MAGNIFICATION

This is an hour of wonderful, uplifting songs and vocal/musical arrangements from Yes. I bought it from Amazon in the amazingly priced 'Essentially Yes' boxed set and it is my favourite album they have recorded since 'The Yes Album'.

The vocal melodies are catchy without being overly cheesy and the song structures are complex but subtle on the whole (with the odd exception). The American AOR feel of their 80s and early 90s stuff has gone, replaced by a mature mild-prog sound.

The orchestra blends well with the group. On the whole, the orchestra pads out the sound of the band, allowing Squire, Howe and White to take main stage. The bass is high in the mix (in a similar way to 'The Yes Album'), Howe's intricate and clever guitar work is as effective as ever and White's drumming keeps it all together (but is it a drum machine on 'Give Love Each Day'?). But it is Anderson's and Squire's vocal melodies, harmonies and arrangements that are given pride of place (as with much of 'The Yes Album').

Many Yes fans will miss Rick Wakeman's keyboards, and whilst it would have been good to have had the maestro throw in the odd solo, I have often found that his arrangements behind the vocals often detract from the songs.

If you are new to Yes, this album is a good one to give you an insight of what came before but without being as inaccessible as some (TFTO and Relayer) or as AOR as others (90125 or Big Generator).