FRAGILE

Though not as exceptional as the Close To The Edge-Tales-Relayer period, this album is still an essential for every progressive music fan. The album is divided up into 4 groups songs and solo spots from each members, that interestingly work very, very well and add a lot to the album. Of course throughout you get the wonderful vocal hooks from Anderson, the twirling keyboards sounds from newcomer Rick Wakeman, outstanding guitar work from Howe who had really made an impact since joinging the band, and of course, flawless drumming from Bruford. But the real star of this Fragile album is bassist Chris Squire. It would be a joy just to take out the bass tracks and listen to them on their own. This is the best bass guitar album in history, period.

We start off the album with perhaps THE most widely known classic prog song, Roundabout. It's a fantastic song. Progressive and overtly catchy at the same time, I'm sure you know it. If you don't, give it a listen. It's great stuff, even if I think the other group works on Fragile are better.

Cans And Brahms is a little keyboard piece from Wakeman. It's stupid, but I love it.

We Have Heaven is a vocal showcase from Anderson. It's very nice and really works on it's own.

The highlight of Fragile is the next song, South Side Of The Sky. It's a harsh, cold, and wintry track (fitting the lyrics, which are about hypothermia, quite well) and is about as aggressive as Yes got up to this point. Listen to those descending guitar chords in the verse and the booming bass throughout. This is the greatest both dueling and cohesion between Squire and Howe up to this point in their careers. Then the songs fades, and a lovely piano interlude from Wakeman sets the stage for a great harmonic vocal part from Anderson, until that agressiveness returns at we come to the end of this mini-epic. One of the best Yes songs ever.

Five Per Cent For Nothing is a very short drum.... uh..... thing from Bruford. It's kinda cool for being on about a half a minute.

Next is the REAL best pop number on the album, the simply wonderful Long Distance Runaround. This is just a fantastic combination of prog and pop with everything you would expect from a great radio hit and all the advantages of the members' individual talents. I love this track. Grusomely overlooked.

The next two are individual pieces by Squire and Howe respectively, The Fish and Mood For A Day. The Fish is a great studio creation that showcases the talents of Chris Squire and his ability to create a track with his Rickenbacker bass alone. Very spacey and cool. Sounds like an ocean-inspired track. Mood For A Day is a classical guitar piece and is very, very pretty.

Heart Of The Sunrise is the epic which closes the album. Simply a great track. Listen to that bass and drum interplay in the intro. This is prog rock rocking as hard as it ever has. The middle of the song is much, much softer, dominated by some beautiful Wakeman passages on piano and the best vocal work, perhaps, Anderson has ever given out. As the song progresses, the harder and softer aspects of the song seem to come together in a charged up musical rush that closes the album, before we get a little reprise of "We Have Heaven".

Overall, while I don't think this one reaches the heights of the next three albums, it's a fantasic listen and no prog lover should be without it. ****1/2 stars, bumped up to a five by it's importance in the prog canon.