MAGNIFICATION

To this day (July 07) this is the last studio album from YES. Already 6 years old !!! and the YES members in the meantime are not getting any younger. JON ANDERSON is close to ...64 now! He even said a few years ago that YES might not record new music as no one is buying anyway.But if MAGNIFICATION was their swansong, they will leave with a bang! I am surprised by the relatively low rating this CD is getting on PA. Did anyone really listen to it??

We don't have a keyboardist on this album; RICK WAKEMAN is upon to return, but later and the great IGOR KHOROSHEV is missing in action. Instead we have a ......full orchestra!!! You know how it works when you mix classic with rock music. It can be successful or it can be a plain disaster. Luckily, we are on the good side with this album as the orchestra never meddles too much with the band and takes a back seat adding a lush sound in the background! The orchestra never overwhelm the music , just adding nice touches of paint on a perfect picture.

The strength of this album is the high level of quality of (most) the songs. We're having true jewels on MAGNIFICATION. Just listen to the beauty of ''Give love each day'' and tell me this is not great vintage YESmusic!! As good as it gets!! as good as anything produced in the 70s. Do the same with ''Dreamtime'' and the grandiose ''In the presence of''. TRUE YESclassics

Great melodies- great instrumentations- and Yes great vocals from Jon AnDERSON, back to being himself again. Yes we have a 3 mns poppy number''don't go'' , but it's funny and the chorus is well catchy; Even Chris SQUIRE is singing correctly his own tune''Can you imagine''.

If this is the last album YES will record, this will be a wonderful testament to YESmusic and the best way they could find to leave the stage. They would leave on the top!! But we still can hope for the future as YES is planning to reunite again in 2008;and hopefully with a new album! (and Jethro Tull as well)

A necessary addition to any serious YES collection. Thanks YES! No less than 5 stars as there is nothing i dislike on this album! 5 stars

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