MAGNIFICATION

this album (and i imagine any new Yes album) is hard to review without bias. when people buy a new Yes album, they play it and try to find what they loved about the '70s Yes albums, but the nature of all things is constant change. i ran into this trouble when i first got it. i wanted Yes to be "back" and i wanted a 3-5 track album with epics etc. but one day i listened to it without thinking about the past and just listened to it as if it were a new band's debut album or something. and when you do that, then the album can shine. imaginative writing and playing, with some great lyrics and of course there's the orchestra. the whole orchestra with rock band works really well here. i think they've done an excellent job here, especially seeing that they're one of the oldest bands around today (in the age of the band and their own individual ages!). anyway, every Yes fan should have this album. i suppose i wouldn't say it's essential for music fans in general, but it's essential Yes. and with that said, a true music fan would enjoy this album anyway because it's simply very creative sound arrangment!

peace and love

~Adam