Q: MAGNIFICATION... or MIRROR TO THE SKY?

[agentarmstrong]

If someone you were talking to loved the music of YES during their tours of the 1970s and/or 80s... but had not actually listened to a "new" YES studio album since ABWH or UNION...

...and all you had with you were the CDs for MAGNIFICATION or MIRROR TO THE SKY: "WHICH" of those 2 albums would you offer to loan them? Which do you feel would better point to where YES music would go, years into the future:

- ...the last studio album with Jon Anderson and Chris Squire?

- ...or the brand new studio album with Jon Davison and Billy Sherwood?

And why?


/AgentA\
- Douglas

[madbear]

Mirror to the Sky, every time.

[Old Frothingslosh]

MAGNIFICATION for me without hesitation. While not the strongest in the Yes cannon. It is far superior to any of the post Anderson output. even if it does have those annoying orchestral arrangements.

[rabin105]

Mirror to the sky

[soundchaser09]

both very strong records, both have many compelling moments, among Yes's better ones really.

Overall I'd say Mirror to the Sky has the edge. It has such an appeal as an album that never wavers in quality, I absolutely adore every track and the epic is a masterpiece (one of Yes' absolute best of the past 45 years), the songs work so well together and it is not an album which has ever worn thin on me, and I have been listening pretty intently. Luminosity and Living out their Dream have really impressed me recently.

With Magnification you occasionally get the orchestra taking too much of a central role (but of course that kind of was the purpose of that one.) Dreamtime, the title track, Spirit of Survival and In the Presence Of are amazing. A lot of great emotion in the record.

I love both records.

[Roundabob]

I love both albums. I would rate them as their best offerings in this century. In the scenario that you created, I would give them the new album to show them where Yes is today, rather than give them an album over twenty years old. Only one player (Howe) on the Magnification album is still with the band. To my ears, both MTTS and Mag are an upgrade from ABWH and Union, so your Yes-starved friend should be in for a treat.

[Soundwaveseeker]

If someone you were talking to loved the music of YES during their tours of the 1970s and/or 80s... but had not actually listened to a "new" YES studio album since ABWH or UNION...

...and all you had with you were the CDs for MAGNIFICATION or MIRROR TO THE SKY: "WHICH" of those 2 albums would you offer to loan them? Which do you feel would better point to where YES music would go, years into the future:

- ...the last studio album with Jon Anderson and Chris Squire?

- ...or the brand new studio album with Jon Davison and Billy Sherwood?

And why?


/AgentA\
- Douglas

Which would I loan them? "Hey, you haven't heard any 'new' Yes have you? Why don't you borrow..."

Well, if its about how I feel about which album is pointing towards where Yes music would go years into the future I would say MTTS because it the current one and most likely both points to whatever they may do from now into the future and also points to the last few albums without Anderson and gives an overall picture of Yes in the 21st Century.

But I most likely would choose Magnification if this someone was familiar with Yes up to a certain point. It's probably closer to the Yes they know than the current Howe-led incarnation. I may sell it thus: "Hey, you like Time & A Word, right? Borrow Magnification. It has the orchestra, but its much better than the one on T& A W, believe it or not. There's some good stuff on here, check out In The Presence Of - it's got those Yes kinda melodies you like, the long epic And You And I sorta thing. I think you'll like this album, if not I'll be an orangutan's third uncle".

They may want to do Magnification first for familiarity. As for Mirror, the Howe guitar would be familiar territory for an old fan coming back to Yes, and maybe the bass guitar with Billy Sherwood channeling Chris Squire, but the songs and material on the current albums might be like a 70's Yes fan hearing 90125 for the first time - it may be too much of a jolt for now, so I say Magnification and then work back to the 90's. For 21st century Yes, start with Fly From Here, especially if the someone likes or doesn't mind Drama.

[Drone Decipher]

Hopefully they have approximately 100 minutes because I'd lend them both.

[True]

I don't think either of them are outstanding records. Personally, if someone asked me to recommend something after the year 2000, I think I would suggest Fly From Here.
But, if they asked me to pick Magnification or Mirror to the Sky, then I would say Magnification.

[Homemade Parachute]

"WHICH" of those 2 albums would you offer to loan them? Which do you feel would better point to where YES music would go, years into the future

Technically two different questions: I would probably loan them Magnification, which is a consistently strong, interesting late career if not quite masterpiece than really very close to one indeed (there's a German word for that, I'm sure). But clearly it's not the future, it was the end of one phase of the band. Magnification is more uneven: a very, very strong title track that the rest of the album struggles to match, but it's clearly a band moving in a good direction.

Now, if I had to choose *songs* off those albums, either "Mirror to the Sky" or "In the Presence Of", well, ok, I'd go with ItPO, but it's closer!

Fortunately this is all academic, and we don't really have to choose between two pretty good but different albums (crazy to realize there's only one member overlapping…).

[Chrisklenox]

I don't think either of them are outstanding records. Personally, if someone asked me to recommend something after the year 2000, I think I would suggest Fly From Here.
But, if they asked me to pick Magnification or Mirror to the Sky, then I would say Magnification.

Same on suggesting Fly From Here. I feel like that is more of a record you lend to anyone. Magnification and Mirror to The Sky I think are very much Yes albums for big Yes fans. As in neither of those will impress anyone who does not already like Yes a lot, specifically post Union Yes.

[Davy]

Probably Magnification, but I think the title track of MttS is better than anything on Magnification.

[Mr. Holland]

While I feel Magnification is the stronger album of the two, by quite a stretch as well, I think it would be a pretty pointless choice if it's about showing where the band currently stands. So, my choice would be Mirror To The Sky.

[yamishogun]

Nobody cares were Yes currently stands. The best to compare are "Magnification" and "In the Presence Of" versus "Mirror to the Sky" - the best of both

[pjt]

MttS. I'm still not over the disappointment Mag was for me.
Mag starts strong, but then fizzles out until ItPO which is very good, and then it ends on the very low key Time is Time (no abbreviation for this). I love Nine Voices which ends The Ladder on a high note, so that I want to listen to the album again,Time is Time just fades into oblivion.

As for ItPO vs MttS? ItPO is really a very good song, but not as varied and full of expositions and changes as MttS.

Howe has perfected the "meandering song that just goes nowhere" with Footprints and Bring Me to the Power, continued with Give Love Each Day, We Agree and (dang I forgot, let's check Wikipedia), Spirit of Survival, then most of The Quest. MttS is a first since I don't remember when a song has twists an turns and still feels structured.