist, without getting in each other’s way.
The density in this album comes mostly from the songs themselves. After some recent flirtations, there seemed to be a conscious effort to steer away from cheesy shit. Occasionally, they get close but always manage to dodge it just in time, by detouring into some kind of new territory. Unconventional was the theme of this record and they totally pulled that off.
There is a little bit of pop on this set - “Don’t Go” was a great single - but most of this was born much closer to the prog end of the spectrum. Songs like “Give Love Each Day”, “Dreamtime”, “We Agree”, and “In The Presence Of” are every bit as intricate as the most classic Yes material.
The title track mixes prog and pop and is pretty magnificent, especially the way the orchestra leads the band into the wicked “Spirit Of Survival”, which is one of the most impressive tracks from this era.
The 1981 XYZ sessions (Squire/White + Jimmy Page) were mined once again for “Can You Imagine”, which finds Squire taking the lead vocal spot quite ably. Elsewhere, “Soft As A Dove” beautifully fills the “pretty song” quota, which is further stretched with the hypnotic singalong, “Time Is Time”, which closes out the album.
The string arrangements were done by the great Larry Groupé, and his charts are every bit a part of these songs as the voice and band instruments. That collaboration no doubt inspired the band’s writing which is more sophisticated than ever. The result is a one of the most unique album, in a discography full of unique albums.
Magnification would ultimately become the last Yes album to feature Jon Anderson, as his health forced him to leave the band, which has long since moved on without him. His absence has created the greatest rift in their fanbase (who is infamous for bickering over everything) but I don’t buy into it. I champion every lineup and will forever support whoever is keeper of the flame. As far as I’m concerned, Yes is a brand, a style, a musical ideology, and it has been ever since the day Peter Banks got the shaft. Many different captains have steered the ship and kept the message alive, and it’s always been up to the present incarnation to not only perpetuate the legacy, but to add to it as well. So long as the official lineup remains part of the same evolutionary thread then, as Rick Wakeman predicted in 1991, Yes could go on for 100 years or more.
Of course, it would be great if somehow Anderson were able to return in some capacity but if that never happens then Magnification is a most triumphant way to go out.
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