Magnification (album)

Magnification
Studio album by Yes
Released	21 September 2001 (UK) 4 December 2001 (US)
Recorded	Spring – Summer 2001
Genre	Symphonic rock, progressive rock
Length	60:32
Label	Eagle (UK) Beyond Music (US)
Producer	Yes and Tim Weidner
Yes chronology
Keystudio (2001) Magnification (2001) Yesspeak (2004)

Professional ratings
Review scores
Source	Rating
Allmusic	[1]

Magnification is the nineteenth studio album by English progressive rock band Yes, released in 2001.

Overview

Magnification is Yes' first album of the new century and their second using a live orchestra (the first being Time and a Word from 1970). It marked the band's last studio album to date with vocalist Jon Anderson.

Released between the departure of Igor Khoroshev the previous year and Rick Wakeman's fourth return in 2002, it is the only album in the band's history not to feature any keyboardist, and the only one involving only four Yes members.

History

Following the departures of guitarist Billy Sherwood and keyboardist Igor Khoroshev, and Rick Wakeman's decision not to rejoin the band, remaining members Jon Anderson, Chris Squire, Steve Howe and Alan White decided to fill the keyboard role with an orchestra, and hired film composer Larry Groupé to compose and conduct original orchestrations and musical bridges.

Apart from the traditional Yes themes of spirituality and relation to nature and divinity, the album also addresses personal issues (Jon Anderson's relation with his daughter Deborah in "Don't Go") and political issues (the war in Bosnia in "We Agree", the plight of drunk-driving youth in "Spirit of Survival"). This album also features the song "Can You Imagine", in which the main vocals are sung by Chris Squire with Jon Anderson on backing vocals. This Squire-penned song was originally recorded in 1981 as a demo entitled "Can You See" for the aborted XYZ project (with Squire, White and Jimmy Page).

The album was re-released in 2002 as a limited and numbered 2-CD set with alternate artwork; the second disc contains three live performances and a CD-ROM track with an interview, video of "Don't Go," and a live video of "The Gates of Delirium". Magnification was also reissued as part of the box set Essentially Yes in 2006.

Reception

Magnification received a warm reception from critics and fans, although not on the level of older albums such as Fragile or Close to the Edge. It reached No. 71 in the UK and No. 186 in the US during a chart stay of 1 week.

Track listing

All songs by Jon Anderson, Chris Squire, Steve Howe and Alan White.

Personnel

• Jon Anderson - lead vocals, MIDI guitar, acoustic guitar
• Chris Squire - bass guitars, backing vocals ^[2] lead vocals (track 5)
• Steve Howe - acoustic & electric guitars, pedal steel guitar, mandolin, backing vocals
• Alan White - drums, percussion, piano, backing vocals

with

• Larry Groupé: Conductor
• Igor Khoroshev - keyboards on 2004 bonus tracks (tracks 1 & 3)

References