Yes: Jon Anderson (vocals, acoustic & synthesized guitars); Steve Howe (acoustic, electric & steel guitars, mandolin); Alan White (piano, drums, percussion, background vocals); Chris Squire (bass, background vocals).
Engineers include: Tim Weidner, Nick Sevilla, John Elder.
Recorded at Sound Design Studios, Santa Barbara, California.
Yes brings its sweeping brand of art rock to new heights with MAGNIFICATION, the band's first orchestral album since 1970's TIME AND A WORD. The tried and true quartet of Anderson, Squire, Howe, and White have done justice to this album's title; their latest sonic landscape is both magnified and enhanced by composer/arranger Larry Groupe. Groupe's role so symbiotic and integral it's as if he's a longtime band member in Yes and his instrument is the orchestra he conducts.
What sets MAGNIFICATION apart from your typical rock-band-with-orchestra project is the arrangements. Rather than adding clutter or tacky overstatement, the orchestral parts take on a voice that at times acts as subtle foundation, and finds the perfect moments to act as a lead "instrument." The title track strolls with majesty, following with the crushing emotional crescendos of "Spirit of Survival." The trademark Yes chorus is splendidly present on "Don't Go," which breaks into a quirky, theatric mid-section. A dramatic score opens "Give Love Each Day" as the band shows a beauty and restraint lacking in many of their progressive rock contemporaries. The epic suite "In The Presence Of" shows just how influential Yes has been in setting the standards that define their genre.
Professional Reviews
Mojo (Publisher) (11/01, p.106) - "...10 tracks decorated with swooping violins and stabs of brass....The title track soars nobly enough and recalls the glory days..."
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