THE LADDER

The Ladder and Magnification are arguably Yes' most turbulent albums?not because of their musical content, but because of the circumstances surrounding their creation and release.

Magnification was originally set to be released on September 11, 2001. The tragic events of that day forced a delay and cast a long shadow over its reception. But The Ladder, released two years earlier, faced its own tragic chapter: the sudden death of its producer, Bruce Fairbairn.

In late 1998, Yes regrouped in Vancouver to write new material. For the first time in years, they returned to collaborative songwriting, abandoning solo contributions in favor of building songs together from fragments and ideas. This period also marked keyboardist Igor Khoroshev's full-time integration into the band.

The title The Ladder was inspired by a 1966 artwork by Yoko Ono, famously seen by John Lennon?a ladder leading up to a magnifying glass that revealed the word "YES." It's a fitting metaphor for an album that aims for something affirming and meaningful but ultimately falls short.

Bruce Fairbairn played an unusually hands-on role. He attended rehearsals, helped select material, and brought renewed energy to the sessions. It was his idea to return to analog textures he convinced Chris Squire to use his classic Rickenbacker bass again, giving the recordings a familiar Yes flavor. Steve Howe would later describe him as one of the most cooperative producers he had ever worked with.

Then, on May 17, 1999, during the final stages of mixing, Fairbairn died suddenly of a heart attack. Known for his punctuality, concerns were raised when he failed to show up to the studio. His passing left the band stunned and cast a somber tone over the completion of the album. The final track, "Nine Voices," was dedicated to him.

Musically, The Ladder is an improvement over the dismal Open Your Eyes, which had somehow sold well despite its lack of inspiration. Structurally, the album is more coherent, and the title track?a 9-minute highlight is genuinely beautiful, easily one of Yes' best songs in years.

But the rest of the album doesn't hold up. Much of it feels lightweight and uninspired. "New Language" tries to recreate the energy of earlier epics and fares slightly better, but still pales in comparison to the band's classic material. "The Messenger," a tribute to Bob Marley, completely misses the mark. Rather than channeling Marley's spirit, it feels like a genre experiment gone wrong.

Overall, the album feels like a contractual obligation. With 11 tracks running just over an hour, there's very little that truly sticks. Most of these songs would never have made it onto an album during the band's prime years.

The production lets the album down. Whether Fairbairn managed to complete the mix before his death or someone else stepped in, the result is cold and overprocessed. Steve Howe's guitar sounds metallic and unnatural, Alan White's drums are buried and lifeless, and the bass is oddly bright and disconnected from the rest of the mix Igor Khoroshev is the only one who stands out, as his good taste is evident in the analog sounds he uses, especially in the titled track. The whole thing feels flat and sterile?lacking the warmth and dynamism that defined Yes in their peak era.

The Ladder could have been something meaningful. The band was working well together, the energy in the studio was reportedly good, and there was a clear attempt to recapture the old magic. But the tragic loss of their producer, the uneven songwriting, and the uninspired production turned the album into something that never quite takes off.

Roger Dean's cover art nods to the band's classic era, but the music within doesn't live up to the promise. In the end, The Ladder isn't a triumphant climb upward?it's a weary ascent to nowhere.

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