Yes is a perfect example of “if only.” If only Alan White and Richard Branson didn’t go disco skating, if only Cinema didn’t add a vocalist, if only Yes decided not to record the Fly From Here epic and developed the songs from Oliver Wakeman in the early 2000s, if only Roy Thomas Baker was not invited to produce the world’s greatest progressive rock band a second time.
“Can You Imagine,” from 2001’s Magnification, opens a whole new line of “if only” thinking. Initially developed by Chris Squire and Alan White for their shelved XYZ project with guitarist Jimmy Page, it’s a fine rock song.
Squire’s vocals are confident and fitting, comparable to the Cinema version of “It Can Happen.” Jon Anderson provides the harmonies, fitting into the song as if it’s the way Yes vocals have always been recorded. Steve Howe offers touches of steel guitar.
The second verse is more conventional rock and roll, but the approach works well – as does the orchestration and Alan White’s piano. Hard to imagine what Jimmy Page could have added to “Can You Imagine.” It works so well in this setting.
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