FRAGILE

FRAGILE was first issued in January of 1972. Thirty-plus years later, the album still resonates across the popular music landscape. It was the group's highest-charting album in the U.S. (peaking at No. 4) and yielded its highest-charting single at the time with the classic "Roundabout" (No. 13). The lineup of the band was still undergoing change. They lost founding member Tony Kaye and brought in Former Strawbs' keyboardist Rick Wakeman. [Another founding member Bill Bruford would leave before the follow-up CLOSE TO THE EDGE.] Each member contributed to the success of FRAGILE. Wakeman's tour de force is "Cans and Brahms" (an extract from Brahm's 4th Symphony), which has him playing electric piano, grand piano, organ and synthesizer to take the parts of the original orchestral parts.

"We Have Heaven" has Jon Anderson performing all the vocal parts. "Five Percent of Nothing" (at a brief 35 seconds) is Bruford's percussion showcase. Chris Squire's bass work is featured prominently on his "The Fish." In the same vein as the previous album's "Clap," Chris Squire shows his acoustic guitar prowess on the delicate "Mood for a Day."

The bonus tracks are a nice addition. You get the full ten-and-a-half minute version of Paul Simon's "America" (the single version only went to No. 46), along with a previously unreleased early rough mix of "Roundabout," which is not substantially different from the final version.

Eventually "progessive rock" became a dirty word in the music world, but in the early days of the Seventies, Yes were one of the most innovative bands of the era and this is their masterpiece almost rivaling CLOSER TO THE EAGE. VERY HIGHLY RECOMMENDED