----------------------------------------------------- DECEMBER 10, 2001 ----------------------------------------------------- Source: CDNow http://www.cdnow.com/cgi-bin/~album.html/ddcn=SD-38957+578205+2/ Yes - Magnification By Russell Hall It was probably inevitable that Yes would one day write and record an album that utilizes classical orchestration as its primary component. What's surprising about Magnification, however, is that it for all its ambition, the CD comes off not as a highbrow conceit, but rather as a traditional pop-rock album cast in a symphonic framework. Indeed, one has to go back to the Moody Blues' 1968 effort, Days of Future Passed, to find a comparably successful blend of rock and classical components. Yes lays out its cards right at the start, on the epic-like title track. The classic Yes ingredients -- Steve Howe's serpentine guitar runs, Chris Squire's hard-thumped melodic bass lines, Alan White's straight-up drumming, and, of course, Jon Anderson's celestial falsetto -- dart and weave throughout the song in a swirl of sprightly strings and startling key changes. Other fine moments include the jaunty "Don't Go," which finds Anderson teaming with Squire for some intricate vocal harmonies, and "Dreamtime," a heavily orchestrated 10-minute rocker that sounds like a lost theme for a vintage James Bond film. Elsewhere, Magnification oscillates between sweeping grandeur (the four- movement suite, "In The Presence Of") and stripped-down, beautifully constructed ballads that showcase Anderson as the ageless choirboy ("Soft As A Dove"). For years, lots of Yes fans have pined for the band's early '70s glory days, when prog-rock was at its zenith, while others swear by the concisely rendered pop of the band's 1984 release, 90125. Magnification stakes out a satisfying middle ground that should appeal to both those factions. Close Window YesInThePress.com For site comments, problems, corrections, or additions, contact YesinthePress@aol.com