SYMPHONIC MUSIC OF YES

A great idea executed so very poorly. It is common for classic rock bands to have or, at least, let their music arranged for a symphony. Pink Floyd and Led Zeppelin, among others, have done the same. But, there's a big problem with Yes' symphonic album...they are playing on it. Bruford, Anderson, and Howe play their rock instruments along with the symphony and it makes for an awkward sound. There are at least two other ways it could have been better. The symphony either should have played by itself or performed new parts written specifically for the occasion. Too often, they are sharing parts or being relegated to the keyboard parts (not that they're bad, but hardly enough to split between an entire orchestra). Although there are exceptions (Close to the Edge, Wonderous Stories), the sound is extremely weak and unbalanced. Mood for a Day is also good but doesn't really count as it was originally only a guitar piece and the symphony parts were written in the way the whole album should have been. It's a shame because it would have been very interesting to hear Bruford and other Yes members playing in an orchestral setting or at least in a developed way as heard on "Magnification"

Rating:1 star