What is your rating of the album Magnification?

[BrianD]

This has been done before but not in a way to keep track of the scores - hopefully this will overcome that by allowing you to choose one score per album.

[neilius]

There's a couple of tracks on this album that im not keen on. But i think ive discussed this album before

[raz]

some very very good tracks, but some padding which could have been left on the floor of the edting room....

Time is time stands out for me.

Love that track.....

[True Believer]

Love ITPO, hate Don't Go.

[Yes2Yes]

Just ok in my book.

[YesfanAndy]

Gave it a 9. I truly feel this album was rushed. It was not needed. It came out in 2001, if I remember correctly. The Ladder came out in Oct 99. I was still in the groove of digging "The Ladder". Don't get me wrong I love this album. I just wasn't ready for a new YES album. What they should have done was made a brand new one when Rick came back in 2002. "Give Love Each Day", "We Agree" two of fav's on this one.

[YesJen357]

Any album that has 'In The Presence Of' and 'Magnification' has to be good.
10 for me.
As an aside, I loved the way Rick played the orchestra parts on these two songs during the Full Circle and 2002 tours. For me, that was one of the special highlights of hearing them live for the first time in 30 years 'down-under.' It had made me very curious as to whether those songs would 'make the grade' without all the extra musicians.
Performed live, Mag. and ITPO still rock!

[Hill St.]

9!I really love this album.ITPO is the only(Yes) song my wife will listen to.

[Yes_Fan_4_Life26]

I love this one how they can really prove that prog rock can be played without Mr. Wakeup...urhumm...I mean Mr. Wakeman (or whatever session musician they can pull out the Yellow Pages, in fact).

9 though I would really like to rate it 8.5. Ah well

Paulson

[Whitefish]

Gave it a 9.

"In the Presence of" is the best song they have done in years in my opinion.

The rest is pretty great too.

Nice to hear them with an orchestra!

[yessongs72]

I give it a 9 should have been a 10 except Don't Go brings it down a notch. It's still in my book the best album since Tales.

[BrianD]

Magnification currently rates 7.57

[BrianD]

After 26 votes, an average of 7.65

[Joe]

I think this is one of the best.
I love the way YES use's the symphony.
It gives them so many different colors.

The DVD is also my favorite.
The way the symphony is used,
just enough, but not too much.

[Mike Watkins]

I've never heard it. My loss ????

[SonicDeath10]

9. First time since Going For The One the band COMPLETELY captured the amazing glory that is their sound. I love the albums in between, but none are as epic as this one.

[BrianD]

On January 7 2006 after 36 votes Magnification rates 7.94

[sunburstbasser]

I gave it an 8. Some harmonies don't really gel with me like on every other album I have. And some of the orchestration is a little overdone for my tastes.

No song is truly weak, and the best ones stand up against anything Yes has ever put out. It just doesn't get me like it could.

[Yesgalaxy]

10+

[Seasoned Witch]

The only song I really like on this album is "Time is Time." A lot of the lyrics on more recent Yes albums, such as this, are hard for me to stomach. I really couldn't stand that "seen through the eyes of child" part.

"Seen through the eyes of a child
We will perpetuate this song
Perpetuate this song of love"

Yuk!!! Didn't the same man who wrote those lyrics also write something as strangely beautiful as:

"Craving penetrations offer links with the self instructors sharp
And tender love as we took to the air, a picture of distance."

Whatever happened to lyrics like that? Where did the mystery go?

Actually Jon's been writing cheesy lyrics for a long time but for some reason they seem to stick out like a sore thumb on recent albums. For example, from what I remember, a song such as "Final Eyes" also has some corny lyrics, but somehow it still works for me. Perhaps it's because the song doesn't seem to take itself that seriously.

[The Whale]

a 10 one of my favorits. In the presens of is in my top 5.

the lyrics your looking for are right here!

Can you imagine
Any reason
To know you’re only fooling yourself
And then you’ll understand why
You’ll understand why

So if we choose to realize
All existence is a dream
This perfect resume to you
From me

Just had a tough time with magic
The death of ego
The moon
It was just coming through

Send me such a good time
In a letter form, tell me
The pleasure, no pressure
Pure imagination in a metaphoric dream

[Teacher travelling]

The most underrated Yes album - perhaps because not many have given it a chance? For me this is easily the best since "Going for the One". The orchestra works well (I thought it might be cheesy!) and most of the songs are great.

[Hacman]

I gave it a nine. I listen to the album a lot. A lot of variety to the songs and they captured a little bit of a new take on their classic sound, I thought. I don't mean the orchestra bit, just Steve's guitar runs, etc., which seemed very fresh and complimentary to the songs. The only song I skip over is "Don't Go", but everything else is good to great.

I think it clearly ranks with their other top albums.

[allpurechance]

I'm pretty sure I voted '10', awhile ago.I had commented elsewhere upon the album (probably typically off topic, lol) and so hadn't here.

There is a flow and a completeness of thought and concept to this work that directly addresses what it is about Yes that makes them great, what it is that I sense, and confirm often when I read, that we love about the band.

Almost all of the tracks work well on their own.The criticism we hear most often is probably in reference to the song Don't Go.So, I'll begin there.I want to hate this song, too.It's syrupy, wallpaperish and schlocky.It smacks of bubblegum.I should hate it.It in all likelihood fuels the fires under those who wish to hate the band, and provides them a prime example of why.

Yet...

I love it!Sometimes I get the hook stuck in my head.Even then I still want to hate it.
There's a message in the words which we should heed.Don't take love granted.I tell myself this every day, even as I remind myself to give love each day.A previous poster criticizes the lyrics.Okay, they are in places worthy of that.Jeramie has pointed out that in places though, they are indeed right up there with any Jon has ever written.The whole album is this lesson in love, the forms it can take, the importance it has in life, our lives, every life.Don't Go is in the end a pretty decent pop song, and the album was supposed to have one.Jon wanted commercial success, at one time Yes was an ongoing commercial concern, what's wrong with trying to recapture that?That they failed almost, in fact does make them all that much more valiant in the attempt.They played from the album live for several years, demonstrating that the material was worthy, for we loved it, even though...it just...didn't...sell.

The real problem with that was how it discouraged Jon.

So, Don't Go may be the weak link on the album, yet even that is good, at least it's okay.Me, I've decided that not only can't I hate it, well, I just gave it up, I've come to love it, too.

Then, there's the rest of the album.

Well, that's sterling.I agree with another poster who said it's their best work since Going For The One, although since the Rhino remasters, Tormato is also at least on a par.

As a complete work, Magnification fits easily into the category of some of Yes' best work.Which is mind boggling considering that they haven't done any such work since.
How they even managed to get it together defies me.Let us all remember the touring schedule at that time, and the rather chaotic state of the band itself during that period:Igor, the unavailability of Rick.

Yet, they did it.And, it's wonderful.There's a build, a flow to the complete work.The initial sequence culminating in Give Love Each Day, album climax #1.Then, a break in the action;required.We Agree, a song which only improves with time, that familiar Yes pattern to their best work, their finest music.Steve's guitar here seems initially buried in the mix, you have to look for it, listen for it.Then, when you find it, wow is it lovely.Here may be his best work with Yes for a quarter of a century.The lull in the album continues.Soft As A Dove, which I have also seen criticized.Well, I think it's beautiful.And, also it belongs where it is, for it sets you up for the combination elements that end the album - Dreamtime, In The Presence Of, Time Is Time.

These three pieces prove to me, and should to anyone who questions --- that Yes can STILL do it!This wasn't that long ago.

If you've become involved in the album at all to this point, this last 22 or 23 minutes are going to finish you off entirely.Even if you haven't immersed yourself in the loveliness that has preceded, this finale will get your attention, might even make you start the whole thing over to listen again.

The whole album is geared towards the climax of In The Presence Of.It's been many years since we've heard this from Yes.Missed it so much.Miss it now!

It is an epic which fits nicely into the catalogue, no?Yes.

Nothing prepared me for the impact of the closing song.There are alot of mixed feelings about Time Is Time, too.Many say they could care less about the song.Others claim it is their favorite on the album.

Where have we heard this before? :lmao:
From ourselves, each other.Over and over again.Mixed feelings (until time becomes time, of course!) are the hallmark of Yes music.Many of their greatest works we had no idea what to think of initially.The greatness and genius inherent in many of their most controversial songs (think Tales, Relayer, Tormato, etc./and many others!:lmao:)
is only just now, or recently becoming apparent to us.Often, they have to exhibit a song in concert for us to finally "get it".

How much I love this about Yes.So much!

Time Is Time is the perfect coda to Magnification's climax, the grandeur and enormity of Dreamtime/In The Presence Of could only be enhanced by the delicate, nearly imperceptible loveliness and simplicity of Time Is Time.Jon's lyrics are Timeless.
The string quartet at the end is ... I think I've run out of words ... ( Can You Imagine! :lmao:)

...yet it is a tribute to Larry Groupe and the orchestration that this is how Yes decided to finish off this album, the best work they'd done since their days of glory.

[ToBeOver]

Frank, I love your post! ;)

I gave it a solid 9. I really like this album a lot and feel it gets a bad rap. ITPO is an outstanding song; but I could have done without Don't Go... it still ranks a 9 in my book, regardless. ;)

:keyboard:

[BrianD]

On July 1 2008 after 68 votes, average 7.85