Would Magnification been better with a Keyboardist? And who should of it been?

[rabin105]

My wife has constantly said “the orchestra didn’t work 30 years earlier so why on earth did they try it again in 2001”

and honestly I wonder would the album have benefited with an actually keyboardist and if so who should of it been

[Ash Armstrong]

[Ceasar’s Palace]

It would probably have been a fine album anyway, and we would never have known. But I like it a lot the way it is, and I think the orchestrations are great.
Better than those on TAAW, but those were fine too.

[1yesfan]

I like it the way it is.

[Olorin]

I was dubious when I heard about it, because it smacked of playing the old “classic rock band plays with an orchestra to revive flagging interest” card. Plus, it meant they would have to tour with an orchestra to play the material, and then later tours have somebody try to reproduce the orchestral parts on keyboard. All that said, I did like the result. I would probably not have preferred it with a regular keyboard player, because then it would’ve been just another Yes album. As it is, with the orchestra, it has a unique place in the Yescography.

[pianozach]

Needed a Hammond solo on one of the tracks.

[josuev80]

Here it is without the orchestra and no keyboard player except Alan.

[Ceasar’s Palace]

Needed a Hammond solo on one of the tracks.

Which? Dreamtime maybe?

[soundchaser09]

I really love Magnification because of the orchestra tbh. Symphonic prog is the meeting of classical and rock mostly, so its only fitting. Plus the arrangements were gorgeous. A top ten Yes album for me for sure.

[Old Frothingslosh]

Never got the the orchestra appeal. To me Yes was an orchestra by itself so what was the point other than that was the "hip" thing to at that time. That would have been a great time to revisit Patrick on keyboards.

[pianozach]

Which? Dreamtime maybe?

Yeah, that would be great. Would have been great on the title track as well.

Sandwich in another instrumental verse at 3:43 on Dreamtime, and smack some Hammond on THAT, oh, yeah. Would've been dope. Wakeman would have been a shoo-in for that groove, but I'll bet that Kaye would have been excellent there too.

Or they could have brought in a guest player like Winwood or Emerson just for the occasion. Oh, Goldy McJohn was still alive - HE'd have really nailed it.

[Skankindead]

That's weird, I thought the orchestra worked great on TaaW. I don't know what your wife is talking about frankly haha.

In any case, Magnification works amazingly with the orchestra. It creates soundscapes that weren't possible on any of the other Yes albums, and overall has a very unique and cinematic sound. The places it does have keyboards seem like they were the only option. I would definitely not have traded a keyboardist out for the orchestra, even if Yes has some amazing keyboardists.

[Kenny]

'Magnification" on "Live at Montreux" with Rick sounded great.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S1pSM9-mOnE

"In The Presence Of" was excellent too

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SZAUbNtlSA4

The real question is could Rick have improved the songs if he'd played on the original album?

[JMKUSA]

Too much orchestra and not enough guitar on Magnification. The orchestra kind of drowns out the band in places. Presumably if they had used the orchestra more sparingly and had more Hammond on the album it would have felt more like a proper Yes album to me, rather than Yes guesting on a Jon Anderson solo album with an orchestra.

Mind you, I still enjoy the album (minus Soft as a Dove, which is dreadful) but I would have preferred less orchestra.

[Soundwaveseeker]

I think the orchestra worked better on Magnification than on Time & A Word. I love Magnification, more integrated and less slapped-on, but I wouldn't want Yes to go for the orchestra all the time. I was a little skeptical when I heard about an orchestra on The Quest, but it works. I don't mind now and then, like on the Quest or on Onward from Tormato, but I love the synths & hammond & piano in Yes. I like Yes with an octagon of keyboards surrounding the dude or at least an L-shaped set-up. Long live the 'boards.