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Cesar Inca Special Collaborator Honorary Collaborator
Between the middle of 1970 and the last half of 1971, two wonderful things happened
to Yes: Howe and Wakeman entered the line-up. "Fragile" was the first Yes album
conceived and recorded under these most promising circumstances. and the promise
was fulfilled with absolute magnificence. "The Yes Album" had shown a band reaching
its maturity but not there 100 %. "Fragile" turns out to be the manifesto of a maturity
conquered and self-enhanced. All the individual symptoms are here: Howe and
Wakeman rule the Yessian melodic realms with their absolute skill and infinite
inventiveness, Anderson's singing is more enthusiastic and compelling than ever
(properly complemented by Squire's and Howe's backing vocals), Bruford shines like a
demigod in his challenging drumming style, and Squire makes his bass a crucial rhythm
element and a relevant melodic factor, both at once. The overall result is a most superb
ensemble ready to push the prog movement to a brand new boundary of artistic
excellence. 'Roundabout' kicks off the album with full splendour, a fiery light that still
nowadays shines with the brightness of a classic. The same goes for the closure 'Heart
of the Sunrise', one of the finest yes numbers ever, full of contrasts and linking every
motif fluidly and consistently into a perfectly unitary amalgam: it is remarkable how such
a long piece can keep things working in order to maintain an even level of epic drama all
along, without ups and downs. 'South Side of the Sky' is another Yes classic, a great
track that should have been part of their live setlists more often: basically it's a hard
rocking piece with a jazz-oriented interlude that includes some mystic-like chorale
section - Wakeman makes his piano parts intertwine beautifully with the various
chanting counterpoints. The solo numbers are also quite impressive. Wakeman pays an
orthodox but not-too-solemn tribute in 'Cans and Brahms', and Anderson displays a
multi-layered vocal tour-de-force in the folkish gospel 'We Have Heaven'. Then, a door
is slammed and someone's feet go running away in a hurry, until a sound of thunder
and whirling wind give way to the aforementioned 'South Side of the Sky'. Bruford's
brief piece 'Five per Cent for Nothing' is not a drum solo, but an exercise of collective
counterpoint among all four instrumentalists. The complex yet catchy 'Long Distance
Runaround' is segued into another multi-layered tour-de-force, this time carried on by
Squire's amazing bass work. Meanwhile, guitarist Howe chooses a more relaxed pace
with his exquisite Flamenco-oriented number 'Mood for a Day'. The album ends with a
reprise of 'We Have Heaven', a closed door having been reopened as soon as the last
echoes of the mellotron's last note in 'Heart of the Sunrise' vanished into the void.
Either this has a deep, poetic meaning, or it's mostly a humorous coda, but all in all it is
amusing and creates the feel of a full circle. Like thousands of prog fans, I
regard "Fragile" as an absolute masterpiece of the genre, so it deserves nothing less
than the maximum rating.
Cesar Inca |5/5 |
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