LP Review: Yes - Fragile

Yes's Fragile is a brilliant album from start to finish. Perhaps I'm committing some mortal sin by saying this, but I actually prefer Fragile to Close to the Edge. The songs "Close to the Edge" and "And You and I" are outstanding classics of progressive rock, to be sure; so is "Roundabout," and "Heart of the Sunrise" and "South Side of the Sky" deserve to be as well. "Heart of the Sunrise" is the best Jon Anderson vocal performance I've heard, and the bass line in "Roundabout" is the most awesome bass line of any song ever.

Fragile also features five individual compositions, one by each member of the band. They're hit (Steve Howe's "Mood for a Day," Rick Wakeman's Brahms thing) and miss (Squire's "the fish"), but they all lend a charming personal touch to the album.

I'm listening to "Heart of the Sunrise" as I write this. Jon Anderson just hit the high note. I wonder if I'll ever not get shivers at that part.


Yes personnel:

Jon Anderson - vocals
Bill Bruford - drums, percussion
Steve Howe - electric and acoustic guitars, vocals
Chris Squire - bass guitars, vocals
Rick Wakeman - a shit ton of keyboards

Tracks (Composers):
Side 1
1. Roundabout (Anderson, Howe)
2. Cans and Brahms (Brahms, arr. Wakeman)
3.We Have Heaven (Anderson)
4. South Side of the Sky (Anderson, Squire)

Side 2
1. Five Per Cent for Nothing (Bruford)
2. Long Distance Runaround (Anderson)
3. the fish (Squire)
4. Mood for a Day (Howe)
5. Heart of the Sunrise (Anderson Squire Bruford)

Purchased at Wuxtry Records in Athens, GA
Condition: G

Back cover:



Inside: