Magnification (2001)
1. Magnification
2. Spirit of Survival
3. Don't Go
4. Give Love Each Day
5. Can You Imagine
6. We Agree
7. Soft as a Dove
8. Dreamtime
9. In the Presence of:
10.Time is Time
Here’s how I imagine the conversation went: Yes, like so many of their classic-rock peers, had to face the obvious fact that their days of chart domination were behind them. Not necessarily because the music wasn’t good anymore—The Ladder had proven they could still deliver the goods, drawing critical praise and plenty of fan love—but because the mainstream simply wasn’t listening. Unless you were already on board the prog-rock train, that album probably sailed right past you unnoticed. And then, in typical Yes fashion, they lost their keyboard player yet again. Igor Khoroshev was reportedly sacked for some... less-than-professional behavior on tour. Classic Yes drama.
So what to do? Someone (and give them credit) had the audacity to suggest, “Why not go full symphonic?” Not just strings layered on top of the usual arrangements, but an entire orchestra as the band’s new backbone. Only Yes would even think to try something like this—and even then, there was no guarantee it wouldn’t collapse under its own ambition. Was the idea for the orchestra to simply stand in for the missing keys? If so, they abandoned that plan quickly, because on Magnification the orchestra doesn’t just substitute for the keyboard parts—it completely reshapes the music. Honestly, at times it feels like the three instrumentalists are playing support for the orchestral arrangements rather than the other way around.
And yet, it works—remarkably well most of the time. This is one of those rare experiments where the scale matches the band’s natural tendencies. After all, Yes has never exactly been about minimalism. Unlike Time and a Word from over thirty years prior—where the string section often felt tacked on—here the orchestra is fully integrated. It’s not an embellishment. It’s the fifth member of the band.
Even with that lush backdrop, there’s no mistaking this for anything other than a Yes album. Jon Anderson’s ethereal voice is unmistakable, and Chris Squire and Steve Howe lay down that classic foundation on bass and guitar. There’s a familiarity to the sound that anchors even the most ornate sections. Sure, not every track is a masterpiece—this is Yes, after all, and consistency has never been their strongest suit—but the ambition behind the arrangements often redeems the weaker songwriting moments. When they hit, they hit big.
Some tracks would have worked just fine in a more traditional rock setup, but others absolutely cry out for this approach. Give Love Each Day is a prime example. The song demands that expansive, cinematic sweep the orchestra provides, transforming what might have been standard album filler into something grand and moving. Other songs are more in line with what you’d expect from Yes—layered, intricate, melodic—but they gain a new depth thanks to the orchestral treatment.
Not surprisingly, the band even toured this album with a full orchestra in tow. It was a bold move, and while it wasn’t exactly a runaway success with the masses (prog rock with an orchestra is always going to be niche, let’s be honest), it was a genuine artistic statement. It also ended up being a one-off experiment, shelved as soon as the tour wrapped. True to form, Yes would undergo more lineup changes, and it would be another decade before they managed to deliver another studio album.
All that said, Magnification stands as one of the more successful “late-period” Yes albums. It’s daring without being reckless, lush without being bloated (well, not too bloated), and proof that even this far into their career, they could still surprise you. For a band whose story has always been a saga of reinvention, this chapter is a welcome reminder of why people keep coming back.
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