Music Monday: Yes/Time and a Word (Side Two)

Now it's time to get into Side Two of Yes' second album, Time and a Word. Side One can be checked out here. For some reason I just cant much get into this side. I mean the title song is good, but the rest I just seem to gloss over and forget about. When it was released in the USA they used an alternate cover, because a cartoon boob was deemed "inappropriate". Here's what it looks like:

Yeah that's Steve Howe in the red shirt, even though he didn't play on the album at all.

Music Monday: Yes/Time and a Word (Side One)

The second album released by Yes was called Time and a Word. A live orchestra was used on the recording of all of the tracks, giving it a kind of "eerie" feel in my book. This actually caused a lot of tension in the band, prompting one of the members, guitar player Peter Banks, to leave. So this is the last album to feature the original lineup, and unfortunately it started an almost continuous revolving door of personnel. Steve Howe joined the band (and what a major upgrade!) before this album was released, but he didn't play on it.

UK Front Cover

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And now, on to Side One.

Friday and the Random 10 (Urgent Edition)

Welcome to a new and improved, simplified and stripped down Random 10! 

Here's a picture.

This Day in Music History: Yes/Magnification (09/10)

Magnification is the nineteenth studio album by progressive rock band Yes, released on this day in 2001 (December 4th in the US). It was the band's first album of the new century, and their second with a full orchestra (the first being Time and a Word from 1970 which I previously covered here and here). It marked the band's last studio album to date with vocalist Jon Anderson.

Before I go on with the history, I just want to point out that this is a fantastic album that should have gotten more attention. Unfortunately the release date of 09/10/01 did a lot of damage to any possible record sales as the world changed on that day.

This Day in Music History: Yes/Magnification (09/10)

Magnification is the nineteenth studio album by English progressive rock band Yes, released in 2001.

Magnification is Yes' first album of the new century and their second using a live orchestra (the first being Time and a Word from 1970). It marked the band's last studio album to date with vocalist Jon Anderson.

Released between the departure of Igor Khoroshev the previous year and Rick Wakeman's fourth return in 2002, it is the only album in the band's history not to feature any keyboardist, and the only one involving only four Yes members.

Following the departures of guitarist Billy Sherwood and keyboardist Igor Khoroshev, and Rick Wakeman's decision not to rejoin the band, remaining members Jon Anderson, Chris Squire, Steve Howe and Alan White decided to fill the keyboard role with an orchestra, and hired film composer Larry Groupé to compose and conduct original orchestrations and musical bridges.

The album was re-released in 2002 as a limited and numbered 2-CD set with alternate artwork; the second disc contains three live performances and a CD-ROM track with an interview, video of "Don't Go," and a live video of "The Gates of Delirium". 

This album also features the song "Can You Imagine", in which the main vocals are sung by Chris Squire with Jon Anderson on backing vocals. This Squire-penned song was originally recorded in 1981 as a demo entitled "Can You See" for his aborted XYZ project.

Apart from the traditional Yes themes of spirituality and relation to nature and divinity, the album also addresses personal issues (Jon Anderson's relation with his daughter Deborah in "Don't Go") and political issues (the war in Bosnia in "We Agree", the plight of drunk-driving youth in "Spirit of Survival")

Track Listing

1. Magnification

2. Spirit of Survival

3. Don't Go

4. Give Love Each Day

5. Can You Imagine

6. We Agree

7. Soft as a Dove

8. Dreamtime

9. In the Presence Of

I. Deeper

II. Death of Ego

III. True Beginner

IV. Turn Around and Remember

10. Time Is Time